KPop Demon Hunters

KPop Demon Hunters; Sony Animation does it again, imbuing a culture’s core elements into every frame. It captures the joy and excitement of KPop through its characters and design, while opening it up to everyone to enthral in the dynamic songs and illustrations. It’s infectiously fun; A-

One Battle After Another

One Battle After Another; Kinetic, thrilling action has never looked so good. Penn embodies his character with tremendous physical work, while Leo’s portrayal is a scrambled mind written all over his face. Del Toro, Taylor, Hall and Infiniti elevate it all. A rare combination of an auteur action; A

Roofman

Roofman; Ripped from real life robber romance that would be difficult to believe if it weren’t true. Having Channing Tatum portray the charming criminal certainly doesn’t hurt the story & becoming emotionally invested. Not a happy tale, but an interesting one to watch unfold via a stacked cast; B+

A Very Jonas Christmas Movie

A Very Jonas Christmas Movie; It’s hard to not enjoy the JoJo Bros. when they know they’re the joke. Their fame, music, family is all up for spoofs in what they clearly know is a ridiculous movie to be making. Cinema, this is definitely not, but a silly little passage of time around the holidays; B-

Wake Up Dead Man

Wake Up Dead Man; 3rd instalment delivers on everything expected; intriguing mystery, clever dialogue handled by exceptional actors, levity that hits in the film & as commentary on our real world. Changes of setting + characters makes this an evergreen delight, a fresh energy to a solid formula; A

The Seed of the Sacred Fig

The Seed of the Sacred Fig; Though it feels like little happening, first half sinks into your psyche so that by the time it gets out of hand, you’re invested. Some motivations remain unclear, but the reality conveyed by the cast make it an intense experience. Long run time passes by w/o notice; A-

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair; 1st time viewing this format, elicits a different response. Original split worked as two clear tonal differences btwn films felt pronounced. Viewed as one, the climactic scene of Vol. 1 loses some juice, as the Bride still has more to avenge in the same film; A+