Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
It started off promisingly; it looked like we were getting a character exploration on Shuri, that we get to understand her as a character of her own, what makes her tick and what drives her. But then Marvel has to Marvel…
The Wolf Man
The werewolf effects, albeit dated, are still fairly creepy and unnerving. The wolf man has also become a very famous and iconic horror figure, and was recently homaged in Marvel’s special short feature Werewolf By Night.
Bullet Train
A new comedy-actioner from Hollywood star Brad Pitt and made by the people who brought you John Wick, Atomic Blonde and Deadpool.
The Batman (2022)
A huge lesson I learned from my theatrical experience of The Batman is not to watch a movie when you’re tired. I came out of the show not too enamoured by the film, even though I did acknowledge that it had many good scenes and performances. Somehow, they didn’t coalesce into a good movie in my fatigued eyes. Many weeks later, I managed to re-watch it on a 4K Blu-Ray, and I finally realized I couldn’t be more wrong.
Hardcore Henry
Unlike the movie adaptation of “Doom” starring Dwayne Johnson and Karl Urban, Hardcore Henry fully commits to the game’s first-person-perspective from start till finish, and I find it fascinating that they were able to roll with that for 96 minutes and still manages to keep the story compelling.
Copshop
If you’re looking for a decent and small little crime thriller set in a single location, you can’t go wrong with this one. Because there are no big explosions and set pieces, the film focuses more on the characters, and it’s very interesting to see how things play out among these assorted bunch of characters, and in ways you sometimes never expected.
Prey
Although nothing groundbreaking or surprising in the overall plot, but the setting and the story of the Comanche girl makes it fresh, and it feels like someone in Hollywood finally realised that they have been writing way better Predator stories in comic books for decades and adapted one of those stories.
Overlord
Overlord is a good war movie. It takes itself pretty seriously on that front. If this had been based on true accounts of the experiences of paratroopers during the war, this would have been a very decent one. But since this was marketed as a horror movie, it’s no spoiler that our heroes will face off a few monstrosities conjured up by the aforementioned laboratory. The problem with this movie is that there were too little of the horror elements.
The Spoiler-ific Companion Piece to The Gray Man Review
Some random thoughts about The Gray Man that are chock-full of spoilers.
The Gray Man
This isn’t the smart spy thriller I was looking forward to. I was waiting eagerly to have the rug pulled under me, but I knew it wasn’t to be after the umpteenth action thriller trope was being introduced. It’s really just an unsophisticated action movie designed for spectacle and crowd-pleasing moments.
Minions: The Rise of Gru
I never thought that I would have anything interesting to say about this one, but this latest installment of the Despicable Me/ Minions films managed to surprise me on a couple of things.
Resident Evil (Netflix series)
Unlike the film franchises, this one has a team who actually knows how to make a proper show. The story’s a lot more sophisticated, the performances are top notch from most of the cast, particularly Lance Reddick, Ella Balinska and the two young actors Tamara Smart and Siena Agudong.
Thor: Love & Thunder
To the initiated, Thor: Love and Thunder is the direct response to the enthusiasm over Ragnarok’s revision of the Thor sub-franchise, meaning more Flash Gordon-esque goofy, irreverent humour and Thor behaving like a buffoon while saving the universe.
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+ series)
Ewan McGregor is in great form, reprising the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi. He gets a lot more opportunities to flaunt as his character has more emotional and powerful scenes than in any of the films.
Top Gun: Maverick
Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing really groundbreaking to be found here. But it’s just such a very well put together blockbuster film, and I haven’t felt such sheer enjoyment for a film in this way for a long time.
Everything Everywhere All At Once
Fret not, this isn’t a stuffy arthouse treatment, but a surprisingly fast-paced, genre-leaning, effects-laden sci-fi actioner with a strong dose of family drama at its core. So, not only do you get to see Yeoh bringing her action chops, but flex her acting ones too.