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Written by: Gilbert Seah

Parent Category: Articles

Category: Movie Reviews

Published: 08 August 2025

FILM REVIEWS:

EAST OF WALL (USA 2024) ***
Directed by Anne Beecroft

The complaint about the under-representation of women in films can be clearly discarded these days.  In the area EAST OF WALL, (Wall is a town in Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 699 at the 2020 census), lives a family run by the strong female matriarch, which is where the story of this film comes from.  The film is so-called as it is the location of the family ranch - the setting of the story.

Despite its small population, Wall is quite famous.  Wall was named for the "natural wall" in rock formations by the Badlands National Park.  The National Grasslands Visitor Center is also located in Wall.

EAST OF WALL can be described as a docu-fiction as it is an authentic portrait of
female resilience in the “New West,” inspired by those who live it.  The film and story revolve around a tough, tattooed Tabatha Zimiga (Tabatha Zimiga playing herself), a rancher with an uncanny gift for taming untameable horses.  She and her teen daughter Porshia Zimiga (she also plays herself) are often at loggerheads with her mother.  Porshia blames her mother for the loss of her stepfather,

  Tabatha takes good care of her 3 kids – Porshia, older son (played by family friend Wyatt Mansfield) and 3-year-old son (Stephen Neumann as himself) – plus a slew of teens (as themselves) who need somewhere to live.  Tabatha has her hands full with humans to train beside the horses. Tabatha also hasn’t ridden a horse since his death. Instead, she coaches the teens who often perform tricks on horses while selling them at auctions or via TikTok.  Even so, it’s a financial struggle.  Then along comes a wealthy businessman (Scoot McNairy) with a proposal to buy her 3,000 acres.

EAST OFWALL benefits from the raw emotions generated from the story of a family often at unease, but shares the common love for horses.  The rodeo riding and horse stunts help in the film's authenticity and also create the proper atmosphere for a horse movie.  The film is beautifully shot by cinematographer Austin Shaboozey.  Despite the fact that most of the cast are non-professionals, a lot of them portray themselves, which makes their performances realistic.

Despite the realistic atmosphere and performances, one can hardly call the film enjoyable for the reason that it is never much fun to watch a family in struggle.  The story occasionally falls into clichéd territory, as one can expect Tabatha to be fighting with the ranch’s buyer over her loss of control of the ranch.  The film’s cop-out happy ending that includes Tabatha having her way with the ranch and the dolled-up reconciliation between mother and daughter are also a bit hard to take.

Director Beecroft and cinematographer Shelton spent three years living with the family, absorbing their daily life before shooting the film.  Their efforts clearly show on screen.

EAST OF WALL has made its debut at various international film festivals and opens August 15 across Canada, including Toronto at the TIFF Lightbox.

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Written by: Gilbert Seah

Parent Category: Articles

Category: Movie Reviews

Published: 25 July 2025

FILM REVIEWS:

DELEGATION (Israel/Germany/Poland 2023) **
Directed by Asaf Saban

A delegation is defined as a set of people chosen or elected to represent a larger group.  The delegation in the film DELEGATION refers to a class group visiting holocaust sites in Poland. Three Israeli high school friends take part in a class trip visiting Holocaust sites in Poland – the last time together before two of the boys enter the army.  During the trip, shy boy Frisch, aspiring artist Nitzan and class heartthrob Ido deal with issues of love, friendship, and politics against the backdrop of concentration camps and memorial sites. This journey is supposed to change them forever.

The Holocaust, known in Hebrew as the Shoa, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe, around two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population. The murders were committed primarily through mass shootings across Eastern Europe and poison gas chambers in extermination camps, chiefly Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka, Belzec, Sobibor, and Chełmno in occupied Poland. The film claims to be a coming-of-age tour about boys discovering their past.

The film is, however, despite good intentions, boring, tedious, while not offering any new insight into the holocaust cause.  Audiences around the world already sympathize with the cause and need not watch the shock boys goof around and flirt with the opposite sex and then sit down to discuss their Jewish past. Audiences are forced to endure the teens’ romantic flings and then have to listen to them talk about how they felt about the holocaust.  The delegation also includes an older survivor of the holocaust who talks about his experiences in the camp.

Instead of a thoughtful and compelling film, DELEGATION fans to avoid all the cliches while forcing the audience to sit through a very tiresome road trip.  The film emphasizes the fact that teenagers can be terribly annoying and full of themselves.

DELEGATION opens on digital August 1st.

Trailer: 

HARLEY FLANAGAN WIRED FOR CHAOS (USA 2024) ***
Directed by Rex Miller

The film begins with a man jogging close to the woods with a guitar strung around his back.  He says that he has been angry for the past 50 years, and he says that that is not the man he wants to be.  He is next shown exercising - the guy is quite fit despite his stocky build.  He goes on to say that only death is certain and everything else, optional.

Who is this man?   He is Harley Flanagan.  I have not heard of the man, not being in the funk rock scene.   

Harley Francis Flanagan (born March 8, 1967) is an American musician. Harley Flanagan founded the hardcore punk band the Cro-Mags. He is currently the bassist, vocalist, and sole remaining founding member of the band.  Flanagan began his musical career at age 11 in 1978, drumming for the New York punk band the Stimulators alongside his aunt Denise Mercedes. By the early 1980s, he was a prominent figure in the developing New York hardcore, helping to found the Cro-Mags in 1981 and Murphy's Law in 1982.

Founder of the pioneering band Cro-Mags, Harley Flanagan is a punk rock/hardcore legend who’s defied the odds – along with neglect, sexual abuse, drugs, violence, and PTSD -- and lived to tell the tale. The feature-length documentary, HARLEY FLANAGAN: WIRED FOR CHAOS, dives headfirst into the wild life and times of this larger-than-life icon and is a no-holds-barred ride that isn’t just about the music; it’s about a man forged in fire who’s lived to tell the tale. 

  Raised by a Warhol Factory “it” girl, Harley was thrown into the Lower East Side’s underground scene in the ’70s. Left to fend for himself, by his teens, he was squatting in Alphabet City, stealing food, dodging gangs, and living in a world that he describes as “some serious Lord of the Flies shit.” But, as his life descended into a hellish day-to-day, he was simultaneously becoming a punk rock legend: at the age of 11, he was drumming at CBGBs and Max’s Kansas City with his aunt’s band, the Stimulators. Sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll weren’t a choice – they were survival.  But Harley was a fighter. Whether on stage, in the streets, or the Jiu-Jitsu gym with Renzo Gracie, he never backed down. As the ferocious frontman of the Cro-Mags, he pushed NYC Hardcore into uncharted territory. But violence, addiction and a traumatic past left deep scars. The streets made him, but they also nearly destroyed him.

The film also includes interviews with: Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Henry Rollins ( Black Flag, Henry Rollins Band), Ice T, Ian Mackaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi, Dischord Records), Keith Morris (Black Flag, Circle Jerks, OFF), Michael Imperioli, Lucy Sante (Author), Anthony Bourdain, Matt Serra (MMA, BJJ, UFC World Champion), Renzo Gracie ( BJJ World Champion) among others.

Harley Flanagan has had a tough and intriguing life, creating lots of trouble as well as ink hits.  A doc is often as interesting as its subject, and the saying is true here.   The doc bears Flanagan's life, warts and all, together with his philosophy of life, distorted, and whether one wants to accept it at all.

Harley Flanagan: Wired for Chaos is a 2024 American documentary film that follows the story of Harley Flanagan, directed and produced by Rex Miller.  The film premiered at the Doc NYC on November 14, 2024,  and will be available online for a One-Week Run Beginning August 8th.

Trailer: 

AN HONEST LIFE (Ett ärligt liv) (Sweden 2025) ***
Directed by Mikael Marcimain

When a film is entitled AN HONEST LIFE, one can be sure that dishonesty is the main subject.

This new Swedish Netflix film covers several points of interest popular among film audiences.  One it is the fickle story of fate.  Simon (Simon Loof) is about to study law as he believes that he cannot be a success as a writer, only to learn that what he thought was an established life would all be about to change, and naturally, in ways not only never expected but for the worse.  When the film starts, he witnesses an angry riot clash with the police before checking in at his new lodging while studying at the prestigious Lund University.   One also loves a mystery thriller in which a protagonist is an underdog, who exposes the evils of the wealthy while wishing to be one, by hook or by crook.

Lund University is a public research university in Sweden and one of Northern Europe's oldest universities.  According to the film, the university is well-renowned for its law studies.  The university is located in the city of Lund in the Swedish province of Scania. The university was officially founded in 1666 on the location of the old ‘studium generale’ next to Lund Cathedral.

Simon's law school dreams fade as he meets Max (Nora Rios) during a protest.  For one, Simon gets disillusioned pretty fast.  Simon was always at the top of his class, but in this law school, every undergraduate is top of his or her class.  Max initially saves him from being beaten by a riot cop.  Their paths cross again.  Her anarchist lifestyle of excess and deception entraps him before he can recognize the destructive path he is on.

Simon boards at a residence with Viktor and Ludwig, who represent the wealthiest 1%.  “They cannot help it if they are the top 1%,” is Simon’s answer when asked by Max why he stays with them.  This is Simon’s story, as he toys between playing with fire by associating with Max.   Max takes him in to meet her commune led by an anarchist professor named Charles, pretty much like Oliver taken into a children's gang of pickpockets by the Artful Dodger in OLIVER TWIST.

Based on the novel by Joakim Zander with a screenplay by Linn Gottfridsson, the film, a coming-of-age fable, benefits from a Nordic touch in theme and look.  The film was shot in contrasting areas from the oldest University in Sweden to the cheap dance bars in Lund, while interrogating themes of rebellion, social class, betrayal, and ideological seduction.

AN HONEST LIFE op[ens for streaming on Netflix this week.

Trailer: 

MY OXFORD YEAR (USA 2025) ***
Directed by Ian Morris

Two films open for streaming on Netflix this week that share similar themes. Both involve romance at a prestigious university, one at Lund and one at Oxford.  Both involve plans gone awry.  Just as one thinks life is planned with study at the university, fate proves otherwise. MY OXFORD YEAR has a female premise and the other, AN HONEST LIFE, features a male.  Both films are not half bad, but stress different genes within a romantic setting.

The film is adapted from Julia Whelan’s bestselling novel (itself based on an original screenplay),.  It explores themes of love, loss, timing, and living deliberately and follows Anna De La Vega (Sofia Carson), a driven American student who receives a scholarship to study at the University of Oxford. Her academic and political ambitions are rock‑solid—until she meets Jamie Davenport (Corey Mylchreest), a charismatic and privileged British poet who also happens to become her tutor. 

The film, shot in Oxford, with the academic buildings that make the city deliver a more respectable romance, with a light comedic rather than dramatic touch, though one can complain fit bing a bit slow in development.  Those familiar with Oxford, closer to London than Cambridge) will recognize local university landmarks like Magdalen College, Christ Church, the Bodleian Library, Sheldonian Theatre, and Windsor Castle.

The film is directed by Iain Morris, responsible for the hit British series THE INBETWEENERS, a series that never made it to Canada, though I did manage to watch a few..  The inbetweeners are the kids in school who are not jocks or swots.  They fall in between.

MY OXFORD YEAR opens for streaming on August 1st.

Trailer: 

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Written by: Gilbert Seah

Parent Category: Articles

Category: Movie Reviews

Published: 25 July 2025

A real treat for movie fans this week.  The best film of the year, also the scarriest WEAPONS open.  Also opening are the excellent L'HISTOIRE DE SOULEYMANE and FREAKIER FRIDAY.

FILM REVIEWS:

ANIMALE (France/Belgium/Saudi Arabia 2024) ***
Directed by Emma Benestan

In the Camargue region of the South of France, there remains an infamous, long-standing tradition of bullfighting. Local youths participate in the elegant yet dangerous challenge, practicing a modernized version of the sport that seeks not to kill the animals but rather to showcase agility and dominance. Among them is Nejma, an intrepid twenty-two-year-old with dreams of one day winning the annual competition. The only woman working on the cattle ranch, she trains tirelessly to prove herself equal among the men, both in and outside of the arena. The ranchers share a deep respect for the bulls, though when a loose bull threatens the community of riders and young men begin turning up dead, a hunt to find and kill the creature begins. Nejma fears for the bull, beginning a dark, mysterious transformation of her own. The sophomore feature of French filmmaker Emma Benestan,  ANIMALE is “a brutal disorienting horror fable burning with feminine anger.

The bullfighting scenes in the rink are exciting and marvellous to watch.  It must not only be dangerous for the actors but also for the camera crew to get such candid shots as well as close-ups at the bus charging at the bull experts as well as they dodging the bull.  The bull carries two white tassels and if a tassel is removed, there is a huge prize money involved.  But the bull can also be injured as in one scene where Thunder (the name of the bull)is hurt and has to br brought back to the pen.  

The film is shot in the Southern French coastal region, the Camargue, which is where the director grew up and was raised. The course camarguaise, the form of bull running seen in the film, originates from there and is practised in many villages.  It is different from what the world knows as the other type of bullfighting, known as the corrida, in which the bull is killed.

The director is female and stresses the male-oriented nature of the sport seen on the screen.

The characterization of Nejma comes with a few problems.  The story obviously should’ve had the audience rooting for her, for her female stance and the love of the bulls.  But as she acts crazy, the audience does not end up rooting for a crazy person, and reacts opposite to how the story should feel.

The rogue bull attacking humans and the demand of the public to shut down the shows and restaurants feels something right about Steven Spielberg’s 1975 JAWS.  But the audience is on the other side of JAWS; the audience wants the shows and restaurants opened, despite the rogue bull having to be found and killed.  This is one of the problems of the film - the conflicted emotions of how the audience should feel and react.

The story plays with myth, horror and reality.  The transformation of a human into an animal is the type seen before in werewolf films and in CAT PEOPLE.  The credibility does not always work as the film plays more in reality than in mythical mystery.

ANIMALE is available Digital/DOD August 8th.

Trailer: 

FREAKIER FRIDAY (USA 2025) ***½

Directed by Nisha Ganatra

There is a bit of history behind the latest Disney comedy, FREAKIER FRIDAY, that is released this weekend.  The franchise began with FREAKY FRIDAY, made in 1975, directed by Gary Nelson with a young Jodie Foster swapping bodies with Barbara Harris, best known for her role as the female medium in Alfred Hitchcock’s comedy FAMILY PLOT.  This was followed by the Mark Waters 2003 remake with Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis.  This latest 2025 version, it should be noted, is a freakier version and not a remake, and it involves two pairs of body swapping.

In the 2003 film, Lohan was the daughter and Curtis the mother, swapping bodies.  Now, Curtis is the grandmother, Tess Coleman and Lohan the single mother, Anna of a precocious surfer daughter, Harper played by Julia Bitters, last seen in ONCE U[ON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD.  In FREAKIER FRIDAY, in a mere 10 minutes of screen time, Anna falls in love with a Brit from London, Eric (gorgeous hunk, Manny Jacinto), whose daughter Lily (Sophia Hammons) is Harper’s classmate and lab partner in school.

The body swaps involve Tess and Lily swapping bodies and Anna and Harper swapping bodies.  Hard to remember?  Well, it is really confusing when the body swaps take place at the 30-minute mark of the movie.  But the writing is good and the actors are totally committed to the project and keep hammering at the story, so everything works well eventually and the audience soon knows who is who and who has swapped bodies with whom.  It is a tough risk to have two pairs of body swapping, as the script has to be kept clear and non-confusing.  Thankfully, it works.

The film is totally geared forth a female audience.   The director and the four body swaps are all female.  Then males Ryan (Mark Hammon), Jake (Chad Michael Murray), and Eric (Jacinto) are all feasts for the female eyes.  The film also includes a rip-roaring concert performance performed partly by Lohan that should titillate female fans of pop and rock music.

Lohan and Curtis carry the film well, especially Curtis, who steals the show.  Lohan plays the ‘straight’ role and allows Curtis to get the laughs.  Curtis should win the Oscar for her performance in this film rather than in the overrated EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE.

The film is directed by veteran comedy Canadian-American director Nisha Ganatra, of Indian descent. She wrote, directed, and produced the independent comedy drama Chutney Popcorn (1999) and later directed the independent film Cosmopolitan (2003) and the romantic-comedy Cake (2005).   Her Indian descent can be observed in the film with several minor character roles played by her fellow Indians.

It should be remembered that FREAKIER RIDAY is a teen female movie at heart, and given what it should be, the film hits well at its target audience, which is largely non-Marvel superhero fans.  FREAKIER FRIDAY is solid comedy and the hard work put in by the cast and crew clearly shows in the film and works well.

FREAKIER FRIDAY opens in theatres August 8th.

Trailer: 

HARLEY FLANAGAN WIRED FOR CHAOS (USA 2024) ***
Directed by Rex Miller

The film begins with a man jogging close to the woods with a guitar strung around his back.  He says that he has been angry for the past 50 years, and that is not the man he wants to be.  He is next shown exercising - the guy is quite fit despite his stocky build.  He goes on to say that only death is certain and everything else is optional.

Who is this man?   He is Harley Flanagan.  I have not heard of the man, not being in the punk rock scene.   

Harley Francis Flanagan (born March 8, 1967) is an American musician. Harley Flanagan founded the hardcore punk band the Cro-Mags. He is currently the bassist, vocalist, and sole remaining founding member of the band.  Flanagan began his musical career at age 11 in 1978, drumming for the New York punk band the Stimulators alongside his aunt Denise Mercedes. By the early 1980s, he was a prominent figure in the developing New York hardcore, helping to found the Cro-Mags in 1981 and Murphy's Law in 1982.

Founder of the pioneering band Cro-Mags, Harley Flanagan is a punk rock/hardcore legend who’s defied the odds – along with neglect, sexual abuse, drugs, violence, and PTSD -- and lived to tell the tale. The feature-length documentary, HARLEY FLANAGAN: WIRED FOR CHAOS, dives headfirst into the wild life and times of this larger-than-life icon and is a no-holds-barred ride that isn’t just about the music; it’s about a man forged in fire who’s lived to tell the tale. 

  Raised by a Warhol Factory “it” girl, Harley was thrown into the Lower East Side’s underground scene in the ’70s. Left to fend for himself, by his teens, he was squatting in Alphabet City, stealing food, dodging gangs, and living in a world that he describes as “some serious Lord of the Flies shit.” But, as his life descended into a hellish day-to-day, he was simultaneously becoming a punk rock legend: at the age of 11, he was drumming at CBGBs and Max’s Kansas City with his aunt’s band, the Stimulators. Sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll weren’t a choice – they were survival.  But Harley was a fighter. Whether on stage, in the streets, or in the Jiu-Jitsu gym with Renzo Gracie, he never backed down. As the ferocious frontman of the Cro-Mags, he pushed NYC Hardcore into uncharted territory. But violence, addiction and a traumatic past left deep scars. The streets made him, but they also nearly destroyed him.

The film also includes interviews with: Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Henry Rollins ( Black Flag, Henry Rollins Band), Ice T, Ian Mackaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi, Dischord Records), Keith Morris (Black Flag, Circle Jerks, OFF), Michael Imperioli, Lucy Sante (Author), Anthony Bourdain, Matt Serra (MMA, BJJ, UFC World Champion), Renzo Gracie ( BJJ World Champion) among others.

Harley Flanagan has had a tough and totally intriguing life, creating lots of trouble as well as punk hits.  A doc is often as interesting as its subject, and the saying is true here.

Harley Flanagan: Wired for Chaos is a 2024 American documentary film that follows the story of Harley Flanagan, directed and produced by Rex Miller.  The film premiered at the Doc NYC on November 14, 2024,  and will be available online for a One-Week Run Beginning August 8th.

 Trailer: 

RUSSIANS AT WAR (Canada/France 2024) ***
Directed by Anastasia Trofimova

Russian Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova’s gripping first-person documentary takes the audience beyond the headlines to join Russian soldiers, actually mainly medics, as they place themselves in a battle for reasons that become only more obscure with each gruelling day, each confusing command, each gut-wrenching casualty.  On a more personal note, the film follows a Ukrainian named Ilya, who is about to leave his family and go to war for Russia. Trofimova, though lacking permission, joins Ilya and his supply unit as they make their harrowing journey to the front line. Many soldiers fighting alongside Ilya are very young. Some believe they’re going to vanquish Ukrainian Naziism.  If one wants answers to the reason for the fighting, the film provides none.  Rather, the film emphasizes the futility of war.  In a war, no one wins.  And in the doc, all the soldiers want to go home.  Unfortunately, some don’t, and others return home wounded.  It is still an emotional doc, with one audience screaming during the premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival last year that the film is all propaganda.  Whether it is or not, it is up to the individual to decide, as the director takes no sides.  The film was pulled out of TIFF following the incident, but the film finally opens directly to audiences on August 12.

Trailer: 

SOULEYMANE’S STORY (L’HISTOIRE DE SOULEYMANE ) (France 2024) ****
Directed by Boris Lojkine

SOULEYMANE’S STORY  follows Souleymane, a recent Guinean immigrant, through the streets of Paris as he prepares for his asylum application interview while working for a meal delivery service on his e-bike.

Racing through the streets of Paris, making food deliveries on his bicycle, Guinean immigrant Souleymane (Abou Sangare) is struggling to stay afloat.  In two days, he has to report for an asylum application interview, where he must plead his case to an immigration officer (Nina Meurisse) who will determine his future in France.  As he rides, he repeats his story. But Souleymane is not ready.

At times, the film feels like an updated modern version of Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves, as Souleymane relies 100% on his e-bike to survive.  The audience winces at the point when the bike might be stolen. However, the director steers away from this cliché of the bike being stolen, instead having Souleymane encounter a bike accident.  But the bike still works after a few adjustments anyway.

The film plays like Murphy's Law taking effect on the poor protagonist, Souleymane.  Everything seems to be going wrong for him.  His deliveries are difficult, and if the customers are not giving him a hard time (like the lady with the complaint of the crushed bag) or the restaurateurs (Souleymane is told to wait for his turn, thus missing other deliveries).  He encounters an accident on his bike.  His delivery account gets cancelled due to complaints.  He keeps almost missing his last bus back to his lodging, while actually missing one.  He is harassed by the police.   He has trouble with renting his bike and setting up his delivery account.  To add fuel to the fire, there is trouble back home.  His mother is still ill and not improving.  His girlfriend, who still loves him, is about to give up on him.   The question on the audience’s mind is whether anything else can get worse?  And this is one flaw of the film, as it appears that the film attempts to manipulate the audience too much to feel the trials and tribulations of poor Souleymane.  The flaw is lightened with a few acts of kindness in the story. A restaurateur gives Souleymane a bonbon.  It is a small but kind and effective measure.  Souleymane’s girlfriend ends up being sympathetic.

The themes revolve around the exploitation of the 'sans papiers' (without papers) often by fellow Africans - one a fellow immigrant from northern Guinea who lazily coaches asylum applicants to recite false stories of political persecution at their hearings in return for payment, and another who lends Souleymane a food delivery account but then takes half of his earnings every week. The film largely avoids depictions of racism, but equally, there are few acts of kindness in the film.

The cameraman follows the actor on his e-bike as the filming takes place in and around Paris, demonstrating the urgency and desperation of Souleymane’s situation.
The cast is nothing short of excellent, as can be observed in the last 10  minutes of the film’s climax and conclusion of the film.   Abou Sangaré is phenomenal as Souleymane and is

Nina Meurisse as the OFPRA agent.   Camerawork and editing deserve credit for the last 10 minutes of the film.

The film opens in theatres on August 8th. The film is also the winner of the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize and Un Certain Regard Best Actor Prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

Trailer: 

WEAPONS (USA 2025) ***** TOP 10

Directed by Zach Cregger

As both the trailer and the film’s introduction go, in the voice of a boy, a mystery has occurred in his town, a mystery that the police have never quite solved and are covering up.  It all happened one night, when 17 children—all but one child from Justine Gandy's (Julia Garner) classroom—simultaneously woke up and ran off into the night. Justine and the rest of the community are left questioning who or what is behind the children's disappearance.

This is a wild premise, and one wonders if the solution to the mystery delivered at the film’s conclusion would be able to match the premise.  Fortunately, it does, in a very weird and unexpected way.  WEAPONS, the reason the film is so-called, is explained in the middle of the film is definitely the most fucked up film of the year, which is arguable the best horror film, if not the best film of the year.  It is a brilliant concoction of horror, mystery, action, drama, filled with raw emotions of anger and desperation, doused with a splatter of wicked black humour, a film that parodies itself as well.  For example, director Cregger knows that his film is a fucked up film, so it is even funnier when a character screams the words: “What the fuck???

The film unfolds in chapters, with each chapter named after one of the story’s characters.  The first chapter is called Justine, followed by Archer, and finally Alex, the last and longest part that explains all the happenings, six chapters in all.  Each chapter unfolds as it is named for the character’s contribution to the story, rather than their points of view.    As would be expected, many segments overlap, which is a pleasure in a way, as the audience sees certain explanations provided then.

As a horror movie, there are enough blood and gore as well as jump scares.  I am not a fan of cheap jump scares, but director Cregger does wonders with his jump scares.  In fact, one jump scare is the funniest part of the movie, which had the whole cinema bursting in laughter.  As far as blood and gore, there are drug needles plunged onto a face, tearing of body insides and head bashings.  Director Cregger also pokes fun at the slasher genre with an undead creature rising up half a dozen times to jump at Archer, refusing to stay dead.

Amy Madigan is simply over-the-top as a cozy Aunt Gladys while Josh Brolin plays the obsessed father Archer who would do anything to find his disappeared son, including helping those he first thinks are irresponsible for the disappearance.  Other notable performances include Garner as Justine, Benedict Wong as Marcus the gay school principal and young Cary Christopher as Alex, the only non-disappearing boy in Justine’s class.

As far as predictability goes, no one can guess what will happen next in the story.  This is also what makes the film so intriguing.  Director Cregger keeps the surprises and shocks coming,

WEAPONS is aptly written and directed by BARBARIAN’s Zach Creger for a modest $38 million.  A definite must-see, WEAPONS opens in theatres this week, August 8th.

Trailer: 

STOLEN: HEIST OF THE CENTURY (UK 2025) ***

Directed  by Mark Lewis

STOELN: HEIST OF THE CENTURY is based on the famous 2003 diamond robbery that took place in the diamond capital of the world, Antwerp.  The doc is based on the book “Flawless” by Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell.

There were no fingerprints on the sensors, and duct tape on other sensors.  “We were very impressed.  The robbery was flawlessly executed,” says a forensic officer investigator in the documentary.

The doc moves along with quick efficiency, very much like a planned robbery would be executed, making the doc more exciting and pressing in its delivery.  The doc is told primarily from the investigators’ points of view, spoken in accented English, so that the audience has the feel of expert knowledge being delivered in the film.  Also, the title of the film ‘The heist of the century’ emphasizes the enormity of the subject.

The magic question that the film toys with is the identity of the thief or thieves, and how the heist was carried out.  The doc satisfies.

STOLEN: HEIST OF THE CENTURY opens for streaming on Netflix Friday, August 8th.

Details

Written by: Gilbert Seah

Parent Category: Articles

Category: Movie Reviews

Published: 20 July 2025

FILM REVIEWS:

AJ GOES TO THE DOG PARK (USA 2024) ***
Directed by Toby Jones

AJ GOES TO THE DOG PARK begins with a timer warning that states that the film begins 3..2… 1  second(s).  This review also begins with a warning… this warning!  This reviewer brings his dog, Lucy, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, to the dog park every single day, so there is an affinity the reviewer would have with the film.  A positive affinity!  But the film is not so much about dogs but about how AJ tries together his dog park back by becoming the new mayor of the city,

The film begins with the protagonist being interviewed by someone no less than his father.  (After the interview, the protagonist tells his interviewer that he will see him later at dinner.)  Such is the rather odd but rather fresh style of humour that primes the audience as to what to expect, or rather not to expect, from this dire comedy of sorts.

The film is directed by Toby Jones, NOT the short, famous British actor.  Toby  Jones’  directorial debut proves him to be a force to be reckoned with in this oddball comedy.

If the beginning is as pleasant a surprise as one could expect, the film lives up to its expectations.

The film centres on dog parks.  A dog park is a park for dogs to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment under the supervision of their owners.  Dog parks have varying features, although they typically offer a 4-to-6-foot (1.2 to 1.8 m) fence, separate double-gated entry and exit points, adequate drainage, benches for humans, shade for hot days, parking close to the site, water, pooper-scooper to pick up and dispose of animal waste in covered trash cans, and regular maintenance and cleaning of the grounds.  Dog parks may also offer wheelchair access, a pond for swimming, and a separate enclosure for small dogs.  The dog park this reviewer brings Lucy to has all these features.  And so does the dog park featured in the film.

In humdrum Fargo, North Dakota, an ordinary man named AJ (AJ Thompson) wakes up on the right side of the bed every day. Content with his mundane existence, his simple routine consists of buttering cinnamon toast for breakfast, eating dinner with his married best friends, and visiting his favorite dog park with his beloved chihuahuas, Diddy and Biff. AJ rejects any interruption to his tranquility, including a promotion at work –offered by his boss, who happens to be his dad, but still. Unfortunately, the despotic local mayor has converted his dog park into a “blog park” –where happy dog walkers have been replaced with corporate stooges hunched over their laptops. Thus begins a chain reaction that completely upends AJ’s existence as he trains to embark on an unforgettable odyssey to fight, fish, scrap, scrape, and sap things back into place. Toby Jones(Regular Show, OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes!) brings the zany, gag-driven joy of cartoons to this surreal, no-budget testament to the average Joe.

The director has mentioned that his friends have always been obsessed with a good gag.  Growing up in Fargo, North Dakota, they had spent weekend after weekend creating videos – be it a local access show or a miniDV feature – with the sole purpose of making each other laugh.  Nothing was ever as satisfying as coming up with something impossibly absurd and putting it on tape, regardless of our complete lack of resources. The act of making something completely unchecked, with no concern for appealing to anyone other than ourselves, felt like a rebellious and cathartic act.  The last sentence summarizes the film.  The film is all over the place, though it is occasionally extremely silly AND funny, and one thing that has to be said is that the film is fresh, original and one-of-a-kind.

Toby Jones is an Emmy and Annie-nominated writer, director, and cartoonist from Fargo, ND, currently living in Los Angeles. He has worked as a writer and storyboard director on Regular Show, an executive producer on OK K.O.!: Let's Be Heroes, and a writer on Shape Island. He has also recently done work for Dreamworks, Netflix, and WB. This is his first feature as director.

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ANGELA’S SHADOW (Canada 2024) **
Directed by Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin

Toronto at the Carlton Cinema starting July 25th. AGELA’S SHADOW features a remarkable Indigenous cast that includes Toronto-based Sera-Lys McArthur (Outlander) and Koostachin’s son Asivak Koostachin, who currently stars in JJ Abrams new HBO Max series Duster. Asivak was named alongside Jules by Variety in their 10 to Watch. Angela’s Shadow also stars Matthew Kevin Anderson (Never Let Go, Woman of the Hour) and Renae Morriseau (The X Files, North of 60). 

Set in the 1930s, the film stars Sera-Lys McArthur as Angela, a pregnant woman who travels with her husband Henry (Matthew Kevin Anderson) to a remote Cree community to visit her former childhood nanny Mary (Renae Morriseau); after being threatened by a shadowy figure, she learns the truth about her own previously unknown Cree heritage, and begins to deal with the impact of Henry's racist response to the prospect that his child will not be racially "pure" Credit goes to the filmmakers in creating an indigenous story adapted into a film.  Indigenous films have made a comeback in recent years with even Hollywood heavyweights like Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro lending their hands with FLOWERS OF THE KILLER MOON.  But ANGELA’S SHADOW lacks the maturity of the said film, as well as other Indigenous films. Though impressive in parts in the way indigenous practices are portrayed on film, the film is at times all over the place with a lack of focus on whether to give weight to the colonists or to the Cree Indians.

At best, the film touches on issues such as survival, defiance and ancestral power.

But the blend of sci-fi, drama, supernatural and thrillers does not particularly work. Though the indigenous stories are timeless, vital and have the power to reach beyond our own, the power fails to come across on screen.

The film swings between positive and negative looks at the Indigenous practices and beliefs.  At one point, when the boys are asked to take Henry hunting again, this time for geese, one of them remarks:  “But he is so white.” Also, the Cree practices, especially summing up the spirit, is looked down at a whole from a general perspective.   The spirit appears at odd intervals, creating a spooky horror movie feeling.  On the positive side, the film harshly criticizes the residential schools practice, especially claiming in the story that Angela’s sister was murdered there.

The film contains some magnificent views of Northern Canada, where the Cree live.  Everything is natural and largely untouched.

Finally, at the 1-hour mark of the film, Henry, after experiencing troubled visitations by the spirit, tells his wife that they are leaving and heading back to Ottawa. The audience cannot determine if that is the right or incorrect move to make. The film’s message is unclear, unless it is meant to be that way, and one wonders which side the director is taking or what message he is intent on delivering to his audience.

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THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS (USA 2025) **
Directed by Matt Shakman

THE FANTASTIC FOUR has had a bad spate of bad film adaptations, beginning with the first Roger Corman film that was never released but made for odd reasons.  The  FANTASTIC FOUR’s most notable adaptation is the one with Miles Teller in 1995, directed by Josh Trank, which everyone hated. It was catered and watered down for a younger audience.  This new version has got rave reviews so far, but this humble critic failed to feel the excitement that the other critics felt.  This critic found this latest exercise terribly boring (I had a terrible time trying to stay awake, jet lag not helping) and a ridiculous story and events that make no sense.  Yes, I have my reasons, and fair if one does not agree with me.

The basic premise of the Fantastic Four attaining their cosmic superpowers after travelling through space remains unchanged.  This latest film has the two celebrating the arrival of a new baby.

The film opens with the digits 828 appearing on screen.  One assumes, and rightly so, that that is the year of the story's initial setting.  But this is obviously not the case as a following scene has a television on display and television was not invented then.  One assumes then that 828 refers to 828 am where the two have breakfast.  The reason for this state is a point of mystery.

On Earth-828, four years have passed since Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm gained superhuman abilities from cosmic ray exposure on a space flight and became the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four.  During a family dinner, Reed and Sue reveal to Grimm and Johnny that they are expecting a child. A few months later, the Silver Surfer suddenly appears to announce to the people of Earth that their planet has been marked for destruction by the planet-devouring cosmic being called Galactus.  After studying numerous anomalies involving the disappearance of planets, the team decides to try and negotiate Earth's fate with Galactus.

One could likely link the negotiation of Earth with Galactus with Trump’s tariffs for some humour, but the film does not use the potential.  Why would Glactus want the baby?  This point is never explained.  The addition of the new baby into the superhero story makes little sense, though one might assume that the scriptwriters intended to bring in some human emotion into the story.

Performances are all right, with my favourite actress Vanessa Kirby (THE SON) - I could watch her forever - delivering a solid performance, as does Pedro Pascal in the title role.

There is a little clip that appears halfway through the closing credits that hints at the next FANTASTIC FOUR movie.  That is perhaps the best thing about this otherwise terrible new version of the FANTASTIC FOUR film.

The film’s director, Matt Shakman, is best known for the series WandaVision, which was very good.

THE FANTASTIC FOUR FIRST STEPS cost over $200 million to make and is a complete mess and a waste of money.  It is time to put Marvel superheroes to rest, even though the box office needs them.  The film opens everywhere in theatres this weekend and should make enough money to cover costs and deliver Disney a tidy profit.

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HAPPY GILMORE 2 (2025) ***

Directed by Kyle Newacheck

HAPPY GILMORE is a 1996 American sports comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, produced by Robert Simonds, and starring Adam Sandler in the title role.  The film is crass, childish and funny to some, costing $12 million to make and grossing $41 million, which means that it was highly successful.  So, Netflix and Sandler create more of the same in HAPPY GILMORE 2 in 2025,  almost 30 years later.

HAPPY GILMORE 2 is a 2025 American sports comedy film, this one directed by Kyle Newacheck and written by Tim Herlihy and Adam Sandler. It is a sequel to Happy Gilmore (1996).

Twenty-nine years after winning his first Tour Championship, retired golfer Happy Gilmore (Adam Sandler) returns to the sport to pay for his daughter Vienna's (Julie Bowen) ballet school.

Also appearing in the film are Eric André, Jim Downey, John Farley, Marcello Hernandez, Oliver Hudson, Scott Mescudi, Haley Joel Osment, Kelsey Plum, Margaret Qualley, and Nick Swardson, with an uncredited Steve Buscemi doing a cameo.

The magic question is whether HAPPY GILMORE 2 is funnier than the original.  Number 2 is as crass, childish and funny to some, just like the original. Better than the first is the question up to Sandler fans to decide.  HAPPY GILMORE 2 is, as they say, it is what it is, and those who expect a cussing Adam Sandler bumbling comedy will get what they expect.

HAPPY GILMORE 2 opens for streaming on Netflix this week.

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MONSTER ISLAND (Original title: ORANG IKAN) (Singapore/Indonesia/Japan/UK 2024) **

Directed by Mike Wiluan

The film is set in 1944. WWII rages across a world divided. Sailing across the sea, a Japanese Hell Ship transports prisoners of war (POWs) to occupied territories for slave labour. On board the ship is Saito, a traitor to the Japanese who is being sent back to the motherland to be sentenced to death.  As further punishment, Saito is shackled to another POV, a British soldier named Bronson, who holds nothing but hatred for Saito because of his Japanese nationality. When the Hell Ship is torpedoed by Allied submarines, Saito and Bronson are thrown overboard and wash ashore a deserted island.  A bit of irony appears, as the torpedo attack occurs just the ship’s commander says that the prisoner has been abandoned by God.  But they are not alone. Bronson and Saito are hunted by a monstrous creature- the Orang Ikan- who will stop at nothing until both men are dead. Bronson and Saito must put aside their hatred for one another to survive the island and kill the creature before it kills them first.  The film, which is supported by the Singapore Film Commission (SFC), started production in October 2023 at Infinite Studios in Batam, Indonesia - one of the largest production service facilities in Southeast Asia and in West Java.

The film hails from 4 countries as the ‘country (countries) of origin - Singapore, Japan. Indonesia. UK and Japan, and with reason or reasons.  The famous Singapore director Eric Khoo (MEEPOK MAN) serve as one of the film’s producers.  The film is based on Malay folklore, and Indonesian Malay is spoken in Indonesia.   The two protagonists featured are Japanese and British.

The film, with its stunning landscape, was shot in Indonesia.  Outdoor locations across Sukabumi Regency, West Java — including Curug Sodong waterfall and broader areas within Geopark Ciletuh — offering dramatic cliffs, caves, jungle, rivers, and waterfall vistas used during exterior scenes.  But most of the action sequences are shot in the dark, with the result that it is difficult to see what is going on.

The film’s original title is ORANG IKAN, which is the Malay word for Human Fish (orang is Malay for human and ikon is Malay for fish), which is what the monster in the film looks like.  The monster also resembles the one in THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON and is an actor in a monster costume. The film is directed by Indonesian director Mike Wiluan, who specializes in horror films.

Two enemies forced to work together, stranded on an island, is a premise also used in the  John Boorman film HELL IN THE  PACIFIC, in which TWO ENEMIES, a Japanese soldier (Toshiro Mifune) and an American (Lee Marvin), are stranded on a deserted island.  It takes half of the film to establish the settings before the film becomes a monster vs. two prisoners film.  But there is hardly anything fresh in the film, which ends exactly as one would have expected.

MONSTER ISLAND or ORANG IKAN opens on Shudder, the horror streaming service, on Friday, July 25th.

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A NORMAL WOMAN (Indonesia 2025) ***
Directed by Lucky Kuswandi

When MILLA (36 years old), a socialite and meek housewife, believes she has contracted a mysterious illness with no cure, she starts to spiral into madness. She is betrayed not just by the mutiny in her body, but also by the disbelief and rejection from her own family. Only when she starts sabotaging the mythical perfection of her rosy life can she finally transform into a healed, new, if impure self.

Indonesia is well known for its horror films. The film begins lightly with the Doris Day song ‘Sue Sera Sera,’ followed by images that make the film look like a horror flick. In a way, A NORMAL WOMAN plays like a horror flick— the way the illness goes across poor Milla.

The ultimate question is whether Milla will return to being a normal woman, and that is left to the end of the film.  And another question, at what cost?

A NORMAL WOMAN can be described as a slow-burning thriller, though it comes across as quite stylized, though many might complain about the film’s pace. The story is told from Milla’s point of view, which means it has a feminist slant, which is a good thing, with females being more in the movie industry, but it could be said as one-sided, depending on one’s point of view.

A NORMAL WOMAN opens for streaming on Netflix this week.  A slow, haunting, and effective thriller.  The film is shot in Indonesian Malay with a little English spoken.

SUNDAY BEST: THE UNTOLD STORY OF ED SULLIVAN (USA 2025) ***

Directed by Sacha Jenkins

Finally, a documentary on Ed Sullivan.

Edward Vincent Sullivan was an American television host, impresario,[2] sports and entertainment reporter, and syndicated columnist for the New York Daily News and the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate.  He was the creator and host of the television variety program Toast of the Town, which in 1955 was renamed The Ed Sullivan Show. Broadcast from 1948 to 1971, it set a record as the longest-running variety show in U.S. broadcast history.   "It was, by almost any measure, the last great American TV show", said television critic David Hinckley. "It's one of our fondest, dearest pop culture memories.”  Sullivan was a broadcasting pioneer during the early years of American television.

The doc showcases two main features of Sullivan's work against racism, which are woven into both.  One is the reason forces rise to fame, and secondly, his biography.  Sullivan was born in Harlem, which could explain his fight for blacks.  Sullivan was a twin with his twin brother, who passed away early due to illness.  His early life and childhood were kept to a minimum.   His rise to fame is curious as he can be described as the most stone-faced of all the hosts ever on television variety shows.  This issue was addressed, including the fact that he was almost let go, and also that many people made fun of it.  But Sullivan knew how to laugh at himself.  He stayed on primarily forth the fact that he was able to select talent, among them, black talent, which many Americans wanted to see, resulting in his shows’ high ratings.  Time in 1955 stated that Sullivan resembled "a cigar-store Indian, the Cardiff Giant and a stone-faced monument just off the boat from Easter Island.

The Ed Sullivan Show has been described as the most American of all TV shows.  It brings the American audience every Sunday evening to a range of enormous talent, many of whom had their careers launched by the show.  I had vexed the show, not in North America, but in Singapore, when growing up as a kid.  So, the effect of the many black entertainers featured on the show and how Mr. Sullivan had to fight racism was never ever imagined.  What struck me a a kid was the wonderful talent on display on the show.

The doc, therefore, provides a look at the Ed Sullivan Show I never knew.  And what an insight and privilege to learn of the man’s stand against racism amidst all the racist whites

insisting on segregation.  If Trump were alive then, he would do all in his power to keep segregation.

On display are clips of the Ed Sullivan Show, particularly ones showcasing black performers like Nat King Cole playing the piano, Louis Armstrong, Gladys Knight and the Pips. Dionne Warwick, Ike and Tina Turner and Bo Jangles, among others.

SUNDAY BEST: THE UNTOLD STORY OF ED SULLIVAN is a wonderfully entertaining doc on Ed Sullivan, highlighting his fight against black racism while showcasing the best of these performers.  Bring on the nostalgia!

SUNDAY BEST: THE UNTOLD STORY OF ED SULLIVAN opens for streaming on Netflix early this week.  The doc is dedicated in memory to its late director, Sacha Jenkins.

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Written by: Gilbert Seah

Parent Category: Articles

Category: Movie Reviews

Published: 15 July 2025

FILM REVIEWS:

ALMOST FAMILY (Brazil 2025) **½

Directed by Felipe Joffily

A Brazilian father finds a worthy opponent or opponents when he meets his daughter's Argentinian in-laws. A trip to Bariloche becomes the stage for an amusing national rivalry.

In-laws or feuding in-laws have always been a favourite subject for films and even for TV.  Most notable is the TV series ‘The Mothers-in-Law ‘ is an American sitcom featuring Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard as two women who were friends and next-door neighbours until their children's elopement made them in-laws. The show aired on NBC television from September 1967 to April 1969.  That was a pleasure to watch when I was young.   Then there is the Arthur Hiller THE IN-LAWS (1979) starring Alan Arkin and Peter Falk.  The 2003 remake with Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks was not that good.

Now arriving on Netflix is a Brazilian comedy about in-laws, this one upping the ante by having the in-laws coming from rival countries, Brazil and Argentina.  Some of the jokes, and the film is in Brazilian Portuguese, might be over the head for local North American audiences, but the film is still entertaining, though the story often falls into cliched territory.  A father/daughter relationship is also thrown into the story for good measure.   An ok watch for the undemanding viewer.

ALMOST FAMILY opens this week for streaming, Friday on Netflix.

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BURY ME WHEN I’M DEAD (USA 2023) ***

Directed by Seabold Krebs

The new psychological horror film BURY ME WHEN I’M DEAD is exactly what the title means.  Catherine is diagnosed with brain cancer and asks her husband, Henry to bury her only when she is dead in the forest, the reason being her wish to be back with nature, a desire that comes from her hippie beliefs.

The story follows Henry, a man whose life spirals out of control after failing to keep his wife’s dying wish.  When Catherine is diagnosed with brain cancer, they travel to her childhood home, where he promises to bury her in a remote forest.  Meanwhile, Henry's been keeping a secret: their friend Rebecca is pregnant with his child. After Catherine's sudden death, Henry breaks his promise and returns her body to the city under threat from her powerful father, Gary.

Gary, Catherine's father's role is written to highlight the character’s maximum toxicity, which helps lift the otherwise slow burn (the film takes 20 minutes before Rebecca announces to Henry that she is late) up several notches.  With respect to his daughter’s wish to be buried in the forest (ie, ti be buried naturally to blend with nature), he lashes out at Henry, dismissing her daughter’s wishes as hippie stuff, and saying that she is not to become a tree and demands that Henry bring her body back to the city.  Gary threatens Henry that he had better do what he asks or he will sue him to no end.  Even Gary’s wife at one point shouts out:  “Gary, this is enough!”

The weight of Henry's betrayal of Catherine and fear of her overbearing father pushes him to the edge. As his life quickly begins to unravel, a series of increasingly strange and devastating events lead him to believe that Catherine's ghost is seeking vengeance. 

The film has an interesting enough plot, but it is difficult to root for the protagonist who has cheated on his wife and someone who has broken his dying wife’s wishes for his own personal gain.  It is natural that he will be haunted by his own guilt.  There is no real surprise or twist in the plot in an otherwise slow-burning movie.

BURY ME WHEN I’M DEAD is available for streaming on Digital and on VOD on July 18th, Friday.

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CLOUD (Japan 2024) ***
Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa has made a name for himself with small-budget thrillers often involving a protagonist slowly descending into hell. His best film, however, is the family drama TOKYO SONATA, which proves that he can also deal effectively with drama, in this case, a father-and-son drama.

CLOUD is a psychological thriller - slow but effective.

Yoshii (Masaki Suda) is a factory worker who moonlights as an online reseller. The audience first sees him ripping off a supplier of health devices, which he later sells online at a substantial mark-up.  Yoshii had pressured the supplier to sell his design at a loss.  With that profit, he turns down a promotion from his boss (Yoshiyoshi Arakawa) and instead expands his reselling business.  He resigns from his job and moves into a larger house in a suburb, which he uses as an office and product storage.  He asks his girlfriend, Akiko (Kotone Furukawa), to move in as well. He also hires an assistant, Sano (Daiken Okudaira), to help run the business.

Things slowly turn south.

Tension only escalates as Yoshii becomes more ruthless in his dealings. He is harassed, both online and in real life.  Feeling increasingly neglected by Yoshii’s rather cold demeanour and preoccupation with his business, Akiko moves out of the house. Yoshii also fires Sano after he suggests potential new products to target.

Yoshii is not a likable character from the very start when he cheats the designer of the health product.  Actor Masaki Suda, not too handsome with a down-to-earth average look, delivers a credible and controlled performance that can be easily overlooked for effortlessness.  Though he seems sincere in his romantic relationship, his failure to show affection reflects another negative point in his personality.  To director Kurosawa’s credit, he still manages to engage his audience in Yoshii’s demise and still has the audience rooting for him, also primarily because he becomes a victim during the second half of the film.  An audience almost always roots for a victim.

Director Kurosawa titles his film CLOUD after the name used for internet storage.  He also updates his film to the technology of the current times, which is noticeably missing in his earlier films.

CLOUD is a slow burn but picks up the pace in the second half, ending with a big bang - overall a well-paced film.

One wonders the message director Kurosawa is trying to deliver.  His film has an uneasy change of pace from drama to action shootout towards the end of the film.

The film premiered out of competition at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on 30 August 2024.  It was selected for the Best International Feature Film as the Japanese entry at the 97th Academy Awards, but did not make it to the nominations.

CLOUD is an entertaining enough, absorbing thriller, not great, which explains its failure to make it to the shortlist of Best International Feature Oscar nominations, but still a worthy watch.

CLOUD opens in theatres this week.

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WALL TO WALL (84 Jegopmiteo)(South Korea 2025) ***
Directed by Kim Tae-joon and Sharon S. Park

Directed by Kim Tae-joon and Sharon S. Park and written by Kim, the new Netflix mystery thriller WALL TO WALL follows the film’s protagonist, who has just bought, asking for all that he had.

Not Woo-seong (Kang Ha-neul), a man who finally saves up enough to buy an apartment, only to have it turn into a nightmare with financial ruin and mysterious noises from neighbouring floors.

Credit must be given to director Park for detail accuracy and the pacing of the film.  The film moves as fast as situations change in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The film opens with Noh desperately buying a condo, cashing in on his savings, crypto, and rental deposit.  He is wearing a mask, imitating COVID times, when real estate prices rose.  Noh is pleased with his purchase and just as he had paid a phenomenal sum for it, the price immediately rose to 140 million won (which is US$100,000).  Nohis pleased.  His girl is pleased.  Then….

Within 3 minutes of the film’s running time, things go south. There is a shot of broken-down apartment parts, a late payment notice, and cockroaches running around.  Real estate prices have tanked.  Interest rates have also risen.  And crotoprices have soared.  Noh is in trouble.

Noh has gone from poor to house poor, as joked by Noh’s boss.

WALL TO WALL is a fast-paced well well-made film that suffers from too many mixed messages, which makes one wonder where everything is leading to or what the real message is.  Still entertaining enough as a cautionary tale of an atypical young ambitious man trying too desperately to survive in society.

WALL TO WALL (84 Jegopmiteo) opens for streaming this week on Netflix.

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Details

Written by: Gilbert Seah

Parent Category: Articles

Category: Movie Reviews

Published: 09 July 2025

FILM REVIEWS:

BRICK (Germany 2025) ***

Directed by Philip Koch

In the spirit of puzzling escape films like THE PLATFORM and CUBE comes BRICK, a claustrophobic mystery sci-fi thriller with a few other genres like romance and drama thrown in for good measure.  All three films share the common traits of having to supply a satisfactory, or rather, credible explanation to the phenomenon, which might appear believable to some and hokey to others.  Escape is more the key than the explanation.

BRICK stars real-life couple Matthias Schweighöfer as Tim and Ruby O. Fee as Olivia, a couple with a troubled relationship arising from Olivia’s miscarriage. 

Olivia has quit her job and wants to travel and free themselves from work and to start anew.  Tim, however, is still in the process of developing a computer game, trying to meet a deadline and wants to do this escape later.  The next morning, Olivia has packed her bags ready to leave him, but both discover that this is not possible as their entire residence has been walled up by ‘brick’.

One can complain that this film goes nowhere, but this complaint would obviously result from the premise.  But the film brings in other elements and develops the story at a pace that is satisfactory enough to keep tedium from setting in.  The film begins with a look at the couple’s relationship, then the wall occurs, followed by their attempts to find out more about the wall.  The discovery of their neighbours, also trapped, follows, which leads to the interaction, undesired ones with the neighbours.  The reason for BRICK is eventually revealed.  The script also ups the ante with no internet, no water and the neighbours beginning to do bad things.

  The neighbours are discovered when Tim and Ruby break down the walls dividing the apartments (not the ones in front of their windows and door).   These neighbours include:

Ana and Marvin, a drug-using couple

An older man (Mr. Oswalt) and his granddaughter

Yuri, a paranoid conspiracy theorist and former roommate of a programmer named Anton

Anton, who is unseen, discovers that the wall is made of malfunctioning nanotech designed for defence, but he dies trying to unlock it

Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers (nm).  Nanotechnology may be able to create new materials and devices with diverse applications, such as in nanomedicine, nanoelectronics, agricultural sectors, biomaterials, energy production, and consumer products. However, nanotechnology raises issues, including concerns about the toxicity and environmental impact of nanomaterials, and their potential effects on global economics, as well as various doomsday scenarios. These concerns have led to a debate among advocacy groups and governments on whether special regulation of nanotechnology is warranted.  The nanotech used in the film is an intriguing concept.

The reviews of BRICK have been mixed, but given the premise, the film succeeds in generating sufficient mystery with some thrills, while also injecting emotion, often absent in such films, by the introduction of the protagonist couple with relationship problems.  The film is also well paced with sufficient surprises around every corner.

BRICK premieres on Netflix  July 10, 2025.

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MADEA'S DESTINATION WEDDING (USA 2025) ***
Directed by Tyler Perry

MADEA’S DESTINATION WEDDING is the new film in the Madea cinematic universe with Tyler Perry directing, writing, producing, and reprising his role as Mabel "Madea" Simmons as well as playing Joe and Brian Simmons.  Unlike his recent THE SIX TRIPLE EIGHT (214) and STRAW (2025), MADEA’S DESTINATION WEDDING returns Perry to his nonsense Madea, where he appears to be enjoying himself and having great fun making movies.

Madea and family attend Tiffany's rushed destination wedding in the Bahamas. Tensions arise as Tiffany doubts her fiancé, Zavier, and her mother acts strangely, raising suspicions about the marriage's legitimacy.

This is Perry’s comedy nonsense, which usually gets bad reviews from critics, though the film is quite funny - Tyler Perry has a superb sense of humour.  Ignore the distractions from the main storyline, as there are many, as Madea’s family members spend half the time insulting each other and then laughing their heads off.

MADEA’S DESTINATION WEDDING opens for streaming Friday, July 11th, on Netflix.

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PUSH (USA 2024) **
Directed by David Charbonier and Justin Powell

Touted as a home invasion horror, PUSH is more of a stalker slasher horror than a home invasion horror.  The entire movie has a killer going after a pregnant realtor.  The trouble with this film is that it lacks a narrative, and it moves at a slow pace.  The first three jump scares (the accident/ the crows in the window and a phone ringing) take a whole 30 minutes to occur - talk about slow burn.  Nothing really happens and all we see is this pregnant lady dressed in white, (to symbolize oriuty?) walking about show home,  A few good horror setups, the best of these involve an the woman’s shoes in an about to fall elevator fail to incite any anticipation or purpose,  Is this a vanity project for the led actress Alicia Sanz who also executively produced this sloth-paced horror film?  Best to watch this a twice the speed, even though the film might still be slow.  The directing duo’s previous two films were much better.

Natalie Flores (Alicia Sanz), a pregnant realtor who is recovering from the devastating loss of her boyfriend. In the early scenes of the film, it is revealed that Natalie came to Northern Michigan from Spain with an American boyfriend, Matt (David Alexander Finn), who was then killed in a car accident. Isolated and cut off from her support network, Natalie is determined to prove to everyone, including herself, that she can make this bad situation work. Natalie’s latest listing is the gorgeous and large Marquez residence, a palatial home (that’s maybe haunted) that she intends to sell despite its ghostly, macabre reputation.

All the elements that make a good narrative and picture are missing.  There is no character development, no plot twists, no story in fact, no audience anticipation or any humour of any kind.  The film is made up of isolated scary set-pieces, many of which are not connected or the story.  The raison d’être for the killer is also absent.

PUSH premiered at the Sitges Film Festival last October and opens on Shudder, the horror streaming service, coming Friday, 11th July.

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ZIAM (Thailand 2025)***
Directed by Kulp Kaljareuk

ZIAM is advertised as a zombie movie.

In a fight for survival against a horrifying army of zombies, a former Muay Thai fighter must use skill, speed, and grit to save his girlfriend.

The zombie genre is a well-worn genre that audiences are generally tired of, after zombie films have worn their welcome.  To the credit of the ZIAM filmmakers, they have encompassed other genres into the film.   Most obvious is the inclusion of the action thriller as the protagonist is a Muah Thai fighter.  In fact, the film begins with an action fight set-piece in which the protagonist (unnamed and played by Johnny Anfone) encounters a gang of thugs and fights his way through them.  The zombies only appear in a hospital 20 minutes into the film.  The protagonist is also in love with a doctor in the hospital.  Rin (Nuttanicha Dungwattanawanich) and the fighter arę in love, and she wants him to quit his dangerous job.  One last time, he repeatedly tells her.  In the process of the zombie apocalypse, the fighter rescues a boy in search of his mother in the hospital while he searches for Rin.  A villain is added to the story.  The authorities want to blow up the hospital to prevent infection, a case of million 500 to save 5 million, the population of the city.  (Bangkok actually has a population of 10.8 million, in 2023).

The special effects are good, the action fight scenes passable, and the make-up and gore are all right for a zombie film.

Despite the filmmakers' efforts, there is hardly anything fresh in this film that has not been seen in other action or zombie films.  Every subplot also has a clichéd ending.  Though the film moves fast, many will still feel the tedium of a film trapped in a well-worn genre.

ZIAM opens for streaming on Netflix this week.

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Written by: Gilbert Seah

Parent Category: Articles

Category: Movie Reviews

Published: 02 July 2025

FILM REVIEWS:

40 ACRES (Canada 2024) ***
Directed by R.T. Thorne

Just as the recent hit SINNER plays with Black History and horror, 40 ACRES plays with Black History and the thriller genre.

Young filmgoers would likely not have heard of the term 40 ACRES nor realize the significance of the term.  “40 acres” symbolizes both a moment of hope and a legacy of injustice regarding African Americans' fight for equality, land, and economic independence after slavery.

Origin: After the U.S. Civil War, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman issued Special Field Order No. 15 in January 1865.

What it promised: It allocated 40 acres of land (often confiscated from Confederate landowners) to newly freed Black families in the South.  After President Abraham Lincoln's assassination, President Andrew Johnson reversed this order. The land was returned to white former owners, and Black families were evicted.  This became a lasting symbol of broken promises of racial justice and reparations in the U.S.

The film begins with several sentences explaining the film’s setting.  It is the dystopian future and farmland is scarce, and people will kill for it.  The first segment shows intruders on one such farmland owned by a mismatched family.  From the action sequences, each family member appears to be well trained in the art of killing, whether with the use of weapons or not (in order to save bullets).

Descended from African American farmers who settled in rural Canada after the American Civil War, Hailey (Danielle Deadwyler) lives on her generational farm with her Indigenous partner Galen (Michael Greyeyes) and their blended family of four children.  Thanks to the farm, the family is surviving – and thriving – and Hailey will do anything to safeguard the land against those hell bent on taking it.  Watch your six, shoot first,” she says.  But her son (Kataem O’Connor) jeopardizes their safety when he secretly hides a beautiful young woman (Milcania Diaz-Rojas) on their property. 

The film spends a fair bit of time establishing the family dynamics.  It is a strict regimen with the mother always demanding a “Yes, Ma’am” and the stepfather demanding a “Yes, Sir” response.  Of course, words hardly mean anything when rebellion is clear in the minds of the children.

With regards to production values, the film, being shot in rural Ontario, passes as credible dystopian surroundings.  There are lots of forests and trees to suggest an enclosed and hidden farmland.  But the film strains for the audience to feel sympathetic, less root for this dysfunctional family due largely to the stubbornness of each family member.

The film is Canadian and from Ontario all the way - a good film to watch, especially in the time of Trump’s tariffs.  Support Canadian entertainment.  The film marks the feature debut of Toronto director R.T. Thorne, known for his award-winning work on TV series (The Porter, Utopia Falls).  Thorne co-wrote the script with Glenn Taylor, based on a story by Thorne and Lora Campbell.  A Canadian production produced by Jennifer Holness, the film was shot in Northern Ontario’s Sudbury area – on a stunning farm in a remote location, far from roads, which creates an atmosphere of seclusion. 

40 ACRES opens July 4 across Canada!

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JURASSIC WORLD - REBIRTH (USA 2025) ***
Directed by Gareth Edwards

“Objects are closer than they appear”.  The same Jurassic Park joke is used in this latest entry to the franchise, a joke that generated zero laughter in the audience at the promo screening I attended.  This instalment is a tried and tired entry with little to add to the franchise in terms of freshness, unless one wants to count Scarlett Johansson’s involvement.

Johansson’s character is given nothing much to do except to have the character flex her muscles in terms of both brain and brawn.  Again, a strong female slant is inserted into an action-adventure to draw in the females to the target audience.

There is nothing surprising in the storyline with the no-name actors clearly chomped up by the prehistoric creatures early in the film.  The villain of the piece, again a British guy, gets, of course, his comeuppance in the worst way, being bitten and eaten alive by the fiercest of the fiercest predators.

The script attempts to include messages to the audience, such as climate change and the evils of pharmaceutical companies.

The film ends up a blend of action adventure and a bit of horror with a dose of humour added, since not all the events should be taken too seriously.  The action set pieces are ok, some genuine thrills are present, which should be expected, but the entire film, running over two hours, is a tiresome process, indicating clearly that the filmmakers have run out of ideas.

JURASSIC WORLD - REBIRTH runs a huge tab of $180 million in production costs, which Universal hopes to recover with some profit, with an opening on the July 4th U.S. Independence Day long weekend.

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THE OLD GUARD 2 (USA 2025) **
Directed by Victoria Mahoney

THE OLD GUARD, made in 2020, had a troubled production with rewrites and a fired and rehired writer, but the film eventually enthralled audiences.  THE OLD GUARD is led by Andy (Charlize Theron), who, with her group of immortals, saves the world.  Ridiculous as it sounds, it is based on a comic book.

In OLD GUARD 2, Andy struggles to live out her life after losing her immortality, until she and her team—Nile, Joe, Nicky, and Copley—are drawn out of hiding when two powerful new adversaries emerge who threaten the world.  Quỳnh (Vân Veronica Ngô), once a trusted comrade. After enduring centuries trapped underwater, drowning and reviving in isolation, she resurfaces with a burning vendetta against Andy for her perceived abandonment.  Discord (Uma Thurman), revealed to be the world’s first immortal. Backed by Discord, Quỳnh channels her rage in a bid for revenge. Meanwhile, the group enlists Tuah (Henry Golding), a sage-like immortal with deep knowledge of their origins, to help confront these existential threats.

During the escalating conflict, a major turning point occurs when Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts), in an act of sacrifice, transfers his immortality to Andy, regaining her regenerative ability at the cost of his own.

The action set pieces are well shot, but the film is a complete mess in terms of narrative and logic.  No one even cares about these immortals or mortals, especially when they switch from one to another.  Enough already!

The film has a cliffhanger ending, prompting a sequel.

THE OLD GUARD 2 opens for streaming this week on Netflix.

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SHARK WHISPERER (USA 2025) ***
Directed by Juan Oliphant

A whisperer is a person skilled in taming or training a specified kind of animal, typically using body language and gentle vocal encouragement rather than physical contact.  So, a shark whisperer is one related to sharks.

The SHARK WHISPERER in the doc is Ocean Ramsey, an ethologist, conservationist, author, filmmaker, and model.   She operates One Ocean Diving, LLC, a company based in Hawaii that facilitates dives with marine life.  The doc follows her as she gains international media attention for free diving with sharks, including great white sharks, to raise awareness about shark conservation and promote her business. Ramsey is based in Hawaii, and has dived with 47 species of sharks around the world as of 2019.  While she has been praised for raising awareness of the species, she has been criticized for her actions in the footage. 

The film is directed by Juan Oliphant and written by Ocean Ramsey.  In real life, they are husband and wife.

As one watches SHARK WHISPERER, it would be grand to pay respects to a Toronto-born shark activist who spent his life saving the species while drowning in the process.  This is 

Rob Stewart (December 28, 1979 – January 31, 2017), a Canadian photographer, filmmaker and shark conservationist. He was best known for making and directing the documentary films Sharkwater and Revolution. He drowned at the age of 37 while scuba diving in Florida, filming Sharkwater Extinction.  Stewart has also dived with sharks around the world, as can be seen in his documentaries.

SHARK WHISPERER begins with a diver swimming beside sharks.  Then a shark advances.  The scene is similar to SHARKWATER, where Rob Stewart also swims among sharks.  Both celebrities prove that humans should have no fear of sharks.  “There is something so magnetic about sharks.  And that is what I am here for.  It gives my life meaning and purpose.” These are the words of Ocean Ramsey.

One of the main species of shark featured is the tiger shark, a solitary, mostly nocturnal hunter. It is notable for having the widest food spectrum of all sharks, with a range of prey that includes crustaceans, fish, seals, birds, squid, turtles, sea snakes, dolphins, and others, even smaller sharks. It also has a reputation as a "garbage eater", consuming a variety of inedible, man-made objects that linger in its stomach. Tiger sharks have only one recorded natural predator, the orca.  It is considered a near-threatened species because of finning and fishing by humans. This doc shows that the tiger shark is second only to the great white in recorded fatal attacks on humans, but these events are still exceedingly rare.

The doc also extends the story with a little bit of romance, one between Ocean and Juan.  But with the good intentions of the husband and wife team, other shark experts interviewed warn of he dangers of the message proposed.  ‘There is nothing to be afraid of sharks,” is the obvious message.  But not everyone can be in synch with sharks like Ocean.  And there is an accident waiting to happen. The doc does not shy away from one of these, on a surfer, Colin Cook.

SHARK WHISPERER is an insightful, educational and occasionally uplifting film on sharks, covering both sides of Ocean Ramsey’s story.  The doc should be seen with Rob Stewart’s SHARKWATER for the message these two films out forward.

SHARK WHISPERER opens for streaming on Netflix this week on Friday, June 30th.

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SORRY, BABY (USA 2025) ***
Directed by Eva Victor

SORRY, BABY is an indie picture written, directed and starring Eva Victor.  The story follows  college professor, Agnes (Eva Victor), trying to recover from a sexual assault with the aid of her best friend,

The film unfolds in non-linear “chapters” spanning several years, beginning with “The Year With the Baby”, as her friend Lydie (Naomi Ackie) returns to announce her pregnancy, before shifting to “The Year With the Bad Thing”.

It sensitively portrays trauma and the gradual, messy process of healing, focusing not on the assault itself but on life after it.

The film has an indie film feel like a Greta Gerwig film, think LADYBIRD (2017), also because indie actor Lukas Hedges is also in tit.  In this film, Hedges plays Ange’s occasional romantic interest.

SORRY BABY is billed as a dark comedy.  Dark it is and a comedy it is, though the jokes are not really funny enough.  When a comedic script fails to generate laughs, one can usually blame the director for his or her lack of a sense of humour, as comedy means timing, and a director needs to know how comedy timing works.  Still, this indie film feels like one and has a certain freshness to it, making it likeable and entertaining, satisfactory.

The film is produced by Barry Jenkins and distributed by A24, a company known for its knack for picking good indie films.  It premiered at Sundance and is now rolling out in theatres this week.

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Written by: Gilbert Seah

Parent Category: Articles

Category: Movie Reviews

Published: 21 June 2025

FILM REVIEWS:

F1 (USA 2025) ***½

Directed by Joseph Kosinski

F1 (marketed as F1 the Movie) is a 2025 American sports drama film directed by Joseph Kosinski with a screenplay written by Ehren Kruger, from a story the two developed. It is based on the Formula One World Championship, created in collaboration with the FIA, its governing body. 

It is best to know a bit about what Formula One means in racing in order to appreciate the pains the filmmakers have researched and gone into the making of their film F1.  Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one of the world's premier forms of motorsport since its inaugural running in 1950 and is often considered to be the pinnacle of motorsport. The word formula in the name refers to the set of rules all participant cars must follow. A Formula One season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix. Grands Prix take place in multiple countries and continents on either purpose-built circuits or closed roads.  A points scoring system is used at Grand Prix to determine two annual World Championships: one for the drivers, and one for the constructors, now synonymous with teams. Each driver must hold a valid Super Licence, the highest class of racing licence the FIA issues, and the races must be held on Grade One tracks, the highest grade rating the FIA issues for tracks.  Oscar Winner Brad Pitt plays one such high-profile driver, a maverick with attitude, but one super good, including possessing experience and baggage in the field.  F1 effectively blends human drama and racing excitement in a film that impresses.

Sonny Hayes (Pitt), a Formula One driver who raced in the 1990s, had a severe crash that forced him to retire from Formula One and start racing in other disciplines while working as a taxi driver.  A Formula One team owner and friend, Ruben (Javier Bardem), contacts Hayes and asks him to come out of retirement to mentor rookie prodigy Joshua "Noah" Pearce (Damson Idris) for the Apex Grand Prix team.

Director Joseph Kosinski is no stranger to the action film genre, with box-office hits like TWISTERS, TRON LEGACY and TOP GUN: MAVERICK in his resume.  Kosiski knows how to up the ante in audience excitement.  The sound mixing is evidence of the fact.  Some layers can be heard on the soundtrack.  Amidst the action, there is thundering music, race announcements and dialogue all mixed together instead of just a one-layered soundtrack.  The music is by Hans Zimmer.

F1 premiered on June 16, 2025, at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on June 27, during the weekend of the Austrian Grand Prix.  F1 is a solid action piece for adults, not geared to teens or kids.  The film, actually an excellent film, has so far received positive reviews from critics.

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FAMILIAR TOUCH (USA 2024) ***
Directed by Sarah Friedland

FAMILIAR TOUCH is a very sad real-life drama that everyone can relate to.  It is about Ruth (Kathleen Chalfant), an octogenarian woman, as she transitions to life in assisted living, contending with her relationship to herself and her caregivers while dealing with cognitive decline.  Almost everyone has a parent or at least knows of one who is ageing and suffering from some form of dementia like Alzheimer’s.   This coming-of-age drama centres on Ruth.

The film begins as the audience sees Ruth preparing a delicate breakfast, obviously for herself and someone special.  She snips off fresh herbs from her potted plant to add that little extra to that breakfast.  What seems to be her date, as she perceives, turns out to be her son instead, as Ruth cannot fully remember the person.  Her son has arranged for his mother to settle in a retirement home, which she had agreed upon, and obviously has forgotten.

Feeling adrift among fellow residents, Ruth gradually connects emotionally with care workers Vanessa (Carolyn Michelle Smith) and Brian (Andy McQueen). Through gentle interactions—hand‑grounding, cooking, and supportive listening—she regains a sense of embodiment and selfhood, even as memory fades

At this point in the film, the audience also pities the son, as his hands are tied and he needs his mother to be cared for, even though he cannot do the task.  And Ruth is not helping either, either from not remembering, not due to her fault, but also due to her stubbornness, which is due to her fault.  The film moves at a slow pace, but the emotions are real and actress Chalfont is marvellous as Ruth.

Though the film still falls into cliched territory,  the story can still feel familiar.  In the segment in which a caregiver in the facility first attends to Ruth, one can tell the two are going to bond, especially when the caregiver is struggling with her life as well.  As Ruth used to work as a chef before her dementia, one can tell she is going to show her stuff in the nursing home’s kitchen.  Thus, one can predict how the general story or each segment will unfold. It takes no genius to figure this out, a point that might create some impatience for some audience in what can be described as a slow-burning drama.

FAMILIAR TOUCH treads too much into familiar territory, having been seen many times before in films focusing on dementia or old age.   However, the director’s slow pace, allowing the audience to observe Ruth’s every moment, turns out to be surprisingly effective.  The film is aided by Kathleen Chalfant’s moving performance as Ruth,

FAMILIAR TOUCH had its world premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 2024, where it won the Lion of the Future, and the Orizzonti section Best Director and Best Actress prizes.  It is scheduled to be released on June 20, 2025, by Music Box Films in the United States.  It begins its run in Toronto on the 27th of June at the Bell Lightbox.

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I’M YOUR VENUS (USA 2024) ***
Directed by Kimberly Reed

I'm Your Venus is a 2024 feature documentary directed by Kimberly Reed that revisits the life, legacy, and unresolved death of Venus Xtravaganza, the young trans icon immortalized in the landmark 1990 film Paris Is Burning.

I’M YOUR VENUS is set in the New York ballroom scene. For those unfamiliar, in the mid-20th century, as a response to racism in integrated drag spaces, the balls evolved into house ballroom, where Black and Latino attendees could "walk" in a variety of categories for trophies and cash prizes.  Most participants in ballroom belong to groups known as "houses", where chosen families of friends form relationships and communities separate from their families of origin, from which they may be estranged.  The culture was made famous worldwide by the documentary IS PARIS BURNING?

Paris Is Burning is a 1990 American documentary film directed by Jennie Livingston.  Filmed in the mid-to-late 1980s, it chronicles the ball culture of New York City and the African-American, Latino, gay, and transgender communities involved in it.  The film is an invaluable documentary of the end of the "Golden Age" of New York City drag balls, and a thoughtful exploration of race, class, gender, and sexuality in America.  In 2016, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

The film covers Venus Xtravaganza’s story: Born Venus Pellagatti (May 5, 1965), she emerged as a rising star in New York’s ballroom scene—particularly the House of Xtravaganza—before being tragically murdered at age 23 in December 1988 in a still-unsolved case

Venus has two families - her biological family and her ballroom ‘house’ families. Venus’s three biological brothers—John, Joe, and Louie Pellagatti—grapple with memories, unearth NYPD files, and pursue a posthumous name change for her.  Chosen family from the ballroom: Members of the House of Xtravaganza, including current House Mother Gisele Alicea, collaborate with the brothers, forming a bridge between “biological” and “chosen” families to honour Venus’s memory and advocate for her legacy.

Like the film IS PARIOS BURNING?, I'M YOUR VENUS provides much education and insight into ball, drag and trans culture.

Despite the filmmakers’ good intentions and hard efforts, there is not much that can be obtained about the murder after summary years have passed.  One cannot get blood from stone, as they say.  Director Reed elicits as much drama as she can from the meeting of the lare Venus’ two families when they meet.  This segment's current House Mother, Gisele Alicea, collaborates with the brothers, forming a bridge between “biological” and “chosen” families to honour Venus’s memory and advocate for her legacy.   The film works best with the film’s blending of archive footage with current interviews on trans rights.

I’M YOUR VENUS premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2024, followed by screenings at BFI London, Hamptons, and various other festivals.  The film opens on Netflix on June 23, 2025 (premiering in Toronto on Netflix), just in time for Pride Celebrations,

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M3GAN 2.0 (USA 2025) **
Directed by Gerard Johnstone

M3GAN 2.0 (pronounced "Megan 2.0") is a 2025 American science fiction action film written and directed by Gerard Johnstone from a story by Johnstone and Akela Cooper.  This is a sequel to M3GAN (2022), the plot follows M3GAN (model 3 generative android) being rebuilt to combat a humanoid military robot built using M3GAN's technology that is attempting an AI takeover.  Unlike the first film, the sequel plays more like an action film.  The sequel, unlike the original, which is a horror flick, swaps the original’s horror-comedy for a globe-straddling action-thriller, complete with spycraft vibes, “James Bond 007”-style sets, chase sequences, and AI warfare.

Two years after the events of M3GAN, Gemma (Allison Williams) has become an author and an advocate for the regulation of artificial intelligence while trapping a still-active M3GAN in a small, harmless robotic doll.  However, M3GAN's technology has been stolen and used by a defence contractor to create a military robot called AMELIA (autonomous military engagement logistics and infiltration android), who becomes self-aware, turns on her creators, and attempts an AI takeover.  Facing imminent destruction, Gemma's niece Cady (Violet McGraw) convinces her to rebuild M3GAN with advanced upgrades so she can fight AMELIA.

It is difficult to get excited to see two robots (M3GAN vs. AMELIA, i.e.doll vs. doll) battling each other in the climax and then have one blow up to save the world, thus resulting in an anti-climax.

M3GAN 2.0 attempts to delve deeper into ethical questions about artificial intelligence, the potential dangers of unchecked tech, and whether machines can ever truly be controlled—or empathic, though not always credibly, as it is obvious as it can be seen that the script is trying too hard.

Given the outrageous and generally difficult to follow plot (I bet the target audience for the film never expected to have to sift through all the plot details, which are many), one must give credit to the filmmakers and actors for giving 100% to the project as can be observed while viewing the film.  The actors try hard as if their lives depend on it, and the script goes all out in trying to explain every detail, leaving no stone unturned.  The action set sequences involving fights are also well done and well thought through.  Pity that everything turns out silly at the very end.

M3GAN 2.0 opens in theatres this weekend.

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SWEET RELIEF (USA 2023) ***1/2

Directed by Nick Verdi

"Sweet relief" describes a feeling of deep comfort and ease, often after a period of hardship, worry, or pain. It signifies a positive emotional change, a release from a burden or unpleasant situation. The phrase is often used to express happiness or contentment when something difficult or undesirable ends.  The film is titled such because it embodies this feeling, which is felt throughout the film, though not always in a good way, according to director Nick Verdi.

SWEET RELIEF has been described as a mumblegore film.  Mumblecore is a film style known for: low-budget production; naturalistic, often improvised dialogue; and focus on personal relationships and everyday life with young, usually middle-class characters

Gore refers to:

Graphic violence, blood, and bodily horror

So mumblegore refers to indie horror films that focus on character-driven, naturalistic storytelling, which features sudden or intense bursts of violence or horror, often with an intimate, eerie, or unsettling tone.

All the above describe the slow-burning psychological horror film  SWEET RELIEF.

The setting is a small New England town.  Parents and teachers in the town are in a panic over kids playing Sweet Relief, an online murder challenge in which the player must nominate someone they'd like to see die.  Three teenagers play the game as a joke, unaware of the dire consequences awaiting them.  The film begins with the three teens conversing about whom they want to see die.  This is followed by a segment of a teen giving information to a cop, the teen wanting to be an investigative reporter when he grows up.

SWEET RELIEF is intriguing for the reason of its original storylines and how these are intertwined.

Firstly, there is the Viral Murder Game: Three teen girls innocently participate in an online “Sweet Relief” challenge—naming people they'd like to see die. But the game’s sinister rule haunts them: fail to follow through, and “Sweet Angel,” a masked killer, targets them.  Secondly, there is the Adult Horror Threads: Parallel to the teens' storyline, with Jess and Nathan, young adults grappling with familial tension and boredom.   Jess encounters the

Nick Verdi, a Massachusetts-based indie film director and writer, has proven himself a force to be reckoned with, with SWEET RELIEF after directing Cockazoid (2021–22).  Here

His work explores common threads of the darker aspects of suburban life and teenage fears.

SWEET RELIEF has had a successful festival run and has screened at Chattanooga Film Festival, Philadelphia Unnamed Film Festival (PUFF), Another Hole in the Head, and Salem Horror Fest, among others and will have a one-week theatrical run at Laemmle Encino Town Center.  SWEET RELIEF will be available on premium VOD exclusively on Eventive, before a wider VOD release on June 27th.  The film (which has a Todd Solondz feel) is indeed worth a look for its stylish horror, blending of different storylines culminating in violent horror and quaint small town setting of annoying losers trying to prove themselves better than they think they can.

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Written by: Gilbert Seah

Parent Category: Articles

Category: Movie Reviews

Published: 13 June 2025

FILM REVIEWS:

28 YEARS LATER (UK 2025) ****
Directed by Danny Boyle

Scots Danny Boyle has proven a tremendous force in films with critically acclaimed and box office hits like SHALLOW GRAVE, TRAINSPOTTING, THE BEACH,  28 DAYS LATER and SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE.  His latest zombie dystopian gore flick, 28 YEARS LATER the third in the series and the second sequel to 28 DAYS LATER (with a sequel already in the making, shot back to back with this film), is already garnering rave reviews.

28 YEARS LATER is an extremely intense, well-shot horror zombie film that combines emotional drama in the coming-of-age experience of a 12-year-old boy as he tries to save his ill mother despite the zombie apocalypse.

The film begins with a very scary incident, the introduction of the film, which sets the tone that this is a different zombie movie - one is is genuinely scary with human elements at the core of the plot.  During the initial outbreak of the Rage virus, a young boy named Jimmy is attacked in the Scottish Highlands by his infected family. Running to a nearby church, Jimmy pleads with his father to help him escape. His father gives Jimmy a crucifix necklace before being overwhelmed by the infected, allowing Jimmy to escape.

The film gets its audience quickly, with words splashed on the screen up-to-date with the current setting.  Twenty-eight years later, Great Britain has been placed under quarantine and cut off from the rest of the world. One community of survivors lives on Lindisfarne Island, a safe zone separated from the mainland by a single heavily defended tidal causeway. Among them are Jamie, a scavenger, his wife Isla, and their 12-year-old son Spike (Alfie Williams). Isla (Jodie Comer) is afflicted with memory loss, confusion, frequent headaches, and nosebleeds—the cause of which is unknown.  As part of Spike's coming-of-age initiation, he and his father journey to the mainland to hunt the infected. They soon encounter an Alpha, an infected individual that has evolved to be larger and smarter than the others, and take refuge in an abandoned cottage. While staying the night, they observe a distant bonfire.

Cillian Murphy is clearly missing in this film, but newcomer and young kid Alfie Williams is quite the scene-stealer.    Williams gets the audience to feel for his demise and his love for his mother and despise for his womanizing father is totally believable in the story.

Shades of Boyle’s previous hits can be noticed in this film, like the colonies formed as in THE BEACH, the hectic communities as in SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE and the crazed drug-like mayhem of TRAINSPOTTING,

There are a few laugh-out-loud parts in the otherwise grim and scary film.  The best of these is when Eric, a swede survivor, shows Spike a picture of his girlfriend, who can be seen who have undergone plastic surgery, which is not mentioned.  Spike remarks that she must have been allergic to shellfish, judging from the plastic surgery lips.

The only complaint is the upended final segment, which makes total sense, though Boyle and his crew can be forgiven for this part after a terrifying otherwise film experience.

28 years later opens in theatres June 20th with a sequel, though not directed by Boyle already made back-to-back with this one.

Trailer: 

ASH (USA 2025) **
Directed by  Flying Lotus (Steven Ellison)

ASH is a 2025 horror sci-fi space modern thriller.   ASH is directed by Flying Lotus (aka Steven Ellison), written by Jonni Remmler, starring Eiza González (as Riya) and Aaron Paul (as Brion) .

Riya regains consciousness aboard a space station on the eponymous planet Ash (from which the film is titled) surrounded by the bodies of her dead crewmates—but she cannot remember what had happened.

A man named Brion arrives, who Riya almost stabs (false scares), claiming to be her rescuer.  But as she battles amnesia and terrifying flashbacks,  Riya must decide whether he can be trusted—and whether she played a hand in the massacre.

The film plays like a psychological puzzle: part mystery, part body‑horror survival, heavily inspired by video games like Dead Space, Resident Evil, and films like Alien and The Thing.

But ASH is nothing that audiences have not heard or seen before - all of what transpires comes from the many such films in the genre.

Take, for example, the film’s dialogue: System failure!  Reboot!  Stand by!  Abnormal activity detected. Oxygen level compromised.  These are words heard on the soundtrack of ASH.  These are standard words heard only too often, clichéd in countless space movies, even in TV series like STAR TREK and LOST IN SPACE.

The film also contains flashing lights that can be annoying that hardly reveal what is in the films’ frame, and odd sounds that no-one can decipher where or what they are - all of which could be described as stylish or confusing.  There are also too many similar nightmare sequences combined with jump scares.

Nothing much happens in this slow burn of a horror mystery space thriller which suffers mainly from a weak narrative and stylized visuals that  make matters all the more confusing.  At the time of writing, ASH has 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but it is best to take this rating with a grain of salt.

The best thing about the film is an imagining of what space exploration on another planet is like.  Perhaps in the future, when spacecraft take humans to other planets, the same atmosphere could be experienced.  The film also shows that with beauty comes the accompanying dangers.

The film’s second half turns into a bit of psychological thriller.  Is Riya losing her memory or can she trust herself?  She has already lost some of her memory and she gets flashbacks of what had happened to hr crew.  She is also faced with he dilemma of whether to abort the mission or to continue it for the sake of mankind.

The film is to be credited with some stunning visual effects, both the exterior of he spaceship as well as the interiors shot largely in red.  The soundtrack features a pounding and occasional plunking piano score.  Special effects remind one of ALIEN and THE THING.

It is good to note that the director claims that his film is made for gamers.

ASH opens for streaming on Shudder, the horror streaming service June 16th.

Trailer: 

LES BARBARES (MEET THE BARBARIANS) (France 2024) ****

Directed by Julie Delpy

Actress Julie Delpy (star of films by Godard, Kieslowski and Linklater) directs her own film, proving herself totally apt and a force to be reckoned with.  She centres her sights on comedy with a message with a film that matters that she delivers in style with lots of hilarity, drama and a bit of satire.  The story is set in Paimpont, a small town in France, preparing to welcome a Ukrainian refugee family and is surprised when a Syrian family shows up instead.  Every town has its patriots, loyalists and racists, all of whom show their influence on the Syrian family, but that is not perfect as well.  Delpy shows the good and bad of both sides with a touching romance between the young Syrian teen in the family and a local French boy to bridge the gap of racism.  It might be too obvious, but the ploy works.  And the town actually exists.  Paimpont sits nestled in Brittany, content with its centuries-old heritage, its crêpes (the Brittany people cook everything with lots of butter, which is also incorporated in the script), and its flattering self-image—a marvellous surprise from Delpy.

  In LES BARBARES, director Delpy balances the comedy and drama of the film very well.  The comedy and drama both derive from the cultural differences of France and Syria.  Both are also accomplished in segments, well put together, as in the best one, where the two Syrian children go to the French school for their very first time.  They meet the white kids, one of whom says: ‘Do not look them in he eye,' as all of them face downwards and the Syrian girl and her younger brother arrive.   The drama is largely derived from the family searching and waiting for news of their missing brother, Farid.

I have seen the film twice, initially when it premiered at TIFF and again currently when it got a commercial release.  The film was entirely enjoyable at TIFF, especially when watching a comedy for a change during a week when I watch 5 films a day.  I did not find the film that funny the second time, though the film still managed to elicit quite a few laugh-out-loud laughs from me.

A few good jokes here, especially with the village receiving information that they are getting a Syrian instead of a Ukrainian family.  “I already learn to make borscht,” says one.   Ukrainians are high on the refugee list, and they ran out of Ukrainians.

And what does the Syrian family and the French village talk about?  “Isn’t it not too cold here?”  the Syrians are asked, who then say to each other: “All they do is ask about the weather.”

But the film’s best is the segment in which Mdm. Joelle’s class of students each talks about what racism is to them.  ‘Leading to suicide from non-confidence, fear of the unknown, hatred of people who are different, etc.’ are a few of the responses.

MEET THE BARBARES is a funny and entertaining French comedy, the best of what commercial French films have to offer, while delivering a powerful message about refugees and living together in harmony in a light and effective way.

Trailer: 

ELIO (USA 20225) **
Directed by Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi and Adrian Molina

For centuries, people have called out to the universe looking for answers—in Disney and Pixar's all-new feature film ELIO, the universe calls back! Elio is a young boy whose parents recently passed away in a car accident. Orphaned, Elio is being put under the care of his Aunt Olga, a military woman with little experience raising kids. Elio is not that helpful as he is depressed, obviously missing his parents deeply.

Naive Elio believes in a multiverse, that there is another life, and that perhaps his parents are there. He wishes to be abducted to meet other forms of life.

ELIO is the cosmic misadventure that introduces Elio, a space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession.  So, when he's beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organisation with representatives from galaxies far and wide, Elio's all in for the epic undertaking. Mistakenly identified as Earth's leader, Elio must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions, and somehow discover who and where he is truly meant to be.

As in all Pixar and Disney Studios animated features, the animation is top-notch notch with many of the films winning Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature.  For ELIO, the animation is done with psychedelic colours to represent alien worlds, just as Elio would imagine a trio out of this world.

ELIO follows Disney’s formulaic procedure of making films.  There is the lonely boy who finds satisfaction and saves the world, in this case, an alien world, in the process.  He makes new friends.  The creatures-ninths case, the work like aliens are all super cutely animated, the aliens replacing animals..  The adults do everything for the kids, as Aunt Olga does everything for Elio.  Elio gets to save the day.   A successful formula works and why change a formula that works well?  For one variety.  ELIO is terribly boring in its storytelling, and this critic is having a really difficult time staying awake.  Unlike the TOY STORY Pixar franchise, which is very inventive with humour catered towards the adults, ELIO is more for younger kids.   There is hardly anything humorous to laugh at.  Needless to say, children should enjoy the film more than adults.

But one thing that can be criticized is Elio’s behaviour.  Though one can understand the trauma poor Elio is going through, Elio behaves largely as a spoiled kid who does everything nd anything he wants.  He refuses to eat and hides underneath the table.  He gives his poor Aunt Olga a hard time.  He escapes from home and hopes to be abducted by aliens.  This is one spoilt kid if there was ever one.  A kid who does not appreciate what Aunt Olga had sacrificed for him.  He also mistreats his friends, who end up bullying him.  A well-deserved bullying.  But the film calls for the three of them to finally become friends to save the alien world.  Cliched territory once again, as seen in many films such as MA VIE EN COURGETTE.

ELIO opens in shares on June 20th.

Trailer: 

EYE FOR AN EYE (USA 2024) ***
Directed by Colin Tilley

The film EYE FOR AN EYE is about punishment and revenge.  The term originates from the Old Testament.  Exodus 21:24 – "eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." The principle behind "eye for an eye" is lex talionis, or the law of retaliation. The idea is that the punishment should fit the crime in a directly reciprocal manner — if someone caused the loss of an eye, the perpetrator would also lose an eye.

The film begins with a cheerleader doing an excellent choreographed routine (Director of he film, Tilley, is a music video director) before she falls to her death, breaking bones in the process.  It turns out to be a nightmare, but what happens after is much worse.  The film then moves forward to the Present Day.

The story follows Anna (Whitney Peak), grieving the sudden death of her parents.  Anna relocates from New York to a small Florida town to live with her grandmother (S. Epatha Merkerson), whom she’s never met.  Isolated and in unfamiliar surroundings, she falls in with a couple of local teens (Finn Bennett and Laken Giles), but when she becomes a bystander to an unforgivable act of violence, she finds herself ensnared by Mr. Sandman – the twisted soul of a tormented child, Vincent who haunts bullies’ dreams before feasting on their eyeballs when they finally wake.

The script by Elisa Victoria and Michael Tully contains some scary dialogue.  Patty tells the bullied boy who had his arm was broken by Sean, a bully.  ‘What I tell you stays between the two of us.   There is something you can do.  But you would’ve got to go through with it.”  

The boy is about to hear about Mr. Sandman.  The character inspired by the classic folklore figure who puts people to sleep, Mr. Sandman, is a twisted horror reimagining in a horror film.

Mr. Sandman operates thus:

He targets bullies or those who’ve committed violent acts.

He also punishes bystanders who fail to speak up, like the main character Anna.

Victims wake up blind, their eyeballs removed, sometimes left alive but traumatized.

Horror films have monsters or predators and victims.  Usually, the victims are innocent bystanders or good heroes or heroines, but seldom bad people like bullies.  In EYE FOR AN EYE, the victims are bullies, so what befalls them, no matter how violent, is somewhat deserved, and the audience would have no qualms about not feeling sorry for them, despite some quite gory violence.  But the script also calls for the predator, Mr. Sandman to target Anna, a bystander who is a bystander who says nothing when witnessing a bad bullying deed.

EYE FOR AN EYE is a fast-moving horror feature with interesting enough characters for the audience to like or hate.  Gore and violence add to the ‘entertainment’ in what might be deemed a satisfactory excursion for horror fans.

The script is adapted from Victoria’s graphic novel called “Mr. Sandman.  The director, Colin Tilley, is an acclaimed video director.  Colin Tilley is an American filmmaker, music video director, and television commercial director. Tilley is the CEO and owner of Boy in the Castle Productions. He has directed more than 300 music videos.)

EYE FOR AN EYE opens June 20th in select theatres and on Demand.

Trailer: 

GRENFELL UNCOVERED (UK 2025) ***

Directed by Olaide Sadiq

GRENFELL UNCOVERED is a new documentary that reveals decisions by officials and companies before the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire that made it preventable. Survivors, families, and firefighters share their accounts of the tragedy that took 72 lives.

There are two key elements that make this doc stand out.  One is that it is a disaster and disaster films are always a hit with film audiences, all the more if the disaster is a real-life one, like the Titanic or the Titan.  The other element is a cover-up story, which makes the doc feel like a true crime drama, which in a way it is.  As an additional fact that the action takes place in London and what audiences will have is a sure winner.

First of all, a bit about the Grenfell building: Grenfell Tower was part of the Lancaster West Estate, a council housing complex in North Kensington. The 24-storey tower block was designed in 1967 by Clifford Wearden and Associates, and the Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council approved its construction in 1970.  The building contained 120 one-bedroom and two-bedroom flats.  The upper 20 (of 24) storeys were residential floors, with each having a communal lobby and six dwellings, with ten bedrooms among them.  The lower four storeys were originally used for non-residential purposes.[note 2] Later, two lower floors were converted to residential use, bringing the total to 129 apartments, housing up to 600 people.

The next thing to note is the tower fire.  It was the deadliest structural fire in the United Kingdom since the 1988 Piper Alpha oil-platform disaster and the worst UK residential fire since the Blitz of World War II.  The fire was started by an electrical fault in a refrigerator on the fourth floor.[note 1] As Grenfell was an existing building originally built in concrete to varying tolerances, gaps around window openings following window installation were irregular and these were filled with combustible foam insulation to maintain air-tightness by contractors.  The Grenfell Tower Inquiry began on 14 September 2017 to investigate the causes of the fire and other related issues. Findings from the first report of the inquiry were released in October 2019 and addressed the events of the night. It affirmed that the building's exterior did not comply with regulations and was the central reason why the fire spread, and that the fire service was too late in advising residents to evacuate.

As late as 26 February this year (2025), seven organisations are under investigation for professional misconduct.

GRENFELL UNCOVERED is an insightful and absorbing doc that opens both in the U.K. and on Netflix this week on Fridayn20th of June 2025.

Trailer: 

HIS FATHER’S SON (Canada 2025) ***
Directed by Meelad Moaphi

HIS FATHER’S SON is yet another Iranian film set in a Canadian city since the touted  UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE set in Winnipeg won accolades, including the Toronto Film Critics Association's much-coveted Best Canadian Feature Award.   HIS FATHER’S SON follows an Iranian family living together, two brothers with their parents in Toronto, while the sons figure out their career paths to success.   The film has already won two awards at the 2024 Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival (Audience Choice/Feature and Directors Guild of Canada’s Best Director/Feature).  In case one is wondering if Iran is in Asia, it is.  Iran is in West Asia.

It does not take a Thanksgiving or wedding, or Christmas (as shown in too many awful Hollywood films of the genre) gathering to bring out family dysfunction.  This film proves that family dysfunction is always present and can be tackled at any time.  The catalyst of the quarrel is the dismantling of immigrant families over the surfacing of truths that were never resolved constructively.   According to the director: “Mine was one of them.”

The film is set in Toronto, and shot mostly in downtown Toronto, including La Banane, 

which stands in for the restaurant where the protagonist, Amir, works.  Chef Amir (a charismatic Alireza Shojaei) works at a French-cuisine restaurant that presents a few challenges, like the customer who wants coq au vin without wine.   For argument's sake, De-alcoholized wine is a type of regular wine that has had most or all of its alcohol removed.  One may receive many of the same health benefits of regular red wine when one chooses dealcoholized varieties, of which there are more than 300+ varieties.   Amir aims to up his profile through social media, although he can’t seem to meet either his own expectations or those of his parents (Gus Tayari, Mitra Lohrasb), especially his father, who wonders: Why doesn’t Amir cook Persian dishes?  Meanwhile, Amir’s younger, Canadian-born brother Mahyar (Parham Rownaghi) seems to cruise through life effortlessly. 

The film is more serious than comedic drama, though the dialogue can be considered to be light rather than heavy.  The film is, as a result, an easy watch without too many feel-bad feelings.

The film is noticeably quite scarce in terms of objects or people in the frames.  The use of extras is at a minimum.  For example, at the father’s clothes store where he works, there are no other visible customers in the store when the son visits to buy a shirt.  Or in a drive to Niagara, there are no other cars on the road.

This otherwise quiet, moving, and insightful film effectively communicates the message: It takes sensitivity, love, and tolerance for a family to stay together. And if there is an argument, one must give in, though both may be at fault.

The film is in English with some Farsi with English subtitles.
HIS FATHER’S SON opens June 20 in Toronto and June 27 in Vancouver, with Q&As following these shows:

Scotiabank – 259 Richmond St. West

Friday – June 20 – 8:05 pm

Saturday – June 21 – 5:50 pm

Trailer: 

SEMI-SOUTER (South Africa 2025) **
Directed by Joshua Rous

SEMI-SOUTER is the much-anticipated sequel to the beloved 2012 Afrikaans film Semi-Soet.

Written by Sandra Vaughn, Anel Alexander and Zandré Coetzer and directed by Joshua Rous, SEMI-SOUTER is a South African comedy showman Afrikana about a power couple. Power couple Jaci and JP find themselves in a bumpy predicament when a new work pitch for a baby brand forces them to play the perfect pretend parents.

Jaci (Anel Alexander) and JP (Nico Panagio) are back – this time as a high-flying married couple who previously vowed to remain child-free.  In the original. The couple pretended to be married but ended up falling in love and getting married.  In this sequel, they pretend to be baby parents in order to secure a huge account.

Director Rous and the actors try to be funny, but they are more all over the place with unfunny attempts than anything else.  The film, obviously aiming at situational humor, family chaos, and warm moments, does not deliver the familiar charm it intended. The only redeeming quality of the film is the fumbling shot in South Africa, where the tourist spots are touted and the audience gets to see how the wealthy white people live.

The two films are not that original in concept either.  The first had the couple pretending to be a couple, then ending up falling in love and getting married.  This one, the married power couple, who insist on having kids, pretend to be parents only to end up, yes, having a baby at the end.

SEMI-SOUTER opens for streaming on Netflix this week, beginning June 20th.

Trailer: