Friday, March 28, 2025
Warfare
Based on a real-life mission in Ramadi, Iraq, in 2006, the film follows a group of young Navy SEALs deployed on a reconnaissance mission in insurgent-held territory. Among them are characters played by Charles Melton, Will Poulter, Joseph Quinn, D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Cosmo Jarvis, among others. As they set up a lookout position in an Iraqi apartment building next to an enemy stronghold, their presence is soon discovered, and the situation rapidly deteriorates, leading to a desperate fight for survival.
"Warfare" stands out for its authenticity among war movies. The script, co-written by Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza, is based on real accounts from veteran Ray Mendoza and his fellow SEALs who were part of the actual operation. This firsthand experience is evident in every aspect of the storytelling—from the precise tactical maneuvers to the raw emotional toll of combat. The film does not concern itself with heroics or grandiose speeches; instead, it sustains tension by focusing on the brutal, minute-to-minute struggle of soldiers trying to stay alive.
The ensemble cast delivers a grounded and respectful portrayal of the soldiers' sheer will to survive in impossible circumstances, as well as their unyielding brotherhood. While exposing their vulnerability as young men, they also display immense bravery in the face of non-stopping danger. By emphasizing their inexperience and rawness, the film adds a poignancy to its story.
The film unfolds in real time, using extended takes that heighten the tension without relying on excessive edits or shaky-cam gimmicks. The cinematography, led by David J. Thompson, captures the confined, claustrophobic nature of the SEALs' predicament, fully immersing the audience as if we are embedded with the platoon in battle. There are no dramatic music cues to signal an impending attack, no slow-motion shots of soldiers in anguish. Instead, the action unfolds with relentless, unfiltered realism, making it all the more heart-wrenching.
One of the film's most striking elements is Glenn Freemantle's sound design. The deafening gunfire and constant radio chatter heighten the sense of chaos, immersing the audience in the soldiers' confusion and desperation. Every heavy breath, anguished scream, and thundering explosion is rendered with unsettling realism, making the experience absolutely terrifying.
"Warfare" is not a movie about politics, nor is it a glorification of combat. It is a raw, unsentimental look at modern warfare through the eyes of those who have lived it. Garland and Mendoza's stark realism serves not just as a recounting of history but as a tribute to those who endured it. There are no rousing speeches, no neatly tied-up resolutions—only the inescapable reality of life-and-death decisions made in the heat of battle.
"Warfare" opens in theaters on Friday, April 11, 2025.
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Misericordia
Set in the quiet countryside of Occitanie, France, during the vibrant fall season, the film follows Jérémie (Félix Kysyl), an unemployed baker who returns to his hometown for the funeral of his former mentor, the village baker. What begins as a brief visit soon turns into a deeply unsettling entanglement with the deceased man's widow, Martine (Catherine Frot), his resentful and volatile son, Vincent (Jean-Baptiste Durand), and Vincent's best friend, Walter (David Ayala). Adding to the intrigue is an enigmatic priest, L'abbé (Jacques Develay), whose omnipresence raises more questions than answers. As relationships between these characters slowly unfold, buried secrets and hidden desires emerge. After a murder occurs, their moral compasses are further tested, deepening the film's intricate web of lies and deceit.
Guiraudie masterfully crafts a story that explores the dangerous pull of desire, the murkiness of human intentions, and the ways in which passion can blur moral boundaries. He takes a melancholic, autumnal approach, situating his characters in a setting where past wounds and long-buried secrets gradually resurface. The rural village and its surrounding forest, with their rich autumnal hues, become a psychological battleground, heightening the film's eerie and enigmatic tone.
The film thrives on ambiguity, both in its characters and its moral inquiries. Jérémie's motives remain elusive: is he simply nostalgic, yearning for connection, or does he have deeper, more self-serving intentions? The film resists the traditional dichotomy of heroes and villains, allowing its characters to exist in shades of gray. It compels the audience to reconsider their allegiances as the mystery unfolds, raising profound questions about guilt, redemption, and the hidden impulses that drive human behavior.
Félix Kysyl delivers a mesmerizing performance, shifting effortlessly between vulnerability and quiet menace as Jérémie. Catherine Frot lends Martine a depth that captures the complexities of grief, loneliness, and unresolved attraction. Meanwhile, Jacques Develay as the priest brings an unexpected blend of warmth and unease, his philosophical musings driving the film's deeper themes of mercy and judgment.
While "Misericordia" contains the hallmarks of a psychological thriller, it leans more heavily on the moral complexity of its characters. At its core, it is a meditation on human desire and the eerie ways in which the past and present intertwine. Much like "Stranger by the Lake," it subverts audience expectations, offering no clear moral ground.
"Misericordia" opens in theaters in the San Francisco Bay Area on Friday, April 4, 2025. Alain Guiraudie will present the film at a 6:30 PM sneak preview on March 24, 2025, at the Roxie Theater.
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Black Bag
The title refers to the classified information that intelligence agents cannot disclose-even to those closest to them-compartmentalized into their personal black bag. Within Britain's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), secrecy is a way of life, for both personal and professional. But when a powerful cyber-weapon called Severus is on the verge of being activated, a group of agents find their black bags under scrutiny.
On a Friday, the NCSC agent George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) is assigned to root out a mole within the agency. The list of suspects includes four trusted colleagues and one name that shakes his world—his wife Kathryn St. Jean (Cate Blanchett), a high-ranking operative herself. The other suspects include the ambitious Colonel James Stokes (Regé-Jean Page), his lover and in-house psychologist Dr. Zoe Vaughan (Naomie Harris), and the enigmatic pair of Freddie Smalls (Tom Burke) and Clarissa Dubose (Marisa Abela), whose troubled relationship is riddled with secrets. Overseeing them all is the seasoned intelligence chief Arthur Stieglitz (Pierce Brosnan).
Each of them has some knowledge of Severus, a cyber weapon capable of destabilizing nuclear infrastructure. As George unravels the tangled web of deception, he must determine who can be trusted and who is playing a dangerous game. Lies and manipulation unfold not through explosive actions, but through clever dialogue and gripping psychological tango.
Based on David Koepp's sharp script, the director and cinematographer Soderbergh crafts a taut narrative of deception and betrayal. The film's tension builds in layers, allowing small moments of suspicion to gradually combust into gripping confrontations. Every actor delivers a nuanced performance, revealing just enough to keep the audience guessing. The characters all dress as flawlessly as the lies they tell.
What sets "Black Bag" apart from conventional spy movies is its smartly unfolded mind games. This isn't just about catching a traitor, it's about a marriage built on trust being tested by secrecy and duty and the manipulation of the minds of those you are supposed to trust the most.
"Black Bag" opens in the San Francisco Bay Area on Friday, March 14, 2025.
Saturday, March 8, 2025
Novocaine
The titular character is a meek and socially awkward gamer, Nate Caine (Jack Quaid), who works as the assistant manager at a local bank. He has a genetic disorder called congenital insensitivity to pain and gets the nickname Novocaine after he was punched and bullied in high school. Now, he lives solitarily, spending his time playing video games when off work. That suddenly changes after he becomes romantically involved with a cheerful employee, Sherry (Amber Midthunder). He falls for her right away.
Right before Christmas, three bank robbers dressed as Santa Claus come into the branch. They not only take the money and kill a few cops, but also take Sherry as a hostage when they flee. Nathan goes after the robbers with a single goal in mind—get Sherry back, no matter the cost and how many laws he may break.
One of the film's biggest issues is its gratuitous reliance on graphic gore. The concept of a protagonist who can't feel pain naturally lends itself to brutal action, but this film goes overboard with its depictions of bodily harm. Scenes of Nate's actions often feel more like shock tactics than meaningful storytelling. The film's attempts at dark humor only exacerbate the issue, as one-liners clash awkwardly with disturbingly graphic imagery.
Beyond the violence, the story itself is riddled with implausibilities. Nate transforms from a nerdy guy into a highly capable fighter with little preparation. While his inability to feel pain is meant to be to his advantage, the film ignores the fact that physical limitations should still affect him—he can still die from blood loss, can't he? The script, penned by Lars Jacobson, relies heavily on this gimmick, as if the viewers are watching a video game instead of a movie. Nate is probably one of the dumbest characters ever: he endures all the violence just to find out the robber's name, home address, and workplace because that's the logic Nate follows to rescue Sherry. Really?
Jack Quaid's portrayal of Nate lacks the charisma or presence needed to make the character either likable or believable. His attempts at dry humor feel forced. The lack of chemistry between Nate and Sherry makes all his heroic actions seem silly and cartoonish.
"Novocaine" ultimately gambles on its reliance on shock value, an implausible narrative, and a lead performance that fails to elevate the material. While some fans of extreme gore movies may find enjoyment in its relentless gruesomeness, others will be put off by it.
"Novocaine" opens on Friday, March 14, 2025.
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Presence
At the heart of the story is the Payne family, each member grappling with their own struggles and unspoken pain. Rebekah (Lucy Liu), the commanding matriarch, is both controlling and vulnerable, while her husband Chris (Chris Sullivan) often retreats into quiet sensitivity. Their teenage children, Tyler (Eddy Maday) and Chloe (Callina Liang), embody opposing dynamics—Tyler, a brash and entitled athlete, and Chloe, a mourning teenager searching for meaning after tragic losses.
After the family moves into a century-old house next to a busy road, Chloe begins to sense the presence of a spirit in her closet. While Rebekah and Tyler believe it must be Chloe's grief at the loss of her friends, Chris makes every effort to be more understandable. When Tyler's friend Ryan (West Mulholland) meets Chloe, the two quickly build a bond over shared vulnerabilities and find comfort in each other. However, the elusive ghost in the house seems to know everything better than anybody in the house and serves as a poignant unseen guardian to Chloe.
The director Steven Soderbergh, also the cinematographer, uses the point-of-view (POV) approach in most of the scenes, as if we are navigating a virtual tour inside the house, but only from the perspective of the ghost. The camera, acting as the eyes of the ghost, moves with an almost sentient fluidity, gliding silently through hallways and rooms, pausing to linger in corners or hide in a closet. It transforms the audience from passive observers to active participants, allowing us to experience the story as if we were the unseen spirit. It provides a tense, gripping, and unsettling experience inside this haunted house without relying on traditional jump scares. It creates a sense of omniscience, as though the audience is privy to secrets and emotions the characters themselves are barely aware of.
Because the ghost must stay inside the house for some reason, the entire film is confined inside the house, until the very last shot, the door is open and we get to see what the ghost's house looks like. But how and why the ghost chooses to stay in this house, and a few other details about the story are left unexplained or ambiguous.
The haunting is less about terror and more about curiosity and understanding of the invisible forces that shape our lives and the connections that persist even in absence. The film is not just a ghost story, it is a poignant reflection on loss, memory, and the unseen threads that bind us.
"Presence" opens in the San Francisco Bay Area on Friday, January 24, 2025.
Saturday, December 28, 2024
Top-Ten Films in 2024
It's time for the annual top-ten list! Here are the ten best films from the 222 feature-length narrative and documentary films I watched throughout 2024, regardless of when or whether they were released in the US during the year.
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The Last Stop in Yuma County (USA 2023 | 90 min.)
"The Last Stop in Yuma County" terrifically delivers sharp storytelling, stellar performances, and unrelenting tension, creating a thrilling and unforgettable ride from start to finish.
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Babygirl (USA 2024 | 114 min.)
The daring and provocative "Babygirl" delves into the complexities of desire, power, and self-discovery, driven by Nicole Kidman's bold and captivating performance.
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Strange Darling (USA 2023 | 97 min.)
The inventive, gripping, and stylish thriller "Strange Darling" weaves a disjointed narrative into a captivating tale of pursuit, violence, and power dynamics, anchored by compelling performances.
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Close (Belgium/Netherlands/France 2022 | in French | 104 min.)
The deeply emotional "Close" tenderly examines the complexities of friendship and the profound impact of grief, capturing the vulnerability and pain of adolescence with sensitivity and honesty.
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The Teachers' Lounge (Das Lehrerzimmer | Germany 2023 | in German | 98 min.)
The gripping drama "The Teachers' Lounge" navigates the intricate dynamics of trust, ethics, and escalating tensions within a school environment.
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Monster (怪物 | Japan 2023 | in Japanese | 127 min.)
With compelling performances, "Monster" masterfully tells a story about bullying, identity, and empathy through shifting perspectives.
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Ghostlight (USA 2024 | 115 min.)
"Ghostlight" (2024) is a poignant and beautiful portrayal of a construction worker grappling with grief, finding healing through the unexpected power in theater.
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"Conclave" is a sharply crafted political thriller, blending power struggles, moral dilemmas, and Ralph Fiennes' commanding performance into a tense and visually striking drama about Vatican's most secretive election.
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Last Summer (L'été dernier | France 2024 | in French | 104 min.)
"Last Summer" tells a captivating story about a complicated, psychological nuanced, and heated affair driven by desire, betrayal, and emotional turmoil.
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Young Hearts (Belgium/Netherlands 2024 | in German/English/French/Dutch | 97 min.)
"Young Hearts" is a heartfelt coming-of-age tale that captures the innocence and complexities of young love with refreshing authenticity.
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Conclave
As the film begins, Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is summoned into the Vatican to the suddenly dead Pope's (Bruno Novelli) bedside. As the dean of the College of Cardinals, Lawrence takes on the daunting task of overseeing the papal election at the conference inside locked doors of the Sistine Chapel.
Cardinals from all over the world arrive at the Vatican, and the not-so-subtle power maneuvers to advance their own agendas quickly begin to unfold. Even though the liberal-minded Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci) of the Vatican encourages Cardinal Lawrence to enter the race, Lawrence faces his own crisis of faith. The conservative Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto) of Venice wants to roll back the progress made by the late Pope, while power-hungry Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow) of Montreal plays repugnant tricks to bolster his chance. Ambitious Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati) of Nigeria hopes to become the first African pope in history. To top it off, the sudden appearance of a secretly appointed Cardinal Benítez (Carlos Diehz) of Kabul shocks the college. These cardinals are not just spiritual leaders, they are also political operators.
Outside the chapel, people anxiously await the white smoke that signals a new Pope's election, while the looming threat of a terrorist attack adds tension. Inside, Cardinal Lawrence uncovers secrets about the dead Pope and his fellow cardinals, as the suspenseful rounds of voting continue, reflecting the outcome of each political battle.
The German director Edward Berger proved himself a master storyteller with last year's Best International Feature Oscar winner "All Quiet on the Western Front" (2023). In "Conclave," he creates a thriller even more intense than a wild murder mystery. This film is sure to be a front-runner in this year's Oscar race.
From the atmospheric sets painstakingly recreated at Cinecittà Studios to the tension-filled scenes in the Vatican, Berger pulls viewers into the cloistered world of the Catholic Church. The majestic halls of the Sistine Chapel are bathed in a somber, golden light, contrasting with the vibrant red robes of the cardinals, creating a visually stunning metaphor for the gravity and secrecy of their deliberations.
At the heart of "Conclave" is Ralph Fiennes's nuanced portrayal of Cardinal Lawrence, a man torn between his duties to the Church and his doubts about its future. His interactions with fellow contenders for the papacy are the emotional and intellectual core of the film.
The composer Volker Bertelmann's score, built around minimal but effective strings and haunting tones, mirrors the rising tension as secrets and alliances are revealed. The music, blending modern soundscapes with the ancient, traditional world of the Vatican, amplifies the film's themes of faith, power, and doubt.
However, as if the spiritual and political drama weren't enough, the story adds a few unnecessary twists that can feel preachy. Despite this, the film offers a rare glimpse into the machinations behind the world's oldest institution, all while keeping the audience on edge with the intense suspense of a papal election—which turns out to be far more gripping than any U.S. presidential race.
"Conclave" opens on Friday, October 25, 2024.
Sunday, October 6, 2024
Saturday Night
Set in the final 90 minutes before the live broadcast, a nervous young producer Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) struggles to bring his revolutionary vision of comedy to life, despite obstacles that seem designed to ensure its failure. He is surrounded by the sharply witty Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith), the laid-back Dan Aykroyd (Dylan O'Brien), the joyful Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt), the classically trained Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris), and the unpredictable John Belushi (Matt Wood), among a few others. No one, including Lorne, is certain if the show can go live at 11:30pm.
The frantic camera follows Lorne zipping through the unruly casts and crews, intimidating network executives, tripped power cables, misplaced props, and the rewritten cue-cards at the last minute. There is a fire, there is a fight, and there is a malfunctioning sound system. Yet, remarkably, despite the mayhem, the first episode airs, and the rest is history.
The director Jason Reitman's love for SNL shines through the film, stemming from his own experience as a guest writer on the show in 2008, where he experienced the behind-the-scenes pressure firsthand. That adrenaline is palpable in the film, creating an atmosphere thick with uncertainty and excitement, as every department, from costume to set design, races against the clock. Reitman conveys the ticking tension throughout the production, where even a single mishap could derail everything.
The movie's aesthetic choice of filming on 16mm adds to the vintage feel, transporting audiences back to the mid-1970s. The meticulously recreated Studio 8H and the frantic pace of the film gives us a real-time sensation, as if we are rushing alongside Lorne Michaels, who has produced 833 episodes of SNL to date. Jon Batiste's musical score, recorded live on set, adds another layer of authenticity, capturing the jazzy unpredictability of the era.
In portraying a pivotal moment in television history, "Saturday Night" serves not only as a chronicle of the birth of SNL, but also as a tribute to the audacity of youth. It celebrates the ambition and the risks taken by the original cast and crew, making it a nostalgic ride for SNL devotees and a vibrant introduction for those less familiar with its legacy. Despite some underdeveloped character arcs, the film delivers a heart-pounding look at how a scrappy, revolutionary show almost didn't make it on air, yet went on to redefine comedy.
"Saturday Night" opens on Friday, October 11, 2024.
Monday, August 19, 2024
Blink Twice
Frida (Naomi Ackie) is a struggling waitress to make ends meet working at corporate extravagant fundraising events. When she and her friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) crash an event hosted by tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum), they are thrilled to be invited to his private island for a vacation.
Upon arriving at the island by a private jet with a group of guests, they are pampered with beautiful dresses, exquisite cologne, delicious champagne, candlelight fancy dinners, and endless sunshine by the poolside. Everyone seems to be having a great time. But we can sense that something is fishy. Even though at times Frida and Jess also have some doubt, they choose to believe that Slater is indeed fond of them and offers them a free ride to the fun.
After Jess is bitten by a snake and Frida conveniently digests a little snake's venom, the non-stop party hits the pause button. Instead of being poisoned to death by the venom, they end up waking from the delusion and begin to see the horrific reality.
If that sounds ridiculous, that is actually how the story unfolds. The director Zoë Kravitz doesn't seem to know what kind of story she wants to tell. She also conveniently forgets to explain many details and leave some of the clues loose, such as the chicken and the red gift bags. If she aims to make a horror movie, this film is hardly scary, despite plenty of blood and screaming. If she wants to make a comedy, the film is rarely funny, despite the stupidity often exhibited by the characters. But the root of the problem is that the story doesn't make sense, and it only serves as a setup for those characters to run amok.
It would be a spoiler if I reveal why the guests don't see the danger when they are enjoying the dream vacation on that private island, and the reason is preposterous. However, I choose to omit mentioning other characters because most of them are completely ignorable and none of them are relevant. They just act either crazy or scared under the direction of the director. None of them are slightly convincing.
Slater tells Frida that "forgetting is a gift." That advice certainly fits well for the film's audience. This is a forgettable film to say the least. The guests in the film are also repeatedly asked by their host: "Are you having a good time?" The answer is definitely no if the question is directed to the film's audience.
"Blink Twice" opens on Friday, August 23, 2024.
Friday, August 16, 2024
Alien: Romulus
The story begins on a perpetually dark planet called Jackson Star Mining Colony where the Weyland-Yutani Corporation controls its human workers with an iron grip. After Rain (Cailee Spaeny) is denied a travel permit, she decides to join a daring mission to obtain fuel from an abandoned ship nearby in order to escape this sunless planet. The vessel, ominously named "Romulus," is discovered by Rain's ex-boyfriend Tyler (Archie Renaux) and his friend Bjorn (Spike Fearn). They are joined by Tyler's sister Kay (Isabela Merced), a tech-savvy pilot Navarro (Aileen Wu), and Rain's "brother" Andy (David Jonsson)—who, as it turns out, is actually a synthetic android capable of interfacing with the ship's systems.
Predictably, the seemingly derelict ship is anything but empty. It harbors fast-moving and grotesque Xenomorphs—creatures whose blood is corrosively acidic and whose hunting skills are terrifyingly efficient. What starts as a quest to escape a desolate planet quickly spirals into a desperate fight for survival against these lethal predators.
The film's striking visual of the spaceship rendered a haunting backdrop for the unfolding terror. The acid-bleeding, multi-mouthed Xenomorphs have never looked more terrifying. The practical effects are top-notch, with enough gooey, visceral moments to satisfy fans of the original. The jump scares, while plentiful, are never cheap or predictable.
But it is David Jonsson's portrayal of the android Andy that often steals the show. His performance is mesmerizing, infusing the synthetic character with a quiet empathy and a robotic tone that belies a deep understanding of human emotion. Amid the film's relentless tension and fear, Andy's calm demeanor in the face of unimaginable horror provides a stark contrast to the surrounding chaos. The human characters, by comparison, often seem little more than collateral damage.
Another notable character is the android Rook, portrayed by an AI-generated version of the late Ian Holm, who passed away in 2020. Rook's presence is a respectful nod to the franchise's history, recalling his performance as Ash in the original "Alien." However, this raises questions about the future use of AI in acting.
"Alien: Romulus" is not for the faint of heart, nor for those expecting something radically different from previous entries. But for fans of the franchise, it's a return to form—a continuation of the saga that also beckons younger fans to engage with a horror classic. Dark, terrifying, and exhilarating, it's a hell of a ride. If you're ready to confront your fears of the Xenomorphs once again, this is the movie for you.
"Alien: Romulus" opens on Friday, August 16, 2024.
