1st Reviews

  So Disney, are we ready to hand the whole Predator franchise over to Dan Trachenberg, or what? His surprise hit prequel “Prey” got audiences imagining what a Predator movie might look like set against other historical backdrops around the world. Killer of Killers answers that question in stylized, ultra violent animated glory with an anthology that fans are going to absolutely love.  Upon first glance, the animation style resembles a cell shaded video game. After taking a few moments to get used to it (much like last year’s “Flow”), I was in awe of just how stunning the visuals and art direction are. Set during three different time periods, in different continents across the globe, each story brings a distinct look and feel to this collection. The colours are striking, from frozen Scandinavian shores to crisp autumn forests in Edo era Japan - it’s all so beautiful. The framing and fluidity of the action is also exceptional, highlighting the different combat styles of each cu...

  “Materialists,” the sophomore film by writer-director Celine Song, proves that the filmmakers debut effort, the Oscar-nominated, critical darling “Past Lives,” was no fluke. Song crafts a romantic-comedy (though audiences should know the material is much more dramatic than comedic) that is thought-provoking, thoroughly modern, and utterly gorgeous. Breathtaking cinematography and stylistic production design ensure each frame contains more than one visual delight for audiences to marvel at, in addition to a heaping amount of beautiful costumes, charming locations and a cast that are as stunning as they are engaging.  Stars Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal are at their best in “Materialists,” a welcome relief for the Johnson and Evans. String of flops aside, the pair prove that gripping source material is all an actor needs to reach down and pull out what is sure to be remembered as one of the best performances of their career. Johnson especially has never seemed ...

 Dan Da Dan is the chameleon of anime. The fact that it already weaves supernatural and extraterrestrial elements together is an achievement in itself but adding in love triangles between all of its characters gives it another edge of being such a great romantic comedy.  Season one saw the adventures of Momo and Okarun as they both developed supernatural powers and fought off Yokai in their local town. Their dynamic is both endearing and entertaining. Towards the end of season one, we are introduced to a new character Jin or Jiji, as Momo calls him. They are childhood friends and that makes Okarun jealous and adding a new dynamic to the group. The season closes with Momo’s granny, Seiko, sending them on a mission that connects to Jin's past and the season leaves us on a really interesting cliffhanger.  Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye picks up right after the cliffhanger because it is secretly the first three episodes of season two compelled as a movie which is much better than many ...

  Ballerina  isn’t just another action movie: it’s got a madness and energy that only this franchise has. But it doesn’t just fit perfectly into the  John Wick  universe, it elevates its world-building and makes a strong case for this new protagonist Eve and her potency. Much of that is thanks to Ana de Armas, who is a powerhouse and gives Eve a deep pain that is weaponized into her expertly brutal assassin skills. That’s quite the main theme here and an interesting one — hate and trauma being weaponized into violence and vengeance, and the illusion of fate and a lack of choice. The actress wonderfully takes on action scenes and stunts so intricate they give some scenes from the main  John Wick  franchise a run for their money. Best of all, it never feels like its recycling too much from those films, whether from a visual or choreography perspective, even if the settings and musical score aren’t trying to hide that this is a  Wick  movie, and the ...

  The John Wick franchise has cemented itself as a staple of modern action cinema, giving us four incredible films and a handful of in-universe spinoffs. Ballerina is a thrilling companion piece to the John Wick films, delivering high-octane action in spades. Even though it’s not so graceful in its storytelling, this is a worthy addition to the Wick-verse.  Whereas past spinoffs like Nobody and Atomic Blonde channeled the franchise’s spirit, Ballerina ties itself tightly to the core Wick lore. We visit familiar locations, are reintroduced to familiar faces, and the in-universe rules are tightly followed. From the get-go, it’s clear Ballerina isn’t simply cashing in on the John Wick name - this is a true extension of the legacy built in Chapters 1 through 4. It’s also not a copy-cat, as it forges its own style while staying true to the fundamentals this series was built on.  Ironically, given the film’s title, the gorgeously choreographed ballet-style action is absent here...

  There’s something to be said about a bad 80s horror movie. For how corny, poorly written and incredibly dated they are, they’re truly a product of their time, with a sort of undeniable charm. Fear Street: Prom Queen competently replicates bad 80s horror. It feels like something I’d rent from the video store as a kid because it had cool cover art. A bad movie is still a bad movie, though, and a 2025 release can’t fall back on the “product of its time” excuse.  Let’s start with what works - This really brought me back to a lot of the slasher flicks I watched growing up, and that much was clearly intentional. The camera work, lighting, editing and a lot of the dialogue are ripped right out of your favourite 80s guilty pleasure horror. It feels stiff, and low budget, avoiding modern filmmaking flourishes for the most part. Apart from a plethora of iconic needle drops (which would’ve been far too expensive to license at the time), and some lousy CGI blood, this emulates the genre...