Ballerina | Review by: Gal Balaban

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 character tie-ins may feel like a bit much.

As for the supporting cast, Anjelica Huston gives a strong reprisal of her supporting role from John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, while Gabriel Byrne is well-cast as the villain, though his dialogue becomes one-note and over-the-top rather quickly. Catalina Sandino Moreno is great to watch; it’s nice to see her finally given such a prominent role in a big film like this so long after her amazing turn in the Oscar-nominated Maria Full of Grace. Due to the film being set between the third and fourth main films, Keanu Reeves’ inclusion as John Wick is fun and justified, thought the excitement of having such an iconic star around may overstay its welcome for a film that isn’t about him. Even if the story uses familiar elements such as a revenge plot or an assassin groomed to kill from a young age, they all fit in the amazing action and scenery here, which keep one-upping themselves and the audience’s expectations. It’s an exciting and stylistically top-notch action movie that rewards its crowd, even if the story itself doesn’t pack many surprises.

4/5

Review by: Gal Balaban

Boss Level Film Review

Boss Level is a new addition to the time loop genre, with a twist. Ex-special forces officer, Roy Pulver, played by Frank Grillo, relives the same day until he dies. Every day he is hunted by assassins and when killed, he wakes up back in his bed where he started, only to have to try and survive all over again. Roy has no idea why he is stuck in this infinite time loop but he must do what he can to survive, and the longer he survives, the more he uncovers about his particular situation. Unlike most action films that take time to build up, this film gets right into it and offers tons of non-stop combat sequences that would satisfy any lover of action films. Its erratic flow makes for some fun action scenes which come out of nowhere since Roy can expect the assassins to attack at any moment. If you play video games often and have ever been stuck on a level for hours or even days, you know the feeling of having to repeat the same thing over and over again u...

Godzilla vs. Kong Film Review

Godzilla versus Kong is the action movie we have been longing for since all major blockbuster films pushed back their release dates. After three solo films between Kong and Godzilla, we finally see the two titans clash on film for the first time in what is the culmination of the Universal Monsterverse. The story is split nicely in two as team Kong and team Godzilla each have their own mission. Team Kong is on a secret mission to the center of the earth to uncover the mystery of the titans. This team consists of Dr. Nathan, Dr. Ilene, Maia, and the Youngest character in the film, Jia. Team Godzilla consists of Madison, Josh, and Bernie who are also on a secret mission, to infiltrate Apex Cybernetics with the theory that they are up to no good and are the reason why Godzilla has been acting up recently. The dynamics of the teams are well balanced as the Kong story provides us with serious and more action-heavy bits in contrast to the Apex team story that ...

Better Man | Review by: Benjamin Garrett

What at first feels like a CGI gimmick allows Better Man to climb and swing it’s way beyond standard biopic conventions. This larger than life musical is worth a watch even if, like me, you needed to ask “Who the hell is Robbie Williams?”. A pop icon in the UK who didn’t quite make a household name for himself in North America, Robbie Williams bares his life (the good the bad and the drug fueled ugly) in this dazzling account of his rise to fame. Musician biopics often focus too heavily on the creation of the artist’s work, and not enough on the actual artist. Better Man gives audiences a sobering portrait of the man behind the monkey, with his songs placed in pivotal life and career moments to move the narrative forward. This works especially well if you aren’t entirely familiar with Williams’ work, because you won’t find yourself waiting to hear specific needle drops. Instead they flow organically into the story, with gorgeously choreographed musical numbers. And bo...

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