Ballad of a Small Player Review

The combination of Colin Farrell in an Edward Berger film was enough to sell me on Ballad of a Small Player. With a recent streak of amazing films such as Conclave and All Quiet on the Western Front, Edward Berger sets his sights on three back-to-back hits.

Colin Farrell plays Lord Doyle, a high-stakes gambler laying low in Macau as his past debt begins to catch up to him. The supporting cast is slim but effective, with Tilda Swinton as an unrelenting debt collector and Fala Chen as Dao-Ming, a love interest who pulls Doyle deeper into the film’s central struggles.

Still from Ballad of a Small Player featuring Colin Farrell — Still from *Ballad of a Small Player*

The film balances several important themes — the addictive nature of gambling, the corrosive pursuit of wealth, and the emotional decay that follows. Doyle’s lust for fortune becomes a constant chase that corrupts the soul, blurring the lines of reality. Like any addict, he spirals into loneliness and depression as his obsession consumes him. Berger visualizes these ideas through physical manifestations that distort Doyle’s world and his perception of himself, mirroring real discussions around mental health and the rise of gambling addiction.

The score and cinematography work beautifully together, pulling you into Doyle’s world of caviar and high-stakes Baccarat in Macau. Watching him burn through every dollar he has — and those he doesn’t — spikes your anxiety in the best way. Farrell delivers another master-class performance, though the script’s confusing final act leaves the ending open to interpretation. Perhaps that ambiguity is intentional, lingering long after the film ends.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Review by: Stefano Bove

Rating all V/H/S/Halloween Segments

Like sorting through your candy after a night of trick-or-treating, V/H/S/ Halloween is a mixed bag. The eighth instalment in this cult-favourite horror anthology series comes up short of previous entries, but there are still a couple of treats in here that should satisfy your twisted cravings. A chilling still from V/H/S/ Halloween . Diet Phantasma This wraparound segment follows an R&D team testing a new low-calorie soda made with “real ghosts.” It’s silly fun, but gets a bit repetitive with each new test subject. The commercial playing during the end credits was a nice touch. Rating: ★★½☆ Coochie Coochie Coo This short feels like walking through a haunted house — but not in a good way. The plot is like something torn from a creepypasta thread. Everything is constantly being spelled out in a painfully obvious way. The practical effects and makeup are decent, and this is probably the only segment that comes close to being scary...

The Mandalorian Season 3 Review

Listen, I love Star Wars. I will always love Star Wars. The original and prequel trilogies were a big part of my childhood, and helped shape my love of cinema. While The Mandalorian isn’t among my favourites in the franchise, I thought it had a promising first season and a significantly stronger season two. Season three had so much potential, but a frustrating lack of focus held it back from greatness. This show’s always had a bit of an identity crisis, but it’s never been as clear as it is here. Does it want to be a procedural-style adventure of the week, or tell an epic, multi-season spanning arc? Season one leaned toward the former, while Season two found a satisfying balance of both. Season three tries to find that balance, but the overarching story it wants to tell is bigger than the few episodes allotted to do so. There are only 8 chapters, some barely over 30 min. That’s a fair...

The Rip Review

The Rip is all the evidence you need that a great cast can elevate an otherwise run-of-the-mill movie. Without its impressive A-list roster, this would’ve likely been lost among a crowd of forgettable January dumping ground releases. Throw Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and a handful of other extremely talented actors into the mix, though, and now you’ve got something worth watching. While there are exceptions that prove the rule, a lot of these police/cartel thrillers are interchangeable when it comes to their cookie-cutter story beats. The Rip breaks exactly zero molds, but it also doesn’t feel as uninspired as it could’ve. There are enough surprises to keep things engaging, and the tension - which the movie often hinges on - is appropriately high strung. The action is punchy and loud, which is no surprise coming from Director Joe Carnahan. While I do have minor issues with some of the sequences feeling a bit choppy in how they were shot and edited, the action is solid and packs...

1st Reviews

Search This Blog