Alan Ng

Deadpool & Wolverine is an absolute blast, mixing savage humor, intense action, and heartfelt moments. Let’s hope this isn’t the end of the line for this dynamic duo – we need more adventures in this brilliantly chaotic universe!

Twisters delivers a thrilling, albeit scientifically loose, ride that taps into the nostalgic fun of classic disaster films. Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell bring solid performances, capturing the high-stakes action and adventure with flair.

Silliness is on tap for you and your kids with Despicable Me 4, providing good fun for a trip to the theater or on a long road trip.

Other than being dense in story, Horizon feels like a big epic western. It feels cinematic on the big screen, and the sweeping landscapes are gorgeous. The acting is top-notch from top to bottom.

It feels like a reading of ancient tales, with the emotion of the opera replacing the melodrama and acting found in traditional period pieces.

A heartwarming and entertaining romantic comedy, Fly Me to the Moon brings a fresh twist to the moon landing era. Strong performances from Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum offer an enjoyable viewing experience.

Nick August-Perna’s documentary, Tell Them You Love Me, is a heartbreaking story in so many ways. Hope can be a powerful weapon, leaving devastation in its wake.

A Quiet Place: Day One failed to capture what we loved about the original films and instead decided to focus too much of its time on a rollercoaster ride of an alien invasion. Fun is fun, but without proper character development, Day One is more fast food than a hardy meal.

I love the fact that they told a straightforward, insightful story that doesn’t feel the need to push the “message.” At the same time, Inside Out 2 misses that quest for excellence and instead goes for good enough.

The Beach Boys documentary has everything you’d want in a music documentary— a compelling story behind the nostalgia, the main figures being open and honest about the rise and fall, interesting conversations, and great music.

The standout star here is Cailey Fleming as Bea.

Ultimately, Sight brings audiences a good, wholesome tale of someone who wouldn’t let his past keep him from doing good in the world.

Great villains and silly heroes make a move that ultimately falls flat.

H2: The Occupation Lab gives us the Palestinian perspective on the conflict.

Unfrosted is dumb. Not only is it dumb, it’s stupid. It commits the sin of being a comedy that thinks its funny. The film goes wrong in so many ways.

Storywise, I’m good with the first two acts. It’s a new chapter in the series, and things have changed in the story. The world is evolving along with its primate inhabitants.

It’s all about the action. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare may be forgettable in the long run of Guy Ritchie movies, but it’s fun.

As someone who played too much pool in college, I’ve been starving for a good pool hustle movie. Break is just what the doctor ordered. Now I’ll have to pull the old cue out of storage and lose a grand or two in the process.

The Fall Guy is a fun action flick with something for everyone.

Life and love are like a song, and Música will have you falling in love with your toes tappin’ and knees slappin’.

Joshua and Rebecca Tickell’s documentary, Common Ground, is that rare documentary that actually proposes solutions…practical solutions. I fear that the solutions will disappear into the void if we don’t say anything.

For his rookie debut, Dev Patel ultimately produced a fun action film with pacing issues—in my humble opinion. Monkey Man’s Indian influence makes this story of class and caste fascinating to behold.

It’s a photo-realistic computer-animated movie. The animation of Kong, Godzilla, and the other Kongs is mediocre at best. The backgrounds should look photo-realistic, but they don’t. I’d rather watch dudes in suits duke it out over a cardboard city than watch this cartoon mess again.

Arcadian should be the sleeper hit of the year.

The film’s intended audience is those who enjoy romantic stories, and it definitely delivers in that regard. Personally, I would have preferred if the story had taken a darker and grittier turn, but I appreciate the filmmaker’s effort to maintain a positive direction.

Ultimately, we witness an acting community’s evolution throughout the film.

Get ready for a heart-pumping experience with Arthur the King—a sports drama that will leave you cheering for more.

You need to see Sing Sing for what it represents. It’s never too late to turn your life around. No matter where you are in life, you can be a positive impact on the world around you…no matter how small it is. Lastly, never give up on hope.

Reza Emamiyeh and Tokiko Kitagawa deliver fantastic performances.

In Dune: Part 2, Denis Villeneuve is a sci-fi visionary. He built two massive worlds (on a relatively modest budget) that give you a sense of place rather than feel like a series of random locations. Villeneuve gives us a seamless image, blending the real with CGI. The care and detail make everything feel practical.

The space stuff is secondary to a powerful tale, insightful dialogue, and brilliantly developed characters. It’s the perfect nerdy date movie.

Paradise City is a fun and lightweight tale for an evening of Hulu and chill. It’s not going to change the world, but it’s entertaining enough, especially considering Willis’s recent retirement.

Handling the Undead is more of a philosophical journey than a survival journey.

Exhibiting Forgiveness is a must-see movie for its universal message of family…and for the great performances and art. Kaphar will immerse you in pain and guide you to hope in the end.

Origin is an important movie for this single reason: to make us rethink race in America.

The Iron Claw succeeds because of the human story being told.

The American Fiction cast is brilliant.

Total Trust asks a lot of questions that each of us must answer before it is too late.

Saltburn just goes too far, and its startling images shocked me out of the story altogether.

If you’re a fan of Godzilla, prepare to have your mind blown with Godzilla Minus One. Set your expectations high, and enjoy the ride.

As a biopic, Cooper elevates it to masterpiece level, worthy of the artistry of Leonard Bernstein. Maestro is a work of art.

For a film meant to be a milestone for 100 years of the Walt Disney Company, Wish is a monumental failure.

It’s not going to change your life, but it has a solid story, and it’s sexy as hell.

Quiz Lady works because as wacky as Annie and Jennie’s adventure gets, it’s a grounded story of sisters and siblings, thanks to writer Jen D’Angelo. Director Jessica Yu brilliantly manages the overall tone of the film, shifting effortlessly between comedy and drama. Lastly, it has a cast that’s more than up for the challenge.

In the end, The Marvel is a superhero movie clearly made and produced by people who have never read a Marvel comic book but read Archie instead. It feels like it was made for teen girls and not for actual comic book fans.

It just feels like a movie that was made because Cena and Brie agreed to star in it.

I give Killers of the Flower Moon a mild recommendation. It’s too long and predictable. The saving grace is its performance across the board.

There’s just no nuance here. Good is good. Evil is evil.

It’s missing a nice, tidy resolution that would greenlight this in Hollywood. I’ll say there’s a sweetness and sadness to the film’s final moments.

Limbo stands out as a competent cop-drama noir. Our three heroes are put through the wringer and barely come out with their sanity and their lives. Cheang holds nothing back.

Goodbye, Petrushka is a heartfelt narrative and very much writer/director Nicola Rose’s story. It’s not a perfect film, but it’s a very personal one.

This is an action film, meaning that’s where the fun lies. Cage gets to show off his special skills with unique bits of punctuation after each kill. There are plenty of chases, gun combat, and hand-to-hand fighting. The only disappointment you’ll feel is that everything is done for comedic effect. This is much lighter in tone than you probably want it to be.

Remember when action films were fun? Get yourself into the theaters, exercise those subtitle muscles, and enjoy an intense and wild ride with Jawan.

Boy Kills World is a two-hour roller coaster. You’ll leave exhausted and beaten, and yet feeling like maybe you too can defeat the fascist dictators in your life.

In Amerikatsi, Michael Goorjian channels his inner Roberto Begnini and even Charlie Chaplin to bring humor and levity to a solemn subject. But the best part is he shines a light on the Armenian people and their resurgence to re-establish their culture after great tragedy.

Documentarian Patrick Gramm manages to weave a fascinating tale.

Bottoms falls right in my wheelhouse of comedy. Be offensive and don’t care about offending anyone. Bottoms goes after everyone without apology. It’s what comedy used to be; we’ve strayed so far off the path in the last ten years. There’s no place to play it safe in comedy. We need to return to this form of comedy oh so badly.

Gran Turismo captures a truly remarkable young man and his journey to professional legitimacy. This is for anyone needing a jolt to the system and focusing on getting back on one’s true path in life.

I’d recommend Retribution if the weather is too hot and you want to spend a few hours in air conditioning. Otherwise, it’s a pass.

I like Mr. Jimmy solely because of its fascinating character study of an obsessed fan, Akio Surakai.

This cast keeps the story grounded as each man is tested throughout the film.

Strays hits my sweet spot in comedy. It is goofy, silly, and filthy. Your mileage may vary, but I can’t wait to see this again.

Blue Beetle is worth seeing, but it has many missed opportunities.

Bobcat Moretti speaks to everyone with its inspirational story.

Cruise and McQuarrie promised an action film like no other, and they delivered.

Joy Ride breaks through all the preconceived notions of female-led sex comedy and an all-Asian cast. Director Adele Lim has brought back for this brief moment in time the over-the-top sex comedy and delivers.

It’s tough to watch, and you will fight the urge to walk out but stick with it.

This little drama serves as the perfect alternative to the big studio dreck, plus no subtitles! Simple and sweet!

The gags are a series of really lame dad jokes, and it’s missing the awe and wonder that will delight children and adults.

The only thing wrong with Transformers: Rise of the Beast is that it’s bland and boring.

In the end, Past Lives plays with your brain and heart. It’s one of those films that leaves you thinking about and yearning for what might have been.

Ultimately, the story is the film’s star, and director Andrew Muschietti knows how to tell a comic book story. As much as there is excessive fan-baiting and nostalgia, it earned it at the end by holding most of it off until the end. I’m sold.

Could this version of The Little Mermaid stand alone if the original didn’t exist? Possibly. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s songs and story structure remain intact and are its only salvation. But, again, why watch the live-action remake when the original is so much better and suited more for kids?

If you love all things space, It’s Quieter in the Twilight is must-see viewing. A lot of technical information is unloaded upon the audience, but Miossi lays it out in digestible chunks.

Knights of the Zodiac is a good production in terms of its action and cast. But when one focuses so much on the fantasy-action set-pieces, having a soulless story makes all efforts fall flat.

If you’re a fan of crime documentaries or are fascinated by the grey areas of law, Michael Neelsen’s Beyond Human Nature is a sobering look at American justice at its best and worst.

Rally Road Racers may not change the world or elevate the art form of animated features. Instead, it’s one of those films my kid would watch over and over again. It is good, wholesome fun, with some classic actors to help appease the parents looking for things to do with their kids.

Writer Jemima Khan and director Shekhar Kapur not only bring the Pakistani perspective on romance but incorporates it into modern English culture.

If you’re suffering from superhero fatigue, this is just the palette cleanser you need.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3 has way too much story crammed in its two-and-half-hour runtime, but the reason to see the movie is the Guardians themselves and how they’ve grown and evolved since they were first introduced.

In the end, Sisu is all about the violence and blood, and there are buckets of both. This is one of those action films where you can just sit back, unplug your brain, and hop on for one wild ride.

Renfield is a good movie that squanders its potential to be great.

Deep down, it’s a story about family and how the strong bond of the family comes in many different and imperfect forms. The cast gives it their all and finds the heart of this sweet narrative.

Not sure if anyone wants to hear this, but A Good Person is a simple yet complex drama with the intention of bringing some good to this world.

Operation Fortune is an action movie. So, how are the fisticuffs and shootouts? They couldn’t be any blander. Yes, there is a lot of action, but I don’t remember anything cool until the end. It’s your standard gunplay, hand-to-hand combat, and car and motorcycle chases.

The plot, about a man who followed his dream, just oozes optimism. If you grew up in this era, there’s a lot of nostalgia value here. Toe-tapping fun is how I’d describe my time with Spinning Gold

It’s time to turn off the news and turn our attention to stories and films that offer real solutions for peace. Start here and learn that people can change for the better.

While the authenticity of a television show from that era may dampen the intensity of the scares, the film is still just plain fun to watch. The effects are wonderful, with the vast majority of them being practical. The Cairnes brothers lean on fun over terror, which may irk some. But, what fun is had!

John Wick: Chapter 4 is the return to the greatness we associate with the franchise, particularly after the misstep that is Chapter 3. It is easily my favorite movie of 2023 so far and begs for repeat viewings.

The story is about being held accountable for your actions and making things right. But it’s also about the love and honesty of family and, ultimately, forgiveness.

The Persian Version is a comedic and beautiful portrait of a Muslim immigrant family caught between the struggles of two cultures and two generations, featuring two outstanding performances that should not be missed.

Jesus Revolution is one of my favorite faith-based Christian movies, of which I’ve seen more than my fair share. I associate three things with faith-based films: bad acting, an outrageous, overly positive message, and a shoe-horned sermon. Thankfully, this film avoids all three elements.

Ben Epstein’s story is compelling, and his character development is brilliant. But taking a step back, the film represents the lives of real people who have made massive mistakes and trying to move on from those mistakes as best they can.

80 for Brady is one of the most mediocre films ever made. However, there’s just enough heart and silliness to recommend it for nostalgic purposes. Plus, the four leads bring it. Also, like Superbowl LI, the film has an exciting fourth quarter.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is fast-food when audiences demanded a five-course meal.

The shared experiences of the Bonds around the world and the extraordinary consequences of having that name are interesting. For budding documentarians, this is an example of a film birthed from a simple “I wonder…” statement. Through research and diligence, filmmaker Matthew Bauer managed to string together an intriguing and engaging film.

The First Step works because it’s as honest about the state of government as it is passionate about doing so.