Alan Ng

Eternal Spring is a beautiful film about freedom. It’s also a film that is currently flying under the radar, rife with controversy but is well worth seeking out for a serious evening of cinema.

The Mission is a straightforward documentary about the life of a Mormon missionary. Nothing controversial happens. It’s a day-in-the-life story. Though Anderson never attempts to proselytize audiences into the LDS religion, there are more than enough opportunities to hear their message.

The Pod Generation is a science-fiction film with something to say and forces us to confront our future by asking questions. Just because we can screw around with biology, should we? Sophie Barthes’ futuristic tale is worth watching just for the conversation that’s bound to happen afterward.

In the end, Plane is a high-adventure thrill ride. Unplug your brain. Suspend disbelief and strap in. No lectures, moralizing, or virtue signaling. Just an everyman trying to get home to his family. It may also serve as motivation to take a few wilderness survival courses.

It’s a heartwarming tale about finding life after loss and finding the good in others. Unfortunately, like a Hallmark film, it’s wrapped up in a lot of schmaltz.

Yes, Make Me Famous highlights the life and work of a brilliant artist, and just for that, the documentary is worth watching. The film also vividly describes what life as an artist was like on the Lower East Side of New York.

Spoilers prevent me from saying anything about it, but the finale is a satisfying good vs. evil ending while reinforcing the true nature and values that Blanc holds as an investigator. Even then, when it’s all said and done, this is a light comedy. The story, mystery, and conclusion are fun, but it’s not Agatha Christie, nor should it be.

For the UFO believers, Ariel Phenomenon is precisely the film you’re looking for as proof of alien existence. But for the unbeliever, Nickerson’s film is a mandatory watch to either chip away at your beliefs or make them stronger.

Joseph Sackett’s feature film, Homebody, finds a charming and fresh take on the body swap formula.

I definitely enjoyed Avatar: The Way of Water much more than the first. Its message of family and the portrayal of a strong father and mother protecting their children is refreshing.

Lady Chatterley’s Lover has the look, feel, and beauty of your Merchant-Ivory high-brow English dramas. Simply add sex and nudity.

I’m here simply for the brilliant performance of Cate Blanchett. She’s imperfect, incredibly flawed, and a villain who doesn’t know it.

If you like action, then you’re going to have fun, but this is by no means a perfect movie and doesn’t stack well against old-school MCU (everything up to phase three). Its weakness lies in the by-the-book story and does nothing to overcome the superhero fatigue we’ve been feeling for a while.

The best thing about the film is the repeat viewing value.

Its complicated story, hero, and visual style are a great reminder of the beautiful thrillers birthed during the Golden Age of Hollywood, albeit with the help of modern technology to pull it off with a modest indie budget.

Ultimately, Blonde is a recommend but loaded with caveats and disclaimers. It’s not for everyone. Its artistic visuals and Ana de Armas’ spot-on performance as Marilyn Monroe is worth seeing, but the almost three hours of emotional trauma may be a hard pass for most.

Blind Ambition has plenty of drama to make a wine tasting engaging for even the most devout tea-totaller.

Empathy and balance is the reason you must see This Land.

Everything in Easter Sunday is played for laughs… crazy family, wacky mob thriller, and lots of cameos. It’s all good, light fun. See it because you’re a fan of Jo Koy or just to get to know a little more about your Filipino brothers and sisters.

What works is the relationship between Mahilo and Chisato. The characters are so well defined and contrasts one another perfectly. The depiction of their friendship is just as good as the fight scenes. Action-wise, it really does take a while to warm up, but getting to the final battle is worth the wait.

Daisy Edgar-Jones is the star here and gives an incredibly endearing performance.

Ultimately, I walked away wishing the story would leap out of the good category into greatness. But grab your young kids, lower expectations a bit, and you’ll have a good time with the animated antics.

Messaging aside, there is such great nuance in both performances of Carice van Houten and Marwan Zenzari. You’re continually guessing their state of mind in a true psychological thriller manner.

This documentary is an eye-opener to the future of this ever-shrinking yet growing world.

There is a great deal of heart in My Old School.

Moon, 66 Questions is a movie made for adult children reluctantly forced into the care of their parents. Lentzou brings their struggle to the big screen with great empathy and introspection in that says you’re not alone.

It’s a good thriller with excellent performances.

Returning in Lightyear is the trademark Pixar sense of humor. Like every film, all jokes are meticulously crafted in a way that will make children laugh and adults laugh harder.

As a comedy, Ninja Badass serves up one hilarious joke after the next.

The battles are bloody and gory, and the set pieces are absolutely massive in scale.

It’s a fitting tribute to Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse and makes you long for a time when storytelling was someone just telling a story.

What The Phantom of the Open has going for it is a sweet and unconventionally inspirational story.

While simple, there is great depth to this uncomplicated story.

As an indie thriller, American Siege does what it needs to accomplish in building tension as the filmmakers bring us into a town where everyone is compromised one way or the other and these compromises cause the town to implode.

The narrative is mournful about a man who lived a long tragic life, a dark and depressing tale of young men having to hide their sexual orientation and its emotional and psychological toll in carrying their secret into their senior years.

The honesty of the troupe in telling their story is both brutal and hilarious.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a wild rollercoaster ride and reminds me of the days when I actively collected comic books.

Cha Cha Real Smooth is a series of reflections on life.

There’s enough good and exciting to recommend Sexual Drive, but oh, the sweet-savory possibilities that were missed.

The Earth Is Blue As An Orange is probably one of the most unique documentaries about filmmaking.

It’s funny, fast-paced, and just plain fun.

On the grand scare scale of Asian horror, with The Ring and The Grudge as its standard-bearers, Room 203 is on the lighter side of horror.

The Secrets of Dumbledore is hands down the best of the series.

As They Made Us shines because of its cast.

There is a charm to Win a Trip To Browntown found in its story of family and ambition.

There is so much to love about the film. Its greatest achievement is its screenplay, which is very dense. Nothing is wasted — not a single side character, joke, gag, or plot point. Every element serves a purpose to the overall story.

Documentaries exist for many reasons. In the case of Ink & Linda, it’s to take us to a world that we may not be familiar with and show us something new, something interesting. Not only do we meet two unique artists, but we get to see them collaborate and create.

Where the first two acts tell an offbeat and strange story, the final act comes out of the blue and ties everything up in a hope-filled and tear-inducing way.

Those first two acts feel fresh and different. I loved Pattinson’s take. He’s not a pretty boy, he’s a conflicted human being. He’s a hero who’s not so super.

My only real issue is the two leads. They’re crazy and hold nothing back. They are revolting and lovable, but there’s not much contrast between the two or real depth to their characters other than being lazy reprobates.

Good storytelling and fantastic acting by Alessandra and Anamari Mesa make up for any limitations of not having a million-dollar budget. Superior is worthy of your support.

The final product more than overcomes its weaknesses.

D.J. Caruso masterfully orchestrates this symphony of suspense, albeit a twenty-piece symphony, but a symphony nonetheless.

Resurrection is a brilliant thriller that rests on the actors’ remarkable performances without the need for typical thriller elements nor the need to resort to torture porn.

After Yang is a good-looking movie, especially for one that’s mostly talking and conversations, the acting is good — an easy feat for seasoned actor Colin Farrell and Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja is adorable as hell. But unfortunately, it misses its storytelling potential by focusing too much of our attention on the wrong story elements.

The beauty of the film is just how genuine and down-to-earth the performances are and how Gyllenhaal maintains a natural, authentic tone throughout.

The King’s Man doesn’t pick up in any truly incredible way until the second half, where a fantastic narrative twist happens.

The 355 is good old action fun with a well-constructed story and better than all of the bad James Bond movies. That’s right, Octopussy! I’m talking about you. I’m hoping The 355 is the right direction for female-driven action movies.

I liked The Tender Bar for its simple story and fantastic performances. But, honestly, it works best as a straight-to-streaming title, as it hits familiar beats and feels small in scope. Clooney has concocted cinematic comfort food.

I should be complaining about how bloated Being The Ricardos is, but I can’t. There’s a lot going on, but I wouldn’t cut a single word or scene. Like Lucy herself, the film is funny, deadly serious, and heartwarming all in one package.

To me, the story is the reason to see The Matrix Resurrections. Lana Wachowski brings unexpected freshness to this new evolution of Matrix stories.

All Speilberg really did was take a masterpiece, keep it a masterpiece, and add a little flair (and backstory). He took gold and made prettier gold.

The Sleeping Negro is unlike your typical drama in that it has a dreamlike visual tone and style and is more an essay about the trials and tribulations of being black in America.

The story and music shine. Maybe it is not an instant classic like The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, but it definitely will enrapture a new generation of Disney fans.

For a sequel/reboot, Ghostbusters: Afterlife delivers the fun of the original, albeit in very different ways.

All around, King Richard is a solid, inspiring film.

This excellent cast of veteran actors makes comic-book dialogue palatable. In lesser hands, it would’ve come off hokey.

Denis Villeneuve delivers on the big epic space story we’ve been waiting for and comes through in unique and unexpected ways.

The reason Titane works is director Ducournau and actors Lindon and Rousselle’s commitment to their characters and stories. Each performance is played straight without a single wink to the camera.

No Time To Die tells a fantastic Bond story. It has everything you expect from Bond and appropriately honors Daniel Craig for his service to the Queen.

It is a good movie, but what elevates it from the pack are the performances from Riz Ahmed and Octavia Spencer.

Yes, stories like this have been told before, but there’s an earnest, sweet charm to it all that really works.