854 Contributions by: Isabella Endrinal (Page 37)

It’s not easy to turn away from organized crime. On top of having to reckon with what you’ve done and what reparations you have to make for the survivors, you also have to deal with everyone out to kill you. This is a familiar premise, of course, but writer-director Timo Tjahjanto takes it as an excuse to create some of the bloodiest and most action-packed sequences ever created, all stitched together in The Night Comes for Us. It’s a fairly thin martial arts crime thriller, but it’s wildly entertaining. With every skull crushed and gallons of blood spurted, Tjahjanto goes nuts with his ever creative, violent spectacles that action fans must watch, if they can stomach the gore.

Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller

Actor: Abimana Aryasatya, Asha Kenyeri Bermudez, Asta Nurcahya, Dian Sastrowardoyo, Dimas Anggara, Hannah Al Rashid, Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Julie Estelle, Morgan Oey, Salvita Decorte, Shareefa Daanish, Sunny Pang, Zack Lee

Director: Timo Tjahjanto

Rating: R, TV-MA

Anything Shakespeare would be a classic, of course, but for the longest time, British filmmakers avoided The Merchant of Venice, for a variety of reasons. The most prominent of those reasons was the antagonist Shylock, who, as a Jewish moneylender, was characterized with many anti-Semitic stereotypes, yet, was written with one of Shakespeare’s most eloquent speeches on his humanity. Director Michael Radford’s take on the play sidesteps this issue by an explanation and montage, reframing the entire play to be more sympathetic to Shylock. It's such an elegant solution, and with Al Pacino’s excellent performance, The Merchant of Venice becomes much more dramatic than comedic, and all the better for it.

Genre: Drama, Romance

Actor: Al Pacino, Al Weaver, Allan Corduner, Anton Rodgers, Antonio Gil, Charlie Cox, David Harewood, Gregor Fisher, Heather Goldenhersh, Jean-François Wolff, Jeremy Irons, John Sessions, Joseph Fiennes, Jules Werner, Julian Nest, Kris Marshall, Lynn Collins, Mackenzie Crook, Ron Cook, Tony Schiena, Zuleikha Robinson

Director: Michael Radford

Rating: R

When it comes to films depicting America’s history of racism, many white produced films tend to be centered on a white savior. At best, this is just patting each other on the back for actions done a generation or two ago. At worst, it tends to be outright historical revisionism. The difference between these and The Long Walk is that, while clearly made for a white audience, the film doesn’t crown Sissy Spacek’s character as a messiah, but her choice to help the boycott anyway is a message worth depicting, even if it’s small, even if it isn’t the typical, single-handed salvation Hollywood is used to doling out. While the white narrator adds unnecessary distance, and while it would have been better to see more of Whoopi Goldberg in the non-comic role of Odessa Cotter, The Long Walk cares about the everyday, and that’s what makes it mostly work.

Genre: Drama, History

Actor: Afemo Omilami, Chelcie Ross, Cherene Snow, Dan Butler, Dwight Schultz, Dylan Baker, Erika Alexander, Graham Timbes, Haynes Brooke, Jason Weaver, Kevin Thigpen, Lexi Randall, Mary Steenburgen, Nancy Moore Atchison, Norman Matlock, Philip Sterling, Rebecca Wackler, Richard Habersham, Schuyler Fisk, Sissy Spacek, Ving Rhames, Whoopi Goldberg

Director: Richard Pearce

Rating: PG

With a forest home destroyed, leaving an adorable cat spirit child displaced, The Legend of Hei seemed like a Studio Ghibli-esque tale, at least in themes, child protagonist, and fantasy flying. There’s charming moments where Hei appreciates the day-to-day– moments where he diligently learns his powers, enjoys the simple human pleasures present in the modern world, and of course, feels at home in the stunning natural spirit places. However, it’s not quite Ghibli as there are plenty of wuxia-inspired fight scenes, with as many flying kicks involved. That being said, there is a pro-peace message here, that at face value, is probably a good message for children, but this film’s peace comes without clear details about Hei’s displacement, or the general condition of the spirit world at large. The Legend of Hei’s charming animation is lovely, but this push for peace could have been more meaningful if it also considered justice.

Genre: Action, Animation, Fantasy

Actor: Chen Siyu, Ding Dang, Hao Xianghai, Li Lu, Liu Mingyue, Shan Xin, Sheng Feng, Wang Youji, Yang Ning, Yeqiao Yan, Yuntu Cao

Director: MTJJ, Mtjj Mutou

Rating: PG

When talking about resistance against colonial powers, nonviolent resistance, inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, is oftentimes touted as the most righteous and morally correct path to take. However, most people forget that this violence is done in response to the violence enacted upon them, and that violent resistance has worked alongside the non-violent path, with a serious rationale behind their methods. The Legend of Bhagat Singh remembers one of the Indian revolutionaries that devoted their lives to the cause, though in a different way from Gandhi. The film has some inaccuracies, and it emphasized the romance he might have had with the unmarried woman later known as Bhagat’s widow, but the Legend of Bhagat Singh is an interesting portrait of a revolutionary that needs to be discussed more.

Genre: Crime, Drama, History

Actor: Ajay Devgan, Ajay Devgn, Akhilendra Mishra, Amrita Rao, Bhaswar Chatterjee, D. Santosh, Farida Jalal, Mukesh Tiwari, Raj Babbar, Sitaram Panchal, Sushant Singh, Swaroop Kumar

Director: Rajkumar Santoshi

Based on the novel of the same name, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is as comforting as the title suggests. It's a pleasure to meet the society—getting to know each character feels like getting to know some welcoming neighbors. Despite their trauma from the German occupation of the British island, these club members remain their bookish albeit secretive selves. Lily James is just doe-eyed and charming enough to make us care about the book club, the same way her character Juliet does. The streamlined plot still keeps the intrigue and comfort of the original novel. And while its romance doesn’t quite take off, the real gem of the film is the earnest assertion that family can be best found in terrible times.

Genre: Drama, History, Romance

Actor: Alexa Povah, Andy Gathergood, Bernice Stegers, Bronagh Gallagher, Clive Merrison, Dilyana Bouklieva, Florence Keen, Glen Powell, Gregory Mann, Jack Morris, Jessica Brown Findlay, Joanna Hole, Katherine Parkinson, Kit Connor, Lily James, Marek Oravec, Matthew Goode, Michiel Huisman, Mike Newell, Nicolo Pasetti, Penelope Wilton, Philip Ridout, Pippa Rathborne, Richard Derrington, Stephanie Schonfield, Steve Morphew, Tom Courtenay, Tom Owen

Director: Mike Newell

Rating: TV-14

While Hollywood still makes some films in this genre, there are less historical epics being released, in part due to cost, but also in part due to having had so many, ever since the start of the medium. However, there are some historical events that we rarely see on film, and one of them is The Great Battle. Set before the formation of a united Korea, the film is a classic standoff against a larger army, that has all the swordfighting and armies we’ve come to expect, but it’s also grounded by the dynamic between a young warrior sent to assassinate, and the hardened, brilliant commander whose leadership kept the troops protected. While there are moments that definitely eludes historical accuracy, and there are some subplots that distract from the main conflict, The Great Battle is a fairly entertaining historical epic to watch, especially when focused on the action-packed clashes and the spectacular warfare.

Genre: Action, History, War

Actor: Bae Seong-woo, Bae Sung-woo, Cha Eun-woo, Eom Tae-goo, In-sung Jo, Jang Gwang, Jeong In-kyeom, Jo Hyun-wu, Joo-Hyuk Nam, Ju Seok-tae, Jung Eun-chae, Jung Ji-hoon, Kim Seol-hyun, Nam Joo-hyuk, Oh Dae-hwan, Oh Dae-whan, Park Byung-eun, Park Sung-woong, Seol-Hyun Kim, Seolhyun, Shin Yoo-ram, Stephanie Lee, Sung Dong-il, Sung-woong Park, Um Tae-goo, Yeo Hoi-hyeon, Yu Oh-seong, Zo In-sung

Director: Kim Kwang-shik, Kim Kwang-sik, Kwang-shik Kim

Rating: Not Rated, R

War doesn’t take place in just one battle– it takes multiple battles in certain strategic places across a country or even a continent. It’s because of this that when one group claims victory, it’s not immediately obvious across all territories. This is what happened in The Forgotten Battle. The film’s title refers to the Battle of the Scheldt, where Allied forces won over an important supply route between Belgium and the Netherlands, in the final year before both countries were totally liberated. In line with this, the film creates tension by ratcheting up the uncertainty the people felt through three different perspectives. By focusing on a disillusioned Dutch volunteer, a privileged British glider pilot, and a reluctant Dutch resistance fighter, The movie highlights the conflict between their personal hopes with the dreadful circumstances war forced them into and the moral dilemmas they had to face to survive. It’s not a totally original idea– many war films are based on this theme– but The Forgotten Battle adeptly balances these perspectives with a decent script and great production value.

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, War

Actor: Astrid van Eck, Bart Harder, Dylan Smith, Gijs Blom, Hajo Bruins, Ilja Roßbander, Jakob Diehl, Jamie Flatters, Jan Bijvoet, Justus von Dohnányi, Margarita Žiemelytė, Mark van Eeuwen, Marthe Schneider, Mathijs Scheepers, Pit Bukowski, Richard Dillane, Robert Naylor, Scott Reid, Susan Radder, Theo Barklem-Biggs, Tom Felton

Director: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.

Admittedly, being released in theaters a month after Immaculate, The First Omen can almost be accused of being derivative, with similar protagonists, plots, and themes. However, unlike Immaculate, this film captures a bit of the 1970s horror style that was best seen in the original 1976 Omen film, with the paranoia, the investigations, the Eastman Kodak-inspired color grading, and the number of the devil now depicted in striking modern images and clearer digital definition. And, considering that the Roe decision was overturned two years ago, the idea of a forced virgin conception is a great way to reintroduce Gen Z to the horror franchise, as the prequel, and today’s women, now have to deal with religion and authority reducing women only into vessels. The First Omen is a timely adaptation that takes familiar horror tropes and executes them well.

Genre: Horror

Actor: Alessandra Fallucchi, Andrea Arcangeli, Anton Alexander, Bill Nighy, Charles Dance, Dobrila Stojnic, Dora Romano, Eva Ras, Ishtar Currie Wilson, James Swanton, María Caballero, Mario Opinato, Mia McGovern Zaini, Michelangelo Dalisi, Milena Božić, Miodrag Rakočević, Nell Tiger Free, Nicole Sorace, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Ralph Ineson, Sônia Braga, Sylvia Panacione, Tawfeek Barhom

Director: Arkasha Stevenson

Rating: R

If you wanted to watch an epic historical drama about the three assassination attempts against the first emperor of China, 2002’s Hero is the better known, and better acclaimed, choice. Nevertheless, the drama that depicted this four years earlier, the Emperor and the Assassin, is a fairly decent watch, with nearly three hours to parse out Ying Zheng’s career with extravagant production design and excellent performances to marvel at. The film is also slightly more accurate, taking its characters from actual historical record. The Emperor and the Assassin may not be perfect– it’s aggressively sepia-tinged, and it does struggle to maintain the plot’s focus– but it depicts the history well, regardless.

Genre: Drama, History

Actor: Chen Kaige, Ding Haifeng, Gong Li, Li Hongtao, Li Qiang, Li Xuejian, Lü Xiaohe, Pan Changjiang, Sun Zhou, Wang Qian-Yuan, Zhang Fengyi, Zhao Benshan, Zhiwen Wang, Zhou Xun

Director: Chen Kaige

Rating: R

When travelling to another place, another city, another town, there’s a certain anonymity that frees one’s self. No one knows who you are, so you’re not expected to maintain a certain personality, and that can be necessary for young people trying to find their way. The Breaking Ice shows this in a fairly sentimental way, juxtaposing the wintry, snowy landscape with the warm but fleeting connection forming between three lonely adults, but there’s just something honest in the way the three try to hide but still share the same youthful ennui, even if they come from vastly different backgrounds. The Breaking Ice might not be daring enough to delve into the queer aspect of this trio, but it’s still a lovely, well-crafted drama contemplating the youth’s melancholy.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Liu Baisha, Liu Haoran, Qu Chuxiao, Ruguang Wei, Zhao Wenhao, Zhou Dongyu

Director: Anthony Chen

When the system messes with you personally, it’s such a powerful fantasy to be able to settle things with your own hands. To be strong enough to retaliate, and once things are settled, to be strong enough to be left alone, not to be messed with. The Black Book depicts this revenge fantasy, reminiscent of Liam Neeson’s Taken, albeit with corrupt police. The Nigerian action thriller isn’t afraid to go hard, with threats of splitting a person in half by a table saw, dramatic shoot-outs, and fight sequences. However, what makes the thriller work is that all these action sequences are intended to be the reckoning of corrupt institutions. There are some messy parts, certain shots that included some bad takes. Despite this, The Black Book still proves to be entertaining enough to forgive these mishaps.

Genre: Action, Mystery, Thriller

Actor: Ade Laoye, Alex Usifo Omiagbo, Bimbo Akintola, Bimbo Manuel, Femi Branch, Iretiola Doyle, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Sam Dede, Shaffy Bello

Director: Editi Effiong

Rating: R

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel invites us to an earnest meditation on old age and change. The film centers on a group of British retirees traveling to the titular hotel in India, in hopes of a good retirement. The group cast is an excellent choice: prominent names from British movies and television line the cast, and it’s a pleasure to see them act alongside each other with equal screen time and their own detailed plotlines. Their plotlines inspire empathy towards different struggles that the elderly face: finding love again, dealing with accumulated debt, and handling loss. All of these are tough, but especially when you feel your time has run out. The best of these plotlines are the ones that acknowledge loss but still persist through accepting changing circumstances and actively going for one's desires.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Actor: Bill Nighy, Celia Imrie, Dev Patel, Diana Hardcastle, Glen Davies, Honey Chhaya, Hugh Dickson, Jay Villiers, Judi Dench, Lillete Dubey, Liza Tarbuck, Louise Brealey, Lucy Robinson, Maggie Smith, Nina Kulkarni, Patrick Pearson, Paul Bentall, Paul Bhattacharjee, Penelope Wilton, Rajendra Gupta, Ramona Marquez, Richard Cubison, Ronald Pickup, Sara Stewart, Seema Azmi, Siddharth Makkar, Simon Wilson, Tina Desai, Tom Wilkinson, Vishnu Sharma

Director: John Madden

Rating: PG-13

When we love a person, most of us are convinced that we love them for their personality, and if we truly love them, love would remain even if their beauty fades away. The Beauty Inside, a Korean remake of the 2012 American interactive Internet series, challenges this notion. As Woo-jin’s body changes regularly, he’s unable to live a normal life because of a lack of a consistent appearance, a lack of a visual reference point that allows him to be recognized by the people he loves. While more can be explored with the premise's metaphysical elements, and Woo-jin’s characterization is mostly a neutral, blank canvas, The Beauty Inside is still a sweet, feel-good romance that makes the impossible feel wonderfully possible.

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Actor: Bae Hyun-kyung, Bae Sung-woo, Baek Seung-hwan, Choi Yong-min, Chun Woo-hee, Do Ji-han, Go A-sung, Go Gyu-pil, Gong Min-jeung, Ha Si-yeon, Ham Tae-in, Han Hyo-joo, Jang Eui-soo, Jeon Young-woon, Jeong Seung-won, JJ Graham, Jo Dal-hwan, Jung Young-ki, Juri Ueno, Kim Dae-myung, Kim Gwang-seop, Kim Hee-won, Kim Joo-hyuk, Kim Lok-kyoung, Kim Mi-hui, Kim Min-jae, Kim Sang-ho, Kim See-eun, Kim Tae-hyun, Kim Won-Jin, Ko A-sung, Ko Dong-hyoung, Lee Beom-soo, Lee Bom, Lee Dong-hwi, Lee Dong-wook, Lee Hyun-woo, Lee Jae-joon, Lee Ji-min, Lee Ji-won, Lee Jin-seong, Lee Jin-wook, Lee Kyung-young, Lee Mi-do, Lee Myung-ha, Lee Sang-won, Lee Seung-chan, Moon Kyung-min, Moon Sook, Ok Joo-ri, Park Keun-rok, Park Seo-jun, Park Shin-hye, Seo Kang-joon, Shin Dong-mi, Son Seong-chan, Yeom Ji-young, Yoo Yeon-seok, Yoon Hwan, Yun Ki-chang

Director: Baik