Geo Intalan

I was admittedly pretty excited and a little cautious to see how a remake of the original series would turn out. Especially considering how airtight the original 26 episodes and The End of Evangelion already are. Safe to say, I found the justification in this remake through spectacle alone. The upgrade in animation quality is outstanding. Faces have more nuanced expressions, the EVAs have more weight to them, and the angels have some beautifully horrifying new visuals to boot - I especially liked how they showed more of the people of Japan. The decision to visualize it's own stakes makes each fight scene feel all the more rewarding. This all coming in conjunction with the fantastic additions to sound design and music—the grandiose music being one of my favorite new tweaks to this entry. It would be extremely hard not to become invested in something with such a strong foundation as Evangelion, even if it just bears a shiny new coat of paint. Lots of fun!

We don't talk. We don't feel. We are strangers to our own species. The human mind protects itself too well from the things it cannot immediately interact with—we will never understand what it truly is like to feel what others feel. But sometimes there comes a piece of art that transcends physicality and manages to pry itself deep inside its audience. No Other Land is not only that, but asks the question: "Now, what?" It forces the audience to feel, and dares to ask if anything will ever change within their mind moving forward. There might not be anything that we can do as spectators but clutch our pearls in pure disbelief, but to bear witness to what is essentially one of the most palpable documentations of the resilience of the human spirit can only be described as completely essential. This documentary will likely not skew the course of the war, but serves as a shining beacon of light to those that were once there. Fuck the american film distribution system, the illegitimate state of israel, and the cowardly fence-sitters.

James Gunn is at the forefront of a new dawn for superhero movies. His movies are funny, sentimental, and most importantly, filled to the brim with charm—Superman being no exception. The core theme of Superman, hope, is not lost here—through a vibrant color palette, exciting action sequences, a striking connection to the real world, and a myriad of interesting characters—it establishes itself as having all the right set pieces for a truly unique, new-age superhero film. In theory. Despite having so many shining stars at their disposal, the narrative often feels misguided, unengaging, and at certain points, rushed. All of the aforementioned aspects beg for screentime; it nearly seems as if the movie is physically unable to keep up. It is filled to the brim with major moments that do not feel earned, before promptly proceeding to the next. There is a lot of charm and heart in this movie, but it never takes the time to properly examine and analyze what makes it so special in the first place. A tall tale, with shallow notes. It's okay.

There's no way to talk about Sister Midnight without revealing all of its twists and turns, especially when it comes to genre shifts. A mix of humor, drama, and horror all presented with wonderful cultural personality. The writing is hilarious, Radhika Apte gives a chaotically headstrong performance, and the quirky cinematography complements the movie's humor perfectly. It presents itself with all the charm of a Wes Anderson movie, and an abundance of needle drops that would make Quentin Tarantino blush. Although I do think some scenes might have overstayed their welcome, especially when it comes to the side plots, the movie is still a blast from start to finish. A clever and eccentric portrayal of a broken bride and the rage that comes from being forced to admit it. Pretty fun!