John Kehoe

The Phoenician Scheme is classic Wes Anderson: quirky, visually rich, and neatly packaged. Benicio del Toro steals the show with a standout performance, though not all the cast hits the same high note. The film flows well and doesn’t overstay its welcome, with gorgeous cinematography and that signature Anderson aesthetic. It’s a solid one-time watch—enjoyable, but not quite rewatch-worthy.

★★★☆☆ The new Mission: Impossible definitely delivers on the action front—Tom Cruise still runs like the fate of the world depends on it—but overall, this one felt a bit bloated. Clocking in way longer than necessary, the movie tries to juggle too much and ends up stretching a thin plot to its breaking point. Some of the acting is far from good, and while it’s still entertaining in the moment, it’s by far not the strongest entry in the series. Worth a watch, but not one I’ll be racing to revisit.

Hurry Up Tomorrow looks stunning but falls apart everywhere else. The plot is nearly impossible to follow, with barely any dialogue and performances that lack emotion. It tries to be deep and artsy but ends up feeling like a long, confusing music video. Some scenes were meant to be serious but came off as unintentionally funny.

This was… alright. The pacing had its moments, the story was serviceable, but man—those vampires were wack. Not in a cool way, either. Like, what were they even going for? Gothic crackheads? Discount Blade extras? I couldn’t tell. Some of the aesthetic had potential, and there were flashes of atmosphere that worked, but overall it felt like it didn’t know whether to take itself seriously or lean into the camp. Still, not the worst way to spend 90 minutes. Could’ve used more bite, though.