Yadar

I like to think that some of the greatest movies ever made started as a joke scribbled on a napkin in the middle of a conversation. This film feels like one of them. And yes, I know there’s obviously more to it than that, but it’s a silly thought I enjoy entertaining. Not many great movies feel like they could have been born from such a premise. But come on... the loser gets the Latina (using dark magic)... On a more serious note, starting with the obvious, the performance delivered by Inde Navarrette alone is worth the price of admission. Everyone portrays ordinary human ugliness so convincingly that it's almost uncomfortable to watch. And jokes aside about the loser getting the Latina — which I'll get back to in a minute — the characters are all deeply flawed in the most painfully human way possible. Bear's best friend literally sleeps with the girl Bear has an obsessive crush on, says nothing about it, and never even prepares him for the inevitable rejection. Or just to not go for it, because, you know... bro code. (Bear could've simply ignored him anyway, which would've paved the way for his true self to emerge.) Sasha, who clearly has feelings for Bear herself, only decides to make a move after watching her own friend — arguably one of her best friend — smash a beer bottle over her own head. These aren't good people. They're deeply flawed, and it's refreshing to see the everyday ugliness of human nature portrayed so honestly. And finally, there's Bear himself. He begins as nothing more than a pathetic loser (happens you know, no harsh judgment here) but one who still feels redeemable with a little help. This is a movie, though. Help never comes... or does it? Even when he's thinking with his libido instead of his heart, there's still something recognizably human inside him. Awkward. Broken. But human. For a while, the relationship "almost" feels genuine. Then comes the point where any reasonable person should choose to walk away, no matter how painful it may be. From that choice onward we're no longer looking at an awkward young man. We're looking at a sociopath. The film quietly plants the warning signs long before that moment. Small decisions. Tiny compromises. Red flags that slowly pile up until they reveal the monster he was capable of becoming. Nikki isn't perfect either but... There isn't enough freedom left to know just how bad one can become. Her soul is quite literally trapped in hell. This isn't even my own theory but honestly, no one should really care. If you want to know how it works for me: You file it under "pagan god magic" and it fits surprisingly well. "Be careful with words—a soul trapped between two worlds, while her body becomes little more than the materialization of the granted wish." Fun times, you know. The film keeps escalating every moral choice after another until the point where there is simply no coming back from. Technically speaking, I absolutely loved the filmmaking. The camera work embraces a "less is more" philosophy. Nothing flashy, just excellent fundamentals. The compositions remain remarkably symmetrical throughout the film, making every frame incredibly satisfying to look at. The lighting surrounding Nikki is particularly impressive. It constantly reflects who is actually in control of the situation without ever drawing attention to itself. I especially have to highlight the work done on Inde Navarrette's eyes. Whether she's standing in complete darkness and her eye sockets almost disappear, or whether you only catch a faint reflection of her eyes through the lighting, the effect is astonishing. It's such a tiny detail, yet it completely changes her presence on screen. The overall atmosphere feels like a love letter to gritty 80s genre cinema thanks to its textured film look. Another detail I absolutely loved is how the ending quietly begins long before the actual ending itself. It's woven into the film in a way that's neither fully diegetic nor completely outside of it. It sits in that fascinating gray area. Behind what sounds like the foolishest joke imaginable lies one of the most sincere portrayals of ordinary human ugliness I've seen in recent horror. This is exactly the kind of indie picture you should experience at least once. It's unsettling, refreshing, and I genuinely believe it belongs to the emerging Gen Z wave of horror cinema. Maybe it's the beginning of something new.

I tried to think of a clever way to open this review, but honesty feels more appropriate. Marty Supreme is built around a decision that most films avoid: forcing the audience to spend nearly its entire runtime with a protagonist who is openly unpleasant. For roughly 80% of the film, we follow a New York kid in his twenties — a punk, a moron, a deeply despicable human being. And the film never truly softens him. That in itself is a bold creative choice from everyone who chose to greenlight such a risk. Marty operates with a single purpose, obsessive and all-consuming. He behaves as though success were already guaranteed, as if he were already the superstar he imagines himself to be. There is no gradual becoming, only entitlement performed as destiny. Adulthood implies responsibility, restraint, awareness of consequence. Marty rejects all three. The film draws a clear thematic line: ambition without accountability corrodes everything around it. To give a few examples of how self-centered Marty is, he lies to the New York mob. He endangers his pregnant (girl)friend without any visible remorse. He instrumentalizes his Jewish identity for financial leverage despite never engaging with it spiritually. His worldview allows no contradiction; family, friend, or foe — dissent is irrelevant. And yet, despite all of this, the film remains compelling. Spending over two hours with someone this abrasive should be exhausting. It isn’t. The 150-minute runtime flows with surprising ease. The pacing is controlled, almost deceptively smooth. The score, however, is uneven. Some musical choices land perfectly. The opening track in particular establishes tone flawlessly. The introduction is among the most unhinged I’ve seen. The sound design surrounding table tennis carries texture and precision, but beyond those moments, the score lacks a cohesive identity. The more significant issue lies in the treatment of table tennis itself because it did not work for me. When a character’s life is defined by a discipline, I expect to feel the weight of that discipline. We see matches, but little training, little technical obsession, little immersion in the craft. I understand this is not structured as a sports movie, yet the absence of sustained focus on the practice slightly weakens the narrative foundation of Marty’s obsession until the very end. Which brings me to what ultimately redeems the film, its ending. No matter what happened or how it happened — what matters is how your story ends and the moral behind it. And what an ending. It brings you back to reality, almost violently. You feel it the same way Marty does. I know this review contains spoilers, but I won’t spoil this particular moment. After everything you go through, discovering it on your own is worth the wait. No matter your purpose — what you dedicated your life to, your goals, your wins, your losses — none of it erases your mistakes or what came before. But it does force you to understand what life means. It will be a strange watch. It will challenge you. But isn’t that the purpose of cinema ? Marty Supreme is not a comfortable watch. It challenges you. It asks you to sit with someone difficult and resist the urge to look away. But that, perhaps, is the point of cinema. And as strange as the ride may be, you will not be bored.

To be perfectly clear, this movie was made with people already familiar with the Fantastic Four storyline — past and present — in mind, and it shows. This simple sentence applies to every act of the movie, both for better or worse. But before getting into the specifics, I have to highlight the design and the temporal choices. They’re completely outside Marvel’s usual constraints. The retro-futuristic look is genuinely cool, and visually this is easily one of the freshest Marvel entries in a long time. As for the story itself, it feels written with the mindset of: “everyone knows the basics, so let’s either surprise them or speed things up.” And honestly? The origin story flows with the introduction of the Four condensed into a ability-grouped scene. The best part of the movie — which is not a good sign — ends halfway through. The slice-of-life section where the Fantastic Four live together and prepare for a baby is just… warm. You feel like you’re meeting new family members. You learn how much of a genius Reed Richards is, and how much of a problem his IQ is for himself. You learn how much of a try-hard nerd Johnny Storm actually is, instead of just a horny dude thinking only about sex. You learn how brilliant Susan Storm is, and how much of a family-centered woman she is. And then there is Ben. I wouldn’t have minded if his character had been totally changed and they had kept only “chef Ben,” the “Uncle Ben” vibes. But they decided to keep the uncertain Ben — the “I’m a human stuck in a rock body looking for love” Ben. And the problem is that they tease this aspect without exploring any of it. If you love that facet of the character, it’s a huge miss. The Kirby & Lee homage? Classy, tasteful, wholesome. The gender-swapped Silver Surfer? Fantastic decision — costs nothing, breaks nothing, adds representation. Galactus’ aura? Perfect. It’s a shame, though, that neither of them is explored at all. Fifteen seconds for one, and literally only voice lines for the other. I know he’s a godlike eternal being, with everything happening trillions of years before, but still — I wanted more. But then the movie collapses into Marvel habits again. Galactus is a beyond godlike being, the Devourer of Worlds. His sole objective is to absorb the newborn child of the Reeds and destroy Earth just for shit & giggles. Many tried to stop him, even kill him, with no success. The final “fight” is visually cool the combo works quite well, but narratively… not so much. What bothers me a lot is how Sue Storm stops him by herself through sheer will with her light-manipulation powers, and then he's kicked out by the Silver Surfer (who, again, is not developed). For someone who waited a long time to finally see this villain on screen, I wanted something worthy of his status. To make things worse, Sue dies from trying to stop Galactus (literally stopping him from walking), and the movie doesn’t even end there. I absolutely hate this ending. It makes the entire second half worthless, because she doesn’t stay dead for more than four minutes — and that’s being generous. Getting instantly revived by an infant with god powers? It cheapens everything that came before. It should have been a meaningful choice, after years of the infant coming of age. Instead it feels like the being beyond imagination just got kicked out of the room and everyone is safe and sound. So… why even watch that part? It feels like Marvel refuses to commit to consequences, ever. Also, that strange shot of the lead actress looking like she is bald under a fake haircut? A directorial war crime. No idea why they kept that take. When they could have easily shown a more down to earth shot. It’s honestly a very good movie — until it becomes a Marvel movie again. Once the space/Galactus section starts, it goes downhill fast. But before that? God damn, it’s an easy, enjoyable watch.

After being left for dead for a while, the DCU is finally back in the hands of someone with a clear vision and cool ideas for the stories he wants to tell. It’s important to say it up front: this Superman is comic-accurate — just a different iteration. Because what we’re watching is basically this: every single choice from Snyder’s Superman has been reversed. Literally. Ultra-serious Superman? → Goofy, cool, nerdy Superman. Depressing color palette? → Every color known to man and more. Experienced Superman? → Closer to a first-timer. Invincible? → Not quite. Acts alone? → Relies on others. Saves everyone? → Can't save everyone. Beats everyone? → Can't beat everyone. And the list goes on. This new universe is its own thing. It’s young, unpolished, but promising. Some might get triggered by how Superman is portrayed but he's not a paragon of virtue after one day on the job. It’s a process. He is, as he says — “sometimes a dick,” but with a golden heart. A man who still doesn’t fully understand how the world works, but tries to save it anyway. And he faces his nemesis, something that should’ve been done and shown years ago in any comic movie. Lex Luthor is not going anywhere. Honestly, I'd watch this movie just for him if I were a hater. Because at his core, he hates Superman and his own inability to end him. And what a refreshing villain we got. Charismatic, calculating, brilliant — and not just evil for the sake of it. He’s smart enough to beat Superman more than once. Smart enough to create something that could have destroyed reality itself. I can’t wait to see more of him. As for the movie itself? Technically… it’s pretty mid. Some camera work ideas fall flat. The action is fun but rarely mind-blowing. Props to the Mister Terrific fight scene done in a sequence-shot, that was goated. Speaking of him, the B-Team in the movie is solid and fun. Green Lantern is finally done right, and Hawkgirl is killing it. As for Mister Terrific — he lives up to his name, almost stealing Superman’s spotlight. Which is, in itself, one of the movie’s issues. I don’t mind showing another side of the character, another angle. But this version is constantly being deconstructed, almost humiliated even in small moments and it feels weird. The score wasn’t that moving either. Props to the original theme though it still works like a charm. One of the key story elements, showcasing Luthor’s megalomania, is the seizure of a piece of land to claim it as his own. Everyone sees it as a critique of Israel and while that’s not inaccurate, there's a lot more to it. Yes, the displaced people are clearly representing Palestinians. But the oppressor ? That's different. Gunn is clearly aiming at both of today’s major geopolitical conflicts. Two birds, one stone. On one side: Russia invading just because it can — which is shown through language, uniforms, architecture, etc. On the other: a defenseless people crushed by a way more equipped enemy. You could even push it further: Lex Luthor funding the invasion with weapons sold for cheap mirrors the way the U.S. armed Israel. Anyway, the action’s dope, the movie is cool — not insane, but it does the job. I genuinely hope Superman will grow and drop the constant humiliation arc. I’m fine with a corny nerd Superman — but this man cannot be close to a loser.