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GOODBYE JUNE Starring: Kate Winslet, Andrea Riseborough, Toni Collette, Johnny Flynn, Timothy Spall, Fisayo Akinade, Stephen Merchant, and Helen Mirren Director: Kate Winslet ROBERT The death of a parent is wrought with emotional pitfalls, especially when intermingled with everyday life’s struggles and interfamily turmoil. Goodbye, June never allows you to hide from the impending doom and crushing weight of the inevitable as you spend the entire film with the Cheshire family in the hospital without respite. In her directorial debut, Kate Winslet composes scenes that exemplify both the emptiness and the chaos within the characters at any given moment, making every shot meaningful. The performances sell the realistic gravity of June’s (Helen Mirren) situation and how everyone tries to cope. Do not skimp on the tissues. BODE Given the number of great filmmakers Kate Winslet has worked with throughout her career, it’s no surprise that she would step behind the camera herself for Goodbye June . Though it can come off a bit too saccharine for its own good (especially as it concludes), there’s still an honest core in its depiction of how a dysfunctional family deals with the impending loss of their mother that manages to shine through with realized performances, editing (by Lucia Zucchetti) that creates an intimate feel, and a gentle score from composer Ben Harlan. Decent as far as directorial debuts go.

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EL CONDE Starring: Jaime Vadell, Gloria Münchmeyer, Alfredo Castro, Paula Luchsinger, Catalina Guerra, Marcial Tagle, Amparo Noguera, Antonia Zegers, and Stella Gonet Director: Pablo Larraín KATIE El Conde is so many things at once: scathing, gruesome, wickedly funny, absurd, and beautiful. Director Pablo Larraín re-imagines the infamous Chilean dictator, Augusto Pinochet, as a literal blood-thirsty monster who, much like his real-life legacy, refuses to die. This is an ingenious way of confronting Chile’s traumatic recent past, allowing Larraín to make a mockery of the dictator, showing him miserable and wasting away in his crumbling mansion. The black and white cinematography is striking and brimming with visual references, creating an absurd alternate reality that traps all the characters within it. This film will stick in my mind for a while. QUENTIN In its entirety, El Conde isn’t a movie that I enjoyed. Despite the intriguing and outlandish logline, it’s surprisingly boring, but it’s possible that it works better for people who have some knowledge of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, of which I have very little. Perhaps that is why the satire didn’t hit for me. That said, director Pablo Larraín was able to create a surreal and haunting atmosphere that is well suited to the content, but this mix of Knives Out and Roma falls into the “movies I respect more than like” bucket. ADRIANO It’s hard for me to say that El Conde doesn’t overstay its welcome a bit, but I still feel it accomplished its goal of being a sharp and funny satire. Granted, some of its ideas overshadow the overall goal, and it leans a little too hard into the gore and surrealist elements, meaning the film’s political angle easily gets lost in the madness. But Pablo Larraín’s direction and Edward Lachman’s slick black-and-white cinematography make this a unique viewing experience that, for better and for worse, is unlike anything you’ll see this year. This film was reviewed by Quentin as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2023 Venice International Film Festival.

NOUVELLE VAGUE Starring: Guillaume Marbeck, Zoey Deutch, Aubry Dullin, Adrien Rouyard, Antoine Besson, and Jodie Ruth Forest Director: Richard Linklater ADRIANO Aside from the budget, Nouvelle Vague is not that dissimilar to a fan film. The Breathless -esque cinematography is stunning, and the performances all around are pretty great. Still, thematically, director Richard Linklater seems strangely incurious about Jean-Luc Godard (Guillaume Marbeck) or the French New Wave. While you can interpret this as a fun hangout movie on the set of Breathless , the movie begins to follow a tedious pattern of Godard self-assuredly wanting to do something interesting, everyone saying it's a bad idea, and then he's right. Even as a Godard fan, I found Nouvelle Vague just pointless. KATIE Nouvelle Vague might not offer much to those not already familiar with Jean-Luc Godard’s work, but I enjoyed Richard Linklater’s homage to Godard’s filmmaking, impact, and legacy. It features absolutely gorgeous monochrome cinematography and meticulously crafted shots that took my breath away. I loved Guillaume Marbeck’s performance as Godard, portraying him as more of an enigma than a real person; perpetually wearing sunglasses, chain-smoking cigarettes, and musing on the nature of cinema. Linklater is explicit in his adoration of Goddard’s films, which makes up for a story that isn't especially gripping. Overall, Nouvelle Vague is a beautiful, breezy watch. PAIGE Director Richard Linklater’s film Nouvelle Vague certainly pays homage to French cinema with its stylishly grainy black and white visuals, jazz-infused score, and characters breaking the fourth wall by staring straight into the camera. But the thing I love about Linklater’s films is their fun hangout vibe, and while this film has the hangout vibe, it’s missing the fun. I'm not going to lie, this movie is pretty boring and feels kind of empty and pointless. As artistic as it is, the story just doesn’t hold together well enough for a feature length film. This film was reviewed by Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.

PRIMATE Starring: Johnny Sequoyah, Gia Hunter, Victoria Wyant, Jessica Alexander, Benjamin Cheng, and Troy Kotsur Director: Johannes Roberts NICK With all due respect to the creative team, Primate is so much better than it has any right to be. Its influences are clear and prominent throughout the film, but it still offers something new to pair with the homages. There are horror hallmarks, including highly effective jump scares and gruesome kills, but there’s also a story about family and relationships that strengthens both the characters and the film’s foundation. If you’ve been underwhelmed by some of the more recent creature features (Coyotes , Death of a Unicorn , Dangerous Animals ), Primate is exactly what the doctor ordered. ROBERT If Cujo and Laguna Beach had a baby, it would be Primate . I respect that director Johannes Roberts wastes no time getting to the heart of the movie, which is Ben, the chimp, brutally murdering every human whose path he crosses. The kills are gnarly and the most fun aspect. The other great strength, or weakness, depending on your perspective, is that you only care about one living creature throughout, and it is Ben. I found myself rooting for Ben to outlive every human, who meant nothing. While incredibly dumb, the unintentional comedy levels were outrageously high, making me laugh and smirk incessantly. PAIGE The premise of Primate is as ridiculous and simplistic as they come, and it completely lacks an emotional core to latch onto any of the characters, including Ben, the chimp. However, what the movie does have going for it is jaw-droppingly brutal kills, which make for a surprisingly entertaining watch. It goes all out with its blood and gore, and its score creates a tense atmosphere throughout. Primate won’t end up being the best horror film of the year, but it’s certainly a bloody fun January release to start the year off right. QUENTIN I’m not sure where the line is drawn when it comes to paying tribute to influences or ripping those influences off. Director Johannes Roberts seemingly doesn’t either because Primate ’s basic premise is Cujo meets The Shallows for the CW crowd, and there are scenes very obviously recalling iconic classics like The Shining , Jurassic Park , and Halloween . The poorly developed characters are the typical slasher-movie archetypes, and there are too many missed opportunities and logical leaps to ignore. That said, the kills are delightfully gruesome, if not very creative or scary. Maybe that’s enough, but for me, Primate is a monkey that flew out of someone’s butt. ADRIANO As far as January horror goes, you can do so much worse than Primate . With that in my mind, it’s not nearly as fun as it should be. Everyone involved knows exactly what kind of movie this is and isn’t trying anything more or less, but the result is certainly less. Despite glimpses of heavy gore, the build-up is uninteresting and clearly there just to set up faceless murder-bait. The rest is cheap and tensionless. I see the appeal, as Primate has the potential to satisfy a blood-hungry adrenaline junkie, but this is an inoffensive but weak attempt at a creature feature. BODE When you go into a horror flick like Primate in the month of January, you know what you’re getting. A killer chimp? Check. Beautiful young people? Check. Lots of kills? Check. A warm setting? Check. Director Johannes Roberts delivers all of this and more to the film's paying audience, but does so in ways that are genuinely better than I certainly thought they would be. It’s lean, it’s surprisingly mean, and the fact the chimp itself is a guy in a monkey suit (Miguel Torres Umba) does wonders for how effective the kills and jump scares are. What can I say? I had fun. This film was reviewed by Nick as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2025 Toronto After Dark Film Festival.

CODE 3 Starring: Rainn Wilson, Lil Rel Howery, Aimee Carrero, Rob Riggle, and Yvette Nicole Brown Director: Christopher Leone QUENTIN Here's something I didn’t expect to have on my 2025 movie Bingo card: Code 3 is a gem of a movie and one of the year’s biggest surprises. Despite being marketed as a straight comedy, this is anything but. Yes, there are dark laughs, but only in the way that one must laugh in the face of tragedy just to get through the day. Otherwise, this is an honest and harrowing tribute to paramedics and a scathing indictment of the American healthcare system. It’s heartfelt, heartbreaking, and surprisingly moving, especially surprising if you’re only aware of the movie’s photo-shopped travesty of a poster. ROBERT I saw Code 3 was coming out and thought it would be Ambulance if Michael Bay had a funny bone. Turns out, it’s not only a higher form of comedy, but also a more complete movie. There is an insightful, biting commentary on the state of healthcare and how every cog in that machine tries to survive separately but together, while Rainn Wilson and Lil Rel Howery are not only hilarious together, but also separately. They convey emotional depth about the horrors of paramedic life and how to combat jadedness on soul-crushing shifts. They’re not the TS mother-f’ing A. They’re EMS… the real heroes. This film was reviewed by Quentin as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of Fantasy Filmfest 2025.

BLUE BEETLE Starring: Xolo Maridueña, Bruna Marquezine, Adriana Barraza, Damián Alcázar, Raoul Max Trujillo, Susan Sarandon, and George Lopez Director: Ángel Manuel Soto AMARÚ Blue Beetle has a mustache-twirling, corporate evildoer problem, but not so much so that it sabotages the heart that director Ángel Manuel Soto infuses into the rest of the film. Combining dynamic action with vibrant humor, Soto keeps Latino culture and strong familial values at the story’s core to make Jamie Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) and his family indispensable components of the DCU’s future. Maridueña is a star, but it’s his endearing relationship with La Familia Reyes (VAMOS NANA!!!) that holds the movie’s appeal. That, plus a seamless integration of the superhero’s comic history, allows Blue Beetle to overcome the failings of the villain aspect. ADRIANO My expectations for Blue Beetle were low because the trailers didn’t excite me and I haven’t been impressed with DC recently. So, I suppose it’s a win that I found this movie to be, at worst, watchable. As a superhero movie, I’ve seen it before. It’s predictable to the point that it feels like there was no effort given to make it otherwise. However, the family aspect is where the film’s strengths lie. Between its genuine heart and a great lead performance from Xolo Maridueña, you have the best DC movie to come out this year… but only by default. JACOB While Blue Beetle isn’t likely to revive the superhero genre or DC’s bottom line, it’s still one of their more successful projects from a character perspective. Xolo Maridueña shines as the titular protagonist, and when the film is focusing on him, his family dynamic, and their Latino heritage, it’s really singing (Belissa Escobedo also is a standout). Where the film falls short is with its villain. Simply put, Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon) is essentially a racist caricature with a mostly cartoon henchman. That said, these problems are largely overcome by surprising emotion and solid action. PRESTON I had high hopes for Blue Beetle to be a champion for the Latinx community in the superhero arena, but DC dropped the ball again. The acting feels stiff and unpracticed, with Xolo Maridueña as the exception, and everything from the set design to the editing feels careless, haphazard, and often unrealistic. But I am mostly disappointed by the missed opportunity to shine as something unique in an otherwise overdone genre. The loving family dynamic is heartfelt, but it suffers in the backdrop of the film’s overarching missteps. I hope the sequel can take advantage of a recipe that is primed for something special. PAIGE While Blue Beetle isn’t perfect by any means, it shimmers by having lots of heart. There also is plenty of fun to be had throughout this popcorn flick, especially with the Reyes family. With that said, those are the only aspects of the film that truly excel. Susan Sarandon’s mustache-twirling villainess takes you out of the film completely, and just does not work at all. Overall, this latest DC entry is your run-of-the-mill origin story, with no new attributes to make it stand out from the other superhero movies we have gotten over the years. PHILL Blue Beetle is another entry in the increasingly tiresome genre of superhero cinema. Though the stakes are refreshingly smaller than many recent superhero films, it unfortunately suffers mundane action sequences featuring atypical CGI characters crashing into each other. However, it’s the family dynamic that is the heart of this latest DC entry led by Xolo Maridueña, who is genuinely excellent and clearly having an absolute blast. Whilst the question of which DC cinematic universe this takes place in might be a little hazy, Blue Beetle is self-contained and grounded enough that it doesn’t overly matter at this point. NICK Yes, Blue Beetle feels like other 90s superhero movies as it's formulaic and familiar. Having said that, the charisma of Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes is undeniable, which elevates the material. It's evident how much fun he is having with the character. Beyond him, the presence of his family adds a nice touch, though George Lopez as Rudy Reyes can be a little overbearing. The importance of the Latinx representation cannot be overstated, but I wish it came with a more unique formula. I didn't love Blue Beetle (nor hate it), but thanks to Xolo Maridueña, I'm looking forward to seeing the character again.

FATHER MOTHER SISTER BROTHER Starring: Tom Waits, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Charlotte Rampling, Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps, Sarah Greene, Indya Moore, and Luka Sabbat Director: Jim Jarmusch QUENTIN Like most anthologies, the three chapters of Father Mother Sister Brother aren’t created equal. While they all boast great performances, the intrigue conjured is inconsistent given how they are placed in the film’s structure. For example, the second chapter is so much like the first that it’s repetitive. Variety between those two chapters would have worked wonders. There also are recurring references throughout the film that are there for no other reason than to create a Leo-pointing-meme moment. However, once the distinctly different third chapter ends, the movie’s lovely intent is revealed, which is when you realize this is about the destination, not the journey. ADRIANO It must be said that I have a mixed history with anthology films. With that in mind, I actually did find stuff to admire about Father Mother Sister Brother , even if its emotional pulls are fleeting. Each story is full of silent implications, giving us mere hints to piece together what's happening in each family dynamic, but the connections each story brings do come together in a surprising manner to examine three types of fractured family dynamics. But aside from maybe the last one, it’s too cold to leave the fierce impact that writer/director Jim Jarmusch wanted to bring. This film was reviewed by Quentin as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2025 Zurich Film Festival.

X Starring: Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson, Brittany Snow, Scott Mescudi, Owen Campbell, and Stephen Ure Director: Ti West ADRIANO X is an absolute blast! The first half of this movie is a fun, raunchy, 70’s bop, and all the performances are pitch perfect for the tone it’s going for. It also builds some great tension. The second half is when shit goes down. As a massive slasher fan, I was definitely delighted by the creepy and brutal direction the film took. Writer/director Ti West’s slow building tension made me want to look away, but for the life of me, I couldn’t because I was so desperate to know what would happen next. NICK We often talk about films’ ability to transport us to a different time. Well, writer/director Ti West succeeds on that in droves with X . This film feels like it was filmed in the 70s thanks to its attention to detail and shooting style. In fact, the setup and slow burn are so well done that when things go off the rails later in the film, it lost that authentic feel for me a little. Saying that, the film is still an admirable entry into the horror genre, boasting some great performances and some good ol’ southern-fried murder.

NO OTHER CHOICE Starring: Lee Byung-hun, Son Yejin, Park Hee Soon, Lee Sung Min, Yeom Hye Ran, Cha Seung Won Director: Park Chan-wook AMARÚ I’ve not seen much of Park Chan-wook’s filmography, but it did not take long to recognize his masterful direction while watching No Other Choice . This dark comedy is a masterclass in comedy of error, effortlessly finding the humor in bleakness and the ridiculousness in desperation. Lee Byung-hun masters the descent into madness when no option is your only option, but it’s Son Yejin that surprisingly holds the heart of this story surrounding class disparity and the despair capitalistic systems can create. I was mesmerized by this beautifully macabre artistic wonder, and it’s no wonder that Chan-wook has the word masterpiece thrown around every time he drops. ADRIANO To the surprise of nobody who knows the name of director/co-writer Park Chan-wook, No Other Choice is another masterful piece of genre cinema. Starring Lee Byung-hun in one of the year's most compelling performances, Park uses his signature style of absurd editing and morally ambiguous characters to create a slapstick comedy-thriller with some bleak class commentary, taking the film in smart directions that go beyond the simple concept of lower-class desperation. He makes a devastating point that you'll have to see to believe. It's also very funny, and a glowing testament to the type of madman filmmaker Park is. NICK Park Chan-wook really has something with No Other Choice . Having only seen Oldboy previously, this was a bold reintroduction to the director's work. It’s incredibly difficult to make comedy work with subtitles because so much of it is about timing, but Chan-wook finds a way to expel that issue. Whether it’s the use of physical comedy or the facial expressions from star Lee Byung-hun (who is all-around great here), the comedy shines. Yet, Chan-wook still manages to find a place to include deep commentary on class and capitalism, wrap it all up with a striking final shot, and create an impressively layered film. QUENTIN Though I haven’t seen all his films, I consider myself a fan of director Park Chan-wook, especially Oldboy and The Handmaiden . That said, No Other Choice did very little for me. Sadly, at no point was I invested in Yoo Man-su’s (Lee Byung-hun) struggle, nor did I find this “black comedy thriller” to be very comedic or thrilling. Perhaps I simply wasn’t in the right mindset for subtitles, but the pacing - particularly in the lengthy second act - is languid, spending too much time on the first altercation, which ultimately stunts interest in where the story might be headed. Park can still frame a shot beautifully, though. This film was reviewed by Nick, Adriano, and Amarú as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.

BRUISED Starring: Halle Berry, Danny Boyd Jr., Adan Canto, Sheila Atim, Adriane Lenox, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Shamier Anderson Director: Halle Berry PAIGE Bruised is a film that uses the predictable and formulaic beats of a fighter’s comeback story, and one of the film’s best punches comes from the fight choreography. Halle Berry’s impressive work on both sides of the camera as the film’s lead and director (her debut) is also notable. Unfortunately, the script could have used a punch up, as you’re knocked down by cliche after cliche and the sheer volume of story. It’ll leave you wishing the film was a little bit more original. Sadly, Bruised barely leaves a mark on you. JACOB With Bruised , Halle Berry proves herself a capable action star, but also demonstrates that she may need a few more rounds before becoming a notable director. The filmmaking is competent enough, but there’s not much of a voice to be found or point being made that audiences will find unique. We’ve seen this kind of “fighter bounces back” film before and we’ll see it again, complete with the underdeveloped subplots and six training montages that mark this one’s entire runtime. It’s not the worst of Netflix’s releases this year by a stretch, but it’s certainly not one of its greats.