GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON'T DIE Starring: Sam Rockwell, Haley Lu Richardson, Micheal Peña, Zazie Beetz, Juno Temple, and Asim Chaudhry Director: Gore Verbinski AMARÚ If you believe you know where Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is headed, I promise that you don’t. Not in the opening, when a potentially patronizing sermon becomes engrossing due to Sam Rockwell’s innate charm, director Gore Verbinski’s kinetic direction, and composer Geoff Zanelli’s outstandingly quirky score. Not in the thick of it, when our depressingly disheartening reality gets soberingly spotlighted. Not in the end, when it’s a mindfuck. A never-ending mindfuck. I haven’t felt satirical hilarity like this since Shaun of the Dead , and while not exactly the same, the vibes are on the Cornetto Trilogy’ s similarly brilliant wavelengths. PAIGE Gore Verbinski’s Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is an insanely imaginative ride. While it may not be the first of its kind, it does present many original ideas that make this bizarre journey such a delight. The film takes a stupendously fun approach to tackling issues such as AI, doom scrolling, and where this all is leading our society. It won’t be for everyone, as it’s very zany, drags at points, and isn’t as impactful as I hoped. But its wacky and fun performances, specifically from Sam Rockwell and Haley Lu Richardson, make it worth watching another weird and innovative movie. NICK Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die doesn’t waste any time as director Gore Verbinski instantly sets a tone and drops you right into the chaos. It’s hilarious – thanks to a terrific Sam Rockwell and a well utilized supporting cast – and yet, terrifying due to its potentially prophetic nature. Verbinski has crafted a film that feels both larger-than-life and relatable as it tackles the trajectory of our screen-obsessed lives and the takeover of AI in a fantastical, yet alarmingly possible way. If a film like Mercy 's AI angle left a bad taste in your mouth, then this one is bound to wash it out. ROBERT I truly believe originality in storytelling doesn’t exist anymore. Unique films, however, are those that build a cogent story from a mosaic of past works that feels fresh despite all the obvious references; that sums up Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die . Dawn of the Dead ’s themes are pushed forward from 1978 to the world in which we currently reside and the future we fear. Sam Rockwell is a supernova: some parts Phil Connors from Groundhog Day and other parts James Cole from 12 Monkeys while the writing is incandescent with snappy dialogue and unexpected twists. I wanted to live in this world to no end. ADRIANO If you’re going to throw every single modern grievance into a melting pot, can you at least have something more interesting to say about it beyond self-satisfying nihilism? It’s a ton of fun to see Gore Verbinski going full stylistic overload again, but Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die operates with the same logic as a South Park episode, except not as funny and much too long. That said, I enjoyed a large chunk of this movie's zaniness, and even if it elicited more eyerolls than laughs, there’s a charm to Verbinski’s confidence, despite the empty script. BODE Perhaps some time in “director’s jail” is exactly what Gore Verbinski needed as the hard-to-define Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die finds the visionary director seemingly throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. From grievances about AI and the ubiquity of gun violence, to wacky concepts that include a minotaur with about a thousand kitten heads, it’s undoubtedly a mess. Yet and still, I had plenty of fun parsing through the muck due to Verbinski’s lively filmmaking, Sam Rockwell’s trademark charm, and affecting supporting turns from Juno Temple and Haley Lu Richardson. A much-needed return-to-form. Want to hear even more of our thoughts? Nick, Paige, and Adriano join Amarú to take A Bigger Bite out of Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die HERE .

WINNIE THE POOH: BLOOD AND HONEY Starring: Maria Taylor, Craig David Dowsett, Chris Cordell, Natasha Tosini, Natasha Rose Mills, Amber Doig-Thorne, Danielle Ronald, Danielle Scott, and Nikolai Leon Director: Rhys Frake-Waterfield DARRYL Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey is not a good film by any stretch of the imagination. While there's some merit to the idea of creating a story in the same vein of a 1970s slasher film, the execution of said idea fails on nearly every level. Rhys Frake-Waterfield's direction is suspect, the sound mix is horrible, and the acting is atrocious from all parties involved. The only possible saving grace is Vince Knight's cinematography, which, while as spotty as the rest of the film, manages to show a few moments of brilliance. This is a film to be avoided at all costs. JACOB To no one’s surprise, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey is a very bad movie with no actual characters, exquisitely bad performances, terribly designed sets, nonsensical cinematography, and a story and script that clearly didn’t make it past the outline stage. There’s not one choice made in this movie that’s not obscenely stupid, no moment that’s not way longer than it needs to be. This would all be kind of fun if that made it so the film treaded on “so bad it’s good” territory, but an overlong and repetitive third act squashes any notion of that being the case.

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.

CORNER OFFICE Starring: Jon Hamm, Danny Pudi, Sarah Gadon, Christopher Heyerdahl, Allison Riley, Bill Marchant, Kimberley Shoniker, Shawn Macdonald, Conor Stinson O'Gorman, Veena Sood, and June B. Wilde Director: Joachim Back PRESTON As if after nine rounds with Mike Tyson, I collapsed onto the couch and congratulated myself when the film’s credits signaled Corner Office was over. Without straining to find the artistic hidden gems, this movie simply fails in its intention. Working in a corporate environment can be maddening, but Orson’s (Jon Hamm) self-centered type of crazy puts everyone on the side of the corporation from the jump. The narration is tortuously constant, with observations of the obvious as the modus operandi for attempted humor. It fails as a “comedy,” and I mostly just felt sorry for Jon Hamm because he really deserves better. KATIE I feel like Corner Office had so much potential, but I was left disappointed. It seemed to be within arms’ reach of an interesting mystery or revelation, but the satire isn't compelling enough. Plus, it leans too much on its Kafka-esque, absurdist style and surreal imagery without having much to say or a point to make. It should have gone further and been stranger, but the film quickly lays all its cards on the table and reveals the enigma, or lack thereof, of the office room, leaving little worth sticking around for throughout its tedious duration. CALEB Director Joachim Back’s newest effort isn’t nearly as clever as I had hoped it might be. Unfortunately, Corner Office is a pretty toothless affair. For a satire meant to critique corporate culture and masculinity, the film offers shockingly little insight into either subject. The over-reliance on narration strips the script of its intrigue while simultaneously robbing Jon Hamm’s performance of any potential nuance. While I admire some of the set design and artistry, I feel like the film's stylistic decisions could’ve been much bolder. Despite a promising premise, Corner Office ends up falling flatter than a stack of paperwork.

TRON: ARES Starring: Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro, Gillian Anderson, and Jeff Bridges Director: Joachim Rønning QUENTIN In its best moments, Tron: Ares is a ground-breaking music video for Nine Inch Nails that took me back to the early 2000s. There also is a Lebowski-esque Jeff Bridges contributing a glorified cameo in one wonderfully nostalgic sequence, which…far out. Sadly, those excellent moments are wrapped in an empty movie that unsuccessfully attempts to add to the AI conversation, all while drenched in so much red that it’ll screw up your rods and cones (anyone get that reference?). With lackluster performances, one-dimensional characters, and often chaotic visuals, perhaps only Nine Inch Nails fans need apply. They likely won’t be as disappointed as this Tron fan. AMARÚ Tron: Ares is an absolute visual spectacle. Combined with Nine Inch Nails’ electric score and soundtrack, the technical aspects are hypnotizing, almost to the point of overstimulation. The breakneck speed in which you have to process information matches the film’s nonstop pace, both to its success and detriment. While the film’s foundation is plagued with the base-level, nefarious evil vs good plot points and dialogue, the second half finds a surprisingly balanced message about humanity, effectively conveyed by Jodie Turner-Smith and, yes, Jared Leto. If Tron 4 can avoid the mustache-twirling, I ultimately wouldn’t mind returning to this world. ADRIANO Disney has been a red flag for me recently, and separately, an even bigger red flag has been having Jared Leto in the cast. So I'm not shocked I didn't like Tron: Ares . What shocked me is how dull it is for a Tron movie, as nothing about the oversimplified plot, underwritten characters, and, worst of all, ugly visuals gave me anything to be entertained by outside of the kick-ass Nine Inch Nails score. I can tell you right now that I am not interested in the sequel that was hamfistedly set up at the end. ROBERT Permanence, The Grid, Master Control…these are just words Tron: Ares uses to cobble together a script and world to push forward the action of the film. However, in reality, the purpose of a Tron film, especially at this point, is to saturate an audience’s brain with retro-futuristic visuals of a 1980s video game landscape and hard-hitting music tracks. In that capacity, Ares is successful. Everything else is not memorable. That said, Jared Leto, as the AI Ares, does his most credible acting as a program learning to be human since, in real life, he too is a robot pretending to be one of us. BODE I’d be lying if I said I went into Tron: Ares with high expectations. I’m not particularly fond of Jared Leto as a movie star, and given his previous Disney sequels, I didn’t think director Joachim Rønning was ideal to keep this franchise going. That’s why I’m shocked that I found it totally fine. The plot isn’t anything to write home about, and it doesn’t meaningfully add to the AI conversation. But the techno-futuristic visuals are still pretty stunning, and the Nine Inch Nails score goes expectedly hard. It works purely as an audiovisual experience. No more, no less.

TICK, TICK... BOOM! Starring: Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesús, Vanessa Hudgens, MJ Rodriguez, Jonathan Marc Sherman, Joshua Henry, Bradley Whitford, Judith Light, and Ben Levi Ross Director: Lin-Manuel Miranda JAMES Writers are desperate to know that their toils and sacrifices won’t be in vain, but there comes a moment in every writer’s life when they must set their ego aside in order to become a true artist. Tick, Tick…Boom! perfectly captures that moment. Andrew Garfield is the heart and soul of the movie, and his passion and energy are infectious. He once again demonstrates his talent, range, and authenticity as a performer. For every laugh-out-loud joke he delivers, he also sells a raw, painful monologue on the loss of his friends to the ravages of HIV/AIDS. JACOB Perhaps less polished on the technical side than it could have been, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s directorial debut is a fire-starter. Tick, Tick…Boom! is almost certain to capture the heart of anyone who watches it and is guaranteed to charm Broadway and musical fans of all kinds. Andrew Garfield is sensational as Jonathan Larson, his performance carrying both the film and the music to heights it otherwise might not have reached (“30/90” being a particular standout). Robin de Jesús also charms as Michael, often propelling the more emotionally-driven through lines forward with grace and deep empathy. My former-theater-actor-heart loved it. ADRIANO As someone who loves musicals, I loved nearly every moment of Tick, Tick…Boom!. For a directorial debut, Lin-Manuel Miranda knocks it out of the park with a style that feels like it’s from someone who has been directing for years. Andrew Garfield gives a career best performance, showing the manic energy of someone on cocaine and genuine heartbreaking emotion. From a storytelling standpoint, the film explores an extremely relatable crisis with an upbeat, sharp, and anxiety-inducing energy mixed with catchy-as-hell musical numbers. It all blends together perfectly. This is a very promising debut that I couldn’t get enough of. NICK 2021 will likely go down as the year of the musical thanks to some gems for the genre. However, Tick, Tick... Boom! is the best of them all. From someone who isn’t a big Andrew Garfield fan, he is flat out excellent here. Whether it’s acting or singing, he commands the screen in what may be the best performance of his career. The other major standout in this film is the music. The tunes are catchy and memorable, and the way director Lin-Manuel Miranda incorporates them deserves praise as well. A solid debut behind the camera for Miranda.

ATLAS Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Simu Liu, Sterling K. Brown, Mark Strong, and Abraham Popoola Director: Brad Peyton CALEB Atlas is as generic as sci-fi movies come, and its bland, underdeveloped world is brought to life with some of the ugliest CGI I’ve ever witnessed. The action sequences look like weightless video game cutscenes, and the green screen utilisation is comedically terrible. For what it’s worth, Jennifer Lopez does a decent job, even if far too much of the movie revolves around her screaming from the inside of a mech’s cockpit. I know Atlas is a film about embracing A.I., but something tells me the screenwriters may have embraced it a little too much. QUENTIN Even with the lowest of expectations, Atlas is a complete failure. You’re essentially watching Jennifer Lopez Facetime with an A.I. system amongst a collection of terribly rendered CGI visuals. And when I say “terribly rendered” — man, are they bad. They are the kind of super glossy and plastic-y looking cutscenes you would find in the cheapest of early 2000s video games. That aside, the story (such as it is), is a hodge-podge of other, better sci-fi movies, including The Terminator , Aliens , and Pacific Rim . Hopefully, this puts the nail in the “apocalyptic A.I.” genre’s coffin for a while.

LOUSY CARTER Starring: David Krumholtz, Martin Starr, Olivia Thirlby, Luxy Banner, Jocelyn DeBoer, and Stephen Root Director: Bob Byington AMARÚ If there was a cinematic representation of the term “smart ass,” Lousy Carter would be it. It’s an irreverently dry comedy that is the perfect vehicle for David Krumholtz’s vindictively hilarious brand of humor. Director Bob Byington utilizes disjointed editing and a cheeky score to emphasize sardonic performances that fit together into a charming ensemble of delightful assholes. Like many assholes you know and love (or at least tolerate), Carter can, at times, be too smart for its own good, meandering in its sarcastic wit, but it’s shockingly flippant bluntness definitely delivers an unequivocally unique experience you can’t help but enjoy. NICK Lousy Carter is another entry into the sub-genre I like to call “British-styled humour in American film.” It's dry… like, sandpaper dry. It’s awkward, occasionally veering towards the point of cringe. Most importantly, though, it's funny. Sure, it doesn't set the world on fire, but it's a perfectly cromulent indie comedy enhanced by an oddly engaging David Krumholtz as the grumpy curmudgeon left to face his own mortality. Although a strong argument could be made that this would have been better served as a short film, it's still a brisk watch that provides solid entertainment.

FIRESTARTER Starring: Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Zac Efron, Gloria Reuben, and Kurtwood Smith Director: Keith Thomas PAIGE What’s the saying, “if you play with fire, you’ll get burned?” For the remake of Firestarter , that statement is very much true. It has no spark of life or purpose, failing to rise to even its moderate potential. The film needs more plot to give us just a sliver of an emotional connection to its characters, and don’t get me started on how poor the fire visual effects are. The only thrilling thing about this flick is John Carpenter's score, but not even that could save this movie from the flames. JACOB Despite an intriguing premise, Firestarter can’t be bothered to follow through on a single idea it presents across its 94-minute runtime. Each time the film finds a new direction to follow, it abruptly shifts in tone and cadence, trying to be everything but committing to nothing. Is it a superhero movie? A domestic thriller? A horror film? These questions are never answered, and poor Zac Efron can’t seem to catch a break as his tentpole hopes are once again dashed. Inconsistent characterizations and vague gestures at genre commitment can’t save something this underdeveloped.

LEE Starring: Kate Winslet, Alexander Skarsgård, Marion Cottilard, Andrea Risebrough, Andy Samberg, and Josh O'Connor Director: Ellen Kuras NICK There’s no doubt that Kate Winslet gives a spectacular and awards-worthy performance as Lee Miller; however, the film that features her, Lee , has its share of challenges. The approach taken in recounting her story feels like a cheap way to bypass plot points and make up for the lack of a cohesive narrative. Had the moments it focused on been more riveting, perhaps that could be overlooked, but the pacing is actually fairly slow. It is evident Lee Miller was an accomplished and nuanced photographer, so it’s very frustrating to see that a film about her work lacks artistic creativity. ADRIANO There seems to be this misconception in Hollywood that a movie can coast on just the power of its true story. Lee is another victim of this mentality because, while the story of Lee Miller is interesting, the film does nothing to distinguish itself beyond great performances from Kate Winslet and Andy Samberg. It tries to comment on sexism and war, but that doesn't go anywhere beyond finger-wagging. Motivations aren't entirely clear, and the film falls victim to a bizarre framing device that confuses more than delivers. I'm probably gonna forget Lee very quickly. PRESTON I spent much of Lee thinking it was somehow disjointed, and even contemplated copping out with a dodgy comment like, “something’s missing.” Fortunately, it turns out to be one of those films where you don’t know how cool it is until you’ve reached the end, when everything gets tied together in a somewhat forced, but satisfying fashion. An invested Kate Winslet single-handedly brings the gripping, real-life story of war-correspondent Lee Miller to…well…life. The method may feel like standard fare, but the underlying story to this biopic, told through a committed Winslet, is anything but. QUENTIN Despite a committed performance from Kate Winslet and a solid against-type showing from Andy Samberg, Lee doesn’t offer much to engage the viewer. The beats of Lee Miller’s (Winslet) life feel cherry-picked and rushed, as if perhaps more interesting tidbits were left on the editing room floor simply to make for a shorter runtime, and while it certainly shows some atrocities of war, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. Plus, the awkward framing device of a story being told in flashback is wholly unnecessary (especially the “reveal”). This all results in a film that fails to make the viewer truly invested. It’s beautifully shot, though. This film was reviewed by Adriano, Nick, and Quentin as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival and 2024 Zurich Film Festival respectively.

PAIN HUSTLERS Starring: Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Andy Garcia, Chloe Coleman, and Catherine O'Hara Director: David Yates NICK I find difficulty in enjoying movies where all the characters are despicable people doing despicable things, which is exactly what Pain Hustlers is. There is just no one to root for, so I was left watching things unfold, quietly waiting for everyone to get their comeuppance. It doesn’t take the opioid crisis very seriously, which would be fine had it leaned further into the comedy, but it approaches things too straight-faced (same issue as Dumb Money ). This made it all feel… cruel. That said, there likely will be an audience for this B-movie version of The Wolf of Wall Street , but I’m not it. ADRIANO Pain Hustlers wants to be The Wolf of Wall Street so badly that it forgot to be good…at all. It wants to have it both ways in its approach to the opioid crisis: highlighting the depravity of the people pushing the drugs while also attempting a humanizing character study. Sadly, it fails at both, especially considering how tame the movie really is. In short, it’s too easy. It offers simple answers and takes quick shortcuts in how it handles the subject matter. If you want a good example of style over substance, look no further. PRESTON Pain Hustlers is one long pharmaceutical-movie trope that flirts with being cliché. It is based on a highly fictionalized true story that takes generous liberties to sell the viewer and inject some emotional connection. That said, director David Yates mostly succeeds in his intention, even if it feels a little choppy and stylistically conflicted. Emily Blunt and Chris Evans are fantastic, playing the traumatized hustlers in a way that gives the film some realism, but also diametrically opposing the intended indictment of the opioid crisis. Despite its faults, I guiltily admit to finding this film to be acceptably serviceable entertainment. QUENTIN The fact that Pain Hustlers is so blatantly derivative, like Dopesick through the lens of The Wolf of Wall Street and The Big Short , means that the story and character arcs feel secondary to simply capturing “the vibe.” It also doesn’t help that, at this point, movies (and series) covering the opioid epidemic already feel played out. That said, there are enough singular moments to make it relatively entertaining, even if it’s not likely to stick with you, including a fiery (and rapping) Chris Evans in full Boston accent, Emily Blunt being her typical awesome self, a nice soundtrack, and an appealingly shiny veneer. CALEB Pain Hustlers may fancy itself as the next The Wolf of Wall Street or The Big Short , but it feels like a low-budget imitation of those films rather than something that can stand alongside them. The flashy soundtrack, narration, and cut-away interview segments all feel extremely derivative and inappropriate. The soulless script isn’t exactly brought to life by Emily Blunt or Chris Evans either, with it being strikingly clear that neither of them have the charisma to carry something like this. At its best, Pain Hustlers is forgettable; at its worst, it’s downright offensive. PAIGE Pain Hustlers tries very much to be like The Wolf of Wall Street of pharmaceutical movies, and while it may be somewhat superficial, it excels in the entertainment department. What makes this flick work so well is the story and cast. The story itself is wildly captivating, but still manages to feel grounded and real, and the top-notch cast seems to be having a blast portraying these characters. Yes, admittedly, the film doesn’t say anything new about money or greed, but it remains a light watch about the drug crisis that is worth your time. This film was reviewed by Nick and Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

APEX Starring: Charlize Theron, Taron Egerton, and Eric Bana Director: Baltasar Kormákur PAIGE Netflix’s Apex doesn’t quite rise to the top of its genre as it’s fairly forgettable. But, this fast-paced game of cat-and-mouse at least manages to deliver some gripping moments throughout its 90-minute runtime. While the plot is completely predictable and doesn’t really offer anything beyond the bare minimum, it’s held together by two committed performances. Apex allows Charlize Theron to play a fearless badass like it’s her day job and gives Taron Egerton the chance to show off a new side of himself, playing an unhinged murderous Aussie. All in all, the overall film is mediocre at best. ROBERT About 15 minutes into Apex , I thought there were flashes of an interesting movie about a woman dealing with grief in the beauty of natural isolation. Then, the premise hit, and it became a somewhat mundane thriller that I think both Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton are too good for as dramatic actors. The director of Contraband and 2 Guns (Baltasar Kormákur) knows how to build some frenetic pacing and action, but not a cohesive movie. My nervousness was ratcheted up high at points, but with so much riding on the push and pull of the two leads, it wasn’t as taut as needed.