THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB Starring: Saja Kilani, Motaz Malhees, Clara Khoury, and Amer Hlehel Director: Kaouther Ben Hania ADRIANO Using the real audio of Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old girl killed by Israeli soldiers in Gaza, it's very easy to see how The Voice of Hind Rajab is highly effective. Any movie that brings audience attention to the active genocide is worthwhile in my opinion, but showcasing as many perspectives as possible is as well. In this film, the dramatization of an emergency call centre showcases the desperation to save as many people as possible in Gaza, and combined with the heart shattering reality that it's just not possible sometimes, it's a heavy but necessary watch. AMARÚ The Voice of Hind Rajab is a devastating film that should be watched by all who can. The use of real recordings of the Gaza atrocities could easily manipulate audiences, but instead, with the combination of outstanding performances from Saja Kilani, Amer Hlehel, and Motaz Malhees, it humanizes situations in which the globe has become all too numb. Seeing the movie play out through the impossibly no-win scenarios that humanitarians face daily keeps the film grounded, and hopefully creates a spark to make real change in hearts and minds everywhere. This film, Kaouther Ben Hania’s direction, and its cast are an absolute triumph. This film was reviewed by Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.

WATCH THE SKIES Starring: Inez Dahl Torhaug, Jesper Barkselius, Sara Shirpey, Eva Melander, Håkan Ehn, and Isabelle Kyed Director: Victor Danell KATIE Watch the Skies is a charming sci-fi adventure with a lot of heart. It’s a genuinely engaging family film that is fun and exciting without being childish, featuring an endearing cast of kooky characters, a retro 80s aesthetic, and a compelling mystery. Although it is slightly overlong, it is mostly well-paced and maintains a sense of suspense and intrigue, and the extraterrestrial enigma takes an unexpected but interesting turn. Notably, this is also the first feature film to be visually dubbed using AI, and I admit I didn’t notice anything that would indicate that fact. ADRIANO I think there are moments where Watch the Skies had an almost self-aware nature that felt like more of a cop-out for the familiarity of the film, but otherwise, the film is very enjoyable and sincere. Sometimes it's not about being totally new, but approaching it compassionately and beautifully. Yeah, I’ve seen this found-family sci-fi adventure before, but am I really supposed to not fall for its spell? I found this film engaging and endearing, a combination of factors that can only do one thing: put a big ol' smile on my face. QUENTIN Watch the Skies is a charming enough throwback to the days of Amblin family entertainment, with movies like Explorers , E.T. , and Flight of the Navigator coming to mind. The dubbing technology, which used AI to make the performers lips match the English dubbing from Swedish language, gets a little wonky at times, but it generally works to cancel out the usual disconnect that comes with dubbing. My only real complaint is that the movie gets confusing in the end with the overly technical and rushed reveals. The journey getting to that point was enjoyable, but it lost me once it went over my head.

THE NAPA BOYS Starring: Armen Weitzman, Nick Corirossi, Sarah Ramos, Mike Mitchell, Jamar Malachi Neighbors, Chloe Cherry, Vanessa Chester, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, DJ Qualls, Ray Wise, David Wain, and Paul Rust Director: Nick Corirossi ADRIANO The Napa Boys , in all honesty, feels like a feature-length inside joke pretending to be a legacy sequel to a fake beloved franchise. I understand why some wouldn't find that sense of humour very funny, but when the movie casually throws out that the boys have to “find Stiffler's brother” without any prior context, that's when I knew this American Reunion meets Lord of the Rings parody film was gonna land for me. It's very aimless at times, but I laughed more often than I didn't. BODE Look, comedy is subjective. What one person finds funny, the other may not. That becomes even more obvious when you enter the realm of alternative comedy, which The Napa Boys falls very much into. Co-writers and co-stars Nick Corirossi (who also directed) and Armen Weitzman essentially create a feature-length shitpost akin to Wet Hot American Summer , satirizing our IP-obsessed culture with tons of inside jokes and gross-out gags. If that doesn’t sound like your thing, this could very well test your patience. But if you’re like me, you’ll be laughing throughout. To the grape! This film was reviewed by Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.

THE RUNNING MAN Starring: Glen Powell, Josh Brolin, Colman Domingo, Jayme Lawson, Lee Pace, Katy O’Brian, Michael Cera, William H. Macy, Daniel Ezra, and Emilia Jones Director: Edgar Wright AMARÚ For a movie tailor-made to fit Edgar Wright’s stylish directorial flair, The Running Man is surprisingly muted. That’s probably because it vacillated tones so often that the visuals could never settle into any kind of groove, and that’s the film's biggest issue. While Glen Powell goes full ham-fisted fuck the system, the story turns from schlock to serious and back so quickly that characters, plot points, and action bits arrive and disappear in a flash. If we’re going to pay homage to 80s camp, then stick to it; otherwise, what’s left is a lot of false starts to fun ideas that often fizzle out. ADRIANO The Running Man is the most disappointed I've been this year. That's not to say it's bad; it has some fun energy and entertainment value, thanks in part to Glen Powell's movie-star charisma, alongside Colman Domingo chewing the hell out of his scenes. However, Edgar Wright's signature freneticism is oddly absent, aside from a few split-second moments, making the action uncharacteristically flat. It's a serviceable action-comedy at worst, but with an extra dose of punches being pulled with its totalitarianism messaging. I wouldn't be this upset had it not been Wright, but it's too forgettable for such an amazing filmmaker. PAIGE For most of the runtime of The Running Man, I was quite entertained. The cat and mouse chases and action sequences were fun as hell throughout, and Glen Powell proves he has the charisma to be an action star. Where the movie goes off the rails for me is in its third act. By that point it becomes tiresome, as it continuously beats you over the head with its themes, and the story has nowhere near the depth needed to make me fully care about what it’s trying to say. Overall, it has a lot of ingredients to be a great action movie, but it’s missing the impact needed to leave a lasting impression. BODE I’ll probably always have some affection for director Edgar Wright given that he’s made some of my favourite movies ever. But between Last Night in Soho and, now, The Running Man , he’s on an alarming trend of being unable to stick the landing after promising starts. Though it lacks his signature style and its cultural commentary isn’t particularly insightful, the first two-thirds of this are still pretty fun, thanks to some solid setpieces and a game cast. However, the third act becomes so overstuffed that it practically runs out of steam before its conclusion. It’s serviceable as is, but I had hoped for more. ROBERT It is interesting how “fun,” in terms of a movie-watching experience, can span the spectrum of positive to negative based on our expectations. For Edgar Wright and The Running Man , given the climate of 2025 action movies, fun shouldn’t just be written off; however, given our history with this filmmaker, it is. The practicality of the action setpieces and the bombast are worthy of Wright’s imagination, but the inability to thread the tonal needle keeps everything off kilter. Confusion abounds, especially in the third act when the plot is dragged out illogically and without purpose. Cool film, but it lacks a binding agent. QUENTIN Given director Edgar Wright’s reputation, it’s surprising The Running Man is so flat. On paper, it has all the elements of an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride: a fun premise, excellent source material, rich and timely themes, a skilled filmmaker in Wright, and Glen Powell’s roguish charisma. However, in execution, those elements come together to generate dispassionate indifference. It boasts a fast-paced glossiness that sublimates a fun time at the movies, but that shine is a superficial shell covering for a rushed story, complete lack of character depth, and action scenes that barely get the blood pumping. Overall, The Running Man is forgettably fine, but ultimately disappointing. NICK Director Edgar Wright paired with Glen Powell to remake one of Arnold’s classics? That should be easy money. Yet, somehow, The Running Man is uninspired and forgettable. Wright commits a cardinal cinema sin by showing what this film could have been through the Michael Cera scene (the clear highlight), which emphasizes just how flat everything else looks and feels. Even Glen Powell struggles to elevate the material beyond middling. I had high hopes for this one, but it’s, at best, no better than some of the straight to streaming actioners we've gotten this year. Want to hear even more of our thoughts? Nick, Adriano, and Amarú join Matt to take A Bigger Bite out of The Running Man HERE .

A NICE INDIAN BOY Starring: Karan Soni, Jonathan Groff, Sunita Mani, Harish Patel, Zarna Garg, and Peter S. Kim Director: Roshan Sethi KATIE A Nice Indian Boy is a sweet, feel-good film that presents the classic meet-the-parents rom-com with a twist. It's not a particularly original concept, as it reminded me a lot of East is East , but audiences rarely get to see gay characters in these cliché romantic scenarios. In that sense, it's refreshing and very moving. The leads, Karan Soni playing Naveen, and Jonathan Groff playing Jay, have great chemistry, but I would have loved a little more exploration of Jay’s character. Overall, A Nice Indian Boy is a heart-warming, comforting watch with genuine laughs and maybe a few tears. AMARÚ A Nice Indian Boy is a sweet romantic-comedy of old with touching modern day flourishes. The comedic timing coming from Karan Soni’s awkward energy makes for big laughs and palpable opposites-attract chemistry between him and Jonathan Groff, the latter whose charm pops off the screen. Soni, on the other hand, might portray one of the most irritating, self-deprecating rom-com characters I’ve ever come across, but the honest emotions their relationship forcefully uncovers makes for sincere familial drama amongst the typical romance beats. I said it already, but no other word works so fittingly than calling A Nice Indian Boy tremendously sweet.

THE ROYAL HOTEL Starring: Julia Garner, Jessica Henwick, Hugo Weaving, Toby Wallace, Daniel Henshall, James Frecheville, and Ursula Yovich Director: Kitty Green ADRIANO Does every narrative beat in The Royal Hotel work? Not necessarily. However, Kitty Green's latest film takes you on a thrill ride that rarely ever lets up. Scenes are tension-filled to an uncomfortable degree from start to finish, all in service of its themes of toxic masculinity and male fragility, anchored by great performances from Julia Garner and Jessica Henwick. The ending left me a little perplexed, if not slightly dissatisfied, but the film's commentaries and approach kept me thinking long after the credits rolled. NICK The Royal Hotel succeeds mainly due to its commentary on toxic masculinity and predatory culture. This is enhanced by the way director Kitty Green contrasts the present and assumed fears women deal with in male-dominated environments with the consequences (or lack thereof) many men face for their actions. Green particularly excels in showing the varying “levels of evil” of the men Julia Garner's Hanna and Jessica Henwick's Liv cross paths with on their journey. The Royal Hotel may not be the most exhilarating film, but it has a lot to say which deserves to be heard. QUENTIN Although it has admirable intent and is overall well done, The Royal Hotel is a surface-level exploration of toxic masculinity and the constant threat women must always endure. However, frankly, setting it at a remote bar with zero women near a roughneck mining camp in middle-of-nowhere Australia (a triumvirate of toxic masculinity) undercuts the message a bit. Look, the things that happen to Hanna (Julia Garner) and Liv (Jessica Henwick) are despicable, but…if an innocent person willfully walks into a lion’s den, pokes the lion, then gets attacked, part of me wonders, “what did you think would happen?” I couldn’t move past that thought while watching. This film was reviewed by Adriano and Nick as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

MADAME WEB Starring: Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O’Connor, Tahar Rahim, Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, and Adam Scott Director: S.J. Clarkson ADRIANO In a purely ironic sense, Madame Web is kind of a miracle of a film. Something of a remarkable achievement in its own way. A film where not one thing is good is something that can't be done on purpose, right? Every line reading is off, the story is total nonsense, and the editing is a choppy mess. I truly don't know how many misfires it's going to take for Sony to realize that they need to give up the Spider-Man rights. If this isn't the final nail in the coffin for the Sony-verse, I don't know what is. AMARÚ Who at Sony keeps signing off on this bullshit? No amount of Spider-Man connections, off-kilter camera shots, and edgy flashbacks can save Madame Web from its poor writing, lethargic action and nonsensical… everything. It doesn’t even have dialogue. Instead of actually talking to each other, people are speaking clichés into a void while their scene partners respond in kind without listening, encapsulated by the most automated-voice-message-system villain I’ve ever experienced. I just hope all the film’s creatives go on to do great things, and pray that Aaron Taylor-Johnson survives whatever Kraven The Hunter has in store. Sony must be stopped. PAIGE When you leave Madame Web , be ready to clear cobwebs out of your eyes, because the Sony-verse may put you to sleep with this dull, lackluster entry. Sincerely, I'm not entirely sure what the studio had in mind when it released this movie. It has horrendous writing, illogical editing, dreadful ADR, and horrible visual effects. Nothing about this origin story is explored enough to make any sense, leaving me with a lot more questions than answers. I genuinely feel bad for the film’s actresses since they tried their best to get through delivering this soulless material. CALEB Madame Web reeks of apathy. The direction is uninspired, the script plays out like a first draft, and the editing is sloppy and disorienting. All of the actors phone it in, but Dakota Johnson’s performance is laughably unenthusiastic. She clearly doesn’t want to be there, and considering how bad the material is, I can’t really blame her. Madame Web is plagued by a lot of problems, but the biggest one is the unmistakable lack of passion from all those involved. If Sony wants audiences to care about these Spider-Man D-listers, then they should convince their filmmakers to care about them first.

GET AWAY Starring: Nick Frost, Sebastian Croft, Aisling Bea, Maisie Ayres, Eero Milonoff, Anitta Suikkari Director: Steffen Haars KATIE Get Away is a horror-comedy that presents an amusing twist on folk horror tropes, and I was immediately on board with the awkward humour and jabs taken at the family’s cringe-worthy attempts to respect the culture whilst being oblivious to their ignorance. Nick Frost excels in familiar horror-comedy territory, but Aisling Bea is the standout, nailing every line delivery. The unexpected twist is great when it's initially revealed, but I found the build-up was better. Plus, after the novelty wears off, it raises a lot of questions that go unanswered and the short runtime begins to drag. QUENTIN If not for an out-of-nowhere twist and tonal shift around the halfway point, Get Away wouldn’t have much going for it. Even as it is, the twist is so rushed and undeveloped that it can’t fully save the picture. Otherwise, this is a comedy-horror that is neither funny nor scary, and despite clocking in at only 80 minutes, it’s still too long. Granted, there is some gleeful carnage to be found in the final act, but it’s just carnage for carnage’s sake. That might be enough for some, and I can’t fault those people, but I need more.

OUTCOME Starring: Keanu Reeves, Jonah Hill , Cameron Diaz, Matt Bomer, Ivy Wolk, Laverne Cox, Roy Wood Jr., Atsuko Okatsuka, and Martin Scorsese Director: Jonah Hill NICK I've never particularly been a Jonah Hill fan, but his directing has been well-received. That's why despite a lacklustre trailer, I checked out his latest film, Outcome . I wish I didn't. Not only is this film largely unfunny, but it often feels misguided and out of touch. Instead of offering something authentic, its commentary on things such as “wokeness" and cancel culture feels like something your uninformed uncle would post on Facebook. Even the notable cast can’t salvage this, especially Keanu Reeves, who has his worst attributes as an actor spotlighted here. I don’t know who this film is for but it certainly isn’t me. AMARÚ Outcome is a weird film. It pits my unabashed love for Keanu Reeves and how devastated I’d be if he was a secret dick with how annoyed I was at the Hollywood archetypes that writer/director Jonah Hill included and portrayed in the film. I think Hill is trying to say something about cancel culture, about the real human beings behind their mistakes (using Reeves to portray that humanity is genius), and about the extremes social media yells into echo chambers. The film’s one-on-one dialogues reflect the tangible consequences that social media often disregards. Everything else (especially when Hill is on screen) is an unfunny embellishment. ROBERT For an 84-minute movie, Outcome tries to apply meta commentary on numerous subjects, predominantly on celebrity in the social media age. The weird thing is that not very much happens, as the relation we have to Reef Hawk’s (Keanu Reeves) drug addiction and sobriety is only what we are told; we don’t see much as it’s hyper-focused on stuff that seems rather silly in context. Some of the dramatic beats hit, and I am happy to see Reeves stretch a little in this light, but the “funny” parts don’t inspire laughs, outside of one bit with pictures.

A DISTURBANCE IN THE FORCE Starring: Kevin Smith, Seth Green ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic, Gilbert Gottfried, Taran Killam, Paul Scheer, and Donny Osmond Directors: Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak This film has been reviewed by Nick and Paige as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2023 Fantasia International Film Festival. NICK The almost mythic Star Wars Holiday Special has long been discussed as the worst piece of Star Wars content ever created. Unfortunately, this documentary shows there really isn’t much more to say beyond that. Notable names such as Kevin Smith, Seth Green, the late Gilbert Gottfried, and more are interviewed, but they’re almost there to mask the lack of story there is to tell. It was a variety special featuring the original cast doing musical numbers, numerous Golden Age TV guest stars, and a whole bunch of Wookies (some doing questionable things). No big conspiracy here, just a bad decision everyone involved wishes never happened. PAIGE Even though A Disturbance in the Force tries to dive further into the reasons why the Star Wars Holiday Special was created and why it was such a hot mess of a disaster without saying anything new, this documentary is actually more of a celebration of the pop culture phenomenon through interviews and archival footage. This hilarious and entertaining doc caters to die-hard Star Wars fans. While it feels like a time capsule for this fandom, it’s an intriguing study on this bizarre case that occurred in entertainment.

THE LEGEND OF OCHI Starring: Helena Zengel, Willem Dafoe, Finn Wolfhard, and Emily Watson Director: Isaiah Saxon NICK You’re going to hear this phrase in plenty of The Legend of Ochi reviews, but there’s no other way to describe it: this is A24's take on an 80s Amblin film. It even uses animatronics and puppetry to enhance its nostalgia. Having said that, it can be a bit messy due to some of the narrative shortcuts it takes, and although that won’t be as noticeable to the children who watch, this is a family film, so you want everyone to enjoy and follow. It’s fine for what it is, but some refining would have made it better. The little Ochi is adorable, though. ADRIANO There's a clear goal in mind in The Legend of Ochi to recapture the magic of 80s fantasy-family films, and in that regard, there is success. It resides in a bizarre alt-reality setting that the movie has a lot of fun with, down to the gorgeous cinematography and score. The movie soars highest when focusing on Helena Zengel and the adorable Ochi creature and less on the family drama stuff. That part gets a little messy, but the "accepting your weirdness" aspect of the core plot was endearing and cute enough to hold my attention throughout.

MOANA 2 Starring: Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Hualālai Chung, Rose Matafeo, David Fane, Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Alan Tudyk, and Rachel House Directors: Jason Hand, David G. Derrick Jr., and Dana Ledoux Miller AMARÚ Moana 2 is more than just a solid follow up to one of Disney’s best 21st century original animated features, it’s a natural continuation to one of their best hero’s story. With more heart than the first, if that’s even possible, this sequel keeps its themes rooted in family and culture, making even the most trope-ish of Disney plotlines emotional, funny, and magical. The story is pretty straightforward, with curses, omens, and signs we’ve all seen before, but the delightful new characters, especially “Lil Sis” Simea (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda), great new music, and sincere themes make for a beautiful time for all to enjoy. ADRIANO Moana 2 is a fascinating one. Not because it's amazing or because it's awful, but because it's neither. It is just so aggressively nothing. This film was supposed to be a Disney+ series that was re-edited into a movie, and it shows since so much of the story and character development were seemingly left on the editing room floor. The adventure plot is serviceable enough, and Auli'i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson are great once again, but aside from Moana (Cravalho), none of the characters are given emotional weight. Plus, I couldn't hum any of the songs right now for the life of me. It's just so forgettable.