ARCO Starring: Romy Fay, Natalie Portman, Will Ferrell, America Ferrera, Flea, Mark Ruffalo, and Andy Samberg Director: Ugo Bienvenu ADRIANO Arco breaks no barriers in any sense, either in animation or thematically, but it's another piece of evidence that maintaining a level of genuine care for itself will yield great results. The narrative about finding connection at a young age is nothing new, and the animation clearly takes from Studio Ghibli at times. Still, I couldn't help but feel warmth from the story and look in awe at some of the film's visuals, mixed in with creative world-building and mythology that caught my attention. At some point, Arco’s familiarity just didn't even faze me anymore. AMARÚ Watching the English dub of Arco unfortunately affected my enjoyment of a pretty interesting film as I couldn’t help but wonder if one-third of the key vocal performances (Flea, Will Ferrell, and Andy Samberg’s bumbling brothers) didn’t translate well from their French counterparts. I was more interested in Iris (Romy Fay) and her Earthbound world than the flat titular character (Juliano Krue Valdi), so that trio’s overt cheesiness made it even harder to fully connect to the plot. Luckily, Iris’ family had an intriguing enough story that the less compelling characters didn’t make me lose all interest. BODE Many have dubbed director Ugo Bienvenu’s Arco “France’s answer to Studio Ghibli,” and I can see why. Its art style is as fluid and elegant as some of their best work, there’s a mix of optimism and cynicism in its environmental message that’s characteristic of Hayao Miyazaki himself, and composer Arnaud Toulon’s lush score manages to evoke the great Joe Hisashi without feeling overtly derivative. The elements are there, but it’s lacking when it comes to its storytelling and world-building, which makes it difficult to fully invest in its emotional stakes. Again, I get the acclaim, but for me, it’s only decent. This film was reviewed by Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.

SORRY, BABY Starring: Eva Victor, Naomi Ackie, Lucas Hedges, John Carroll Lynch, Louis Cancelmi, and Kelly McCormack Director: Eva Victor ADRIANO It's surreal watching a film so confidently directed and perfectly paced, only to remember that it’s a feature directorial debut. Writer/Director Eva Victor had every opportunity to take conventional approaches in Sorry, Baby , perhaps even to emphasize the seemingly personal trauma presented and highlight its tragedy. Instead, she chooses a nuanced approach that's both hopeful and hilarious, with many moments to breathe in the protagonist's (played by Victor herself) arrested development, but the tone is so unique that it always feels like it's moving. The more I sit with this, the more I find reasons to love Sorry, Baby . BODE If you became familiar with Eva Victor through their viral tweets and comedy shorts, I’d have to imagine the quiet ambition of her directorial debut Sorry, Baby will be something of a shock. But the more you settle into it, the more you’ll realize that it’s a good shock. Victor depicts the before, during, and after of a traumatic event assuredly, effectively balancing gallows humour with tender perception, and with restrained camerawork that allows the lived-in performances and sweet intimacy to breathe. Certain aspects can feel exaggerated (for a film that’s mostly grounded), but still, it’s pretty solid.

FREELANCE Starring: John Cena, Alison Brie, Juan Pablo Raba, Alice Eve, Marton Csokas, and Christian Slater Director: Pierre Morel QUENTIN Both John Cena and Alison Brie have proven themselves to be funny, charming, and capable of delivering dramatic nuance. That said, Freelance is a blemish on both their records. It’s like someone tried to remake The Rundown from memory. I’ll give it a little credit for not being quite as predictable as I expected, but between the jokes that don’t land and the lifeless action scenes (not to mention one sequence with Expendables 4 -level green screening, which is to say terrible), almost everyone involved, except for Juan Pablo Raba (a genuine and charismatic delight), should be ashamed of themselves. NICK Although we've already learned that John Cena is best suited to comedies, Freelance once again attempts to make him an action star. The results make The Marine look like a tour de force. Where do I start? Cena and Alison Brie have no chemistry, the comedy is non-existent, the action is thoroughly generic, and I found myself checking out multiple times in spite of being wide awake. Early in his career, Dwayne Johnson branched out of WWE to do a film called The Rundown . Freelance is basically a worse version of that film in every single way. This one’s bargain bin bound.

GODZILLA MINUS ONE Starring: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yûki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Miou Tanaka, Yûya Endô, Kisuke Iida, and Sae Nagatani Director: Takashi Yamazaki CALEB Minus One understands Godzilla . Director Takashi Yamazaki harkens back to the original 1954 film Gojira , telling a profound story that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit when faced with the devastation of war. It delivers jaw-dropping spectacle, that’s made even more impressive once you factor in its relatively small budget. Godzilla looks phenomenal, with the VFX properly utilizing weight and scale to make him feel larger than life. Outside of some pacing issues, I had very little to complain about. With terrifying monster mayhem, and a genuinely touching human story, Minus One is the movie Godzilla fans have been waiting for. QUENTIN For a person who is Godzilla agnostic, Minus One has essentially the same issue that every other Godzilla movie I’ve ever seen has, namely too much focus on the human characters. In this case, that extra focus makes for a movie that starts too slowly and is about 20 minutes too long (not to mention the somewhat cowardly ending). That said, when we finally get to the kaiju action, it’s remarkable, exhilarating in ways I’m not sure a Godzilla movie ever has been. It’s still a good movie, don’t get me wrong, but it was *this close* to being one of the best movies of the year.

NUTCRACKERS Starring: Ben Stiller, Homer Janson, Ulysses Janson, Arlo Janson, Atlas Janson, Linda Cardellini, and Toby Huss Director: David Gordon Green NICK You've seen this story before: the reluctant father figure who comes into guardianship only to re-evaluate his life. In fact, story aside, Nutcrackers feels like a film from a bygone era, the mid ‘90s to early 2000s boom of family films. What gives it a slight edge are the child performers (all real-life siblings). They are quite good, bringing an authenticity that helps the film land emotionally. It's incredibly predictable and fairly unoriginal, but at the very least, it's a feel-good film that'll bring a smile to your face. You could do worse. KATIE Nutcrackers is disappointingly devoid of Christmas joy. The cliché and predictable plot follows character archetypes that everyone will recognise, but I actually didn’t have an issue with that. In fact, I love a reliably comforting family comedy. The problem is it's hollow, and although the child cast is quite endearing, they are all underwritten. Meanwhile, Ben Stiller’s character, Mike, doesn’t form enough of a bond with them for the emotional impact to hit. It looks nice, with pretty shots of the small town and nostalgia-tinged scenes of the brothers playing outside, but that's about it. PAIGE Nutcrackers may be one of the most cliché and run-of-the-mill Christmas dramedies I’ve seen in a while. Unfortunately for its director, David Gordon Green, he’s had more misses than hits lately, and this falls in the miss category. Instead of trying to get you emotionally attached to the characters, the film asks its audience to fill in the emotional beats, which doesn't help the already shoddy narrative. Despite there being some endearing moments in this family holiday film, it won't make you laugh or pull at your heartstrings. Nutcrackers is simply forgettable, and I don’t foresee it being on my holiday rewatch list. This film was reviewed by Nick as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.

THE PLATFORM 2 Starring: Milena Smit, Hovik Keuchkerian, Natalia Tena, Óscar Jaenada, and Ivan Massagué Director: Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia PRESTON I pride myself on being able to tease out a movie’s allegorical message or meaning. Even so, I don’t know what the point of The Platform 2 is, or what it’s attempting to convey. As a sequel to the fantastic original, it is bolstered by a supremely unique and interest-commanding plot. The story is continued, rather successfully I might I add, until the absolutely nonsensical end. If that type of thing is something you can’t deal with, then maybe it’s best to avoid this one and just rewatch the original. Otherwise, it’s entertaining, intense, and a great way to brush up on your Spanish. QUENTIN In 2020, when Netflix dropped The Platform as the world shut down, it was an incredibly original and, more importantly, timely horror movie. It was near-perfect lightning in a bottle, and honestly, it didn’t need a sequel. However, nearly five years and a “healed” world later, here we are with a prequel that doesn’t hit the same. It doesn’t help that it’s basically a retread, except replacing economic themes with religious ones. It fails to give background on the premise of the setting or justify its own existence. I’d still highly recommend the first one, but lightning certainly didn’t strike twice (especially without the pandemic backdrop). PAIGE While its predecessor served us some delicious concepts to chew on, The Platform 2 was not as appetizing as I’d hoped. It felt like a rehash of the first film, but with an undercooked story. I couldn’t connect with these new characters as the plot didn’t dive deeper into the intriguing themes presented in the original, and the ideas it tries to tackle this time around felt hollow, which leads to some unresolved questions being left on the table. I have to say that, despite highlighting certain positive aspects of the first film, The Platform 2 didn’t have the same impact and felt wholly unnecessary.

SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL Starring: Nicolas Cage and Joel Kinnaman Director: Yuval Adler This film has been reviewed by Nick, Paige, and Quentin as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2023 Fantasia International Film Festival. QUENTIN Objectively speaking, I admit that Sympathy for the Devil isn’t the greatest movie. It’s a tad derivative, reminding me of Collateral and another movie I can’t mention lest we get into spoiler territory, and the motivations of Nic Cage’s character are a little convoluted at times. That said, for Cage fans, it’s a must-watch because it lets Cage channel his inner Castor Troy (from Face/Off , youngins). The tense cat-and-mouse shenanigans between Cage and Joel Kinnaman make for an engaging 90 minutes, and I’m pleased to report that it does not play out like either of the predictions I made based on the trailers. PAIGE Sympathy for the Devil allows Nic Cage the opportunity to, yet again, play another electric and wacky maniac who manages to dominate the screen in every scene he’s in, while Joel Kinnanan balances the tense ride with a more grounded performance. Ultimately, this duo transcends the bizarre but entertaining-as-hell game of cat-and-mouse. Overall, the film is enhanced by its stylish cinematography, but is held back by its off-the-rails script. Let’s be honest, though: we’re all here for Cage’s unhinged performance and not-so-wicked Boston accent. NICK Joel Kinnaman (who I've considered underrated since his turn on House of Cards ) and Nic Cage (the ultimate wild card) come together in this Collateral -esque film that is entertaining if not overly unique. A character-driven story, both leads do enough to keep your focus while playing off each other well. Kinnaman as the straight man with Cage going, well...full Nicolas Cage…is fun. However, for Cage, what hurts his performance is the ROUGH Boston accent he wavers in and out of. It becomes a distraction. That said, despite its flaws, it’s still worth checking out; just maybe once it inevitably comes to streaming.

MATERIALISTS Starring: Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal, and Zoë Winters Director: Celine Song ADRIANO If you're a Past Lives fan like me, you'll love what writer/director Celine Song offers in her sophomore film, even with its tonal differences. In Materialists , she gives the same honest approach to human relationships that we saw in Past Lives . Through the lens of a near-parody-like rom-com structure, she skewers the genre's superficial approach with incredible emotional weight, even in moments where we're being told the message. The headlining trio does incredible work here, as does Zoë Winters, to make this hit home. There aren't many ways to discuss Materialists without sounding corny, but this movie is what love is. NICK On occasion, I leave a screening knowing good and well my opinion is in the minority, and I struggle to understand the disconnect. That’s Materialists for me. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the film. I just didn’t enjoy it. The chemistry didn’t jump off the page (sometimes intentionally, as director Celine Song shows her cards early in the film), and the characters’ decision-making often felt disingenuous. I’m not some cold-hearted man who can’t enjoy a love story, I just push back on the idea that this is a good one. Perhaps you’ll feel different, but if not, know you’re not alone. AMARÚ In Materialists’ first 20 minutes, matchmaker Lucy (Dakota Johnson) describes a client as the epitome of average: okay salary, okay looks, okay personality, just okay. That’s also a pretty apt description for this movie. It’s an experience much like that of an okay first date, a lot of dead air filled with single lines of dialogue struggling to keep the conversation going. Sometimes it works (Pedro Pascal’s effortless charm makes the transactional screenplay interesting) and sometimes it doesn’t (Chris Evans was given nothing to do until the end). Luckily for director Celine Song’s second feature, it was okay enough to want a third date. BODE When Materialists opens with a quiet pre-civilization prologue, it’s clear that writer/director Celine Song won’t go about the rom-com conventionally. Its ambitions are loftier, in ways that are intellectually alluring in its first half, but emotionally excluding in its second, lacking much of the warmth and passion needed for it to pack a punch. It certainly has moments of depth (script-wise) and beauty (from its three leads, of course, to the great Shabier Kirchner’s photography), making this not bad as is. Compared to Past Lives however, I can’t help but feel that this is a fairly significant step-down.

DINNER TO DIE FOR Starring: Shamilla Miller, Steven John Ward, and Nina Erasmus Director: Diana Mills Smith This film has been reviewed by Nick and Quentin as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of Fantastic Fest 2025. NICK Dinner to Die For just didn't do it for me. It feels like an unnecessarily drawn out short film, has the look of a well made commercial, and doesn't provide a particularly engaging plot. I understand there's budgetary limitations (this was in the Burnt Ends section of Fantastic Fest), but the struggles of this one go beyond that. It’s no excuse for the sluggish pacing and pedestrian performances (which give this the feel of a high quality student film), nor the film's rushed conclusion that was wholly unsatisfying. Nothing to die for here, in fact you’re lucky if you feel anything. QUENTIN Playing as part of Fantastic Fest’s (low-budget) Burnt Ends section, I can’t be too hard on Dinner to Die For because it probably does more with less than most of its competition. However, at only 75 minutes, the film is caught in no man’s land between being too long for a short film and too short to sustain itself as a feature. As a result, the pacing is laggy and the story’s stakes aren’t adequately fleshed out to create the suspense required. Director Diana Mills Smith seems to have a decent eye, but the general cheapness made me wish I had skipped this meal.

A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE Starring: Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Jared Harris, Gabriel Basso, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos, Moses Ingram, Jonah Hauer-King, Greta Lee, and Jason Clarke Director: Kathryn Bigelow AMARÚ Kathryn Bigelow knows how to stress you the hell out. She’s masterful at directing subtle intensity out of commonly mundane happenings until, seemingly out of nowhere, that build up grabs you by the throat. A House of Dynamite does that three times over, with Rashomon -style storytelling retreading a ticking-clock political timeline, and a huge ensemble of game performers, especially standout Gabriel Basso. He alone saves act two from feeling redundant after an explosive first, and helps maintain enough tension to make up for a flat final act. Even with its soft landing, Dynamite is another successfully gripping anti-war introspective for Bigelow. ADRIANO I love seeing director Kathryn Bigelow back in her wheelhouse of tense political thrillers, but A House of Dynamite was depressingly pointless. As well-researched as it seemed in its dissection of the US Government's response to an attack, I was waiting for the film to reach a purpose beyond bleak doom. But the ending is so abrupt that the rest of the film is one big waste of time, especially considering the utter lack of characters to emotionally latch onto (aside from maybe Jared Harris). So, suffice to say, this was an intense but disappointing return for Bigelow. QUENTIN A House of Dynamite starts off with a bang, a perfectly constructed first act that is taut and tense in all the best ways. However, acts two and three are presented in a nesting-doll structure that repeats itself, which results in diminishing returns as you see several scenes multiple times. Even through that repetition, there is almost zero character development, including some characters that serve no purpose whatsoever. Furthermore, the ending is so unsatisfyingly abrupt that you might think director Kathryn Bigelow forgot to shoot the script’s final pages. That first act, though… It’s too bad the rest of the movie couldn’t match its greatness. NICK A House of Dynamite is a film that could desperately use tension, which makes it hard to believe that Kathryn Bigelow – who is typically great at creating tension – directed this. Aside from a lack of urgency, the film features fairly bland characters that don't warrant any attachment (save, perhaps, Idris Elba's President of the United States). Then there's the editing... content wise, this is practically a short film on a loop from different perspectives. It may have worked if not for the above issues, but instead, it magnifies the film’s shortcomings. As for the end… oh, it seems I’ve hit my word limit. ROBERT Kathryn Bigelow is at a place where every time she releases a movie, it is a huge deal, magnified by the eight years since her last directing effort. Unfortunately, the wait was met with a paper tiger in the form of A House of Dynamite . The cast, the story structure, the score, and sound are all reminiscent of a prestige titan seen in Bigelow’s history, but as the plot unfurls, it becomes a word soup of acronyms, safety protocols, and on-the-nose metaphors. In 2025, for films in which Idris Elba plays a world leader, it is a true toss-up which is more logical. KATIE A House of Dynamite begins with an excellent first act, full of tension and expertly built suspense, and introducing us to interesting characters and a compelling, dread-inducing scenario. I didn’t mind the second time it takes us through the same events from a different perspective, but by the third, I was slightly frustrated, noticing the repetitiveness and that many of the characters didn’t seem to matter. The score is fantastic, and the performances are solid, but not enough new information is revealed over the three perspectives. The ending, which I was looking forward to after very nearly losing interest, is abrupt and unsatisfying. BODE It’s clear that director Kathryn Bigelow will forever be committed to holding a mirror up to America’s political landscape. A House of Dynamite continues that very mission by bringing a Rashomon -style approach to a doomsday scenario. On a moment-to-moment basis, it’s certainly watchable, even though the structure doesn’t entirely work, Bigelow still knows how to create tension, and she has formed an undeniably strong ensemble; however, in its repetition, the film fails to make a larger point about the severity of the situation, which isn’t helped by its total non-ending. It's pretty frustrating all around.

OMAHA Starring: John Magaro, Molly Belle Wright, Wyatt Solis, and Talia Balsam Director: Cole Webley KATIE Omaha is a simple, understated, yet deeply affecting film, driven by the authentic-feeling relationship between a father and his two children. The film withholds the specificities of the family’s difficult situation, but throughout the road trip manages to quickly establish the relationship dynamics with scenes of naturalistic interactions that both reveal their heartbreaking reality and show the joy to be found in the quiet moments. John Magaro is fantastic as the father strained with stress and the weight of responsibility, and Molly Belle Wright gives a striking performance as his daughter, Ella. AMARÚ From the soulful music to the ambient car sounds and the fly-on-the-wall camera angles, everything about Omaha is heartbreaking. There’s a looming weight that John Magaro’s “Dad” holds in his face which makes the little beautiful moments on his family’s trip all the more heart-wrenching. The film isn’t complicated, primarily revealing the ultimate destination through the unknowing, but suspecting, perspective of his daughter Ella, played by standout Molly Belle Wright. With its simple, child-like viewpoint on such an impossible decision, Omaha stamps the humanity behind a breathtaking, precious, and sorrowful story.

REBEL MOON: PART TWO - THE SCARGIVER Starring: Sofia Boutella, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Anthony Hopkins, Djimon Hounsou, Doona Bae, and Ray Fisher Director: Zack Snyder CALEB I didn’t think it was possible, but somehow The Scargiver is actually worse than A Child of Fire . It’s an overdramatic, joyless, ugly film about a bunch of farmers fighting in a field. Since the worldbuilding and characterization were so pitiful the first time around, this sequel doesn’t have anything substantial on which to build. Director Zack Snyder attempts to flesh out the characters with a plethora of bothersome flashbacks, but they only succeed in making the universe even more convoluted and tiresome. The Scargiver is a tortuous cacophony of noise that only die-hard Snyder-heads will enjoy. NICK Unlike A Child of Fire , I went into The Scargiver with zero expectations, and even that didn't help. The performances maintain their inadequacy, while the music in particular stands out as even worse than last time. Everything feels like a misfire. I mean, it's honestly impressive Zack Snyder has managed to craft this expansive world across two films without a single interesting character. I hope for his sake that Snyder can see this for the failure it is and move on to something else. Forget about the R-rated versions. I'm sure they’re at least a slight improvement, but I’m not watching them. Just let this die.