Review by Daniel Lima

Importantly, however, it is an actual challenge for the heroes of those Chinese (well, typically Hong Kong) films. Tilk’s character is shown to immediately understand all the lessons being impressed upon him, and his many transgressions are all immediately forgiven due to the ease with which he accomplishes his tasks. It could be argued that this allows for the development of the character played by Kaarel Pagga, a pious monk incredibly jealous of Tilk’s success and nonconformity. However, that means most of the runtime is spent with a protagonist who never has to grow or change.

To make matters worse, this movie is nearly two full hours, when most of its inspirations would barely hit an hour and forty minutes. This is the result of a very shaggy narrative, filled with superfluous fluff that never amounts to anything. An encounter with Soviet officials seems like a satiric attack on their policies towards religion, but that is not elaborated on. Many scenes are spent with the women who live in the monastery, but these are ill-defined. There simply isn’t enough here to support such a long runtime, so the film quickly outstays its welcome.

One would hope that, if nothing else, the action would capture at least a bit of the spark of people like Lau Kar-Leung, that classic choreography that was so expressive and distinct. That does not happen. These actors are not martial artists or stunt people, nor is the director, and that is made clear by how stiff and immobile all the fight scenes are. There are some inspired beats throughout the action design, mostly involving wirework, but it does have the feel of a high school production where the primary concerns are safety, then comedy, and then excitement at a distant third.

This naturally begs the question: “Is it funny?” After all, this movie is more in conversation with the likes of Kung Fu Hustle and Kung Pow: Enter the Fist than Shaolin Temple itself. How does it hold up to the standard of post-modern martial arts comedies?

Obviously, this is the most subjective quality of any film. All I can say is that I personally found the film so deeply and abrasively unfunny that it feels like a moral failing on the part of the filmmakers. Like so many other small-scale comedies, director Rainer Sarnet appears so tickled by the idea that he is transposing the classic Shaolin training narrative to his native land and blending it with incongruities like metal music that he forgets to make actual jokes. Most of the comedy is physical, rooted in the spirited performance of Tilk, but he can only go so far when the material is so dusty and hack. Two monks attempting to stop their speeding vehicle give the appearance of performing oral sex; Tilk gets a tour of the abbey in undercranked footage, and he trips on a garden hose; Tilk dumps a bunch of pepper into his food and doesn’t like the taste. That these are some of the comedic highlights of a two-hour film makes most of that runtime agonizing.

The most interesting and distinct aspect of The Invisible Fight is the one most frustratingly never fully explored. The Hong Kong films that so mythologized the Shaolin monastery reflected both the spiritual tenets of Chinese martial arts and the contemporary relationship Hong Kong had with mainland China (or, more specifically, the CCP). In setting this film in the Eastern Orthodox Church in the Soviet Union, there are ample opportunities for an exploration of the religion and traditions of the Orthodox Church and the Church’s relationship with a militantly nonreligious government. This thread is not picked up; instead, it simply uses empty platitudes while going through the motions and mimicking the plots of those action classics without recognizing what gave those films that staying power. This, more than anything, is its greatest failure. ​

The Invisible Fight is now in theaters.

Rating: 1/5​

Review by Daniel Lima

Breaking down 578 Magnum is difficult because there are precious few narrative films that have such a lack of coherence and continuity. What characters want at any moment — or are even attempting to do — is never entirely clear. Characters drop in and out of the story seemingly at random. Scenes are haphazardly cut together, making every transition feel jarring. Poor subtitles certainly don’t help clear things up. Every possible deficiency in storytelling pops up, to the point that it feels like the film was shot with nothing more than a general idea of what this kind of revenge tale consists of instead of an actual script.

That said, poor storytelling can be easily excused so long as there are commensurately great set pieces. Sadly, the fights here are almost as bad as those in Taken itself, plagued with the same scattershot editing as the rest of the film. It’s clear these performers are not all trained in stunts or choreography, with many of their movements looking sluggish and lacking any power, often clearly going wide of their target. There are a handful of inspired touches that show someone might have actually cared enough to think through the action design, such as a fight that goes under and inside a car here or a brawl where the hero gets blinded with colorful dyes there. Still, the moments where everything comes together are fleeting. 

The single most surprising fact about 578 Magnum is that it was, for some unfathomable reason, Vietnam’s submission to the 95th Academy Awards for Best International Film. For such a shoddily made, incomprehensible work to be put for serious awards consideration, the same year that Furies would have also been eligible, calls into question the judgment and soundness of mind of every single person involved in that decision. ​

578 Magnum is now on VOD.

Rating: 1/5​

Review by Camden Ferrell

Italian director Matteo Garrone follows up his 2019 adaptation of Pinocchio with Io Capitano, a harrowing odyssey through Africa as two Senegalese teenagers try and make their way to Europe. This movie had its premiere at the 2023 Venice Film Festival and has been nominated at this year’s Academy Awards for Best International Film. While one could take issue with a European director making a film about the plight of African migrants, it’s hard to deny that this is an intensely captivating movie that manages to take hold of you due partly to its impressive young lead actors.
 
Seydou and his cousin Moussa are teenagers in Senegal who have aspirations and yearnings for elsewhere. They both have desires to migrate to Europe to achieve success and also help their families out back at home. However, they are not prepared for the dangerous path to Europe. As they leave Senegal, they enter a journey of danger both manmade and natural. This is a story that many African migrants have lived through, and it’s an experience that is important to highlight.
 
While the foundation of the story is quite simple, the writing manages to still make the movie feel wholly unique. It develops its lead characters well and allows the audience to get easily attached to them and invested in their success. The dialogue isn’t the best at times, but this is compensated for by the great performances and tight pacing. The narrative also feels naturally progressive without being predictable. It’s an uncertain journey, and the writing does a great job at reflecting that without losing sight of natural realism in how the plot progresses.

As mentioned before, the acting in this movie is impressive, especially for such new and inexperienced actors. Seydou Starr leads the film, and he is able to carry himself through the movie almost flawlessly. He has a delicate and unique control over how his young character slowly gets hardened by this odyssey. There are moments of exhaustion, joy, and pure desperation and pain that he nails perfectly. Moustapha Fall co-stars and while his material isn’t nearly as impressive as Seydou’s, he still does a great job playing off of him and having a natural chemistry on screen. Additionally, Issak Sawadogo has a great supporting role despite it being so brief.
 
Being directed by a European, a movie like this one was always at risk of feeling out of touch or exploitative, but Garrone goes to lengths to avoid this. He has expressed his understanding of the nuances and implications of himself directing this African story, and he has done his due diligence to work closely with those who have experienced similar things. As a director, he worked with people who migrated out of Africa and faced the same dangers as Seydou and Moussa. This allowed the movie to not be an observation of these challenges from an outsider, but to be a direct reflection of the immigrant experience. The main success of this movie lies in the fact that the audience doesn’t feel like they’re watching this journey but that they’re a part of it.
 
Io Capitano is hard to watch at times, but it’s an emotional journey from start to finish. It’s beautifully shot and directed, and it’s sadly a story that happens all too often. It might not be the best of this year’s international film nominees at the Oscars, but it’s still a worthwhile experience due to its gripping story and phenomenal acting.
 
Io Capitano is in theaters February 23.

Rating: 4/5

Review by Sean Boelman

Despite only lasting three years, the cult classic Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender has a lasting legacy, including being one of the most popular shows of all time on the streaming service Netflix despite not being an original title to the streamer. Although there are certainly some strong elements to Netflix’s new live-action adaptation, it doesn’t focus enough on the things that make it unique for it to stand out in a crowded genre.

As with its source material, the series is set in a world where different tribes control the elements, and a young boy arises as the “Avatar” — the savior of humanity who can bend all four elements and is destined to unite the warring world. Even if you haven’t seen the animated show on which it was based, Avatar: The Last Airbender tells an incredibly familiar story, and it ends up feeling like just another hero’s journey.

Interestingly, unlike many adaptations, Avatar: The Last Airbender is working with a similar runtime to its predecessor. This is eight one-hour episodes, while the animated series was 20 twenty-minute episodes — each adding up to eight hours in total. Yet, this live-action adaptation often drags, feeling like it’s going through the motions rather than telling the story earnestly. 

The show does an incredible job of building the world of ATLA through mostly excellent production design and CGI. The series’s creators clearly wanted to make an adaptation that was faithful in the ways fans would demand. The only thing they don’t quite nail is the tone, which feels a bit too self-serious to work.

That being said, the scale of the series is massive, allowing it to give the audience some truly awesome action sequences. The bending scenes look great, and the spectacular finale that the entire season builds up to is shot in a way that is creative and exhilarating. This show has come far from being a Saturday morning Nickelodeon cartoon.

As far as the cast goes, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Gordon Cormier is excellent, having all the charm he needs to be Aang, nailing the delicate balance between maturity and youthfulness the role calls for. Kiawentiio and Ian Ousley are fine — not making much of an impression, positive or negative. The weak link is Dallas Liu as Prince Zuko, who seems utterly unable to deliver his lines seriously.

In terms of the adults, the show has an incredibly talented cast. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Daniel Dae Kim, and Ken Leung all do a great job in their roles, propping up the younger, less experienced actors working alongside them. Fans of the series will also be delighted by James See’s performance. 

Ultimately, Avatar: The Last Airbender is a passable adaptation. Strong casting for its lead and some very well-done action sequences make it worth watching, even if the writing has glaring weaknesses. But hey, it’s better than the M. Night Shyamalan film — although that’s not a very high bar to surpass.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is now streaming on Netflix. All eight episodes reviewed.

Rating: 3/5

Review by Sean Boelman

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune was one of the biggest successes of the pandemic era — a sci-fi epic so massive and good that it became a theatrical event despite a simultaneous release on HBO Max. After the success of the first film, Villeneuve was given a bigger budget and more creative free rein, allowing him to make Dune: Part Two into something more grand, more ambitious, and more epic than the last, even if it’s occasionally a bit long-winded.

Dune: Part Two picks up with Paul Atreides on the run with the Fremen, plotting a way to get revenge against the Harkonnen and the Emperor who killed his father. Although Lynch’s 1984 adaptation showed this portion of the story, it crammed it into around 45 minutes — meaning much of the two hour and 46 minute runtime of Villeneuve’s sequel feels completely different.

From a purely technical standpoint, Dune: Part Two is a masterpiece. Everything from the production design to the CGI and the cinematography is on point. A few scenes can be difficult to see, but these decisions feel very deliberate. And as with the first movie, the MVP of the below-the-line team is Hans Zimmer, whose booming score is incredible and transports you to the world of Arrakis.

Something that was missing from the first film was the political context of Herbert’s writing. While Villeneuve doesn’t explore the anticolonialist elements as much as one might like, he does go into a lot of depth into the property’s religious themes. Frequently, this subplot is just as — if not more interesting — than the bids for power among these various groups.

The one area in which Part Two is a step back from its predecessor is its pacing. There are a handful of really incredible action sequences in this sequel, but all in all, it feels somewhat anticlimactic. The finale, which we have spent two movies building up to, feels particularly unsatisfying — like it is holding back the level of battle we have been teased with.

In the first movie, Timothée Chalamet was the weak link in an otherwise astounding cast. Chalamet has thankfully stepped up his game for this second entry, likely owing to the much meatier role he has here. However, nearly everyone else in the cast has also taken their performances to the next level. Rebecca Ferguson, Dave Bautista, and Josh Brolin all add new layers to their roles. No one quite takes their role to the next level like Javier Bardem, though, whose turn is gripping and humanistic beyond what a movie like this should require. The weakest link here is Zendaya, who is fine but feels like she is trying too hard.

In terms of newcomers to the cast, the biggest splash is made by Austin Butler, whose performance is shockingly sinister and unhinged. After his very first line, which has lingering shades of Elvis, he goes fully chameleonic in a horrifyingly effective way. Florence Pugh and Léa Seydoux are solid, but don’t have large enough parts to make much of an impression. Christopher Walken does stick out negatively, though, as it feels like he’s phoning it in most of the time. 

Dune: Part Two is one of the most impeccably-crafted blockbusters in years from a technical standpoint. It truly is a feat of filmmaking. Even if it is almost held back by some pacing issues, this is such an undeniably epic, visionary achievement that it’s hard not to be astounded by the level of artistry on display.

Dune: Part Two hits theaters on March 1.

​Rating: 4.5/5