Aarcflick

 *Umthetho* is a gripping crime thriller that works best when it focuses on the impossible choices its characters face. Its double-agent plot, prison setting, and solid South African cast give the series the tension needed to stand out from conventional police dramas. Crime dramas often pose a simple question: how far would you go to protect your family? *Umthetho* takes that premise and complicates it significantly by placing its protagonist on both sides of the law. Stars: Robert Hobbs, Albert van Vuuren, Nqobile Khumalo This South African Netflix series follows Mbali Dlamini, a prosecutor whose professional life revolves around justice. However, her personal life is tied to a much darker world: her older brother, Moses, is a powerful inmate running a violent criminal organization from prison. When Mbali is forced to act as a double agent within her brother's criminal network, her life changes completely. She must work within the system she believes in while earning the trust of ...

Honestly, I don't understand the negative criticism from those who gave up on the series halfway through the first episode because of the setting or the humor. It is a show aimed at a young audience; it doesn't try to revolutionize television.  Within its genre, it is one of the best productions for teens out there. The acting is solid, the dialogue feels natural, and the premise is interesting enough to keep you hooked. Creator: Megan Park Stars: Ella Rubin, Amélie Hoeferle, Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie The best part of the series is undoubtedly the chemistry between the sisters and watching their relationship evolve throughout the season. Themes like chosen family and lost childhood are handled in a way that feels fresh and emotional rather than forced. On the other hand, the romantic storylines rely on well-worn clichés, but they are executed well and treated with far more maturity than in other shows of this genre. Each character faces their own struggles, making them easy to rel...

 First of all, why that title? In the book *The Little Prince*, the prince asks the narrator to draw him a sheep. After several failed attempts, the narrator simply draws a box and says: "The sheep you wanted is inside." Director: Hirokazu Koreeda Writer: Hirokazu Koreeda Stars: Haruka Ayase, Daigo Yamamoto, Rimu Kuwaki The prince is delighted because he can imagine the sheep for himself. It is a metaphor for the capacity to wonder and to imagine. Watch the film to discover for yourself who or what you think represents the sheep or the box, and who or what embodies the prince and the narrator. Unjustified negative reviews—mostly from Western critics—almost put me off watching this film. I’m glad I watched it in the end! Ignore those stereotypical Western critics who are generally incapable of grasping the introspective, nuanced, and seemingly minor scenes that are so common in Japanese and Korean cinema. Although the themes and plot aren't exactly novel or daring, the fil...

 *72 Hours* is a pretty decent movie overall. Going into it, I expected a straight-up comedy given Kevin Hart's involvement, but it’s actually more of a light action flick with comedic touches. The humor is fairly mild throughout; there were barely one or two moments that actually made me laugh out loud. Most of the comedy stems from the situations themselves rather than a constant stream of jokes. The story is reasonably original, though at times it inevitably brings *The Hangover* to mind. It captures that same chaotic vibe where everything that can go wrong does go wrong, yet it manages to retain enough of its own identity to avoid feeling like a mere copycat. Director: Tim Story Writers: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, Kevin Burrows Stars: Kevin Hart, Marcello Hernández, Mason Gooding The pacing is good, and the film never drags. It’s nothing groundbreaking or particularly memorable, but it’s an easy watch if you’re looking for something entertaining that doesn’t require too m...

 When watching or reviewing a biopic, I don’t recall spending much time wondering what the real-life subject would think of it. Would James Brown have liked *Get On Up*, the magnificent 2014 drama about his life? He probably would have found something to complain about. Elton John enthusiastically endorsed *Rocketman*, the 2019 film about him—a movie I found to be a ridiculously phony disaster. However, while watching *Tony*—Matt Johnson’s drama about the young Anthony Bourdain and the summer he spent in Provincetown working in a restaurant kitchen for the first time—I couldn’t help but wonder what Bourdain himself would have thought of the film. How could one not? He was a man of strong opinions who had no patience for nonsense; he was a huge cinephile and the sort of person who, far from being flattered by a movie about his life, would have torn it apart for failing to capture the real story. In my view, if a biopic about Anthony Bourdain doesn’t clear the "Bourdain would have l...

What Markus Goller delivers is disappointingly trivial; his cinematic approach is deeply mediocre and unsatisfying. In the summer of 2015, a young man named Lukas (Louis Hofmann) was so distressed by the plight of refugees attempting to reach Europe across the Mediterranean that he decided to take matters into his own hands. These refugees made the crossing in rubber boats—often dangerously overloaded—resulting in many lives being lost at sea. Faced with a lack of government assistance, Lukas decided to act on behalf of the refugees. He sought a boat to purchase and approached both banks and charitable organizations for funding.  Director: Markus Goller Writers: Michele Cinque, Oliver Ziegenbalg Stars: Louis Hofmann, Mala Emde, Katharina Stark He even printed flyers to distribute on the street and raise public awareness of his cause. Initially, his appeals fell on deaf ears; no one wanted to help him. Later, Nina (Katharina Stark), inspired by his passion, joined him; following her...