Aarcflick

 Hideki is a man who can't quite find his place in the world. He's a mid-level executive at a financial firm in Japan. He's had minor success at his job and has been in a long-term relationship that he can't quite commit to. Hideki is the main character in Tokyo Cowboy, directed by Marc Marriott and part of this year's SLO International Film Festival's narrative feature film program that promises a powerful exploration of the human experience. Director: Marc Marriott Writers: Dave Boyle, Ayako Fujitani Stars: Arata Iura, Robin Weigert, Goya Robles In an effort to impress his bosses (including his fiancée, who is his supervisor), Hideki heads to Montana convinced that he can turn a profitless American cattle ranch into a top-notch asset. The communication gap, both professional and personal, between Hideki and the ranch workers becomes immediately apparent as he struggles to navigate this new world. Once Hideki realizes that he needs to understand the background ...

 “More than 12 million children are victims of modern slavery. This is the story of one of them who fought back” There have been many films made over the years that deal with horrific crimes against society. Whether it be about drug dealers, robbery, murder, or many other crimes. One of the worst is slavery or the kidnapping of women and children. City of Dreams portrays a story about these very issues. It is not pleasant to watch. It is absolutely horrifying to watch, but this is the only way Americans can see what is happening in our towns and cities across the United States. Director: Mohit Ramchandani Writer: Mohit Ramchandani Stars: Jason Patric, Paulina Gaitan, Renata Vaca Jesus (Ari Lopez) is a teenager in Puebla, Mexico. He loves playing soccer with his friends. When he is offered the chance to go to the United States to play soccer at a special school, he dreams that it could be his salvation. Instead, he is sold into slavery. He works grueling hours in a sweatshop making ...

 Throughout the history of cinema, spaceships and futuristic settings have been a common sight, and it’s easy to wonder if all (or most) possible ideas for science fiction have been exhausted. It’s 2024, so you’d think that by now, writers would have run out of ideas. This is somewhat the case with Swedish filmmaker Mikael Håfström’s “Slingshot,” which tries to do a lot with its relatively low budget and partially succeeds.  While the script, written by R. Scott Adams and Nathan Parker, contains moments of inspired storytelling, the film ends up being a far cry from superior space-set films like “Interstellar.” And yet, the presence of three actors fully committed to their respective roles and the intriguing story full of twists (including an ambiguous ending) make this sci-fi film worth watching. Director: Mikael Håfström Writers: R. Scott Adams, Nathan Parker Stars: Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishburne, David Morrissey At some point in the near future (we never know for sure wh...

 I just saw it at the Annapolis Film Festival and I want to watch it again immediately. This smart, witty, and perfect character study follows Wanda (Edie Falco), a woman who will drop everything to help a family member… And lately, everyone seems to need too much help. The title, “I’ll Be Right There,” perfectly sums up her character. Impressively, the film doesn’t seek to reduce this type of person, and we all know someone like that, or ARE this person. This film will give you a lot to think about, no matter where you fall on the “Giver” scale (if you’re a 10, you’re likely not only neglecting yourself, but enabling bad behavior and making other people more dependent on you… If you’re a 1, you’re likely so afraid of being used that your relationships will suffer). Director: Brendan Walsh Writer: Jim Beggarly Stars: Edie Falco, Jeannie Berlin, Kayli Carter This is a movie for adults, putting the question of “How much help is too much?” front and center. Edie Falco makes you feel t...

 Tokunbo is about a man caught between a rock and a hard place. It makes you wonder: in the face of a desperate situation, will morality hold up or does saving your loved ones take priority? We had a blast watching this movie with friends. It's full of gags and funny moments, and it's the first combative action Nollywood movie we've really enjoyed. Ramsey Nouah's direction was solid and the cinematography was beautiful. Director: Ramsey Nouah Writers: Todimu Adegoke, Thecla Uzozie Stars: Adunni Ade, Tosin Adeyemi, Funlola Aofiyebi The movie moves along very quickly, so you can almost forgive the dull moments and Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi's overbearing and often baffling character. The cast was refreshing. Gideon gave his heart and soul, Adunni was a delight, and Darasimi was a heartthrob. Even Chidi Mokeme's natural grunge style suited his character, Gaza, perfectly. Overall, it's a movie you watch when you're in the mood for something wholesome. The film f...

As City Of God: The Fight Rages On begins, Buscapé, the weary photographer who calls himself Rocket and is once again played by Alexandre Rodrigues with a comic sense of intimidation, is stuck in the same place.  He’s caught in the crossfire between rival gangs and the police, just as we left him over two decades ago; still holding the camera and narrating about the ways the cosmos keeps putting him in tough situations. This time, he drones on about how nothing has changed in his eponymous Rio de Janeiro favela as bullets whiz by, bodies pile up, and he continues to take photos of the dead. Star: Wayne LeGette, Alexandre Rodrigues, Roberta Rodrigues As City Of God: The Fight Rages On begins, Buscapé, the weary photographer who calls himself Rocket and is once again played by Alexandre Rodrigues with a comic sense of intimidation, is stuck in the same place.  He’s caught in the crossfire between rival gangs and the police, just as we left him over two decades ago; still holding...

 It’s easy to forget a time, not so long ago, when Joseph Gordon-Levitt seemed like one of Hollywood’s brightest rising stars. A string of acclaimed supporting roles in Christopher Nolan films, from the “Dark Knight” trilogy to “Inception,” made it seem like the former child star was destined to dominate the next few decades of filmmaking with an aura that rivaled Nolan’s. But it never quite materialized that way, as Gordon-Levitt spent the late 2010s and early 2020s keeping a low profile and appearing in forgettable cameos that seemed more interested in cashing in on his celebrity status than expanding on it. You’re forgivable to have wondered, in recent years, whether his talent was overblown in the first place, but a quick look at Potsy Ponciroli’s “Greedy People” should quickly rectify that. Gordon-Levitt’s electrifying buffoonery is an easy high point of the ensemble cop comedy.  Director: Potsy Ponciroli Writer: Mike Vukadinovich Stars: Himesh Patel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt...

 With the arrival of GG Precinct, Marry My Dead Body fans rejoice! With the return of Wu Ming-han (Greg Hsu), Lin Tzu-ching (Gingle Wang), Chang Yung-kang (Ma Nien-hsien), and Chubby (Flower Chen), our favorite slightly incompetent detective team is back in this spin-off series. This time, they find themselves drawn into a series of murders with one common thread: Chinese idioms, also known as chenyu. Only six episodes long, this comedy series is very straightforward and the future for this squad is bright despite their lack of intelligence. With the arrival of GG Precinct, Marry My Dead Body fans rejoice! With the return of Wu Ming-han (Greg Hsu), Lin Tzu-ching (Gingle Wang), Chang Yung-kang (Ma Nien-hsien), and Chubby (Flower Chen), our favorite slightly incompetent detective team is back in this spin-off series.  Star: Greg Han Hsu, Gingle Wang, Nien-Hsien Ma This time, they find themselves embroiled in a series of murders with a common thread: Chinese idioms, otherwise kno...

 So everyone was right that the pacing of the movies doesn't really help the story develop as it should and it's incredibly hard to relate to the characters when you can't even sit with them. Some cringeworthy scenes happened in the first part with no reason behind them, like a character I won't name switching from random dialogue to bursting into song, there are also too many scenes happening on the same rooftop. The starlights barely appear on screen, look, I'm sorry but that was the big draw of this arc. They also removed the iconic music when they transform which is a shame. There's some weird back and forth between "are these new fighters our enemies?" and "omg the starlights are having a concert tonight even though we just found out their true personalities" fangirl moments in the same scenes and it's incredibly confusing. We also don't get any closure at all and it's the biggest flaw of the movie.  Directors: Tomomi Ikeda, ...

 It’s not easy being a homo sapiens. We have to go to work every day, sitting in front of a bright, glaring screen for eight hours, or do something that will make our feet hurt. When we’re hungry, we can’t just eat – we have to buy our food from a shop, which costs money we’ve earned by working.  The food is wrapped in plastic and shipped from miles away. We have two days a week to relax, which we often spend doing administrative tasks or washing our clothes. It goes on like this until we die, which also costs money when you factor in funerals and debts. Director: Huw Cordey Star: David Attenborough Not so for the orangutan, which, according to David Attenborough’s new Netflix documentary, Secret Lives of Orangutans, is one of our closest living relatives, sharing “nearly 30 physical characteristics with us.” Unlike us, however, their days are largely spent freely eating and grazing (adult male orangutans can eat about 8,000 calories a day, just in fruit and termites), or swin...

The gross-out high school comedy: We all get older, they stay the same. “Incoming” is the latest addition to the genre, a Netflix release written and directed by Dave and John Chernin, who made their name with the signature vulgarity of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” before creating the short-lived but memorably raucous Fox comedy “The Mick.”  The filmmaking brothers’ story for “Incoming” is filled with tried-and-true tropes: the unfunny freshman, the grumpy sister, the wannabe womanizer, the blonde queen bee. But the Chernins strike a breezy beat that energizes these familiar ingredients, more in the joke department than in the film’s shallow dramatic components. Directors: Dave Chernin, John Chernin Writers: Dave Chernin, John Chernin Stars: Mason Thames, Ramon Reed, Raphael Alejandro Fourteen-year-olds aren’t the most complicated people on Earth, and “Incoming” knows it, establishing its core cast with a forceful opening act that benefits from the Chernins’ experience in si...

 I am truly flabbergasted. I cannot understand why a director who created a masterpiece 35 years ago (at the time of writing this) would remake his own highly praised work of art into this completely empty, bland, forgettable piece of trash. Why? I realize that Mr. John Woo is getting on in years and may not have the passion he once had. And it certainly shows in this film that he must have been completely bored to repeat something he had done before and infinitely better to produce what we see here. Absolutely nothing in this reboot/remake is characteristic of Mr. Woo's work. None of the original film's operatic ballet of multi-angle slow motion violence can be seen here. None of the emotional and melodramatic depth of the original film, whose story was simpler but deeper and more compelling in its execution, is experienced here. Director: John Woo Writers: John Woo, Brian Helgeland, Josh Campbell Stars: Nathalie Emmanuel, Omar Sy, Sam Worthington  The economical and meaningf...

 In the car are Aye (Cherprang Areekul) and her mother (Dhanyabhorn Sondhikandha). Aye calls out to her sister Elle (Miusic-Praewa Suthamphong), who is staggering away from the scene of the accident. Elle turns around, but is hit by a car and dies. In the car are Aye (Cherprang Areekul) and her mother (Dhanyabhorn Sondhikandha). Aye calls out to her sister Elle (Miusic-Praewa Suthamphong), who is staggering away from the scene of the accident. Elle turns around, but is hit by a car and dies. Creator: Chayan Laoyodtrakool Stars: Pattaravadee Boonmeesup, Narupornkamol Chaisang, Chayanit Chansangavej Months later, Aye is talking to a therapist about how she is dealing with her PTSD from the accident. She is on her medication, but is still having horrible nightmares. She seems to be more concerned about her mother, who won't take her medicine and seems to be in denial. Then, a box arrives at their house with a doll inside. The doll looks a lot like Elle. In an effort to keep Elle's...

 Lee Daniels’ first horror effort, “The Deliverance,” should not be confused with 1972’s “Deliverance.” Though, like John Boorman’s three-time Oscar-nominated film about idiotic canoeists going through hell in rural Georgia, it makes for pretty painful movie watching. Not since “Hillbilly Elegy” has Netflix treated Glenn Close this badly. That’s true even considering her small role in the streaming platform’s terrible “Heart of Stone” last year. “The Deliverance” director Daniels, an ambitious storyteller with an admirably spotty track record, is best known for creating the “Empire” TV show with Danny Strong and, before that, directing the Sundance favorite “Precious” (which, yes, is based on Sapphire’s novel “Push”; thank you very much for reminding me). Director: Lee Daniels Writers: David Coggeshall, Elijah Bynum, Lee Daniels Stars: Andra Day, Glenn Close, Anthony B. Jenkins In 2009, Daniels’ talents as a producer on 2001’s “Monster’s Ball” preceded the success of his eventual B...

 Netflix's Untold documentary revisits dark moments in sports: controversies, failures, chicanery and injustice. It has a strong track record of finding fascinating stories. Its latest episode, The Murder of Air McNair, looks at the suspicious death of a football star, which sounds promising, but if there's anything new to explore, Untold doesn't find it. The basic test for an hour-long documentary is whether it can provide a deeper summary of the facts than a viewer could get from 10 minutes on Google. Untold barely makes it past that level. Directors: Rodney Lucas, Taylor Alexander Ward Stars: Bud AdamsIsaac Bruce, Priya David It's mostly a retelling of the core facts. In 2009, retired quarterback Steve "Air" McNair, 36, was found dead in an apartment in Nashville, Tennessee, after being shot four times. Next to him was the body of his 20-year-old girlfriend, Sahel Kazemi, killed by a single bullet to the head. Police interviewed McNair's acquaintances, ...

 Those who think the days of truly surprising independent films are behind them should take note of the “Terrifier” films, which, with their straightforward and rather insular appeal to hardcore horror fans, have racked up a very sizable sum in profits from relatively small budgets. A third film is due out this fall, but in the meantime there’s “Stream,” an independent effort from much of the “Terrifier 2” team (save writer-director Damien Leone, a co-producer here), which capitalized on the original’s cult status to gross nearly $16 million two years ago. “Stream” is also being released as a limited theatrical event, scheduled for Aug. 21-25 in the U.S. and Canada, and then in other territories. Though it breaks from its conceptual template (there’s no killer clown), “Stream” also echoes the “Terrifier” films in its overall essence as well as its individual pros and cons. They are all higher quality films in that peculiar terrain of gore, where an excess of sadistic violence and v...

 “The Crow” (2024) is a great film that combines elements of thriller, fantasy and action, based on the comic book of the same name by James O’Barr. Director Rupert Sanders managed to create a dark and atmospheric world that pays homage to the first part of the film series. The plot follows Eric Draven. Eric, after recovering from the dead with the help of a mysterious crow, returns to the world of the living to avenge the brutal murder of his fiancée and himself. He begins a dark journey through the streets of a ruthless city where violence and anarchy reign. Director: Rupert Sanders Writers: James O'Barr, Zach Baylin, William Josef Schneider Stars: Bill Skarsgård, FKA twigs, Danny Huston The film surprises with its visual aesthetics: dark, gothic sets, spectacular lighting solutions and an elaborate costume style create a unique atmosphere. The music perfectly emphasizes the emotional charge of the scenes, making every moment more memorable. Bill Skarsgård as Eric Draven showed i...

 Freddy Lupin is a young boy who belongs to a family of werewolves. In the 2020 animated film “100% Wolf,” Freddy transformed for the first time and discovered that at night he does not take the expected form of a wolf, but rather a white and pink poodle. What a shame! After proving himself a hero in the first part, Freddy still has trouble with his appearance in the sequel “200% Wolf,” as he fears he will never receive the respect of the pack. Freddy wants to prove his leadership skills during a rescue mission for a zeppelin that has gone out of control, but the plan goes horribly wrong. So he illegally calls on the moon spirits for help. The baby moon spirit Moopoo is willing to help Freddy and uses his light powers to ensure that the little poodle suddenly turns into a majestic teenage wolf. However, the mini spirit falls to earth and is soon in danger of becoming extinct. Director: Alexs Stadermann Writers: Fin Edquist, Jayne Lyons Stars: Ilai Swindells, Elizabeth Nabben, Jenni...

 Kang-moo (Hwang Jung-min) is a stay-at-home husband who cooks and cleans, while his wife Mi-seon (Yeom Jung-ah) is a veteran member of the crime squad team who was once a silver medalist in shooting at the Asian Games. A kind-hearted man, Kang-moo helps Mi-seon by letting go of his past as a former agent and keeping it a secret, until he accidentally bumps into his former agent colleague Hee-joo (Jeon Hye-jin). Director: Lee Myung Hoon Writer: Lee Myung Hoon Stars: Dawn Anderson, Kim Chan-Hyung, Yoon Dae-yeol After the encounter, he often loses contact and leaves the house in disarray. Mi-seon decides to chase him down one day in retaliation, only to learn that Kang-moo and Hee-joo are involved in a big case as partners. A couple with secret pasts and each accidentally discovering the other's identity is nothing new in action comedy movies. This somewhat “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”-like setup allows the audience to stay engaged with the plot even as it moves along quickly. The strong poi...

 This show is, in many ways, faithful to the original and much-loved Batman: The Animated Series. It is set even more firmly in the 1930s and 40s and establishes a noir atmosphere that suits it very well. Now, if you are worried about whether the show imposes modern political viewpoints (i.e. expresses values ​​summed up in a word that starts with “w” and rhymes with “joke”) on the audience, well, until the fourth episode, I would say not to worry. Yes, you will notice that certain female characters are now strangely overweight and that other characters have… changed. But the show is still focused on the story. However, by that fourth episode, ideologies and quotas come to the forefront and overshadow the story of the show. The female characters begin to dominate so much that Batman/Bruce almost seems to become secondary. Creators: Bob Kane, Bruce Timm Stars: Hamish Linklater, Jason Watkins, Diedrich Bader On top of that, there is another element of this show that I have found anno...

Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba moves from the sleepy town of Jwalapur to the city of Agra as it attempts to recapture the dark and edgy charm of its predecessor. Written by Kanika Dhillon and directed by Jayprad Desai, the film has all the ingredients to be a thrilling adventure and with the addition of a formidable new adversary and obsessed lovers, the stakes are raised significantly. A tenacious cop, Montu (Jimmy Shergill), is hot on the heels of Rani and Rishu, which spells doom for the duo because he is the chacha of murdered ex-lover Neel, making the case personal to him. Despite initial promise, the execution is poor and the script tries to spread itself too thin, resulting in illogical decisions and unconvincing outcomes. The focus of the film shifts from the intriguing mystery of the first installment to a more straightforward chase, diluting the suspense elements that made the original engaging. The cat-and-mouse game between Rani, Rishu and the police becomes predictable, lackin...