Aarcflick

 Legendary comedian Richard Curtis has published three holiday-themed picture books, which inspired this hilarious family offering from Locksmith Animation, the studio behind “Ron’s Gone Wrong.” Okay, Virginia… While many holiday cartoons focus on whether kids believe in Santa Claus, the charming Netflix series “That Christmas” posits that it’s more important for kids to believe in themselves. Director: Simon Otto Writers: Richard Curtis, Peter Souter, Andrew Dawson Stars: Bill Nighy, Brian Cox, Guz Khan Adapted from a trio of picture books by “Love Actually” screenwriter Richard Curtis, this heartwarming family film is packed with kids questioning their worth — and not just in the good-or-bad department. A handful of key characters doubt whether they deserve love, due to the absence of their parents or resistance from authority figures. Leave it to Curtis (and co-writer Peter Souter) to give us some proof that each of them matters — with the help of old Santa Nick, who shows up to...

The problem with true crime documentaries is that viewers, more often than not, know the end result, which can dull the thrill of watching a far-fetched crime unfold. So the onus is on how the story is told, and in the case of Biggest Heist Ever, the story and narrative are so deliciously juicy that nothing else is needed to be fully entertained. My favorite part was the promise of a larger conspiracy, but that's a discussion for another paragraph. The Bitfinex scam of 2016 was truly one of the biggest hacks of the time, one that didn't require anyone to threaten a bank employee to hand over funds. Overnight, your wallet simply stopped holding what you had deposited into it. To add insult to injury, one could see where the stolen funds are, but would not be able to access them in any way. Biggest Heist Ever is a rollercoaster story that shows the ups and downs of Heather Morgan and Ilya Lichtenstein and how embarrassing YouTube videos aren't always indicative of a person or...

 Icelandic director Thordur Palsson (Valhalla Murders) presents a chilly, atmospheric 19th-century cautionary tale of fishermen who turn their backs on their fellow seafarers and suffer the consequences. A fishing crew prepares for the harshest part of winter in Iceland's West Fjords, when daylight hours are few. The leader, Magnus, has died, leaving his widowed wife Eva (Odessa Young) as the boat's owner and de facto foreman. As food is scarce, they rely on good alcohol, each other's company, and heartwarming ghost stories to warm their stomachs and maintain their vigor. The group's cook, Helga (Siobhan Finneran), may be the best storyteller of all, due to her pagan beliefs. She shares a story of one brother who killed another out of hidden jealousy. Director: Thordur Palsson Writers: Jamie Hannigan, Thordur Palsson Stars: Odessa Young, Joe Cole, Lewis Gribben The next day, the group prepares to go fishing, but stops when they see a ship approaching, wrecked in the fjo...

 Stories about survivors in a post-apocalyptic world continue to fascinate viewers on streaming series like “Fallout” and “The Last of Us,” but “Homestead” likely marks the first time such a setting has been used for a faith-based film. And it’s definitely the first time a theatrical film of that genre has been designed as a pilot for a TV series — a fact that, when made clear in the film’s final minutes, may strike many viewers as a bait-and-switch trick. Indeed, the TV series gets what can only be described as an emphatic promotion in those final minutes, complete with a sort of teaser trailer (not unlike the one Kevin Costner used at the end of “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1”). One of the lead actors appears on camera to speak directly to the audience about what’s coming, along with an on-screen QR code that the audience can access to learn more about how to continue the narrative (for an additional fee). Director: Ben Smallbone Writers: Phillip Abraham, Leah Bateman, Be...

Before I started Julia's Stepping Stones, the short documentary now streaming on Netflix, I went to Wikipedia and read about American filmmaker Julia Reichert. The co-founder of New Day Films, Reichert had spent 50 years as a documentary director and producer. She was also an activist and feminist, and was nominated for an Academy Award four times for films such as Union Maids, Seeing Red: Stories of American Communists, The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant, and American Factory. Reichert won an Oscar for the latter film. She was a two-time Primetime Emmy winner, honored with lifetime achievement awards from the International Documentary Association, the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, and the Hot Docs Film Festival, and... well, you can read all about her accomplishments on her Wikipedia page, where you can also get a rundown of her films, her personal life, and her death caused by urothelial cancer. With Julia's Stepping Stones, I was expecting, more or less, a brief W...

The Marvel Cinematic Universe had gone overboard with its practice of making viewers do their homework before watching a movie or show. I mean, if you wanted to watch Multiverse of Madness, which was a sequel to Doctor Strange, then watching the latter wasn’t enough. You’d have to watch Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Infinity War, Endgame, and WandaVision to understand the mechanics of the plot. Fans used to come to the studio’s defense, but I guess even they got tired of that, and the MCU had to go back to the basics of storytelling. Meanwhile, Netflix isn’t backing down. They made a series called Undercover, which ran for 3 seasons and introduced a character named Ferry Bouman. Then they made a prequel series about that character, titled Ferry: The Series. Then they made a movie that was a prequel to that prequel series, titled Ferry. Director: Wannes Destoop Writers: Geerard Van de Walle, Tibbe van Hoof Stars: Frank Lammers, Aiko Beemsterboer, Tobias Kersloot Wannes Dest...

Tyler Perry tells the true story of the 6888th Battalion, the only colored unit of the Women's Army Corps to serve overseas during World War II. The film is a story about perseverance, but it's also much more than that. Written and directed by Tyler Perry, it tells the true story of the incredible and brave women of the first and only colored unit of the Women's Army Corps to be stationed overseas during World War II, known as Six Triple Eight. Director: Tyler Perry Writers: Kevin Hymel, Tyler Perry Stars: Kerry Washington, Ebony Obsidian, Milauna Jackson Before Perry's film, I admit that I had never heard of Six Triple Eight. That's probably true for a lot of people. After all, it is a story about black women and their contributions to the Army. As we all know, the contributions of black people have been severely overlooked in American history, and that certainly includes the military. But this is an important story that we should all know about, and I'm so hap...

 The main draw of Laid (2024), Peacock’s new comedy series adaptation, is the undeniable charm of its lead, Stephanie Hsu. Following her huge success in Everything Everywhere All At Once in 2022, each of her subsequent appearances reminds audiences of her endless charisma. This is on full display in Laid, as she balances a deeply selfish character who must be both engaging and likable in order for viewers to engage with her story. It’s a shame, then, that the rest of the series doesn’t live up to her infectious performance. Hsu shines brightly, but the series often gets lost in its tone. Based on the Australian TV series of the same name, Laid follows Ruby Yao, a 33-year-old woman looking for love. Our introduction finds her on a third date, and she tells him about a past where they almost had a fling that ended disastrously. The two sleep together, it’s awkward, and she realizes they don’t have the right chemistry. But, while she had hopes for this new relationship, it didn't deva...

 Bob Dylan is one of the most difficult celebrities to portray. Probably by his own choice, he’s not the most expressive guy in the world. His voice is often a mumble and his emotions often seem muted. Whether out of cynicism about fame or something else, he generally maintains an air of aloofness, though his music speaks volumes.  Timothée Chalamet probably comes closest to that idea than anyone else in James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown. This isn’t a “Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles”-style interpretation, though the story wisely deals with Dylan’s enigmatic nature, giving the star room to shine. Director: James Mangold Writers: James Mangold, Jay Cocks, Elijah Wald Stars: Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning Young Dylan arrives in New York and heads to the hospital where his idol, Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), is being treated. His desire is to pay tribute to him. Folk music legend Pete Seeger (Edward Norton) is visiting Guthrie when he arrives. After hearing him sing, ...

 We often associate the term dystopia with films or novels, fictional stories that are somewhat detached from our reality, but perhaps we already reside in one of them and have been for a while. This is one of the many feelings one gets upon finishing Asif Kapadia’s latest project, 2073. Considering his portfolio of documentaries focusing primarily on famous figures, including the Oscar-winning documentary Amy, an acclaimed portrait of the legendary musician’s life, this latest politically charged project marks a new venture for Kapadia in many ways. From the very beginning, 2073 reflects on the dangers and importance of being able to distinguish between fiction and reality. On the one hand, these two opposing concepts are integral to the structure of the film as a whole. We are shown reality through the documentary aspects while also seeing the future through the lens of science fiction. Director: Asif Kapadia Writers: Asif Kapadia, Tony Grisoni Stars: Samantha Morton, Naomi Ackie...

 Beginning in 1987, mangaka Rumiko Takahashi rose to success and surpassed the pinnacle of fame with her monthly manga series Ranma 1/2.  It's essentially a romantic comedy featuring a boy who turns into a girl by being doused with cold water (and transforms back with hot water), who's also forcibly engaged to an impulsive tomboy named Akane, and both of them are romantically pursued by all sorts of crazy guys who also know dangerous martial arts and techniques. And some of them have their own curses to endure. It's 38 volumes of shenanigans, shonen and harem anime tropes galore, and it's a riot to read to the point that it received its own anime series and movies. Creator: Rumiko Takahashi Stars: Kappei Yamaguchi, Megumi, Hayashibara, Noriko Hidaka What the last adaptation was missing was an ending, which is what I think this year's 2024 adaptation could rectify if it hits well with today's anime-watching audiences. And so far, after a couple of episodes, I can...