Aarcflick

 Following its 2018 release on the digital comics and novel platform Tapas, the bestselling novel "The Beginning After the End" quickly became the number one Tapas Original in North America. Since then, it has been translated into six languages, topped online publishing charts worldwide, and received high praise in Korea and China. After its 2020 release in Japan on the digital manga and novel platform Piccoma, it surpassed 20 million likes in just one year and won the "Piccoma AWARD 2021," an award given to works of guaranteed entertainment. With over 1.5 billion cumulative views worldwide, this popular series was headed for an anime adaptation. After a mysterious death, King Grey is reborn as Arthur Leywin on the magical continent of Dicathen. Although he enters his second life as a baby, he retains his former wisdom. As the years pass, he begins to master magic and forge his own path, seeking to correct the mistakes of his past life. As a fan of reincarnated char...

 Christopher Landon creates a sensational surveillance mystery that leads to something dizzying and thrilling. A silly and sensational mystery, completely confident in its own conceit, "Drop" combines technological paranoia with the looming specter of abuse to create something surprisingly tense and entertaining. Directed by Christopher Landon, known for his roles in "Happy Death Day" and "Paranormal Activity," the film's complex plots are executed with skill and dexterity. Although set in a fine-dining restaurant, it's a near-perfect junk food thriller, balancing the tensions of kidnapping, conspiracy, and murder with those of a stressful first date. It's fresh and delicious. Director: Christopher Landon Writers: Jillian Jacobs, Chris Roach Stars: Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar, Violett Beane After a chilling prologue featuring a couple pointing guns at each other (a scene whose purpose becomes clear much later), "Drop" gently introdu...

 Director Kevin Macdonald navigates the channels of the early 1970s, taking us into the lives of John and Yoko—and the entire period—in a stunning way. I've seen documentaries that reveal fascinating aspects of John Lennon: films like "The United States vs. John Lennon" (2006), which chronicles his political activism and the Nixon administration's attempts to deport him, or "The Lost Weekend: A Love Story" (2022), a portrait of Lennon's relationship with May Pang. But "One on One: John and Yoko," despite its rather bland title, may be the most accomplished and captivating of these highly angled Lennon profiles.  Directors: Kevin Macdonald, Sam Rice-Edwards Stars: John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Plastic Ono Band with Elephant's Memory "The Lost Weekend" showed us a side of Lennon that had gone largely unnoticed (including his propensity for violence, which was never discussed much beyond Albert Goldman's scandalous and insightful biogra...

 Mogwai: If the Stars Had a Sound is a music documentary that seeks to stand out. Following the band during the creation of their tenth studio album in the midst of a pandemic, the film opens up beyond the usual scope of this type of music documentary, showcasing the community that has made Mogwai the success it is today. It begins just as Mogwai is on the cusp of an unexpected UK number 1 with their latest album, As the Love Continues, and flashes back to the late 1990s, where they are committed from the outset to creating the same guitar landscapes in widescreen format. Alex Kapranos, who first introduced them on stage at the 13th Note Café, speculates that these emotional exercises express what the taciturn Glaswegian men don't usually express. By recalling that the band recorded a version of the Jewish prayer "Avinu Malkeinu" (the 2001 single "My Father My King"), producer Arthur Baker inadvertently points to the religious and ecstatic nature of Mogwai live....

 Two soon-to-be fathers go on an impromptu trip to California's capital for a hilarious film about how men communicate. As someone old enough to have seen movies like "Superbad" and "Youth in Rebellion" in their early releases, it's hard not to feel a little lost in time watching millennial teen icon Michael Cera gradually transition into father roles (no, the "Juno" loophole doesn't help). I wasn't at all fazed that he became a dad in real life, but there's something fourth-dimensional about watching an actor grow up on screen while his most famous characters stay the same age forever. It's a stunningly vivid illustration of the vertigo we all experience with aging: how can you be about to turn 40 when you're also 18? Director: Michael Angarano Writers: Michael Angarano, Christopher Nicholas Smith Stars:  Kristen Stewart, Michael Angarano, Michael Cera But some things never change, and growing up alongside an actor like Cera re...

 Herb McGwyer is a folk legend, as he'd happily tell anyone who asked him at the beginning of the melancholic and charming Ballad of Wallis Island. So what's he doing on a small boat headed for an island off the coast of Wales? Not to a dock on the island, of course, but to the island itself; he literally washes up on the beach, getting soaked in the process. Director: James Griffiths Writers: Tom Basden, Tim Key Stars: Tom Basden, Tim Key, Sian Clifford "Give me a soaking wet Judi!" says Charles (Tim Key), the sole member of the island's welcoming committee. Charles, an affable and always cheerful chatterbox, seems to have a silly joke for every occasion and a deep knowledge of Herb's catalog, especially his early work. When it becomes clear that Charles is also paying for the gig, Herb, played by Tom Basden, starts muttering about not giving private gigs for oil magnates and wonders if he really wants to do this one. Charles, happily, is not an oil magnate, ...

 A group of young activists, led by Ethan (Benny O. Arthur), heads to the House Idea store, where they hide out until after closing time and then vandalize several storefronts. What they didn't count on was the deranged security guard Kevin (Turlough Convery), who's been assigned to the night shift as punishment after nearly losing his job. Kevin has had to give up his weekend of wild hunting in the wilderness, and circumstances dictate that he can pursue his prey in the urban jungle... From the RKSS film collective, Wake Up feels less personal than their previous works (Turbo Kid, Summer of '84, We Are Zombies), but what it does offer is an alternative, clean, and minimalist take on horror cinema, in which Kevin crafts various bladed weapons and sets several booby traps around the place. There's no escape. The cell phone signal isn't working. That's highly unlikely, given the location, but previous films of this ilk have required a much greater suspension of di...

The film's plot follows Niyala and Faiq, childhood friends, who grow up together in the latter's home after the death of Niyala's mother. While growing up together, Niyala begins to develop feelings for Faiq, but her life takes a radical turn when she discovers that her father arranged her marriage to her childhood bully to settle his debt. Furthermore, Faiq surprises her by introducing her to his fiancé, which only breaks her heart even more. The group of childhood friends who fall in love is undoubtedly one of our all-time favorites, and seeing one friend fall in love while the other follows long after is nothing new. While watching this film, I focused more on the emotional aspect and the excitement the plot inspires in me. Unfortunately, I didn't grasp much of this and was only met with a mediocre script that barely managed to convey the beautiful emotions of a good romance. The film had a lot of potential, but fell short in many ways, which disappoints me when I th...

 The next Mickey Mouse horror film to hit theaters is Screamboat, which puts a deadly spin on Disney's classic animated short, Steamboat Willie. However, the first official look at the villain shows him repeating the most disappointing element of Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood & Honey, but there's a twist that may save him. A popular, if controversial, trend in horror that continues to gain traction is adaptations of children's characters and stories. While the Twisted Childhood Universe continues to build its own world, other studios aren't missing the opportunity to bring a touch of terror to once-innocent characters. David Howard Thornton, best known for his terrifying portrayal of Art the Clown in the Terrifier series, faces a new kind of threat in Screamboat, a fun and frenetic horror slasher that promises to turn a simple ferry ride into a nightmare. Director: Steven LaMorte Writers: Matthew Garcia-Dunn, Steven LaMorte Stars: Tyler Posey, David Howard Thornton, Jesse ...

 The first episode of MobLand opens with Harry Da Souza (Tom Hardy) mediating a dispute between two gangs, the Dogan and the Lazarus. Only after he's sure that the leaders, Costa and Mehmet, are ready to shake hands and bury the hatchet does Harry consult his boss, Conrad Harrigan (played by the amazing Pierce Brosnan), about the next step. Harry believes this arrangement between the Dogan and the Lazarus won't last long.  Meanwhile, Conrad reveals that Costa and Mehmet have been swindling him. Therefore, the best decision is apparently to kill them all. While Harry and his accomplices do the work, Conrad arrives to put the finishing touches and tells Harry to inform the Maltese that they will fill the void left by the deaths of the Dogan and the Lazarus. Now, the repercussions of this decision are not the focus of this episode. The blame falls on the bar crawl that Eddie Harrigan (Conrad's grandson and Kevin's son) and Tommy Stevenson (son of Conrad's rival, Richie...

 Sikandar, directed by A.R. Murugadoss, is the kind of film that makes you wonder why, in the beginning, no one objected to the story, the dialogue, the absurdity of the events, and all the other aspects that made it a film worth watching. Not even Salman Khan's stardom or Murugadoss's legacy could save it. The best thing about Sikandar is that it didn't last more than its 2 hours and 15 minutes. So, let's try to understand this Salman Khan film and find out what our protagonist was up to. Sanjay was the supposed king of Rajkot, but he dedicated his life to the well-being of the people. The people of Rajkot loved him, and it was thanks to the work he had done over the past few years. Sanjay never wanted to get married, and he wouldn't have done so had he not seen Saisri, his wife, in distress. We never learned what was happening in her life, but she was grateful to Sanjay for marrying her. Sanjay never had time for Sai, not because he didn't love her, but becaus...

 At the end of episode 10 of Undercover High School, Jeong Hae-seong's 22-year search came to an end when he found his father's skeletal remains. The episode revealed that for a long time, Hae-seong and Oh Soo-ah believed the gold ingots were hidden in the secret passageway, under the statue of the founding president, but they didn't know what they would find there. Chairwoman Seo Myeong-joo still believed Hae-seong knew where the gold was hidden and was simply not telling anyone. She was hell-bent on using that gold to build her education city, and she didn't care what happened to the children who couldn't afford the 50% tuition increase.  So, let's find out what happened in episode 11: What did Hae-seong find out about his father's death? Did he manage to stop the chairwoman from ruining the children's lives? Hae-seong had been searching for his father for years, and finally found his body in the hidden passageway beneath the statue of Seo Byeong-mun. ...

 L2: The ending of Empuraan revolved primarily around the resolution of two subplots: Zayed Masood's revenge and Priyadarshini Ramdas's rise to the leadership of the IUF (Indian Trade Union Front). So, back in 2002, when a train fire sparked communal riots, Balraj Patel, Munna, and their group of religious fanatics murdered Zayed's family and several members of his community. A few months later, Zayed was kidnapped by a terrorist group that wanted young people like him to fight communalism with communalism.  But Khureshi Ab'raam (aka Stephen Nedumpally) saved him from falling down that path and recruited him into his elite group of international vigilantes who helped the weak and eliminated tyrants. Meanwhile, Balraj and Munna founded their political party in northern India, ASM (Akhanda Shakti Morcha), and between 2024 and 2025, they entered Kerala through the IUF (PKR).  Director: Prithviraj Sukumaran Writer: Murali Gopy Stars: Mohanlal, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Rick Yun...

 Set in early 1990s Cuba, Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz's coming-of-age drama, Los Frikis, centers on a group of punks in search of freedom. In 1961, Fidel Castro banned rock music in Cuba, but that didn't stop young people from exploring music behind closed doors. The anti-communist rock 'n' roll lovers found refuge in underground clubs where they met like-minded people and played music. Food and housing shortages, and a general lack of free will, pushed many young people to the brink. The AIDS epidemic was on the rise, and when young people discovered that sanatoriums provided food and shelter, they wondered if getting sick was their only option to live a dignified life. Gustavo's only family was his older brother, Paco, after his father was murdered for disobeying authorities. They worked on the sugarcane plantation like their father, and every day they regretted being born in Cuba. Their only source of joy was rock and roll, which was technically prohibited,...

 Is the "eat the rich" subgenre on the wane, or are we becoming overly critical of it? 2019 was probably the year artists around the world stood up in unison against the economic divide through their work. From this emerged anti-classist stories like Parasite, Knives Out, Aadhaar, and many more. As we were going crazy during the COVID-19 pandemic and seeing how the rich used even a devastating situation like that to oppress people and widen the gap between the upper and lower classes, Squid Game arrived in 2021.  And, because of the show's popularity, it seemed like people would truly unite and reject this form of discrimination and inequality. But as soon as the public started dressing up as the characters, as streaming platforms and YouTubers staged real-life versions of Squid Game, I guess we started diluting the essence of "eat the rich." Thus, we find ourselves with incomplete content such as "The Love Scam," "Hisaab Barabar," "Deli...