SYNOPSIS: In 1983, a series of increasingly violent bank robberies, counterfeiting operations and armored car heists frightened communities throughout the Pacific Northwest. As baffled law enforcement agents scrambled for answers, a lone FBI agent (Law), stationed in the sleepy, picturesque town of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, came to believe the crimes were not the work of traditional, financially motivated criminals but a group of dangerous domestic terrorists, inspired by a radical, charismatic leader (Hoult), plotting a devastating war against the federal government of the United States.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Supposedly based on true events, director Justin Kurzel’s latest crime thriller is adapted from the 1989 non-fiction book The Silent Brotherhood and set in 1980s rural Idaho. White power. Extremist militant. Murdering innocent Jews. The Order tackles political and social themes that happened in the past nevertheless as relevant as it is today.
Jude Law stars as a hardened FBI agent Terry Husk who opts for a supposedly relaxing posting in Idaho. But when a murder case that is linked to the neo-Nazi group, Aryan Nations attracted the attention of Husk, he teams up with a young local police officer, Jamie (Tye Sheridan) and former FBI colleague, Joanne Carney (Jurnee Smollett) to investigate further. As it turned out, an ex-member of the group, Bob Mathews (Nicholas Hoult) is carrying out domestic terrorism and robberies with his gang of newly recruited militants. The ultimate aim is to stage an uprising in order to change the world.
First and foremost, The Order is not the typical buddy cop comedy or thriller despite the pairing of a grizzled cop and a relatively inexperienced sidekick. It’s a deliberate, investigative drama that pulls you right into the chilling setting and keeps you invested till the end. The police procedural while by-the-numbers is interesting enough. From confronting Aryan Nations’ founder Richard Butler to uncovering a white supremacist novel disguised as a bedtime story, The Turner Diaries to unveiling the true intentions of The Order. All the while, the narrative serves up a series of riveting facts behind the white-supremacist movement which is eye-opening to audiences who are not familiar with the heinous acts.
Additionally, the crime drama delivers a few intense sequences mostly involving robberies and shootouts between Bob and the good guys. One must note that Kurzel is more concerned in delivering grounded, reckless violence than all out fanciful bloodbaths. Simply, the action is as good as the drama, gripping and non-showy. British actor Nicolas Hoult is the star here. Shedding his original accent, Hoult is terrifying as the face of terror as his character’s unsettling ideology is perfectly nailed in his speech to the masses. Jude Law and Tye Sheridan are both convincing enough adding to an already brilliant story.
The Order is a deeply rewarding crime thriller. Smart, provocative and mirroring the current state of affairs in America. The end credits even attribute the January 6, 2021 United States Capitol attack to an act by white supremacists. While the movie is easily understood, we are not quite sure what is the meaning behind the elk. Some deep metaphor that needs more discussion perhaps.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
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ACADEMY AWARD WINNERS 2025Posted on 01 Mar 2025 |
Genre: Drama/Music
Director: Jesse Eisenberg
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Boyd Holbrook, Norbert Leo Butz, Dan Fogler, Scoot McNairy
Runtime: 2 hr 21 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Walt Disney
Official Website:
Opening Day: 27 February 2025
Synopsis: New York, 1961. Against the backdrop of a vibrant music scene and tumultuous cultural upheaval, an enigmatic 19-year-old from Minnesota arrives with his guitar and revolutionary talent, destined to change the course of American music. He forges intimate relationships with music icons of Greenwich Village on his meteoric rise, culminating in a groundbreaking and controversial performance that reverberates worldwide. Timothée Chalamet stars and sings as Bob Dylan in James Mangold’s A COMPLETE UNKNOWN, the electric true story behind the rise of one of the most iconic singer-songwriters in history.
The film also stars Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash and Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie.
Movie Review:
If you were fortunate enough to have lived through the 60s, you’d know that those were troubled times not only in the United States but also the world, what with the civil rights movement fuelling protests and arrests domestically and the larger Cuban missile crisis casting anxiety just whether the Soviet Union would indeed launch a barrage into the United States. We say this because there is a parallel to the discontent, disquiet and disharmony we are seeing both in the US and in the world today, and in portraying the first four rocket-fuelled years of Bob Dylan’s career, ‘A Complete Unknown’ holds up a mirror to the past to allow us to reflect on the present.
Indeed, that is – we believe – the greatest accomplishment of James Mangold’s biopic. Fans of Dylan will no doubt be poring over every single detail to assess how faithful it is to the singer-songwriter’s life, but coming after many, many ballads of this thin man, we think that holding such a lens to Mangold’s entry misses the point; instead, in adapting Elijah Wald’s 2015 non-fiction book ‘Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night That Split the Sixties’, Mangold and his fellow screenwriter Jay Cocks spotlights a particular period in history that was ripe for a disruptor like Dylan, and how after disrupting the folk scene with his original compositions, Dylan disrupted himself in order not to be typecast and to expose the folkies for their own hypocrisy.
Like we said, to insist on complete authenticity would be futile, because there is no way a two-and-a-half hour feature-length film would be able to fully capture the ups and downs and ins and outs of Dylan’s musical journey; and to Mangold’s credit, the filmmaker makes largely the right choices in compressing timelines, weighing the facts against the legend and streamlining the narrative into a brisk, tuneful and very accessible representation of the iconic artist. Indeed, those who know the story from Dylan’s arrival in Greenwich Village as a 19-year-old Minnesota nobody to the upheaval he caused in the 1965 Newport Folk Festival by going electric should not expect anything revelatory per se, but perhaps savour it as an occasion to be transported back to a time that on hindsight seemed a lot simpler and a lot more nostalgic.
To be frank, we’ve always believed Mangold deserves more recognition than he does, and here he reinforces once again his storytelling prowess, navigating a story that manages to sketch out Dylan’s relationship with fellow folk singer Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy) and Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), his tempestuous relationship with Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), and his on-and-off romance with the blond activist cum painter Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning) based on his longtime girlfriend Suze Rotolo who was apparently fictionalised at the singer’s request. In lesser supporting roles, Mangold manages to squeeze in parts like Dylan’s manager Albert Grossman (Dan Fogler) and musicologist Alan Lomax (Norbert Leo Butz), as well as fellow musicians Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook) and Bobby Neuwirth (Will Harrison), each of whom serve either as inspiration or forewarning of the implications of his musical choices.
It is a lot to cover all right, and again it is to Mangold’s credit that it all unfolds with such ease, coherence and even emotion. Oh yes, if you are willing to cast your cynicism aside, you’ll find that it is a deeply emotional and sentimental film on many counts – at the personal level, how Dylan’s inspiration ultimately needed to come from within to be authentic, and how being an icon ironically become a source of unease and tension for Dylan, especially given the risk of typecasting; at the inter-personal level, how through music and lyrics the connection between Bob and Joan was forged, and how it would have been difficult for any outsider (i.e. Sylvie) to overlook the obvious chemistry between them; and last but not least, at the cultural level, how the folk scene gained appeal and relevance through embodying the politics and concerns of the times, and how it then became naturally afraid of losing that significance, to the extent of becoming tunnel focused on its own purity.
Mangold is also very good with actors, and his knack of drawing the best from his actors is just as evident here. As Dylan, Timothée Chalamet is absolutely magnetic, melting right into the role playing the enigmatic genius with just the right balance of ambiguity and empathy. Never mind the fact that he remains a somewhat unknown even by the end of the film, Chalamet portrays his subject’s frustration at being boxed in by folkies with utter clarity. Oh, did we also mention that Chalamet does his own singing throughout the movie, which he injects with feeling and emotion. Of all the other stellar supporting acts, we were especially enamoured with that of Norton, whose hopes, joys and sorrow with Dylan’s rise and revolt is written plainly and poignantly on his face.
‘A Complete Unknown’ won’t please purists of Dylan or for that matter, anyone looking for a detailed retelling of the artist; but in these uncertain times, these times when we know the times, the times they are a-changing, it is a beautifully elegiac portrait of that period not so long ago when the world was also in a bit of mess and when Dylan captured the zeitgeist to give the masses then solace, perspective and even refuge. Whilst other biopics have taken a more creative approach, Mangold sticks with a straightforward, clear-eyed musical drama that builds a realistic world with sweep, detail and sensitivity, and for a new generation of viewers and listeners, offer consolation that sometimes the answer is indeed blowing in the wind.
Movie Rating:
(You may know the story of Bob Dylan through and through, but this latest biopic is a beautiful, lyrical and poignant portrait of a time not so different from now where we needed solace, perspective and even refuge)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Julia Fox, Eddy Maday, West Mulholland
Runtime: 1 hr 25 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scene and Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 20 March 2025
Synopsis: A family moves into a suburban house and becomes convinced they're not alone.
Movie Review:
As much as we respect Steven Soderbergh, ‘Presence’ is a film devoid of any presence.
Shot in secret in the summer of 2023, the movie follows an unidentified spirit inhabiting a two-storey suburban house that, we see in the opening scene, is sold by a flighty real estate agent (Julia Fox) to a family of four.
To what would inevitably be the disappointment of many, the spirit is pretty benign in the first half of the movie, content to watch the ins and outs of the hard-charging matriarch Rebekah (Lucy Liu), the affable father Chris (Chris Sullivan), their star-athlete son Tyler (Eddy Maday) and their sensitive daughter Chloe (Callina Liang).
Despite clocking in at under one-and-a-half hours, the plotting takes its own time to set up the dynamics within the family. There is tension between husband and wife, not only because Chris isn’t happy with how Rebekah fawns over Tyler and neglects Chloe, but also because he is troubled by Rebekah’s fraudulent practices at work. There is also tension between Tyler and Chloe, especially given his arrogance and disdain towards her. And last but not least, there is sheer unease about Chloe, because of a recent trauma that happened just before their move in and because she senses the titular presence in her house and hanging around in her room.
Over long takes and wide angles, ‘Presence’ unfolds through the eyes of the spirit, watching the domestic drama like a voyeur. Things get a little more interesting only after Tyler’s friend from school Ryan (West Mulholland) and Chloe get intimate, with the spirit revealing its anger towards Ryan and protectiveness towards Chloe. We won’t spoil the surprise just who the spirit is eventually revealed to be, but suffice to say that the neat twist at the end doesn’t excuse the lack of much tension or build-up throughout the film.
Even though it is clear that Soderbergh and his frequent writer-collaborator David Koepp have other intentions than the typical haunted house movie, it is ultimately too anti-climactic an exercise in horror; in particular, the frustration lies with how the movie could simply have been made as a low-key, intimate drama than one disguised as a horror outing and with the gimmick of being told from the point of the view of a ghost. It is never clear what that sleight of hand is meant to accomplish, and it never really achieves anything more than being a gimmick to draw a larger audience in.
To Soderbergh’s credit, he is just as adept with his actors as he has always been, and each one of the family brings his or her own unaffected performance to ground their respective characters. Even so, it is challenging to feel any real empathy towards either of them, not with the distracting camera work floating around the house and in and out of rooms; and even though it may have sounded a brilliant conceit on paper (of having the camera as an all-seeing ghost), it emphasises the fourth wall in an unnecessarily intrusive manner.
So as much as we respect Soderbergh for being as experimental as he has always been as a filmmaker, ‘Presence’ offers too little joys, payoffs and takeaways to be anything more than a failed experiment at that. We say this knowing that we are among one of the few critics who haven’t showered this latest with undulating praise, but we’d be lying if we didn’t say how much of a letdown we felt after this slight, fleeting and utterly ephemeral ghost story.
Movie Rating:
(Little more than a failed experiment, this twist on the haunted house genre told from the perspective of an unidentified spirit within the residence lacks any compelling presence)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Fantasy/Musical
Director: Marc Webb
Cast: Rachel Zegler, Andrew Burnap, Gal Gadot
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Released By: Walt Disney
Official Website:
Opening Day: 20 March 2025
Synopsis: “Disney’s Snow White,” a live-action musical reimagining of the classic 1937 film, opens exclusively in theaters March 21, 2025. Starring Rachel Zegler (“West Side Story”) in the title role and Gal Gadot (“Wonder Woman”) as her Stepmother, the Evil Queen, the magical music adventure journeys back to the timeless story with beloved characters Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy. “Disney’s Snow White” is directed by Marc Webb (“The Amazing Spiider-Man”) and produced by Marc Platt (“The Little Mermaid”) and Jared LeBoff (“The Girl on the Train”) with Callum McDougall (“Mary Poppins Returns”) serving as executive producer, and features all - new original songs from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (“Dear Evan Hansen”).
Movie Review:
We were heartened to see the audience react with “awws” and “ahhs” when the forest animals first appeared on screen during the preview screening of this live-action reimagining of Walt Disney’s 1937 classic, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The younger viewers, in particular, were captivated - a testament to how director Marc Webb has touched hearts despite the skepticism surrounding the film before its release.
The internet has not been kind to the movie, particularly to Rachel Zegler, who was cast as Snow White. The Latina actress has been the target of mean-spirited memes and unkind comments, as many associate the character with having skin “as white as snow”. Some netizens even joked that Gal Gadot’s Evil Queen had no reason to be jealous of Snow White’s beauty. Given the online backlash, we expected Zegler to face even harsher criticism once the movie was released.
Most viewers will be familiar with the story, based on the Brothers Grimm’s 1812 fairy tale Snow White. The 106-minute musical fantasy film wastes no time setting the stage with a heartwarming introduction, revealing that Snow White was named after the snowstorm she and her parents survived.
In true musical fashion, we are treated to “Good Things Grow”, a lively number where the people of Snow White’s kingdom sing and dance about the bountiful harvests of their hometown. This opening sequence is a delightful reminder of how a catchy song can set the tone, making you smile and tap your feet along.
We first see Snow White as a child, with Zegler taking over as the princess grows into a young woman. Any initial doubts about her ability to embody the beloved Disney character quickly fade when she appears on screen. The 23-year-old actress brings Snow White’s kindness to life with sincerity, and when she belts out the “I Want” anthem “Waiting On A Wish”, it becomes even clearer that she was the right choice for the role. Her performance exudes an old-school wholesomeness - a welcome respite if you are weary of the cynicism of today’s world.
When Gadot first appears on screen as Snow White’s stepmother, some audience members at the preview screening audibly gasped. The Israeli actress, best known for portraying Wonder Woman in the DC Extended Universe, is that stunning. When she puts on the Evil Queen’s regal attire, she commands the screen with undeniable charisma. While Gadot’s vocals in “All Is Fair” may not be her strongest suit, she makes up for it with a delightfully over-the-top performance, fully embracing one of Disney’s most iconic villains.
We know that the 1937 animated classic doesn’t quite align with today’s standards. Snow White was largely a helpless girl waiting to be saved by a stranger. Erin Cressida Wilson’s screenplay updates the story by removing contentious elements, offering a more modern take. Instead of a handsome prince who happens upon Snow White to deliver a life-saving kiss, we get a charming bandit (Andrew Burnap) who stands as her equal. He even performs a hilarious duet titled “Princess Problems” with Snow White, adding a playful nod to contemporary perspectives. Not to worry - the lovebirds share the obligatory romantic duet “A Hand Meets A Hand”, surrounded by magical elements.
And that brings us to perhaps the most awkward aspect of this otherwise enjoyable film - the dwarfs. Amidst the controversy surrounding the portrayal of these characters, Disney issued an official statement explaining that “to avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community”.
However, the result still feels awkward, likely due to the photorealistic CGI. Perhaps we’ve become too accustomed to the charming animated versions of these beloved characters, making it difficult to fully embrace their new, lifelike portrayals. But when the infectious “Heigh-Ho” plays and we join the dwarfs on their mining adventure, we can’t help but smile and tap our feet once again.
Movie Rating:
(Set aside the internet's meanness and embrace Rachel Zegler’s Snow White in this wholesome and enjoyable musical, with Gal Gadot’s delightfully hammy Evil Queen, though the awkward portrayal of the dwarfs is a small misstep)
Review by John Li
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Dan Berk, Robert Olsen
Cast: Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson, Betty Gabriel, Matt Walsh, Lou Beatty Jr., Van Hengst, Conrad Kemp, Jacob Batalon
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence and Coarse Language)
Released By: UIP
Official Website:
Opening Day: 13 March 2025
Synopsis: When the girl of his dreams (Amber Midthunder) is kidnapped, everyman Nate (Jack Quaid) turns his inability to feel pain into an unexpected strength in his fight to get her back.
Movie Review:
In case you didn’t know, the title of this action comedy is also the name of a local anaesthetic. Novocaine, or procaine hydrochloride, is commonly used in dental procedures like tooth extractions and cavity fillings. It works quickly to numb the treatment area, ensuring a pain-free experience.
The filmmakers probably gave themselves a pat on the back for coming up with this clever title, as the protagonist of the story has congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP) - a real but extremely rare condition in which a person cannot feel physical pain.
Directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen and written by Lars Jacobson, the movie wastes no time introducing us to Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid), an all-too-pleasant introvert who works at a trust credit union. He is polite to a fault, and there’s no reason to dislike him.
We also see how Nathan navigates his daily life with caution. Because of his CIP, he takes extra care to prevent injuries or illnesses that could be life-threatening. While many might initially see CIP as a cool superpower, it is actually a dangerous condition. Physical pain is essential for survival, and without it, people with CIP may suffer serious injuries or illnesses without realising it.
Before long, Nathan falls for his colleague Sherry (Amber Midthunder), and things start to heat up between them. Just as we begin to wonder where the story is headed, a violent robbery takes place at the bank where Nathan works, and Sherry is taken hostage.
The rest of the movie follows Nathan as he summons the courage to rescue her, pushing himself beyond his limits. He gets into fist fights, fires a gun, and speeds down the road - basically, all the things action heroes do.
Quaid leverages his natural likability to bring Nathan to life, and his boy-next-door charm makes you want to root for him from start to finish. Go get the girl! Punch the bad guy! You’ve got what it takes to save the day! Go, Nathan!
The 32-year-old actor is best known for playing a good-hearted vigilante in the ultra-violent TV series The Boys and a down-on-his-luck villain in Companion (2025). He’s often labelled a “nepo baby” thanks to his famous parents, Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid, but with a performance like this, it’s clear he can hold his own as a leading man.
The movie runs at a brisk 110 minutes, earning points for its tight pacing. The action sequences are exhilaratingly choreographed and executed, yet there are plenty of chuckle-worthy moments amidst the chaos. Thanks to Quaid’s charisma, his on-screen chemistry with Midthunder feels genuinely sweet.
Supporting actors also bring their A-game. Ray Nicholson (the creepy guy from Smile 2) goes full berserk as a ruthless bank robber, while Jacob Batalon channels his Ned Leeds nerdiness as Nathan’s online gaming buddy. Packed with action, comedy, and a touch of romance, this is a fast-paced thrill ride that never overstays its welcome.
Movie Rating:
(Jack Quaid’s boy-next-door charm shines in this action comedy about a man who can’t feel pain)
Review by John Li
Genre: Animation
Director: Peter Browngardt
Cast: Eric Bauza, Candi Milo, Peter MacNicol
Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 13 March 2025
Synopsis: That’s not all folks! Porky Pig and Daffy Duck, one of the greatest comedic duos in history, are making their hilarious return to the big screen in the sci-fi comedy adventure, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie. From Warner Bros. Animation, director Pete Browngardt, and the creative team behind the award-winning Looney Tunes Cartoons, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie stars Porky Pig and Daffy Duck as unlikely heroes and Earth’s only hope when facing the threat of alien invasion. The movie unfolds a rich Porky & Daffy story that fans have never seen before: In this buddy-comedy of epic proportions, our heroes race to save the world, delivering all the laugh-out-loud gags and vibrant visuals that have made the Looney Tunes so iconic, but on a scope and scale yet to be experienced.
Movie Review:
There is probably good reason why there has not yet been a fully animated ‘Looney Tunes’ movie in the cinemas; and ‘The Day the Earth Blew Up’ is a good reminder of why that is.
Commissioned for HBO Max before being unceremoniously abandoned by the studio, it is at best a nostalgic throwback to your childhood when ‘Looney Tunes’ was a staple of American pop culture and dominated the Saturday morning cartoon belt on TV.
If you’re hoping for appearances by Tweety, Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd or any other of the better-known Looney Tunes characters, we regret to say that you’ll be sorely disappointed; instead, the movie lets Daffy Duck and Porky Pig (both voiced by Eric Bauza) take centre stage.
Following a short prologue that tells of how both these characters were raised by a gruff but lovable farmer Jim (Fred Tatasciore), the movie kicks into high gear from start to finish as an irradiated green spacecraft rips a hole in their dilapidated house, that forces them to take up employment at a creatively stagnant bubblegum factory; it is at that factory that they uncover a conspiracy by an alien (Peter MacNicol) to turn humans into mindless zombies with contaminated gum, and also where Porky meets his love interest Petunia Pig (Candi Milo).
True to the ‘Looney Tunes Cartoons’, the proceedings are fast, furious and zany. Director Pete Browngardt is a veteran of the series, and in making the transition to feature-length, orchestrates the madness with the same manic energy. That is both a good and bad thing – on one hand, it is true to the spirit of the characters, in particular the comic duo of Daffy and Porky; but on the other, it also is exhausting seeing what would be contained within short-form stretched out for one and a half hours.
To be fair though, Browngardt and his screenwriting team of 11 contributors approach the endeavour utterly liberated – in particular, the last third goes completely bonkers, as the alien reveals a much larger plan that involves a giant bubble over the entire Earth’s surface, an even more menacing threat involving an asteroid hurtling towards Earth, and last but not least, how the ultimate solution to save the Earth and humankind lies with Petunia’s bubblegum invention. It is out of this world all right, but as wacky as it does get, there is no denying that it gets tiring very quickly.
Like we said, there is probably good reason why the ‘Looney Tunes’ animations have thus far been restrained on the small screen, and as enjoyable as it is to the cartoons those in our adulthood grew up watching, ‘The Day the Earth Blew Up’ simply reinforces why certain types of pleasures are best enjoyed in moderation. So even though it is a good dose of nostalgia, it is hardly enough reason to make you hope for more of the ‘Looney Tunes’ on the big screen.
Movie Rating:
(Fast, furious and zany, this feature-length 'Looney Tunes' is good for nostalgia, but gets exhuasting very quickly)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: CG Animation
Director: Peter Hastings
Cast: Peter Hastings, Pete Davidson, Lil Rel Howery, Isla Fisher, Lucas Hopkins Calderon, Ricky Gervais, Poppy Liu, Stephen Root, Billy Boyd
Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: UIP
Official Website:
Opening Day: 13 March 2025
Synopsis: From DreamWorks Animation—creators of the beloved blockbuster franchises Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon and The Boss Baby—comes the canine-crime-fighting film adaptation of DAV PILKEY’s New York Times bestselling literary phenomenon: Dog Man. When a faithful police dog and his human police officer owner are injured together on the job, a harebrained but life-saving surgery fuses the two of them together and Dog Man is born. Dog Man is sworn to protect and serve—and fetch, sit and roll over. As Dog Man embraces his new identity and strives to impress his Chief (LIL REL HOWERY, Get Out, Free Guy), he must stop the pretty evil plots of feline supervillain Petey the Cat (PETE DAVIDSON; Saturday Night Live, The King of Staten Island). Petey’s latest plan is to clone himself, creating the kitten Li’l Petey, to double his ability to do crime stuff. Things get complicated, though, when Li’l Petey forges an unexpected bond with Dog Man. When Li’l Petey falls into the clutches of a common enemy, Dog Man (voiced by director PETER HASTINGS) and Petey reluctantly join forces in an action-packed race against time to rescue the young kitten. In the process, they discover the power of family (and kittens!) to bring even the most hostile foes together.
Movie Review:
For the uninitiated, Dog Man started as a comic book written by the two primary school protagonists of Dav Pilkey’s ‘Captain Underpants’ series, before becoming its own bestselling series. That explains the similarities between them, not just in terms of their hyperactive pacing, but also in their kiddish, wacky and mildly potty humour. Take it though from someone who had little clue of the material before this – ‘Dog Man’ is silly through and through, but it’s also anarchically madcap fun.
Those unfamiliar with the origins of the half-human, half-canine police officer need not worry. Over an extended prologue, ‘Dog Man’ lays out how an accident while pursuing the dastardly Petey (Pete Davidson), a striped orange cat who terrorises Ohkay city, leaves Officer Knight and his trusty dog Greg (both voiced by Pete Hastings) winding up in an emergency room together, whereupon a nurse helpfully suggests ‘sewing the dog’s head onto the man’s body’. Thanks to that stroke of genius, Dog Man is born, just as determined to hunt down Petey but prone to getting sidetracked by canine habits.
Because The Chief (Lil Rel Howery) orders Dog Man to go after Petey, even if it takes a montage, we get a montage of Dog Man thwarting Petey’s evil schemes, until Dog Man decides that what he needs is another version of himself. That results in Dog Man purchasing a cloning machine online, but instead of an actual clone, Petey gets a tiny kitty (Lucas Hopkins Calderon) with a heart of gold.
Like we said at the start, everything whizzes by at hyperkinetic speed, and within a one-and-a-half hours, Petey will resurrect a diabolical dead fish Flippy (Ricky Gervais) whose singular mission is to destroy all do-gooders, while Dog Man will come to adopt Li’l Petey as his own after the latter is abandoned by Petey. From a robot henchman called 80HD (get it?), to Dog Man howling along to the song ‘I’m So Lonely I Could Cry’, and to Li’l Petey uttering a G-rated version of Bruce Willis’ iconic ‘Die Hard’ line, there are plenty of wink-wink, tongue-in-cheek references that come at you frenetically.
To writer-director Hastings’ credit (in case you’re wondering, he is also the voice of Dog Man), ‘Dog Man’ does not lose its audience along the way – not only does he pack the chase with a good mix of cartoonish mayhem for the young and throwaway gags for adults, he also manages to wring a surprising level of poignancy in Petey’s relationship with his cloned son, even putting aside his villainous instincts in order to make the world a better place for Li’l Petey.
Unlike the usual Dreamworks fare, ‘Dog Man’ has a distinctly scrappy animation style, packed with all sorts of visually imaginative flourishes. It also brings to life Pilkey’s sharp-angled 2D designs through modern computer-generated animation, lending it texture and dimensionality that often recalls stop-motion. It is pretty inspired to say the least, and perfectly suited for its source material we must add.
So even though we did not expect much from ‘Dog Man’, we must say we were pretty entertained by this delightfully zany adaptation of the bestselling comic series. Chances are if you’re stepping into the cinema for this that it will be because your kids have dragged you into it, but there are frankly a lot worse ways to kill time with your kids; as long as you’re prepared to have some fast, furious and frenetic fun, you’ll find ‘Dog Man’ a pretty enjoyable blend of everything silly to chew over.
Movie Rating:
(Part cop flick, part superhero saga, and all anarchically madcap fun, this adaptation of Dav Pilkey's bestselling comic series is exhilarating family-friendly delightful)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Thriller
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Tom Burke, Marisa Abela, Naomie Harris, Regé-Jean Page, Gustaf Skarsgård, Pierce Brosnan
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Rating: NC16 (Coarse Language & Some Violence)
Released By: UIP
Official Website:
Opening Day: 27 March 2025
Synopsis: When intelligence agent Kathryn Woodhouse is suspected of betraying the nation, her husband - also a legendary agent - faces the ultimate test of whether to be loyal to his marriage, or his country.
Movie Review:
American filmmaker Steven Soderbergh is known for the Ocean’s trilogy, a stylish and entertaining series of heist films that made good-looking stars like George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, and Julia Roberts look even more glamorous on screen. The movies exuded a sense of sophistication and polish, making us believe we’d look just as good in those sleek outfits. His latest spy thriller delivers that same feeling.
Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender lead the cast as Kathryn and George, a married couple who are both British intelligence officers. At the start of the film, George is assigned to investigate a leak involving a classified software programme called Severus - unfortunately, orders indicate that his wife is one of the suspects.
The tension escalates when George and Kathryn host a dinner party, attended by four other suspects: the agency’s satellite imaging specialist (Marisa Abela), her boyfriend and managing agent (Tom Burke), the agency’s psychiatrist (Naomie Harris), and her boyfriend and managing agent (Regé-Jean Page). In a carefully orchestrated move, George - who, by the way, seems like quite the chef - adds drugs to their food, leading to a revealing, dialogue-heavy sequence where secrets come to light.
And that’s just a taste of what this tightly paced, 93-minute thriller has in store. As the film unfolds, we witness a series of meticulously crafted setups where the characters’ interactions gradually reveal each piece of the puzzle.
One particularly well-executed scene finds George persuading the imaging specialist to redirect a spy satellite, allowing him to monitor Kathryn’s activities in Switzerland. You’ll be on the edge of your seat, hoping he doesn’t get caught.
The movie oozes style, and every sequence crackles with tension. Another standout moment sees George subjecting the suspects to a polygraph test in his relentless pursuit of the truth. As the film intercuts between his seemingly harmless small talk and his sharper, more probing questions, you’ll be watching intently, waiting to see if anyone cracks under pressure.
The movie is drenched in style and attitude, effortlessly radiating cool. Fassbender cuts a sharp figure in his black-rimmed glasses and tailored suit, while Blanchett exudes sophisticated cool in her trench coat. Pierce Brosnan also makes an appearance as George and Kathryn’s boss, his slicked-back white hair and baritone voice adding to his undeniable charm. This is a film where everyone looks good - even if they’re up to no good, dealing with top-secret viruses that could destroy the world.
In recent years, David Koepp has become a frequent collaborator with Soderbergh, crafting screenplays that showcase the director’s signature style. Their partnership began with Kimi (2022), a sleek techno-thriller that explored surveillance and paranoia in the digital age. The success of that film led to two more collaborations: Presence, a psychological horror film that is seen from a spirit’s point of view, and now, this gripping spy thriller filled with intrigue, high-stakes espionage, and most evidently, style. The duo works well together, combining Koepp’s sharp storytelling with Soderbergh’s visual and narrative style. The result is a film that engages both the mind and the senses.
Movie Rating:
(This well-crafted and stylish spy thriller is great to look at and is packed with sharp dialogue that keeps you engaged from start to finish)
Review by John Li
SYNOPSIS: Academy Award® nominee* Sylvester Stallone, Scott Eastwood, Mike Colter, and Willa Fitzgerald star in this explosive action-thriller about two married spies caught in the crosshairs of an international intelligence network that will stop at nothing to obtain a critical asset. Joe (Eastwood) and Lara (Fitzgerald) are agents living off the grid whose quiet retreat at a winter resort is blown to shreds when members of the old guard suspect the two may have joined an elite team of rogue spies, known as ALARUM.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Alarum stars a bunch of recognisable faces from Scott Eastwood (Fast X) to Willa Fitzgerald (Reacher season 1) to Mike Colter (Luke Cage) to of course, still remains as one of the many famous bankable names in Hollywood, Sylvester Stallone. 

Perhaps as one of the means to pay for his next prestige Patek Philippe, Stallone agrees to star in this “direct-to-video” feature, in a pretty small role as a world-weary, loner agent, Chester.
Since he is not the leading man, Eastwood gets the bulk of the movie playing a retired agent, Joe. You see, Joe has fallen in love with fellow agent Laura (Fitzgerald) and they are enjoying their honeymoon in a remote resort in Poland. Obviously, things happened. Conveniently, a plane has mysteriously crashed near the resort. Two pilots are killed and now the couple is targetted by another rogue agent, Orlin (Colter) who is looking for a missing flash drive.
Alarum has a script that wants to be smarter than the average spy actioner but turns out to be more of a convoluted unexciting mess. The twists and turns are cliche and unnecessary. And most of the backstories and exposition hilariously comes from some desk-bound senior agents in a bunker type confined room.
What is that unknown organization known as Alarum? And what is the deal with DEA? And why is Laura protecting a money launderer? Nobody knows and nobody cares. Anyway, Chester is being assigned to backup Joe in a supposedly anticipated teamup. Yet there’s only more boring banter between the two and more double-crossing and stuff that’s probably there to prolong the runtime.
Thankfully, there are plenty of action and explosive sequences to keep you at least momentarily awake. Unfortunately, the choreography and digital violence are both laughable and a huge turnoff. What happened to the good old days of squib and fake bullets? Even the sound effects seem a bit off at certain junctures.
Except for the tremendous casting, Alarum is a cheap, amateur effort. The whole concept of two agents falling in love and ditching their career has been done million times. But this is the worst of them all because we don’t even see Joe and Laura together onscreen that much. Stallone should buy fewer Patek Philippe and get back to work on Tulsa King. In short, Alarum shouldn’t even be made in the first place.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
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