Movie Reviews
A Friendship that Stands the Test of Time in ‘The Room Next Door’ – Review
The Room Next Door is a delicate melodrama about a relationship between two close friends as one of them faces the prospect of entering eternal sleep due to a terminal illness. The film is written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar and based on the novel What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez. This marks Almodóvar’s feature length English-language film debut and the first Spanish film to win the Golden Lion at the 2024 edition of the Venice Film Festival.
The film features Tilda Swinton as Martha, and Julianne Moore as Ingrid. The storyline focuses on Martha’s life as a notable journalist that is battling terminal ovarian cancer and makes a controversial decision to end her life with euthanization pills. Her grave situation reaches her distant friend Ingrid, a successful author whom Martha worked with earlier in their careers.
Martha opens up to Ingrid about her choice to depart life and genuinely explains why she would like for someone to be in the next room while it takes place. Ingrid is terrified about this decision and struggles to find her emotional and mental strength to fulfill her dying friend’s wishes. It is a heart-wrenching story with mending elements that tests a friendship, even after a length of time that has come between since their last interaction.


Swinton brings out Martha’s character with a certain stoic humor to an unpleasant subject, which pairs well with Moore’s portrayal of the sweet, caring and articulate Ingrid. We also learn that Martha has an estranged daughter Michelle (also played by Tilda Swinton, which was a delight to see her in a double role). John Tuturro as the supporting role of Damian, brought a bit of the quirky flirtation towards Ingrid that brightens up the mood inside a dire topic.
Director Almodóvar brought to light the dark side of dealing with a terminal illness without a cure, and when a patient doesn’t have any family for support or close friends they can depend on. The distinguished cast, Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, were magnificent in presenting a sensitive and personal decision with honor and dignity. The Room Next Door might not be suitable for all mature audiences, but will touch and relate with those that understand this similar predicament.

Movie Reviews
“Jane Austen Wrecked My Life” Will Have Your Heart Fluttering
Calling all hopeless romantics. This movie will be on your list of favorite foreign love stories. It has a young-quirky single lady, Agathe, who works in a bookstore in France and has aspirations of becoming a writer. She is inspired by her favorite author Jane Austen, however, comes to realize that she has writer’s block. Agathe will have to overcome her fears to liberate her emotions and transfer them onto paper.

Agathe (Camille Rutherford) believes that she is struggling to write due to her love life being nonexistent – ever since the tragic car accident where her parents were inside the car with her, but they did not survive. On the other hand, her friend and co-worker Felix (Pablo Pauly) is the type that is a freedom-loving who is reluctant to commit to a relationship as he reveals to Agathe about the many dates he has been in. Without hesitation, Felix discretely submits some of Agathe’s writings to the Jane Austen Residency and remarkably she gets accepted for a writer’s retreat in England.


This lighthearted movie takes you to the beautiful English countryside, where Agathe is greeted by the handsome Oliver (Charlie Anson), a distant descendant of Jane Austen. They get off to a rough start, but they gradually seem to be drawn to one other. The romantic connection develops when it’s discovered they have been emotionally shattered, but somehow their broken pieces come together and mend their painful past. Then, like getting spit on by a llama, Felix shows up at the mansion for the Residency’s annual ball and Agathe finds herself in a love triangle and discovers material for her novel.


Director and Screenplay Writer Laura Piani magnificently created the essence of the 1800’s literature of a romantic satirical comedy in Jane Austen Wrecked My Life. The cast are amazing and original. Though, the movie is mostly in French, it is easy to follow with subtitles, which adds authenticity to the story.

Movie Reviews
Karate Kid Legends – Is a Wholesome Striking K.O. Movie of the Summer
Jackie Chan, Shifu Han – Kung fu master, and Ralph Macchio, Sensei LaRusso – Karate master, create the yin and yang in the martial arts, which make Ben Wang’s role as Li Fong rise like a phoenix.
Karate Kid Legends is the sixth installment of the Karate Kid and follows the similar baseline story – a young teenager being uprooted from life’s challenges that is thrown off the path and finds balance through the discipline of martial arts. In this saga, Li and his mother Dr. Fong (Ming-Na Wen) relocate from Beijing, China to start a new life in the great big apple, New York City.


The story also expands to include a blend of boxing, kung fu and karate, which each had their exceptional fighting styles. The boxing moves were complimented by Joshua Jackson in the role of Victor Lipani. Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio were the perfect duo as training masters for Ben Wang’s character Li. Chan is animated and a legendary martial artist, while Macchio takes after the late Pat Morita’s beloved character Mr. Miyagi’s demeanor of being calm and collective.

Wang is incredible in the arts yet knows how to project being wholesome and charming. During the confrontation scenes and Battle of the 5 Boroughs, they used new captivating techniques and mesmerizing rooftop location. Overall, the message is clear, disciplined practitioners in martial arts demonstrate a strong sense of self-mastery, both physically and emotionally. Karate Kid Legends emphasizes the traditional respect for instructors, training partners, and the art itself, fostering a sense of humility and self-discipline.


What is a karate film without symbolism? Movie goers will be touched with the film’s definition of having two respective styles of martial arts, like branches of a tree, but they stem from the same root. Bonsai!
Catch Karate Kid Legends in theaters May 30, 2025. There is also a tenacious cameo surprise before the credits roll.

Movie Reviews
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning delivers high velocity, high energy action.
The “Mission: Impossible” franchise comes to full circle in the eighth and final installment with “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning“. Although it might not be the greatest in its series, the death defying stunts by Tom Cruise makes it worth the watch. With a hefty budget of over $300 million, “The Final Reckoning” has become one of the most expensive films ever made.

The “Mission: Impossible” theme stays on track with the inevitable sacrifice and precision timing. The IMF are rattled by a powerful artificial intelligence known as the Entity, which challenges humanity into nuclear destruction and it’s up to Ethan Hunt to accept this impossible mission to save the world.
In a compilation of flashbacks and simultaneous present day scenes, the clues are revealed which adequately ties everything together. The story surprisingly brings back CIA Analyst William Donloe (Rolf Saxon). It was also nostalgic to see the remembrances of characters/actors from the previous missions like Henry Cavil as August Walker and Jeremy Renner as William Brandt.


“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”, is has plenty of breathtaking action and subtle scenes that resemble scenarios to “Top Gun”, like Hannah Waddingham’s character Rear Admiral Neely having a striking appearance to Kelly McGillis’s character Charlie. Even towards the end of the film there was a similar scenario to “Pulp Fiction” – possible nod to Ving Rhames’s character Marsellus Wallace and his briefcase that radiated a golden hue when opened.


Since the film’s focal point is time, the underwater and biplane stunt sequences indeed took up much of it – no aspect was overlooked. During a Q&A after the screening, Storyboard Artist Mark Bristol explained the details that went into creating the vision for these high-octane moments. It was fascinating to learn about his experience working with Director Christopher McQuarrie, the writers and Tom Cruise to understand their vision to create the illustrations that serve as a visual guide for the production team.

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