Red Rooms (2023): In one of those movies that aren’t very easy to label, writer-director Pascal Plante manages to challenge us in imaginative ways. We follow Kelly-Anne, a mysterious model/poker player/tech savant, whose fascination with the trial of a suspected serial killer takes over her life. It is in KA’s emotionless actions that we get a counterbalance to the highly sensitive topics being treated, to the point where I ended up wondering if she’s even truly human. This does not seem to be the go-to interpretation, but I think there’s enough to go on to imagine her as a benevolent AI perusing the fragility of the human condition. It’s also an indictment of our obsessions with true crime, media sensationalism and technological fringes, but beyond whatever it’s about, Red Rooms captivates. Juliette Gariépy is magnetic in the lead and the ebbs and flows of the unpredictable story will keep you engaged. Impressive stuff. 8
A Nice Indian Boy (2025): I’m pretty sure I’ve talked about the many variations on this Indian wedding genre before. The most recent one I recall is What’s Love Got to do with It (2022), which is actually about a Pakistani arranged wedding, but, hey, same theme. In this one, the spin is gay Indian boy finds gay Indian boy…an adopted, white gay Indian boy. So we get the Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner energy, but the focus is different. It’s not about being conservative, but rather about being unable to express your thoughts and feelings. That’s where ANIB finds the root of the divide between its characters. The movie takes on an unusual rhythm for a romcom, which I felt to be jarring more than enjoyable. With it, though, it tries to set itself apart from all the usual tropes, of which it anyway indulges. Izf nothing else, the movie is very wholesome and ends on a high note of authenticity. This is all in no small part to the contrasting energy its leads bring to it – Karan Soni and Jonathan Groff. And in some ways it wasn’t that surprising to find out that writer/director Roshan Sethi was also the brains behind the best pandemic romcom I am yet to see, 7 Days (2021). 7
The Naked Gun (2025): I discovered Police Squad rather late in my life. It was a blast to the point that I was excited when Angie Tribeca showed up – a same-spirited TV show in the 2010s. But with the cancellation of AT, I thought this was the end of the road for literal humour. And yet! The new Naked Gun casts Liam Neeson against type as Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Leslie Nielsen’s character. It almost makes you wonder if they cast LN just because his name sounded so similar to LN. Regardless. Yeah, just regard less. It works well and the riffs at established genre tropes garner their share of laughs. If you weren’t already thinking of Mission Impossible while watching it, then Lorne Balfe’s music definitely put you there. It can all be very silly, which is an acquired taste, but when everything clicks, TNG is boisterous. Yes, boisterous. Not necessarily laugh out loud, though there’s some of that too. It’s just the light-hearted spirit that it has which makes the whole thing taste like literal nostalgia. 7
Dangerous Animals (2025): A well balanced Australian thriller, this is director Sean Byrne’s third feature, and the first that he did not write. I’ve only seen The Loved Ones (2009), which I found to be a decent genre flick. It’s the same with Dangerous Animals. The movie has its moments of tension and gore, but it sticks close to the norms, while really pushing the limits of what its lead can do to fight and survive. I think it’s Jai Courtenay’s performance that gives DA some way of standing out, in, and I’m guessing here, his first lead after appearances in several high profile franchises (Terminator, Suicide Squad, Jack Reacher, Die Hard). 6
Materialists (2025): Celine Song’s Past Lives (2023) got universal acclaim, but I wasn’t swept away by it. Compared to this one, though, I suddenly remembered it as a masterpiece. Don’t get me wrong, Materialists is easily watchable, rife with big speeches and even leaves room for sentiment. It’s also a movie that feels sterile, with characters that are hard to root for or care about. Clearly, telling a story about how the rich and ultrarich have bespoke services for finding “love” and treating it as seriously and soberly as this, was always going to have difficulties finding a niche. But where it really fails, is in its attempt to make us believe the things that happen make sense. It simply demands of us to believe that there’s chemistry and unrealized potential that warrants us rooting for someone. This ultimately makes for a shallow experience. 6
tributary stu 