Queen: Live in Budapest (1986): A newly remastered version of the seminal Queen concert is making the rounds in cinemas and I took the time to watch it the way it was (not) intended: in glorious IMAX. I’m not sure it’s an absolute standout concert movie, but it’s a damned fine one, thanks to the phenomenal energy of the band, the crowd – and the buzzing you feel when you think today of 1986. The world and particularly Eastern Europe were about to change towards a substantially more hopeful direction, after decades of Soviet-infused misery. And look at us now. A moment like 1986 seems far away and a band to create the reverberations that Queen did no longer truly exists in today’s fragmented, global music landscape. The movie spreads a few clips of the protagonists along the concert scenes, some minor mementos to pace the mostly frenetic energy on stage. The music is thrilling, with hit after hit raising the ante as Freddie loses layers of clothing. It’s pretty much a joy to watch if you are even in the slightest fans of the band. And who wouldn’t be? 8
Finding Emily (2026): I kept thinking of Sing Street (2016) while watching this one, even though the similarities mostly lie in it being a British movie set in a school. Yeah, there’s some singing, but not much, and the story is about a boy trying to get an elusive girl, but the love angle is different. Maybe there are some vibe similarities that brought the parallel to mind. Anyway, Spike Fearn (of Alien: Romulus fame) and Angourie Rice (who is very likely someone you’ve seen but can’t place) lead this one, even though their chemistry isn’t quite up there. It does work however, even as the movie tries a bit too hard to make sure it isn’t telling the typical “guy obsesses over girl romantically” jig without offering a counter-stance. But it’s all decently woven together, so how much you like it comes down to genre affinities. 6
John Dies at the End (2012): I am just finding out now that this movie (and, moreso, the connected source material) was a bit of a phenomenon when it happened. Directed by Bubba Ho-Tep man, Don Coscarelli, starring and produced by Paul Giamatti, it’s an adaptation of the early-internet-viral-sensation that was Jason Pargin’s eponymous novel (initially a web series). The thing is described as lovecraftian horror, as a death-inducing substance from outer space also happens to imbue the recipient with the power to see into the future and somesuch other things. There’s some demands of the special effects department to make this kind of thing work and it’s definitely an area where JDatE loses out. If anything, the general look and feel of the movie is on the underwhelming side, but it has enough novelty in it to make it a decent genre fare. 6
Motor City (2025): How about an action movie set to groovy 70s tunes with next to no dialogue? A movie about two men fighting it out over the woman of their dreams. A bad guy and a good guy. Corrupt cops, vicious prison guards and loyal brothers? Then Motor City, directed by Potsy Ponciroli and written by Chad St. John (simply had to drop the names) is something for you. I can appreciate the guts it takes to shoot such a story, especially when headed by three highly recognizable actors: Alan Ritchson, Shailene Woodley and Ben Foster. It’s good to see Foster again and he’s having a good time with this one. But does the movie really work? I think it’s on the verge, of working or failing, depending how you look at it. The action and visuals give it some momentum and I do want to support trying to do things differently. So I’ll go with “it works well enough”, but I can very well understand people who might just outright despise it. 6
Fuze (2025): I was expecting The Hurt Locker (2008), but got a derivative, if enjoyable, heist movie. You’ve got to suspend some serious disbelief from the get-go and then tolerate plot twists that are as phoned in as a Cristiano Ronaldo meltdown. Aaron Taylor Johnson plays the leader of a military bomb defusal unit, Sam Worthington is a criminal mastermind and Theo James is the informant/wildcard. A surprise appearance was that of Dragoș Bucur, playing the smooth criminal uber-mastermind, but he isn’t an obviously Romanian criminal, so no brownie points for our national brand. As the movie twists and turns, it gets silly and loses the tight set-up it so neatly lured as in with. The craziest thing is the whole show ends on a sort of after-credits scene which is one of the coolest in the flick and it made me question the need to make everything as contrived as it was. 6
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