Hurawatch

 Since IP-driven cinema took over, we’ve missed that sharp jolt of surprise that once came with every ticket.   Long before the credits roll, we go into the latest superhero flick or legacy brand already logging the Easter eggs and the shouted callbacks that studios proudly number. Blockbuster storytelling now tastes a lot like fast food; the whole world is already perusing the digital menu. Yet ticket holders deserve more than a custom burger; they deserve the kind of meal that makes them squint, guess, and, yes, sometimes grimace. When a studio dusts off a beloved brand, it ought to hand the keys to filmmakers bold enough to rebuild the world weirdly, shockingly, and without a safety net.   28 Years Later 2025 Review Danny Boyle’s “28 Years Later” is a zombified IP, sure, but it drops us straight into the hellscape Boyle first blasted us into with “28 Days Later.” He’s back with Alex Garland, the once-sole screenwriter now turning director, who after deliverin...

 “The Amateur” tiptoes around the best spy thrillers ever made but somehow misses the mark every time. It never finds its own groove, leaving every scene to drift away like a balloon with a slow leak. Critics like to say movies are sometimes “all shiny toys and no engine,” but I would have settled for at least a decent paint job. When a story runs on vapors, the only thing left to do is stare at the engine—and the engine is junk. It’s hard to ignore a roadmap that falls apart if you squint, and that’s exactly what happens when you realize the script trades effort for Twitter headlines. My brain would rather follow a good lie than an awful truth, but the truth here is that the people never breathe and the plot never makes a single logical click. Picture the late Tony Scott getting the same outline: a data geek who somehow compiles a kill count that would impress an action-figure company. He’d have drenched the ride in neon and noise, and I’d have chewed the popcorn like an idiot jac...

 “Ballerina” entertains, but it can’t shake off the towering presence of *John Wick,* probably the best action series of the last decade. This film trips over the shiny, bullet-proof achievements of Wick’s universe, especially when its flaws line up with the original’s slam-dunk strengths. Still, the movie’s rookie killer—young Eve Macaro, played by Ana de Armas—has picked up a few killer moves from her mentor. Like the first half of *Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,* it takes its sweet time before the pacing finally catches up with the punches. Once the second half kicks in, the fights snap together with the kind of breathless energy you hope for in a movie billed “From the World of John Wick.” The final act is basically a single, gloriously over-the-top action set piece, and it’s the sort of silly, unabashed fun you want after a title like this. From the World of John Wick: Ballerina 2025 Review Set somewhere between *John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum* and *John Wick: C...