In our review of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, we explore how Marvel’s First Family finally gets the adaptation they deserve — a character-driven story full of heart, chemistry, and cosmic stakes. With standout performances, especially from Vanessa Kirby, and a truly menacing Galactus, the film marks a confident new beginning for the franchise.

Set five years in the past, Eddington isn’t interested in subtlety—it’s bold, charged, and unapologetically political. Rather than focus on detailed backstories or emotional arcs, the film zeroes in on ideology. We learn more about the characters’ stances on COVID protocols, government mandates, and personal freedoms than we do about their histories or motivations. And somehow, that’s enough. In a world still reeling from the long-term effects of the pandemic, Eddington uses its western framework to dissect how fractured our perspectives became—and still are. Director Ari Aster leans into discomfort, making the absence of traditional character depth a statement in itself. The cast meets this challenge head-on, with Joaquin Phoenix delivering a nuanced performance as Joe Cross, a man who starts off as simply disgruntled and evolves into something far more dangerous. Pedro Pascal balances him out with quiet restraint as Ted Garcia, giving the film its emotional center, even as the plot spirals into darker territory. What begins as a political standoff subtly transforms into a moral reckoning, with echoes of Breaking Bad in its descent.

Headed into Materialists expecting a glossy, maybe even superficial take on modern romance — a love triangle in designer clothing. But what we got was something far more introspective. Celine Song isn’t interested in just telling a love story; she’s questioning what love even means in a world obsessed with status, power, and image. The film surprised us with its emotional weight, offering a layered exploration of how relationships are shaped not only by desire, but by the things we’re too afraid to say and the lives we’re too afraid to leave behind.