Digger (2026)

 Is Digger the most divisive film of the year ?

A stunt ?

A vanity project ?

A cinematic hoax ?

A future cult masterpiece and a visionary film ?

Give it a try in the cinemas and don't let the trailer fool you, there's a gimmick yes but the filmmakers asked us not to spolier the film -those who reead my blog know that I hardly mention plots and the story of the film I am 'reviewing' here. 

I am happy that I liked it, went with a lot of sketicism and came out Happy ! or maybe, Happy is not the right word, it's an intense, deep, layered piece of masterful cinema !

...and I must say I am neither a Tom Cruise or Alejandro Iñárritu fan (except Birdman) !

Described as a 'comedy of catastrophic promoportions' the film is more than that, from farce to satire to Meta and Meta Meta cinema. It's been  Iñárritu's project for 10 years and Cruise came onboard in 2019. 

To enhance and perfect the story Iñárritu worked with at least 5 screenwriters (that's what's credited onscreen). 

It's also gonna be the last film released by the Warner Bros. studios in thier 103 years long run, before the infamous merger upcoming. It was not planned this way but it works as a super-expensive subversive goodbye F88k You !

I mostly agree with Mark Kermode video review. I disagree on the point that you'd definetly read more and different into the film into a second viewing but who would ever wanna do that ? And with his conclusion. (also I disagree on his opinion of Eyes Wide Shut. My main problem with that film was Tom Cruise but he is making that film go). 

I will see it a second time. I'm sure it will be even better.

*went and did that. And it was even better, another layer of filmmaking, other small discoveries. It's a see more, more to discover reward, I guess I'll go again in a while ;)

You can read the whole thing through the perception of the cat story (Empathise 'Perception'). I think it's the most important clue in the world of Digger Rockwell, as a crazy Rosebud of this film subtext. 

The acting ensemble is sensational, Riz Ahmed should won supporting actor Oscar (he looked to me like Groucho Marx,, (Tom Cruise surely will be shunned!), John Goodman as hammy as Slim Pickens was in Strangelove (he definetly deserves an Oscar too, imo he fid a Trump), Michael Stuhlbarg, Robert John Burke, Sandra Hüller, Burn Gorman, Emma D'Arcy, Pip Torrens and a very interesting part for Jesse Plimons. 

I'd give a clue on some influences: obviously Iñárritu's own Birdman, Kubrick's Dr. Strangleove, Charlie Kaufman's “Synecdoche, New York.” and as observed as planted clues onscreen (as posters), Lubitsch with To Be or Not To Be and John Cassavetes' Opening Night. Parts look like a Wes Anderson film, parts like Coen bros, that's because of emulating Classic screwball comedies from the 30's  Roy Andersson (the UN council scene), even a wink to Cuaron's Children of Men. And shades of Citizen Kane. And Monty Python !

Guillermo De Toro says it best: " Love it or not. And, yes, I do. The film delivers in scale, ambition and reach at a theatrical screen level. Daring, bold and cinematically complex. Decidedly a theatrical experience." 

Shot exceptionally on 35 mm in VistaVision by DoP Emmanuel Lubezki, in two different formats (!), all filmed at Pinewood studios, with a genius set design (Dennis Gassner who did the last Bonds and Blade Runner 2049 &  Richard L. Johnson, promoted from art director to full PD), details, colors and shapes. Uberstylised. Very expensive film but state-of-perfection of production values, all the money is there, brilliant VFX from top companies, the sets, the lightning, the backgrounds. Editing too, perfection. Sound design, as another character of this film.

Great experimental score by a newcomer in films, English pop indie artist (alternative folk)  Cosmo Sheldrake (which I am happy to discover now-his regular stuff I'm listening right now).

More about his score here: 

Two songs by The Ink Spots, some Debussy, Melanie Safka's  Look What They've Done to My Song, Ma that closes the film, followed by a crazy ambiental soundscape (not on the released soundtrack), part of Avian Elegy by Sheldrake, which reminded me of the experimental Pink Floyd  (actually Roger Waters crazy song) from 1969's Ummagumma, Several Species Of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together In A Cave And Grooving With A Pict. , which mesmerised us when we were like 13 olds ;) Actually there's a song (and a line in the film) entitled 'Amused to Death'.

You can listen the whole score here.

4 1/2 stars out of 5 / 9 out of 10 !!!

*The most cinematic experience you can have now in cinemas, also watch for HOPE and RESIDENT EVIL and if you are a dog lover go and weep at Heart of the Beast !

**

Loved the Yosihiro Nakayama pun ! The guy with the tuna story who is actually a climate scientist.

***

The UN scene -esp. the one-shot-bravura on steadycam is one of the best shots in recent cinema history, film school 101. 

****I rarely say (write) this, but I wished the film was even longer. I saw some shots from the trailer/teaser that did not make it into the final theatrical cut. 

*****

Might be the most quatable flick since The Big Lebowski. The compasisons with Dont Look Up are out of order. That was a pedestrian film, no filmic qualities whatsoever, this is out in the fields of mad, nad novieland. And more 

Hope (2026)

Hope/Hopeu is a crazy madcap rollercoaster made in Korea by master filmmaker Na Hong-jin (author of The Chaser,-2008 The Yellow Sea-2010 and The Wailing-2016). Saw all of them in Cannes at the fest. Hope premiered this year in the Cannes Film Festival, in the official competition. The vfx were not completed so the film scored a mixed reception. It's also the most expensive Korean film to-date.

But Hopeu (the name of the finctional South Korean fishing village) is: 

not a monster film 

not a sci-fi film

not a thriller

not a comedy

not a horror

but all in ONE.

Oh, what a ride !!!! Predator and Korean misfits, a mixed of genres and an cinematic energy only seen in the Mad Max films. Plus some Prometheus trops (don't listen to the Avatar people;)

Well, the duration is self-indulgent, 160 mins.

But the film is NON-STOP KINETIC, with spellbinding images and exceptional cinematography.

Incredibly the Mountain /wood scenes were shot in Retezat mountains in Romania !!! 

The VFX are not 100 % there, due to budget limitations, but the vision is hugely ambitious. 

The action happens around 1980 in the demilitarised zone of South Korea, close to the border with the North. Hwang Jung-min is the chief of police and he's one of the 3-4-5 ? leads. He is a major action hero star in Korea and he is seconded by Hoyeon, the girl from Squid Game seriers and by an even cooler hunter with a cap, Zo In-sung. They are all cool and hyperkinetic and fast and scared or scared and fast, and they all banter. Fast and scared. Or the reverse. Korean. sense of humour might not make a lot of sense sometimes for the rest of the world. 

Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander are in the film too but I won't say more. 

I'd say only the film is superhuman in emotions, and very absurd, bleak and cruel in parts. Also visceral to the extremes. 

Great score by American composer Michael Abels (Us, Nope). 

See it in a cinema, bigger the screen the better and the speakers UP full blast !!!

(it runs very limited in Romanian cinemas now, brought by Vertical Entertainment !!!)

4 out of 5 / 8 out of 10 !!!

cool interview with Na Hong-Jin in THR here. 

There's spoliers tho. I haven't specifically mentioned th ending but Good luck Na Hong-Jin !!!

Resident Evil (2026)

The new Resident is Evil ;)

Zach Cregger's new film after the success of last year's Weapons and before, his feature debut with Barbarian (2022) is a Resident Evil reboot. Obviously he is a huge fan of the game which I've never played and I've been bored to death with the series, started in 2002 with Paul W. Anderson/ Milla Jovovich's Resident Evil(s). I know that George A. Romero was the 1st one supposed to do the film and his script and project was rejected back then. It looks like Cragger had full imunity -Carte Blanche-and a huge budget. It's also considerd to be perfect Game play movie, I'd skip that atribute as I don't play video games, but here comes asa quality and I could see how it moves like that, but transcends on the screen beautifully...

Austin Abrams (Weapons) as the clueless Protagonist is closer to Griffin Dunne in After Hours (and An American Werewolf in London) than to Bruce Campbell in Evil Dead. He's is a climsy blue collar slacker way out of his league ! Cragger makes it funny and ridicoulous too in his approach of the game as filmic survival body horror mixed with lots of comedic approach (it says it's been tamed down heavily on the humor!). Main References are John Carpenter's The Thing (those mentioning The Substance should know that's a Carpenter nod too ;), from the soundscape to the monsters F/X (even the dog thing !), Sam Raimi (humor from Evil Dead 2 and 3), even a Fargo nod...

It's very dense and tense and relentless and it's exactly 90 mins. long, a rare case in which it could've been longer !

I love the ending and I heard mixed opinions about that, judge for yourself !

 Further assets: 

Great widescreen cinmatography by Dariusz Wolski, after his films with Ridley and Tony Scott. He shot it all in Czech Republic in the snow. 

For those who can see it in IMAX, the 2nd half is in  1.90 : 1(second half, IMAX version), 

for the rest 2.39 : 1

Great F/X work by Weta Digital. 

Effective and uber cool synth score by Hays and Ryan Holladay, who did also Cragger's Weapons and songs for Barbarian. It features a horn section that is both creepy and jazzy. You can listen to all of it here. the film concudes with The Kinks' Animal farm on the end credits. 

One of this year's best if not the best Horror flick in cinema, tie with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. 

To be seen on the Big Screen, with the best Sound !

4 out of 5, 8 out of 10 !!!

Sacrifice (2025)

 This curio is in Romanian theaters now -very limited.

For thouse who want a psychedelic experience, with great visuals, music and sound design, go for it !

The rest can wait for the Netflix relase on Oct. 16. 

It's a film by Romain Gavras, the son of legendary Costa-Gavras. 

It's about the end of the world (maybe?), a volcano, a benefit celebrity gala and a group of nutty Nordic eco-terrorists.

Chris Evans playing the Hollywood celebrity actor Mike Tyler ( that is now a mess) looks more like a young Nic Cage. Anya Taylor-Joy is the psychotic Terrorist boss, Vincent Cassel, bald and mean, as Ben Bracken, a bio-billionaire, John Malkovich more cameos as the mad scientist Gunnar. 

Score by GENER8ION 

featuring Leonard Cohen, a cool version of SUPERNATURE with Charliexxx

and This is How We Walk on The Moon by Arthur Russell 

here's a video for GENER8ION -Storm, directed by Romain Gavras, who is a renowned music videos director. 

 The film looks more like directed by a Panos Cosmatos ;)

Simillarities with Yorgos Lanthimos' Bugonia (tho that was a remake). The film has a weird New Greek Cinema style and feeling.

Read there is a genre. `Eat the Rich' films like those of Ruben Ostlund (The Triangle of Sadness), The Menu and Blink Twice.

It's visully stunning, with great soundtrack, sound design and fabulous locations.

Greece (the stone quarry), Bulgaria (Podhodna cave aka The Eyes of God) and Iceland for the volcano.

3 1/2 out of 5, 7 out of 10 !

The Dog Stars (2026)

Ridley Scott's newest pic, The Dog Stars, is as close to a western as he ever did get to do. A post-apocalyptic story, it's a very slow and intimist film, 1 character, a dog, two characters, three characters, that's it. Oh, and a Cessna 1956 plane. Major character. 

Jacob Elrodi (frankenstein) replaced Paul Mescal as Hig, the pilot. Josh Brolin who worked previously with Scott on American Gangster is the cynical Bangley. They represent opposite views, opposite worlds, one missing his old world, the other one adapting, full survival mode. 

Supporting are Margaret Qualley (OUTiH, Poor Things, The Substance, Kinds of Kindness, Drive-Away Dolls, How to Make a Killing), in her most normal and romantic role (up to now) as Cima and Guy Pearce as Pops (Pearce was the old Peter Weyland in Prometheus). Benedict Wong is also here (he was in Ridey's The Martian) and an Ewen Bremner cameo that works as a red hering. He also worked for Scott in Black Hawk Down.

Now if you already read the reviews which I can't understand...? Worst ever for a Scott film??

Worse than Gladiator II and Napoleon which were painful to sit through? Anyway, this is not that biggie of a film, compared to the scale of these two baaad juggernauts...

The film is very slow and it builds atmosphere gradually. The three acts are separated smoothly. The landscape, the nature is another silent character, the green, the mountains vs. The Wasteland.

Incredibly the whole film was shot in Italy, with the Grand Junction sets built at Cinecitta. DOP is Erik Mesermschmit, David Fincher's later collaborator, here in his 1st cinema fare with Scott (he worked before with RS on TV's Raised by Wolves and The Dope Thief).

Comparisons with The Last of Us or The Walking Dead are wrong, closer is The Road by Cormac McCarthy. 

The Dog Stars is based on the 2012 book by Peter Heller and the script is by Mark L  Smith who wrote The Revenant.

Harry Gregson-Williams composed the score, which is part elegiac, part menacing, it's his 7th for a Scott film.

The soundtrack has also dramatic value, it's folkish and rockish, from the opening credits with Hozier ( Like Real People Do), that gets replayed at the end of the film, to Van Morrison (Tupelo Honey), to Caamp’s “By and By” (on headphones), Dean Martin (Memories are made of This), to the end in The Chieftains and Mick Jagger. (The Long Black Veil). Featuring also Charmaine written by Lew Pollack, Erno Rapee performed by Jack Nitzsche, from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Fly Me to the Moon, sung by Allison Janney on screen. 

There is a most poetic scene at the end with the "mormons"/ mennonites countryfair that transcends Ridley Scott's cinema, an optimist message in a post-apocalyptic world. I sensed in the interraction betwwen Hig and Bangley could be a sort of tribute to Ridley's late brother, Tony....

To be seen on the Big Screen.

The IMAX thing is a gimmick tho.

3 1/2 out of 5, 7 out of 10 !

Her Private Hell (2026)

NWR originals -Refn 's comeback ? more like Refn's goodbye...or His Private Hell instead of Her Private Hell !

10 years ago he divided the cinema world last time with The Neon Demon, then he antagonised execs with his streaming fares, Copenhagen Cowboy for Netflix, which of course never got renewed..

Now he was in Cannes (out of competition with the worst reviews of his career) and is in Romanian theaters (very Limited, brave Bad Unicorn release), even with his new UFO, Her Private Hell.

Now, I wished I liked this, but no... fell asleep almost. 

Well the film is a dream, a dream within a dream, with dream logic and nightmares. It's supposedly concieved after Refn had a clinical death of 25 minutes in 2023...

Mist, The Letherman, Metropolis and crystals, models who can't act, yakuza and choreographed empty fights, disco inferno, lesbianism, incest. A Refn original ;) 

mixing giallo, B Sf & japanese action/yakuza films (Seijun Suzuki?).

Again the Hans Christian Andersen trauma, the girl with the matches...

visuals of Barbarella, Diabolik and Flash Gordon ?  Terrore nello spazio / aka Planet of the Vampires ?Tron meets Suspiria and other Argento fares (defenestration) ? Technicolor by Bava ?

He's trying Lynch's tricks, from Lost Highway and Mullholand Drive, but he's getting zilch. 

acting level is subzero...Sophie Thatcher, Charles Melton, gorgeously photographed but used as cardboard models. 

the letragic pacing goes lethal, the film comes alive on the neon visuals only when there's music.

So, the only redeeeming quality of the film is the score by Pino Donnagio, an eerie, elegiac beautiful (Herrmannesque, there is some Vertigo in it) score that stands out and it's one of his best, together with the ones for De Palma. It would be ironic if Donaggio reworked some of his rejected score for De Palma's Snake Eyes (1999).

The disco synth pop is not by Donnagio but by Refn's collaborator Julian Winding (Dolce mio).

https://fictionhorizon.com/her-private-hell-budget-breakdown-how-nicolas-winding-refns-costly-gamble-struggled-at-the-box-office/

2 out of 5 / 4 out of 10 !

Dolce Far Niente (1998) now in cinemas !

After Nae Caranfil completed his second film, Asphalt Tango, in 1996, he received an invitation to make a production in Italy: an ambitious period biopic about a supposed meeting between Stendhal and Rossini. Dolce Far Niente, in 1998. Based on Frédéric Vitoux's novel La Comédie de Terracina, winner of the French Academy Prize, the film is a blend of comedy and drama about the condition of the artist confronted with worldly frivolity and the unconscious enthusiasm of revolution and conspiracy.

The film, which came out at the time with spectacularly bad timing, following Beaumarchais (1996), was not a great success in France or Italy, so it never had a theatrical release in Romania, going straight to pay TV, on HBO, where I had the honour of producing its on-air promotion in 1999. :) In the meantime, I've learned that it has also been broadcast on Cinemaraton TV.

                                                                — original poster —

A superb cast: François Cluzet is Stendhal, Isabella Ferrari is Joséphine, Margherita Buy is Countess Gabriella Nencini, Giancarlo Giannini is Count Nencini, Pierfrancesco Favino is Rossini. Caranfil had a lucky hand with the casting; the careers of the film's actors are still shining today.

The cinematography is by another Romanian, Cristian Comeagă, Nae Caranfil's collaborator on his first four films, up to Philanthropy, while the score is wonderful, composed by the renowned Nicola Piovani.

The 4K restored print premiered at TIFF in 2024, when I, too, saw it on the big screen for the first time. Now, however, it is in cinemas, remastered, like a brand-new film. And it has held up even better than it did at the time of its original release!

Do yourselves a favour and see it in the cinema now! It's worth it!

In Brașov, it is playing at Cinema One until Thursday inclusive, at 1:15 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.

Alin Ludu Dumbravă

Tuner (2026)

 Watch this in a cinema with great sound ! 

Tuner is one of the year's most interesting Indie films who made it to Romanian cinemas !

TBC...

might write a piece on Top Ten films to listen to. 

Tuner is

better than Sound of Metal with a twist of Copland

and shades of Drive, Thief, Baby Driver.

Masters of the Universe (2026)

 'Here we are ...with the Princes, ups, with the Masters of the Universe...'

Unexpected or more so after abysymal BO performace and Reviews. Definetly not a film for 2026. A combo of Flash Gordon and Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 1), overlong (2h20 !!!; really?), some good humor and  sexual innueundos in a PG fare, a dumbo Skeletor (unrecognizable Jared Lato with weird accent and Dr. Evil laughter does his bet job in many years here). 

Camila Mendes as Teela is hot, Idris Elba supports bravely, Roboto is voiced by Kristen Wiig, James Purefoy is the King Randor, Morena Maccarin (the) sorceress in white and the lead Adam/He-Man- Nicholas Galitzine is funny and charismatic, also Alison Brie is fun as witchy Evil-Lyn.

Coming from a line of legendary toys (that I was never fammilar with), cartoons and comics which I never saw my only reference was the 1987 very B and B budget cult film of the same name and franchise (it was a Golan-Globus Cannon production).  More so than then, this film doesn't take itself seriosusly for an even odd moment, it knows it's silly and plays it straight on. 

Added value: the score is Fabulous, Power Rock pounding heroic symphonica metallic, another great one from Daniel Pemberton, one chord to rule'm all, Queen style, even features a Highlander song and puns, plus a clone Queen song by The Darkness and surely the sound was familliar because yes, the guitarist it's Brian May !!! That in itself raises the bar (and the volume) one notch (and a star of my review here). A Dolph Lundgren cameo (hero of the 1987 version) makes it even more tongue in cheeck. For the grown-up children ;)

3 stars out of 5, 6 out of 10 !!!

Disclosure Day (2026)

Disclosure Day on the film's premiere's day.

What can I say? I expected more. But it's ok. Just that it's old news, the disclosure has been made my Spielberg in 1977 and in 1982 (E.T. phoning home ;). 

This is really a Close Encounters of the Third Kind 'cos it's beeen done now the third time.

I woun't count the War of the Worlds which I hateted masivelly when it came out, called it War of the Tripods.

My most problematic aspect is the casting. Absolute no charisma between the leads, boyfriend-girlfriend, could be way better with another actors, Josh O'Connor and Emily Blunt didn't convince me one bit. What about the old Richard Dryfuss type, even the claasical Tom Hanks Spielbergian James Stewart type? The supporting bit was clockwork, Colin Firth and Colman Domingo all serious handling the disbelief. 

Then, the duration. 2h25 could've been way shorter. Scenes repeat, chases repeat, peril repeat, mind scanning repeat, rinse, spit, repeat. like it's a TV series. 

Also the deja-vu from the telekinesis/paranormal age of late 70's, 80's, from Fury, to Scanners, via Firestarter. Just add aliens, but it's the same chase, same plot gimmicks.

But John Williams did a serios job scoring it, coming out of retirement again for his buddy Spielberg, At 94 he still rocks !!! 

 The camera work, I have a problem with the design, moving in every shot, some cool tracking shots, 180 degrees to 360. Colors too,bleak, winterish. 

3 out of 5, 6 out 10 !!!

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair (2004-2025)

You're in for a Treat !

The complete version of Kill Bill (s), aka The Whole Bloody Affair, is in Selected Romanian cinemas, for a Very Limited period of time ! With an Intermission too, just overlong, who needs 15 mins??  and in Glorious Shawscope !!!

Let's be Crystal Clear on this, Kill Bill was supposed to be just one film, not two, it was separated due to duration by the infamous youknowho producer and distributor. Tarantino was a bit upset but he conformed. Then he did his own cut. Now he even extended it.  Results: a new film, better than any other version, superior in storytelling, rhythm, timing and flow. 

IMO don't stay after the overlong credits, you'll get a boneheadish animation entitled The LOST CHAPTER which makes no sesne and it;s actually a Tie-in of a video game. Go home with the 

Resume:

Kill Bill vol. 1 -2023 -1h51 = 69 % metascore nr 153 top imdb

Kill Bill vol. 2 -2004 -2h17- metascore: 83%, not in top imdb

Kill Bill; The Whole Bloody Affair -2004/2025 4h 13.-95 % metascore

Top 32 in top imdb !!!

Features the films:
The Golden Stallion -Paramont 1949
Shogun Assassin -1980

Soundtrack:
'Music a silouthette at doom' by Morricone -from Un dollaro a testa
Sunny road to Salina -Christophe 1970
The Chase -Alan Reeves
About Here with samples from Rod Argent Zombies' "She's Not There"
Goodnight Moon-Shivaree

The whole soundtrack here:
https://download-soundtracks.com/movie_soundtracks/kill-bill-whole-bloody-affair-soundtrack/

Credits:

2004 -2025 restored, Visiona Romantica

Now the differences (atken from various sources on the net):

The first change you'll notice is an extra 10 minute animated sequence that shows O-Ren Ishii getting revenge on the man that killed her parents. It's animated beautifully and gives O-Ren's character even more depth than she already had. Secondly you'll notice that the legendary fight scene at the House of Blue Leaves is now in full color. With this scene in full color you get to really see the carnage that The Bride creates. You see guys heads being chopped off and geysers of red blood bursting from their neck. You see limbs chopped off with bursts of red blood. You fully see the red blood soaked floor of the building and the red bloody water of the pond. It makes the scene so much more impactful. The third change you see, albeit a minor one, is you actually see how The Bride interrogates Sofia for information. Which of course includes her asking her questions and in turn chopping her arm off for not answering. But the last change and by far most important is at the end of Volume 1, Bill makes no mention of The Brides child still being alive. That small change not only improves Volume 1 but drastically improves Volume 2. Originally you go into Volume 2 technically ahead of The Bride as you know about her kid and she doesn't. But that small change puts us on equal footing with The Bride. It makes the scene of her coming through the door to her child not just shocking and impactful to her but to us, the audience. 
+++

The old Klingon proverb  "Revenge is a dish best served cold." shown at the beginning of the standard theatrical version of Kill Bill Vol. 1 is not present. A dedication to filmmaker Kinji Fukasaku is in its place, as was also the case in the opening of the Japanese theatrical release of Kill Bill Vol. 1.
+++

While the 2004 Cannes cut of this film has had various special screenings throughout the past two decades, Lionsgate's 2025 theatrical release is the first time this unified version of Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) has become accessible to a wider audience. 

There may have been minor alterations made from the Cannes cut to Lionsgate's cut, but here are some notable differences that separate THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR from VOLUME 1 and VOLUME 2.Modern Lionsgate logo plays before VOLUME 1's original Miramax logo. [*2025 only]
The "Kill Bill" title card during the opening credits contains the subtitle "The Whole Bloody Affair".
The uncensored Japanese version of VOLUME 1 is used for the first five chapters.
In Chapter 3, an additional 7.5 minutes of content is added to VOLUME 1's anime sequence in which a 13-year-old O-Ren attempts to kill Pretty Riki in an elevator.
At the end of Chapter 5, every shot after the Bride's final exchange with Sofie from VOLUME 1 is omitted (from airplane to end credits).
Between Chapters 5 and 6, a static "INTERMISSION" title card (white text, black background) stays on screen for 15 minutes. "Lonely Shepard" plays over the first few minutes of the intermission with the remainder being silent.
Everything from the opening of VOLUME 2 that precedes Chapter 6 is omitted (from Miramax logo to "Vol. 2" title card).
In Chapter 6, the Bride's opening narration at the Two Pines chapel from VOLUME 2 is omitted.
Entire cast, crew and song list from VOLUME 1 is integrated into VOLUME 2's end credits.
The uncensored version of Yuki's Revenge (2025) plays after the credits, front-loaded with an animated lobby jingle. [*2025 only]


9 out of 10 !!! 4 1/2 out of 5 !!!


Mega-trivia:
In Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), Beatrix Kiddo (The Bride) is buried alive in the grave of Paula Schultz. This is a famous Quentin Tarantino "Easter Egg" connecting the film to Django Unchained (2012), as Paula Schultz is believed to be the deceased wife of Dr. King Schultz.
This video explains the connection between the grave of Paula Schultz in Kill Bill and Dr. King Schultz in Django Unchained.

Backrooms (2026)

 Backrooms. 

Impressive.

Most impressive if you count the director, Kane Parsons is 20 years old ! It's based on his youtube found footage series & Kane Pixels. 

To be seen and appreciated in a cinema !!! Really !

Plot description: After a therapist's patient disappears into a dimension beyond reality, she must venture into the unknown to save him.

I saw it tonite., and the theater was packed with teenagers. They knew the backstories, the innerworld of the film, the odds and inns. I guess it's one of the reasons Backdoors has a great thetrical run, the best of A24 til now (overpassing Civil War ). 

Totally psychedelic & psychotronic, some M.C. Escher angles and tricks, reminding recent Exit 8, and some other cool mindf*cks, Cosmatos' Beyond the Black Rainbow, Tarsem's The Cell, Cube, Us, Severance office sets  (actually inspired by the Backwoods originals) and Twin Peas Black Lodge landscape and soundscape, even shades of Eraserhead. 

Imdb suggests you see thse movies before seeing this. I guess you can also do that afterwards. 

The production /set design is all practical, was built as a maze. And the colors (yellowish) and the lightning. Widescreen cinematpgraphy mixed with video formats.

Could've been more claustrophobic, and it has some weaknesses, clumsiness, confusing ideas, also starts too slow and it's too long, but still, as I wrote above, Impressive.

Chiwetel Ejiofor is Clark, the Alone Man, the furniture shop `Architect` and Renate Reinsve (fresh from Oscar's Sentimental Value and Cannes fare, Fjord) is Mary, a shrink whose book Window of self is a also a clue. Mrk Duplass is the Third Man, as a scientist with a more complicated backstory...

A sort of Malice in Wonderland occurs. Some RMI too, or not ? 

And there is also a clue from a classic film and tale/book, The Neverending Story...

Anyhu, I hope a new serious genre Director was born...

Horror had a great (Theatrical too) run recently, with (i'm mentioning my chouces here): Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsummer, Beau is Afraid, Eddigton), Ti West (In the Valley of Violence, The Sacrament, X, Pearl, Maxxine), Osgood Perkins (exec. producer here- Longlegs, The Monkey), Damian McCarthy (Caveat, Oddity, Hokum),  Zach Cregger (Barbarian, Weapons), Tilman Singer (Luz, Cuckoo), Charlie Polinger (The Plague), and feminin fare too, Coralie Fargeat (The Substance), Julia Ducournau (Raw, Titane, Alpha)...

I just hope this will not start another weak franchise as I just saw a whole video about the backstory of the Backrooms here...

3 1/2 out of 5, 7 out of 10 !

Sound design and soundtrack wise, kudos, this song from Boards of Canada on the closing credits was the highlight. 

https://pitchfork.com/news/boards-of-canada-soundtrack-backrooms-end-credits/

also a Klaus Doldinger song in it too (Moonchild). 

Fjord pe 13 iunie in cinema -proiectie unica !

Communique:

Fjord, filmul lui Crsitian Mungiu, premiat cu Palme d'Or se vede in 90 de cinematografe din Romania !

Doar pe 13 iunie ! 

Premiera oficiala va fi in ianuarie 2027 !

la Brasov la Cinema One, bilete aici

si la AFI Cinema City

Deja e apropae soldout ! Ceea ce ma bucura. Va fi racoare in cinema pe 13 iunie !

Hokum (2026)

Hokum is No Hokum. 

maybe the best, most intense horror of the year yet.

To be seen on the big screen. It's widescreen -  2.39 : 1, -by Colm Hogan, kudos! - but it's claustrophobic and the sound design is Great !!! And the music too-atmospheric, as a tool of building more sound ! 

From the director od Oddity and Caveat, Irishman Damian McCarthy, a name to follow...

McCarthy provides some genuine good scares 

and gets a restrained performance from Adam Scott (Severance series), at his most serious and downbeat. His character is the obnoxious and depressed writer Ohm Bauman (reminiscences to Richard Bachman, The Shining -Kubrick's- and other Stephen King characters, Jack Torrance, Mort Rainey, George Stark included). 

Hokum is psychological horror mixed with folk supernatural lore, but also a bit more,

Opening and ending bookends raise the quality of the film a lot. 

Liked it better than Weapons and felt the kind of vibe Hereditary gave me back when I saw it in a cinema. 

7 1/2 out of 10 !

The Drama (2026)

The Drama (loved the title) has Bergmanesque, Woody Allenesque-through his Bergman love), Nouvelle Vague vibes too- and i must confess I enjoyed it more than the whole Sentimental Value thing. Or overbloated Baumbach's Marriage Story, all due to Bergman's tropes (ther is even a poster for The Passion of Anna, which the writer/director showed his actors in preparation for the shoot).  Don't foreget Borgli is a Swede too.

Liked the energy, the humor, the storytelling, the editing, Daniel Pemberton's score, the acting of the two leads-Robert Pattison and Zendaya in her best part yet- imo-they had chemistry. 

Dram Scenario was ok, Sick of You was intense, looking forward for more Kristoffer Borgli.

Eagles of the Republic (2025)

Eagles of the Republic  is a terrific political thriller by Tarik Saleh (third part of his Cairo trilogy), about Egypt's political and military machinations involving a film star (Fares Fares, the lead in all three Saleh films and a film star in his own right), caught in the middle of the manipulative crossfire. 

Would've been worth more attention in the actual climate, premiered in Cannes last year in competition, and it was Sweden's entry for best foreign film -did not make the short list. Shades of early Costa-Gavras. Also of Das Leben der Anderen. Gave me goosebumps in parallel with what happened in communist Romania and all dictatorships alike. 

Great score by Alexandre Desplat on his 1st collaboration with Saleh and great widescreen cinematography by Pierre Aïm (shot on 65 mm, 2.39.1).  Pierre Aïm shot also the other two Saleh films in his Trilogy -The Nile Hilton Incident (2017, which I saw at TIFF) and Cairo Conspiracy, aka Boy From Heaven (2022, seen briefly on Romanian screens). Of course this film could not be shot in Egypt, so it is all dressed up in Turkey -great job by Saleh's production design Roger Rosenberg. The director is a very persona non grata in Egypt...

Fun fact: Saleh and Rosenberg shot the action thriller The Contractor (2022) in Bucharest for Berlin !!!

Now in Romanian cinemas -very limited-see it on the big screen !

4 out of 5 / 8 out of 10 !!!

****

the press confrence in Cannes here 

and an interview in Variety with the director here 

Project Hail Mary (2026)

`Fist my bump.`

Project Hail Mary is the Feel Good science fiction film of the year, decade, and more, a hopeful unlikely buddy film well done, with winks to 2001, Intersellar, ET, Close Encounters of 3d kind and of course Rocky ;).
Ryan Gosling is at his most charismatic and Rocky is a hoot ! 
Import Deutch Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall, Zone of Interest), does a good job, and also karaoke ;)
Nice songs on the soundtrack (Kris Kristofferson, The Beatles, Dennis Wilson, Ike and Tina Turner) and effective score by Daniel Pemberton. It does what Mission 2 Mars and The Martian (also based on an Andy Weir book) did not manage to do, meanwhile touching the Grace ;)

See it on IMAX if you can, all the space sequences are shot in the format.


7 out of 10 / 3 1/2 out of 5

How to Make a Killing (2026)

How to Make a Killing is in cinemas now. This is John Patton Ford's second film. Loved his first effort, Emily the Criminal back in 2022, it made my Top Films list. 

This is Film Noir, dark comedy, thriller, and most of all an homage of Kind Hearts and Coronets (1959), the classic Ealing comedy with Alce Guiness es ;), based on the novel , it says on the credits. "Insiperd by" those two. 

Also has an 80's air, it's cynical and politically incorrect, stylish and crisp. 

Finally a good part for Glen Powell as Becket Redfellow (cool names in this family !), after the huge misfire of  new Running Man-Liked the guy in his SNL episode, I think he has more comedic potential than action chops, definetly romantic too.

Margaret Qualley is the bad femme fatale in the story, another good part in her resume after Honey Don't, Drive-Away Dolls, Kinds of Kindness, Poor Things, The Substance. I first liked her in Once Upon A Time in...Hollywood. 

Jessica Henwick is the romantic interest, Ruth. Bill Camp has a nice part as Warren Redfellow, also Topher Grace as one of the Redfellows (Steven) and Zach Woods (from Sillicon Valley) another one (Noah). Also Ed Harris' part as the patriarch Whitelaw Redfellow is more like a cameo, but he's effective as ever. 

Amazingly enough this was shot in South Africa instead of New York and New Jersey !!!

Great score by Emile Mosserri and effective soundtrack-The Clapping Song (Shirley Ellis) , the Brazilian classic Take Me Back to Piaui by Juca Chaves, No Fear by Inflo, etc. 

7 out of 10 / 3 1/2 out of 5 ! 

The Secret Agent wins at Spirit Awards !

O Agente Secreto wins at best International Film at Spirit-the Independent Film Awards !!! Good luck at the Oscars !

See it in a Cinema !!! In Romania from 27.02.2026 ! 

Featuring the last role of the great late Udo Kier !!!

Full winners list here  / Train Dreams scored big !

Later Edit: Unfortunately the film was snubbed bigtime at the Oscars....

Crime 101 (2026)

Crime 101 is a little LA neo-noir gem directed by the Brit Bart Layton (American Animals).  Heist, angst, existentialism, it's based on a novella by Don Winslow (Savages).  The title refers to the 101 Freeway in Southern California, entering Los Angeles, and the faved heist location of the blue-eyed Thief Davis  (Chris Hemsworth, reminiscent of another Michael Mann pic, Blackhat). 

The ensemble casting is cool:  Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, and Halle Berry, Barry Keoghan, Monica Barbaro,  Jennifer Jason Leigh (more like a cameo cos she has only one scene, surely cut for time), and Nick Nolte in a part sim lliar with Jon Voight's in Heat.

Produced by Working Title Films, Crime 101 was bought by Amazon MGM, outbidding Netflix,. which is great cos they also distributed in Theaters (through Sony).

Mostly a Heat homage, plus elements from Mann's Thief, Walter Hill's The Driver, even a scene fromTrue Romance ;)

A nice conversation on Steve McQueen and the iconic Mustang from Bullit add on. 

See in in the cinema, it's great widescreen and sound and score-  Blanck Mass. 

7 out of 10 / 3 1/2 out of 5 !