Film Review: Frankenstein (2025)

 

Guielrmo Del Toro is well-known for his vocal and very negative stance towards all manner of CGI effects, generative AI, and other digital-only movie-making tools. In his latest film, he tries his hardest to put his money where his mouth is, making the latest version of the classical Mary Shelly tale about playing god and being the victim of that playtime. 

The result is a very moving film with a fantastic showing by Jacob Elordi, who created one of the most iconic monsters/poets that the cinematic world saw in both this and the previous century. Oscar Issac also did exceedingly well with Victor Frankenstein, a man whose genius was only shadowed by his dark ambitions. Once more, we can see just how effective Issac is as the support character and lending his efforts to the film as a whole, not just his part in it.

However, it’s still Elodi who manages to provide such an original, animalistic entity. His monster is not a monster at all, but a being born unto a strange and violent world, who does not give up on seeking both meaning and connection. At the same time, Elodi manages to transform into pure and utter aggression, where his body becomes a weapon and his voice a harbinger of death. Throughout, his presentation is snake-like, both when it comes to his curiosity and his willingness to hurt others when he chooses to.

The film’s only odd downside is the strange post-production that Del Toro decided upon. Because of it, gorgeous physical sets and props, just like costumes, too often feel overly-cleaned and sparkling, as if most of the things we’re seeing are made from some weird CGI plastic. Yet, this doesn’t manage to drown out the performances, and ultimately, for a film about a man made from parts of others, this might be ultimately strangely fitting.

Everyday Evil: A Horror Analogy - Powerful and Frightening Visions of the Human Beast

 

The horror genre is by far the most welcoming domain of cinematography when it comes to bold and unusual visions. After the relative slump of the Hollywood-style teen slashers that marked the 1990s, the 21st century brought about a true renaissance of this filmmaking domain, and now, Patrick A. Albright has added another fantastic film to the same body of artistic work. 

The film created by this award-winning black photographer and director is called Everyday Evil: A Horror Anthology, and from the first shot, it beckons the viewer into what seems like a beautiful and very ordinary world, but one that also hides unspeakable horrors behind it. That way, it will turn out that Albright is actually telling us about our real world.

The anthology covers six separate stories told from a first-person perspective. In all of them, the common theme is the notion of evil itself, but not as some grand, majestical, and even attractive force. Here, instead, it is something more similar to a deep-rooted but ultimately randomly dispersed energy that does not come with a complex backstory or detailed explanation. To the horror of all of us, it simply exists. 

Visually, the film does an amazing job with a very minimal budget, mostly by using a lot of natural lighting and liminal locations that in themselves offer a note of terror. From empty parking lots to desolate roads and green fields with odd, out-of-place details, Albright finds ways to boost the sheer quality of photography in the film to a level of a much bigger film production. The same goes for ambient sounds and the film’s soundtrack, which also enhances the experience through these stories. Generally, it’s tough to find independent films that do their sound right, and especially those that blend it with music that is neither overused nor underplayed. Everyday Evil manages to do just that, creating a balancing act that was clearly worth the substantial effort in post-production. 

There is no doubt that this film shows the value of having a powerful vision and employing it to the maximum effect, regardless of the size of the production’s budget. Everyday Evil: A Horror Anthology and Patrick A. Albright created a marvelous sequence of films and brought them together into one of the best independent horror films of this year. Be sure to watch it now on Fawesome.tv, where you can be impressed and terrified in equal measure.

Film Review: Jujji (2024) - Gripping Pakistani Thriller on the Demons that Haunt us All

The world that Jujji presents immediately pulls the viewers deep into the dark, silent, and violent space. From the first shot and the slow, tension-building monologue of an apparently random street vendor, the film shows that it can more than handle its central mystery. 

The premise of this Pakistani thriller centers on a serial killer pursued by two police officers. One officer is young and motivated. However, despite the fact that he's driven by his sense of justice, he is fighting his own demons from the past and many somber realities of his country. His partner, on the other hand, is an older and more morally flexible police veteran, who provides a completely different perspective not just on the case, but life itself, and their role as officers of peace. 

Jujji is masterfully directed by Habib Shahzad, who does wonders with the photography of the film. Each frame is crafted almost perfectly and uses the most out of natural lighting. The same rings through in both day and night scenes, along with the fact that Shahzad never forgets about its characters. This is best seen in the flashback story near the end of the film, which shows a tragic rescue of a kidnapped girl. The entire muted sequence is a small masterpiece of atmosphere and suspense. 

Through this relentless focus on characters, each setting or situation, Shahzad still manages to revert to the people in it. This approach remains steadfast, regardless of whether they're the main characters or someone like a poor passerby who stumbles upon a lifeless body. 

Finally, it is amazing to see that Jujji manages to do so much with a film based on a true story in just under 80 minutes. This too is the testament of the directorial skill of Shahzad and the natural storytelling talent, which is why he never loses a single beat in the film. The same makes the film one of the best Asian thrillers in recent years and should place Pakistan on the international map of all cinema goers. 

Film Review: A House of Dynamite (2025)

Don't fear the nuclear reaper is what most of the characters in A House of Dynamite are constantly trying to say to one another. At the same time, they're doing it through bewildered, terrified, or tearful eyes, continually trying to phone someone in the government or their uknowing family members. 

All of this is taking place as a single nuclear missile is traveling towards the continental US, which is a cycle of about 20 minutes that the film shows three times. In each of those, the director Kathryn Bigelow presents a different set of individuals making decisions around the same launch. The first group tries to intercept it, the second to understand it, while the last, spearheaded by the President of the county, should react to it - in a nuclear fashion, naturally. 

The concept of the film is gripping, and its stellar cast makes good on the script's promise to keep us glued to it until the very end. But, there's also a rational and realistic void in there as well. We're never really in the mind of anyone for long, while some characters, like Cathy Rogers, a FEMA official with the Office of National Continuity Programs, make no sense whatsoever.

The best way to perceive A House of Dynamite is likely to understand it as a deep dive into the US nuclear doctrine by a top-notch reporter team from an outlet like The Guardian. It's incredibly well-researched, somewhat liberal-leaning, and intensely smart, but doesn't allow for any feelings nor does it linger very long after you read the final, cautionary sentence. 

Film Review: Sinners (2025)

The kinetic force behind the film Sinners is a tangible type of energy that you feel in your rib cage. Like a muffled baseline in a club, it reverberates with you but does not hamper you in any way. Besides, it doesn’t force itself upon you, asking for your unwavering attention. It simply grooves, and you grove with it. The film that Ryan Coogler created works like that, allowing the audience to jump into as deep or as shallow as they like. All who do leap will get immersed in a world completely in tune with Coogler’s vision, which is a space of music, culture, danger, and endless injustice. 

The film places the viewers in the Mississippi Delta in the 1930s, where a pair of criminals and twins, both played by Michael B. Jordan, set up a speakeasy. Their efforts to make an underground club for the downtrodden African-Americans face numerous hurdles, which include both the oppressive white figures and the local black population. However, Elijah "Smoke" and Elias "Stack" Moore won’t take no for an answer and make their vision happen. The first night of the club, however, a stranger from Ireland enters the same vision and quickly turns it into a escalating, bloody nightmare. 

Even though Sinners, like another modern vampire movie, From Dusk Till Dawn, is broken into two substantially different parts, it still works as a unified work of art. It tells its viewers about the pain and the suffering of the black US population and how music was and continues to be a way not just to endure, but to thrive and prosper. In its tale, the film presents so much pain and suffering, but still remains eternally hopeful that things can and must get better. The notion of the main antagonist and his background in the downtrodden Ireland works perfectly alongside this, following it as a form of backup singer who can still steal the spotlight when needed.

Many already label Sinners as a modern masterpiece that goes a long way further than a good horror action film. However, the cultural influence that the film could have in the coming years is even bigger. With the proper mindset of the future viewers who enjoy it - and learn from it - Sinners could become a crucial element of the Black US culture that was created in our lifetime. Presently, the movie, along with the incredible Weapons, is the best horror film of 2025.

Film Review: Monkey Man (2024)

The directorial debut of Dave Patel is pouring its heart and soul into the film’s energy. The work, even though ultimately a finely-crafted and dynamic film, still fails at the same time precisely because of the insanely high energy it provides. From the sights and sounds to even the dense music soundtrack and the nearly-tangible smells of modern India, Monkey Man keeps relentlessly pushing and pushing.

But it feels like Patel, who is starring in the film at the same time, tried hard to bring across a more poignant and deeper message about the state of the biggest democracy in the world. The story of a downtrodden boy who grows up into a man thirsting for vengeance is easy to understand, though hard to empathise with. The reason for this is that in the film, somehow, everyone seems to be suffering. That plight turns into a series of individual spaces from which no one can escape. 

This applies to the ritual character of Kid, but also to the beautiful women trapped in the glorified brothels of the upper floors of glamorous hotels. It applies to the corrupt cops on the street and to their commanders as well, whose hands are forever bloodied by the deeds they had or wanted to commit. Still, throughout all of this, castes are never mentioned, which is an odd blind spot for a film with these topics and societal context.

Chances are that for the film’s investors, it’s much more appealing to see a scenario where everyone is sort of bad in their own way instead of fully focusing on the powers that be. The main antagonist of the film could have played that role. But the script seemingly pulled away from pushing into the societal space where money is pouring in and very little pouring out, just like it has been for millennia.

Monkey Man is a stand-out action thriller that does both thrills and action really well. Yet, it is no White Tiger when it comes to its ability to address the current state of India’s wealth disparities. It does, sadly, just as little in showcasing what the future course of this unique but troubled nation could be.