Interior Chinatown — mystery drama about Chinatown life starring a very committed Jimmy Yang, but the show soon becomes much more than that; lots of meta wackiness ensues which is super original, but sometimes originality at the cost of central plot and narrative momentum (I was often reminded of Everything Everywhere); Ronny Chieng’s character really stands out; I generally enjoy anything with Taika Waititi’s imprint
Gannibal — Japanese mystery horror show; concept had potential, but the vfx were kinda hokey and first episode didn’t hook me to continue
Dead Dead Demons — charming weird subtly funny anime about a dystopian near-future where a giant alien spaceship appears above the skies of Tokyo; the story is less about the alien invaders and more about society’s complex and layered reaction its appearance; the core characters are two high school girls and the people who are closest to them; the characters are really well done, lots of nuance, lots of subtle humor, great dialogue; a standout
Tale of Two Sisters — a solid Korean horror film with good acting, atmosphere, and story development; the tension was kept high, but I found the “horror logic” (the explanation of how and especially why the horror occurred) to be 20% too confusing and vaguely implied; would have preferred more exposition and more linear storytelling
Megalopolis — the set design / themes / cinematography are compelling, as is Adam Driver’s acting and the very A-list cast, but sorry the story is just weird and not relatable, the dialogue too stylized, the stakes too artificial and 1%-ey
In the Land of Saints and Sinners — I learned from this movie that Jackie Gleason is a really underrated actor, I finally saw someone other than Joffrey; loved the old Irish setting + tough IRA female lead + the small town vibes; good container for Liam Neeson to do Liam Neeson things
AfrAId — AI concept thriller starring John Cho; story and characters were cliche (a mix of Devs + Ex Machina, a kind of Alex Garland-lite). But the AI tech was well done — it felt quite realistic in our near (5-10 year) future, even eventually probable
Beef — finally started to watch it, am 4-5 episodes in; everything about it is well done — the evolving darkly humorous story, the excellent performances from Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, the great supporting cast including David Choe injecting needed lightness and absurdity and humor; the vibes are continually heavy and kinda depressing though, not sure if the story will brighten up in later episodes