Movies

You can find all my reviews in my Letterboxd profile.

2025

Score: 5/5. I haven’t watched all Yorgo’s films but this is a strong contender for my favorite. Bugonia stands out as a dark comedy that is not afraid to play a bit with the spectator while successfully criticizing and questioning some of today’s society’s most pressing issues, such as extreme polarization, fake news, hysteria, mental health, inequality, and social class tensions. It had me on the edge of my seat for over 2 hours and I loved the ending.

Emma Stone gives another powerful performance, and it wouldn’t surprise me if she becomes a strong contender for the upcoming awards season.

Score: 2/5. In “Die my Love” we explore the life of a couple for which the absurd is considered normal until it isn’t. It’s a film about post-partum depression, which is a relevant and interesting topic to explore. The problem lies in the execution, because there isn’t much story to tell, and the film really suffers from that.

The few plot points that the story tries to develop lack depth and are not trascendental to the overall character development. It’s like we see two very strong “ideas” of characters, but we just see them interact with each other and with others with almost no evolution. We see the protagonist slowly fall into madness (though one could argue she was already mad since the beginning), but the payoff is just a scene where she says “I’m done” and kills herself. The whole story could’ve probably been told in 30 minutes and would work better as a short film.

I give two stars because of the leading performances, which are definitely the best part of the film. Even though both characters are over the top, the performances don’t feel forced or unbelievable, instead, the actors bring these concepts to life organically. Regarding Lawrence, this is yet another confirmation of the quality of acting she can provide. However, I’m growing a bit tired of Hollywood giving her roles of very strong-minded, neurotic, aggressive and loud women (see for example American Hustle or Silver Lining’s Playbook). I think in the future it’d be interesting for her to explore roles that require more submission or stoicism from her side.

Score: 4/5. A touching film about the unique value of every single human life. The human experience is so gorgeous and complex that each individual is like an entire universe. I would’ve liked to see more of adult Chuck, but the younger version’s journey was insanely tender and wholesome to watch.

Score: 4.5/5. I loved the movie and the GTA reference, but when I saw the nuns had guns I just wanted them to go full on ridiculous and make them fight the military guys and win.

Score: 5/5. Few movies encapsule so well the intimacy, struggle, and tension that comes with any deep emotional relationship between two human beings. Joel and Clementine are not perfect for each other, but they crave their connection because it feels real and genuine to them.

I think the scene with both of them laying under the sheets and talking about how Clementine always felt ugly growing up will stay on my mind forever. It’s these rare and unique moments of true connection that make a relationship worthwhile, even with all the pain that comes when it falls apart. Amazing script full of beautiful quotes and touching discussions and monologues, and overall a movie that can only be fully grasped after you’ve loved. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a timeless classic and, from now on, one of my favorite movies of all time.

To finish, let me applaud my favorite performance ever of Kate Winslet. She’s charming, strong, raw, emotional, a true force of nature that’s impossible to miss whenever she’s on screen. Her chemistry with Carrey is insane and addictive to watch.

Score: 3.5/5. This movie includes probably one of the best monologues I’ve heard from a movie in the 2020s: a monologue about pain. Raw, human, vulnerable, and shook me to my core.

Also close and complicated relationships between two men that is not romance are completely underexplored.

Score: 3/5. 3 stars because the music, the cinematography and the transitions in the musical bits were excellent, but overall this movie really struggled to find its tone, in my opinion. The script felt all over the place: too much was happening at the same time, which left little room for character development and compelling arcs in which every major plot point achieved a satisfying resolution. The deaths of the main cast felt almost like parodies.

Score: 3/5. I agree with other opinions that the plot feels a bit disjointed and the resolution is random. The tone of the movie changes quite often, ranging from horror to action to gore to satire to family drama to almost parody at the end. I haven’t watched the two previous installments of the franchise, but I kept feeling that the story felt a bit too small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. I was dying to see how people from other European countries treat the British after the outbreak of the virus, how they eradicated the virus from mainland Europe, and in general how have society and diplomatic relations been shaped by it after almost 30 years. But I guess a zombie with a huge cock is more important.

Score: 4.5/5. I’m still here is one of the strongest films of the 2025 Awards Season. It has outstanding editing, photography, script, and amazing performances. There are moments in which the narrative of the film seems a bit slow (like for example at the very beginning of the film), but overall the flow and pacing is also excellent.

The film represents a very dark period of Brazil’s history through the lenses of a wealthy family from Rio. However, it’s not melodramatic, instead, it gives the viewer a tense feeling of suspended grief from the moment Rubens disappears until Eunice receives the death certificate.

The film is of course carried by the leading performance of Fernanda Torres, who is raw, authentic, emotional, firm, and very elegant. She’s clearly become a world class actress and I hope to see her soon in other big projects.

Score: 4/5. A beautiful film with top-notch acting and script. Even though the final outcome of the story is predictable (did anyone think things were going to work out between them?), Anora is a carefully made film with thrilling, touching moments, and amazing scenes. The whole sequence when Anora fights with the three men is superb, it had me hooked with all the action and discussions overlapping and happening on screen, but at the same time it was easy to follow.

The best moment of the film is probably the closing scene. I was wondering how Anora could keep showing her sassy and agressive side without feeling vulnerable after all the madness. Of course, the film makes a point and reminds the audience that there’s a human behind Anora and that she feels alone and vulnerable, and the only way she knows to show gratitude is to have sex. And then it really hit that she never made out with any other guy on screen. And she hated herself for it. It’s a touching moment ahout a woman who starts the film with nothing and ends the story in the exact same place she began, but realizing there’s people in this world who can show care and respect towards her.

Score: 4/5. This movie contains such a deep reflection on life that I think it’s hard to grasp in just one watch.

2024

Score: 4/5. It changed my life, but some of the decisions made by Jon Chu ruined the buildup and momentum, particularly during the end of Defying Gravity.

Score: 3/5. It Ends with Us features what might be the worst first 30 minutes I’ve ever seen in cinematic history. The opening is unbearably cheesy, filled with stereotypes, and cringe, made even worse by the lack of chemistry between the two leads. However, once the plot begins to properly develop, the portrayal of the cycle of violence and abuse is executed quite decently.

That said, there are many things that will never make sense to me. For example, why does Lily has only one friend, and why is this friend someone she just met two days ago? Moreover, why is this (clearly super rich) friend suddenly looking for a job in a flower shop? Probably it’s better explained in the book, but these kind of inconsistencies kept me from fully suspending my disbelief while watching the film.

I feel the story wastes several opportunities to dive into a more meaningful plot. At the beginning of the movie, I thought it was going to focus on a woman mourning a father she didn’t love (or perhaps even hated), which could have been a rich emotional journey to explore. Similarly, Lily’s relationship with her mother feels underdeveloped, leaving her mother’s character forgettable and superficial.

With everything, the story’s underlying message is undeniably important. The film’s peak comes when Lily revisits her memories of her husband and realizes there was never an accident: he was always violent and abusive. This moment is very powerful because it portrays how easy can it be to recognize toxic dynamics in others, but how difficult it is to identify them in our own lives.

Score: 3.5/5. I’ve been playing Mario my entire life, and this movie felt like a heartfelt tribute to the saga. While it’s clearly aimed at children, long-time fans will appreciate the abundance of references that only seasoned players are likely to catch. I enjoyed the twist on Peach, transforming her from a damsel in distress to a superheroine, and the decision to make the Kongs a kart-obsessed race was brilliant. However, Toad felt underutilized, serving more as a plot device than a fully realized character.

That said, the movie doesn’t offer much beyond its creative concepts and nostalgic nods. It’s a fun, lighthearted watch if you’re not looking for anything too deep, but I doubt I’d watch it again. The plot gets the job done but sticks to the standard “good guys versus evil villain” formula, which of course mirrors the games but falls short of the emotional depth we’ve seen in some mainline titles like Mario Galaxy. I missed seeing characters like Rosalina (the Luma was possibly the best character of the film), Yoshi, and Daisy, but I assume they’re saving those for a potential sequel.

Score: 5/5.Chris Sanders delivers a story that is both endearing and deeply touching. The Wild Robot is a beautiful tale about parenthood, discrimination, bullying, and how strangers can come together to achieve a common goal. I never thought I could cry so much over a robot bonding with a goose and a fox.

There are many reasons to connect with the plot at a personal level: the feelings of isolation, of being estranged from the place you come from, of searching for where you truly belong, of being discriminated against or bullied for being different. The film also explores the consequences of people competing and hurting each other instead of cooperating. The cast delivers the script flawlessly, and some dialogues are truly beautiful, like when Roz describes what it means to be a mother, or when Flink tells little Brightbill a heartwarming yet fake story of how he came into the world.

Special praise must be given to the gorgeous animation and cinematography. Some frames are simply stunning, such as when Roz runs with the flock of geese behind her while the film’s main song plays. DreamWorks presents its swan song (as the sole animators of their films) with what may be one of its best works yet. Though it’s perhaps aimed at children, this movie can move the heart of any adult and touch their very core. It’s a must-watch for everyone.

One phrase from the film will stay with me forever: “Sometimes to survive, we must become more than we were programmed to be.”

Score: 5/5. The best movie I’ve seen this year. The acting (props to Demi Moore who I think deserves at least an Academy Award nomination for the film), the photography (the frames are so close and really make the audience feel uneasy and uncomfortable), the script, the music and sound effects (the ASMR sound effects, disgusting but perfect), the plot twists, and the overall theme and execution were outstanding.

The Substance is a trip, a rollercoaster of emotions that deserves to be seen in a big screen, sharing the experience with a bunch of strangers. Never in my life had I seen an audience react so much to a movie. I was covering my eyes in some parts, feeling nausea at others, and just laughing uncomfortably or even screaming st some point. The last 30 minutes of the film are out of this world. You don’t think she can go any lower, and yet she does. It’s an instant classic about the absurdity of beauty standards for women, the fear of being old and forgotten, and how the entertainment industry is dominated by sexist men who don’t care at all about their “stars”.

Finally, I just wanna say that Demi Moore is really brave to star in a film that basically portrays and mocks her career. Amazing comeback to the big screen!

Score: 2/5. I would’ve liked this movie a lot more if it hadn’t been a musical (and I say this as a person who loves musicals). The songs didn’t move the story forward, they actually interrupted the pace and were irrelevant to the plot since they were just fantasies. The cast and performances are great but the plot and musical aspects of the movie simply don’t work.

Score: 4/5. Amazing film, where the greatest star is Emma Stone’s portrayal of Bella Baxter, a being in the body of an adult woman, but with none of the prejudice and social constructs that adulthood imply. It has some raw and very gore moments, and a lot of nudity and sex, which in the case of this movie I think it works very well in favor of the story. We see Bella transition from an infant to a woman in front of our eyes, in this bizarre coming of age story that has definitely many layers and leads to reflections about the world where we live in.

Score: 3.5/5. Good film about two old adults living the best night of their lives. It was very easy to predict the kinda dark twist in the end, but the script was brilliant overall. The best part was definitely at the very beginning, with the lunch of the protagonist with her group of friends. It was peak comedy and dark humor. I really wanted them to appear once more in the film.

Score: 3.5/5. They focused the movie on the character of Regina, neglecting a lot the other 2 plastics and, of course, Cady Heron (who was also one of the weakest singers in the film). Though it’s understandable that they decided to cut many songs from the stage version, people who know the musical will tell that basically only the Regina George solos are intact. This isn’t bad per se, since Renee Rapp is amazing in the role and her vocals are otherwordly, but this story is much more than only Regina. The arrangements for a couple songs (Stupid with Love and Apex Predator) sounded off. In general, it’s a decent adaptation with flaws but overall entertaining and with some twists that make it a worthy watch for those who liked the original film.

Videogames

2024-2025

  • Pokemon Legends ZA (currently playing)
  • Fire Emblem Engage
  • Xenoblade Chronicles X
  • Unicorn Overlord
  • Diablo II: Resurrected
  • Xenoblade Chronicles 3
  • Triangle Strategy

2020-2023

  • Xenoblade Chronicles 2
  • Valkyria Chronicles 4
  • Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
  • Fire Emblem: Three Houses
  • Octopath Traveler
  • Pokemon Violet
  • Borderlands 2
  • Borderlands the Pre-Sequel
  • Left 4 Dead
  • Super Mario 3d World

Other sagas I like

  • Dragon Quest
  • Final Fantasy
  • Bravely Default
  • Disgaea