The Phoenician Scheme (2025) Film Review

Wealthy businessman, Zsa-zsa Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins.

The Phoenician Scheme is directed by Wes Anderson director of Bottle Rocket (1996), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Isle Of Dogs (2018), The French Dispatch (2021), Asteroid City (2023) and many others.

Wes Anderson is back again with another incredibly strong film, while in some areas the film very much does feel like what you would expect from a Wes Anderson film at this point. There is a lot of excellent character writing, humorous moments and fun dialogue that ultimately lead into some genuinely touching moments.

The cast like in most Wes Anderson films does a fantastic job here, I would argue that this film highlights that even more than some of his other films. Benicio del Toro, Mia Therapleton and Michael Cera are all hilarious together each in their own way. The father and daughter bond between Benicio del Toro and Mia Therapleton that builds over the course of the film is genuinely touching, what starts as a rough bond quickly evolves into something genuine, there’s some quite beautiful moments towards the film’s final moments that actually does make the viewer shed a tear. There’s this theme of rebuilding and learning to communicate and the film does that incredibly well with del Toro and Therapleton, it depicts this in such a raw way that quickly connects with the viewer.

Michael Cera is hilarious all around, he captures the bizarre atmosphere the film is going for. The build up to what his character is ultimately revealed to be would have never worked if this were almost any other director, but due to how hilarious Cera is combined with being just born to be in a Anderson film the reveal works and makes Cera all the more fantastic. Cera’s chemistry with Therapleton is also charming, fun and is genuinely sweet, it’s something we also get to see build up over the course of the film and ends up being very well developed.

The rest of the cast is fantastic, although we don’t get to see more of them they stick around long enough to have a lasting impact on the viewer. Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Jeffery Wright and Riz Ahmed in particular are a lot of fun here.

The writing this time around is genuinely hilarious, this is perhaps Anderson’s most hilarious film since The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). Which I believe is mainly due to how the film’s premise is presented, going around recruiting people to help you in business dealings while being constantly hunted down is shown in this humorous way that Anderson absolutely hits out of the park. The theme of scaling down ambition is shown here in this striking way, too much ambition can lead to crashing and even dangerous results. This is explored quite well and especially is well executed during the third act of the film.

The films final moments I find to be incredibly sweet, not only do we get the beautiful moments of father and daughter bond we have gotten throughout the film. But the film’s themes are tied together in this nice little bow and shows that starting from scratch and a new life can be welcomed.

The Phoenician Scheme is available on all VOD platforms.

9/10 A

Heads Of State (2025) Film Review

U.S. President Will Derringer and British Prime Minister Sam Clarke have a not-so-friendly and very public rivalry. However, when Air Force One gets shot down over enemy territory, they find themselves on the run and working together to thwart a global conspiracy that threatens the entire free world.

Heads Of State is directed by Ilya Naishuller director of Hardcore Henry (2015) and Nobody (2021).

Heads Of State is not as bad as you would think, that’s mainly due to the fun cast, the direction from Naishuller, some decently timed comedic scenes and even some fun action scenes. The movie unfortunately does fall apart due to the story not really being that investing and a bit formulaic, having that said there’s a lot to like here.

The performances are fun especially Idris Elba and John Cena who both play the buddy cop duo very well, they play off of each other and have fun little banters that keep the movie going at this solid pace. The two’s back and forth are great with fun dialogue that does end up giving the viewer a decent amount to laugh at, it helps that Cena and Elba have the charm to make it work.

The action scenes and the camerawork are actually decently effective here, you get some genuinely great shots during the action filled moments. This does not come to much of a surprise due to Naishuller who’s worked on two incredibly well shot and beautifully done films that ooze with the action film atmosphere, Heads Of State has some of the DNA from Hardcore Henry (2015) and Nobody (2021) although on a much lesser scale (which is not a surprise given that this went straight to streaming.) the film’s action scenes are not anywhere near as good as the previously mentioned films but Naishuller is clearly having a lot of fun and does everything he can with these scenes. For the most part it ends up being effective, taking whatever he can to make a straight to streaming action film work. From what’s presented here and considering what he had to work with, he does a pretty solid job here.

The main flaw with Heads Of State is mainly the writing, while it’s certainly not terrible. It’s not that investing and does land in the formulaic territory, the movie does admittedly get weaker as it goes on mainly due to its nearly 2 hour run time combined with the slow pacing (Cena and Elba can only do so much when it comes to moving the film along.)

With that said, Heads Of State is not a bad movie, it’s one that misses some marks but is a fun enough time that will satisfy most action movie fans.

Heads Of State is available on Amazon Prime Video.

5/10 C

The Accountant 2 (2025) Film Review

Forensic accountant Christian Wolff teams up with his estranged but highly lethal brother to track down mysterious assassins

The Accountant 2 is directed by Gavin O’Connor director of Comfortably Numb (1995), Tumbleweeds (1999), Miracle (2004), Pride and Glory (2008), Warrior (2011), Jane Got A Gun (2015), The Accountant (2016) and The Way Back (2020). The film serves as a sequel to The Accountant (2016).

The Accountant (2016) was a pretty solid action thriller that actually became a hit at the box office which is always nice to see a mid-budget film do well. A sequel was quickly announced as expected and well it definitely was not a bad attempt at a sequel, there really is not a whole lot to comment on here. Some people stand by The Accountant 2 being an improvement over the first film, while others stand by this one being weaker and I definitely think I fall into the latter.

What does remain the same is the strong acting, Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal are both fantastic here. The two blend in with the film taking a more comedic approach this time around which actually does lead into some surprisingly charming moments, Affleck and Bernthal just work so incredibly well together to the point where even if you are not really into what’s going on in the film. You can at least how well done their chemistry really is and how much they carry this film.

The film takes much more of a comedic approach this time around, yes there are thrilling and action filled moments but those are clearly not the main focus. You will get a focus on this people trafificking/conspiracy plot (which admittedly is really not that interesting) and then the film focuses on Affleck and Bernthal having a grand ole time at the bar, dancing and chatting about their lives. It’s a bizarre switch in tone but it mostly works due to the film’s ability to transition from scene to scene well.

The final act is your traditional action filled section which is admittedly pretty neat, it’s not anything groundbreaking but there is the excitement factor that’s present and the build up is quite solid as well. The main criticism here is the running time, it goes on for way too long especially with a lot of scenes where you can really feel they are dragging it out for the sake of doing so.

Overall there is not much else to be said here, The Accountant 2 is a sequel that while fun in it’s own way. Just sort of exists because of how well the first film did, I am admittedly interested to see how the third film will be done (at the time of writing this the third film has been confirmed.) Definitely not a terrible film but not one I will ever go back to.

The Accountant 2 is available on all VOD Platforms.

6/10 C+

Friendship (2025) Film Review

Suburban dad Craig falls hard for his charismatic new neighbour, but his attempts to make an adult male friend soon threatens to ruin both of their lives.

Friendship is directed by Andrew DeYoung which is his directorial debut!

The comedy genre is often one of the hardest genres to nail, you have to take a long of different notes into account such as “are my jokes funny enough?, will anyone get the humor I’m going for? What can I do to make my sense of humor or jokes standout from a crowded genre” and many others. Luckily Friendship goes for this very different approach, instead of a traditional comedy it goes for this fever dream like feel that works incredibly well. Sure other comedies have done that before but this film decides to do things differently.

Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd are absolutely hilarious together, the two’s personalities mesh well together and when the film needs them to their personalities clashing against one another opens the door to so many humorous moments. I’m not all that familiar with Robinson’s work, I’ve seen all of his film roles (which is not that many) and only seen very limited of his TV work, so I might be missing some context here when it comes to this is what Robinson’s career has been building up to. With that being said it’s a fantastic performance, he captures someone with a lot of social anxiety and really who really wants to make friends to the point where a normal desire for acceptance ends up being blurred. Robinson gives a chaotic, well acted and humorous performance that truly shows how with a flip of a switch his character Craig Waterman can go from being calm to yearning for acceptance in unhealthy ways.

Paul Rudd is also fantastic, he plays Austin Carmichael a man who slowly distances himself from Craig Waterman which kick starts the film’s main focus. Rudd and Robinson’s chemistry is so much fun. There’s plenty of laughs, dramatic moments and we get some character bits from the two. Carmichael slowly but surely becomes a man with mismatched intentions, there might not be incredibly strong character writing for Carmichael as there is for Waterman. But due to Rudd’s performance it works.

The writing is genuinely hilarious while also tackling some pretty interesting themes. There’s the desire of acceptance and how much of it is too much, there’s social anxiety and how it can be hard to make friends. Plus the film has this main theme of the connections we make as humans and showing that they can be incredibly messy, we have all had a messy experience with someone whether it ranges from an argument or something far more serious. The film highlights these in humorous and actually quite relatable ways, the awkward interactions including some pauses were genuinely funny and quite raw as well.

The direction from Andrew DeYoung has this raw feel that you quickly get attached to once the film begins, there’s moments where the film does take some liberties but the film is very consistently grounded. The fever dream style of humor really helps here especially with the actions of the characters, while not every character is incredibly well written. It’s the humor and facial expressions that really make them work as well as they do.

Overall Friendship is a very solid film that I do think is going to go on to be a classic in the comedy genre, not every single joke lands but that hardly matters when you execute the many themes of the film incredibly well.

Friendship is available on all VOD Platforms.

8/10 B+

Tribeca Review: Tow (2025)

The true story of Amanda Ogle (Byrne), a homeless Seattle woman who fought her way out of tow-company hell to reclaim her life and car after receiving a tow bill for $21,634.

Tow is directed by Stephanie Laing director of Irreplaceable You (2018) and Family Squares (2022).

This was the first film I saw at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival and it was by far the best. While there are some writing bits that are a miss, Tow tells the true story of Amanda Ogle a homeless Seattle woman and tells it quite well. I knew absolutely nothing about the true story and after watching the film I’m quite glad it was told.

The performances are really the main sell here, Rose Byrne as Amanda Ogle is a very well done performance that has the balance of comedy and the much more serious moments. It helps quite a lot that Rose Byrne is already an incredibly talented actress as well as a very humorous one, so she fits like a glove here, she captures Amanda Ogle’s actions of never giving up and not letting societal systems take her down. That’s where a lot of the inspiring feel of the film comes from and remains that way throughout the film, Byrne’s interactions with the rest of the cast quite great as well.

Dominic Sessa is also quite fantastic here, he’s much more comedic but that does not stop him from giving a genuinely great performance. His banter with Rose Byrne is genuinely entertaining, even when the dialogue is a bit bumpy at times he manages to make it into a hilarious moment. Octavia Spencer is being the powerhouse actress she is also gives a solid performance and much like Sessa has some great moments with Byrne. Demi Lovato is a bit on the miscast side of things but she’s not bad.

The film is very much an underdog story and it’s a quite beautifully told one, the theme of not letting societal systems take you down when you are fighting is quite inspiring and it’s very well told here. The writing mixes this theme with some comedy as well, some of the comedy is a bit of a miss at times with some moments feeling a bit forced. However for the most part the humor works and is able to balance itself with the dramatic moments, plus I do think the talented cast are able to take some moments that would otherwise not be so great and turn them into something solid.

It helps the film that Amanda Ogle is incredibly fleshed out as a character which makes her story all the more impactful and devastating to the viewer, there are some feel good cliches here but there are not enough to completely take away from this film. There are several moments where you are rooting for Amanda and want to see her get justice, people may scoff at $273 towing fee but to Amanda her car is her home which she fights for and never gives up.

Overall Tow is a really solid film that’s quite inspiring, between great performances, strong direction and a mostly solid balance of comedy and drama there’s a lot to really appreciate about the film. This is definitely one to look out for when it releases.

Tow currently has no release date.

8/10 B+

The Wedding Banquet (2025) Film Review

Hoping to stay in the country, a gay man proposes a green card marriage to a female friend in exchange for paying for her IVF treatment. However, things soon get complicated when his grandmother surprises them with plans for an extravagant Korean wedding banquet.

The Wedding Banquet is directed by Andrew Ahn director of Spy Night (2016), Driveways (2019) and Fire Island (2022). The film serves as a remake of the 1993 film of the same name which was directed by Ang Lee.

The Wedding Banquet is a remake that could have easily went in a terrible direction, but luckily there was incredibly talented people involved who all do a fantastic job here. The film obviously does not come anywhere close to Ang Lee’s film, but that what we have here is nowhere near bad. In fact this just adds to Ahn’s impressive directing work.

The cast is what really makes the film here, The Wedding Banquet is one of those films that actually gives most of the main cast time to shine. While some get bigger moments, the ones who are not present as much or have smaller moments make the most of it which ends up giving some genuinely heartwarming parts of the film. As a whole the cast really does a fantastic job connecting with one another and the chemistry between one another feels quite raw.

Lily Gladstone is really great although a bit under utilized, but the moments we do get with her show her talent off quite well. It’s also quite a different performance from what we have seen. Kelly Marie Tran really hits it out of the park and is the standout, her ability to switch from being comedic and more dramatic is truly phenomenal. Joan Chen and Youn Yuh-jung are also solid here as well, both contribute great performances that are given substantial roles so they have a decent amount to work with.

Something I do love about this film is it’s not trying to be the original, it goes in the direction of how this situation could feel for a different generation of audiences. It’s a very interesting way of going about it but it actually works in the film’s favor, the writing compliments this further as well which leads to some quite beautiful moments.

The direction from Andrew Ahn is really strong here, much like in his previous work Ahn’s main priority is making sure the viewer connects well with the cast and he does that once again with this film. It might not be on a grander scale of his previous work (Bowen Yang does struggle a bit with the more dramatic moments), but due to the sheer likability and the cast connecting so well together Ahn’s direction fits like a glove for this film.

Overall there is not anything groundbreaking going on here with The Wedding Banquet but it is undeniably a charming little film that gets the job done!

The Wedding Banquet is available on all VOD platforms.

7/10 B

Mountainhead (2025) Film Review

A group of billionaire friends get together against the backdrop of a rolling international crisis.

Mountainhead is directed by Jesse Armstrong which is directorial debut.

Jesse Armstrong tries to recapture the energy and power he put into Succession but completely misses here for a number of reasons that quickly pile up as the movie goes on. Combine that with the movie really not saying all that much with what it’s trying to be a satire of (billionaires) and you have yourself a very forgettable and dull ride.

The performances are fine enough here, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith and Ramy Youssef have some fun chemistry between one another and even manage to stick a few jokes in here that are decently funny. With that being said they can only do so much, the characters are just not that interesting, they are very unlikable which I get is the point. But they are unlikable to the degree where it’s not investing mainly due to everything surrounding the movie being completely empty.

The writing has its moments of humor but that is where it really ends, when it comes to actually tackling themes the movie either does not say anything new or completely drops the ball. It meanders for way too long and ultimately does not have a main point, it kind of just wastes the viewer time by making them think it’s going to say something towards the end and shoehorns half a dozen empty ideas into the movie.

The third act really plays out like Armstrong ran out of concepts to explore so he threw in a bunch of fluff that ultimately does not serve any point to the story. It’s quite honestly the most bare bones way you could satirize billionaires, everything that is said here has either been done before or is incredibly common knowledge that does not need to be repeated for the thirtieth time.

Overall Mountainhead is incredibly forgettable, the cast is by far the main appeal which in fairness they all do a great job. It’s just a shame the movie surrounding them wasn’t the same quality.

Mountainhead is available on HBO Max.

4/10 D+

Bob Trevino Likes It (2025) Film Review

Lily Trevino unexpectedly befriends an online stranger, sharing her self-centered father’s name. This new Bob Trevino’s support could transform her life.

Bob Trevino Likes It is directed by Tracie Laymon which is her directorial debut!

Bob Trevino Likes It is one of those films where you can really tell that right from the beginning there was heart poured into it, considering the film’s themes and that it is actually based off of a true story that might not be exactly shocking to hear (especially if you read the true story) but it’s still quite impressive and beautiful how well this film connects with the viewer.

The performances are absolutely beautiful, Barbie Ferreira is absolutely incredible here and really shows her power as an actress. The quiet moments involving her in this film broke me at times, her character Lily Trevino is someone who just wants to belong after her biological father Robert Trevino (played by French Stewart) shows how irredeemable and evil he really is. The theme of belonging is played so well especially with Ferreira’s performance she really captures this sense of wanting to belong and trying to make sense of it all, Ferreira’s facial expressions and body language really do a lot of the talking and completely give her this powerhouse performance.

John Leguizamo gives such a beautiful performance here as well, his connection with Barbie Ferreira is genuinely beautiful and at times a real tearjerker. Over the course of the film we see two get closer and it’s something that the viewer constantly roots for, Leguizamo also fits like a glove as this father figure his performance as Bob Trevino shows a lot of personality, confusion at first but willing to help and strikes this beautiful cord earnestness. There’s so many beautiful moments here that the viewer can relate to and it’s all due to the bond between Ferreira and Leguizamo that hit all the emotional beats needed.

The script from Tracie Laymon does a spectacular job of really telling this incredible story, as I mentioned earlier there is this theme of wanting to belong but there is also a theme of healing through unexpected places or connections. We see that through the bond of Lily and Bob as the film progresses, we also get to see Lily go on this journey of healing from trauma and abandonment. The theme of small acts of kindness is also present here, Bob displaying these what would be considered by some people to be just small acts of kindness could mean so much more to someone else. In this case these small acts of kindness means so much to Lily and impacts her healing journey. The film really shows how simple acts of kindness can really help someone especially if they are not use to receive those acts.

Something that I have purposely left out up until now is what really helps Bob Trevino Likes It is Tracie Laymon is basing it off the life of herself and how she made a friendship she strikes up while looking for her father. So we get to have this personal feel to the film like Laymon invited us over to tell us her story and it’s beautifully told in this way that it feels like a friend is telling you a story. It has this charm that is incredibly raw especially with the performances and how striking they really are. It’s such a beautiful way of telling this story that it brings the viewer to tears (i definitely cried at times.)

Overall Bob Trevino Likes It is one of the best films of the year, I’m very excited to see what’s in store for Tracie Laymon as a director because this was quite impressive. It’s a powerful story about healing, belonging and acts of kindness that really delivers in every single way possible.

Bob Trevino Likes It is available on all VOD platforms.

9/10 A

The Ballad Of Wallis Island (2025) Film Review

Old tensions resurface when former bandmates who were former lovers reunite for a private show at the island home of an eccentric millionaire.

The Ballad Of Wallis Island is directed by James Griffiths who previously directed Cuban Fury (2014). The film is based on the 2007 short film The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island.

The Ballad Of Wallis Island is a pretty straightforward story about the relationships with art we both make and admire, the film does have its hiccups particularly in the character writing department but there is so much passion felt here especially through the acting and flow of the film.

The acting all around is quite great, Tim Key, Tom Basden and Carey Mulligan all give beautiful performances that are genuinely meaningful especially as the film goes on. While the character writing is a bit lacking as we don’t really get some critical answers to some of these characters and are kind of left in this unknown area, what makes them work is the acting. It’s raw, beautiful and striking which is more than enough to bring the viewer along for the ride.

The direction from James Griffiths is earnest and gives this beautiful look at Charles (played by Tim Key) looking up to Herb McGwyer (played by Tom Basden) and Nell Mortimer (played by Carey Mulligan) and inspiration for music, it’s genuinely touching and displays tons of beautifully done moments that you can really feel their bond growing through the screen.

The cinematography combined with the music is beautiful as well, the mountain town and folk music aesthetics really add a lot of flavor to the film and build the atmosphere it needs to really deliver. The cinematography from G. Magni Ágústsson really brings the whole beauty of the film together in the end with tons of shots that stay with you until the credits.

Overall The Ballad Of Wallis Island is a beautifully acted and done film that really inspires you especially when it comes to its theming.

The Ballad Of Wallis Island is available on all VOD platforms.

7/10 B

Nonnas (2025) Film Review

After losing his beloved mother, a man risks everything to honor her by opening an Italian restaurant with actual nonnas — grandmothers, as the chefs.

Nonnas is directed by Stephen Chbosky director of The Four Corners Of Nowhere (1995), The Perks Of Being a Wallflower (2012), Wonder (2017) and Dear Evan Hansen (2021). Nonnas is based on the life of Joe Scaravella the owner of Staten Island restaurant Enoteca Maria who risks everything to honor his late mother by opening a restaurant with grandmothers as chefs.

Nonnas is exactly what you expect it to be, a heartwarming film that really touches your heart incredibly quickly. The cast is incredibly likable and even at times manages to elevate the material into delivering some great performances, there’s even some themes of love, grief and healing going on here (even if they aren’t executed in a very deep way.)

The performances are the best part of the movie, Vince Vaughn actually gives one of his better performances here. It’s not anything groundbreaking but this is one of the rare occasions where you can feel the passion is there, it helps that the script from Liz Maccie while not anything incredible still gives Vaughn something to work with. In the end he comes off as incredibly charming and really does a solid job with bouncing off of the rest of the cast.

Susan Sarandon, Lorraine Branco, Talia Shire and Brenda Vaccaro are all just fantastic, each of them brings this certain level of charm to the movie that really brings the viewer along for the ride. The disagreements and remarks they throw at each other gives the movie some decent laughs and the performances from all of them in general is really solid. It helps that they all are fully committed to their performances, which is mainly what keeps the movie afloat.

The rest of the movie is decent, the true story is told in this straightforward way that does not harm or really benefit the movie. The writing is filled to the brim with charm, there’s some moments of tackling grief with Joe Scaravella (played by Vince Vaughn) trying to move on from his recently deceased mother, even if these moments are not anything incredibly deep it’s nice that they are here in the first place.

Overall Nonnas is a movie that’s pretty straightforward and is incredibly charming, there might not be a whole lot going on here theme or writing wise. But it is undeniably a cute and heartwarming story that the cast manages to make work.

Nonnas is available on Netflix.

6/10 C+