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Reviews for January 3rd, 2025



      From Ground Zero is a collection of 22 different short films directed by 22 Palestinian filmmakers. Some of them are documentaries, some of them narratives, some are experimental, and some are animated. Together they create a mosaic of Palestinian perspectives that feel like a roller coaster ride of emotions, so expect some tonal whiplash. That said, each short film stands on its own and resonates on many levels, especially on an emotional level. Two of the documentary shorts are devastating to watch as a Palestinian desperately searches for his family member who's buried under rubble and thinks that he's still alive. In another short, a Palestinian refugee living in a tent documents the tragedies around her which include starvation. She hasn't slept a wink at night with all of the loud noise. At a running time of 1 hour and 52 minutes, From Ground Zero is a heartfelt, timely and brave protest against war. It opens at Quad Cinema via Watermelon Pictures.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3







      Ahn (Hyun Bin) leads a team of Korean activists who embark on a mission to assassinate Japan's Prime Minister, Itō Hirobumi, who has boarded a train headed for the city of Harbin in Harbin. Meanwhile, they must figure out who among them is a mole. The screenplay by writer/director Woo Min-ho and co-writer Kim Min-seong goes through the motions with its pedestrian plot that's more interested in moving the narrative forward than in stopping to develop any of its characters. That's forgivable because, to compensate for the lack of emotional resonance, it's suspenseful and intriguing and with great production values. So, at least on a visceral level, Harbin manages to be entertaining. Not surprisingly, there are some twists and double-crossings. If only it were somewhat less shallow and added much-needed humanism, especially to its protagonists, it would've been a more memorable and extraordinary experience rather one that's mostly forgettable and conventional. If you were to pair it with Inglourious Basterds, it'd be the slightly inferior B-movie. At a running time of 1 hour and 53 minutes, Harbin opens in select theaters nationwide via Well Go USA.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2







      The Last Republican is a mildly engaging, but often dull, myopic and incomplete documentary about how former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger ended up actively opposing Donald Trump and spoke out against the January 6th attack on the Capitol. Director Steve Pink interviews Kinzinger himself to get his account of his last year in office and the path he took toward opposing Trump. It takes a while to get to the meat of the issue because first Kinzinger talks about why agreed to the interview to begin with--it turns out he's a huge fan of the director and loves Hot Tub Time Machine. Why does the audience need to know that anecdote? Anyway, the rest of the film just focuses on how Kinzinger became among the few Republicans to speak out against Trump. What about getting to know Kinzinger a little bit more as a human being beyond his political views? What can be done to prevent another insurrection? Trump isn't the only politician who needs to be held accountable for his actions. What about other politicians around the world and in the US? How functional does he think democracy is in the US? Does he have any examples of politicians who are good role models, i.e. that hold themselves accountable for their actions and the consequences of their actions? More importantly, if each politician were to undergo a rigorous mental health evaluation that tested them for Narcissistic Personality Disorder among other personality disorders, who would actually pass the evaluation? What about the other Republicans who also oppose Trump? Pink doesn't really ask him any tough or provocative questions nor is there enough different perspectives, so The Last Republican doesn't have anything that's insightful, revealing or surprising. At a running time of 1 hour and 30 minutes, The Last Republican opens at Film Forum.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3







      From Ground Zero is a collection of 22 different short films directed by 22 Palestinian filmmakers. Some of them are documentaries, some of them narratives, some are experimental, and some are animated. Together they create a mosaic of Palestinian perspectives that feel like a roller coaster ride of emotions, so expect some tonal whiplash. That said, each short film stands on its own and resonates on many levels, especially on an emotional level. Two of the documentary shorts are devastating to watch as a Palestinian desperately searches for his family member who's buried under rubble and thinks that he's still alive. In another short, a Palestinian refugee living in a tent documents the tragedies around her which include starvation. She hasn't slept a wink at night with all of the loud noise. At a running time of 1 hour and 52 minutes, From Ground Zero is a heartfelt, timely and brave protest against war.opens at Quad Cinema via Watermelon Pictures.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3







      Ahn (Hyun Bin) leads a team of Korean activists who embark on a mission to assassinate Japan's Prime Minister, Itō Hirobumi, who has boarded a train headed for the city of Harbin in Harbin. Meanwhile, they must figure out who among them is a mole. The screenplay by writer/director Woo Min-ho and co-writer Kim Min-seong goes through the motions with its pedestrian plot that's more interested in moving the narrative forward than in stopping to develop any of its characters. That's forgivable because, to compensate for the lack of emotional resonance, it's suspenseful and intriguing and with great production values. So, at least on a visceral level, Harbin manages to be entertaining. Not surprisingly, there are some twists and double-crossings. If only it were somewhat less shallow and added much-needed humanism, especially to its protagonists, it would've been a more memorable and extraordinary experience rather one that's mostly forgettable and conventional. If you were to pair it with Inglourious Basterds, it'd be the slightly inferior B-movie. At a running time of 1 hour and 53 minutes, Harbin opens in select theaters nationwide via Well Go USA.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2







      The Last Republican is a mildly engaging, but often dull, myopic and incomplete documentary about how former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger ended up actively opposing Donald Trump and spoke out against the January 6th attack on the Capitol. Director Steve Pink interviews Kinzinger himself to get his account of his last year in office and the path he took toward opposing Trump. It takes a while to get to the meat of the issue because first Kinzinger talks about why agreed to the interview to begin with--it turns out he's a huge fan of the director and loves Hot Tub Time Machine. Why does the audience need to know that anecdote? Anyway, the rest of the film just focuses on how Kinzinger became among the few Republicans to speak out against Trump. What about getting to know Kinzinger a little bit more as a human being beyond his political views? What can be done to prevent another insurrection? Trump isn't the only politician who needs to be held accountable for his actions. What about other politicians around the world and in the US? How functional does he think democracy is in the US? Does he have any examples of politicians who are good role models, i.e. that hold themselves accountable for their actions and the consequences of their actions? More importantly, if each politician were to undergo a rigorous mental health evaluation that tested them for Narcissistic Personality Disorder among other personality disorders, who would actually pass the evaluation? What about the other Republicans who also oppose Trump? Pink doesn't really ask him any tough or provocative questions nor is there enough different perspectives, so The Last Republican doesn't have anything that's insightful, revealing or surprising. At a running time of 1 hour and 30 minutes, The Last Republican opens at Film Forum.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3