Retiens Johnny 

After the 2018 surprising hit "A Quiet Place" brought something fresh to the horror genre, the announcement of a sequel may have been disappointing to some. A lot of the time, a sequel to an already successful movie is no where near as good as the original. Yet, John Krasinski once again shows that he's much more than Jim from The Office.

Netflix's Afterlife of the Party might fall into the rom-com genre, but it's much more about grief, strong female friendships, and platonic love than it is about romance.

The social issues The Half of it takes on are handled well, between the antagonization brought on to Ellie for her race and the conflict that arises from her being gay. Both aspects of her character are built up over the course of the film and don’t seem abrupt or rushed. The film shows racism towards Ellie and her and father in varying levels, from having her schoolmates specifically address her as "Chinese girl” to the fore mentioned way her Dad is treated due to language barriers. The same can be said about Ellie being a lesbian. While she never truly “comes out” in the narrative, that does not undermine her journey of self-discovery from being meaningful. These ideas aren’t thrust upon the viewer in a preachy manor, the scenarios that occur feel believable given the rural setting. The film presents watchers with problems whom those like Ellie may face, and leaves us to sit with them and reflect.

Coolie promised style, action, and Rajinikanth’s mass presence, but did it deliver on substance? Here’s my full review on whether Lokesh Kanagaraj’s film lives up to the hype.

'Hollywood Stargirl' (2022) is a teen romantic drama film that centers around the title character's experiences in Los Angeles. This film serves as the sequel to the 2020 film 'Stargirl', but unlike the previous film, the events in this movie are shown from the title character's perspective instead of Leo Borlock's.