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I really wanted to like Freaky Tales. The concept sounded promising-four intersecting stories set in late '80s Oakland, with punk, hip-hop, and political themes. But the execution feels like a fever dream from a 25-year-old who read about the '80s on Tumblr and decided to stylize it rather than understand it.

There are cool elements: Operation Ivy makes an appearance, which immediately raised my hopes. But then they play "Bad Town" with a prominent sax part-despite no saxophone anywhere on stage. That's kind of indicative of the whole film. It tries to look and sound the part, but doesn't sweat the details that give a movie authenticity or soul.

Characters feel like caricatures, and the film leans into a revisionist vibe where everyone has a nose ring and calls Nazis "Nazis" (back then, they were skinheads-and not the Hot Topic variety). The vibe is more cosplay than cultural snapshot.

I gave it 3 stars because it's visually interesting, and I respect the ambition. But I turned it off halfway through. Just didn't feel honest.

Diablo isn't breaking new ground in the story department-revenge, betrayal, and brooding antiheroes are all here in familiar form-but what it does deliver is sharp execution, literally and figuratively.

Scott Adkins does what Scott Adkins does best: move like a damn machine and make the action look brutally efficient. The fight choreography is tight, fluid, and creatively staged, and the camera work actually does it justice (no shaky cam nonsense or hyper-edits). Action fans will be happy.

Big shoutout to the actress who plays Elissa-she brings a level of intensity and emotional grounding that elevates every scene she's in. While the plot's a bit vanilla, her performance is legit, and I hope to see her in more leading roles down the line.

Not a game-changer, but if you're here for adrenaline and clean fight sequences, Diablo delivers.