Mediatation

Ingmar Bergman's "The Seventh Seal" is often considered the poster child for foreign arthouse cinema. It's a brooding black-and-white period piece rich in metaphor, but enough moments of warmth and humor to subvert its reputation for being purely pessimistic or pretentious.

Max von Sydow is mesmerizing in high-contrast, black-and-white as Antonius Block, a knight locked in an ongoing conversation with Death as he searches for meaning in life following the Crusades and amid the plague. "The Seventh Seal" remains a pivotal work in world cinema, exploring timeless themes relating to life and death.

Sony Pictures Animation has been eyeing Pixar's nachos when it comes to setting the standard for major studio animation. From the phenomenon "Spider-Verse" films to the critically acclaimed "The Mitchells vs. The Machines", they have steadily closed the gap with more established studios. "KPop Demon Hunters" proves once again SPA is capable of creating popular, original films when other studios are becoming reliant on sequels.

While still in line with SPA's established aesthetic, "KPop Demon Hunters" brings a fresh visual energy and the original songs that go way harder than they need to! It's a great surprise streaming film, especially for young girls seeking hero representation.

"Fan4stic" is so full of flash-forwards, it feels like someone's spamming the 'next chapter' button on a DVD remote. While this film's production hell is well documented, Josh Trank's misguided attempt to force "Chronicle"'s brooding tone onto the family-friendly Fantastic Four felt doomed from the start.

Tim Heidecker delivers the perfect reaction to a television malfunctioning. Unfortunately the rest of the cast's performances aren't nearly as convincing-despite the talent they've all demonstrated in other roles. The majority of the film is bogged down in exposition focused on powerless characters, constantly splitting up the quartet-until it abruptly ends with a fight sequence that's Trashtastic. ...Say that again.