“Hamnet” Review

Year: 2025, Director: Chloé Zhao

OP-ROB RATING: ALL-STAR

“Gladiator II” is a pulsating sore on the history of cinema, and there is a price to be paid by all involved for such a travesty. Chiefly, by Paul Mescal, whose performance as Lucius was so miserable and insulting that it makes Richie Tenenbaum’s implosion at the US Nationals look like straight-sets dominance. Mescal has Maximus’ blood on his hands. He sullied the legacy of a beloved hero. This, I will not forget anytime soon. But “Hamnet” is a redemptive step in the right direction. Mescal is excellent. Buckley is excellent. The film is beautiful and emotionally powerful.

“Hundreds of Beavers” Review

Year: 2022, Director: Mike Cheslik

OP-ROB RATING: STARTER

How a group of Wisconsin high-school buddies’ small-budget, black-and-white, slapstick comedy about one man’s pursuit of beaver pelts ever made its way onto the commercial big screen in Japan is a marvel worth appreciation. “Hundreds of Beavers” is uniquely goofy, too long, sporadic, and has more duds than not. But when the gags hit, they are laugh-out-loud. There is more gold in the movie for bona fide fans of silent-era comedies, but for the layman, there is enough zany comedic treasure to make the expedition worthwhile.

“Magellan” Review

Year: 2025, Director: Lav Diaz

OP-ROB RATING: BENCH

On the one hand, “Magellan” excels at many things that I typically love: stark realism, compelling history, low melodrama, and beautiful cinematography. On the other hand, this movie is an unfathomably slow burn with a baffling lack of action. Every scene lingers for minutes longer than is necessary. The dialogue is so sparse that I had to research Ferdinand’s life story to put the pieces together after finishing the movie. There are incredible visual sequences in “Magellan”, and I appreciate the sense of authenticity they engender, but what’s the point if they take place before or after the real drama?

“In the Name of the Father” Review

Year: 1993, Director: Jim Sheridan

OP-ROB RATING: BENCH

Difficult to argue against watching any movie helmed by living legends Daniel Day-Lewis and Emma Thompson, though the latter is underutilized. The problem with “ITNOTF” is that its core study (the relationship between Gerry Conlon and his father, Giusseppe) is based on a fabrication. They two were jailed separately, making every poignant prison scene between DDL and Pete Postlethwaite totally bunk. Ironic, given that the film is about a fabrication of justice in the wrongful imprisonment of the “Guildford Four” during the height of The Troubles. Creative liberties are often necessary, but here they feel misplaced.

“Zulu” Review

Year: 1964, Director: Cy Endfield

OP-ROB RATING: LEGEND

Boyo! To have seen this on the big screen in 1964 must have been a revelation; the bright red uniforms of the Brit’s 24th Regiment of Foot set against the expansive veldt, the rumbling of the impi cattle-hide shields, and the crack of breech-loading rifles. 60 years later, “Zulu” looks and sounds great. Furthermore, the story of Rorke’s Drift is handled so deftly and evenly that the furious subject of colonialism does not sully the movie. We are left with the appropriate admiration for the bravery of the few, the nobility of the natives, and a masterclass of epic filmmaking.