The number one post-pandemic movie, released in December of 2021, was Spiderman: No Way Home. The sixth highest grossing movie ever made, it brought in $1.89 billion. Less than six months later we have Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. It will be interesting to see just how much this next installment in the franchise can yield, but from a reviewer’s standpoint, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a good, but not amazing film.

With Benedict Cumberbatch reprising his role as Dr. Stephen Strange, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness continues the catastrophic events surrounding the Marvel cinematic universe, basically picking up where Spiderman: No Way Home left off. But this time the multiverse has hit uncharted territory, with superheroes coming to earth from many universes to serve a purpose—that is, to serve the Multiverse of Madness.

As the film begins, Dr. Stephen Strange is back with his magic and powers. His buddy Wang, played by Benedict Wong, is also back and he still has his sorcery skills and funny moments. But for Strange, the world around him is about to crumble because the errors of the multiverse cannot be reversed. A forbidden spell has been cast by him, and the door to the multiverse takes him to a place of many evils, where there is an alternative version of himself. Also on the dark side with her powers is Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen. But with the help of a stranger from the multiverse, America Chavez, played by Xochitl Gomez, there may yet be hope for the multiverse. Having Karl Mordo, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, in the mix complicates things, though.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessis a lighthearted continuation of the Marvel franchise with many surprises and hidden gems. Where the film starts to fall apart is in the setup between the protagonist, Strange, and the antagonist, Wanda. The setup is fragmented, scattered throughout the film. I found myself thinking, “Okay, we know this, move on.” But Olsen does deliver a killer evil witch character.

I will end this review with a positive aspect of the film. The illusions of powers through the minds of Strange and Wanda are deep and cinematically enthralling. As the teleporting of many universes occurs, fans will know there are more disasters waiting to happen—more disasters and more fun along the way. Though it didn’t quite meet my expectations, the film is a good setup looking forward to future Marvel projects. Three stars for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

David Lynch is a director known for blending surreal moments throughout his films. Inland Empire has always felt bothrealistic and haunting, but the 4K restoration of this film is even more daring. Inland Empire spans the many desires for auteur directing from the mind of Lynch. When I revisited Inland Empire after a five-year hiatus from watching it the first time, I was even more mesmerized by its many fascinating twists. Lynch’s directing creates the amazingly vivid role played by Laura Dern featuring many mind-bending realizations. Inland Empire’s 4K Restoration kept me wondering how much more could Lynch do to make this film an even more psychopathic ride.

To recap the plot, Lynch takes his audience into the vast lands of California. Dern plays Nikki Grace. Nikki is an actress that has just landed a part in a movie that she is ecstatic to be a part of. In spite of Nikki’s excitement, the film takes a ride into many dark corners. With Lynch’s creative mind, the dark corners are unexpected and sometimes confusing to understand. Nikki’s world begins to evolve with a strange persona. The persona isthe character she is going to play in her next film which lead tonightmares for Nikki as various areas begin to go awry. Her husband Devon Berk (played by Justin Theroux) is jealous and ends up as the co-star of her next film. Tensions begin to pile on as this happens. The director Kingsley Stewart (played by Jeremy Irons) blindsides Nikki and it is not what she expects. As more stressors build for Nikki, the rapid evils that Lynch createsreach a climax in the cinematic sense.

Lynch combines the treacherous nightmares of Nikki in Inland Empire. He does so as the film interweaves patterns between the past, present and future. These patterns are quite unsettling, but also invigorating. Dern gives the most audacious performance in Inland Empire. She stays in tune with her anxiety as she did in Lynch’s Blue Velvet (1986). Only this time, she is the one who is in grave danger if she cannot find a way to escape her nightmares.

Inland Empire is nearly a three-hour film in which Lynch dares his audience to follow his directing to new levels of anxiety and fear. Lynch’s way of filmmaking always leaves his audience with unanswered questions. I still have many with Inland Empire and continue to ask myself what Lynch is trying to tell his viewers. Perhaps, he is not trying to tell his audience anything, but instead just displaying his love for film in the most artistic way possible.

Dern’s incredible performance is the artistic centerpiece of Inland Empire. The consciousness of Nikki is pure Lynch filmmaking. As the many strange fragments of Nikki’s life evolve into uncharted territory, the world in Inland Empireexhibits intriguing parallels. The many heightened anxieties in this complex movie may not be fully understood, however, it is one that is hard not to watch. Relive the world of Nikki with Inland Empire in 4K Restoration Three and a half stars.

From the mind of Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul comes a vibrant and stellar cinematic experience. Memoria is a surreal and unexpected experience that is smart, creative and futuristic.

There are films that can make us feel like we’re in an alternative universe or another world, and Memoria is just such a film. Tilda Swinton plays Jessica Holland, a woman from Scotland living in Medellin, Columbia. Jessica has a flower business and her life seems normal—until a loud bang wakes her up in the middle of the night. The noise echoes in her head throughout the day and it keeps her up at night. Jessica starts to realize that the noise may have a larger meaning toward her existence, and an encounter in the forest outside Bogata confirms her suspicions.

The best part Memoria is that it can be hard to tell where reality ends and fantasy begins. I also loved Memoria’s use of audio technology. The film almost felt at times more like a stage production than cinema.

Memoria may come off as odd at first, but I found it to be a breathtaking and exhilarating experience. I was in awe. Three and a half stars for Memoria.