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Capsule Reviews, Fantastic Fest 2025, Film reviews

Fantastic Fest 2025-Bad Haircut

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This is a thriller and comedy in which the creative blend isunusual and invigorating. Written and directed by Kyle Misak, Bad Haircut focuses on appearance and dazzles due tomarvelous writing which leads to interesting characterizations and suspense. The concept of being cool plays a key role, but in many ways all bets are off in this film. In the end, it becomes a horrid and comedic ride that has unimaginable and nervy hatch doors along the way.

The film’s main character is Billy (Spencer Harrison Levin)  like an outside at a party he attends because of his hair. His friends are Sonny (Beau Minniear) and Dee (R.J. Beaubrun) encourage him to get a haircut. The barbershop is run by a rather strange fellow named Mick (Frankie Ray). He looks like a retro pirate, or Mick Jagger’s cousin. There are elements in the story that are uninviting and quite bizarre. Harper and Dee leave Billy at the barbershop with Mick, and then a variety of odd events occur. Without giving away too much detail, let’s just say there are some gun shots, weird things in corners, and a dwarf assistant.

What fascinated me about Bad Haircut is that the title is on point. The film’s continuity also flows well. It is not keen to just scare, but also to maintain its sense of fun and joy. The twists and runs thrown in along the way, add to the laughs. Misak uses his talent to channel ups and downs of suspense in Bad Haircut. Since this film is part of Fantastic Fest, it fits the category of “Fantastic” well thanks to its humorous nature, especially through the quotes and dialogue in Ray’s performance as Mick. Since he is the crazy barber overlooking Billy’s hair, when hesays the word, “perfection,” there is an inevitable sign of strange obscurity. Bad Haircut is filled with mind-blowing dangers, and I truly hope it will blow the minds of many viewers. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.

Film reviews

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey Review

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This is a film where adventures and the past are revisited. It is contemporary and extraordinary. The story involves two strangers who are trying to deal with loneliness, and they do so by revisiting various fragments of their life. Directed by Kogonda, this movie really is A Big Bold Beautiful Journey. I rate it as one of the most creative, enticing, and artistic films my eyes have seen. The story is filled full of doors on a path from the past to the present which combine into a puzzle of happiness. It explores the ups and downs of life but also delves into the question of why we are human.

The film begins with David (Colin Farell). He is on his way to a wedding when he meets Sarah (Margot Robbie). They hit it off after exchanging some initial flirtatious and loving vibes. Surprisingly, they find themselves on the same type of road trip when the GPS’s in their cars ask them if they would like to both go on, “A big bold beautiful journey!” Together, David and Sarah embark on a unique adventure. Moments in each of their lives are revisited. Their journey includes solitude, but there is also a powerful exhibit of appreciation for the life that they are both living in the present.

The film has lots of open roads and destinations which lead tosurprises. Many of the scenes are memories from ages ago that occurred in the lives of David and Sarah. With the differentfragments of specific life challenges, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey has an innovative pattern of weaving experiences from their past lives with the current journey of David and Sarah together. The chemistry in the performances of Farell and Robbie is outstanding. This fantasy film almost feels like a theatre production utilizing elements of light and illuminating angles to create superb humanistic and artistic value.

What I loved most about the film were the scenes when the characters revisited moments they lived through in prior parts of their lives. There is a moment in which David says, “Sometimes we have to perform to see the truth!” I could relate to that sentiment and many others during A Big Bold Beautiful Journey. The darkness of the past is what causes the film to have an unsettling vibe. There is another quote by David, where he says, “Life is better when you are open!” The lives of David and Sarah are revealed in a very open manner as they open up to each other and relive the errors they’ve made in their lives. It is an intriguing ride while these characters learn more about the inevitable aspects and human benefits of love.

The themes of appreciation, acceptance, and self-discovery are highlighted in A Big Bold Beautiful Journey. This is a gem of a movie that fuels lots of emotions and channels deep feelings which result in a grandeur of happiness. I believe this is one of the most thought-provoking films of 2025. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.

Film reviews

One Battle After Another Review

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This is by far one of the most creative, prolific, yet comedic films I have seen by the well-known director Paul Thomas Anderson. So many moving parts come together at once and still manage to maintain a humor-filled vibe along with plenty of political espionage. One Battle After Another is a sensational ride of madness and fun. It is daring, and lethally action-packed. Mayhem is around every corner, and the misdirection is attention-grabbing. There are many unexpected punches to the face that keep audiences wanting for more.

The film is about ex-revolutionaries. There is a plot full of twists in One Battle After Another because the characters resurface after sixteen years. The story begins with Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his wife Perifidia (Teyana Taylor). They are a couple who are involved with all sorts of tasks completed by groups running tactics for a revolution. Some of the tasks include invading private lands and other tricky assignments. The focus of much of their work is their enemy Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn). Many years later, Bob has a daughter Charlene (Chase Infiniti), and he does not turn out to be the best father. Going forward, issues from the past resurface quickly. The ex-revolutionaries end up in a situation where mayhem evolves, and the target is Charlene.

The film is cat-and-mouse chaos from start to finish.  Political tides of frustration in this story are clever and genius. There is always an additional angle of conflict in One Battle After Another. The question, however, is, “Who will win?” The difficult part that Bob keeps coming back to is the harsh trail to save his daughter. With the help of a Sensei Sergio (Benicio Del Toro), there may be a chance for Bob to save his daughter and regain much of the power he once lost in another life. But the many moving issues related to politics and connections are all tangled together. The lines are blurred between laughter and suspense which continue to just burn up the screen. This is truly one of the best films Anderson has directed because he pusheshis original form of dynamics to the limits.

Hiding is not easy in One Battle After Another, but running is since there is always a tunnel or building to run into. As might be expected, there are also the wrong people to run into, and they seem to be the ones that keep coming around again in all the assorted conflicts. Anderson has such a unique way to stage setups to get out of suspenseful and dangerous episodes of madness. I found the film simply captivating. DiCaprio and Penn are the captains of their ships; they inhabit their roles and dominate the scenes they’re in even though the storyline means there is no easy way to win. Fortunately, there are lots of messes to clean up with added cleverness that makes the movie go from comical in one moment to serious the next. Anderson knows how to change the mood for maximum effect in One Battle After Another. Four out of four stars.