Best of the Best

Best of the Best is a bright, high-energy comfort watch that delivers a refreshing coming-of-age comedy with plenty of heart. Directed with the signature warmth and fast-paced wit we’ve come to expect from the team behind the Netflix tv show Never Have I Ever, the film follows two inseparable friends navigating the chaos of freshman year at UCLA while trying to make their mark in the university’s ultra-competitive dance scene.

While the plot followed a fairly predictable formula and a few supporting characters leaned into slightly one-dimensional archetypes, the strong lead performances and infectious charm carried the story with ease.

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Priyanka Kedia shared an effortless, believable chemistry that anchored the film, while a witty script seamlessly balanced the comedy with thoughtful themes around female friendship, taking accountability, and breaking away from external expectations to discover your authentic self.

It was immensely refreshing to see South Asian culture placed front and center, with Bollywood dance providing vibrant choreography, electric energy, and a rich cultural heartbeat throughout the film. 

In the end, Best of the Best was an engaging, lighthearted, and easy-to-follow film that made for a thoroughly enjoyable watch.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

 

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is Marvel's fourth entry in the Tom Holland superhero franchise, picking up in the heavy aftermath of No Way Home. The story centers on a completely forgotten Peter Parker, living in total isolation and pouring himself into being a full-time Spider-Man. When the constant pressure threatens to push him over the edge he has to dig deep to face a new powerful enemy.

While this film didn’t quite reach the high-stakes high of No Way Home, it was still an incredibly enjoyable film with a really interesting storyline, even if a few plot points landed a bit predictably.

 
The movie really exceled with its themes, diving deep into loss, loneliness, and the different ways people react when they are forced to process grief in isolation.

The entire cast delivered decent, solid performances across the board, with Zendaya showing serious range and bringing incredible emotional depth to her scenes.

 
One thing these Spider-Man films continue to pull off so well is weaving in major MCU heavy-hitters without losing focus. Having Mark Ruffalo's Hulk and Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova step into the story felt seamless, and dropping in the Jon Bernthal’s Punisher along with a few subtle X-Men nuggets was a fantastic way to bridge those characters into the broader universe.

 
Ultimately, Spider-Man: Brand New Day served as an enjoyable, essential connecting piece for anyone gearing up for Avengers: Doomsday.

The Odyssey

 

The Odyssey is Christopher Nolan's epic action-adventure adaptation of Homer's legendary poem, starring Matt Damon as Odysseus alongside a stellar ensemble that includes Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, and Zendaya. Shot entirely on IMAX film, the story follows Odysseus on his grueling ten-year journey to return to his kingdom after the Trojan War, battling mythic monsters and god-driven forces along the way.

Nolan has often been criticized for a lack of diversity in his casting, so seeing such a well-renowned, award-winning, diverse cast here was a very welcome change. Matt Damon brought strong leadership to Odysseus, carrying a heavy burden of guilt that felt surprisingly similar to Oppenheimer. Some might argue Damon played it a bit one-note or that Anne Hathaway leaned too hard into her performance, but I thought their chemistry worked really well. John Leguizamo was a standout in his performance as Eumaeus, someone that was loyal and easy to root for right away. Zendaya served as a grounding moral compass, quietly commanding the screen as Athena, while Lupita Nyong'o pulled double duty and really impressed me with her limited screen time. I actually wanted to see more of her story. Robert Pattinson was wonderfully sly, conniving, and convincing in his role. But the most impressive performance of the whole film belonged to Samantha Morton, who played Circe brilliantly. She was cold, calculated, brutal, and genuinely dangerous.

The movie delivered a massive sense of scale, filling the screen with incredible sets, endless extras, and another pulse-pounding, unforgettable score from Ludwig Göransson. It brought up themes of loyalty and the struggle to return home, while offering a sharp critique of the personal damage caused by unchecked patriarchal arrogance.

Even with its massive runtime, the film kept me completely hooked from start to finish. This is a massive movie that is absolutely worth seeing on the biggest screen possible.

Die My Love

Die My Love is a psychological drama from director Lynne Ramsay, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson. The story centers on a writer and new mother, Grace, living in rural Montana whose world begins to fracture as she falls deeper into severe postpartum psychosis and intense isolation.

As an audience member, you can see Grace’s spiral starting early on, and Lawrence did a phenomenal job bringing subtlety to a breakdown that slowly escalated into something far more extreme and dangerous. The cinematography did a lot of heavy lifting to mirror that loneliness, using quiet, empty compositions and deep blue tones that physically radiated depression and isolation.

Robert Pattinson, who played Jackson, surprisingly had a solid New York accent, as he sometimes struggles with accents. He also had remarkably grounded chemistry with Lawrence. He gave an empathetic performance, showing the painful reality of what it looks like to deeply love someone who is losing their grip on sanity.

The movie purposely blurred the line between reality and hallucination. It leaned into symbolic elements like a wandering horse and a mysterious motorcyclist that left me deciphering what actually happened.

Die My Love was undoubtedly a clever, visceral film, though the pacing did drag a bit in the middle. I found myself checking the time about an hour in, but by the time the credits rolled, I still really appreciated what it pulled off.

The Drama

The Drama is a dark romantic comedy from A24, directed by Kristoffer Borgli, starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson. The story centers on a couple preparing to tie the knot, only for a sudden, unexpected confession during their wedding week to throw their entire future into complete chaos.

Talking about the worst thing you have ever done is probably never a good idea, especially around a partner's friend group where you are still the outsider. I honestly thought what some of the other friends admitted to was far worse, but because of group loyalty, everyone laughed it off while holding Zendaya's character, Emma, to a completely different standard.

The film dug into the massive risks of building a relationship on a lie and how fast those secrets compound. It tackled fascinating themes of trauma, who actually deserves empathy and forgiveness, and what you are genuinely willing to tolerate from a partner, wrapping it all in a sharp satire that exposed human hypocrisy. 

Zendaya showed incredible range here, capturing raw sadness, anxiety, and fear, while maintaining strong chemistry with Pattinson. Pattinson was equally brilliant, bringing layers of confusion and stress that culminate in an epic, unhinged crash out. Rachel, played by Alana Haim, exhibited some of the most frustratingly passive-aggressive and toxic behavior in the whole movie. The cringe-inducing, chaotic moments highlighted the flawed humanity of these characters perfectly.

Overall, I thought that this movie was unique and kept me on my toes throughout. My only real critique was that while Emma received rich, compelling character development, it would have been nice to see that same level of depth given to the rest of the group.

Supergirl

 

Supergirl follows the titular hero, reprised by Milly Alcock, as she reluctantly teams up with an unlikely companion for an interstellar journey of vengeance and justice, after a ruthless adversary strikes a little too close to home.

Alcock is a phenomenal actress (I absolutely loved her in House of the Dragon), and she showed real range here, it's genuinely a disservice to her talent that the material around her didn’t rise to meet it.

The plot was easy to follow and bravely tried to tackle some serious themes around sex trafficking. The film almost tapped into some great meta-commentary about why she's still labeled a "girl" as a hero while her male counterpart gets called Superman, but it never fully committed to the idea.

Unfortunately, the villains just didn’t have the presence to feel genuinely dangerous. Jason Momoa played Lobo like a kid-friendly caricature, channeling a cartoonish, Jack Nicholson-style Joker, and at this point you have to wonder if every character he plays is contractually obligated to ride a motorcycle.

The fight choreography came off as largely chaotic, lacking the crisp, creative execution you see in top-tier action films. The one major exception was a fantastic slow-motion sequence near the end that mirrored the style James Gunn. I actually assumed Gunn directed this going in, and finding out he didn't explained why it ultimately lacked the spark of Superman.

The narrative explored some touching, grounded themes around loss, grief, and finding your purpose without needing to be perfect, but the movie as a whole was just okay. It was missing that vital piece needed to really lock you in and make you care.

Unfortunately because the film is bombing this could end up costing Alcock the chance to keep playing this character, which would be a real loss as the film did have potential.

Office Romance

 

Office Romance is a Netflix romantic comedy starring Jennifer Lopez as Jackie Cruz, a formidable airline CEO who sparks a relationship with a new company lawyer, Daniel Blanchflower, played by Brett Goldstein. The two must navigate their connection despite a strict corporate policy against dating, leading to a roller-coaster of drama and hilarity.

Jennifer Lopez remains, for me, the reigning queen of romantic comedies; she can do no wrong, and this film was no exception. Her character was a fully formed, brilliant leader, yet deeply guarded underneath it all. What struck me most was the way she fell into a clear fawn response with her gaslighting father, constantly appeasing him even as she fought to balance her relentless professional drive with a personal life she kept tightly locked away. And her chemistry with Goldstein was strong enough that I was rooting for them from the very first scene.

The film was co-written by Goldstein, who previously brought his signature wit to Ted Lasso. His talent as a writer shined through here, delivering strong character development alongside an easy-to-follow and highly enjoyable script. While the narrative arcs were predictable, the film handled it well. Some viewers labeled the humor as absurd, but I didn’t mind the raunchy bits and thought it was genuinely funny throughout. Beyond the laughs, the movie explored strong, uplifting themes around standing up for yourself, choosing your own happiness over the expectations of others, and standing firm in your convictions.

In the end, Office Romance was a great one-time watch. It's not necessarily a replay movie, but it is perfect for unwinding on the couch with some low-stakes entertainment.