Yesterday, I braved rainy Bay Area streets for a double feature at my local AMC theater. Truthfully, I could’ve stayed home. As always, I won’t spoil–though in the case of these films, I’d be saving you some valuable time if I did…

We Bury the Dead (2026, Vertical, Umbrella Entertainment) 1/5

The film follows Ava, an American who flies to Tasmania, Australia to help bury dead bodies after a cataclysmic military explosion instantaneously kills all of the island’s inhabitants. Except, some of the dead are waking back up. Let’s discuss how We Bury the Dead failed to delight in one of my favorite horror sub-genres, zombies.

The writing was dismal. Zak Hilditch had apparently nothing interesting to say: none of the lore or behavior behind the zombies is novel, and Ava is a dull character on a dull quest. The film’s plot boils down to ‘seeking emotional fulfilment amidst the end of the world.’ Problem is: that movie’s been made, about a dozen times over by now, and at least half of those attempts beat this one. You don’t even have to look back further than one year for a better take on this idea set during a zombie apocalypse–hello 28 Years Later. When we finally reach the final confrontation, it’s two minutes long and a snooze fest. 

Ava has no discernible personality traits. Best I could give you is stoic but even that is inconsistent–when faced with a slow zombie, she’s curious and when faced with a fast one, she’s scared–not exactly the kind of writing that gives any insight into a woman’s beliefs, values, strengths or weaknesses. Ava’s only goal the entire movie is to find her husband, so essentially you can boil down her entire character to a title: wife. Yawn! There was a pathetic attempt to create backstory for the sidekick character, Clay, but the effort is so laughably bland that the writers could have excluded it altogether, and nothing about the film would be different save for about five minutes of dialogue.

Maybe we could blame the pitiable writing, but there’s not a single noteworthy acting performance in the whole film. I’m not a Star Wars fan, so I can’t say if Ridley’s bid was atypical or expected. I’m certainly in no hurry to see her star in anything else after this.

Things I liked: America being notably blamed for wreaking international havoc. (Had no idea Aussie’s were still calling us Yanks; very retro. I like it.) Some gorgeous nature shots which are to be expected; it’s got terrifying wildlife, but Australia’s always been a stunning country. The timing of the infection: the story dunks us into early days; no one knows anything. We don’t learn much that’s verified by the end of the movie, and that works: mirroring the real confusion that exists during outbreaks. I even enjoyed that the infection is merely background to the film–Ava’s not overly curious beyond how the infection might impact her goal. That her goal is simply to reunite with her husband is still very boring.

No Other Choice (2025, CJ Entertainment) 2/5

The film starts with an awkward and disjointed family barbeque: it is the wife’s birthday, but she doesn’t want their children to know, the husband cooks eel he’s proud of being gifted from his company to his children’s disinterest and disgust. The scene ends with the father demanding a family hug that goes on for several discomforting minutes as the shot’s bright sunniness dims to darkness around them all. The scene is a telling set up for the film itself: absurdist, uncomfortable and lasts too long.

The film follows Man-su, an executive in the paper industry who has been abruptly laid off and turns to violent extremes to eliminate his job-seeking competition. The entirety of the plot is gleaned from the trailer, and the film doesn’t stray too far. No Other Choice is exactly what it says on the tin.

Let’s start with the runtime. I don’t believe in 2-hour plus movies at the best of times and this film is not cinema in top form: a long, awkward squabbling scene, an unnecessary C-plot involving the son, nearly ten minutes of dancing to portray marital strife that could have been distilled into an effective 30 second shot. Neither the camerawork, acting nor writing demanded the runtime of this film. 

Overall, there was nothing particularly good about this movie. The plot plods along to its obvious and onerous conclusion with predictable tedium. No Other Choice is based on a book as old as I am by an American author. I haven’t read the book, so I can’t offer a beat-by-beat comparison of the two, but I am left unsure if Park had a particular point or message for a 2025 adaptation set in Korea. The story alone isn’t compelling so without a clearer purpose, the film feels like a nothing burger. The only caveat I can give for the writing is that, like all international films, there is the possibility that some of the humor went over my head as an American. Maybe it’s a  witty and clever film in its original Korean. I find it hard to believe that a significant amount of humor is lost in translation, though. Moreover, it wasn’t even markedly interesting visually. I wasn’t impressed by the camerawork, there were maybe two shots that I found uniquely striking and one of them is used in the film’s poster, so the magic of watching it in real-time is dimmed by its familiarity.

This is my fourth Park Chan-wook film and possibly the most disappointing for me. Stoker was strange and uncomfortable, but stylish as hell–I can respect style over substance. The Handmaiden is an arresting, sapphic, homoerotic mystery that is moody, has a gripping plot and stellar performances. Decision to Leave is a heartbreaking, morose drama with striking shots and minimal dialogue. I was excited for this film. I was looking forward to social commentary, smart humor or at the very least something beautifully polished. I found none of the above.  

Things I liked: Given that the film is a dark comedy, the slapstick acting style is reasonable though it doesn’t leave the cast with much room to impress. The performances were convincing enough, but the script hardly calls for many inspired efforts: basic fear, shock, and suspicion meet the writing where it is. The one exception is Son Ye-jin’s portrayal of Miri, Man-su’s wife: though it takes over an hour to get there, the film eventually gives Son the opportunity to display the intelligent, unflinching woman Miri is. When her husband comes home in a drunken stupor, she verbally thrashes him in the most captivating, honest and moving acting in the entire film. I also liked the inclusion of neurodiverse representation in Man-su’s daughter, Ri-one portrayed by nine-year-old So Yul Choi. We observe a plethora of behaviors and activities typically associated with neurodiversity from the young girl and her family’s innate acceptance and inclusion was a bright peek into how true normalization in a modern culture could look.

Other Stories on My Screen:

• Finished IT: Welcome to Derry Can’t believe so many people recommended a show with so much unnecessary white supremacist violence to me. Some truly magnificent scare scenes made more awful by Stephen King’s penchant for terrorizing children. I was completely stunned to research the writing team and actually find folks with Black heritage because the Black characters were so poorly written. I want Black horror characters who have wits and robust survival skills befitting our community’s survivalist history–Sinners (2025), His House (2020) and Peele’s entire filmography prove it’s possible! Overall, the show spent so much time building lore and telling character stories that the overall piece barely felt like horror to me. Fabulous scene transitions and opening sequence though–had to watch every time because the artwork and music are so riveting together.

• Now Watching America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders For fans of Dance Moms and those mildly interested in the realities of professional cheer in the NFL. Body issues and underpayment abound!

• Always Rewatching Interview with the Vampire Am especially enjoying the chemistry between Jacob Anderson’s Louis and Assad Zaman’s Armand in season 2 Paris. Season 2, Episode 2, Murder Mansion scene is everything I love about the show: boiling queer romance rife with danger and heat in the foreground, bloody guts and violence in the background. Rolin Jones: you will always have my heartfelt appreciation!

A Quick Plug!

Speaking of IWTV, I have a personal plug: I am overjoyed to share that I will be independently published this year! My essay, When Hearts Are Vacant: How White Vampires Miss the Veins in Black Folks, is included in PIERCE THE VEIL: Sinners Charity Zine which is 200 pages of exclusive fan artwork, comics, crafts and dimensional works, essays, and fanfiction from 90+ creators dedicated to Ryan Coogler’s Sinners (2025). All remaining net proceeds from sales benefit three accredited organizations selected by our contributors: Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium, Not Our Native Daughters, and Palestinian Children Relief Fund. PIERCE THE VEIL is available for pre-order through January 8, 2026. 

Here’s a small excerpt of my essay:

“Vampirism doesn’t curb the exploitative nature of whiteness as it functions in these stories. Remmick is plain: he wants Sammie—and his musical talents—to join Remmick in immortal life. When seduction, convincing, and threats fail to sway Sammie, Remmick escalates to abduction, drowning, and assault. While Lestat in IWTV is more opaque, his desires hidden behind fervent and likely earnest declarations of love, his truest motivations are laid bare when he brutalizes and incapacitates Louis for even seeming to consider dissolving their companionship to travel with their daughter. Extractive possession lies at the heart of both Remmick’s and Lestat’s desires, a function of their whiteness: they do not know any other way to behave with the Black folks they engage and even claim to esteem.”

Please consider purchasing a copy to support here!

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January

• The Dutchman: You can imagine quite a few things about this setup are unappealing to me, and early reviews aren’t great. But for Aldis Hodge, I will push through.

February

• Mārama: I’m very elated for this Pacific Islander horror representation! Unfortunately, seems it will have a very limited release, so I’ll have to pay attention to catch this one in theaters!
• Hamlet: Despite my blog name, I’m not usually first in line for Shakespearean adaptations. However, I’m very happy to support a brown man’s casting in the lead role. Can’t wait to see what Riz Ahmed does with it!
• Pillion: Looks like a fun mixture of sexy and strange. As someone who enjoyed Babygirl last year, I’m sat!
• Good Luck Have Fun Don’t Die: Chaotic scifi action–three of my favorite words.
• Dreams: Looks like a potentially devastating mixture of unsettling and social commentary. I am a fan of Jessica Chastain’s beauty, acting and project selections, so I’m intrigued.

March

• Alpha: Mysterious new project from Julia Ducournau, the mind behind Titane (2021) and Raw (2016). I found both of those films disturbing and fascinating, so I’m scared and enthused.

April

• The Drama: I’m not usually a fan of Zendaya’s project picks–Challengers being a notable outlier. I am, however, usually a fan of Robert Pattinson’s, so I’m taking a chance on this romantic drama.

May

• Hokum: Irish filmmaker Damian McCarthy has a fan in me after Caveat (2020) and Oddity (2024). Creepy, excellent use of darkness, satisfying writing and acting have been his staples thus far. Add Adam Scott who I enjoy on Severance, and I will be sat!
• Obsession: Not much is known yet about Curry Barker’s second film, but I’m a fan of his YouTube shorts and the teaser was stellar.

TBD

• Altar: A24 has yet to share the release date for this horror film starring Kyle McLanahan, whom I will always love as a Twin Peaks fan. There are some heavy hitters in writing and directing, so I’m optimistic and watching the news for this title closely.

TV wise, y’all know I am salivating for season 3 of Interview with the Vampire aka The Vampire Lestat. Much has been written about the show’s shift in protagonist from Jacob Anderson’s exquisite Louis de Pointe du Lac to Sam Reid’s masterfully portrayed Lestat de Lioncourt. I’m significantly less interested in a non-Black lead but in Rolin Jones, I trust!

Other television I’m looking forward to:

• Abbott Elementary season 5 returns! The sweetheart of modern television. This wholesome show keeps me going.
• Industry season 4–a stressful HBO fav.
• The Bear season 5–the other stressful television fav. Can’t wait to see Ayo’s face on my screen again ♥️

Have you seen any great media since December 2025? Sound off below!