Phil Jeng Kane

Phil has written for magazines, corporate videos, online ads, and even an app. He writes with one eye on the future, one eye on the past and a third eye on the Lotto numbers. His social bits are here.  

6

Critic

The Fabelmans Review

The official blurb for the movie THE FABELMANS is: “Growing up in post-World War II era Arizona, young Sammy Fabelman aspires to become a filmmaker as he reaches adolescence, but soon discovers a shattering family secret and explores how the power of films can help him see the truth”.  This is an accurate description of the story, but movie you will experience has somewhat more going on. The ficti...

9

Critic

McEnroe Review

American John McEnroe Jnr was a major figure in professional tennis from the late 1970s and into the 1980s. He captured international attention as he played the major tournaments because he started as an unknown amateur eighteen-year-old who quickly showed amazing skills up against the champions of the time, like Jimmy Connors. What this new feature-length documentary MCENROE does, is it drops us ...

8

Critic

The Phantom of the Open Review

It is 1976, and Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance), a crane driver in his mid-40s, is being made redundant at the Vickers Armstrong shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness (Cumbria, England). His wife Jean (Sally Hawkins) encourages him to pursue his dreams. When Maurice was a boy he loved books, painting and languages, but was prevented from following these paths. Now, he is a middle-aged man who has a step-...

7

Critic

Elvis Review

Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer whose music and influence made him an icon of the 20th Century. From 1956, when he sold 10 million singles for the RCA company in twelve months, until his untimely death in 1977 at the age of 42, Elvis was a global star. His effect on new music waned in the later 1960s, however his fame and his influence were intact until he died. He was dubbed The King o...

8

Critic

Everything Everywhere All at Once Review

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE is a time-bending ride through multiple universes. Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) is a woman in her late fifties. She runs a laundromat business with her husband Waymond (Key Huy Quan). They are currently under pressure because the IRS want a review of the couple’s taxes. Previously, Evelyn attempted to cut corners in this process and this has brought the Wangs to th...

8

Critic

Ambulance Review

Michael Bay first became known as an award-winning director of music videos and advertisements. His initial feature film BAD BOYS (1995) gave audiences a clear idea of the kind of filmmaker he is. Bay is a visual stylist who loves slow motion, close-ups of the human face and a constantly moving camera; all these are in evidence in his latest feature AMBULANCE (2022). The movie is a remake and an a...

7

Critic

Spencer Review

It is the Christmas Season of 1991. On the 24th of December, the British Royal Family assemble at the Queen’s Sandringham estate. The only person not to have arrived on time is Diana Spencer (Kristen Stewart), now better known to the world as Princess Diana (although yes, technically she was not a princess, royalty fans, we know). Despite having been to Sandringham many times before, she has becom...

8

Critic

Scream Review

Twenty-five years ago, the small town of Woodsboro, California, became infamous for a series of teen murders. The culprits were also teens, Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) and Stu Macher. Billy was the disturbed leader, but although he killed for what he thought were justifiable personal reasons, he saw his actions as though he were the villain in a slasher movie. His obsession with the genre dictated...

6

Critic

The Matrix Resurrections Review

THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS is the fourth film in the Matrix franchise which began with THE MATRIX (1999) followed by THE MATRIX RELOADED (2003) and THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS (2003). The new story apparently begins twenty-years after the events of the third film and sees the heroic figure Neo (Keanu Reeves) returned as an older version of his original identity of Thomas Anderson. Anderson is middle-aged...

9

Critic

Dune Review

Twenty-thousand years in the future, humans have travelled widely through space and live on numerous worlds. Society has returned to a feudal model of royalty and empire, except these now stretch across star systems.  Royal families run corporations and fight amongst themselves for favours from the Emperor, who is the greatest of all powers.  He rules the Intergalactic Imperium. Duke Leto (Oscar I...

8

Critic

No Time To Die Review

British super spy, James Bond is back. NO TIME TO DIE is the 25th film of the Bond franchise produced by Eon Productions. Planning began back in 2016. The story follows on from SPECTRE (2015), however its beginnings thread back to CASINO ROYALE (2006). This is the final episode in the five-film arc of the Daniel Craig iteration of the Bond character. The story begins with Bond travelling through I...

6.5

Critic

Rhapsody of Love Review

Love takes Jessica Flowers (Kathy Luu) by surprise when she’s made “best woman” at her best friend’s wedding where she meets videographer, Justin Judd (Damien Sato). Little does she know, that he’s not single after they kiss, but fate keeps drawing them together. RHAPSODY OF LOVE is the interwoven story of three couples, who are at different stages of their lives, trying to follow their dreams. Th...