‘The Life of Chuck’s’ good-spirited empathy and crowd-pleasing tendencies that belie its sharper complications is a balance it walks well towards a central message: wonder and happiness will always be within our reach.

A theatrical release instead of streaming, a runtime on the shorter side of 90 minutes, and a screen filled with gags galore from the opening frame to the end credits; the statement, “They don’t make ‘em like they used to,” doesn’t apply to the new ‘Naked Gun’.

Armed with a sprawling, twisty narrative which overstuffs itself as much as it micromanages, ‘Weapons’ stands out as an equal parts horrific, darkly hilarious, and affectingly unstable image of hidden evils in suburbia.

Source material accuracy notwithstanding, ‘Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy’s’ squandering of character and metanarrative elements reveal a glossy spectacle with lacking heart.

‘How to Get Away From My Toxic Family’ reveals how religious hypocrisy and utang na loob culture reshape the lives of OFWs, as their sacrifices are belittled.

‘Materialists' doesn't break new ground, but it's a necessary reminder of what we're allowing the system to extract from us: our ability to measure love by how it feels, not by what it costs.

‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ had the potential to be great, but it plays things a little too safe. While the foundation is solid, better pacing and deeper character development would’ve made this film truly fantastic.

Antoinette Jadaone’s ‘Sunshine’ is not only a powerful story on hope and resilience that criticizes the romanticization of Manila and women’s lack of agency with striking clarity, but it’s also one of the best pieces of recent Philippine Cinema. 

‘Adolescence’ exemplifies and extends the problems of misogyny, incel culture, and the nature of social media beyond what we know and usually practice, exploring how each of us has our own roles in protecting young children online.

Beyond the exquisite cooking and dynamic character moments, The Bear season four further draws its strength from portraying deeply flawed human beings, characters who reflect who they are and who they might become, despite their shortcomings.

‘The Four Seasons,’ starring Tina Fey, Colman Domingo, and Steve Carrell, as 3 middle-aged couples going on weekend getaways for each season of the year, is guaranteed to win over most audiences with its wisdom and subtlety.

Where ‘Andor’ truly stands out from other mainstream stories on war, is its fearlessness into showing the murkier and uglier sides to waging revolutions.

With ‘Incognito,’ you can see the Netflix imprint on ABS-CBN with its slick style and quality action, but it never forgets its Filipino roots through family and camaraderie.

Hirokazu Kore-eda's second Netflix family drama series, ‘Asura,’ boasts a renowned ensemble cast and dives headfirst into the not-so-new affairs of men through the eyes of four sisters, each with their own secrets to tell, making it one of the early standouts of the year.