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“No Time to Die” finds James Bond living off-the-grid on a Caribbean Island when Felix Leiter from the CIA comes calling. The British government has secretly developed a bioengineered pathogen (using nanobot technology) called “Project Heracles” that travels through the human body like a virus and targets an individual’s specific DNA. It can be harmless to one person but deadly to another who has the targeted DNA. The secret weapon and the leading Russian researcher Valdo Obruchev have been taken by the criminal organization Spectre. Felix offers James the assignment to retrieve Obruchev who’s currently at a secret gathering in Cuba. As James ponders Felix’s offer, he is approached by the new 007 warning him to just remain retired. Feeling defiance, James takes up Felix’s offer and flies off to Cuba on one final mission. While scouring for Obruchev, James witnesses the pathogen being released, killing all the Spectre’s members but leaving him untouched. The pathogen and Obruchev are taken again by an unknown entity. Seeking answers at MI6 headquarter, James learns the identity of the person who has the pathogen and his connection to Spectre. His name is Lyutsifer Safin, and he intends to wipe out most of the population in the world (sounds familiar?), bringing peace through the chaos. “No Time to Die” is the 27th Bond movie, as well as the fifth and final installment in Daniel Craig’s Bond saga. It’s a long movie; dragging in some parts and overly melodramatic in other parts, but overall satisfying in this final epic conclusion. In the last scene of the movie, M picks up a book and delivers this fitting quote to end the saga with, “The proper function of a man is to love, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.”

“Love Hard” starts with an L.A. columnist Natalie Bauer writing about her online disastrous dates with men who use outdated profile photos, ghost her, and even cheat on their spouses. While griping about her latest disaster, her friend Kerry changes her Flirt Alert app setting to expand beyond the 5-mile radius of Los Angeles to encompass the whole country. Natalie swipes on the profile of Josh Lin of Lake Placid, N.Y. From his profile, Josh gives the impression of being handsome, adventurous, rugged, and the ideal man whom Natalie has been looking for. Natalie and Josh hit it off immediately and start bonding through numerous texts and lengthy phone conversations. After two weeks of exchanges, Natalie comments that she wishes Josh had lived closer to which Josh responds he wishes Natalie were there with him for Christmas. At the urging of her boss, Natalie packs and takes a last-minute flight to New York to surprise Josh. Natalie shows up at Josh’s home and comes face-to-face with Josh. To her utter horror, Josh isn’t the person from the profile photos. He is a short, shy, glasses-wearing Asian guy who's living in his parents’ basement. She has been catfished. Natalie flees and takes refuge at a local bar. At that exact moment, Tag (the guy from Josh’s profile photos) shows up and she immediately recognizes him. Trying to get Tag’s attention, Natalie does an impromptu karaoke rendition of Meatloaf’s “I Would Do Anything For Love” which ends badly due to her extreme allergic reaction to something she drank. Josh appears and saves her from the mishap. Hoping to salvage the situation, Josh and Natalie strike up a deal; Josh will help her woe his childhood friend Tag, and in return, she will pretend to be his girlfriend to impress his family. “Love Hard” is enjoyable to watch because the two main protagonists are empathetic and likable, despite their lies and deceits. You want these two flawed and imperfect people to fall in love and find happiness with each other. The added charm of the characters is their banters about their personal favorite Christmas movie; “Love Actually” for Josh and “Die Hard” for Natalie (hence the title of this movie).

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” begins with the backstory of the villainous Xu Wenwu (aka the Mandarin, aka Fu Manchu) and how he comes into the possession of the Ten Rings and their powers to make him immortal. While seeking an eternal source of power in the mythical land called Ta-Lo, he meets a woman warrior named Jiang Li who guards the entrance to Ta-Lo. Their first balletic fight ends in Wenwu’s defeat, prompting him to come back time and time again. They fall in love, start a family, and bear two children; Shang-Chi and his younger sister Xialing. The family is torn apart and becomes estranged due to the unexpressed loss and grief. Not wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps, Shang-Chi flees to America where he adopts a new name and identity. In the present day, Shang-Chi (calling himself Shaun) is now in his early 30s, parking cars and partying with his bestie Katy. They are attacked by men sent by his father to retrieve a medallion given to him and his sister by their late mother because it is a key to finding Ta-Lo. Fearing for his sister’s safety, Shang-Chi and Katy travel to Macau to find her. Their father appears and reveals that their mother is alive and imprisoned in Ta-Lo. Shang-Chi and Jiang Li are shocked in disbelieve but must comply with their father’s wishes to help him rescue their mother. The original comic book was loosely based on Bruce Lee and the 1970s kung fu movie craze dominating American cinema at the time. The original comic book’s artist Paul Gulacy took direct inspiration from Bruce Lee to develop the character Shang-Chi. This is where the comic book differs from the movie. The actor Simu Liu does not resemble or even fight like Bruce Lee. His portrayal of Shang-Chi does not live up to my childhood’s image of what this Asian comic book hero should be like. Simu Liu’s character is more comical and less tactful than the comic book character. He is more like Scott Lang of “Ant-Man,” while the comic book character is more like Lee in “Enter the Dragon.” Overall, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” sets itself apart from other Marvel movies by the tragic love story between Wenwu and Jiang Li, as well as him finding redemption in his son’s journey of self-discovery.

“Dune: Part One” is set in the year 10191 in which noble houses govern planets of various ecological environments. The most valuable and yet inhospitable planet is Arrakis (called “Dune”) known for its natural production of mélange, a mineral referred to as “spice” that makes interstellar travel possible. After 80 years of subjugation by the House Harkonnen (led by the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen), The House Atreides (led by Duke Leto Atreides) is called upon by imperial decree of Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe to take stewardship of the planet Arrakis. The “dangerous and jealous” Emperor spins a web of deceit to bring down the House Atreides due to its rising influences over the other noble houses, setting the stage for a war that would weaken both houses to maintain his supremacy. The House Atreides arrives on Arrakis and takes ownership of the spice production. Duke Leto discovers that the spice equipment and machinery are all in shambles as if they are being set up to fail. The House Atreides falls with the betrayal of Dr. Yueh (Duke Leto’s personal physician) who makes a bargain with the Baron to jam the comms, lower the shields, and deliver the Duke and his family to him. The Duke faces certain death as Lady Jessica and Paul are being led into the desert to die. Using their mind-control powers and Weirding Way to overtake their captures, the mother and son flee across the desolate desert to seek out the embattled Fremen for refuge. Director Denise Villeneuve has rendered the complex novel of Frank Herbert into a relatively easy-to-follow movie. Dune succeeds in worldbuilding an imaginative and yet believable universe with its own “fictional cultures, languages, species, landscapes, histories, and mythologies.” It is an epic grandeur and visual artistry, filled with stunning imagery, massive machinery, and gigantic sandworms. "Dune: Part One" must be experienced in IMAX or DOLBY Cinema with crisper images, higher resolution, and more impressive audio.

“Still Human” (Lun Lok Yan) is a story about a young Filipina caregiver named Evelyn Santos who comes to Hong Kong to care for a middle-aged and disabled pensioner named Leung Cheong-win who’s currently living in one of Hong Kong’s modest public housing projects. He needs assistance in eating, bathing, and moving about the apartment, besides the daily routines of cooking and cleaning. Leung starts the relationship off contentiously by being irascible, belligerent, and just downright rude to Evelyn because of his lack of English and her lack of Cantonese, forcing both to communicate in broken English. The relationship becomes more amicable when both realize that they are more alike than different, both have dreams that went unfulfilled because of limitations that social, economic, and physical circumstances have imposed on them. “Still Human” is a feature debut from the gifted writer and director Oliver Chan Siu-Kuen who relies on the talents of veteran actor Anthony Wong and very-likable newcomer Crisel Consunji to spotlight current social challenges affecting Hongkongers and overseas workers serving as domestic helpers. “Still Human” is highly recommended for the movie's warm and honest portrayal of its characters.