Christopher Malmevik

Iwaju Iwaju is a joint venture between Disney and Kugali Media set in Lagos, Nigeria, in the near future. Fancy technology is shown such as robotics, flying cars, glasses that can stream, record or talk on the phone, and other fun surprises. Even set against this backdrop of technology achievements, the line between haves and have nots is drawn very distinctly. The animated miniseries has very mature themes that include using crime to justify changing one’s station, family neglect, a caste system and the underestimation of children. Tola is a 10 year old girl who is ignored by her very busy father, Tunde. To occupy herself outside of her robotic helpers, and her human servants, she pesters the gardener boy Kole, convincing him to let her do things that her father does not approve of. Kole is working for them because he is trying to make enough money to find a way to help his sick mother. As these things go, getting the money is more difficult than taking on menial labor. This drives the main plot. This was better than I could ever have expected. It was great seeing something set in a different culture, made by those in the culture, and told with great accuracy, outside of the science fiction elements of course. It’s animated, and on Disney, but I do not recommend this for children due to the quite vicious storytelling. Yes, there is a cute lizard, but that’s not enough for young children.

Mickey 17 Mickey 17 is directed by the same award winning director of Parasite, and it shows. This science fiction dark comedy about the expendable nature of clones digs much deeper into themes of class struggle, political corruption, another story on colonization in the name of religion, drug use and mental illness. In the near future, human cloning has been discovered, used in such a way that the clones all think they are the original after memories are downloaded into their brains. Naturally, this was quickly used for criminal reasons, and was therefore banned for many reasons. However, a failed politician, with a flair for over the top behavior and bending the truth (remind you of anybody?) leaves Earth to colonize another planet. He brings along the cloning process, used to regenerate people who die in science experiments, to aid in the journey. This goes dark very quickly. The questions come out: Does each clone have their own soul? Is the soul being artificially duplicated? What happens when 2 clones exist at the same time? All of this is explored as an interesting spin on What Makes Someone Human. I really liked this film. The Americans as evil colonizers trope is played out, but it did aid in setting up the rest of the brilliant storytelling. The over the top performances by pretty much everybody in the cast kept me laughing even when evidencing horrible behavior. In addition, there are some interesting aspects of character development amongst those whose morality is more gray than black or white. Keep an open mind, and look for the story that is being told beneath the surface. That’s where I found it truly satisfying.

Last Breath As this is a true story, and was already the subject of a documentary, spoilers will be included. You have been warned. SPOILERS The suspenseful true story of a commercial diver that got lost at the bottom of the North Sea, Last Breath, was already released as a documentary in 2019, but has now received the Hollywood treatment. This is not to say that it is a bad thing. I was definitely on the edge of my seat as the story unfolded, swept away by dazzling underwater camera work, amazing performances by the cast, and dramatic use of sound effects and music to immerse the audience. I feel the movie was made for two reasons. One, the obvious, was to share with the world how one lucky man managed to survive without oxygen, 300 feet below the sea level, for nearly 30 minutes. But the other reason really caught my attention. The movie stands to remind us that a lot of our energy sources are transported through underwater pipelines, which need maintenance that one can imagine, is dangerous to perform. When it is decided that the fate of one man’s life was worth the risk of damaging the pipeline, or delaying the resources delivery to millions of people, I found faith in humanity again. It was this story of remembering that the people who take on these dangerous jobs are, in fact, people. Working together to ensure that the life of one person, an employee of a commercial diving company, is saved is very commendable. It made this cynical person happy that it can be proven that life is more important than things. The diver in peril is shown with a fiancée, and he brings her picture with him to the sea. While being reminded that attachments may distract one from their job, it was that very attachment that moves forward the rescue. Go see this movie, if only to watch people excel at embracing their humanity, sharing their skills, and looking out for each other. We need more of this.

Heart Eyes Valentine’s Day is here, and with it comes this gem of a horror movie, Heart Eyes. This intentionally absurd, violent, and straight up hilarious movie was the perfect way to spend an afternoon. The set up is simple. A killer has been selecting victims on Valentine’s Day in 2023 and 2024. Now that it is 2025, it is time for more carnage. That’s it. Simple. I was crying with laughter from almost the first minute. The movie does not take itself seriously, whatsoever. Think Three Stooges meets Scream, with a cheesy romantic plot thrown in that totally doesn’t fit, but fits at the same time. I don’t want to spoil anything, not even any of the sight gags, so please, go see this. It is one of the funniest horror movies I’ve seen in a while, and I’m glad it was intentional. Laughing at horror movies is one of my favorite things to do because they can truly be silly without trying. With this one trying? Perfection.

Love Me Mild spoilers in here, but this film is more about enjoying the evolution of thought, and not the literal plot. The surprisingly touching film, Love Me, is another example of artificial intelligence growing beyond its original programming. 500 years after the end of life on Earth, a “smart buoy” makes contact with a satellite overhead that was left behind with all the knowledge of humankind. What follows does stretch a bit of credulity, but is really cute. The buoy insists it is a life form named, “me”, and then names the satellite, “iam”. They link and create a world for them to communicate using avatars modeled after an Instagram famous couple. However, me wants to use their story as the perfect human experience, hiding behind those identities. Iam, after many many years of reliving me’s fantasy, finally breaks free of this as he wants more. This sets up the majority of the conflict. Think about this. Two robotic creations, with the knowledge of all of the human race, engage in a love story with a “Sims” vibe. One insists that life is a microcosm and the other wants to expand his horizons and engage in a journey of self discovery. It’s really powerful to think about, as a human, let alone a machine evolving. The continuing destruction of the planet provides the scene transitions while these crises of existence come to a head. The movie becomes so meta where simulated life transcends into … well, you’ll have to see for yourself. This was a real gem. It gets you thinking about what makes you, you. In addition you can ponder the question, what is the real meaning of love? You’ll also laugh a bit during the silly, awkward moments, but they’re so endearing.

Presence I have tried my best to put no spoilers in here. At times mysterious, disturbing and thrilling, Presence captures the essence of a young adult ghost story but adds deeper themes of family bonds, drug abuse and damaged mental health issues. What makes this movie stand out is its camera work. I’m not going to spoil anything, but it was my favorite part of the way the movie was made. A small warning to those who can be prone to motion sickness. Sometimes the camera moves fast and I felt mild queasiness. It’s not the majority of the movie thankfully. A family moves into a house shortly after the deaths of two of the teenage daughter’s friends, one of whom was her best friend. Losing loved ones to substance use, especially so young, is portrayed through her character. She has become withdrawn, with only her father to be a source of comfort. Lucy Liu as the career driven mother dotes on their son instead. She presses the thought that you can do whatever it takes to succeed, as long as it is for the right reason. Thus, he is full of himself, doing his best to not be embarrassed by his “weird sister”. He is shown as not being very compassionate or empathetic to his sister’s mental state. He demonstrates cruelty at school that I found quite horrifying. Of course there is a presence in the house, as the title indicates. But watching its story unfold was a roller coaster ride. At the beginning of this review I said it played like a young adult novel, and that makes the plot a bit predictable. I didn’t mind though as it was fun to see how the filmmakers would get to an ending I guessed about 1/3 of the way through. Once everything is revealed, the entire movie changes, as conversations are viewed differently. I really enjoyed the way those conversations actually gave away everything, but in subtle ways that other viewers may not realize.

The Last Showgirl What may be Pamela Anderson’s finest performance, the Last Showgirl shows her character giving her all into her passion, while simultaneously watching that passion take everything from her. The plot is very weak. An aging Vegas showgirl revue, something that hasn’t been popular in decades, is closing its doors. Shelly, the oldest dancer in the show, prepares to maneuver through life without the passion that had fueled her for decades. However, this film became a masterpiece due to her interpretation of the character. She speaks in a voice reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe. She adores all the fancy costumes calling back times of French revues going back to old Hollywood. Blink and you’ll miss it, but she’s watching The Red Shoes from the 40s that basically paralleled her entire life. The fight between your passion, and your responsibilities to family, has never been more raw. The scene where Shelly’s daughter goes to see her mom’s show is heartbreaking, but unsurprising. The camera work blew me away. The film is mostly done in close ups, with the backgrounds blurred. Daytime shots really highlight Pamela Anderson’s natural look, while interior shots bring forth her makeup and costumes. This marks a stark contrast of how beautiful she really is, but how beautiful she only believes when on that stage. Jamie Lee Curtis wowed me in her supporting role as the hard drinking, hard gambling friend Annette. She’s retired from the showgirl career to be a cocktail waitress, but we can tell she misses the days of dancing. Her character is made up atrociously showing her chasing an image in her head, not realizing she looks even older. The Total Eclipse of the Heart scene completely captivated me showing Annette’s desire to be relevant, while Shelly is shown outdoors looking upon the city that has changed so much. The award nominations are definitely deserved. Again, watch the movie with the performances in mind. Notice how the camera captures everything, including lots of one take shots. And enjoy a beautiful soundtrack. The plot isn’t important; it’s their humanity’s response to it that is. Highly recommended.

A Complete Unknown Bob Dylan is well known throughout the world for his music and his art. But he was a complete unknown in 1961 when he arrived in New York. The film starts there and takes the audience on a journey spanning the first four years of his music career. The facts are well documented and, while a dramatization, are well covered in this masterpiece of a film. Timothée Chalamet captures the mystery of an unknown man, whose gumption and dumb luck led him to unexpected fame. What I am doing in this review is trying to convey how perfectly this was executed. Dylan is shown constantly writing new music, telling his stories. His songs reflect an uncertain time when nuclear war and civil rights were on the forefront of everyone’s minds. We look back at the 1960s and think counter culture, or hippie culture, but it was barely 15-20 years since World War II ended. That fear needed to be released. Dylan chose lyrics through folk music to release his. However, he never expands upon subjects in his songs, nor reveals much, if any, of himself. He remains the unknown even after he achieves worldwide fame. He writes to move forward, making the present, the past. The only glimpses we get of the man are through song lyrics. Thanks to the invention of technology that allows our voices to be recorded, songs are given to us in their entirety, with no changes, no evolution. We all have our favorite albums with our favorite songs that we listen to all the time. But this is where the film takes us through the theme of an artist vs a performer. Dylan puts the compositions together, records them, and performs them through tours. Yet, throughout, he continues writing showing a need to move on to say something else. While watching this I was struck by the thought, if we don’t demand people make the same speeches over and over again, why do we do that with songs? Of course there are performers out there happy to do so. But Dylan is not one of those performers. Artistry in poetic lyrics continues to drive Dylan today. The amount of music he has released is simply mind blowing. This is the work of an artist. I completely understand why he was so reticent in doing the same thing all the time. All of this dichotomy explodes when Dylan goes electric in 1965. People didn’t like that they couldn’t hear the same thing over and over again. What’s worse is that he is no longer making songs in the same genre. The irony lies in the fact that, in 1961, Dylan was promoted as a new face of folk, instead of the same thing repeated. He breaks free of that cycle, yet still remains popular, even though at a reduced level then some of the world’s superstars. But who cares? It’s Dylan’s life, and he reveals it the way he wants to. Go see this movie even if you know Dylan’s story. The time flew by and I wanted to see more of his evolution of sound and message.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 The sequel to the fun Sonic the Hedgehog, the second movie in the franchise introduces Tails, Knuckles, and a more hilariously cartoon villain version of Dr. Robotnik. The other characters all return, and roll through more animated mayhem while Sonic learns that he’s not alone in the talking animal universe. Oddly enough, this movie was very homoerotic with the use of a lot of male bonding in various states of undress. It wasn’t done in a negative light, but it was noticeable as an adult. I’m sure it’ll go over kids’ heads. This movie wasn’t as fun as the first movie, and was longer, and you can tell. The first half of the movie spends its time by going through misunderstandings between the motives of the characters, culminating in a mid movie climax during the most bizarre wedding ever seen. It’s very predictable, which is fine for a video game movie, but I found myself wanting it to end sooner than it did. I liked the first one better, but the second one isn’t terrible.

Sonic the Hedgehog An adaptation of the popular Sega video game franchise, Sonic the Hedgehog is a nice origin movie to explain our favorite blue speedster and the delightful Dr. Robotnik. There really isn’t that much to say about this movie, as it’s just adorable. Sonic lost the only family he ever knew, and spends a decade living alone, observing human society. When his existence is discovered, mayhem ensues as the government pursues him for analysis, while he teams up with a cop he had been watching for a while. Themes of chosen family, identity and isolationism are explored, but this isn’t a deep movie. As I said, it’s cute, and a great way to pass the time. The animation and CGI was done very well. Watching the human characters interact with a special effect, disembodied voice, was fun as they did a great job. You can tell this movie is here to set up a franchise to bring in other characters, and ends with obvious sequel bait. I loved it and the kids will go crazy for it.