[Weekly Update] Movie I Saw This Year That Might Interest You

I started watching Chinese with Jessie for some reason. I don't even know why. Everything she says I already knew. I guess that's what happen when someone has natural charisma. She presence alone is entertaining.

Anyway, we'll be talking some fun movies I saw this year that came and went without making a splash. But first, Let's update.

CHANNEL UPDATE

October Plan
Late next month, I'll be in China, specifically Shanghai, to film part 2 of our Cinematic Tour of China. I'll be visiting locations such as Wukang Mansion, where Chinese film stars used to live. The goal is to discover the origin of cinema in China, tracing its root all the way back to colonial consessions. I have big ambition for this project. Hopefully, I'll have time to actually plan everything before boarding my plane.

Videos For Rest of 2025
Our next video, part 2 of Japanese made Chinese film, is complete. I'm currently adding subtitles, and it'll go live this Friday.

For early October, we have a video on how to spot a bad critic, which is currently being edited. For those of you who read the original script, thank you for your feedbacks. About 40% of the script has been changed, and I'll upload that next week.
Late October, we have our video on Kwaidan. The first draft script is done, but it's a tad dry and needs editing.

For November, we'll talk about The Legend, a 2022 Tamil Indian vanity project, and part of our bad movies world tour. The film is not funny enough for a viewing, so... maybe just wait for the video. The script is currently being written.
I have no decided what to talk about for the other November video. Either it'll be Godzilla Minus One, or Ashiap Man. Both scripts are still being outlined. Whichever gets postponed will likely comeback in January.

For December, we have Best Chinese Movies of 2025. The two films I've selected is Her Story, and The Last Dance, both 2024 films from last December. I have yet to watch Legend of Hei 2. Judging from the reviews, it'll likely be on the list, too.
But the ultimate goal is to close out the year with a full video dissecting the depiction of evil in Dead to Rights. Not a cheery way to end the year, but the movie is of such importance, and also so widely misread by people, I feel the need to explain it.
Hopefully both Legend of Hei 2 and Dead to Rights come to streaming soon.

MEDIA TALK

This year I made a deliberate effort to see as many interesting films in theaters as possible. I ended up watching a whole bunch of fun movies I wouldn't have seen otherwise. So, if you are looking for some obscure fun movies, this is the list for you.

Novocaine
I feel like this title just doesn't help this movie much. Anyway, the movie is only a 6/10 overall, but if you like to examine a movie by its script, then this is an interesting watch. With a simple premise, a regular dude who can't feel pain has to fight off bad guys and rescue his girlfriend, the film marches forward in a steady pace, with minimal down time between interesting set pieces. Early on in the film, the two lead has an interesting flirting scene, and it's one of the more well written romantic moments I've seen in any action movies. It's actually fun, flirty, and romantic. It will not blow your mind, but the execution is worth a praise.

Drop
A single mom goes on a date, and receives an air drop message demanding her to kill her date, or say goodbye to her son forever. It's one of those high concept movie, where almost the entire movie is set in a single location. I'm a sucker for that genre, and this is a decently entertaining one. The film's main strength is its active protagonist, always trying to do something. The pace is also fast, which allows you to forget that a lot of the time, the protagonist isn't making much progress. It's definitely Netflix-y, however. If you are into this genre, this is a good time.

The Monkey
Whenever a toy monkey beats its drum, someone dies. It is a weird horror movie about grief, perfectly capturing some of the more esoteric aspects of Stephen King. The film is divisive. I can't tell you if it's good or not. But it definitely is a unique experience. And for that alone, I recommend it to cinephiles.

Bring Her Back
Most people think it is not as good as the director duo's previous film: Talk to Me. I personally like it better, even if I don't think it is a better film. It's unfortunate that the film is pretty predictable, not helped by the title which is a spoiler. But when watched in theaters, the slow pace heading towards an obvious conclusion gives a sense of impending doom. In a strange way, it works.

Clown in a Cornfield
Nobody talks about this movie but I really love it. It's exactly what it sounds like: A group of teenagers are having a party by a cornfield, and then a clown shows up and starts killing them. The entire movie is a self-aware joke. Comments on Chinese streaming services are quite positive, with a lot of people find themselves laughing all the way through. It has one of the funniest "Ooooooh" in years. If you've seen the movie, you'll understand. An honourable mention to lead actress Katie Douglas for giving a fantastic performance. This one I recommend to fans of horror comedy.

Thunderbolt*
Yeah, I can't believe I'm talking about a Marvel movie. I even respect it enough to type it out properly, asterisk and all. I'm not gonna blow smoke up your ass. This is an unwieldy movie. The first half spends way too much time introducing characters you don't care about. And the first half is just kinda aimless. But it does get better. The third act alone, with the villain reveal, singlehandedly made the film a memorable experience for me.
Like, I enjoy Superman and all, but Thunderbolt has the better daddy speech. Don't @ me.

Anyway, with that hot take, let's wrap up our update this week. Have you seen any interesting movies that went under the radar this year? I still haven't seen Dangerous Animals, and it's supposed to be a pretty decent Aussie Horror flick.

In any case, I'll see you with our next video!