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"Boy Kills World" is a whirlwind of martial arts chaos, dark comedy, and visceral action that aims to deliver a high-octane experience for fans of the genre. Starring Bill Skarsgard as Boy, the film paints a vivid picture of a post-apocalyptic world ruled by the tyrannical Van Der Koy family, with Famke Janssen as the formidable Hilda Van Der Koy. The movie explores themes of revenge and resilience as Boy, left deaf and mute, embarks on a mission to avenge the brutal murder of his family. The film’s strength lies in its action sequences, which are reminiscent of the frenetic energy found in "Kill Bill." Skarsgard, despite his inability to speak, conveys a wide range of emotions through his expressive performance. His interaction with Yayan Ruhian, who plays the shaman and a martial arts maestro, is particularly compelling, as the two engage in dynamic fight scenes that are a highlight of the film. Michelle Dockery's role as Melanie Van Der Koy marks a significant departure from her previous roles, showcasing her versatility as she embraces a more abrasive and raw character. Her portrayal is a stark contrast to her refined Lady Mary Crawley from "Downton Abbey," adding an interesting layer to the film’s antagonist roster. However, the film does falter somewhat in its villainous portrayal. Famke Janssen's character, Hilda, while commanding when on screen, lacks sufficient backstory and depth. This leaves a gap in understanding her motivations and diminishes the impact of her villainy. The comedic elements, primarily provided by H. Jon Benjamin’s voice work and supporting characters like Isaiah Mustafa and Andrew Koji, offer a much-needed balance to the film's darker moments. The humor, though often tinged with a sarcastic edge, helps to lighten the otherwise intense atmosphere. Director Moritz Mohr's influences are clear, drawing from video games, Korean action cinema, Japanese anime, and classic horror. The film’s style is visually striking but sometimes overwhelming due to its use of shaky cam and rapid cuts during fight scenes. While the gore and bloodshed might be excessive for some viewers, they align with the film’s intent to deliver an intense and immersive action experience. Overall, "Boy Kills World" is a high-energy spectacle that delivers on its promise of martial arts mayhem and darkly comedic moments. It may not excel in every aspect, particularly in storytelling and character depth, but it provides an entertaining and visually engaging ride for fans of action-packed cinema. "Boy Kills World" is now streaming on Hulu.

Admittedly, I did not see the original before checking out Rupert Sanders’ take on the 1994 Alex Proyas classic The Crow . This is probably why I was able to enjoy it without what most struggled to do and that’s comparing the two films. We can talk about the original another time, but let’s focus on this reimagined, updated version that I thoroughly enjoyed.  Before I get into my thoughts, I’ll give a brief overview of what the film is about: Eric ( Bill Skarsgård ) and Shelly ( FKA twigs ) meet and quickly fall in love with each other. One night, they are both murdered, but only Eric’s soul resurfaces, caught in the limbo between life and death. He wants Shelly to come back and is told the only way that could happen would be to sacrifice himself and to right the wrongs that have happened before their deaths.  I went into the movie completely blind with no idea what was going to happen or what was supposed to happen (I didn’t see the trailer either, so yes, completely blind). The only thing I knew about this movie was that I wanted to see it and that it scored extremely low which further piqued my interest (weird right?). The start of the movie was living up to its score as I was completely confused at what I was watching for the first thirty minutes. It felt like I missed something or there’s a part of this movie missing because I didn’t see how Eric ended up in jail or if something in the flashbacks of him as a child became the reason for that.  When Eric sees Shelly it’s an instant connection like they knew each other their entire lives…and it's only been a few hours. It went from “who is that person” to “I love you and I will do anything for you” which was completely unbelievable to me, but it works for the story I guess. As I watch their fast track love story unfold, it’s not clear how they were both in the same prison (co-ed prison?), able to go to each other’s cells (again, co-ed prison?), and how very very easy it was for them to break out. Granted it was to escape the people trying to kill Shelly, but still, all they had to do was remove the trackers and hop the barbed wire fence and then ... freedom? Yeah, okay. What I did  warm up to, though, was the relationship between Eric and Shelly. Bill and FKA twigs’ chemistry in this movie was phenomenal and honestly it’s what woke me up.  The pacing of this movie was horrendous. I’m wondering, now, if poor editing is the reason this movie didn’t perform a lot better. It was lazy storytelling up until both Eric and Shelly were killed and I kid you not I said “finally!” while watching this part. No, not that they’re killed, but because I felt like the movie was finally starting. Eric is met with a strange man (not sure what to call him), but he informed Eric of what was happening: the people that killed him and Shelly made a deal with the devil to send innocent souls to hell. That is no way to balance the orders of life so what Eric must do now is create that balance. In order to do that he must kill the ones who killed him and Shelly.  The second half of the movie is what changed my opinion of it and it’s because of Bill’s amazing performance of Eric as he avenged Shelly’s death. I couldn’t help but be on the edge of my seat the entire time. The ending broke my heart though (I won’t spoil it), but it left room for this story to possibly continue which I would thoroughly enjoy. My honest opinion of this movie is that the editing could’ve been a lot better. Especially in the first half, but if we could get past that, then it was a solid retelling of the 1994 original. If there were maybe twenty more minutes to fill in those gaps missing from the start of the film, it would’ve flowed a lot better.  Score: 7/10 What did you think of the film? Drop a comment.

This season of Bel-Air introduced a new character by the name of Eli, played by newcomer Michael Govan Hackett. Eli stepped on the scene when he answered Ashley's ad regarding the band she wanted to put together. Arriving a little too late for the audition, Ashley decided to invite him in anyway to talk music. I caught up with Michael who goes by the stage name Govan about his dream come true role and his music. Check out our conversation below: