‘The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim’ goes under the same pitfalls as the other prequels: insufficient characterization, reappearance of popular figures that serve little purpose, and overreliance on spectacle over character.

‘The Lion King’ prequel shows Mufasa’s rise to power. It successfully pays tribute to its precursor film and is unhindered by the live-action remake Disney trend fatigue.

Firmly planted in the lives of three Mumbai nurses in the lower-income part of the city, ‘All We Imagine as Light’ gently claims its place as one of the century’s most romantic films asserting that third world romances are worthy of the big screen.

‘Shahid’ is docu-fiction in feeble form, one that unfortunately limits itself to the prosaic presentations of symbols and signs, and so the film ends rather unfinished and unmoving, on a pulpit on its own. 

‘Room in a Crowd’ utilizes what is essentially a collective scattering of fragmented thoughts and musings to deliver an incredibly ethereal experience.

Sabrina Carpenter’s Netflix Christmas special is filled with nice holiday performances featuring special guests, and naughty sketches — all decked with her witty, flirty double entendres.

‘Lost Sabungeros’ suggests through interviews with insider whistleblowers that the criminal mastermind behind the violent disappearances within the e-sabong industry is the notorious gambling tycoon, Charlie “Atong” Ang.

Khavn’s new film, ‘Makamisa: Phantasm of Revenge,’ about the fragments of Jose Rizal’s work, is shot on expired film. It’s an acknowledgment of the faded, collective memory that plagues pre-war Filipino film history.

‘Gladiator II’ serves its purpose by harkening back to what made the first film resonate, with a story fueled by familiar tropes of vengeance, redemption, and an expected underdog narrative.

 Across genres ranging from heartfelt drama to biting satire, the longing for acceptance, and the weight of class struggles, these local shorts continue to prove that QCinema is a lighthouse for talent and razor-sharp reflections of the national condition.

A tense, cerebral, yet crowd-pleasing chamber piece, ‘Heretic’ stacks tantalizing theological disquisitions and moments of primal terror on top of each other to create one entertaining thrill ride.

‘Simon of the Mountain’ should be an interesting film, given that its subject is rarely explored, but it falters in its execution because what's in the frame is far less interesting than what's not.

Delicatessen seamlessly fuses a urine-dyed post-apocalyptic world with the whimsy of humanity’s dispositions. It’s smart, zany, and fresh — just like a deli.

‘The Room Next Door’ tries to look for a meaning and purpose, but this unexpectedly turns out to be a theatrical therapy session going in circles.

‘Conclave’ is an incoming classic that compels audiences to still believe in the power of well-acted, dialogue-driven movies.

‘Moana 2’ makes its valiant effort to live up to the previous film. What lies beyond seems unforeseeable, and how far it will go remains a huge question.

Alice Rohrwacher’s magical realism-slash-heist film La Chimera is nothing short of dreamy and haunting, almost like a philosophical and spiritual Indiana Jones.

Kiyoshi Kurosawa creates a genre-bender, deftly blending elements of paranoia thriller, psychological horror, shoot ‘em up, and a surprising touch of dark comedy, creating something wholly unique when genre films have become predictable.

‘Happyend’ has this charm to it that resonates with you, even if you're no longer in your teenage years. Or better yet, it becomes a fitting experience of remembering who you once were.

QCinema’s inaugural Shorts Expo is an unevenly curated, but ultimately, necessary addition to the festival. There are many great shorts here, so hopefully, it can be expanded on further in its future editions.