Movie Review - Mortal Kombat II

Director: Simon McQuoid
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Fantasy
Runtime: 116 minutes
Year: 2026
Starring: Karl Urban, Adelie Rudolph, Martyn Ford, Tati Gabrielle, Jessica McNamee, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Josh Lawson, Hiroyuki Sanada
 
Description: The fan favorite champions, now joined by Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) himself, are pitted against one another in the ultimate battle to defeat the dark rule of Shao Kahn that threatens the very existence of the Earthrealm and its defenders.
 
Review: “Mortal Kombat II” attempts to correct the mistakes of its 2021 predecessor by going all-in on pure tournament chaos, but unfortunately gets bogged down in a muddy stream of soulless computer-generated effects and a virtually nonexistent script.

The story picks up where the invasion of Eathrealm left off. Cole Young and the remaining protectors travel to Outworld to recruit allies, including the arrogant movie star Johnny Cage. However, they are immediately lured into a trap by the tyrannical Shao Kahn, who organizes an illegal, decisive tournament to subjugate Earth once and for all. With this premise, director Simon McQuoid delivers a film that, unfortunately, feels like a two-hour, exhausting string of cinematic fights without a shred of dramatic impact. Karl Urban is the highlight, as Johnny Cage, with his weary Hollywood charisma. And if you are a fan of hack-and-slash action you are in for a treat, as the film fully lives up to its R-rating. The iconic fatalities from the games are brought to life with plenty of blood and spectacle.

However, as soon as the characters stop fighting and start talking, the film collapses like a house of cards. The plot surrounding Shao Kahn’s tournament is paper0thin and serves purely as a pretext for action, resulting in wooden dialogue and forced explanatory scenes.

Ultimately, the film lacks real tension. Because death is meaningless in this universe and characters are just as easily brought back to life, the emotional stakes during the mission to save Earth are nonexistent. “Mortal Kombat II” offers plenty of mindless entertainment and bloodshed for the hardcore games, but as a movie, it’s a messy, noisy, and soulless product. Take me back to the “Mortal Kombat” movie from 1995 please.

Rating: 2/ 5

Book Review - Pet Sematary by Stephen King

Title: Pet Sematary
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Horror
Published: 1983
 
Description: The House looked right, felt right to Dr. Louis Creed.
 
Rambling, old, unsmart and comfortable. A place where the family could settle; the children grow and play and explore. The rolling hills and meadows of Maine seemed a world away from the fume-choked dangers of Chicago.
 
Only the occasional big truck out on the two-lane highway, grinding up through the gears, hammering down the long gradients, growled out an intrusive threat.
 
But behind the house and far away from the road: that was safe. Just a carefully cleared path up into the woods where generations of local children have processed with the solemn innocence of the young, taking with them their dear departed pets for burial.
 
A sad place maybe, but safe. Surely a safe place. Not a place to seep into your dreams, to wake you, sweating with fear and foreboding.
 
Review: Did I just read my new favorite Stephen King book?  A terrifying epic about the limits of human grief. “Pet Sematary” is an absolute masterpiece. After closing that very last page, I can only conclude one thing: this is officially my favorite Stephen King novel. Over the years I have devoured many of King’s books, but this particular story grabbed me by the throat from the very first chapter and never lets go. It’s dark and compelling and will haunt your mind for days afterwards.
 
The story follows the young, successful doctor Louis Creed. He moves with his wife Rachel and two young children Ellie and Gage, and the family cat Church to the seemingly idyllic countryside of Maine. Their fresh start seems perfect, but appearances can be deceiving. They soon befriend their elderly neighbor, Jud Crandall, who takes them to a mysterious pet cemetery deep in the woods: the “Pet Sematary”.
 
What begins as a melancholic place where local children commemorate their deceased pets, however, turns out to be a dark façade. Deeper in the woods lies an ancient Mi’kmaq Indian burial ground that is possessed by a malevolent, supernatural force. The ground there is literally and figuratively acidic: whatever is buried there returns from the dead. But they never return exactly the same. When tragedy strikes the Creed family without mercy, Louis is driven by intense grief to defy the laws of nature. He makes a fatal decision with horrific irreversible consequences.
 
I can say with complete conviction that this is one of the scariest books I’ve ever read in my entire life. King doesn’t build tension with the cheap shock tactics of supernatural jump scares, but with a deep suffocating psychological terror that slowly creeps under your skin. From the very first page, the atmosphere is stifling, ominous, and uncomfortable. As a reader, you sense the impending catastrophe, but you’re just as powerless as the characters themselves. The climax is so intense and terrifying that I simply couldn’t put it down, despite the chills running down my spine. The last 100 pages were top tier.
 
What truly elevates this book to the level of a literary masterpiece is its emotional and philosophical depth. Pure grief is the central, most important theme of this story. King dissects the human psyche to the bone and painfully reveals just how blinding, destructive, and isolating intense grief can be. The book poses the chilling question: How far would you go to get a lost loved one back? It explores the universal fear of death and our inability to let go. The conclusion is brutally harsh: sometimes death really is better. “Pet Sematary” undoubtedly has one of the darkest and most hopeless endings Stephen King has ever written.
 
It’s dark, emotionally draining, psychologically complex, and terrifyingly relatable. It’s Stephen King at the absolute peak of his power. An absolute must-read for anyone who loves horror of the very highest caliber. I can’t believe it took me so long to read it.
 
Rating: 5/ 5
 

Book Review - Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Fangirl (Fangirl # 1)
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Young Adult/ Romance
Published: 2013
 
Description: Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan… But Cath, being a fan is her life, and she’s really good at it. She and her twin, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.
 
Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fanfiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere. Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.
 
Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a grumpy roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend; a fiction-writing professor who thinks fanfiction is the end of the civilized world; a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words… and she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.
 
For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living on her own And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?
 
Review: “Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell is a tender and relatable coming-of-age story that explores the intense transition from the safety of adolescence to the overwhelming world of college.
 
The book follows Cath, an extremely introverted freshman who goes through an identity crisis when her twin sister Wren decides she doesn’t want to be her roommate on campus. While Wren throws herself wholeheartedly into college life with parties and alcohol, Cath retreats to her shared room. Her only true refuge is the online world, where, under the pseudonym Magicath, she writes an immensely popular fan fiction series based on the fiction Simon Snow wizard series. Cath balances her fear of the real world, caring for her mentally fragile father, and her looming deadline to finish her own story before the official final Simon Snow book is published. Only when she is forced to connect with her gruff roommate Reagan and Reagan’s ever-smiling friend Levi does Cath being, very slowly, to come out  of her shell.
 
Author Rainbow Rowell excels at making loneliness and social anxiety of a young adult palpable. The characters are multi-layered. The friendship between Cath and Levi feel authentic, which grows organically and slowly blossoms into a sudden romance. With his honest-to-goodness characters and unconditional support, Levi is a beacon of light in Cath’s chaotic life.
 
In addition, the story tackles heavier themes, such as the dynamics of a broken family and the impact of mental health issues, without ever becoming overly heavy.
 
Rowell portrays the love of writing and the safe haven that internet culture can offer outside with great respect. The reason this novel falls short lies primarily in its structure and uneven pacing. Rowell chooses to constantly interrupt the story with excerpts from the Simon Snow books and Cath’s own fan fiction. Although these interludes are intended to reflect Cath’s inner world, they repeatedly slow down the actual plot. I was more interested in Cath’s realistic struggles and relationships. Especially about her fear of change and the anxiety of dealing with life by herself, without her sister, and the bond between Cath and Wren. I also wanted more of the family dynamic, her dad who is struggling with his mental health and her mother who had left their family when Cath was younger. I felt like Rowell could have done more with this.
 
“Fangirl” is not a book I would have picked up if it wasn’t recommended to me. It’s a charming and tender book. I loved Cath, I could relate to her on many levels. And even though Rowell already added a lot of emotional depth to the story, I wanted more from the family dynamic.
 
Rating: 3/ 5

Movie Review - The Odyssey

Director: Christopher Nolan
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Fantasy
Runtime: 173 minutes
Year: 2026
Starring: Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Robert Pattinson, John Leguizamo, Samantha Morton, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal, Himesh Patel, Lupita Nyong’o
 
Description: After the Trojan War, Odysseus (Matt Damon) faces a dangerous voyage back to Ithaca, meeting creatures like Cyclops Polyphemus, Sirens and Calypso (Charlize Theron) along the way
 
Review: With the latest adaptation of “The Odyssey”, director Christopher Nolan proves that classical Greek mythology can still be relevant, and , above all, spectacular. The film has become a visual and narrative masterpiece that relentlessly draws the viewer into an emotional battle of attrition for almost 3 hours. The end result is a grand cinematic experience that balances human drama with mythological action.

“The Odyssey” follows the heroic yet disastrous journey of the Greek king Odysseus, who, after the fall of Troy, tries to find his way back home. While his faithful wife Penelope fights off intrusive suitors at home, Odysseus braves deadly monsters, divine curses, and psychological trials on the raging seas to save his kingdom.

The film excels in its cinematography and set design. The wild, unpredictable seas and the terrifying encounters with mythical creatures are brought to life with a perfect balance of practical effect and CGI. Nolan modernizes Homer’s source material without losing the epic’s authentic, tragic atmosphere.
The prominent American accents of the main cast feels quite out of place in a historical Greet setting at the beginning. The dialect distracted me and felt weird. Fortunately, this was short-lived, after a while it didn’t bother me as much. The performances are so intense and believable that the accent quickly fades into the background.

With this star-studded cast, there is a lot to look for. The performances are very strong and Matt Damon has the difficult task to lead them in this epic adventure film. But he succeeds. But it is Anne Hathaway and Samantha Morton in particular who elevate this film by carrying the emotional core. While the visual spectacle dominates the action, these two actresses provide the much-needed psychological depth and humanity. Anne Hathaway shines thanks to her phenomenal transformation. She commands all the attention with her intense gaze and emotional range. She strikes the perfect balance between royal dignity and the raw, fragile despair of a character tormented by fate. Samantha Morton steals the show with her rock-solid, understated presence. Without resorting to melodrama, she brings a layered gravitas to the screen, in only a single scene. This all shows that “The Odyssey is not just another blockbuster, but also a memorable character-driven drama.

The second part of the film was the strongest. Is focusses more on the character’s internal struggles and the bitter reality of returning home. The cinematography becomes grimmer, the soundtrack gains depth, and the film builds at a perfect pace toward a breathtaking and emotional climax. “The Odyssey” is thus not only a visual spectacle but also a profoundly human epic that leaves an indelible impression.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Movie Review - The Drama

Director: Kristoffer Borgli
Genre: Comedy/ Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 105 minutes
Year: 2026
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Alana Haim, Mamoudou Athie, Hailey Gates, Sydney Lemmon, Hannah Gross
 
Description: A happily-engaged couple (Robert Pattinsong, Zendaya) is put to the test when an unexpected turn sends their wedding week off the rails.
 
Review: “The Drama” is a film that will continue to haunt your mind long after the credits roll, though whether you’ll find that a pleasant experience is another matter.

Charlie and Emma are happily engaged, preparing for their wedding. But when Emma shares something about her past, the week before their wedding becomes a big challenge.

The film strikes a perfect balance on the fine line between a cinematic masterpiece and a pure test of the viewer’s endurance. The film is best described as a pitch-black comedy laced with extremely disturbing situations. The humor is so sharp and painful that laughter repeatedly gets stuck in your throat. The director and cast succeed in constantly confronting the audience with complex moral dilemmas, in which there is no clear moral winner to be identified. As a viewer, you’re forced to question your own ethical compass, which makes the themes incredibly powerful. At the same time, this is a very uncomfortable film to watch. The vicarious embarrassment, the underlying tension, and the moral decay creep so deeply under your skin that it feels suffocating at times.

There is especially one scene, that feels like an actual dumpster fire. And the longer it burns, the worst it gets. And you can’t watch it, but also can’t look away. If you have seen the movie, you know which scene I mean.

It’s an impressive piece of cinema, but the emotional toll is high. Precisely because of the intense, uncomfortable atmosphere, I’ll probably never watch this film again. It’s powerful experience that you absolutely must see, but one you’ll be glad to leave behind afterward.

Rating: 4/ 5

Book Review - We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Title: We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Author: Shirley Jackson
Genre: Horror/ Classic
Published: 1962
 
Description: Living in the Blackwood family home with only her sister Constance and her Uncle Julian for company, Merricat just wants to preserve their delicate way of life. But ever since Constance was acquitted for murdering the rest of the family, the world isn’t leaving the Blackwoods alone. And when Cousin Charles arrives, armed with overtures of friendship and a desperate need to get into the safe, Merricat must do everything in her power to protect the remaining family.
 
Review: Shirley Jackson’s “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” is a masterful gothic novel. The story centers on eighteen-year-old Mary Katherine “Merricat” Blackwood, who lives in a large, secluded country house with her agoraphobic sister Constance and their ailing uncle Julian. Six years earlier, the rest of the Blackwood family was mysteriously poisoned with arsenic in the sugar bowl. Although Constance was acquitted, the nearby village still believes she is the culprit. The sisters live in total isolation, protected by Merricat’s magical rituals, until their money-hungry cousin Charles arrives and brutally shatters their fragile peace.
 
Jackson excels at creating an ominous, claustrophobic atmosphere. The psychological depth of Merricat as an unreliable narrator is fascinating; her childlike logic mixed with dark tendencies makes her both sympathetic and terrifying. The book is a sharp social critique of groupthink, exclusion, and the suffocating nature of family ties.
 
Without giving away exactly what happens, the plot twist is powerful. Jackson forces the reader to reevaluate everything that has been told up to that point. You realize how manipulative the build-up has been. It both feels like a shock yet like the only logical truth.  
 
It’s a bit of a slow burn, with a good pay-off.
 
Rating: 4/ 5

Book Review - Molka by Monika Kim

Title: Molka
Author: Monika Kim
Genre: Horror/ Thriller
Published: 2026
 
Description: Dahye can’t believe her luck when she finds herself in a whirlwind romance with handsome, charismatic Hyukjoon, the heir to a multi-million dollar fortune.
 
But then a shocking revelation: the couple has been caught on a spycam amid Korea’s growing molka epidemic, and the video is all over the internet. When Hyukjoon flees the country to avoid the intense public scrutiny, Dahye is left to grapple with the ramifications on her own; and the demons from her childhood, long dormant, begin to surface.
 
Amid the chaos, she catches the attention of Junyoung, a nerdy, introverted IT tech at work. Junyoung harbors a dark secret: he has been spying on the women at work with his own hidden cameras. As Dahye’s life begins to unravel, she unknowingly becomes the sole target of Junyoung’s perverse obsession.
 
When the facts surrounding the invasion of her privacy come to light, Dahye is faced with the humiliating truth. Her pain and hurt turn to rage as she faces her past. Her desire for vengeance is insatiable, and she will not rest until the men who have wronged her have paid in blood…
 
Review: “Molka” by Monika Kim is an absolutely breathtaking psychological horror/ thriller that grips you from the very first page and never lets go.
 
We meet Dahye, who can’t believe she is dating the charming Hyukjoon. But when the two are secretly filmed in a hotel room in a compromising video, Hyukjoon disappears without a trace and Dahye has to deal with the aftermath on her own. With that, she has drawn the attention of one of her colleagues, Junyoung, who hid cameras in the women’s bathrooms to spy on them. Dahye’s hurt eventually turns into rage and she will take sweet revenge.
 
Kim delivers a literary masterpiece that is as terrifying as it is socially relevant, transforming the dark reality of the modern digital world into a harrowing reading experience. The way Kim builds psychological tension is nothing short of genius.
 
The real-world voyeurism is turned into a furious, razor-sharp interrogation of systematic misogyny and toxic masculinity. The novel functions as a grim embodiment of the online manosphere, incel culture, and the “boys will be boys” mindset that leaves women defenseless while protecting male perpetrators. Every single man in this book is terrible and the lack of redeeming male characters is driving the central themes of the narrative. The story eventually channels pure, unfiltered feminine rage.
 
The plot is full of unexpected twists, subtle clues, and a constant, palpable threat that gets under your skin. Kim’s writing style is cinematic, elegant, and hypnotic, making it impossible to put the book down. Its an urgent, chilling page-turner that forces you to reflect on the world we live in. This horror book deserves to be on all the best of 2026 lists and is an absolute must-read. Warning: these men will make you very angry.
 
Rating: 5/ 5