film | The Last Movie Guy

The Smashing Machine (2025): The Rise and Fall of an MMA Legend

There is a striking contrast between the Mark Kerr we see crushing opponents inside the ring and the smiling, distracted Mark Kerr riding a carousel like a child. That powerful juxtaposition reveals the complexity of the inner battle Kerr fights. The Smashing Machine (2025), directed by Benny Safdie, explores a fragment of the life of one of the pioneers of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) — his meteoric rise and brutal downfall. With an almost documentary tone, Safdie exposes the humanity of a figure who is both sweet and bitter, inspiring and tragic.

One Battle After Another (2025): An Action Epic from P. T. Anderson

Posted on October 1 by Hugo Pagan Soto

Bob is absorbed in his own world, getting high while The Battle of Algiers (1966) plays on the television. The ringing of a telephone is enough to suddenly drag him back into his past and snap him into reality. By the time we reach this moment, One Battle After Another (2025) has already infected us with its frenzy. For director Paul Thomas Anderson, this is his second time adapting a novel by Thomas Pynchon. In 2014, he adapted Inherent Vice for the screen, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the peculiar detective Doc Sportello. Now Anderson draws on Vineland, published in 1990, to create the universe of One Battle After Another.

Good News: Dark Political Satire on the Yodogo Incident – TIFF 2025

Posted on September 25 by Hugo Pagan Soto

In March 1970, nine members of the radical group Japanese Communist League-Red Army Faction hijacked a plane at Tokyo International Airport. Good News (2025) by Byun Sung-hyun draws inspiration from this event to craft a portrait of the happenings through political satire and dark humor. The South Korean director delivers a visually striking film with a brisk pace, achieving an excellent balance between comedy and suspense.

Christy: Sydney Sweeney Steps Into the Ring – TIFF 2025

Posted on September 22 by Hugo Pagan Soto

On the night of November 23, 2010, Christy Martin was brutally attacked by her husband. After stabbing her several times, he shot her in the chest, left her for dead on the floor of their bedroom, and went to take a shower. Miraculously, Christy managed to stand up and walk to the street, where she found a driver who took her to a hospital. This episode in the turbulent life of the former welterweight champion feels like something out of a horror movie. In Christy (2025), directed by David Michôd, we revisit the life inside and outside the ring of one of the most dominant female boxers of all time.

The Furious: Pure Adrenaline and Martial Arts Mastery – TIFF 2025

Posted on September 17 by Hugo Pagan Soto

Kenji Tanigaki, stuntman and fight choreographer turned director, delivers his eighth film with The Furious, a fast-paced ode to legendary Asian martial arts cinema. While the film navigates familiar genre paths, Tanigaki finds his own voice, crafting a work with impeccable mise-en-scène, precise technical execution, and a meticulous attention to artistic detail.