reviews | The Last Movie Guy

The Secret Agent: A Political Thriller Set in Brazil’s Dark Past – TIFF 2025

Posted on September 12 by Hugo Pagan Soto

In 1977, Brazil was in the midst of a military dictatorship. General Ernesto Geisel led the government and was the fourth military leader since the 1964 coup d’état. Against this political backdrop, Kleber Mendonça Filho gives us The Secret Agent (2025), an intense political thriller that revolves around Marcelo (Wagner Moura), a man trying to escape his past. Through the eyes of Marcelo, the director takes us on a journey that revives the dark past of a nation and, through fiction, tells a story that was the reality for thousands of Brazilians during the dictatorship.

No Other Choice: Park Chan-wook and the Portrait of Modern Life – TIFF 2025

Posted on September 11 by Hugo Pagan Soto

The perfect family dissolves into a fade that takes us to a machine spinning at full speed. With that simple yet powerful transition, Park Chan-wook delivers an absolute omen. In No Other Choice (2025), just a few minutes into the first act are enough for the idyllic life of a family to collapse into complete chaos. Man-soo (Lee Byung-hun) has dedicated his entire life to a company, but in the blink of an eye, he loses his job, and with it, misfortune begins to seep into every corner of his life.

Dangerous Animals (2025): A Classic Horror Flick

Posted on August 5 by Hugo Pagan Soto

Horror has defined the short but striking career of Australian director Sean Byrne. Dangerous Animals (2025) is his third feature film, and once again, he walks the path of scares. In this new project, Byrne blends the serial killer formula with the kind of horror found in monster movies—specifically the shark attack subgenre.

The Last Showgirl: The Twilight of a Star

Posted on April 29 by Hugo Pagan Soto

In February 1990, Pamela Anderson was Playboy magazine’s Playmate of the Month, and from that moment on, her world changed. Anderson became a sex symbol, and her image completely dominated the 1990s and the early 2000s. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the model lived rent-free in the minds of much of the male population. In The Last Showgirl (2024), she plays a Las Vegas dancer at the twilight of her career. In many ways, this role serves as an analogy for Anderson’s own career.

A Real Pain: A Deep Exploration of Grief

Posted on January 23, 2025 by Hugo Pagan Soto

Jesse Eisenberg delves deeply into the theme of grief with A Real Pain (2024), his second feature as a writer-director. Known for his talent in front of the camera, the filmmaker proves his skill behind it with a polished film carrying a powerful message. A Real Pain draws strength from the performances and a script that turns mundane situations into extraordinary moments.