Movie Reviews

Commentary, Movie Reviews, Op-Eds, Opinion

Why You Shouldn’t Watch K-Pop Demon Hunters: A Spoiler-free Review
Reading Time: 5 minutes

By: Tara Sim (26A01C)

As of July 15th, K-Pop Demon Hunters has maintained its No. 1 spot on Netflix on the English Film List with almost 25 million viewers since its third week of release, while songs performed by Huntrix and Saja Boys, the main K-Pop girl and boy group in the storyline, have topped the US music charts, overtaking leading K-pop groups BTS and Blackpink. But why has a seemingly light-hearted, unserious kids’ show about a monster-fighting girl group suddenly exploded in popularity–even among viewers way outside its intended demographic? 

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CCA Events, Clubs, Commentary, Features, Movie Reviews, School Life

Firsts and Lasts: Raffles Crew Film Showcase 2025
Reading Time: 8 minutes

By Betty Ding (25A01B)

All photographs courtesy of RIAC and Mr Tay Li Cheng, screenshots courtesy of Raffles Crew.

This is the first — and quite possibly the last — Raffles Crew Film Showcase.

To clarify: this is the first-ever showcase by Raffles Crew, one of the newly merged CCAs formed in 2025 from the union of Audio Visual Unit and Raffles Film Society. Titled “Facets”, this year’s film showcase proudly presents six original films from filmmakers past and present – including two thesis films by the final batch of Raffles Film Society.

There was a palpable buzz in the PAC on the 30th of May: friends and family have come together in anticipation to watch what has been in the works for many months. As the lights dimmed and a pre-show montage of the graduating batch of Film Soc played, a hush fell over the audience, all eyes fixed on the screen as they awaited the first thesis film.

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Movie Reviews, Opinion, Raffles Reviews

Goodnight Mommy (2014): A Twisted Lullaby, Twice as Chilling
Reading Time: 3 minutes

By Jane Ng (25S03D)

This review was written in partnership with CinemaWorld.

Writing good horror is notoriously hard. So is filming it.

Especially so for Austrian directors of Goodnight Mommy (2014), Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala. They have big shoes to fill, left behind by the likes of fellow countrymen Michael Haneke and Ulrich Seidl (who happens to be Franz’ partner and Fiala’s uncle).

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Movie Reviews, Opinion, Raffles Reviews

“A Minecraft Movie” — A Blocky Adventure Worth the Ride
Reading Time: 4 minutes

By Tay Yu Ning (25S07A)

When the idea of a “Minecraft movie” was first announced, many were skeptical. How do you turn a sandbox game with no real plot into a compelling cinematic narrative? The answer, as it turns out, is this: you don’t try to make it perfect—you just make it fun.

Released on April 4, 2025, and directed by Jared Hess (a relatively unknown director perhaps best known for his 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite), A Minecraft Movie is not a critical darling, with a Rotten Tomatoes score hovering around 49% and a Metacritic average of 47. But that’s not the point. Because despite its narrative flaws, cheesy dialogue, and predictable arcs, A Minecraft Movie is a cinematic experience like no other—and that’s what makes it special.

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Movie Reviews, Opinion, Raffles Reviews

Temporaries (2023): A Tale Close to Home
Reading Time: 4 minutes

By Jane Ng (25S03D)

This review was written in partnership with CinemaWorld.

Richelieu, Temporaries’ (2023) alternative title for Canadian audiences, reflects the name of a city in Quebec. La Vallée-du-Richelieu, which doubled as both the film’s namesake and filming site, is a sprawling river valley plain, known for being home to great boating spots and several industrial hubs.  

For most of us, Richelieu is a far-away land (who’s even heard of it?) and understandably so, seeing as it’s approximately 14,628 km away from Singapore. As for the Central American employees who form the majority of the industrial workforce in Richelieu, it’s marginally better — their homes in Guatemala City or Mexico City are only about 5,000 km away from the manufacturing plants where they spend their days. Yet, home feels just as, if not more, distant. 

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