Play It Again, Sam

Play It Again, Sam; A tale of two reactions. One, an appreciation for the clever turn of phrase inherent in the comedic writing. The other, a disgust for overblown pathetic attempts at physical comedy by the repulsive Allen, along with some jokes that have not aged well, thankfully. Skippable; D+

KPop Demon Hunters

KPop Demon Hunters; Sony Animation does it again, imbuing a culture’s core elements into every frame. It captures the joy and excitement of KPop through its characters and design, while opening it up to everyone to enthral in the dynamic songs and illustrations. It’s infectiously fun; A-

One Battle After Another

One Battle After Another; Kinetic, thrilling action has never looked so good. Penn embodies his character with tremendous physical work, while Leo’s portrayal is a scrambled mind written all over his face. Del Toro, Taylor, Hall and Infiniti elevate it all. A rare combination of an auteur action; A

Roofman

Roofman; Ripped from real life robber romance that would be difficult to believe if it weren’t true. Having Channing Tatum portray the charming criminal certainly doesn’t hurt the story & becoming emotionally invested. Not a happy tale, but an interesting one to watch unfold via a stacked cast; B+

A Very Jonas Christmas Movie

A Very Jonas Christmas Movie; It’s hard to not enjoy the JoJo Bros. when they know they’re the joke. Their fame, music, family is all up for spoofs in what they clearly know is a ridiculous movie to be making. Cinema, this is definitely not, but a silly little passage of time around the holidays; B-

Wake Up Dead Man

Wake Up Dead Man; 3rd instalment delivers on everything expected; intriguing mystery, clever dialogue handled by exceptional actors, levity that hits in the film & as commentary on our real world. Changes of setting + characters makes this an evergreen delight, a fresh energy to a solid formula; A

The Seed of the Sacred Fig

The Seed of the Sacred Fig; Though it feels like little happening, first half sinks into your psyche so that by the time it gets out of hand, you’re invested. Some motivations remain unclear, but the reality conveyed by the cast make it an intense experience. Long run time passes by w/o notice; A-

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair; 1st time viewing this format, elicits a different response. Original split worked as two clear tonal differences btwn films felt pronounced. Viewed as one, the climactic scene of Vol. 1 loses some juice, as the Bride still has more to avenge in the same film; A+
 

Zootopia 2

Zootopia 2; Surprise of the first film’s cleverness no longer a factor, the sequel explores the characters deeper and introduces some fun new ones, to a little less effect. Still solid voice cast performances fuel the momentum and story wraps up rather tidy with conflicts easily overcome; B+

Being Eddie

Being Eddie; A rather pedestrian run through of Murphy’s greatest hits (and a few misses) is an enjoyable watch, more so for the joy of revisiting hilarious moments of his stellar career, rather than any revelatory takes on his life’s work. A sanctioned retrospective that’s more quaint than raw; B

Ka Whawhai Tonu (In the Fire of War)

Ka Whawhai Tonu; An epic tale that allows audiences to enter via the perspective of young children, surviving through the onslaught of colonial violence. The backdrop may be huge, but the characters are real and personal, giving the battle action a grounded dramatic realism. Well crafted film; A-

Kōkā

Kōkā; A relentlessly sad story that manages to uplift in the moments of shared struggle between the unlikely pairing thrust together by dire circumstances. The odd dynamic can be cringe to watch in the most manic moments, but there’s a beauty to the lives lived in common spiritual understanding; B+

Wicked: For Good

Wicked: For Good; Similar to its source material, this 2nd act fails to enthral like the 1st, despite continued inspiring musical performances. The direction seems less interested in giving us spectacle & grandeur, opting for dark close ups & gloomy two shots. It feels like the magic fizzled out; B-

Under the Sea 3D

Under the Sea 3D; An entire world comes alive right in front of our faces, giving sights unseen from the ocean floor, depth & beauty instilling vast wonderment. Even w/comedic narration by Jim Carrey and an environmental message, it never loses focus that the ocean’s majesty is a sight to behold; A

Becoming Led Zeppelin

Becoming Led Zeppelin; There’s not much insight shared about the evolution of Zeppelin, as the film fails to convey the magic of its legendary riffs. It comes off pedestrianly ordinary, for music that moves like no other. The film wraps up way ahead of what we want to hear, hoping for a follow up; B-

Little Shop of Horrors

Little Shop of Horrors; An insane amount of talent combine to lovingly craft a fitting version of a bizarre off-Broadway B-movie love story. Oz at the helm, enlisting the genius duo of Ashman & Menken, stuffing comedic greats in bit roles doesn’t diminish the sweet tale of two lovers. Cult gold; B+

Death of a Unicorn

Death of a Unicorn; A wild premise thinly executed, quickly veers into horror when greater themes and angles could be explored. Still, the ensemble is incredible and play off each other fantastically well. A trailer that intrigues but ends up half baked, with some great moments, lines and sights; B

Memento

Memento; A mind shifting experience for the audience, put in the conceit the main character lives through, readjusting our readings of scenes every 5 minutes. The extremely talented cast sell the film noir roots, acting seedy while sewing uncertainty of their true intentions. Brilliant editing; A+

Frankenstein

Frankenstein; An absolutely gorgeous rendering of the classic tale. One of those rare films where every single shot is a frame worthy capture of glorious production & camera execution. Bolstered by an exquisite score and powerful performances, this film is a juggernaut, albeit sweet in its themes; A

The Commitments

The Commitments; A solid romp that revolves around the moments lived by these disparate characters thrown together, driven to deliver the great music of what became an iconic soundtrack. Thoroughly enjoyable, yet mildly depressing, as the music uplifts the sad train wreck of the lives on display; B+

Jurassic World: Rebirth

Jurassic World: Rebirth; Like Jaws, essentially B-movies done well, this instalment of Dinosaurs come to dinner can’t decide between family or scientists in peril, so does both. Uses water danger to a greater degree. Still doesn’t have much to offer beyond the original. Solid, standard frights; B-

Mario

Mario; Viewing this in its horrible English language dub makes it seem like Mario’s Elijah Wood lookalike brother Simon is a crazy, deranged person with fantasies in his head. The scenery is nice but the scenes are oddly cut and amount to one bizarre moment after another. Strange heap of garbage; D

All the President's Men

All the President’s Men; Seems almost tame and quaint by today’s standards but thrills through the use of dynamic framing, stellar acting and stark realism. A lot of type and talk manages to maintain momentum by the mesmerizing star power of Hoffman and Redford and great costars. A true classic; A-
 

A River Runs Through It

A River Runs Through It; Quiet, albeit boring meditation on life, family, growth, and its parallels to fly fishing & fighting against or flowing w/(one’s) nature. Spectacular scenery and nature vistas lovingly captured, give cinematic treatment to a book that seems mostly better read than viewed; C

Jaws

Jaws; Excellent filmmaking pairs w/fantastic character acting to elevate what is a thread bare B-movie plot. Brass orchestration strikes more fear and suspense than a giant rubber prop with teeth, resulting in some clever shots and spooky jump scares. The humour peppered throughout lands nicely; A-
 

The 400 Blows

The 400 Blows; Kinetic filmmaking captures misguided youth and an energy of Paris in beautiful black and white. The young lead captivates from his first transgression, winning over the audience as his life’s influences and disappointments come clearer. Moments will stick in your mind forever; A

Highest 2 Lowest

Highest 2 Lowest; Another tight wire act by Spike & Denzel, serving up an amazing performance in a stylishly tense morality play. The shots of New York in newly minted opulent or more worn down locales are stunning and parallel the film’s themes. Confounding at times, but ultimately entertaining; B

Blue Valentine

Blue Valentine; Falling in love with Ryan Gosling isn’t that hard but seeing him and Williams fall out of love is heart wrenchingly powerfully expressed in this intimate, realistic pastiche of life. Intercutting across moments of time lends intrigue to the amazing performances. A true hidden gem; A-
 

My Beautiful Laundrette

My Beautiful Laundrette; Raw glimpse into Thatcher era immigrant experience along w/what would have been at the time, groundbreaking gay representation. Seeing a young Daniel Day Lewis displaying undeniable screen presence is a bit jolting, as the tone & execution shifts wildly, yet effectively; B+

Sign 'o' the Times

Prince: Sign ‘o’ the Times; Goofy attempts to string barely a narrative across stellar live performances looks and sounds phenomenal in IMAX close to 40 years later. A clear reminder of the powerfully dynamic troupe of musicians Prince spotlighted alongside him while delivering iconic rock shows; A
 

The Cameraman

The Cameraman; Another classic from Buster Keaton, showcasing his skills thoroughly with gags galore and hard hitting emotional beats. Starts off as a rom com and ramps up the stunts, surprises and thrills as it progresses. Scenes point directly towards inspiringTom Cruise, Rowan Atkinson & more; A+
 

The Bad Guys 2

The Bad Guys 2; Fun little film that utilizes its great voice cast to power the quirky characters through animated hi-jinx. Revisiting the group for a sequel roots it with built-in love and concern for the characters, raising the emotional stakes a bit more right off the bat. Well animated fun; B

The Naked Gun

The Naked Gun; Does a great job mirroring the tone & gags of the OG series, but doesn’t quite feel as laugh per minute as the originals. Neeson & Anderson work well as leads, playing it straight amongst insanity. Some crazy stretches pay off for big laughs. Nice to have this comedy style revived; B

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events; Stellar production work brings the first three books alive in a delightfully sinister fashion. Carrey wickedly embodies the Olaf character and his various disguises. The orphan trio are game to go head to head w/Carrey, fabulously spot on casting; A

Happy Gilmore 2

Happy Gilmore 2; Light on laughs, relying on nostalgic moments & golfer cameos to elicit a reaction. It seems designed to provide the Sandler family w/acting experience (they’re actually not bad) and give his pals some funny moments. The return of Shooter is wildly over the top, as it should be; C-

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

The Fantastic Four: First Steps; Exquisite production design paints a fabulous world, more idealistic than any Earth we’ve known, situating the FF family in a story centred on their relationships. This allows the great cast’s acting to provide the explosiveness more so than the superhero action; A-
 

BLACKPINK: The Movie

BLACKPINK: The Movie; A Covid lockdown era gift to fans while the world slowed, this time capsule documentary celebrating 5 years is enjoyable despite it seemingly thrown together in haste. The four superstars each get their moment to shine, while remaining spectacular as a group. For fans only; B

Clue

Clue; A classic that hits great today, because its comedy is rooted in the timelessness of witty writing, broad slapstick physical comedy, and a perfectly balanced tone between hijinks and murder mystery. The cast is a murderer’s row of comedy greats, led by an energetic charismatic Curry; A+

Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 4: Dawn of the Vampires

Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 4: Dawn of the Vampires; Why make original films when Disney can trot out more tropes to give very talented performers a platform safe in franchise security? Milo & Meg will 4ever be the best duo, so having them hand off the reins is hard 2 knock. Unnecessary yet slightly enjoyable; C+

Superman

Superman; Exquisite casting of major roles creates a Superman story driven by character and defining attributes. Side characters serve the story well bringing levity and pathos. Hoult’s Luthor is sinisterly ripped from the headlines as the film tackles world issues in the kindest way imaginable; A-

Elio

Elio; Seemingly less ambitious than Pixar’s previous films, while still striving to push animation into realms only existing in our imagination. Story is sweet and possibly tear inducing, with an affirming message but lacks the start to finish quality that classic Pixar films had in its prime; B+

A Minecraft Movie

A Minecraft Movie; Battles between a banal attempt to craft a comprehensible story out of nonsense and Jack Black and Jason Mamoa rollicking along in a bromantic fantasy. The absurdity teeters from sheer boredom to incredulous eye gouging visuals. None of it really works but what could we expect?; D

How To Train Your Dragon

How to Train Your Dragon; Impeccable casting allows this remake to succeed when it had no business being as good as its source material. Somehow the blending of really scary looking dragons + the characters being cute & goofy in the face of death works on a different level. A great companion film; A

Ballerina

Ballerina; Ana DeArmas works wonderfully in the world of John Wick. She has always had an ability to kick ass while looking artistically beautiful. Her savage mission takes us through a series of gloriously staged, spectacular action scenes, culminating in a fireball of violent destruction; A
 

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning; Serves up 2x tense stunt sequences, w/a greater emphasis on dramatic high stakes w/somber reverence for the series/characters as a whole. It’s great entertainment, but main stunts are so far removed from what we will experience, thrill is more detached; A-
 

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre; A Wild Journey taken by a trio of men who differ greatly in how they handle desperate times and moments of crisis. Bogart’s character is so very frustrating to stomach, a testament to his over dramatic turn butting up against his stellar costars. Great adventure; A-
 

Casablanca

Casablanca; Classics become one on account of their individual elements excelling on all fronts. This film has the writing, acting, directing, mise-en-scène, and music to last a lifetime. With quotable moments and a stark, ominous setting, it’s one for the ages; A

The Maltese Falcon

The Maltese Falcon; A fast talking detective noir that doesn’t pull punches. The cast of characters spout dialogue like a radio play, snapping the plot along at a steady pace. Some parts seem silly to modern standards, but the entertainment value has endured nicely. Effie steals her scenes; A-

Captain America: Brave New World

Captain America: Brave New World; Has the opportunity to cover new ground but seems to rehash old themes and topics. Film feels like a sad victim to real life circumstances overshadowing the release and timing of this movie. At least it finally acknowledges the events of Eternals. VFX seem off; B-

Fear Street: Prom Queen

Fear Street: Prom Queen; Completely 80s style horror w/few knowing winks or attempts at meta commentary. In many ways, it feels very much like it could have come out in the 80s, for better or for worse. Straight up 80s horror w/o any clever storytelling like the Fear Street films preceding it; C+