The Children's Train

The Children’s Train; A sad film that conveys a sense that there’s a really good book as its source, while failing to fully realize the emotional heft that it no doubt holds in printed form. Instead, the well crafted film comes across cold, neglecting to imbue the story with palpable pathos; C+

A Real Pain

A Real Pain; Explores a very real nuanced dichotomy we experience in our day to day lives, which is heightened in our most life changing moments. Watching two adept actors represent the id and ego of navigating life’s challenges with varying degrees of satisfaction is fascinatingly well executed; B

Sinners

Sinners; A layered, intriguing take on a century old genre that owes much to the cinematic auteurs who inspired Coogler, while also being highly original, thoughtful and inspired. Stellar work by all involved in the filmmaking, for entertaining us foremost, yet offering deeper meaning to it all; A

The Last Detail

The Last Detail; An odd trio of navy men find themselves on the road together and make unlikely revelations about their lives and their country as a whole. With some comedic relief masking the underlying truths, the film manages to capture the disillusionment of its time via a buddy road movie; A-

Mufasa: The Lion King

Mufasa: The Lion King; Miranda has lost his golden touch, as the songs are cringe inducing. The animation is spectacular but the stylized nature of using photo realistic rendering for fantastical elements seems to clash with its own ambitions. The result is off putting both aurally and visually; C