X2

X2; Sequel knows key to X-Men success lies in Wolverine, and maintains focus on him and his backstory, while offering up some new mutants that explode off the screen. Some excellent set pieces and character combinations make for poignant dialogue exchanges filled w/allegory. Storm still sucks; B+

X-Men

X-Men; Great start to the film series, giving us a sense of the characters and their motivations, while keeping the moral allegories intact and underlying throughout. Centres on Wolverine, which is understandable given he’s always been the most popular mutant and Jackman doesn’t disappoint; B+

Slap Shot

Slap Shot; A relic of a bygone era that oddly has echoes of influence in our time. Sexism, homophobia, and rampant misogyny aside, the film certainly informed future comedies like Anchorman and Dodgeball. Difficulty distinguishing what’s parody and what’s sincere makes it a fascinating watch; B-

Jurassic World Dominion

Jurassic World Dominion; Return to form for the franchise, delivering a greatest hits of the typical thrills of dinosaur inflicted peril. Howard continues to be a drag on the series, while the rest are admirably recreating the guilty delight for what should be the final time. Suitable diversion; B-

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare; Tells a fascinating true story of intense action derived from grim circumstances but fails to capture the momentous stakes by never quite presenting the key players as anything less than an invulnerable super squad. Entertaining but emotionally stunted; B
 

Deadpool & Wolverine

Deadpool & Wolverine; Fan service in a good way, delivering all the expectations plus many surprises. The fights are gratuitous, the cheeky asides hilarious and the meta moments glorious. A bromance for the ages that strangely maintains superhero cliches it simultaneously subverts. Great pairing; A-

The Holdovers

The Holdovers; Aesthetically breathing like a film made in the time it is set, from its production design, cinematography & pacing to its writing, acting & directing. The characters and their symbiotic interactions delight in their struggle for growth and self actualization. Solid holiday fare; A-

Kung Fu Panda 4

Kung Fu Panda 4; The fight scenes continue to be amazingly fun to watch & the characters will always have appeal to them, but the story itself has played out & sequels at this point seem unnecessary. New additions are fine but don’t quite have the magic of the first three films. Let the panda be; B
 

Drive-Away Dolls

Drive-Away Dolls; Salaciously subversive & bitingly satirical in a way only a Coen could craft. Cameos are fun but its leading ladies’ spirited performances that add heart amongst hilarity. Comic buffoonery, surprise gaffs, all in a rapturous road movie buddy film that plays & smashes tropes; B+

A Haunting in Venice

A Haunting in Venice; Creepy use of classic Venice setting plus a game cast makes for a great mix of sleuth and spooks. Dutch angles aplenty and some wicked lenses add to the atmosphere while highlighting the haunting history and beauty of the surroundings. A touch of humour rounds it out nicely; B

Descendants: The Rise of Red

Descendants: The Rise of Red; The played out concept can’t get off the ground despite what appears to be a decent new crop of talented & likeable AKs & VKs. Even the brief return of China Anne McClain as Uma isn’t enough to raise this up to the middle pack of Disney Channel level entertainment; C-

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F; With the synth soundtrack intact and the cast all back, the retro feel is fully realized, especially from the zillion car destruction opening. However, this one could stand on its own without the flashback and throwbacks, as Eddie and JoGo and Paige make for a fun trio; B

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?; A marvel of hybrid live action and animation on its initial release, it still delights in the marrying of two worlds. The characters are fantastical and the cameos are delightful. Yet the core of the film, the murder mystery whodunnit, raises it above gimmick status; A-

Despicable Me 4

Despicable Me 4; Comedic voice cast given little to do besides playing 2nd fiddle to slapstick shenanigans of minions, who still land laughs. Story shows how the studio doesn’t know what to do w/Gru anymore, while side characters are an even greater afterthought. A solid, safe summer diversion; C+

The Haunted Mansion

The Haunted Mansion; A bit of Frighteners level scares that are creepy but balanced off for family fare through Murphy’s comic presence. Some fun scenes for parks fans plus some great practical effects and makeup for the ghouls. Stamp is a perfect casting choice to convey the concocted story; B-

Ultraman: Rising

Ultraman: Rising; Takes story beats we’ve seen before on a trajectory that’s somewhat predictable but has enough of its own flavour & design that it is enjoyable to watch, partly on account of the exquisite animation. For family fare, it’s definitely serviceable and worth the time spent for most; B-
 

I Saw the TV Glow

I Saw the TV Glow; Bizarre, off kilter allegory that will confuse and confound some, while speaking truth to others. Solid performances that don’t play to one note characters but rather nuanced complexity. A tale that uses the trappings of a past time to illustrate a very current feeling for some; B

Inside Out 2

Inside Out 2; Presents a deeper story on account of its more fully realized and previously established roots, similar to the way Frozen 2 expanded into darker, more mature themes. Voice cast continues to blend beautifully while the depiction of abstract intangibles provides a gamut of emotions; A

Love Lies Bleeding

Love Lies Bleeding; Time capsule of an 80s noir that feels like it was truly shot in that era and not just recreated. Leads play to the slummy lows the script provides with brave confidence. Raw, sexy, violent and sad with a bit of the bizarre to boot; B

Godzilla Minus One

Godzilla Minus One; Full disclosure. Watched this in the dubbed version because reasons. It is ridiculously serious while coming across laughably silly. Anticlimactic, telegraphed and syrupy melodramatic, the fervent appreciation for this film is a complete head scratcher. Give me a rubber suit; C
 

I.S.S.

I.S.S.; The Among Us susness premise is not overly drawn out, and the key pieces and relationships are quickly established enough for us to believe in the individual character motivations and to care about these people in space orbit. Nicely paced bit of creepiness and tension on a budget; B
 

Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero

Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero; Nicely ping pongs btwn his real life family & behind the scenes moments & stage performances that reveal how each element relates/ties into songs’ content or themes. Nicely spotlights tour’s supporting team of artists while still focusing on the burgeoning musician; B+

Bodies Bodies Bodies

Bodies Bodies Bodies; Enticing cast goes overboard in increasingly ridiculous ways which makes me wonder what was in those drugs they did. Playing werewolf at a party is interesting but the face slapping is a questionable choice. Mood & energy over actual intrigue & suspense. Ludicrous yet fun; B-

Problemista

Problemista; A hilarious yet sad story that reflects and exposes the dichotomy of privilege by birth right versus the immigrant experience and all the injustices that entails. Swinton in a maddeningly Anna Wintour from literal hell turn, the sweetness of Torres counterbalances her wonderfully; A-

Batman Begins

Batman Begins; An origin that leans heavily into the comics & the psychological aspects of the Batman mythos. Plays characters and world as if it were real, grounding it in what would most logically replicate the fiction in reality. Cleverly uses two rogues new to the films to serve Wayne’s story; A

Argylle

Argylle; Give in to absurdity of this premise & enjoy the ride. Ignore the horrible casting of Howard & relish in Rockwell & rest of cast executing this work to a level Vaughn is envisioning. Hilarious, preposterous & fully in on the joke, by the time the skating happens, you’re either in or out; B

The SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage!

The SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage; Apart from sheer joy in the lunatic absurd show/songs, this filmed Broadway musical is a let down, as cuts to great songs & moments are made to fit a runtime instead of highlighting the best bits fully. Poorly shot on a budget does not do justice to the show; B-

Sherlock Jr.

Sherlock Jr.; Visionary, exploratory filmmaking w/romantic plot at its core, there’s something for everyone to enjoy & thrill at in this feature. From the brilliant dreamlike “entering the movies” conceit to high stakes parlour tricks that seem like magic, Keaton threads it all to amazing effect; A+

One Week

One Week; Filled w/physical stunts & sight gags galore, the dynamic between the two leads & the quickly established villain is exploited w/great comic effect. The genius of Keaton is all on display here early in his career, w/4th wall breaking and many more audience expectation smashing tricks; A+

Aespa World Tour in Cinemas

Aespa World Tour in Cinemas; The allure of K-Pop lies in tight choreography paired w/driving beats & vocal gymnastics across slightly uniquely tailored personalities. Aespa is no exception, clearly fleshing out each individual performer through brief vignettes between bops. Well done, great fun; B+

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver; Snyder knows how to visually construct worlds & stage elaborate action sequences. The attempts to make main characters likeable and more than just cool assassins is less successful. Undeniable artistry happening across departments in service to a tired story; B+

Monkey Man

Monkey Man; A more brutal John Wick (if that’s possible) revenge style action film. The fights hit hard while the emotional through-line gives it added oomph with each blow the Monkey Man dishes out and takes in. The scenes simply refuse to cut away at the points where one wants to look away; A-
 

The Great Mouse Detective

The Great Mouse Detective; Short, sinister and slightly surreal. Taking Sherlock Holmes into mouse mode with high stakes and high adventure is a bold choice for the House of Mickey Mouse. It pays off, as a dark tale surprisingly capped off by a slick soundtrack and silly little lines; B
 

Cars 2

Cars 2; Setting the Cars characters in a James Bond/M:I spy genre is an inspired choice. Too bad Mater’s stupid schtick is the driving force of the film, as his annoying dumbness is infuriating to watch. Some good jokes, some great animation but the clueless guy mistaken for suave spy falls flat; C+

An Extremely Goofy Movie

An Extremely Goofy Movie; Feels like Rodney Dangerfield’s Back to School with more heart and animated angst borne out of father/son anxiety and weirdness. It’s crazy how straight to DVD era Disney gave us this lower quality tier silliness compared to the ambitious feature films of the 2010s; C
 

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar; Russian doll story within a story within a story climbing back out of itself is expertly performed by a most exquisite cast. Dahl’s clever and fun prose is hard to transfer to the screen but the way Anderson uses sets and framing to unfold it all is perfection; A
 

The Rat Catcher

The Rat Catcher; The stylistic choice to keep the original short story narrative almost spoken word performed by a sparse talented cast, in what feels like an improv game played to wild perfection, comes across as insane genius. Pairing Dahl’s darker work w/Anderson’s aesthetic is fantastic; A-

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom; This was truly bonkers, which seems to be the only way to make an Aquaman movie. Gotta love Mamoa going for it, knowing how goofy it all is on the page, and having a great time with the lamest character. It’s astounding we got two of these given how silly it is; C

The American Society of Magical Negroes

The American Society of Magical Negroes; The balancing act btwn cutting satire & conventional, accessible rom com doesn’t quite come off throughout each scene but the leads are adept at both. If only direction/script succeeded to a better degree. Worth a watch for the deeper discussion to follow; B
 

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour; Overly ambitious in scope & length, it’s made for true Swifties, who will respect the breadth of catalog & style changes w/each era, along w/ the quality of concert capture. But the lack of any extras, insight or BTS makes it all seem very one note for casual viewers; B-

This Is Me...Now

This Is Me…Now; Lopez has been equally fascinating & frustratingly cheesy throughout her career, displaying glimpses of extraordinary talent & work ethic alongside questionable choices. This extended long form album/music video has the same highs & lows. Cameos are super fun, rest not so much; C+

Bob Marley: One Love

Bob Marley: One Love; Does an excellent job of capturing what the singer meant to his family, friends, fans & his people. Follows biopic trend of focusing on a particular era rather than his whole life story, centred on the music. Ben-Adir & Lynch are equally phenomenal in their portrayals; A-

Dune: Part Two

Dune: Part Two; Every aspect of the craft of filmmaking is exquisitely done by each department, distracting from the relatively boring story. One would (and very well still could) fall asleep if it weren’t so spectacular to look at and listen to. An insanely talented cast adds to the ruse; B+

Killers of the Flower Moon

Killers of the Flower Moon; A real slow burn of seedy, detestable characters subtly played expertly by an astounding cast. Despite its long runtime, Robertson’s score keeps the pace moving towards its tragic conclusion. Scorsese’s been a truth teller all his career, this story may be the ugliest; A-

Poor Things

Poor Things; Wild production design + eccentric performances establish a framework for the bizarre story of Bella Baxter on a feminist awakening from woman child to expressing agency in her own affairs. The film has to be seen to be believed, and not for audiences who are adverse to the perverse; A-

Damsel

Damsel; Not exactly what it seems, yet every bit as predictable as a fairytale. Heightened by big budget effects and the powerful acting of agony by MBB, the realistic take on fantasy content is a bit jarring, unsettling but hard to turn away from. The story is simple yet strongly executed; B-

Lisa Frankenstein

Lisa Frankenstein; Wears its influences proudly while venturing into some dark territory that doesn’t quite measure up to the films it references. Tonal shifts are insane, but deftly played by the talented leads, notably Newton and Soberano. Twisted, comically demented nostalgia for today’s teens; B

The Marvels

The Marvels; Super appealing trio are given little to work with, up against an uninteresting villain whose plans are neither memorable nor engaging. I’d rather watch the three go to lunch w/Nick Fury and talk about comics. Some cool use of light powers in fight scenes but feels too lightweight; B-

The Boy and the Heron

The Boy and the Heron; These films are not for me. They look beautiful and the characters are insane but the way the story goes in fits and starts, annoys me more than it appeals to me. The randomness and fantasy side quests and diversions simply don’t add up in a cohesive way that’s satisfying; C+
 

Mean Girls

Mean Girls: Eschews comedic beats for more emotional ones. None of new cast disappoints while also reaffirming how great original cast was. Cravalho excels along w/Spivey. Changes don’t seem to add much while omissions from stage are sadly missed. Odd choices head scratching but still enjoyable; B