Michael Clayton

Michael Clayton; A dynamite virtuoso acting class from the entire cast. A grown up film with moral and personal dilemmas guiding character’s choices and motives. Excellent script will keep you interested right up to the ending shot; A-

Doctor Sleep

Doctor Sleep; A sequel that deviates from an average Hollywood rehash, as it revisits characters & elements from original w/a lot of love & respect in its craft. McGregor is great & the story offers enough original angles while satisfying those wanting Kubrick film callbacks; B

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm; A full display of comedy in all its forms cements Baron Cohen as an expert of satire, improvisational genius, & extreme character builder, never breaking concentration. With more heart than the 1st, but a little less surprise, this sequel satisfies; A-

Blackpink: Light Up the Sky

Blackpink: Light Up the Sky; Peels back the curtain of the often faceless, pop machine known as K-pop to give us a glimpse into the really fascinating histories & personalities of each group member. Interesting for a non-fan to learn what the appeal is & the work put into it; B-

Over the Moon

Over the Moon; A fun glimpse into a traditional Chinese tale and family environment. The voice acting is strong and the animation excellent for a nascent animation studio. Nice blend of family and fantasy along with some oddly inserted but well crafted musical numbers; B

Blood Simple

Blood Simple; Taut thriller makes the most of a modest budget to entertain by way of a suspenseful script, talented thespians and impactful shot selection. The mood is carried far through cinematography and score, engrossing and delighting at every turn of the story; B+

Whiplash

Whiplash; An exceptionally powerful film feat. performances for the ages. Direction & editing of music scenes bring music alive to our eyes complementing what it brings to our ears. Actors offer us the devastating impact that music has on the hearts and minds of the dedicated; A

The Witches

The Witches; Fantastic grotesque makeup applied on top of Angelica Houston’s fabulous performance of Roald Dahl’s high witch makes for a delightful, frightful family film. Keeps the macabre aspect of the source material intact and allows for menacing thrills at a fun level; B

Downhill

Downhill; A fitting name for a film that seems promising at first by casting the dream team of Louis-Dreyfus and Ferrell, only to squander their comedic AND dramatic capabilities with a D.O.A. script of two characters unworthy of our empathy or attention. Completely unlikable; D

Moonstruck

Moonstruck; Silly love story that thrives on the deft turns of the cast. Cher, Cage and crew play the laughs, the drama and the absurd with equal brilliance, crafting an enjoyable farce about an Italian family turned inside out by struggles with love. A goofy delight; B+

Life of Pi

Life of Pi; Fabulous combination of film elements combine to create a fantastic adaptation of an unfilmable novel. Visuals are stunning, combined w/the score, cinematography & F/X, the story's religious allegory & exploration of storytelling unfolds beautifully before us; A-

Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.

Matangi/Maya/M.I.A; Insane amount of personal footage paints a portrait of an artist who seemed to know her talent before the rest of us. Fascinating reflection on the influence & impact of events that shape an artist. Goes to unexpected places, much like M.I.A’s music itself; B
 

Secret Society of Second Born Royals

Secret Society of Second Born-Royals; Surprisingly enjoyable twist on the franchise films found in the marketplace. Likeable cast is compelling enough to rise above Disney Channel budget level F/X & story beats. Sequel setup is welcome for young fans awaiting more instalments; B-

Save the Tiger

 Save the Tiger; Meditation on a man affected by war & what it does to his everyday work & personal interactions. Lemmon gives a power performance, finding many notes both small & grand to paint this portrait. Reflections on morality may speak to some people but miss others; B+

Enola Holmes

Enola Holmes; MBB has oodles of charm playing a character from a family line that’s captivated us in many iterations. Her expressive face breaks the fourth wall w/frivolous fun. Writing is witty but clues hold little mystery, not on a Sherlockian level. Bring on the sequels!; B+

The One and Only Ivan

The One and Only Ivan; Impeccable digital rendering of animals shows no expense was spared, but the F/X animation doesn’t have a story worthy of it. Voice cast is excellent and bring their best to what is a simple, true (??) story that seems to be more fantasy than fact; B-

Days of Heaven

Days of Heaven; Simple story propped up by roaming camera lovingly capturing the beauty of the surroundings. Tension builds as the proposed con reaches a point of no return but the meandering narration is more interested in poetic form than plot revelations. Sweet and simple; B+
 

Rain Man

Rain Man; Dynamic performances from Cruise and Hoffman highlight a film about family bonds and understanding autism. Though some aspects have become more noticeably stereotypical and less nuanced, the heart residing in the acting remains. Definitely a classic film. Definitely; A-

Papillon

Papillon; Grand filmmaking lends itself to the epic exploits of the title character’s penchant for jail breaks. Hoffman imbues his role with delicate humour and McQueen gives an action star turn for the ages. Very captivating film that doesn’t feel as long as its run time; A

Waitress

Waitress; Cast elevates what could be just a simple, good film into a more memorable one. Finds the heart & humour in an otherwise tragic story while at the same time finding subtle notes within the melodramatic plot lines. Worth the time invested; B