Cruella

Cruella; Establishes a tone with its killer soundtrack, and a parade of fashion that’s unmatched. Most of the cast is excellent in their respective roles and the scenes are beautifully shot and designed. It seems like the Emmas are enjoying themselves more than the audience; B+

Hudson Hawk

Hudson Hawk; Silly caper seems to be 2 (or 3) movies happening simultaneously. One is an overblown action film, the other is a farcical sendup of Indiana Jones style quests, (the 3rd a wacky romcom). If you’re game, it may all work as a wild stew but may leave others puzzled; B-

The Warriors

The Warriors; More chasing and running than actual fighting in this cult film that offers up plenty of gangs that seem laughable in their choice of style and branding nowadays. Some fight scenes would have been awesome in its time but as a whole the film hasn’t aged well; B-

Chaos Walking

Chaos Walking; Liman makes inspired visual choices in his sci-fi filmmaking while managing the intriguing impact on humanity through the well cast actors. Takes getting used to but effectively conveys the premise despite the obvious direction of the story arc; B

Carrie

Carrie; Swings from being campy and overwrought to genuinely creepy. Moments of schlock, shock and ridiculous talk feels like a yo-yo between a seriously scary horror film and a laughable relic of 70s style movie making. Classic for all the wrong and right reasons; B-

Free Guy

Free Guy; Fun, exciting existential exercise set in a digital world that is fresh enough and when it is derivative it’s from the better sources of Spielberg, Nolan and the Wachowskis. Not groundbreaking but good fun with a little food for thought. Classic Reynolds humour; B+

Bad Words

Bad Words; Tricky tone is maintained throughout this depraved film which escapes audience scorn on the strength of the actors involved. Bateman’s sourness has emotional heft behind it, grounding the nastiness that bases the dark humour. Child actor Chand plays a great foil; B+

Westworld

Westworld; Classic sci-fi is full of intriguing ideas that fascinate even now more than ever. Despite the dated visuals of ancient computer graphics, there’s some excellent shots that remain creepy to this day. Like a good Twilight Zone episode that’s too close to our reality; A-

The Suicide Squad

The Suicide Squad; Knows how to effectively use each character & the stellar talent of the cast to the fullest. Over the top mayhem earns its R rating & offers plenty of laughs, shock and surprisingly powerful emotional moments. James Gunn‘s uninhibited talent is revelatory; A

Assassination Nation

Assassination Nation; A storytelling of Salem’s witch hunts for our modern age. Social commentary is reflected in a stylistically shot music video style in the vein of Natural Born Killers’ more silent moments. Loses some power in its sparse narrative form but is intriguing; C+