Transformers One

Transformers One; Surprisingly fun with some great vocal performances. Animation looked great and if you look past the sheer lunacy of this being an origin story (do Transformers grow up?), the jokes land well and the core story comes across with emotional resonance. More than meets the eye; B

Thor: Love and Thunder

Thor: Love and Thunder; Tries to tonally tie together parental grief, a rom com, Norse mythology & deity exploration into a MCU film, w/about as much success as one can expect. Cast is fully on board for fun, while Bale gives a master class in acting, in an entirely other film; B

Men in Black: International

Men in Black: International; Script and direction seriously fails the talent of the leads. Would love to watch Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth in anything but this disaster. Retains none of what made previous MIB films fun or visually interesting. Unfortunate misfire; D

Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame; Brilliantly displays why extraordinary actors were cast to play these roles. Emotional payoffs aplenty alongside the witty humour we’ve come to enjoy from the MCU. Lovingly crafted to close out character arcs 10 years in the making. Truly impressive; A

Avengers: Infinity War

Avengers: Infinity War; Hard to review what is essentially half a movie. Combines and situates characters from the Marvel Universe in interesting ways, while focusing mostly on the new baddie. Action aplenty but bereft ending ultimately unsatisfying; B+

Thor: Ragnarok

Thor: Ragnarok; Innate fun that seems removed from the Marvel Universe, a capsule of sci-fi fromage from the past packaged for our present sensibilities. Nice to see Indigenous actors in speaking roles; B+

Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters; A lot of lines fall flat, but sign me up for any future films w/these ladies. Invoking franchise's name was unnecessary; B

The Huntsman: Winter's War

The Huntsman: Winter's War; Another movie made for the production, set and costume designers. Beautiful to watch, little to invest in; B-

Avengers: Age of Ultron

The Avengers: Age of Ultron; Darker and less fun than one. Excellent character moments seek deeper emotional depths but make mood dour; A-

Thor: The Dark World

Thor: The Dark World; Marvel does it again w/great cast. Blend of fantasy & sci-fi strikes perfect balance of action, humour & gravitas; B+

The Cabin in the Woods

The Cabin in the Woods; Reality TV era update to the horror genre is a clever gift to fans. I wouldn't mind watching this each week. B+

Snow White & the Huntsman

Snow White & the Huntsman; Epic tale overreaches its 2 hours yet delivers high production value. Keeps a tone that pays off in long run; A-