Death of a Unicorn

Death of a Unicorn; A wild premise thinly executed, quickly veers into horror when greater themes and angles could be explored. Still, the ensemble is incredible and play off each other fantastically well. A trailer that intrigues but ends up half baked, with some great moments, lines and sights; B

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem; Fresh animation and youthful voice cast breathes new life into these fun heroes from the 80s. The story stays fairly simple and keeps the quips and kicks coming fast, with a sprinkle of lessons learned alongside real life allegories; B

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania; Wild, otherworldly visuals and a stellar cast attempt to overcome the MCU trappings of never ending, never starting, everlasting storyline. Fun, silly spectacle suffers from comic book conveniences & delayed back story yet still entertains; B+

 

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Ghostbusters: Afterlife; Better when spooky than comedic, w/its teenage quartet in place of 4 men/women. Dynamic works well, but 3rd act seems stitched together w/much left on cutting room floor. Grace & Rudd are especially enjoyable, fresh aspects fare better than nostalgia; B

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

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Ant-Man and the Wasp; Thrills big and small. Heart and humour. Replays the hits from the first film with a few new visuals. Always uses the talents of the cast so well. Relationships believable and what makes the subject matter so enjoyable; A-

Captain America: Civil War

Captain America: Civil War; Great cast delivers note perfect beats in their limited on screen moments. Earns its punch up moments; A

The Little Prince

The Little Prince; Paper animation is on point but third act adds unnecessary action detour. Still a sweet retelling of the classic text; A-

Ant-Man

Ant-Man; Small scale heist film feels like pre-Marvel superhero tales. Focused, family driven, funny. Truly Douglas' film in his gravitas; A-

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues; not as funny as the first, yet need for emotional grounding takes it to weird places. Strangely funny; B+

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower; Sweet portrayal of the heart wrenching highs and lows of adolescence. Poignantly beautiful and honest; A-

This is 40

This is 40; Typical Apatow, funny, profane, yet anti-climatic. Leads are hilarious and realistic but the (director's) kids are annoying; B

Clueless

Directed by:  Amy Heckerling
Starring:  Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Paul Rudd
Running Time:  1h 37min

Heckerling gets everything right in this hilarious reworking of Jane Austen's Emma.  The casting is perfect, in all aspects.  The acting is thus perfect.  The dialogue is delivered perfectly and the pacing is just brilliant and refreshing.  Not in the MTV quick cutting style that Disney has tried to create recently.  It just goes to show you what good can happen when a creative force like Heckerling gets a fair amount of control.  On the other hand, poor Silverstone's character can't seem to get anything right in her attempts to fix all her friends' lives.  She is perfect for this role, and may have a lot of difficulty trying to shake off the image that has come with it.  With her talent it shouldn't be a problem.  Instead of watching the show, buy this.

Grade: A-