The Bad Guys 2

The Bad Guys 2; Fun little film that utilizes its great voice cast to power the quirky characters through animated hi-jinx. Revisiting the group for a sequel roots it with built-in love and concern for the characters, raising the emotional stakes a bit more right off the bat. Well animated fun; B

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 Bad Guys

The Bad Guys; Amusing sight gags from the animators tickle the funny bone, while the premise, pacing and plot are less amusing. However, give me this exact same cast in a live action remake and it’d make a great film. Would rather see them all, than only hear them. Funny cast; C+

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-

Trolls World Tour

Trolls World Tour; Serviceable sequel doesn’t hit the heights of the original in terms of catchy hits & emotional stakes but offers plenty of fun new characters to the Troll cornucopia. Bloom is particularly excellent in the limited screen time she has. Harmless frivolous fun; B

Jojo Rabbit

Jojo Rabbit; Devastatingly funny. Feels like a Wes Anderson directed Monty Python film. Equal parts whimsical, stylistic and gallows humour. Cast is so good at playing the humour without sacrificing the horror of the situation. A real triumph of filmmaking. Sheer comic genius; A+

Seven Psychopaths

Seven Psychopaths; Cast makes indie cliche script a lot more fun to watch than it deserves. Actors deliver the right tone of humour/drama; B