The Prom

The Prom; Technicolour transfer of stage musical seems hand picked for Murphy’s Glee pedigree. A-list cast + musical veterans excel and revel in their roles, while pushing the focus of the film’s LGBTQ2 couple off screen to a degree. Still, loads of fun numbers for everyone; B+

Annie Hall

Annie Hall; Allen’s direction and writing overshadow his acting, as clever antics in both form and pathos combine to create an all-time classic. Keaton is absolutely adorable, fashionable and funny and way out of Allen’s league. A love story for love lost and not learned; A

Godmothered

Godmothered; A fun family film in the vein of Enchanted, w/o the same level of budget or film craft behind it. Leads are funny & well worth watching, while story beats are obvious but nicely played out. Seems to be level of standard for Disney+ market, mildly entertaining; B-

Mulan

Mulan; Huge misfire. Deciding to drop the music & creatures yet failing to replace them w/any added fantasy, drama or humour is a huge head scratcher. Grand action scenes still seem underwhelming and the fighting moves of Mulan get repetitive in form and style. Disappointing; C-

Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions

Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions; A gathering of a trio of musicians that has none of the excitement of It Might Get Loud but rather a smothering, gentle tone throughout like a weighted blanket. Interesting at first, but the lack of any spark quickly becomes monotonous; C+

Shawn Mendes: In Wonder

Shawn Mendes: In Wonder; A fun behind the scenes of Mendes’ journey to making his latest album that can’t help but feel like feature length advance publicity. Despite his young age, the footage is surprisingly poor quality but the access given to his personal life is a wonder; B

Diner

Diner; Masculine camaraderie (and toxicity) drives this Swingers precursor filled with improvised dialogue and a very talented cast of once unknowns. However, the charm has warn off and it doesn’t hold up to modern viewing. Entertaining but not all that enlightening; B-

Falling Down

Falling Down; An aggressive performance by Douglas makes this racist’s wet dream of a film watchable, even though it would be much more interesting to follow storylines of all the characters he comes across than the sad anti-hero protagonist he plays. Hasn’t aged very well; B-

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

Seven Chances

Seven Chances; A giant chase sequence prefaced by smaller, simple gender role jokes. Keaton is superb in his deadpan way and takes the premise as far as it can go given the contrived setup. The stunts in the final sequence hint at the feats to come from the silent film genius; A- 

Don't Look Now

Don’t Look Now; Creepy film w/clever editing & Venice location shooting creating an air of despair & trepidation. Acting leads play their relationship well, as they live, love & suffer through exploits tragic & mysterious. A thriller that uses film techniques to great effect; B+   

Magic Camp

Magic Camp; School of Rock style film for magic that doesn’t have same quality of direction or cast. Despite this, it has some touching qualities & respects skill of magic. Bounces from telegraphed schmaltz to very funny quips. Hard to fully embrace but has redeemable moments; B-

Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe

Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe; Everything we’ve come to expect from this fabulous show. Puts some interesting pairings together and some good songs. Doesn’t reach the heights of the series’ best moments or the previous film but it’s a welcome return; B

Brewster's Millions

Brewster’s Millions; Comedic giants Pryor & Candy deliver the goods in a zany premise that celebrates & condemns excess in the 80s. Some aspects are product of the time while others are eerie in retrospect (like the election). W/o the leads it would truly be run of the mill; B-

Parasite

Parasite; Engrossing progressive descent into family horror show w/clever & creepy allegorical touch points on capitalism & societal fiscal stratification. Shot beautifully while amping up the anxiety towards the horrific concluding incidents. Foreign horror made mainstream; A-

Birdman of (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance); Virtuoso performances in a refreshingly unconventional film. Keaton is remarkable & fascinating in every moment. Percussion score and fluid camerawork propel the story forward at a blistering pace. Nutty in all the right ways; A-

Crash

Crash; Stellar performances by many (notably Cheadle) can’t save this film from its misguided examination of racism using a soft lens. The movie means well but doesn’t dig deep enough to provide a true meaningful examination yet isn’t very subtle about its intentions either; B-

Hamilton

Hamilton; Wonderful filming of theatrical production manages to capture stage, lighting & choreography seamlessly while providing intimate, up close moments w/o missing a beat. Fabulously frames founding fathers in an equally groundbreaking energetic revolutionary performance; A+

Death Note

Death Note; Interesting premise offers enough to entice us into the story. Dafoe’s performance is fun to watch (like a Groot Green Goblin) and the mix of supernatural and morality tale is thought provoking. Film favours conventional story beats to entertain a broad audience; B 

Harold and Maude

Harold and Maude; A bizarre, dark February-December romance (?) that questions what is worth living for? Uneven, odd and off putting, in all the right ways. Cats Stevens soundtrack sunnily contrasts the black comedy it is. Great lead performance by Gordon; B+ 

Sky High

Sky High; Silly, teenage superhero film imagines high school stratified by superpowers, on top of all the other tropes. Messages are aplenty, but never too overbearing as the adult cast has fun playing around in tights. Solid family entertainment with a good soundtrack; B

Artemis Fowl

Artemis Fowl; Oddly omits best parts of book from the screenplay. Changes detract from what makes book a fun, engaging read. Offers less action and more imagery and is overall disappointing. Casting is pretty good despite the alterations. Not sure what they were going for; C-

The Insult

The Insult; Fine, simmering take on racial stigmatism from a micro to macro level. Story develops to ensure sympathy for both sides while divulging background in stages for deeper understanding and awareness. Excellent performances all around. Extremely relevant then and now; A-

Snowpiercer

Snowpiercer; Riveting, thought provoking and intriguing. Class stratification and warfare set on a train has all the obvious metaphors yet doesn’t fail to entertain while reflecting on our society. Action is raw & bloody. Bold performances help sell the story. Excellent film; A-

Aladdin and the King of Thieves

Aladdin and the King of Thieves; Excellent story for a direct to video threequel. Animation is a step lower but is made up for by the return of Robin Williams to the genie role. Hilarious riffs wrapped around a father-son tale and some hit & miss songs. Fun while it lasts; B-

To Live and Die in L.A.

To Live and Die in L.A.; Violent, gritty noir set in sunny California. Casting is phenomenal, as characters convincingly straddle the line between good and evil. Wang Chung score seems dated, yet gives the film its flavour. Action scenes are absolutely thrilling and shocking; A-

Lady Bird

Lady Bird; Fabulous film on all accounts. Personal, yet universal. Beautiful yet economical in its editing. Actors play very well off each other, nailing the layered meanings in the dialogue and characters. A certain soon to be considered classic coming of age tale; A

The Virgin Suicides

The Virgin Suicides; Exhaustingly solemn and emotionally bereft, populated with characters we couldn’t care less about on account that we never truly get to know them. Says very little about a very serious topic, making it seem more of a fashion shoot than tragic reality; D

Local Hero

Local Hero; Charming, quirky comedy subtly explores the allure of a small sea side village to a big city oil company Texan. Laughs aplenty land quietly as the story keeps you guessing about how it will all play out. Absurd at times, hauntingly real and beautiful at others; A-

Into the Wild

Into the Wild; A little too in love with itself, but a beautiful film regardless. Excellent cast explores living off the grid with romanticized results. Relationships shine along with the scenery and soothing soundtrack. Intriguing but answers less questions than it brings up; B+

Blood Quantum

Blood Quantum; Will satisfy horror fans with its Walking Dead worthy makeup effects, blood splatter and kill shots. Deeper societal meanings are present too but not fully explored or realized. Well done genre film that happens to break new ground for Indigenous arts; B