McCabe & Mrs. Miller

McCabe & Mrs. Miller; A film exceptional for its elements but not so great as the sum of its parts. Camera work, inspired musical choices, realism of set design and wintry locale can’t overcome a cast of characters not worth caring for or about; B

Red Notice

Red Notice; With the three most charismatic leads working today and some exciting action sequences, who needs a decent plot? The trio elevate the material above standard action fare and seem to be having as much fun, if not more, than the audience; B

Sun Children

Sun Children; Heartbreaking yet mesmerizing tale of street kids exploited and manipulated for their perseverance and unique, acquired skills. Child actors offer fine performances spinning a believable quest to rise above their circumstances and trappings; A-

Das Boot: Director's Cut

Das Boot: Director’s Cut; All the claustrophobic, tedium combined with the intense moments of plunging to the depths during war time are brought heart poundingly to life through spectacular sound and production design. Characters bring nuance to WWII adversaries; A-

Encanto

Encanto; Vibrant, original, fantastic fairy tale w/just enough touches of deep, brutal honesty & reflection of family dynamics. Musical moments propel the story forward so quickly that it seems to wrap up so suddenly & tidily. Well worth being swept up in its magic and charm; A-

Beans

Beans; A sad, sad tale that puts the viewer’s focus in the eyes, heart and mind of a young girl during a much larger national conflict. This emotionally grounds the Oka crisis at a real, impactful human level, yet it may also resurrect pain and suffering from Canada’s racism; B

tick, tick...BOOM!

tick, tick…Boom!; A Broadway musical lover’s ode to creativity &!pursuing your passion in the face/model of life’s realities is full of energy, joy, and cameos. Belting out about mundane struggles becomes a kinetic music video at every turn. Garfield is great as Larson; B+

Eternals

Eternals; Beautiful, change of form for MCU, relying on exquisite landscapes & familial relationships over action/comedy (though there’s plenty of that as well—it’s just not the focus). Cast gathered is a great representative of many cultures, working wonderfully together; B+

Dune

Dune; Never before has a film looked so stunningly well crafted, designed, and shot, yet been so boring and devoid of anything to care about. Exceptional cast, looking fantastic, all adding to the amazing mood and world that’s been built. But so little happens in the setup; C

Last Night in Soho

Last Night in Soho; Stylistic, kinetic addition to the horror genre that turns nostalgia into a nightmare. Excellent performances and exceptional cinematography heighten the sinister circumstances, all propelled by the sixties soundtrack. A very compelling thriller; A-

Summer of '42

Summer of ‘42; Film full of unlikeable characters who are never fully developed beyond annoying personality traits offers maybe one scene of laughs while the rest of it is cringe worthy. Who would want to reminisce about this film other than to serve some teenage boy fantasy; C-

The Lovebirds

The Lovebirds (Extended Cut); Likeable leads make many of the situations they encounter a funny, witty experience so that even more preposterous moments have their spark to take us through the scene. These two with a more clever script could really transcend formulaic comedy; B-

Everybody's Talking About Jamie

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie; Innovative set pieces alongside pedestrian yet still enjoyable numbers give this stirring musical some added heft and reverence amongst the all too convenient dynamics. Best when pushing the powerful history of drag over melodramatic moments; B

Corpse Bride

Corpse Bride; Artistry is unmistakably fantastic & beautiful but something about the script, characters & songs are regrettably unremarkable & easily forgettable. Very hard to get into & stay invested in. Never really establishes a reason to root for anyone or connect w/them; C+

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings; The MCU film we never knew we wanted so much. So thrillingly representative of its genre of storytelling, you almost forget that it’s a MCU film, in a great way. Fantastic performances all around. Amazing action scenes. Top 5 MCU film; A

Cinderella

Cinderella; Jukebox Musical has some clever song selection but it’s been done before in A Knight’s Tale and Ella Enchanted. The cast has a lot of fun inhabiting their roles. Good as a silly time passer, like those ancient things known as music videos; B-

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+

Jungle Cruise

Jungle Cruise; Fun, silly, lore filled adventure w/plenty of Disney’s typical F/X action set pieces spectacularly scored. Johnson & Blunt play well off each other & would make a fun comedy pairing in a different film w/less set dressing. A good time but not highly rewatchable; B

Freaky

Freaky; The old body switching premise in a teen horror film starring Vince Vaughn can only coast on his hilarious embodiment of the opposite sex for so long before it gets bogged down in less clever/poorly executed clichés. Traileritis strikes, as all funny bits were seen; C-

A Quiet Place Part II

A Quiet Place Part II; Picks up right where the original left off w/an equal amount of dreadful, eerie quiet suspense scenes that made the first one a smash success. Less Blunt is a minus but more Millicent is a plus, as she conveys so intensely w/her face. Highly effective; A-

Black Widow

Black Widow; If Marvel made a Bond film, it’d be this stunt filled action fest. The family dynamic is fabulous, really steals the show. The Widows could have been given more personality than being pretty automatons, but the fight scenes are superbly shot. Well worth the wait; A-

RocknRolla

RocknRolla; Has all the elements of a Guy Ritchie film that is enjoyable. Quick dialogue, kooky cast of characters, banging soundtrack, kinetic action and lots of laughs. Only seems to suffer from an emotionally unmemorable story arc and a thankless female lead role; B-

My Winnipeg

My Winnipeg; Completely bizarro way to reflect upon and explore one’s hometown and life story. Indescribable, but in the right way. Fascinatingly offbeat, experimental and personal. Definitely not for all audiences or tastes, but strangely compelling; B

Luca

Luca; A literal fish out of water story with a lot of charm and sweetness. Pixar’s dedication to all the details makes this a vibrant piece of storytelling with likeable characters. Though not quite upper echelon Pixar, Luca is a quality addition to the Pixar library; A-

Do the Right Thing

Do the Right Thing; Powerful, prescient, and anything but perfunctory about the past. Performances are full of fire, while the filmmaking is bursting with style. Every single frame forces us towards the final events, confronting our friends and community; A

In the Heights

In the Heights; Impressive kinetic spectacle of Miranda’s passion play bursts alive through Chu’s visual canvas. Outstanding choreography and musical numbers featuring fabulous performances from sure to be bona fide movie stars and Latine legends. Infectious and delightful; A

Owning Mahowny

Owning Mahowny; Fascinating true story played w/laser focused brilliance by Philip Seymour Hoffman. The tightening spiral of addiction plays out as tension ramps up. The increasing allure of the tables is palpable as his life falls apart from the secrets he keeps; Engrossing; A-

Away From Her

Away From Her; An intimate portrait of a couple’s reckoning w/dementia. Assured storytelling focuses on relationships more than the disease, built by delicate, nuanced performances. Casts a bright light on the fog that clouds a lifetime of memories & its harsh implications; A-

Bo Burnham: Inside

Bo Burnham: Inside; A soul baring, one man, tour de force encapsulates our past year in a way that’s so deeply personal, it voices the universal truth of our times. Profoundly hilarious, darkly revealing, fascinatingly honest. We’re fortunate to have him reflect on our society; A

Angel Heart

Angel Heart; An overstuffed turkey of a film done w/enough skill to lean more towards cult or camp, rather than unwatchable territory. De Niro relishes his kooky role while Rourke mugs his way through it, steamrolling excellent character acting and Bonet’s compelling debut; C

The White Tiger

The White Tiger; A fine film with thoughtful themes explored by a talented cast & dynamic director. Visually compelling w/modern aesthetic that captures the old and new of India in a way not unlike American style gangster films. A contrarian response to the slumdog fantasy; A

The Mitchells vs. the Machines

The Mitchells vs. The Machines; A fun time diversion w/enough antics to while away an hour or two. Not as inspired, funny, riveting or imaginative as previous fare from the creatives behind the project, but it’s got enough quality for families to share some time together; B-

The Hustler

The Hustler; Pool halls and the game of pool have never looked so good. Solid performances compel viewing through what could be trimmed down about half an hour or so. Still, tension and tragedy build character in a meditation on breaking and sinking through life; A-

Thunder Force

Thunder Force; McCarthy’s delivery makes most anything funny. The flimsy premise and telegraphed plot exist solely to service the comedic talents of McCarthy and Bateman. Unironical use of the music is baffling, especially Dreams by The Cranberries. Silly, throwaway comedy; C+

Zack Snyder's Justice League

Zach Snyder’s Justice League; If thought of as a six episode superhero series, this is an improvement on the original (can’t complain about more Flash & more Cyborg). Expands the characters & lives longer in the moments. Like we’ve grown accustomed to from premium television; B+

Locke

Locke; Amazing acting masterclass by Hardy confined within a vehicle for an hour and a half doesn’t sound enthralling but it is. Given the self imposed limitations, this tight script coupled w/stellar performances creates immense tension solely through hands free phone calls; A-

Ida

Ida; A stunningly beautiful series of cinematic shots tackles themes of faith, family and fascism through the tale of two women, connected by their dealings w/death, in very different ways. Cinematography masterclass combined with tiny, intimate performances and sparse script; A

Margaret's Museum

Margaret’s Museum; A downer of a tale that uplifts in the pleasure of the people it portrays. The east coast scenery is superbly shot, and the trauma inflicted by the coal trade is every bit horrifying and relevant today as it seemed then; B

Wild

Wild; Talent & execution elevates what would otherwise be a sordid redemption through hiking trails tale. Witherspoon’s ability to play all the nuances within the poetic editing & time jumping narrative keeps it compelling. Could do without the final voice over at the end; B

Coming 2 America

Coming 2 America; A fan service sequel that doesn’t so much surprise in story than it does in effectively revisiting characters and mining their comedic qualities. Great reminder of the talent of all involved which made the first film a classic. Silly surprises aplenty; B

Raya and the Last Dragon

Raya and the Last Dragon; Spectacular animation amplifies a simple story that takes us to many terrains and vistas. Quality voice acting and authentic casting adds to the action packed experience. Fight scenes are perfectly paced and quiet moments rest well on the soul; A-