Frozen 2; Goes dark but grows up with its core audience. Animation exceeds original’s details. Storyline makes a few jumps and songs not as catchy but still classic and well animated while suiting the story. Sámi elements are quite interesting. Love the earth giants; A
Klaus; Refreshingly original visual style and take on a Christmas animated story. Captures the whimsical spirit of Christmas classics of the past, with a character turn reminiscent of Scrooge or George Bailey. Voice cast is stellar and lend heart and humour to it all; A-
Noelle; Chalk up another Christmas movie that merely exists as a reminder that it’s that time of year. It’s no classic like Elf, though it tries to be. Kendrick valiantly attempts to inhabit the spirit of Ferrell but the script doesn’t have enough originality or surprises; B-
Forks Over Knives; Documentary conveys important points about a whole food plant based diet low in highly processed, sugar and oil and its positive impact on chronic diseases. However, style and approach leaves a lot to be desired, mired in conventions and lacking creativity; C+
Pokémon Detective Pikachu; Better than you’d expect. I want to experience more of what a Pokémon infused world would be like. Like a Roger Rabbit toon world, the film plays the combined elements wonderfully. Voice acting of Reynolds makes it all the better. Good fun; B
The Old Man & the Gun; Distinctively throwback in its storytelling & design. Actors shine in style of 70s filmmaking, quietly owning the screen & our hearts. Redford is a revelation, reminding us how great he is. The definition of “they don’t make ‘em like they used to.”; B+
Missing Link; Laika Studios’ first fail. Fails to tell an interesting story or offer us characters to care about (they’re all bland & unlikeable). Fails to even wow us with its normally groundbreaking stop motion animation. Seriously needed to be reconsidered in early stages; C-
Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood; Evokes mood & menace of era w/masterful performances yet still underwhelms in its rewriting of history. Seems one of our most beloved filmmakers is more in love w/his own fancies than the audience’s journey, though we will follow him anywhere; B+
The Lion King; Impressively spectacular photorealistic animated remake looks stunning. The original was already cinematic in its shot selection, so it hews closely to the angles and imagery. Voice cast excels and delivers lines both familiar and surprising with much delight; A-
Spider-Man: Far From Home; Fun instalment makes some leaps that are unexplained yet don’t deter from offering an amazing, exciting ride. Cast continues to excel but loose ends from Homecoming are ignored for further extensions of the Avengers storyline. Keep focus on Spidey!; A-
Invisible Essence: The Little Prince; A great idea that doesn’t quite deliver. Better off using the time to read the book again instead of watching this. Hearing the different people reading the text aloud is more enticing to watch than any attempts at insight; C-
Yesterday; Fun premise explores some of the potential fallout of a world w/o Beatles, yet wants to remain a rom com at its core. This both grounds the film but also grounds it to a halt at times. Still, actors/director fulfill their roles wonderfully in service to the story; B
Booksmart; Earns its female Superbad comparison (which is high praise) while offering angles missing from teen party genre films in the past. Excellent casting and chemistry amongst all involved allows for preposterous circumstances to be grounded in real relationships; B+
Toy Story 4; Introduces some fun, new characters which only goes to show how much this series needs to be retired. Animation is top notch and would be better applied to new, original material. And Randy Newman’s music has overstayed it’s welcome by about 4 movies; B+
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
Aladdin; Best aspects are the additions to the story, though recreated scenes worked well too, as the casting is quite good. Jasmine and Aladdin have great chemistry and the F/X are fantastic. Smith’s genie is his own but not as good as the original or stage musical; A-
The Grizzlies; Despite a white hero narrative & associated tropes, the film exposes mainstream audiences to swath of issues affecting Inuit youth. It’s thoroughly entertaining. Talented cast demonstrate how well prepared we are for more Indigenous stories starring FN actors; A-
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
The Great Buster; Wonderfully compiles highlights of Keaton’s career w/o shying away from hard times. Narrative is structured to celebrate his genius, w/insights from a wide variety of industry players. For the uninitiated, it’s a perfect intro. For fans, it’s a great recap; A
Shazam!; Heavy emotional context made light by silly superhero antics is an odd tonal balance. Actors make the best of it, while the film has an 80s aesthetic about it. Fun but choppy, as though the tone made edits difficult to piece together. Still, overall entertaining; B
