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+