The Black Phone

The Black Phone; Creepy, moody and disturbing tale based on pre-internet childhood fears of the neighbourhood “grabber”. Great performances all around give it a realistic intensity, even while horror elements offer unexplainable aspects. Genre fare elevated by its talents; B+

Slash/Back

Slash/Back; Arctic setting and authentic casting adds intriguing elements to this classic horror story. Though some scenes suffer from amateur acting, the characters are true to who they are and the film is better for it. Cultural themes offer a welcome layer to genre fare; B-

Minions: The Rise of Gru

Minions: The Rise of Gru; Knows its lane and delivers a fun soundtrack, animated gags, clever nods and silly jokes, all within 90mins. The cast is great, especially the newcomers and the animation continues to be inspired even if it’s no longer fresh. Franchise is fully milked; B

The Worst Person in the World

The Worst Person in the World; A fascinating portrait of a woman’s life journey, that’s never typical, sentimental or overly contrived. The storytelling and acting is raw, emotional and complex but equally funny, unsettling and uplifting. Very honest, realistic filmmaking; A-

Pinocchio

Pinocchio; Expertly crafted and filled with wonder and charm, an update or remake of a film oddly out of time. Hanks’ acting comes across hammy and ridiculous but the other cast members make the most of their roles. Many segments look good but not a wish we needed to (re)make; B

Licorice Pizza

Licorice Pizza; Stylishly captures an era that may be nostalgic for some but irrelevant to others. Very watchable but ultimately unfulfilling and meandering. To a detail, expertly executed, but as a sum of its parts, simply not for most audiences outside of 70s Valley kids; C+

Elvis

Elvis; A great job conveying & situating Elvis’ cultural influence/(s) & impact for a generation who may not know a lot about him. Butler nails the performance in physical, musical & emotional ways. Some moments get too music video or montage heavy yet ultimately satisfying; B+

Bullet Train

Bullet Train; Owes its tone to mid to late 90s films in the vein of Guy Ritchie and Tarantino. Funny, well choreographed, kinetically paced with excellent casting in all roles. A throwback that feels as fresh and fun as Pitt seems to be having delivering pure entertainment; B+

Drive My Car

Drive My Car; Clever, layered dialogue along with stylish visuals, meaningful looks, entangled circumstances and a play within a film, renders us a powerful story crafted beautifully to express our shared human experience. Quiet storytelling can be deeply moving in contrast; A-

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+

Us

Us; More straight up horror from Peele, with some clever undertones of social commentary that layer the gore with deeper meaning. Like Romero’s Zombies, there’s a lot to unpack and what doesn’t connect is at least thoroughly entertaining to watch. Creepy on many levels; A-

The Gray Man

The Gray Man; Solid spy thriller that Russos have shown a special talent for. Refreshing to have action sans superheroes. Gosling and de Armas are fantastic, both at the action and the humour. Franchise ready from the outset due to excellent execution from all involved; A-

Nope

Nope; Creepily crafted horror with nods to cinematic greats, a Jaws for the current generation. Finely cast and cleverly paced, peeling back layers towards a thrilling climax, with plenty of allegory to dissect afterwards. What you’d expect, while offering plenty of surprises; A-

Zombies 3

Zombies 3; Overstaying its welcome, having lost its charm derived from its fine, young stars, this franchise has gone past camp, beyond ridiculous and can’t even offer up a song or dance number to save it from itself. Abysmal end (hopefully) to what was once silly, sweet fun; D

Thor: Love and Thunder

Thor: Love and Thunder; Tries to tonally tie together parental grief, a rom com, Norse mythology & deity exploration into a MCU film, w/about as much success as one can expect. Cast is fully on board for fun, while Bale gives a master class in acting, in an entirely other film; B

Trois Fois Rien

Three Times Nothing; Starts off as a cringy comedy seemingly disparaging homeless people by making buffoons of them, then slowly morphs into a family drama attempting to tug deeper at our emotions, w/mixed success. You may care for the makeshift family or be even more put off; B-

Kimi

Kimi; Another of Soderbergh’s economical thrillers, focused on the present in its storytelling, not bothering w/deeper background or investigation of the themes that are presented. Entertaining in the moment but ultimately unfulfilling from the questions it leaves unanswered; B-

Midsommar

Midsommar; Exquisitely crafted and shot for maximum effect, both beautiful & haunting. A slow burn that will stay with you long after the final frame. Long run time isn’t felt at all, as the film ratchets up the tension, foreboding and stakes. Pugh is captivating. Stellar; A
 

Day for Night

Day for Night; Before DVD extras made the mystery of filmmaking commonplace, this film flies through production while the fly on the wall viewer marvels at the machinations and shenanigans of a movie set. Clever, quick, funny and winking, a masterful take on the film industry; A

Sing 2

Sing 2; Another fully stuffed animated explosion of symphonic colour that somehow manages to offer many characters their own tidy storylines. Movie works best operating in music video style montages and pantomime. New voices are welcome alongside the returning stars. Very fun; A-