1st Reviews

  This deeply disturbing experimental film takes an almost surreal look at generational trauma throughout four time periods at the same farm. The cinematography at times creates a fly on the wall effect, throwing the viewer into a time capsule full of dread and menace. The dark imagery unfolds as if you’re watching something beyond merely a nightmare, more like an awful dream that has now ended and the permanent consequences must now be suffered. Parallels between the timelines unfold in fascinating ways, as the film makes the point that in every generation, humans seem to build the same structures of power and abuse again and again.  Its sensitive screenplay touches in devastating ways, but may also test viewers’ mileage, as the violent imagery eventually goes from contributing to the film’s point to downright indulgent and gratuitous. It’s also at least half an hour too long, making its point and then repeating it over and over too often. The film won’t be for everyone, and ...

Despite their mostly awful decade-long track record together, Adam Sandler and Netflix had a lot riding on this legacy sequel. Happy Gilmore is a beloved staple of 90’s comedy, so the hype, and fans’ expectations for this long awaited follow-up were understandably high. The good news is, Happy Gilmore 2 is not a total piece of sh*t (like the ones Shooter McGavin allegedly eats for breakfast). The bad news is, it fails to live up to the original in just about every way imaginable.  This is a nostalgia bomb that banks on viewers’ love of the original. Between countless flashbacks, callbacks, cameos and needle drops, there’s no shortage of “hey, remember this” going on in this sequel. Did I belly laugh when Rob Schneider inevitably showed up for 5 seconds to say “You can do it!”? You bet I did. Was I hit with a rush of serotonin hearing Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Tuesday’s Gone” again? I sure was. The nostalgia bait is everywhere, and it’s mostly effective, but it can’t mask the sheer level of...

 Your early teenage years are not easy; learning to understand your own body's development, developing new friendships and learning what love looks like are things that every teen has to experience. For 13-year old Maggie, it is a lot to learn already but she has more to deal with than an average teen. She has to deal with all of this  while having the shock of moving to a new town and learning that she has a rare condition called synaesthesia that allows her to see the world with many heightened senses including seeing color and numbers. This very sweet coming-of-age comedy stars Shayelin Martin as Maggie and Steven He as Travis. The two begin to build a bond around her father’s play that Travis is Starring in. Maggie, not fully understanding love, begins to develop feelings for Travis even though he is much older than she is. Both Shayelin and Steven deliver exceptional roles. Knowing Steven He from his social media comedy, it was a pleasant surprise seeing him in such a ple...

  In recent years, the fall of the superhero film has been studied by fans and critics alike. Fans have possibly been the worst critics when it comes to their favourite heroes not receiving the same tender love and care as others. It’s interesting to see the current state of criticism and how critics have approached the new wave of comic book films.   After the critical success of  Thunderbolts*,  Marvel seemed to have regained its spark. With a fresh set of creatives and a new edge to their B-class characters, the attempt to reform an Avengers-like team is dire. Phases four and five lacked direction and were created to gain the audience's approval of these unique characters. Unfortunately for Marvel, they haven’t had the opportunity to stand out until now.  With  The Fantastic Four: First Steps,  director Matt Shakman went back to basics in creating a character-driven story with Marvel’s first family. The Fantastic Four have always been misunderstood ...

  It seems like the third time’s the charm for Marvel’s first family — after three different iterations on screen, the Fantastic Four finally get a film that’s not only watchable, but irresistible. Since this film is set in a parallel universe to the 36 films preceding it in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it gets to build a new world from scratch. The eye-popping visuals will leave you in awe, including extraordinary costume and production design. The retrofuturistic approach to this new world recaptures that feeling of wonder of humanity embarking into space for the first time, while imagining a reality where all of humanity rallied together behind reason, morality, and science. This idealism and dream-like wonder bring a beautiful look and excitement that’s distinct from Marvel’s other outings that are set in a world with undertones much more like ours. Pedro Pascal gives his star-like charisma to Reed Richards, but the film wisely gives Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm much of the film...

  There’s the inevitable point in any new relationship where labels start getting thrown around. Sometimes, people are simply looking for different things romantically, leading to an uncomfortable conversation. Oh, Hi! puts a darkly comedic spin on this idea, and although it doesn’t fully embrace its zany potential, it’s well worth watching for its small but immensely entertaining cast.  The chemistry between Logan Lerman and Molly Gordon is off the charts. The beginning chapter of this story sees the two of them caught up in the beginning stages of a new relationship. They’re adorable together, with flirtatious jabs and longing looks of affection. They seem like a match made in heaven, but the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) foreshadowing hints that this might not be the case. When confronted with defining what their relationship is, things begin to… escalate.  That escalation had me hooked, and once I had an idea of where the movie was headed, I was excited for the...