1st Reviews

Manuel Torres (Diego Calva) and Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie) met one fateful night at a party. Torres worked with elephants for the movies, and LaRoy is a star waiting for her big break. At this one party, things changed for both of them, and in a way, they navigated the silent film era together. One thing about Hollywood is that the highs are high, but the lows are low. The drugs, parties, and alcohol aided the crushing reality of how insignificant they felt in the grand scope of Hollywood. This is also applied to Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt), who was at the peak of his career. Chazelle emphasized the extraordinary parties to show the emptiness in these characters. Each had something missing, and cinema filled that void for them. Whether they were in front of the camera or behind, it completed them. However, the ego does get in the way, and actors are fragile people.  Chazelle captures the essence of filmmaking and what it would be like to be on a set in the 20s/30s. Many don’t underst...

Sometimes you don’t realize how deeply a film is affecting you until its final moments, and there’s no better example this year than  Aftersun . Charlotte Wells’ debut feature seems almost too simple in its stripped-down presentation, but in reality, it’s slowly sneaking up on you, building to an emotional gut-punch of a finale.  Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio are wonderful as father and daughter, with chemistry so genuine you’d think they really were related. Both give beautiful performances that never feel like acting, effortlessly selling you on their complex bond with one another. They feel like real people, rather than characters, which is a huge testament to Wells’ writing ability.  One could be easily forgiven for calling this movie uneventful or directionless. There isn’t much in the way of plot or conflict, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot going on. Those who are patient and have a keen eye for detail will take a lot away from this experience. There’s so mu...

Life can change within seconds and alter how we view the world. More importantly, when life serves us lessons, we also look at ourselves differently. Sometimes, we even question the value we offer to the world. One can lose faith in humanity when those who supposedly supported you turn their back on you in your time of need. It takes a very strong person to continue to be positive and uplift others after going through their own traumatic experiences. This is who Charlie (Brendan Fraser) is in  The Whale . He has lost his family and his lover, but the one thing he hasn’t lost is his positivity which is the most endearing thing about him. We meet Charlie as a reclusive English teacher who is suffering from severe obesity and attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink) for one last chance at redemption. On the surface, it is a chance for Charlie to get to know Ellie after years of being forced to stay away from her by her mother. He believes that the o...

  The exploration of Metkayina Clan is stunning, as Cameron’s visuals in the water world completely take you into another universe. They spend time in the water and learn about the creatures within it. Cameron incorporates the skills from both tribes and plays to their strengths when exploring the ocean. The creatures are also beautifully designed, and it was so impressive to see what Cameron came up with. The whole second act has Sully’s children learning the way of the water from the Metkayina Clan. It looked magical whenever they were in the water, and the VFX was extremely well done. Even the way the action scenes were executed felt more fast-paced than usual because of the double frame rate in the water. This is another technical achievement for Cameron and a visual spectacle that we haven’t experienced in over a decade.  Avatar : The Way of Water  visually exceeds expectations in every single way. James Cameron is the only one who can push the boundaries with this f...

This fun franchise has always been close to my heart for its wholesome upbeat messaging. Kahmurah Rises goes one step further in this animated tale and use the museum and history in a way that the live actions film franchise just couldn't. Nick Daley picks up where his father left off as night watchman of the Museum of Natural History. When Kahmunrah escapes and sends the whole museum on a wild adventure across time to stop him. Nick is the perfect candidate for this position already having the experience of understanding what a night at the museum entails.  I was a bit worried about who would play Theodore Roosevelt after Robin Williams but Thomas Lennon did a great job of matching the iconic energy from the live-action films. The rest of the cast is fantastic with a roster including Zachary Levi, Steve Zahn, and Gillian Jacobs. I especially enjoyed the voice of Kahmunrah by Joseph Kamal.  The relationship between Larry and Nick is integral to the story as much as I would hav...

  This new series created by Jonathan Kasdan captures the same magic as the original film, but of course, in a modern way. The most important takeaway from the new series is the inclusivity of its cast of characters. Kit Tanthalos (Ruby Cruz) is the princess and daughter of Sorsha (Joanne Whalley) and wants to learn how to fight and be involved with the townspeople. She wants to make her own choices, especially in marriage. Her brother, Airk (Dempsey Bryk), is the golden boy, heir to the throne, and is in love with a kitchen maid named Dove (Ellie Bamber). The siblings have gone in two very different directions, and in this series, they explore their individuality and whom they are destined to be. Kit has the strongest journey in this series. She learns how to fight and to love with her swashbuckling trainer, Jade Claymore (Erin Kellyman), by her side. The relationship between Jade and Kit makes for an interesting dynamic as they go on this journey with Willow.  In this series...

  When a wealthy, dysfunctional family comes together on Christmas Eve, there are bound to be some personalities to play with. Co-writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller took the best aspects of   Home Alone, Die Hard,  and   National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation  to make a fun original story that will become an instant Holiday classic. Director Tommy Wikola did not hold back during the action sequences because it works with Santa’s abilities. Those fight scenes had inventive choreography that used any Holiday decoration they could find. On top of that, the jokes all landed, and every member of this cast delivered the lines effortlessly. Not only was this wickedly funny, but it was entertaining the whole way through. It was fun to see Beverly D’Angelo back on screen doing what she does best and answering everyone with a snarky remark. The one standout, apart from Harbour, was John Leguizamo as Scrooge. He came in guns blazing and delivered his lines so harshly that it...