1st Reviews

Whether you’re a movie buff, an avid reader, a gamer or a board game aficionado, we all look for escapism in different ways. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves captures everything that made the tabletop RPG a massive success nearly five decades ago, and it’s some of the most fun I’ve had at the theatre this year.  Fun really is the best word I can use to describe my time with this movie, because it’s clear the directors set out to deliver a total crowd-pleaser. It’s got such a playful spirit that’s reminiscent of medieval classics like The Princess Bride and A Knights Tale. The tone is refreshingly light-hearted, with a handful of effective emotional beats that allow you to connect with the characters and become invested in their adventure. It’s also one of the funniest movies of the year, thanks to some thoroughly entertaining performances.  Chris Pine leads a merry band of misfits, with a charismatic and hilarious performance as a lute-wielding bard. Joining him on ...

  In an age where sequels are no longer better than their predecessor, it’s hard to find one good sequel that makes the concept of the original project better. Luckily for Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, their film   Murder Mystery  came out right after   Knives Out,  when the hype for whodunnits was in demand. The first film was fun because they were both back together again, and it had a decent cast with a good story. And more importantly, it was funny. Fortunately,   Murder Mystery  did extremely well on the platform because everyone loves Sandler and Aniston together, but it didn’t need a sequel.  In this sequel, Nick (Sandler) and Audrey (Aniston) have become full-time detectives struggling to get their private eye agency off the ground. Their best friend, The Maharajah (Adeel Akhtar), invites them to his wedding last minute. Nick and Audrey decide to go on this lavish vacation, only to have their friend kidnapped in the middle of the cere...

  We all know the stress of having those colourful blocks pile up just a little too high, but it's nothing compared to the true story behind one of the most iconic video games of all time. Tetris takes us inside the espionage-filled fight to put the game in the hands of millions across the globe. So, how does this AppleTV original stack up?  This movie functions both as a Cold War thriller and a tech-centric legal drama. It’s got plenty of energy to spare, moving quickly through Tetris’ complicated journey from the Soviet Union to consoles, computer systems and arcades worldwide. Through focusing on the more thrilling elements (plenty of sneaky double crosses and blackmail here), the film maintains a brisk pace, but often brushes over some of the more interesting details.  Taron Egerton stars as a passionate and enthusiastic game designer, determined to get the rights to bring Tetris to worldwide markets. His infectious energy powers the film, and gives his uphill battle ...

  John Wick 4 held absolutely nothing back. The fourth installment in the franchise brings the story back the basics and delivers one of the greatest action films you will ever see. Everything about this movie is fantastic; from the action sequences to the simplicity of the story and the incredible chemistry of the characters.  Taking place after the events of John Wick 3, John is still looking to be exempt from the high table, he faces it head on as his newest enemy is a representative of the high table named  The Marquis de Gramont, played by Bill Skarsgard. He marks Wicks biggest threat yet as he has unlimited resources to attack John with.  Standing on the shoulders of three amazing action movies, this film has big shoes to fill in the action category. It brings back all of the classic John wick elements and unique action sets but also builds on them and incorporates many new fighting elements that the series has not dabbled in yet. Even though it includes m...

  The Last of Us Part I and II rank among my favourite video games of all time. When this show was announced, I was both excited for what could potentially be the greatest game adaptation of all time, and nervous that it wouldn’t live up to my love of the source material. While it doesn’t quite hit the benchmark the games set, this is the the best game adaptation I’ve ever seen.  The faithfulness is astounding. From immaculately detailed set design, to the costumes, to the spot-on delivery of iconic lines, it’s clear that a lot of care went into ensuring this adaptation was done right. There are some big deviations, but they feel at home within this story. Episode 3 represents the biggest change, and it’s likely to be one of the finest episodes of television you’ll watch this year.  For this show to work, the casting had to be perfect. Not just in the quality of the performances, but more importantly, the on-screen chemistry. We needed to believe the bond that forms betwe...

Goodbye Woodsboro. Hello New York City.   Scream   VI shakes things up with a move to the Big Apple, delivering a brutal and bloody sequel that ups the scale and body count from last year’s requel. Although bigger doesn’t always mean better, this latest entry proves Ghostface still knows how to show us a damn good time.  The “Core Four” from the series’ fifth instalment return, along with several new faces and some legacy characters too. Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega take centre stage, but the expansive ensemble cast is what makes this entry so much fun to watch. More characters means more suspects, and trying to guess who’s behind the mask, and what their motives are, is a big part of these movies’ entertainment factor.  It also comes as no surprise that this movie is very self aware. The meta commentary on film and the horror genre is a  Scream  staple, and that’s no different here. The way in which this movie toys with our expectations by blatantly ca...

  The  Scream   franchise is possibly the greatest horror franchise of all time because it is consistent. Even though all the  Scream   films have the same structure, it has always been about the experience with Ghostface throughout the film rather than the final reveal. That being said,  Scream  6  goes back to the roots of what made the  Scream   franchise so entertaining to watch in the first place. The journey we go on with the “Core 4”; Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barerra), Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega), Chad Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding) and Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown) is a wild ride from beginning to end. The gang moves from Woodsboro to New York City, where they think they will be safe so Tara can take her shot at a normal life. However, social media has painted Samantha Carpenter so badly that she can’t escape her past.  Scream  6  captured the same essence as the original film because there was a strong bal...

  We Have a Ghost is written and directed by Christoper Landon who also directed Happy Death Day, Happy Death Day 2U and directed and co-wrote Freaky. Those movies masterfully blend horror and comedy which is Landon’s strong suit. It’s clear than if he’s intent on continuing to make horror-comedies, a genre which has been good to him thus far, he needs to give them more bite and a more darkly comedic tone. This movie is described as “heartfelt,” a quality that I’m not looking for in my horror-comedies nor does it yield entertaining results when a writer like Landon is shackled by it. The writing in We Have a Ghost varies from sounding like an amateur film project made by 15-year-olds to a 65-year-old cluelessly out of touch with internet and youth culture. This movie is terrible. If I hadn’t been reviewing it I would have gladly turned it off. Did David Harbour lose a bet with someone at Netflix? Why was he cast in this? He’s a physically imposing man with a cool speaking voice. Wh...

How does one break every rule of ones job for over a decade and not only gets away with it but gets promoted. I Got A Monster is the unbelievable true story of rise and fall of sergeant Wayne Jenkins who ran the Gun Trace Task Force out of Baltimore for over a decade. During his time in the Baltimore police department, Jenkins used his power to run his own criminal operation within his task force including; robbery, breaking and entering falsifying police reports and selling stolen and apprehended narcotics.  The well crafted documentary catalogues his extensive career with the police department and gives us direct commentary from lawyers, FBI, and his direct victims of his crimes.  Attorney Ivan Bates plays an integral role in the apprehension of Jenkins as he is the first major opposition outside of any police force to see that the city of Baltimore has a real problem on their hands.  These stories of direct systemic racism and over use of power by the police are exactl...

  The  Rocky  franchise has delivered on all fronts over the years. The franchise has always had a heart and changed the perspective of masculinity in sports. It turned boxing from what seemed like a violent act to a form of control and discipline in the ring. More importantly, to get into the ring, you must know what you’re fighting for, which has always been parallel to Rocky's relationships throughout the franchise. Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) has had eight films to develop a legendary character and bring forth Adonis  Creed  (Michael B. Jordan) as a new heavyweight addition to the franchise. In  Creed 3 ,  Michael B. Jordan flies solo without Stallone by his side as his directorial debut explores  Creed  as a veteran and a seasoned fighter.  After two films of Adonis trying to find his place in the boxing world with his father’s legacy tied to him, he finally breaks free from the past with Balboa to work through the skeletons i...

  After more than two years, Din and Grogu are back with the brand new season of The Mandalorian!   Episode 1 starts off a bit slower but it’s necessary considering the gap between season. This gives us time to reconnect with characters as Din and Grogu start their next adventure. We see some familiar faces that most likely will be season long regulars this time around considering the direction the story is heading into.  Episode two is a definite improvement from episode one and wastes no time getting right into the story. So far, the season is off to a great start deep diving into the Mandalorian lore and seems to be ditching the adventure of the week structure from previous season. This two year gap for us seemed to work for the writing team as they planned multiple years of story line and create a much richer future for the Star Wars narrative that bridges the gap between episode 6 &    7.  Review by: Stefano Bove  Episode 2 airs next Wednesday...