1st Reviews

  What happens when you take John Wick, flip the genre to Western and set it at the end of the Second World War? You get Sisu - a lean, gritty and ridiculously violent action movie that gives audiences exactly what’s advertised.  Sisu follows a Finnish gold miner who’s struck the mother-load, and now has to traverse German occupied territory to get his gold to safety. He’s also in the business of killin’ Nazis, and business is boomin’. That’s really all there is to this movie, and it never once pretends to be anything more. The film is broken into a handful of short chapters, and even the chapter headings get right to the point. Just 91 minutes of a grizzled old man savagely cutting down German soldiers in wickedly gory ways.  The barren Finnish countryside is the backdrop for most of the bloodshed, and that big empty space smartly places all the focus on the action. The use of graphic practical effects means each and every kill hits hard, and there’s such creative variet...

  At the end of a first date you can immediately tell whether or not you want to see the person again. It’s the same with movies. As soon as the credits start to roll you can immediately tell whether or not you want to watch the movie ever again. After sitting through AppleTV+’s “Ghosted” I can confidently say that I never want to endure this movie again. Even if I weren’t paying attention to it I wouldn’t even want to be in the same room where it was playing. I cannot believe that it took FOUR screenwriters to come up with a movie that is brimming with mediocrity and one lifeless, unentertaining trope after another. There are times when the dialogue is painful to sit through, made all the worse by an unearned and egregious two hour runtime that feels about 40 minutes too long.   You would think that the superstar casting of Chris Evans and Ana de Armas would guarantee a hit but “Ghosted” is proof that just because two people are hot and famous, does not make up for genuine ro...

  Listen, I love Star Wars. I will always love Star Wars.  The  original and prequel trilogies were a big part of my childhood, and helped shape my love of cinema. While  The   Mandalorian  isn’t among my favourites in  the  franchise, I thought it had a promising first season and a significantly stronger season two. Season three had so much potential, but a frustrating lack of focus held it back from greatness.  This show’s always had a bit of an identity crisis, but it’s never been as clear as it is here. Does it want to be a procedural-style adventure of  the  week, or tell an epic, multi-season spanning arc? Season one leaned toward  the  former, while Season two found a satisfying balance of both. Season three tries to find that balance, but  the  overarching story it wants to tell is bigger than  the  few episodes allotted to do so. There are only 8 chapters, some barely over 30 min. That’s a fair...

 I went into saint x with absolutely zero knowledge of what I was getting into, it being based on a novel by Alexis Schaitkin but I was interested in watching because I am a fan of Alycia Debnam- Carey's past projects.  Alysha plays the adult version of her character, Emily. Emily had a lot of trauma in her life and is trying to uncover the mystery of her sister’s death many years prior while on vacation with your family.  The story unfolds slowly as it balances many story arcs and characters over many time periods. I will be honest, I was overwhelmed in the first episode due to the amount of timelines, some even jumping from different times in the same week. It took me a while to connect the dots but once I did, I was happy because episode two and three are much stronger episodes that really begin developing the characters. Having watched shows such as lost and the White Lotus, I can see alot of inspiration from those shows and I am all for it.  There is still a lot...

  Remake. Sequel. Spin-off. Call it whatever you’d like. I call it a bloody good time and a solid addition to this cult favourite horror franchise. Evil Dead Rise weaves the best elements from past entries into a modern horror story bound to please longtime fans and series newcomers.   It doesn’t quite reach the relentless brutality of the 2013 remake, nor does it have the over-the-top style of Raimi’s original trilogy, but what it does have is far better character development. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say these are deeply written characters, the film spends ample time allowing the audience to get to know them. We’re given enough to get attached, and actually care what happens to them once the carnage begins. The cast all deliver impressive performances, especially Alyssa Sutherland as this entry’s deadite.  Not only is Rise filled with callbacks to past Evil Dead movies, but there are also plenty of homages to other iconic horror films. It’s clear that it was cra...

  Judy Blume novels have been a staple for pre-teens everywhere, and even when schools decided to pull the books from schools, that didn’t stop young girls from picking up  Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.  For a book to be so beloved by adults who grew up reading Blume, it’s essential reading. And now, Kelly Fremon Craig’s adaptation is essential viewing. A 12-year-old girl named Margaret (Abby Ryder Forston) moves to New Jersey and has to start at a new school. This heartfelt coming-of-age film explores the pressure of making new friends, waiting to become a woman, and choosing a religion. Fremon Craig does a wonderful job of incorporating every aspect of the book and making a well-rounded film about what it is to be a woman.  The beauty of the Blume novel is that many issues are discussed while Margaret questions everything. She has conversations with God about when she will become a woman and doesn’t know if she will be Christian or Jewish. As she talks to G...

  “One True Loves” is a colossal disappointment. You would think that a movie that is not only based on a book by acclaimed author Taylor Jenkins Reid, but also has a screenplay written by her and her husband would be a surefire hit, but sadly what we have here is the opposite. Terribly made in every conceivable way, “One True Loves” is mediocre, melodramatic and ridiculously banal.  Lacking originality, substance or any semblance of entertainment, I can’t believe that such a talented writer like Jenkins Reid is behind this yawn-inducing movie. In every sense of the term, “One True Loves” is low quality. The plot sounds like something out of a LifeTime movie and the quality of the production is akin to a direct-to-DVD movie. Bizarre shifts in tone and nonsensical flashbacks only make the movie more confusing. There are a shocking amount of fade to black transitions that you’d only see in movies made for TV so they can accommodate commercial breaks!  Somewhere deep down th...

  Andy Somebody is an action comedy about a man named Andy getting some revenge on his piece of shit boss. Andy steals $3 million dollars from him without really thinking of the consequences or the next move based on his actions. With his boss hot in pursuit, Andy must quickly go from nobody to somebody.   Jeremy Evans as Andy is Hilarious and the supporting cast do a fantastic job distributing the jokes and playing off of each other. My favorite characters have to be the two detectives played by Peter Fluet and David Forseth. These two detectives have their own story happening only interact with each other but they are perfect.  Leslie Wong who plays Joy, has a side story of her own trying to be an accomplished writer. This movie strings together the two sub plots nicely as joy helps Andy solve the big issue regarding the stolen money.  Indie action films are really hard to make, special effects are not cheap but this film pulls off those moments really well. This p...

  Count Dracula has been one of the most prolific monsters on the big screen for decades. Many actors have portrayed the Count and done him justice. The films have mainly been adapted from Bram Stoker’s novel and have had plenty of interpretations. Most of them have been dramas, except for  Sesame Street , but the face of Dracula has made his mark in cinema history. Chris McKay’s  Renfield  changes the angle of how people perceive the Count through his right-hand man, Renfield (Nicholas Hoult). For Dracula (Nicolas Cage) to live a full life, he needs to have the purest blood out there, so Renfield does his bidding. Renfield wants to know what life would be like if he made his own decisions. As he goes to a group therapy discussion to recruit the “bad seeds” that are being discussed, he begins to listen to the life advice given to others.  In the novel Stoker’s  Dracula , Renfield is a human who has evil forming within him. As the story goes, Renfield would ...

  Sometimes less is more, as filmmaker Kelly Reichardt has demonstrated quite well in her career. Her minimalist style of storytelling is calming, and oftentimes meditative. It can also be quite dry, depending on how invested you are in the narrative and characters she’s created. Showing Up stays true to Reichardt’s past filmography, but unfortunately doesn’t connect in the way some of her other films have.  If you’re able to form a bond with Showing Up’s main character, played by Michelle Williams, this film will likely strike a comforting and familiar chord - like a good friend you haven’t seen in a while, updating you on their life. Williams’ performance is quiet and grounded, but it’s ever so captivating because of how authentic it comes across. There are no big, scene stealing moments or gripping monologues, but instead a subtle conveyance of swirling internal emotions.  Of course, if you aren’t able to see yourself, or someone you know in this character, the movie d...

  Leave it to a talented filmmaker like Ben Affleck to have you rooting for a multi-billion dollar sports conglomerate as the underdog, because that’s exactly what he’s done with   Air . This is the true story of how a team of Nike marketing executives acquired the greatest basketball player of all time, and it’s pretty damn inspiring.  Now don’t be confused; this is not a Michael Jordan movie, or even a basketball movie. No, this is a sports marketing movie wrapped around the biggest athlete acquisition Nike ever made. Set in a time when the company was trailing behind Adidas and Converse in basketball sponsorship, this story focuses on an over-eager marketing scout determined to land the deal that would slingshot Nike past the competition.  Matt Damon plays this character with such passion and determination, making it easy to get in on his enthusiasm. The way Affleck angles the story around this character, instead of Nike as a company, gives  Air  an unde...

  There are ways to define one’s career by the number of accolades and prestige one receives. However, defining one’s life is more complex because one is not measured by the greatness bestowed upon them but rather by the impact one makes when creating their path. In the 80s, Nike was not doing well compared to Converse and Adidas because NBA stars preferred their tracksuits and shoes over Nike. In 1984, Michael Jordan was one of the top three rookies teams, and brands wanted to sign him. One man named Sonny Vaccaro worked for Nike as a sports marketing executive who needed a win to bump Nike into a globally successful brand. He took a gamble on Jordan by building a shoe around him in his rookie season.  Air,  directed by Ben Affleck, is an inspiring true story about how Air Jordan shoes entered the market.  There is no doubting Ben Affleck’s directorial abilities because he knows how to craft a compelling narrative while pulling powerful performances from his actors....

  A darkly comedic and insightful exploration of the human condition, Beef serves up a delectable dish of ice-cold revenge. Road rage is the catalyst that sparked the escalating string of events, but this series dives far deeper into these two strangers lives, touching on themes of self-worth, classism, depression and generational trauma.  Ali Wong and Steven Yeun star as Amy and Danny - two people with vastly different lives and personalities, who actually have more in common than either of them realize. Yeun once again showcases remarkable range, with a performance that pivots between unhinged and deeply emotional. Wong delivers a surprisingly rich performance that works beautifully in contrast to Yeun’s. Their characters hate each other passionately, and their excellent (anti)chemistry is nothing short of sublime. Their actions are despicable, but these two are portrayed in such a way that allows you to empathize with them, to a degree. Neither of them are painted as the he...

  In 1981, a famous Italian plumber named Mario made his first appearance in the arcade game Donkey Kong. Originally, Mario was supposed to be a carpenter, but as he goes  As Donkey Kong became more popular, so did Mario. It was until two years later that Mario and his brother Luigi had an arcade game of their own. Mario was still the game’s star, but Luigi was always by his side. The goal for Mario was to save Princess Peach; as they became more popular, the world grew. Super Mario Bros became massive because Mario was always involved in every new game console or arcade game they made. He has starred in over 200 games for Nintendo and has become a staple in the video game world. Not only has he grown on everyone, but the beloved characters in his world have become popular too.  When Illumination partnered up with Nintendo to make  The Super Mario Bros. Movie,  the first thing that came to mind was how incredible the animation would be. Even though Illumination ...

  It is no surprise that John wick has ushered us in a new age of assassin movies. Kill Boksoon is one of those films but it has enough unique elements that allows it to stand on its own. Single mother and lethal killer, Gil Boksoon is the assassin worlds most deadly employee. Employed by the largest company of assassins, MK. It is one of many private assassin for hire companies in the game but there are many other smaller private companies that employ Assassins as well. This adds a level of competition within the assassin world. As a veteran in her industry, she is both praised and sought out by almost every other company as her contract is about to expire with MK.   I was really surprised by how little action there is in the film considering the film is almost two and a half hours but the action sequences are paces out well enough to keep you engaged.  There are a few elements to the world building that are unique to this film, one of them being the nature of the a...