1st Reviews

  Adam Sandler’s ongoing partnership with Netflix hasn’t exactly produced much in the way of quality entertainment, but every now and then, a pleasant surprise comes along. Last year, that was Hustle, and now we have the delightful You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah.  This could’ve easily been your typical “teenage girls fighting over a boy” type of movie, and on the surface, that’s mostly what it is. However, this coming of age story is elevated by the representation of Jewish culture seldom seen in family films, and by giving us an honest look at adolescent anxiety. Yes, there’s still plenty of that signature Happy Madison goofiness (for better or worse), but it’s dialled back in favour of something more heartwarming and genuine than we’re used to from Sandler’s production company.  Speaking of Sandler, this movie is quite the family affair. You’ve not only got the Sand-Man himself, but also his wife and two daughters. This is the acting debut of his youngest - Su...

  I grew up with the original PlayStation, and Gran Turismo spent a lot of time in that disc drive. The attention to detail and realism - there was no other racing game like it. Over the years the GT series has shown us the developers truly understand and respect racing, and cars in general. This movie does right by the games’ legacy, while also telling a true underdog story in the process.  The film follows gamer turned professional driver Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), who was selected as part of a contest by Nissan to put gamers behind the wheel. As with most biopics, much of this story is a retelling of true events, but there’s a lot that’s changed for the sake of storytelling and entertainment value. Thankfully, these embellishments don’t diminish the inspirational message, and rarely feel like cheap additions thrown in to play on your emotions. David Harbour is fantastic as Jann’s driving coach, giving the best performance in the movie.  Like a car hugging the...

  Sometimes you get a sequel that builds upon what worked in the original, delivering something familiar but fresh and exciting. Sometimes you get one that exists for no reason other than to cash in on the success of the first movie. What kind of sequel is Vacation Friends 2? Well, look at my score and take a wild guess.  Listen, the first movie wasn’t a masterpiece, but it provided some big laughs along with an entertaining cast led by the comedically underrated John Cena. It’s hard to believe this follow-up comes from the same writer and director, because nothing - and I really do mean nothing - works as well as it did in the original. I’ve noticed something a lot of inferior comedy sequels have in common, and it’s that they always try to go bigger. Bigger isn’t always better, though, especially with comedy. Apparently nobody got that memo here, as this sequel takes the simple concept of a mismatched group of friends and throws in needless action elements involving drug lord...

  This year has been an interesting year for comic book films. To say that it has been hard for comic book movies out there is an understatement because, for some reason, they aren’t generating the same turnout as in previous years. We’ve learned this year that it’s not about the repetitive use of the conventions in the genre that is turning audiences away from watching the films. It’s because the characters are not connecting with audiences for them to come back and watch them.   Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3   and   Across the Spider-Verse   are the exceptions. And now, we can add Blue Beetle   to that list. The emotional connection to the characters is the glue that holds these films together. This is an introduction to Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña), and there is a familiarity to his character’s journey that instantly makes you root for him.  Director Angel Manuel Soto was the perfect choice to bring Blue Beetle to the big screen because he inc...

  Everyone deserves a joyful romantic comedy once in a while. Life can be difficult at times, and there need to be more films that bring how wonderful life can be with some love and laughter sprinkled in.  Red, White & Royal Blue,  directed by Matthew López and co-written by author Casey McQuiston delivers a vibrant and bubbly queer romance that everyone will enjoy. McQuiston’s debut novel became a bestseller because of her characters First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez) and Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine). They are on opposite ends of the world but still understand what it’s like living in the public eye and being monitored by their families. Their relationship begins as enemies, but they eventually become friends and share quite a lot.  What’s so perfect about this adaptation is that the love story between Alex and Henry happened naturally. Zakhar Perez and Galitzine have wonderful chemistry and feed off each other. There’s a zest that Zakhar P...

  The self-proclaimed Monkey King is on a personal mission to be a god and rid the world of all Demons but the biggest demon he must overcome, is his own ego. While hunting a demon, he befriends a little girl named Lin who joins him on his quest for power after The Monkey King saves her town from destruction.  The Monkey King has to be one of the fastest paced films I have ever watched. I understand people's attention spans are very short but I felt completely overwhelmed to try and keep up at the start of the film. Things do slow down towards the second half and that's really when the film starts finding its way. Once we are introduced to the characters, the lore, and the gods, the film slows down and develops its characters. One other area the film does succeed is with its voice cast, especially with its two leads played by Jimmy Yang and Jolie Hoang- Rappaport. Both actors bring an incredible energy to their roles with great chemistry as The Monkey King and L...

  Netflix has thrown a lot of action movies at us over the last few years, in hopes of launching their own hit action franchise. Heart of Stone is their latest attempt, and let me tell you, this certainly isn’t the hit they’re looking for.  I try to find positive aspects to touch on in my reviews, but I’m struggling here. This movie is being billed as a Mission: Impossible style action thriller, which is frankly a little insulting to those films. Whereas M:I is known for creative, adrenaline pumping action, Heart of Stone is excruciatingly generic from head to toe, without an ounce of originality or creativity to be found. It borrows so much from popular action franchises, but does it poorly. There’s even a lousy James Bond style intro with an original song. Everything here - and I do mean everything - is something that’s been done better before.  With a budget of over 100 million, you’d think the movie should at least look good, right? Sadly that’s not the case. I know G...

  With every brand trying to build a movie universe, Sony made an excellent decision to base Gran Turismo off of the real life events surrounding the GT Academy and winner of the academy, Jann Mardenborough in 2011. This Sim-driver turned racer was given the opportunity to race against ninety-thousand of the worlds best sim-drivers  for an opportunity to drive a real car with the GT Academy and Nissan.  The story begins with a dream to show the world that simulation racing and gaming is not just for fun and could be applied in real life. Danny Moore, played by Orlando Bloom spearheads the GT Academy and this grand opportunity for many gamers. He enlists Veteran driver, Jack Salter, played by David Harbour to train the winners to be real racers. Jann comes out on top and is given a spot on team Nissan to race competitively with the help of Danny Moore and Jack Salter and begins his career as a professional driver.  As a racing enthus...

  I don’t mind flying, but sometimes I get a bit restless on longer flights, or when delays add extra hours to my trip. Watching Hijack gave me a similar feeling. It’s four episodes worth of plot, unnecessarily stretched out to take up seven. Idris Elba leads the series with a calm and collected performance. The ways his character uses intellect instead of brute force against the hijackers make him a formidable opponent. I found myself eager - especially in early episodes - to see how he’d creatively work his way aro und or out of each new situation. The supporting cast is a big one, with multiple plot threads playing out both in the sky and on the ground. There are a few too many characters though, making it difficult to care about or become invested in some of them.  The first three episodes are actually quite promising, delivering tension and thrills in equal measure. The setup is compelling, and knowing nothing about the hijackers’ motivations had me wondering how their pl...

  If you were born between the mid ‘80s and late ‘90s, the likelihood you owned a Beanie Baby is sky high. They were EVERYWHERE. Like the adorable plush phenomenon's it’s based on, The Beanie Bubble is a bit under-filled, but will certainly give your inner child a rush of nostalgia.  A good biopic gives you information that you didn’t already know, and presents it in engaging and entertaining ways. This movie does that, but keeps everything fairly superficial, never digging far beyond the surface level details. It also admits, in its opening minutes, that some of this story is flat out made up. Now, this is nothing new for films based on true stories, but to have it in text right at the beginning spoils some of the illusion that what you’re about to watch actually happened.  The movie is also trying to do its best Scorsese impression, with a narrative that jumps between multiple narrators and time periods. The only problem, this “true” story isn’t always fascinating ...

Mutant Mayhem is the most successful theatrical update the turtles have had in years. This coming of age film is a perfect example of updating characters for a new audience while paying homage to the original 1980's series and comic. The breathtaking animation style brings the Turtles and New York to life by playing off of its energy in ways that tell you everyone had a lot of fun making this. Mutant Mayhem is a familiar origin story that sees the turtles growing up in the sewers, 15 years after their exposure to the famous green ooze. The young turtles are eager and excited to meet and interact with the humans but Their father, Master Splinter is an overprotective dad who does not want them venturing up to the surface. The Turtles obviously do not listen and their more frequent visits to the city surface change their lives in ways they did not expect. Their paths cross with a young high school journalist, April O'Neil who is trying to gather evidence on a mysterious villain in...