1st Reviews

  Have you ever wanted to see a Sasquatch squirt milk from its breasts? How about watching poop come out of a Sasquatch’s ass? Maybe you’ve always wondered what a Sasquatch’s erection looks like. You’re gonna get all of that and more from Sasquatch Sunset, but beneath all of the explicit vulgarity is a movie that is, dare I say, kind of beautiful.  The novelty of the toilet humour wears out its welcome quickly, serving as little more than a raunchy gimmick the film quite frankly doesn’t need. It’s shocking to see, and will surely be a big talking point when people discuss the movie, but it adds nothing of value. Actually, it comes pretty close to ruining the experience as a whole.  At its core, this is a slice of life movie that also plays like a nature documentary (sans the iconic Attenborough narration). We’re merely observing these elusive creatures in their natural habitat, trying to navigate life and ensure the survival of their species. The Sasquatches are fragile, ...

Nine years ago, George Miller gave us one of the greatest action movies of all time, with Fury Road. The bar was set impossibly high. How could he possibly deliver a follow up that reached those same heights? Well, he couldn’t, but Furiosa is still a worthy addition to the Max Max Saga, filled with plenty of jaw dropping vehicular mayhem to fuel its ferocious revenge story.  If you go into this prequel expecting the same type of experience as Fury Road, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. This is a slower, more character focused wasteland epic that sprawls across a decade and a half. It works to give Furiosa a lot more character depth, adding further context and motivation to her actions in Fury Road. We’d only seen glimpses of her past before, and now we get the full, bloody picture. On top of that, the movie does an excellent job of making the wasteland feel much bigger than it ever has. It’s not all just dirt roads this time around, as we also venture to locations lik...

  Ilana Glazer brings her joyously free-spirited comedic energy to  Babes , a film that's unapologetically about the female experience, including pregnancy, motherhood, and female friendships. Her delightful banter with Michelle Buteau and nuanced yet often laugh-out-loud portrayal of her character Eden's experience with an unexpected pregnancy give her character an unfiltered likability.  Though the film does have sections with less laughs, and Stephan James is unfortunately underused, there's some other talented players including John Carroll Lynch and Hasan Minhaj, and the film wraps up in a cheesy yet charming way. The movie ultimately serves not just as a film about the strength of women and mothers, but the strength of a real good friendship. 3.5/5 Review by: Gal Balaban

  There’s plenty of thought provoking discourse and relevant commentary in our world surrounding A.I. This movie offers none of that. Atlas may not lend anything new to the conversation, but the unlikely companionship between J-Lo and her sentient mech suit save Netflix’s latest from total annihilation.   This movie is set in the future, where mankind finds itself at war with a rogue A.I., who leaves earth vowing to one day return and end humanity. Jennifer Lopez plays a data analyst with a mysterious connection to the A.I., and must embark on a mission into space to save the world. The framework of this movie is not only formulaic, but it’s a little convoluted too. Normally, this would be a dealbreaker, but once the ultra-generic plot is set in motion, the movie shifts gears to become the buddy action flick nobody was expecting.  Atlas Shepherd (Lopez) doesn’t trust artificial intelligence, but much of her mission takes place piloting a sentient mech suit (voiced excelle...

  Think about your favourite show from when you were young. Chances are, it played a pivotal, maybe even transformative role in your life. Every time you tuned in, it swept you off your couch and took you somewhere else. It was magic, or at least that’s the way you remember it.   I   Saw   the   TV   Glow blurs the lines between fiction, reality and memories, but also blurs its ability to clearly convey its own big ideas in the process.  There’s a lot to unpack with this movie. There are some truly fascinating ideas at play, and the allegorical DNA coursing through the film’s veins will no doubt strike a chord with some viewers. If you’ ve  ever struggled with self-identity, or not feeling at home in your own body, this movie may cut unexpectedly deep.  I  respect the artistic approach to conveying those feelings, but the deeper themes aren’t always as accessible as  I  would’ ve  liked.  I  don’t need my hand he...

  It’s quite shocking that “ Hit   Man ” is directed and co-written by veteran, big-time director, Richard Linklater. So much of this romantic-action-comedy presents much more like the work of a writer / director. The comedic elements of the movie feel half-hearted, the action is practically non-existent and the tone is all over the place. Then again, that shouldn’t be the most surprising considering that star Glen Powell is not only the co-producer of “ Hit   Man ” but the co-screenwriter as well. Maybe that’s also why the movie begins and it feels like we in the audience are dropped in at the 25 minute mark. The opening of “ Hit   Man ” is so slow, confused and not nearly as fun or as cool as the premise promised that had someone been watching this at home (“ Hit   Man ” is scheduled for a Netflix release this summer, FYI), it wouldn’t be surprising if they turned it off before the first half hour. There are definitely some shortcomings when it comes to the pl...

  Pop Tarts are good and all, but have you ever had a Toaster Strudel? I went into   Unfrosted   expecting the equivalent of a bowl of Froot Loops - colourful, sweet and with absolutely no nutritional value. This movie was unfortunately more along the lines of a soggy bowl of stale Corn Flakes sitting in expired milk.  I was caught a bit off guard with how far into spoof territory this movie ventures. I knew I wasn’t getting anything close to a straight biopic, but this is even sillier than I expected. The major issue is this is a spoof movie than strains itself trying to be funny, and most of the time it isn’t. It hurls punchlines at the audience so rapidly, hoping desperately that something will stick, like a standup comic bombing their set. To be fair, I did get a handful of decent laughs, but the ratio of failed to successful jokes is somewhere in the 10/1 ballpark. The cast is absolutely stacked, which is one of  Unfrosted ’s only redeeming qualities. This ...

  Apes. Together. Strong. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is another strong addition to the iconic franchise, and a worthy follow-up to Caesar’s trilogy. While it doesn’t quite reach the level of Dawn or War, this new chapter offers a thrilling, emotionally driven story with great performances and groundbreaking visuals.  Kingdom smartly differentiates itself by moving the timeline forward a few centuries. This allows Caesar’s story to be left untouched, while having his actions and beliefs still echo through the new world. It’s both a continuation and somewhat of a soft reset, which keeps it from feeling like it’s treading ground covered in the previous three films. It takes some time to establish new characters and lore, struggling just a bit with pacing in the first act. That was perfectly fine with me, though, because it does a wonderful job setting up the potential future of the franchise.  I really liked the new characters, and while they aren’t quite as compellin...

  When it comes to major franchises, the Planet of the Apes series has proven to be one of the most consistent and reliable. Since the franchise began in 1968, each instalment has served as a highly intelligent exploration of humanity, examining different themes from environmental destruction to our treatment of animals. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes occupies the same universe as Matt Reeves beloved trilogy. Taking place many generations following the death of Caesar, the apes rule the planet and have dispersed into numerous clans. The film is told through the eyes of Noa, a young chimpanzee from a peaceful Eagle-raising clan who prepares to come of age in his clan by collecting eagle eggs a top a mountain, alongside his two closest friends. However, when a mysterious human and a violent tribe of apes show up, it disrupts the peace of the village and Noa is forced to embark on a journey to save his clan. When Matt Reeves retired from the franchise to work on The Batman, many we...

  In classic doctor who fashion, we are treated to a brand new direction for our latest installation in the long running franchise. After four wonderful season of Jodie Whittaker, we have a brand new doctor in the form of the talented, Ncuti Gatwa from Sex Education and Masters Of The Air. Mcuti immediately emits an energy worthy of a Doctor the minute we are introduced to him. His charm is similar to that of David Tenant’s doctor that once got me interested in the series.   One aspect of Ncuti’s doctor that is different is his wardrobe which has been famously changing over the years. His new outfit is a semi- formal overcoat that is both modern and stylish.  Millie Gibson plays The Doctors companion, Ruby Sunday. She is such a joy to watch on screen as she brings such a positive and uplifting energy to the role. Her chemistry with The Doctor is so infectious right from the moment they meet and it only gets stronger with each episode.  The family, friendly humor of D...

  Stunt performers put their lives on the line every day, and yet there’s still no Oscar for best stunt work. Tell me how that makes sense? The Fall Guy gives these unsung heroes their moment in the spotlight. Much like their line of work, this movie is a bit of a bumpy ride, but gets by on exciting action and Gosling’s charismatic lead performance.  Director David Leitch - a former stuntman and stunt coordinator - knows his way around an action sequence. He’s now had plenty of experience behind and in front of the camera, which shines here. It’s not on the level of something like John Wick or Mission: Impossible, but the action is creatively orchestrated, well shot, and most importantly, fun to watch. With the film itself being centred around a stunt man, it was great seeing many of the stunts take place on film sets, giving us a look at how physically demanding the job is.  Ryan Gosling is in an era of having a blast with his roles, and brings that joyous charisma to hi...

  Star Wars: Tales of the Empire continues off of the success of series, Tales of the Jedi. The six episodes focus on two characters; Morgan Elsbeth and Barriss Offee, each getting three episodes respectively. The episodes are structured much better than its jedi counterpart with each episode focused in different eras to get an overall character arc over the span of many decades.    The 15 minutes episodes format continue to be a concise form of storytelling for the Star Wars universe The animation style for the bad batch continues to be a staple in Star Wars but is some of the best animation we have seen to date. Clearly, Lucas is really honing in on this style and improving both the visual appeal and its frame rate flow to make it more seamless, especially during light sabre battles.  Music and sound is always something that drives passion in all Star Wars properties and Tales of the Empire is no different. Star Wars has a way to make us interested in characters th...