Film: Belfast

 

GENRE: Drama
RATING: PG-13 for some violence and strong language
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 38 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Caitriona Balfe (Ford v Ferrari, Outlander)
Jamie Dornan (Wild Mountain Thyme); Jude Hill (newcomer)
DIRECTOR: Kenneth Branagh (Thor, Hamlet, Artemis Fowl)
WRITER: Branagh (Shakespeare adaptations for film)
PLOT: Based on a story from Branagh’s life, a young boy and his family experience the religious riots of the late 1960’s.   

FULL DISCLOSURE: I’m assuming it’s going to get some Oscar noms.

STORY STUFF: I’m always disappointed with humanity when I see rioting and there’s a bunch of it in this movie. The storytelling for this film is solid and takes on more meaning as it is semi-autobiographical. I’m glad the running time is manageable and not some long life story. Way to keep it tight Branagh.

ACTING STUFF: I enjoyed many of the performances in this film. Balfe is excellent as the mother trying to keep her family together. Hill is adorable as Buddy with his cute accent and wide eyes to the world around him. The scene stealers though are the grandparents played by Judi Dench (Skyfall) and Ciaran Hinds (Rome, Munich). They are gold.

ARTISTIC STUFF: There is some beautiful cinematography throughout this film. The black and white works well and Branagh smartly adds colour when there are artistic performances going on. I also enjoyed the score and songs provided by Van Morrison.

VERDICT: Three and half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You want to prep for Oscars with some 1960’s Irish turmoil.   
UPCOMING REVIEW: King Richard 

Film: Don't Look Up

GENRE: Comedy Drama
RATING: R for language, some sexual content and nudity
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 18 minutes
PLATFORM: Netflix
STARRING: Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic, Inception, The Departed)
Jennifer Lawrence (Hunger Games); Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia!)
DIRECTOR: Adam McKay (Vice, The Big Short, Anchorman)
WRITER: McKay (Big Short, Vice, The Other Guys, SNL)
PLOT: Two astronomers need to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy the Earth.  

FULL DISCLOSURE: The impressive cast list was the draw

STORY STUFF: I kept thinking about the movie Armageddon during this film. These are the events that would happen if NASA decided to tell the public instead of sending Bruce Willis and his oil drilling team to space. McKay infuses a lot of dark humour and commentary into this apocalyptic film. There are obvious parallels to the pandemic and politics and how we get and absorb the news. It’s definitely a film that makes you think but also roll your eyes at the absurdly of their world and ours. The story moves along a good pace. The problem for me was that I didn’t feel as invested in the story as I probably could have been and maybe that’s because the film is trying to straddle the drama and comedy too much. I did love the runner about charging for free snacks. Good stuff.

ACTING STUFF: This is a stellar cast of talent and you can tell that fun is being had. It’s like summer camp. Maybe like Wet Hot American Summer camp. There is a lot of fun dialogue mixed with passionate moments. DiCaprio and Lawrence lead the cast well. Streep is a little too floopy for me. Jonah Hill (Superbad) is pretty funny with his side comments and disdain for Lawrence’s character. Mark Rylance (Dunkirk) is pretty strange as a billionaire tech CEO; he does some interesting things with his voice.  

ARTISTIC STUFF: I am not a fan of McKay’s editing choices. It seems when he gets bored, he’s put in a cutaway to some nature or a still shot or something else. I’m sure some of it has meaning but I can’t be bothered to figure it out because it’s so jarring and quick. I also hate his colourful and chunky titles at the beginning and end of the film. It looks juvenile. I did enjoy his clarification of a particular government branch.

VERDICT: Three and half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You’re up for dark humour and wanna see lots of stars  
UPCOMING REVIEW: King Richard 

Film: The King's Man

 

GENRE: Action Adventure
RATING: R for strong violence and language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 10 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Ralph Fiennes (Grand Budapest Hotel, Harry Potter)
Gemma Arterton (Clash of the Titans); Harris Dickinson (Maleficent 2)
DIRECTOR: Matthew Vaughn (Kingsman; Kick-Ass)
WRITERS: Vaughn (X-Men: First Class); Karl Gajdusek (Oblivion)
PLOT: A group of spies work together to stop WWI.  

FULL DISCLOSURE: Just a casual fan of the previous films.

STORY STUFF: The story did not grab me. The future Kingman films are light and fun with some James Bond-ish gadgets and action. This one did not have the same energy. There is a lot of exposition. Their playing around with WWI history would be more interesting to me if I knew more about that war. When it comes to the action, most of the fun stuff can be seen in the trailer. I enjoyed the Rasputin fight and the parachute scene. The rest was lagging and pretty ho-hum.

ACTING STUFF: Fiennes is his usual gentlemen self but a bit bland until he’s drunk. Rhys Ifans (Amazing Spider-Man, Notting Hill) chews all the scenery as Rasputin. You can tell that at least he’s having fun. Not much else to say when it comes to the acting in this film.

ARTISTIC STUFF: The fight scenes are well choreographed and there are some fun uses of camera speed. There’s also a bizarre sword perspective that was off-putting for some reason. Costumes were dapper. I did enjoy the use of Wilfred Owen’s poem in the film but that’s because I teach it in English Literature class. Not much else to say.  

VERDICT: One and a half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You want to see the trailer on a bit of a larger scale.  
UPCOMING REVIEW: Don’t Look Up 

Film: The Matrix Resurrections

 

GENRE: Sci-Fi Action
RATING: R for violence and some language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 28 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Keanu Reeves (John Wick, Speed, Point Break, Bill & Ted)
Carrie-Anne Moss (Jessica Jones, Memento); Jessica Henwick (Iron Fist)
DIRECTOR: Lana Wachowski (The Matrix, Cloud Atlas, Speed Racer)
WRITERS: Wachowski (The Matrix films, Jupiter Ascending, Bound)
David Mitchell (Cloud Atlas-novel); Aleksandar Hemon (newcomer)
PLOT: Is Neo back in The Matrix as Thomas Anderson again? Which reality is he in? Let’s follow that white rabbit again.  

FULL DISCLOSURE: Expectations tempered as I disliked the sequels.

STORY STUFF: Better than I thought it would be but not as great as it could have been. The film is slick and does a great job with the ‘history repeating itself’ stuff. The variations are welcome in my opinion and there are some great callbacks and some meta comments. I thought I only had to re-watch the first one (which I did) but apparently, it references the other two sub-par sequels as well. If you haven’t seen at least the first one, you’d best avoid this film as you’ll be hella confused. What I hated about the sequels it they got too involved with Zion and too many supporting characters. This film runs into the same problem. When it’s focused on the core group with Neo and Trinity, it’s pretty awesome. As soon as they introduce a new city called Io and its inhabitants, I lost a bunch of interest. I only want to root for a very small group of well fleshed out characters. The story is full of action and great moments but it is also bogged down by lots of exposition. Luckily, they stick the landing.

ACTING STUFF: Reeves and Moss perfectly recapture their characters and keep me rooting for them. I liked the playfulness of Watchmen’s Yaha Abdul-Mateen II’s Morpheus more than the original (but I’m biased as I don’t like Laurence Fishburne much). Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) steals most of the scenes he’s in as does Jonathan Groff (Hamilton). I liked Henwick’s work as Bugs as the rest of crew aren’t given as much depth. Not a fan of Jada Pinkett Smith reviving her role but that’s more to do with the whole Zion/Io issue I have.

ARTISTIC STUFF: The visual effects and martial arts fighting is impressive but we’ve been exposed to it since 1999 so it’s not jaw dropping. There are some cool new effects though. The production design fits nicely with the previous film. When I wrote that they stuck the landing, I was referring to the visuals. The female led Brass Against’s cover of Rage Against the Machine’s ‘Wake Up’ makes a point but does not pack the same punch.   

VERDICT: Three and half stars out of five (almost four)
SEE IT IF: You enjoyed The Matrix and could tolerate its sequels.  
UPCOMING REVIEW: Don’t Look Up 

Film: Being the Ricardos

 

GENRE: Drama, Biography
RATING: R for language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 11 minutes
PLATFORM: Amazon Prime
STARRING: Nicole Kidman (Bombshell, The Hours, Lion, Moulin Rouge)
Javier Bardem (Skyfall, Dune); JK Simmons (Whiplash, Spider-Man 2)
DIRECTOR: Aaron Sorkin (Molly’s Game, The Trial of the Chicago 7)
WRITER: Sorkin (West Wing, Social Network, A Few Good Men)
PLOT: A tumultuous week unfolds as news interferes with production of the latest I Love Lucy episode.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I love Aaron Sorkin.

STORY STUFF: I was riveted. Keep in mind that I adore Sorkin’s writing and the way he approaches behind-the-scene stuff whether it be a sports channel, presidential politics, sketch show, newsroom, app creation, baseball team, platform launch or courtroom trial. In this script, Sorkin is adept and jumping back and forth between the highly dramatic one week and scenes from the past with a small mix of episode segments to boot. While the three big things that week did not happen simultaneously in real life, it is some well-crafted drama to pull the viewers along. The dialogue is fantastic, as always, with most characters getting some really great speeches for their sizzle reel. I just love listening to the word play and rhythm; it’s mesmerizing for me.

ACTING STUFF: Those who thought Debra Messing from Will & Grace should have got the Lucy role need to see this film and realize why they were wrong. Messing does a great Lucy onscreen as Lucy Ricardo but I have a very difficult time thinking she could do what Kidman was able to accomplish as Lucille Ball, which is most of the time. Ball and Ricardo were reportedly vastly different from each other. I think Kidman nails it. Bardem is charismatic and captivating as Desi; he’s a treat to watch. Simmons is also fantastic as William Fawly who played Fred Mertz. He gets some great scenes, especially with Kidman. The whole cast is amazing. Another standout for me was Tony Hale (VEEP, Arrested Development) as exec. producer Jess Oppenheimer. It was so awesome to see him angry and not the consummate goof; he also gets a great scene with Kidman near the end of the film.  

ARTISTIC STUFF: It’s what you would expect in a Sorkin film. There’s some walk and talks, interestingly lit scenes and lots of time jumps. My only note was that the studio on filming day looked too dark, but maybe that was the mood he was going for.  

VERDICT: Five stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You are an Aaron Sorkin fan or liked I Love Lucy.
UPCOMING REVIEW: Matrix Resurrections 

Film: Spider-Man: No Way Home

GENRE: Action
RATING: PG-13 for violence and some language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 28 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Tom Holland (Avengers: Infinity War; Onward; Current War)
Zendaya (Greatest Showman; Dune); Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock)
DIRECTOR: Jon Watts (Spider-Man: Homecoming & Far from Home)
WRITERS: Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers (Lego Batman; Jumanji 2)
PLOT: Peter Parker gets Doctor Strange to make a spell that goes wrong and brings in villains from the multi-verse.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I had pretty high expectation for this film.  

STORY STUFF: Expectations met and then some. Such a fun movie that is full of great action pieces, humour and even a bunch of feels. The chemistry between the main cast is outstanding which then extends to the multiverse characters from the previous franchises. I am often worried when a franchise resorts to more villains to fill out their stories as they usually are the death knell to the series (see Spider-Man 3; Batman and Robin). This one manages to pull it off, but maybe that’s because we don’t need to see each of their origin stories (much like Holland’s Spider-Man didn’t feel the need to). Of course, this film will be even more enjoyable if you have seen the Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield franchises. There are a number of references that made me smile having just re-watched some of those films. There is also an early cameo that I loved because it was about time. I don’t want to give out spoilers so you’ll have to watch it quickly before someone ruins things for you. Just know that the story is awesome, the time flew by, and the ending worked.

ACTING STUFF: As I said before, the main cast have outstanding chemistry. They get to have fun but also some emotional scenes. Cumberbatch is always great to watch on screen; he has solid comic timing. As I am not sure if you know who is all this film, I’ll just say that everyone brings their ‘A’ game.  

ARTISTIC STUFF: As always, I love Michael Giacchino’s Spider-Man music – there’s just something so playful yet triumphant about it. The action sequences are very well done as I could follow the movements most of the time. I’m guessing the CG artists from Doctor Strange helped with one of the sequences, unless they do all the Marvel films. I will say that I was not a fan of Spider-Man’s new suit, it had too much gray on it – kinda looked like duct tape on the shoulder. But that’s a minor quibble. The production of this film is top notch like all Marvel movies.

VERDICT: Five stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You are a Spider-Man fan as it’s not for first timers
UPCOMING REVIEW: Being the Ricardos 

Film: West Side Story

 

GENRE: Musical, Drama
RATING: PG-13 for strong violence and thematic content
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 36 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Ansel Elgort (Baby Driver, Divergent, Fault in Our Stars)
Ariana DeBose (Prom, Hamilton); Rachel Zegler (newcomer)
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg (Jaws, Schindler’s List, Colour Purple)
WRITER: Tony Kushner (Lincoln, Munich, Angels in America)
PLOT: A Romeo & Juliet story but with New York street gangs the Sharks and the Jets.   

FULL DISCLOSURE: Not my favourite musical – I like ½ the songs.  

STORY STUFF: Kushner does a great job adapting the 1957 musical. There are obvious connections to the division found in America today, but not much had to be altered, unfortunately. There is still racism, fear of cops, class warfare, street violence, etc. A noticeable departure is having Doc replaced by Rita Moreno’s Valentina, as his widowed Puerto Rican wife. I enjoyed the nod to the Oscar winning film (Moreno played Anita and is a producer on this film) and I thought it added a new layer to the adult advice for Tony. In fact, what I really appreciated was the added backstory given to Tony and Bernardo in particular. Like the original musical, I find it goes a little long and the love story drags for me.

ACTING STUFF: I’m not usually a fan of Elgort or Tony, for that matter, but I found myself enjoying his portrayal and singing voice. Zegler is captivating as Maria, as is DeBose as Anita. These women bring powerhouse performances, vocals and choreography. I am a big fan Mike Faist, who I saw play Connor in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway, so I loved his take on Riff. It was odd for me to see David Alvarez as Bernardo after seeing him as such a weak character on American Rust, but he did a fantastic job. I’ll admit that I was not a fan of Brian d’Arcy James as Officer Krupke. James is a big Broadway actor and has done some great film and TV roles but his Krupke was too comical and not enough of a threat for me to take seriously like I have in the past.

ARTISTIC STUFF: It must be difficult to try and top a record-breaking Oscar winning musical, but Spielberg goes all out for his first crack at the genre. I love his interpretations and how rich he makes this movie in theme, setting and drama. New York comes alive as the backdrop for great musical numbers and scenes. I absolutely loved using Gimble’s department store for “I Feel Pretty”. The choreography throughout is sharp and reminiscent of the original film and musical but with some great changes; I also loved the moves of “Cool” and “America”. The staging of the balcony scene was incredible with great use of the fire escape. The camera movement is epic as it sweeps through the slums. The lighting is phenomenal with its use of shadows and back lighting. This film is artistically superb and Spielberg should be proud of his accomplishment.

VERDICT: Four and half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You like West Side Story or have never seen it before.
UPCOMING REVIEW: Spider-Man: No Way Home

Film: tick, tick . . . BOOM!

 

GENRE: Musical, Drama, Biography
RATING: PG-13 for some strong language and drug references
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 55 minutes
PLATFORM: Netflix
STARRING: Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge, Amazing Spider-Man)
Robin de Jesus (Boys in the Band); Alexandra Shipp (Love, Simon)
DIRECTOR: Lin-Manuel Miranda (newcomer – but wrote Hamilton)
WRITER: Steven Levenson (Dear Evan Hansen, Fosse/Verdon)
PLOT: A promising, young theatre composer tries to get his first musical produced for Broadway.  

FULL DISCLOSURE: I’m actually not a fan of Rent. Sue me.

STORY STUFF: I often enjoy stories that explore the creative process. This one is no exception. I love seeing writers work through writer’s block; getting inspired by big and small things; navigating victories and failures; and learning more about themselves. This film has all of that as Miranda and Levenson adapt Rent composer Jonathan Larson’s one-man autobiographical performance. The story is well-paced as it jumps from short performance pieces to longer vignettes of Larson’s life as he writes a musical called Superbia. If you like musicals, you’ll probably like this.

ACTING STUFF: Garfield does a stellar job as Jonathan Larson. I didn’t know he could sing that well. There a few times he’s too whiny and there are moments where he sounds a bit like Miranda, but overall, awesome work. While the rest of the cast brings their A game, the highlight for me is a scene that takes place in the famous Moondance Diner (Monica and Mary Jane worked there) where there is a fantasy sequence that includes a large number of famous Broadway stars. I didn’t know all of them but I could pick out 2/3rds. Must have been a fun day of shooting.

ARTISTIC STUFF: If you are looking for songs from Miranda, there aren’t any. All songs are from Larson. There is a relationship song that reminded me of “We Both Reached for the Gun” from Chicago. I wonder who influenced whom? Miranda does a fantastic job of moving the camera around and creating dynamic fantasy sequences. Along with the diner scene, I particularly liked the scene at the swimming pool. I’m sure there were a number of Rent Easter eggs in this film, but they didn’t stick out to me except maybe Vanessa Hudgens lending a hand.    

VERDICT: Four and half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You love musicals and the creative process.
UPCOMING REVIEW: Being the Ricardos, West Side Story

Film: Ghostbusters Afterlife

 

GENRE: Adventure, Comedy
RATING: PG-13 for supernatural action
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 4 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Paul Rudd (Ant-Man, Perks of Being a Wallflower )
Mckenna Grace (Gifted; I, Tonya); Finn Wolfhard (It, Stranger Things)
DIRECTOR: Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking, Juno, Up in the Air)
WRITERS: Jason Reitman (Up in the Air) & Gil Kenan (newcomer)
PLOT: A single mom and her two kids find out that they have a significant connection to the original Ghostbusters.  

FULL DISCLOSURE: I’m very nostalgic for the original Ghostbusters.

STORY STUFF: Wow! That was fantastic! I may have been a bit skeptical, especially after the disappointing female version, but this reboot/continuation was awesome. I cared about each and every character, there were lots of laughs and some great emotional hooks, there is plenty of respect for the past while foraging some new ground. I will say that before seeing this, you should really watch or rewatch the original 1984 Ghostbusters to truly appreciate this film. (No need to watch the sequel or the female reboot.) I was impressed with great pacing, the Easter eggs, and the respectful way they incorporated Egon. This was a treat to watch. The two post-credit sequences seemed odd but whatever.

ACTING STUFF: Rudd brings the charm but it’s the kids that really blow me away in this film. Wolfhard has some great teenager lines and is a bit less awkward than in past performances. Grace does a fantastic job bringing us along on her journey. She also has great comic timing. But it’s newcomer Logan Kim who steals the show as the hilarious kid, self-named Podcast. Every line out of his mouth made me laugh and smile. Kudos to the casting folks who found this kid. He is freaking awesome.    

ARTISTIC STUFF: The special effects stuff has call-backs to the original but is clearly better animated for today’s audience. Having watched the original a couple days ago it was uncanny with some of the similarities. The set design, the costumes, the VHS choices, the mini Stay Puft Marshmallow guy, they all work so well. I do find it funny that the score has hints of The A-Team but so did the original, so I can’t fault them for that. This film is well worth your time.  

VERDICT: Five stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You enjoyed the original Ghostbusters and want the same fun.
UPCOMING REVIEW: Being the Ricardos, West Side Story

Film: Red Notice

 

GENRE: Action, Comedy
RATING: PG-13 for violence and some strong language
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 58 minutes
PLATFORM: Netflix
STARRING: Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool, Free Guy, Van Wilder)
Dwayne Johnson (Jungle Cruise); Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman)
DIRECTOR: Rawson Marshall Thurber (Dodgeball, Skyscraper)
WRITER: Thurber (Dodgeball, Central Intelligence, Skyscraper)
PLOT: An Interpol agent works with an art thief to catch another thief.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Just wanted a fun film to watch.

STORY STUFF: It’s a breezy action film with some fun hijinks and somewhat predictable plot twists. There’s a kind of Indiana Jones meets buddy caper mix going on which can be quite entertaining. The pace is pretty good and it’s pretty easy to follow along. Learning that the director also did the hilarious Dodgeball and the silly Skyscraper Die Hard knockoff makes a lot of sense when watching this film.

ACTING STUFF: Reynolds is always a treat to watch. He has fun one-liners throughout the film and steals the show (pun intended). The Rock has to play second fiddle and is okay but has better chemistry with Jason Statham. Gadot has some great moves and some very fun moments but didn’t add as much to the film as I wanted. I wouldn’t say that any of the three leads are stretching themselves in these roles. They’ve played them before, just not together. In that way, the film seems a little cookie cutter when there was more potential. There is a fun music artist cameo near the end that was pretty priceless.   

ARTISTIC STUFF: I actually enjoyed a lot of the action cinematography. The camera movements had a nice tempo and sweeping nature. It wasn’t the in-your-face headache inducing Red Bull cinematography of Michael Bay. Unfortunately, there are a bunch of CG stuff that is quite sad, especially the bull scene. Also, the music seemed like it wanted to go all Marvel Avengers-like for some reason.

VERDICT: Three and half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You enjoy Reynold’s comedy and don’t want to think much
UPCOMING REVIEW: Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Film: Eternals

 

GENRE: Action, Drama
RATING: PG-13 for violence, some language and brief sexuality
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 37 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Gemma Chan (Transformers: The Last Knight)
Richard Madden (Game of Thrones); Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick)
DIRECTOR: Chloe Zhao (Nomadland)
WRITERS: Zhao (Nomadland); Patrick Burleigh (Peter Rabbit 2);
Ryan & Kaz Firpo (newcomers)
PLOT: A team of powerful heroes try to save the world when one of them is taken out.

FULL DISCLOSURE: My expectations were pretty low for a Marvel film.

STORY STUFF: My first question is why? Why do we need to be introduced to a whole new group of superheroes? While there were a couple fun characters, I’m not itching to see most of them interact with the rest of the MCU. A quick side note - I’m sure Eternals were first but Ikaris just reminded me of Homelander from The Boys. The story has some good action moments but gets bogged down with long emotional stares and too many flashbacks. I blame Zhao for the slow pace. I also saw a couple twists coming from a mile away. And because I don’t read the comic books, I had to do a bunch of research to figure out why I should care about the two post-credit sequences. My worry is the MCU is going to get too big where I find myself numb and not caring like I used to. I hope I’m wrong.

ACTING STUFF: Thank goodness for Nanjiani; he saved the film for me. His quick humour and keen moments of insight was a breath of fresh air. He can join the Avengers at any time. I also enjoyed the work of Chan and Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta). Was not a fan of Barry Keoghan as Druig or Madden – they just rubbed me the wrong way. It was nice to see a lighter side of Kit Harrington (Game of Thrones) though. I did not understand why Angelina Jolie was in this film. She didn’t add much and made things slower.

ARTISTIC STUFF: There are some great special effects throughout the film but I expect that of Marvel. The sinewy Deviants were well constructed and menacing. The forest scene, however, was lit way too dark for a Marvel film – it reminded me of DC schlock.

VERDICT: Two and half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You want to prepare yourself for future Marvel films
UPCOMING REVIEW: Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Film: The French Dispatch

GENRE: Comedy, Drama
RATING: R for graphic nudity, sexual references and language
                (for some reason Cineplex rates it  PG)
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 48 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Benicio Del Toro (Traffic, Sicario, The Usual Suspects)
Timothy Chalamet (Dune); Jeffrey Wright (No Time to Die, Westworld)
DIRECTOR: Wes Anderson (Grand Budapest, Moonrise Kingdom)
WRITER: Anderson (Rushmore, Royal Tennenbaums, Isle of Dogs)
PLOT: A collection of stories set in a fictional French city.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I love all things Wes Anderson.

STORY STUFF: While The Royal Tennenbaums tell their stories in chapters, The French Dispatch tell their stories in ‘standalone’ articles. There are whimsical stories of art & incarceration, love & protest, kidnapping & cuisine. Those three stories take up most of the film and they are very entertaining and well-written. My favourites though would be the initial introduction of the magazine by Angelica Huston and the description of the city of Ennui from Owen Wilson’s biking reporter.

ACTING STUFF: Anderson employs his roster of favourites including Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Frances McDormand, Adrien Brody, Edward Norton and more. Chalamet reminded me of Jason Schwartzman’s Max from Rushmore; great company to be in. Del Toro is mostly silent but fantastic as a tortured artist. I wish Christoph Waltz had more to do. The cast is great and you can tell that everyone is having a great time being in this production.

ARTISTIC STUFF: This is the most Wes Anderson-y of Wes Anderson films. It has everything you expect to find in his film: narration, whimsy, symmetry, narrator’s head in the bottom left of the screen, French music, ennui, dollhouse-style sets, object shots, stage plays, slow tracking shots, shots of letters and documents, awesome names but less family issues and robbery. This time, Anderson includes 2-D animation, fun live tableaux, and black & white cinematography (mixed with some colourful moments). The one thing I didn’t like about his stylistic stuff this time around was the intentional blurriness during some of the black and white sequences – it took me out of the story. Other than that, full of Wes Anderson goodness that I love.

VERDICT: Five stars out of five (I’m pretty biased though)
SEE IT IF: You like Wes Anderson and a quirky filming style
UPCOMING REVIEW: Eternals

Film: Dune

 

GENRE: Drama, Adventure
RATING: PG-13 for violence and some suggestive material
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 35 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Timothy Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name, Little Women)
Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible 5&6); Jason Momoa (Aquaman)
DIRECTOR: Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Sicaro, Blade Runner 2049)
WRITERS: Jon Spaihts (Prometheus), Denis Villeneuve (newcomer)
Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, Munich, Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
PLOT: The son of a noble family is entrusted with one of the most vital elements in the galaxy.  

FULL DISCLOSURE: I haven’t read the book.

STORY STUFF: This was way better than the 1984 version. It was less confusing than I thought it would be. There are still some motivations that aren’t clear to me but I think I got most of the plot. The pacing is okay but keep in mind this is only Part One. I think one of the things that keep a film like this out of the Star Wars realm is its lack of humour. They take themselves way too seriously. Sure, the film deals with attempted genocide but I still wish there were some more lighter moments. Give me a breather.   

ACTING STUFF: Lots of serious acting. The cast brings it. I particularly enjoyed the repartee between Chalamet’s Paul and Momoa’s Duncan but that’s also shown in the trailer. I wish there was more. Zendaya (Greatest Showman, Spider-man) doesn’t have much to do in this part. I’m assuming she has more in Part Two.   

ARTISTIC STUFF: The set design and cinematography is phenomenal. They’ll definitely be getting a bunch of Oscar nominations. The impressively large sets juxtaposed with the actors is awesome as well as the great use of light in a tight corridor. Villeneuve knows how to set a scene. It definitely deserves the big screen treatment. I enjoyed the style of the protective shields but found them quite ineffectual at times. I also really liked the design of the dragonfly ships, not sure if they were practical though. 

VERDICT: Three stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You like sand and serious acting and action
UPCOMING REVIEW: The French Dispatch

Film: No Time To Die

 

GENRE: Action, Adventure
RATING: PG-13 for violence and suggestive stuff
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 43 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Daniel Craig (Skyfall, Spectre, Casino Royale, Knives Out)
Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody); Lea Seydoux (Spectre, The Lobster)
DIRECTOR: Cari Fukunaga (True Detective, Beasts of No Nation)
WRITERS: Fukunaga (It), Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag)
Neal Purvis & Robert Wade (last six Bond films, Johnny English)
PLOT: Bond is roped into service again, this time to track down a villain with a dangerous new poison.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Been anticipating this Bond for a while.

STORY STUFF: The story is good but not great. While it’s nice to see Bond grow as a person and be willing to settle down, I really come to watch awesome action sequences with neat gadgets, sexy villainesses, and cheesy one-liners. Bond’s first action sequence is well done but most of it is also in the trailer. There’s a good line here and there. There are not too many gadgets to play with this time around. I did enjoy the Q at home scene though. I also enjoyed Ana de Armas (Knives Out) as she kicked butt in a Cuban fight scene. I wish there was more of that.

ACTING STUFF: Craig brings it as usual. While I still like Connery the best, Craig is inches from number one. The cast brings their ‘A’ game. Malek makes an okay villain. He has the tone of voice but I wish he had a little more excitement and unpredictability.  

ARTISTIC STUFF: The locations are beautiful. Love Bond’s retirement locale and the Italian town (wish they would pick a lane when driving though). The action pieces are well done. Armas’ dress is nice. Not much else to say. I didn’t find the cinematography that mesmerizing this time which is odd considering the stellar camera work in Fukunaga’s True Detective. Oh well.   

VERDICT: Three stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You like Craig’s Bond (and saw Spectre)
UPCOMING REVIEW: Dune, The French Dispatch

Film: The Many Saints of Newark

 

GENRE: Drama
RATING: R for strong language, violence and some nudity
RUNTIME: 2 hours
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Alessandro Nivola (American Hustle, Face/Off)
Ray Liotta (Goodfellas); Vera Farmiga (The Departed, Bates Motel)
DIRECTOR: Alan Taylor (Terminator Genisys, The Sopranos)
WRITERS: David Chase (The Sopranos, Rockford Files)
Lawrence Konner (Planet of the Apes (2001), Mona Lisa Smile)
PLOT: A backstory about young Tony Soprano and the uncle he idolizes, Dickie Moltisanti (Christopher’s dad).

FULL DISCLOSURE: Loved Sopranos but went in with low expectations

STORY STUFF: This film only works if you’ve seen The Sopranos; it’s not for newbies. It was neat seeing some of the backstory as to why the characters are the way they are. There were also some fun references to the TV show. Overall though, the story was just okay. It was like an extended episode with more budget. Despite some good moments, it doesn’t hold a candle to such Sopranos classics like ‘Pine Barrens’ or ‘Long Term Parking’. I wish the story went into how Tony became a boss and Paulie and Silvio worked for him. Also, Big Pussy is not given much to do. Maybe they’ll make another one.

ACTING STUFF: The casting is incredible. The characters are the reason to watch this film. Nivola is engaging as Dickie. Farmiga channels Tony’s mom beautifully. There’s a scene between her and teenage Tony in the kitchen that was perfectly done. I could picture this same conversation with their older counterparts. Corey Stoll (Billions) nails Uncle Junior in cadence and tone. Billy Magnussen (Games Night) does Paulie Walnuts proud with his attention to nails and suits. John Magaro (The Big Short) has the perfect Silvio look and mannerism. I think the head tilt goes a little far though and borders on caricature. Ray Liotta chews up the scenery as Hollywood Dick then gives a steady performance. Michael Gandolfini (Ocean’s 8) is most like his dad in the kitchen scene and after getting hung up on the telephone. I loved the casting of William Ludwig (newcomer) as younger Tony as he looked just like AJ. Kudos to casting by Douglas Aibel and the performances from these awesome actors.

ARTISTIC STUFF: The look is very Sopranos like. The music matches what I would expect from an episode. There’s not much to say here.

VERDICT: Three stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You’ve seen The Sopranos and are curious for more.=
UPCOMING REVIEW: No Time to Die