1st Reviews

  Like Spaghetti sauce made without seasoning or love, Nonnas is inoffensively bland. Netflix’s new original goes through the motions, telling a heartwarming and passionate true story in a way that lacks any real heart or passion.  Listen - this is a cute story. A small Italian restaurant where all of the food is cooked by real Nonnas, rather than trained chefs. It’s really sweet, actually, but it’s not grounds for a feature-length movie. This is like a ten minute fluff piece your local station covers on a slow news day. There’s barely enough narrative meat here for an appetizer, let alone a full course, and Nonna’s clocks in at a whopping hour and 51 minutes. It goes through the standard beats you’d expect from this kind of movie, adding a dash of embellishment here and there to spice things up. It’s all just too predicable though, and maybe if the individual ingredients had a little more flavour, the end result would be less forgettable. Vince Vaughn plays the restaurant’s f...

  The Ballad of Wallis Island is a quiet little gem that really sneaks up on you. It’s delightfully funny, genuine and full of quirky charm, but also grabs hold of your heartstrings when you least expect it. This is a beautiful story about lost love, and the powerful role music often plays in our lives.  Charles (Tim Key) is an eccentric lottery winner who resides alone on a relatively remote island. Yearning for companionship and nostalgia, he orchestrates a reunion of his favorite defunct folk duo, McGwyer and Mortimer (Tom Basden and Carey Mulligan). Their past romantic relationship and unresolved tensions resurface, leading to moments of hilarity and heartfelt introspection as they prepare to perform together again.  This is a movie that invites you to slow down, listen, and feel. It might not be perfect, but it’s undeniably sincere. While the plot may occasionally wade through familiar waters, its sincerity and warmth are what set it apart. It doesn’t rely on grand g...

  Another Simple Favor  is way more frustrating than its predecessor, resting entirely on an unbelievable concept – are we really to believe Stephanie is so foolish that she’ll travel with her attempted murderer, a convicted first-degree killer, to an island halfway across the world just for clicks? Not only does it condescend unto its audience, but Blake Lively’s performance feels stale, especially in comparison to Anna Kendrick and Henry Golding. The conflict and mystery are uninviting, as the tone feels immature and the characters are hard to take an interest in. Worst of all, it reuses the same twists and turns of its predecessor while effectively undoing much of that film. The dynamic between the two leads is hard to buy, and the film is a mere excuse for its stars to go on vacation while never justifting its existence. 2/5 Review by: Gal Balaban 

  No, Thunderbolts* isn’t peak MCU. It doesn’t try to be the next Infinity War or No Way Home. What it does aim for - and largely succeeds at - is delivering a tighter, character-driven story with grounded action and a welcome return to the franchise’s earlier roots. This movie excels because of its characters and the performances that breathe life into them. This rag-tag group of anti-heroes and underdogs have exceptional chemistry and an immensely entertaining on-screen dynamic. From witty banter to more impactful, character focused conversations, the Thunderbolts* just may become your new favourite MCU team. There’s a camaraderie and tension between them that keeps things fun but also emotionally grounded. The movie doesn’t shy away from difficult subject matter either. Depression, addiction, PTSD, and the fallout of violence are all prevalent themes that are tackled head-on, with surprising nuance and respect. These characters are broken in believable ways, and the film gives t...

  Thunderbolts*  is oozing with energy and a deep care for its characters, with a darker edge of corruption and death to its subjects. Contrary to this February’s  Captain America: Brave New World ,  Thunderbolts*  thrives by allowing its cast’s charisma to roam freely, led by the incredible Florence Pugh. This time around, Yelena is the film’s lead, and Pugh taps into the character’s core of depression and emptiness, including her tumultuous relationship with her father, former Soviet super soldier Red Guardian, played by the vivacious and hysterical David Harbour, longing for glory again. Wyatt Russell and Hannah John-Kamen are also utilized very well, while Sebastian Stan returns as Bucky, who leads many of the others through a similar emotional arc he’s learned his way through. Geraldine Viswanathan is also a standout as Mel, assistant to de Fontaine — played in such a juicy performance by Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a menacing figure who will stop at nothing to ...

  The Accountant 2  embraces much what worked in the first film, even if its slow pace and complicated conflict threaten the runtime. The clearest difference between the two is the prominence of the bro-mance between Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal, who get much more humor and fun together — all while the film fully acknowledges that Bernthal’s character is still a psychopath, even though we’re rooting for him to find his way. The action scenes are great, with strong sound editing and gritty choreography, but the slower drama will sometimes leave you aching for more action, especially when there’s maybe too much exposition for its own good. Cynthia Addai-Robinson is also strong reprising her role, and the main character’s disability also proves for interesting and unique ways of seeing the main case, while also playing into his daily life in fun ways. The film has trouble establishing stakes as to why we should care about certain characters who are in danger, but also balances ta...