Joy Ride | Review by: Luke Elisio

Between “No Hard Feelings” and now “Joy Ride,” summer 2023 is shaping up to be a season filled with wildly entertaining, raunchy original comedies. Comedies that also manage to clock in around 90 minutes, AKA the perfect runtime for a movie!

In her directorial debut Adele Lim fashions a movie that masterfully balances between being an all out laugh-riot and a surprisingly poignant and heartfelt look at the Asian American experience. I say “surprising” only because you wouldn’t expect such thought-provoking and moving conversations to be featured in a movie that also includes vomit sight gags, cocaine being hidden in the most uncomfortable of places and a full frontal vaginal tattoo. “Joy Ride” is anchored by rapid-fire jokes that are sure to have audiences enjoying the movie, but the heart is what’s going to make them fall in love with it.

Each cast member delivers a fantastically funny performance but the standout is undoubtedly Stephanie Hsu. Her performance is not only a clear indictator that she’s destined to have a long career playing a variety of uniquely different characters, but is so hilarious that she’s worthy of another Oscar nomination.

“Joy Ride” is a movie that you and your friends are going to want to watch again and again. This R-rated comedy goes all out, never holding back or letting up on the jokes. This is a ride well with taking.

3/5

Review by: Luke Elisio

#toronto #movie #film #comedy #review #1streviews

Boss Level Film Review

Boss Level is a new addition to the time loop genre, with a twist. Ex-special forces officer, Roy Pulver, played by Frank Grillo, relives the same day until he dies. Every day he is hunted by assassins and when killed, he wakes up back in his bed where he started, only to have to try and survive all over again. Roy has no idea why he is stuck in this infinite time loop but he must do what he can to survive, and the longer he survives, the more he uncovers about his particular situation. Unlike most action films that take time to build up, this film gets right into it and offers tons of non-stop combat sequences that would satisfy any lover of action films. Its erratic flow makes for some fun action scenes which come out of nowhere since Roy can expect the assassins to attack at any moment. If you play video games often and have ever been stuck on a level for hours or even days, you know the feeling of having to repeat the same thing over and over again u...

Better Man | Review by: Benjamin Garrett

What at first feels like a CGI gimmick allows Better Man to climb and swing it’s way beyond standard biopic conventions. This larger than life musical is worth a watch even if, like me, you needed to ask “Who the hell is Robbie Williams?”. A pop icon in the UK who didn’t quite make a household name for himself in North America, Robbie Williams bares his life (the good the bad and the drug fueled ugly) in this dazzling account of his rise to fame. Musician biopics often focus too heavily on the creation of the artist’s work, and not enough on the actual artist. Better Man gives audiences a sobering portrait of the man behind the monkey, with his songs placed in pivotal life and career moments to move the narrative forward. This works especially well if you aren’t entirely familiar with Williams’ work, because you won’t find yourself waiting to hear specific needle drops. Instead they flow organically into the story, with gorgeously choreographed musical numbers. And bo...

Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day | Review by: Stefano Bove

Four close friends and renowned filmmakers in 1959’s Yugoslavia are out to make a feature film of the war. They have a unique perspective and are able to discuss the war as decorated war veterans. Lovro, Nenad, Stevan and Ivan use film to express themselves and criticize society but that doesn’t sit well with the Yugoslavian Communist Party. As The Party steps in to control the film for propagandistic reasons, the four filmmakers fear it may be to gain insight on their sexual orientation. Emir Hadžihafizbegović is entrusted by the head of the Communist Party to oversee the films production but is also told by the party to sabotage the film by any means necessary. Emir as well as our four filmmakers are all exceptional in this film. The dynamic between these five actors is a wave of emotions as Emir hides his true intentions and the filmmakers hide their sexual orientation from the world. The film is in a gorgeous black and white and boasts absolutely stunning cinematography from ...

1st Reviews

Search This Blog