1st Reviews

  It feels like jump scares are scarce these days and it’s because some horror films are more focused on other elements. Sometimes the anticipation isn’t built properly and the score fades into the background, but  Smile  delivered on those fronts. The script is the main issue with  Smile  as it gets repetitive and dwindles when Rose investigates this spirit’s previous victims. It drags in the middle as she slowly loses her mind and doesn’t know what her reality is anymore. Even though Bacon gives a strong performance, the script is what brings her down. Parker Finn tried to tie in Rose’s past to the spirit to create this grand finale of facing her trauma, but it didn’t make sense to incorporate it the way they did. It felt like he didn’t know how to end the film.  What Parker Finn does deliver are the scares. After watching many horror films, some can feel numb to the jump scares or anything remotely startling. So for  Smile  to anticipate the sp...

  Any romantic comedy that references  When Harry Met Sally  multiple times is a winner in my book and that is just what  Bros   feels like. It’s a mixture of gay cliches, romance, and modern-day dating. Everyone will feel seen in this movie because many characters have different life experiences. From the moment it starts Eichner puts the gay community on blast and reasonably describes how everything works for him. He defines what love means to him and how gay love has been manipulated to please heteronormative ideologies. This is a rated R inside track on what it’s like to date within the queer community and how difficult it can be. Eichner highlights the different ways to approach men and how to date them.  Bobby (Billy Eichner) and Aaron (Luke MacFarlane) are two emotionally unavailable men who have had commitment issues in the past. They’ve never been in love and they don’t want to even attempt falling for anyone. One night when they catch each other’s...

  The true crime genre is a crowded one. Between a seemingly infinite number of straight-to-streaming documentaries and countless films based on real events, it’s easy for quality content to get lost in this constantly growing category. While it isn’t exactly genre-defining, The Good Nurse is a well-crafted thriller, whose horrifying true story provides sufficient chills throughout.  Despite being a crime thriller, this movie isn’t quite as traditional as you might expect. Mysterious deaths are occurring at the hospital, and there’s a team of two detectives working the case while facing resistance. It sounds like a cookie-cutter plot, and honestly, there are moments where the story does wander into the worn-out territory. However, it’s able to break free of those cliches, because it pivots the primary focus away from the investigation, and onto the relationship between its two main characters. There are a few reasons this relationship is so compelling, but most of it comes dow...

  Friendships are always an integral part of life; sometimes, we can grow out of certain ones. In the small town of Inisherin, two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them. People can change and want different things out of life. But the way Colm (Brendan Gleason) handles the situation with Pádraic (Colin Farrell) is a bit excessive when ending the relationship.  Writer-director Martin McDonagh breaks down Colm and Pádraic’s relationship throughout the film. They are two very different characters that seem like an unlikely pairing on Inisherin.  The Banshees of Inisherin  has Farrell at his most vulnerable and you will feel from instantly. Pádraic doesn’t understand why Colm is breaking their bond to complete a song. He can’t seem to wrap his head around the fact that he is such a distraction for Colm. McDonagh crafted one of the funniest, most heartfelt, and dark scripts of ...

Creative liberties are taken in every biopic you’ve ever watched. How they get woven into the truth, and how far a filmmaker takes them depends on what type of movie they’re looking to deliver. Blonde takes creative and artistic liberties so far that it can’t be called a biopic at all.  To be fair, this movie is based on a biographical fiction novel of the same name, so it isn’t the intention to provide a totally accurate account of Marilyn Monroe’s life. The real problem lies in the fact that with a nearly three-hour runtime, this film tells us little more than the surface-level details we already knew about her. All the big life events you know are here, surrounded by an abundance of gorgeously shot, but shallow filler.  There’s no doubt that director Andrew Dominik has an eye for creativity, and perhaps with a little restraint, his unconventional storytelling may have been an asset. He gets too caught up in creating glossy, overly-stylized sequences and imagery, resulting i...

  When we think of quintessential Steven Spielberg, we think about his early work filled with childlike wonder, heart, and playfulness behind the camera.  The Fabelmans  shows the start of Spielberg’s dream to make moving pictures. What started as a phobia while watching a train heading straight for the screen, he turned it into a true talent that has blessed the film industry for years. Instead of holding onto that fear, he took control of one aspect of his life translated into freedom of expression. Spielberg’s heart and soul are in this movie. The culmination of his work has come before this to make this one of his most personal films to date.  We meet a young man named Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel Labelle) growing up in post-World War II era Arizona. He discovers a shattering family secret and explores how the power of films can help him see the truth. Films are a version of the truth, a particular window to see different stories through multiple perspectives. Sometim...

  Murder mysteries can come in many forms but the best ones feel like an intricate jigsaw puzzle that feels impossible to even assemble. What director Rian Johnson does in  Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is diverting  the audience’s expectations at every turn. It takes a bit to become familiar with these characters but once they get to the island it all changes. The story is interesting even though it can feel overwhelming at times. There are many moving parts and each character has a compelling backstory. This ensemble works differently than its predecessor and once Johnson hits his stride in the middle, it is wildly entertaining.  We meet tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) who invites his friends for a getaway on his private Greek island. When someone turns up dead, Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is put on the case. First and foremost, Daniel Craig is even funnier in this sequel and adds more to Benoit Blanc’s character. Blanc has been looking fo...