1st Reviews

  The popularity of Indiana Jones has made Harrison Ford a household name. To have Indy and Han Solo under your belt is something special. Ford’s nonchalant attitude and dry sarcasm have made these characters beloved by all. There’s a magic that Steven Spielberg brought to   Raiders of the Lost Ark  that can’t be replicated. And that goes with many action films from the 80s/90s. So to carry out the story of Indiana Jones past the perfect ending in   The Last Crusade  almost felt like a disservice to the franchise.   Kingdom of the Crystal Skull  didn’t do well, and now   Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny  feels like a revival. The question is: Will the new generation care about Indiana Jones?   In this fifth instalment, director James Mangold opens in the middle of World War II with a de-aged Harrison Ford. They are trying to secure this artifact so it won’t land in the Nazi’s possession, but they find out it’s a fake. While taken ho...

  Legacy sequels are tricky. They’re tasked with pleasing a long-standing fan base, while also giving audiences something fresh and modern. Dial of Destiny is Indy’s second crack at a legacy sequel, and while it learns from many of the last entry’s mistakes, it doesn’t innovate in ways you’d expect from a 40+ year old franchise.  Seeing Harrison Ford don the iconic whip and hat once again sent a wave of nostalgia coursing through my veins. The aging action hero has been done many times before, but Ford really fits the bill here. He plays Indy’s internal struggle quite well. Torn between wanting to hang up his hat, and upholding a self-appointed responsibility to keep his family and friends safe. Indy has lived a life full of adventure, love, and loss. Ford conveys all of that beautifully with an outstanding final performance. Phoebe Waller Bridge brings her signature witty and comedic energy to contrast Ford’s crotchety demeanour, making for an unlikely but very entertaining d...

  The world has gone through difficult times for the past three years, and people are beginning to understand how it has affected them mentally in its aftermath. Wes Anderson’s   Asteroid City  acts as an exploration of emotional expression through different perspectives. Hinting at what everyone had gone through during unprecedented times. Apart from being structured as a play within a play, the one location of ‘Asteroid City’ acts as a quarantine space for everyone who gets stuck visiting. On a smaller scale, there is a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention in the city, which brings teens and their parents to this desert space. Anderson’s cooky screenplay and gorgeous symmetrical framing make audiences question almost everything about life.   Like any Anderson film, his style is the most prominent, and the production design is glorious. There is symmetry within the frame that only his pristine eye can capture. Director of Photography Robert D. Yeoman beautifully ...

Sometimes it takes really terrible and traumatic events to bring a family together. The good Side of bad follows a young girl named Florence who is going through some serious mental health issues. She is the youngest of three children with her sister Sara and brother Peter. We learn that she did not have the greatest childhood and for the most part, does not have a stable parental figure as her mother has been battling dementia for many years and has mostly looked up to her sister as a mother.  When we meet the siblings, they don't seem to be in each other's lives much and seem to be living on their own and even in different cities. When Florence seems to be going through some mental health issues, the family rallies together to try and help their youngest sibling. Things get much worse for all three siblings before it gets better but isn't that exactly how life is? Lexi Simonsen gives a great performance as Florence. Having to demonstrate such a large...

  Billed as a super raunchy, R-rated comedy, No Hard Feelings isn’t nearly as raunchy or funny as it could’ve been. However, despite falling short of its comedic potential, the movie delivers some great laugh out loud moments, and a handful of surprisingly sweet ones too.  Jennifer Lawrence clearly understood the assignment, delivering a performance that is equal parts sexual, vulgar and vulnerable. Being such an established and high profile actress, there are some places she’s willing to go with her performance (especially physically) that really shocked and impressed me. Andrew Barth Feldman plays awkwardly against her crass personality, making for an unlikely, but kind of cute duo. Although they work well together on screen, the progression of their relationship is not all that convincing. Their developing feelings and changes of heart mostly feel forced in service of the predictable direction the plot is heading. Sure, the situational conflicts provide laughs in the moment...

  Warner Bros and DC have had it rough the past couple of years as they have been trying to get their heroes off the ground. They have attempted to create their universe, but due to studio interference and a regime change, things haven’t gone according to plan.   The Flash  has been a film in the making for the past nine years and has had plenty of changes. A major one is the personal life of their lead actor Ezra Miller getting into trouble in multiple countries. While watching this film, it’s impossible not to feel uncomfortable watching Ezra portray the hero. The film has been tainted because of Miller. It’s hard to believe that they will remain in the role moving forward.  Director Andy Muschietti brought horror elements to  The Flash,  and it was nice to see what he could do with Batman. Everything to do with the character of The Flash was mishandled. It was also a poorly executed multiverse storyline. Barry Allen (Miller) travels back in time using th...

  The first Extraction elevated a run-of-the-mill plot with a handful of slick action sequences, making for a decently entertaining, if somewhat forgettable movie. This sequel improves on the first in just about every way possible. It’s got bigger, bolder action, and a character driven story where the stakes aren’t just higher, but more personal too.  The story doesn’t really rise above standard action movie fare, but the character work is much better this time around. Hemsworth gives another strong performance as Tyler Rake. In between all the shooting, stabbing and punching, he’s given a chance to show off his emotional chops, conveying Rake’s past burdens quite effectively. Golshifteh Farahani steps up with a much more integral role, giving Hemsworth a run for his money in total badassery.  The action is some of the best I’ve seen so far this year, including a show-stopping “oner” that runs a staggering 21 minutes. This sequence ranks among the most impressively execut...