A place to find all of our film reviews.
2 - FILM NEWS
“Lady Bird” Review: Saoirse Ronan Gives an Exemplary Performance In This Terrific Solo Debut From Greta Gerwig
“This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit. Uncommonly warm and blessed with a comic voice that feels both fresh and personal,” writes Drew McWeeny.
Joe Berlinger addresses an important socio-political issue while Griffin Dunne shines the spotlight on an important literary and journalistic figure i.e. his aunt.
“The film is not just a look at how Goodall changed our understanding of chimpanzee behavior, but also a sly love story and, simply on an aesthetic level, one of the year’s most beautiful movies,” writes Drew McWeeny.
“Neither Allen’s best movie nor his worst, although it’s probably stronger due to Winslet’s fabulousness,” says Edward Douglas.
Lana Wilson’s poignant life-affirming doc and Dome Karukoski’s amazing biopic about an LGBTQ icon should be sought out.
“This is Joseph Kosinski’s most successful film to date, and I would not have guessed that he had this in him. It also features some of the most open-hearted and vulnerable work I’ve ever seen Josh Brolin do,” writes Drew McWeeny.
“The type of action movie that just feels dated and not in a fun way either,” says East Coast Editor Edward Douglas.
An adaptation of Brian Selznick’s fantasy tale of New York City and its museum, the movie falls short of any expectations with uncharacteristically bad storytelling choices.
The Benedict Andrews-directed adaptation of David Harrower’s play “Blackbird” Is far more than a filmed theatrical piece, as the filmmaker takes advantage of what film can do that theater can’t.
“This is exploitation fare served strong, and while it is the humanity of Vaughn’s performance that grounds the film and makes it something more than “just” exploitation, you still may need a shower afterwards,” writes Drew McWeeny.
Edward Douglas thinks Baumbach’s 10th film is easily his funniest and strongest dose of dysfunctional family humor.
Cinematographer Kevin Phillips’ feature film directorial debut is a stunner with a number of amazing performances by young talent that makes it worth seeking out.
“Blade Runner 2049 is such a good sequel that it makes the case that, between these two films, no other example of the genre has ever made these ideas so vivid, so wrenching, so immediate and raw,” writes Drew McWeeny.
Boyhood filmmaker Richard Linklater directs this quasi-sequel to Hal Ashby’s 1973 film The Last Detail and an “insanely funny” Bryan Cranston steals the show.
“The film is often devastating, and it offers up one of the least sentimental portraits of parenthood that I can remember. It’s also wise enough to suggest that art comes at a cost, and the creation of even the most beautiful things can sometimes leave scars,” writes Drew McWeeny.
“Director Doug Liman takes such profound liberties with the life of Barry Seal that it’s fair to treat the film as fiction, but it’s also a terrific showcase for one sequence after another of Tom Cruise getting the smug smacked out of him,” writes Drew McWeeny.
“If even one person sees this film and takes strength from Billie Jean’s personal journey, strength they use to live their life honestly, then that’s even better than winning an Oscar, and this story certainly has the power to do that,” writes Drew McWeeny.
Dylan O’Brien’s new film isn’t particularly good, but it had Drew McWeeny on the edge of his seat the whole time.
The two movies, directed by Scott Cooper (Black Mass) and Susanna White (Our Kind of Traitor), premiered at TIFF, one getting far more immediate attention than the other, but the simpler (and far less expensive) film ends up working better.