The Holdovers Movie Review
Unpopular with both students and faculty, teacher Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) is just such a man. Prickly to the extreme, his solitary life gives him little joy but he knows no better. Even being an accomplished teacher at a known college gives him little respite from the chip on his shoulder.
//
When circumstances align he is forced to spend time with Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) a very bright student with an equal chip. The film’s main sense of direction ...
Chicago Theatre Review
Adding to the sense of occasion was a first night out together since a fur baby came into our lifes. Many adult beverages were consumed and the rowdy feeling off-stage was perfectly matched by all the action on-stage. The original play came out in the twenties and was based on two real-world court cases. The musical version came out in 1975.
//
The seventies in retrospect were a time for the expansion of many forms of popular culture and the representation ...
The Boys in the Boat Movie Review
We need stories that inspire, ones told in traditional ways with skill, care and finesse. They should feature an absence of visual technology and instead, an emphasis on character development and storyline. George Clooney’s The Boys in the Boat is just such a work.
//
It tells the true life story of the University of Washington eight-man rowing crew that was a surprise entrant to the 1936 Summer Olympics. Those were the games famously held in Nazi ...
Ferrari Movie Review
The film concentrates on one of the low moments of companies history, 1957. Enzo (Adam Driver) has run the company to the verge of insolvency due to excess spending on the race team. The sad death of his son Dino the year before has had dire consequences on his marriage to Laura (Penélope Cruz) as did his affair with Lina Lardi (Shailene Woodley).
//
Driver deaths within his team were an all too common occurrence during this timeframe and Enzo’s detach...
Anyone But You Movie Review
Bea played by Sydney Sweeney of Euphoria fame plays a girl on the verge. She has been painted into a corner by overbearing parents and a lifelong boyfriend who comes up short. When she meets Ben (Glen Powell) in a chance encounter, it gives her a window into a future that might work for her. A rocky middle section of their romance puts things at risk.
//
As things go in films of this ilk, the shortest line between two points is extended by some 12,000 ...
Migration Movie Review
With a crowded holiday schedule of films, a movie has to try harder to rise above the rest and getting all the ingredients correct is paramount to that. The production features two directors Benjamin Renner and Guylo Homsy and while their resumes are light on previous full-length works, this is an assured effort.
//
The story revolves around an overly cautious mallard duck named Mack (Kumail Nanjiani) who has kept his family static due to his fear of the ...
Wonka Movie Review
Hollywood’s favourite man/boy Timothée Chalamet does fine in the lead role and even though he has no real vocal range, doesn’t embarrass himself by singing. The character's ability to create chocolate and magic out of thin air is a bit overused and this makes for a very unchallenging film experience. Its strength is in its charm.
//
The technical elements of the film are stellar as the costumes and set design look fabulous as does the colour palette used. Olivia ...
Silent Night Movie Review
With John Woo’s name attached to Silent Night as director, things were looking good and other than the occasional overabundance of doves his sentimentality usually runs red. Not Santa Red either. With Joel Kinnaman (Suicide Squad and For All Mankind) named as lead actor, things also looked good in the action stakes.
//
Kinnaman plays Godlock a man so tormented by horrendous events in his past that when he seeks revenge on the perpetrators, you know he is going to ...
The Old Oak Movie Review
He has consistently staked out his own territory in the industry. A space that often includes amateur or non-actor cast members and stories cut from the swatch of real life. This results in outstanding work that is socially relevant and emotionally satisfying but it’s a risky proposal.
//
The Old Oak is topical and relevant but those risks outweigh the end results somewhat. The acting is underwhelming and counter to Loach’s usual emotional accuracy this ...
The Eight Mountains Movie Review
The father and sons dynamic of The Eight Mountains had so many parallels to my life it was uncanny. It’s a beautifully told story that doesn’t hold back on the triumphs and tragedies.
Pietro (played at various ages by Luca Marinelli, Lupo Barbiero and Andrea Palma) and Bruno (Alessandro Borghi, Cristiano Sassella and Francesco Palombelli) are childhood friends. Pietro comes from the city and Bruno the country and they both have a lot to learn from each other. Their personal fortunes ...
