The Mountain Between Us Movie Review
The two leads, Idris Elba and Kate Winslet are both great actors but here their chemistry never really gels. Even the moments of adversity they overcome feel forced and more than a little unauthentic.
The set up is believable and the third lead, the terrain, is visually stunning and more than sufficient to sell the absolute isolation faced by the stranded couple. Elba and Winslet riff off each other at first and it’s these early scenes that are most enjoyable but the film soon falls ...
Happy Death Day Movie Review
Set in the class system of college sororities and with all the rubbish that entails intact, Tree slowly turns from a self involved brat to a more compassionate individual. This transformation gives the film a bit more heart than most of the genre but it also reduces the number of surprises that await the viewer. The final reveal also lacks a bit in that department.
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While the sides are drawn early between the giving good guys and the merely self involved, this lack ...
Blade Runner 2049 Movie Review
The story still raises questions about what it is to be truly human but from a slightly different vantage point than before and the main actors keep things as fluid as ever. In a defiant nod to the gender bias in a lot of action films, the big baddie, Luv (Sylvia Hoeks) is a woman this time and she kicks some serious butt.
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The film’s long running time (162 minutes) plays out in a very leisurely manner and might challenge viewers spoon fed on blockbuster action ...
Kingsman: The Golden Circle Movie Review
It’s an odd universe that super spy and everyday pom Eggsy (Taron Egerton) had returned to. He’s made good as a Kingsman and has a successful relationship with Princess Tilde (Hanna Alström) even though it’s against company policy. His world is turned upside down when super baddie Poppy (Julianne Moore) reeks havoc on the secret affiliation.
All of the over the top tendencies are not only keep intact from the first film but with a bigger budget and more ambition, they are ramped ...
Victoria and Abdul Movie Review
Set in the late nineteen hundreds, director Stephen Frears (The Queen, High Fidelity) uses his actors as both visual and social symbols. Ms Dench’s face often fills the entire screen in extreme close up and both her expressive eyes and her lines of life really sell both her age and emotion. The actual Queen was in her eighties during this time in history.
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Ali Faza (Furious 7, Bang Baaja Baaraat ) is perfectly cast as Abdul and he holds his own against the dame. ...
The Emoji Movie – Movie Review
The story is the well trodden tale of finding oneself in a busy and not always friendly world. Where things got interesting though is in the transformation of computer terminology and operation into both walking and talking characters with action and purpose.
These actions took clever application and more than a little restraint to keep things in the youth realm. The film sits comfortably in the G rating camp but doesn’t lack a bit of grit in all that candy floss (both visually and ...
Patti Cake$ – Movie Review
Patty Cake$ is a white female rapper whose big persona and bravado behind the mic hide a life riddled with ridicule and self doubt. Her life at home is also far from ideal and watching her overcome these issues pulls you in and makes you more than just a casual observer.
You care about the outcome of her life and wisely the filmmakers keep the unbelievable away in most instances. This only enhances the experience. The acting performances are universally good and the characters are wild ...
The Hitman’s Bodyguard Movie Review
Jackson as the hitman tries his best to drop more F bombs than any of his other films and Reynolds delivers a Deadpool lite performance that shows how well he has a handle on comic timing. Salma Hayek, who has little screen time but nonetheless gives Jackson a run for his money in the profane stakes, plays the incarcerated wife of the hitman.
The story simplified to its core element is just a soon to be buddies road movie and almost all the characters are comic book deep, old school ...
Girls Trip Movie Review
There are not a lot of surprises in store via the script but what they get just right is the chemistry between the four friends and how shared time together actually does build a bond that can transcend time. The humour runs the gambit from adult humour to juvenile shenanigans that are every bit as childish as dude road movie’s stock in trade.
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Friends getting back together after life has driven them apart is a tale often told on screen but there is a genuine ...
BIFF Movie Review – Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary
The broad strokes are covered and some of John’s lesser angelic qualities are glossed over a bit. His drug and alcohol addictions are touched on but are reduced in the narrative. There is however a touching memory about him quitting cold turkey related by his step daughter Antonia Andrews.
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The music in the soundtrack is well mixed, if a little repetitive as it seems the filmmakers only licensed a minimum number of track. It is great to hear JC’s music in a ...
