Grade: 71%
2022 Ranked - HERE
Scott Cooper as a filmmaker can often be hit or miss for me but the plot of his newest film definitely had me intrigued. The Pale Blue Eye follows a detective investigating a series of murders with help from a cadet who would eventually become Edgar Allan Poe. Christian Bale reunited with Cooper here again and he’s fantastic as August Landor, the detective on these cases. He’s one of the best actors working so his…
Grade: 80%
2023 Ranked - HERE
I was a pretty big fan of Searching when it came out and when I saw there would be a sequel told in the same manner but a whole new story, I was definitely intrigued. While I think Searching is probably a better film, Missing is an insanely entertaining thrill ride that I was never bored with. I think it was just as effectively told this time around though, through all types of screens and…
Grade: 73%
2012 Ranked - HERE
With the third film in this series coming to theatres in a few weeks, I wanted to finally watch Magic Mike. Steven Soderbergh at the helm had me more excited and considering I’ve heard it was actually a decent movie I had decently high expectations. I would say that this met them though, it’s a pretty good film that had my attention the whole time but never really elevates itself to another level. I was…
Grade: 83%
2022 Ranked - HERE
A Man Called Otto is based off a book and a film and I’ve heard it’s almost an exact recreation but since I haven’t seen that before, this was the first time I’ve seen this story before. Marc Forster does a solid job directing this heartwarming story about a grumpy old man grieving his wife as he develops an unlikely friendship with his new neighbour. Tom Hanks plays Otto and while it’s not like he’s…
Grade: 48%
2023 Ranked - HERE
House Party is a remake of the 90s comedy of the same name and while I haven’t seen the original myself, I was intrigued by the premise of this movie. Unfortunately it’s a completely forgettable comedy with some decent funny moments but as a whole it doesn’t have much new to bring to the table. It follows two friends who throw a party in LeBron James’ house while he’s away and the film is full…
Grade: 76%
2022 Ranked - HERE
After The Big Sick and The Eyes of Tammy Faye, I was looking forward to Michael Showalter’s next directorial effort and with Spoiler Alert, he’s provided another solid film. It tells the true story of Michael Ausiello and Kit Cowan’s thirteen year relationship that sadly ends in tragedy but the narration chronicles the high and lows before the end. Jim Parsons and Ben Aldridge are both giving solid performances and the central relationship makes the…
Grade: 62%
2022 Ranked - HERE
Slumberland is a big budget blockbuster that seemed to quietly come and go when it released a couple months ago on Netflix but I was intrigued with its premise and wanted to watch it before I forgot about it. Francis Lawrence directs this fantasy adventure movie that follows a young girl grieving the death of her father, who travels through a dreamworld with the goal of seeing him again. Marlow Barkley is a total standout…
Grade: 50%
2022 Ranked - HERE
White Noise is a much larger scale for usually-indie filmmaker Noah Baumbach and while the scale is large, I think the film itself is also a massive swing for Baumbach. Unfortunately, for me it mostly didn’t connect though. I think there’s a lot of great direction from him here but I was just not a fan of the script and while it’s probably my own fault for not really understanding what the point was, about…
Grade: 67%
2023 Ranked - HERE
Gerard Butler is back in a ridiculous action film, this time he plays a pilot who ends up saving his passengers after their plane is struck by lightning but he lands on a war-torn island where dangerous rebels take his passengers hostage. Plane is a really fun and entertaining action movie though and Butler, as well as Mike Colter, are so believable as these action hero-types that even in the dumbest of moments you still…
Grade: 91%
2022 Ranked - HERE
I missed Bones and All in theatres but I’ve been excited to check it out, it’s the final film of 2022 that I hadn’t seen that I thought had the potential to make my top ten and it definitely got close. Luca Guadagnino is a director I’ll always get excited about and this is the first film I’ve seen from him since Call Me by Your Name and I’d say I actually liked this one…
Grade: 86%
2022 Ranked - HERE
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish marks the return of the Shrek franchise after over a decade and while I didn’t have huge expectations before it’s release, it’s glowing reviews had me anticipating it. This is definitely a win for DreamWorks as everything about this one is top-notch and miles better than the original film, which I actually enjoyed for what it was. This one focuses on Puss in Boots as he’s on his last…
Grade: 68%
2023 Ranked - HERE
Starting off 2023 with a horror comedy from Blumhouse would usually mean a lower quality film was coming but M3GAN is actually a pretty decent movie. If you go in expecting it to be a full horror film I think you’ll be disappointed but this one leans into the absurd comedic moments provided by the titular robot. Once the film settles into its premise I was on board, the way they follow this girl and…