2019

I SEE YOU: A Film With A Twist Or Two — Or Three
I SEE YOU: A Film With A Twist Or Two – Or Three

I See You is a well-crafted head-scratcher even if it doesn’t seem so at first.

PLAYMOBIL THE MOVIE: The Dollar Store Lego Movie
PLAYMOBIL THE MOVIE: The Dollar Store Lego Movie

Sadly, Playmobil The Movie merely serves as a reminder of how studios forcing a film around a product didn’t always make for the greatest of entertainment.

MARRIAGE STORY: An Examination of Divorce That Carries Loose Ends
MARRIAGE STORY: An Examination Of Divorce That Carries Loose Ends

Marriage Story is a promising film, but Baumbach’s strategies in drawing out his character arcs are uneven, insufficient, and disappointing.

THE AERONAUTS: A Stressful and Stunning Adventure
THE AERONAUTS: A Stressful & Stunning Adventure

Regardless of its exhilarating action sequences and strong performances, The Aeronauts is a good film but not necessarily a great one.

How BLINDED BY THE LIGHT Illuminates the Politics Of Race & Class
How BLINDED BY THE LIGHT Illuminates The Politics Of Race & Class

Director Gurinder Chadha’s work offers American viewers a valuable political lesson about the intersection of class struggle and racism.

RABID: A Remake With An Identity Of Its Own
RABID: A Remake With An Identity Of Its Own

The Soska Sisters film Rabid honors the basic premise of David Cronenberg’s original while meticulously crafting an identify of its own.

BLUE: A Story About How A Beautiful Friendship Can Save A Life
BLUE: A Story About How A Beautiful Friendship Can Save A Life

Blue has a lot of heart, and being based on true events, never sugarcoats the reality of suicide ideation but it doesn’t glorify it either.

BOMBSHELL: Old News Isn't As Compelling
BOMBSHELL: Old News Isn’t As Compelling

The events portrayed in Bombshell may have captured the world’s attention, but this film delivers too soft a punch to make the same impact.

LITTLE JOE: Arthouse Genre Hybrid Fails To Compel
LITTLE JOE: Arthouse Genre Hybrid Fails To Compel

By establishing a web of interesting plot threads, and failing to engage with any of them in a memorable way, Little Joe ends up feeling like a severe missed opportunity.

THE WOLF HOUR: The Insanity Within Art
THE WOLF HOUR: The Insanity Within Art

While the film may lose a few along the way due to its drawn out pace, many will find themselves enthralled with what The Wolf Hour has to offer.

MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED: Mostly A Success
MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED: Mostly A Success

Most Likely To Succeed reaffirms the dispiriting correlation between professional success and racial and class divide, as subtly depicted by Pamela Littky.

RADIOFLASH: Thrillers Should Have Thrills, Right?

Not even the great acting of Brighton Sharbino or Will Patton can save Radioflash from its middling existence.

JUDY & PUNCH: A Fitting Epilogue To A Decade’s Worth Of Gender Politics
JUDY & PUNCH: A Fitting Epilogue To A Decade’s Worth Of Gender Politics

In Judy & Punch, Foulkes brings dimension and nuance to rather ancient customs, and places backwards-thinking and primitive male behaviour under the microscope of social justice.

HOUSE OF CARDIN: How One Man Became An Empire
HOUSE OF CARDIN: How One Man Became An Empire

House of Cardin is a shiny, candy-colored look inside Cardin’s world, albeit one that is solely laudatory.

CITIZEN K: The Most Compelling Work About Russian Politics In A While

Alex Gibney’s Citizen K, a deep-dive into the life of the oligarch-turned-activist Mikhail Khodorkovsky, brilliantly utilises his recollections.