Reviews

After his breakout hit Thoroughbreds, Corey Finley return to directing in this drama based on the 2002 Rosyln School embezzlement scandal. Superintendent Dr. Frank Tassone and assistant superintendent Pam Gluckin are striving on getting the Rosylyn school district from #4 to #1 in the states. They look out for the student's future and education despite they are steal money from their own school. But when a student begins questioning Frank and Pam about the school's lack of repairs despite, they are still investing into an expensive skywalk project, dark secrets are exposed that challenge the faith and good in the education system.

Finley's direction and Mike Makowsky's screenplay (who actually went to Rosyln during the film's actual events) set the stage of this real-life drama as a tragedy that is slowing building to its inevitable fallout. While most of the dialogue coming from Frank and Pam comes off as sounding sincere but is really built on lies, the film uses the lack of dialogue in scenes and the facial expressions of the characters to tell you what is honestly going on. It is the flaws and damages we as audience are seeing and what the characters are not saying nor admitting that the film uses to explore the themes of sincerity, deceit and corruption. The classical operatic score by Michael Abel, the composer of Us and Get Out, helps to reinforce the feel of the film's tragedy.

Hugh Jackman gives maybe one of his best performances as superintendent Dr. Frank Tassone. Jackman's charisma and charm shows Frank as a beloved and inspiring figure that the staff, and parents admire and respect. At first glance you see Frank is sympathetic and does truly care about the future of the Rosyln School District and its students. But within that perfect smile you can see the cracks in Frank's persona. Frank's obsession with his image and having material possession, like the comment about him always being sharply dressed in suits on any occasion, allows Jackman to take this character to a very fascinating direction. When situations come to Frank about confronting his accountability or questioning his care in the school, he sheds that lovable image to manipulate others into feeling guilty rather than taking on the guilt himself. Frank is driven by what he thinks is best for the school but refuses to admit he is part of the problem.

Alison Janney also turns in an amazing performance as Frank's closet friend and assistant Pam Gluckin. Her chemistry with Jackman makes you believe that these two have been friends for a long time. You buy they are always looking out for each other's backs since they are both stealing money from the school district. A scene with them eating lunch and Pam letting Frank take a bite from her sandwich establishes how close they are as friends. When Pam makes a mistake that gets her caught in using the school's finances for personal gain, it leads to a heartbreaking betrayal that Janney turns her character into a tragic figure who deals with the consequences of her actions.

Geraldine Viswanthan also stands out as the high school journalist Rachel trying to expose the corruption within the school's system. We see that Rachel is the only one who seems to recognize that things within the school are not as perfect as they seem. Troubles within her personal life helps to add some emotional conflict in her choice to the publish the paper that will expose Frank's crimes.

The ending of Bad Education will leave you in question if the people responsible for taking care of the student's education have their best interest's or not. The characters who lie and manipulate for their own gain trick themselves into believing their crimes are for greater good. It is a well-told beautiful tragedy that is so far my favourite film of the year which it luckily premiered on HBO instead of waiting to get a theatrical release during Covid-19.

Leigh Whannell, known for creating a small but yet effective sci-fi film Upgrade, takes the left-over of a failed cinematic universe and turns it into one of the most intense psychological thrillers I have seen in years.

After escaping from her abusive husband Adrian, Cecilia struggles to adjust having her freedom knowing that one day he will find her. And while his apparent suicide may seem good news for her, Cecilia realises soon after strange things start happening her still-living ex has invented an invisibility suit to do one thing: torment her life even more than before.

While it is technically another remake of a 1930's horror icon, Leigh Whannell's reboot has more in common in with this generation's social horror thrillers like Black Mirror and Jordan Peele's Us and Get Out. Whannell uses the story of a woman being stalked and gaslighted by her invisible ex-spouse to explore the real-life horror stories that were revealed during #MeToo from victimized and abused woman. While we don't actually see what her toxic relationship with Adrian was like before she left, the story makes sure that we as the audience never question what Cecilla actually believes but to morally question everyone else choosing not to believe her even if the idea of an invisible man sounds crazy. By limiting the actual screen time of the Invisible Man's visible form of Adrian played creepily by Haunting of Hill House's Oliver Jackson Harper, Whannell makes sure that we focus on how damaged and hurt his victim is rather than relate to the title character himself. The story establishes very early on that Adrian's invisibility is not what makes him a monster but his cruel mind games on Cecilia that he feels is justified in his own sick way.

Whannell knows in order to make a movie about an unseen assailant scary is to not rely on visuals. Long, drawn-out scenes with no score but with incredible sound design sets in the dreadful atmosphere. Stefan Duscio's cinematography weaponizes wide shots of empty corners, hallways and rooms to show how isolated and vulnerable Cecilia is while making you as audience feel paranoid if Adrian is listening and watching. And once the Invisible man does strike, Whannel crafts his attack sequence in very raw and physically brutal ways to reflect the horror of abusive relationships. Even when we visibly see Adrian wearing the suit that makes him becomes the titled villain, the tech-based design gives off a surprising creepy Lovecraftian feel. Once the score made by Blade Runner 2049's Benjamin Wallfisch does kick in, the mixture of classic orchestral music to loud jarring electronic beats makes the scenes feel even more intense and dreadful then they already are.

But what sells the cruelty and terror of the Invisible Man is Elizabeth Moss's amazing performance. The small moments of her joy and happiness she has with her friends and family show what Cecilia's life could be like if she didn't have Adrian controlling it. But once Adrian goes full invisible, Moss makes you feel what is it like to be a victim who feels trapped and hopeless. From her just starring at what appears to be nothing or talking to empty space, we buy that her character is both terrified yet also frustrated with being used or ignored by others. Moss's grounded acting helps keep the movie's premise from going too far into a campy slasher film.

The collaboration of Elizabbeth Moss as a performer and Leigh Whannell in the director chair make this modern-day reincarnation of The Invisible Man a true horror masterpiece.

After I saw Suicide Squad, I so let down by how bland, tamed and poorly made it was for a movie made of up crazy and heightened characters. Birds of Prey luckily is not that. It is by far a huge improvement with how Harley Quinn and the supporting characters function into the story and tone.

After finally breaking free from Jared Leto's Joker (and thankfully he is barely in it), Harley discovers the cost of being free from a toxic relationship with the most feared criminal is now she is no longer protected from every other criminal that wants revenge.

Margot Robbie gets to finally make Harley Quinn feel fully realized in her hyper and abstract performance. While Suicide Squid's used flashbacks to show her obssession with the Joker, BOP instead uses her breakup with the clown to explore her sense of indepence in a world that wants her dead, in jail or to be used. The story greatly shows how Quinn's skills of being a former psychologist can be what makes her alienate and infuriating the people around her. Most of Robbie's BOP co-stars get moments to shine thanks to Christina Hodson's screenplay taking the time to explore how each of them deal with living in the toxic, crime-filled world of Gotham. Jurnee Smollet-Bell gives a moral dimension to Black Canary as the daughter of a former superhero trying to lay low. Her character is the closest to being a complete hero but because of a simple nice act to help Harley, she ends up unintentionally as one of Roman Sionus's hired goons. Rosie Perez shines as the veteran cop Renee Montoya whose mission to serve the law feels unsatisfying with her sexist male co-workers looking down on her and putting a strain on the relationship with her district attorney girlfriend. Breakout star Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain serves the emotional center piece very well to help Harley Quinn feel she can be looked up to for once. While I was really wanting more of her on screen, Mary Elizabeth Winstead's Huntress becomes a scene-stealer with what little she gets from the way she brutally takes out criminals with her crossbow to awkward moments of her trying to be social. Ewan McGregor fully embraces how cruel yet also very pathetic his villain Roman Sionus/Black Mask can be. His character's attempt to prove that he is the coolest and most dangerous criminal in Gotham comes off as hilarious a lot of times. Yet there were moments when McGregor takes his performance to terrifying levels when Roman asserts his own power on others that he feels don't respect him in very disturbing ways.

Despite Birds of Prey being her second feature film, director Cathy Yan shoots the film with superb confidence and expertise delivering a hyper and frenetic energy that makes all the scenes feel very lively and colorful along with help from cinematographer Mathew Libatique staging the shots to feel very vibrant with specific color choices. And when paired with John Wick director Chad Stahelski as the second-unit to push the quality of the fight choreography to superb, Yan makes the action of Birds of Prey feel very heightened and dirty but still look visually-stunning to watch.

Unfortunately the plot is a little convoluted for a very simple story about Harley Quinn. The movie takes a lot of inspiration from the non-chronological narrative of Pulp Fiction and the fourth-wall breaking of Deadpool. While it does work with showing how unreliable Harley is as a narrator, it felt like it breaks the movie's face-paced, energetic flow. While the plot macguffin wasn't a doomsday device like in other comic book movies it still felt really ridiculous with how created large stakes for Gotham. It felt like it acted as a means to get the characters together to form the Birds of Prey yet it also makes their team-up feel like an afterthought. The reshoots on this movie did feel a bit noticeable with unusual scene transitions and certain character motivations. While these were problems I noticed, they were still nowhere near as bad as those issues in Suicide Squad. And BOP achieves what that previous DC anti-hero movie failed at is by embracing the full craziness of Harley Quinn and pairing her with a group of interesting and complex characters.

As I stand I am both a fan of JJ Abrams's safe but yet fun Force Awakens and Rian Johnson's divisive yet very engaging Last Jedi. But after I saw Rise of Skywalker, I found it to be neither fun nor challenging and felt like it was a piece of lazy plot-driven fan service.

JJ Abrams's style of creating rich character dynamics and quick pacing are what helped make the Force Awakens work for me. But in his second (and possibly last) Star Wars film that is meant to be the finale of the new trilogy, his weaknesses as a director are put more on display. While I feel a little bad that Abrams was put in a tight corner after he had to follow-up from Last Jedi that goes against his own filmmaking philosophy, his over-reliance on mystery and nostalgia made the experience feel very jarring.

My biggest complaint is the writing and pacing of this film. The editing is very clunky and weird in the first hour of the story as it feels like it is rushing to get to these big plot revelations that ultimately don't matter to the story. And by having a rushed first-act that just introduces a series of pointless macguffins, Rise of Skywalker denies giving any substantial character moments to setup anything meaningful. The script by Chris Terrio (writer of Batman V Superman, another plot-heavy, convoluted film) and Abrams, acting as co-writer, felt like it was engineered to pander to anyone who complained on the internet about Last Jedi or even Force Awakens. I was shocked at how desperate it felt the movie was at trying to please everyone rather then have a unique artistic vision. And it doesn't help that Abrams relies even more on replicating so many iconic moments from the original trilogy that it makes it feel devoid of being a conclusion to what Force Awaken started. I would almost give them credit for trying to set up some interesting directions with the First Order and Rey's family lineage but would later resort to a safe and bland formula to avoid angering fans. Despite the stakes of the plot being very high for this final film, I barely felt any investment as almost every character seemed to be protected by plot-armor to just deliver exposition and make stuff happen so other stuff could happen.

The Kylo Ren and Rey relationship still is the positive highlight of this mess of a movie. Both Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley are given everything into their performances to sell characters even if the script isn't doing them any favors. The internal conflict they each share is the only thing that I felt was close to being a believable character arc. Oscar Isaac becomes the film's scene stealer as the surprising comic relief and is given some solid backstory into his character Poe Dameron. Unfortunately almost every other actor like John Boyega, Billy Dee Williams, Domhall Gleeson and Anthony Daniel's C-3PO are given so little to do that feel like glorified extras. Even newcomers to the trilogy like Naomi Ackie, Keri Russell and Richard E. Grant are presented as interesting characters that film doesn't know what to do with.

If you enjoy this movie as a Star Wars fan that is fine but as someone that prefers well-told and interesting stories that work on their own, I found myself feeling very confused and frustrated after I walked out of the theatre. It is a movie not worth ranting about but does not give anything worth praising.

After hearing so praise much about Bong Joon-ho's latest film when it premiered at the Cannes film festival this year, I went in not trying to know too much about it. And it definitely lived up to the hype.

The Kim family struggles to get by as the father, Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho), is unemployed and are forced to live in run-down basement apartment in an already poor neighbourhood. Conning and manipulation is second nature to the family as it is their only means to ensure they come close to living. And once the opportunity comes in the form of the wealthy Park family needing a new English teacher for their teenage daughter, the Kim's young adult son Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik) takes the position to help his family get the money they need to escape their impoverished lifestyle. Through a series of planned and highly calculated manipulation and trickery, Ki-woo gets all of his family members employed but at the expense of getting the Park's previous driver and housemaid fired to steal their paid positions. Eventually the Kim's start living off the of the Parks's luxuries as if they entered the gates of heaven and awarded for their scheme.

To explain anything more would ruin the rest of the story. The joy of it will be watching the twists unfold as the ideas and themes of Parasite take on a very unique and unexpected look at the class dynamic. The film portrays neither families as the hero or villain of this story. Similar to his English-language sci-fi thriller Snowpiercer, Bong Joon-ho dives deep into a surreal, abstract world to explore the class dynamic between the wealthy and the poor. The difference in this being neither side is worth rooting for nor against. The Kim's take advantage of the Parks's naivety through their con as the most sure-fire way to gain the benefits that are denied to them because of their class status. And so it means they are ignorant to the moral consequences made by their scam until it is too late. Meanwhile, the Parks are so condition to their wealthy and privileged lifestyle they are oblivious to how unfair they treat the lower class while being paranoid and frightened by what doesn't meet their high expectations. The cruel unexpected circumstances of the film's events prove no matter how well planned things go, the poor will still in the end be feeding off the scraps of the rich that blindly ignore them.

Don't want to say anything much else about Parasite other then it is worth seeing without not much else about it. Go see it.

When I saw the first trailer it was very clear the Hangover director Todd Phillips was not intending to direct a traditional origin story to a comic book character. While I have heard this movie was controversial for its shameless copying of Martin Scorsese's early films like Taxi Driver and King of Comedy (both films I have unfortunately not seen so I have no context on), cynical nature, and dangerous messaging it might send to the wrong person, I still found it to be fascinating and compelling to watch while still being disturbed by it. This is a very dark, and cynical film Todd Philips has made. It felt very far removed from the fantastical elements of the Batman mythology even compared to Christopher Nolan's grounded Dark Knight trilogy.

Joaquin Phoenix carries the movie even when the film seems itself is dragging on for no reason. While Heath Ledger will still be my favourite incarnation of the Joker, Phoenix gives a performance that is more layered and complex. Starting as Arthur Fleck struggling to live in a poor 1970's Gotham, Phoenix makes his character feel human but also broken in the way he moves and how he quietly speaks. From his bone-skinny physique to the uncontrolled laughter as part of his mental condition, you can feel that Arthur is suffering inside but is trying to hide it to look normal and to fit in. When a moment comes that gains Arthur some attention as a mysterious vigilante dressed as a clown, the boost in ego and attention gives him purpose in his meaningless existence. There Phoenix embraces the darker nature of this character as his sanity melts away and he begin to see his reality as some twisted joke that has tormented him. He strikes a good balance of making him terrifying and disturbing while still showing a sense of sadness in him he carries.

What also surprised me was the quality of the score and cinematography. Despite Joker being a dark and disturbing film, Lawrence Sher makes every shot stunning and beautiful with the way it puts Arthur at centre of the frame. Hildur Guðnadóttir's score uses accordions to reflect how Arthur's views of comedy and tragedy intertwine before it going deep and twisted.

The movie's tackling of social politics is both its strength and weakness. The movie does feel very socially relevant with today's politics on how the Wayne family stand in to reflect the Trump administration. And Arthur's plight makes for an interesting case of how the mentally-ill are not provided with proper care needed and are discarded without thinking of what consequences could be. Unfortunately Phillips as the film's director and co-writer does not make it subtle when it comes to how the social commentary is delivered on screen. A lot of dialogue felt very blunt and forced in how the film was trying to say its messaging.

As the movie goes on through most of its runtime, it did feel like it was dragging on without anything that is pivotal happening. There were many moments where I as wondering if some scenes were really necessary for the purpose of the plot or story. But once it reaches its climatic third act as Arthur finishes his transformation into the Joker, Phoenix goes all out with his performance in one scene that will for sure become on of the most talked-about scenes this year.

This movie felt very much it reflected on the director Todd Philips's comment about pc culture is killing comedy. While I don't agree with his pathetic comment, I can see how his tastes and dark sense of humor is maybe the best way to make a movie like this especially with exploring the bleak backstory of DC's most iconic villain. Joker may not be the movie everyone enjoys but it is at least fascinating to watch for the Joaquin Phoenix alone.

Probably the best film I have seen this year and one of the most memorable theatrical experiences I have ever had seeing it at its world premiere at TIFF. Thanks to the success of his previous studio film, The Last Jedi, Johnson gets to create a passion project that is so desperately needs to be seen in theatres.

Johnson shows his love for the murder mystery genre but avoids falling into its predictable plot mechanics. The opening of Knives Out sets the table of what you would expect from this kind of premise on paper. The death of the celebrity author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) brings in all the family members seeking the opportunity to selfishly claim his inheritance and the strange circumstances of his passing calls in private investigator Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to solve the case. But once most of the character archetypes are established within the first act, Johnson allows his originality as a filmmaker to take over. From they're the perspectives shift and the twists elevate the story in a direction that is refreshing and surprisingly really funny. The humor becomes unrelenting and infectious, as everyone in the theatre could not hold back the laughter, with Johnson playing on genre's tropes and being meta about it.

Johnson lets each of the cast members have fun and stand apart from one another with each playing really dynamic and complex character he has written. Chris Evans just relishes in playing the ruthless and yet complex grandson Ransom and doesn't hold back on spitting insults to anyone including his own family members. Michael Shannon plays a role slightly less antagonistic and more pathetic as youngest son Walt who gets no respect from his family. Jamie Lee Curtis continues to be a force of charisma to watch as the eldest daughter Linda. Even smaller but no less significant roles like Noah Segan and Lakieth Stanfield are also worth calling out.

While Daniel Craig may get top-billing in the poster, the movie completely rest on Ana De Armas to carry the story and serve as the audience's perspective into this world. As Harlan's nurse Marta, she shows how isolated and alone she feels with the rest of Thrombley family despite they pretend to have her best interest. But as the plot progresses, De Armas gets to show range including some unexpected comedic moments and becomes more of a pivotal role in the mystery. Daniel Craig gives full commitment to his over-the-top character. Craig as Blanc gets some of the best and most hysterical lines as he spout bizarre and confusing analogies in a super-thick Southern accent. He strikes a good balance of intelligence and hysterical as a man who is very perceptive of people's intention but also being really exaggerated and ridiculous in a good way.

Similar to what he did with the Star Wars franchise in the Last Jedi, Johnson brings in social political commentary into a very old and tired genre to make if feel relevant. In this case, he uses the Thrombey family dynamic to tackle issues on the wealth of the 1%, immigration and self-entitled privilege. In the opening interview, Harlan's adult kids and in-laws all say they believe that each of their successful careers come from hard work despite flashbacks reveal they leech off of Harlan's own self-earned wealth and celebrity name. And with Marta coming from an immigrant family and being Harlan's personal nurse, the Thrombey's keep acknowledging subtly and (unsubtly in a heated family argument about politics) her lower status in society to boost their ego even they think it comes from a sense of sympathy. The oblivious nature and lack of wokeness most of the family retains (particularly with Don Johnson's and Toni Collete's characters) shows how much they have been too sheltered in their own rich bubble that creates a lot of great satirical humour.

Regardless if you liked or disliked The Last Jedi, are fan of Rian Johnson in general as a filmmaker or just love the murder-mysteries in film, Knives Out is a big crowd pleaser that uses its huge big name cast to full efficiency. Just when you think you have the plot figured out, it adds twists upon twists that don't dragged down the story but elevate. Once it comes out in nation-wide theatres, see it as soon as you can.

Probably one of the most controversial films to come out of TIFF, I went into Jojo Rabbit with cautionious optimism since I am fan of Taika Waititi while still being aware of the divineness it has spawned in some critics. I was pleasantly surprised on how emotional and thought provoking he made this film while still being very funny without going too far.

Jojo is a 10-year old boy who dreams of fighting for his country and making his hero proud. And that hero just so happens to be Adolf Hitler during the final year of WW2. Jojo's blind fanaticism is so extreme he imagines Adolf as his best friend to give him advice, which to no surprise, is not that helpful. After an accident at the Hitler Youth camp, Jojo has to stay with his mother only to discover she is hiding Elsa, a teenage girl who is the very thing his Nazis beliefs have told him to fear and hate: a Jew. As Jojo tries to learn about Elsa's "kind", he begins to sees Elsa as the thoughtful yet scared person she really is and not the monster his beliefs have told her to be.

The smartest thing I can say is Waitia knows when to make a joke about Nazi's beliefs and ideals but then let the bleakness of WW2 set in to embrace the deeper themes and emotions. Within the first act, Jojo sees his world through rose-tinted glasses as he gleefully gives the Nazi salute to his fellow neighbours on a bright sunny day. All of the Nazi characters are heightened and exaggerated for comic relief from Sam Rockwell's Captain Klenzendorf being a tired and annoyed German soldier, Rebel Wilson as the ignorant Fraulein Rahm to Stephen Merchant as the Gestapo agent Deertz. Waititi takes pleasure in making Nazis the but of the joke from showing them being over-committed to saluting each other for just a simple introduction to their obliviousness of believing any stupid fake news they are told came from Hilter himself. Once Jojo settles with Elsa sharing his house, his world begins show its true ugliness as Germany becomes more desperate to hold their ground against the Allied forces. At that point Waititi slows down on the comedy and allows moments of shock and drama to settle in to remind the audience what is the horrible cost of ignorance and blind faith. Cinematographer Mihai Malaimare Jr. switches the color scheme from bright and saturated to cold and grey as the seasons pass to reflect the change in Jojo's state of mind. The parallels to the modern day become very clear without getting too blunt.

The cast plays each of their roles perfectly. Roman Griffin Davis carries the story as a naïve but yet innocence Jojo. Davis is perfectly cast with perfect comedic timing while still being able to sell the emotional beats that are needed. And he has great comedic and emotional chemistry with Thomasin McKenzie as Elsa. McKenzie displays the hardship her character has gone throughout her life and yet still making her fun and sharp-witted when she points out shallowness of Jojo's ideals. Also who is worth mentioning is Scarlett Johansson as Jojo's mother Rosie. Probably the best performance of Johansson I have seen so far, she brings a huge feeling of joy and optimism that is needed to help Jojo's growth as a character. Out of all of the adults that are blind to the horrors the Axis power is inflicting upon the world, Rosie is the only one that is able to see through it and confront it. As for the big question of Waititi himself playing a young boy's interpretation of Adolf Hitler, he handles it very well. His comedic performance is there to show the absurdity of Jojo's brainwashing from the Nazis's teaching. And it helps that he never to tries to humanize the portrayal of his character. There were even a few moments where he becomes a bit more antagonistic towards Jojo as he begins doubting the faith in his idol.

Jojo Rabbit may be a controversial pick if it does get nominated for awards consideration (after I saw it on the last day of TIFF, it surprisingly won the People's Choice Award), but I feel like it is a movie needed for today's political issues. Taika Waititi uses the story of a boy's misguided fantasy and faith to show how easy it is for society to be manipulated into hating minorities, religions and/or groups of people especially when fake news and social media is present. But by the end of the day he shows that compassion and love are still worth embracing in a cruel world so as long as we are able to confront to cruelty in ourselves first.

Beginning in the grey snowy America, an emotionally troubled Dani is struck by the death of her family. And before that she is having relationship problems with her boyfriend Christian, a guy who does the bare minimum to be emotionally supportive for her. In an effort to avoid to having an ugly breakup, Christian invites her to his guys-only trip in a remote Swedish community. There the seeds of their relationship's end take root while the horror shows itself in broad daylight.

While Ari Aster last movie Hereditary was about grief and psychological pain consuming us, Midsommar is about releasing it in a chaotic and destructive fashion in order to heal. As the characters continue to learn about the bizarre and somewhat disturbing traditions of the pagan community called the Hagra, Dani struggles to keep her emotions in check to avoid humiliating Christian. To Christian and his college buddies the Hagra's approach to death, marriage and tradition seem alien to them as Americans. Dani, however, begins to see their connection as a community may actually be more psychologically healthy compared to her own relationship.

The surprising thing about Midsommar is how Aster makes it feel different to Hereditary. Aster shows to have great comedic timing as a director to show the American's oblivious and ignorant behaviour to the Hagra's traditions. He also relies more on the use of bright daylight and exterior wide shots as opposed to Hereditary's dark claustrophobic feel thanks to his returning cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski. The almost heavenly-like sunlight exposes the weird and surreal elements that make the little community feel uncomfortably otherworldly. And it reveals in full glory beautiful set decorations made by Henrik Svensson that creepily foreshadows the disturbing events to come if you look very closely. And the score by Bobby Krlicis is surprisingly beautiful and majestic at times in an otherwise disturbing movie.

Florence Pugh (the only few good things from Outlaw King) stands out as her emotional performance leaves you heartbroken. Pugh plays Dani as someone who acts calm and sane to avoid public humilation but her performance comes out in full force when she lets her character cry out her emotional pain and anger. On the other side of the relationship, Jack Reynor portrays Christian with subtly as a guy who feels trapped in a bad relationship but lazily tries to play the role of a sympathetic partner. Reynor makes Christian seem relatable at first but then later displays how manipulative he can be to avoid taking responsibility. Will Poultier surprises as the culturally ignorant and sexist Mark whom most of the movie's comedy comes out.

While the examination of Dani and Christian's toxic relationship is what elevates the story, the movie's plot is a very standard horror. Most of the twists and surprises are ones would you actually expect in a horror movie. And since Midsommar is very straightforward the long runtime is definitely felt by the last quarter and you get to a point of just wanting to get to the big finale.

Like many other art-house horror films, Midsommar is not for the mainstream audience. It is a slow burn with plenty of gruesome imagery and acts of violence to make you feel uncomfortable and disgusted. But it is also one that has a lot of smart humor to not make the bleakness feel too overwhelming and worth talking about its examination of relationships and cultural appropriation.

As a die-hard Godzilla fan and a defender of the Gareth Edward's slow-burn sombre American remake, I have been looking very much forward to seeing Legendary's versions of Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah interact with Godzilla on screen. Also had been curious of seeing horror director Michael Dougherty bringing his own take on the iconic Toho monsters in this sequel.

Dougherty's love, care and obsession with Godzilla and the rest of the Toho monsters are on full display. Dougherty embraces the look and feel of the Showa, Hesei, Millennium era of the Toho films to even making some big callbacks to the original 1954 film. The Dougherty is able to take the futuristic sci-fi technology and the deep mythology of the monsters (in this called Titans) from the older Japanese films and make them fit into the already established Monsterverse. Each monster gets moments to shine from action sequences to the way they display each of their individual intelligence and personalities on screen thanks to the vfx work from MPC and motion-capture actors. Godzilla is given more expressive range to make him feel less animalistic but more world-weary and intelligent while still retaining his savagery. The close-ups of his face can tell you so much about what this near-omnipotent creature is thinking from the way he glares at his rival King Ghidorah to looking down at a helpless human. The film's interpretation of Godzilla's iconic nemesis Ghidorah is truly terrifying. The way each three heads interacts with one another and looks at humans with curiosity and disdain makes Ghidorah feel like the other-worldly demon that he is. Rodan is also a standout as Dougherty gives the winged titan one of the best aerial action sequences to display the full power of his giant wings. While Mothra is kind of resorted to being a deux-machina and would wish to have more screen time, her ethereal-like presence creates breathtaking imaginary making her the most visually stunning of the monsters. The battles are truly epic by definition with the monster's movements and fighting style feeling more character-like similar to the costumed performance from the classic Toho film. The light effects that each of these Titans emit from their bodies and as well as the dramatic weather in the shots make their fights feel like rich paintings of primordial gods duelling over the natural world with us watching as the unintentional spectators.

The dividing line I see between fans and critics on this film is does really good monster action justify the weak story and characters. As someone who has come to expect Godzilla movies don't have complex human characters generally because the humans are just there to react to the monster(s) and serve the plot and themes. But my big nitpick I will say I have with this particular movie is that it makes it plot too convoluted. The advantage the older Toho films had as well as I think Godzilla 2014 and Skull Island, was either being shorter then 2 hours or having an easy plotline you could tell where point A to B is. Dougherty's attempts, along with co-writer Zach Shield, to expand the Monsterverse with multiple plots and characters unfortunately makes what should be a simple premise feel unnecessarily complex. This is particularly when it focuses more on pointless character explaining the plot rather than exploring how humanity deals with the arrival of multiple Titans. It is especially annoying when Dougherty puts these characters in peril in an failed attempt to create human stakes and it forces a lot of the monster battles into the background of the shots rather than be front and centre.

In terms of the cast, Kyle Chandler and Ken Watanabe are the only two who sell the seriousness and are close to being characters with actual depth. Watanabe particularly gets the best non-action scene that gives his character Serizawa a perfect emotional conclusion and best defines Dougherty's respect for the Godzilla franchise's cinematic history. While the movie's attempts at humour don't usually work, Bradley Whitford delivers the funniest lines (by going full Rick and Morty) while Thomas Middleditch didn't work as the comic relief. Vera Farmiga and Millie Bobby Brown do give solid performances but feel like they are just plot devices to get things to happen. As a recent fan of O'Shea Jackson Jr., I was really disappointed to see him get stuck playing one of the many random forgettable military soldiers.

Bear McCreary's score goes above and beyond to what this film attempts to be. He not only successfully recreates Akira Ifukube's iconic theme but also still manages to make it feel new and fresh. The use of vocal chants makes you want stand up and cheer for Godzilla when the music starts playing.

The movies does carry on the tradition of Godzilla being a metaphor of man's incapability to control nature and goes even to asking can humanity co-exist with the Titans knowing the destructive powers they can unleash upon the world. A lot of interesting ideas are introduced about how important Godzilla and the other Titans are to the ecosystem and their functionality as one big giant monster community but unfortunately could have been handle better with more actual showing and less explaining. Maybe it's also a problem King of the Monsters gets stuck trying to be thematically serious like Godzilla 2014 and still trying to appeal to those who had criticism of that last movie for not being enough like a fun popcorn movie.

As a lifelong Godzilla fan I can't say I was disappointed since it was so satisfying to see these monsters come to life and feel like real, believable characters but just wished the movie they were in was more focused and shorter to fully appreciate the spectacle, creatures and the engaging themes it wants to tell. The human plot wouldn't have been so bad if the was just half of it and allowed the conflict with the monsters be the heart of the story.

As a fan of Jordan Peele's comedy work before Get Out made him into a household name as a director, I was very excited see him continue to explore social politics through horror in Us (2019). And Us (2019) is so much more complex and energetic then his last movie that only came out two years ago, that I had to watch this movie two times before giving my complete thoughts.

On the surface Us (2019) paints a very straightforward survival horror premise of a family called the Wilsons forced to fight against homicidal versions of themselves called the Tethered. But Peele doesn't rely on the gimmick of the killer or monster being our copies to hold it together. He merely uses it as an opportunity to go deeper into very questionable and existential ideas about human identity.

A large part of what holds Us together is Lupita Nyong'o dual performances as Adelaide and Red. When we first meet Adelaide she is this paranoid mother worried about her family's safety and is driven to extreme lengths to keep them safe from her Tether copy Red. And with Nyongo playing Red as well, she makes every single uncanny bodily movement and every word from her rasping voice to feel both terrifying the as film's villain but also evoke the harsh reality she comes from. But as the story evolves, Nyong'o brings more dimensions to both her characters that go beyond the final girl and slasher villain in a horror film. Adelaide becomes more assertive and aggressive in her actions and we then see the tragedy that Red has been carrying for decades that acts as fuel for her violent revolution. It's a difficult challenge for someone to bring this much depth to two characters in one movie but Nyongo's deserves as many awards as possible for achieving it.

Now that Peele's gets to play with a larger scope, we see that he gets to have more fun within horror and comedy. While Get Out was a slow burn to the horror's reveal, Us immediately sets it in motion within the first 30 minutes. The sequence of the Tether breaking into the Wilson's home is probably one of the scariest sequences I have seen in recent years. From there the movie never slows down to make you feel like the Wilsons are safe from this threat. But the horror never becomes overwhelming thanks to Peele's expertise in comedy to be used in the right moments. A lot of it comes from how well the humour is written within the characters themselves from Winston Duke's surprisingly hysterical portrayal of an ignorant nerdy dad and husband to the son played in a breakout performance by Alex Jones unintentionally being self-aware of the crazy situation they are in.

While Get Out made it very clear from the start it was about racism, Us plays it more subtly with its social messaging. Using the creepy imaginary of mirroring and contrasting visuals and sequences of repetition (just like last year's The Favourite it make flocks of rabbits evoke dread), it not only foreshadows the darkness that is to come but also reinforce the themes of dual identities. And examining closely through certain lines of dialogue and scenes, Peele is very much making a commentary on America's economy and class-system. Through the Wilson's middle-class perspective of what to them seems like twisted versions of themselves invading their home, Us reveals the misguided views society has on those that lack the upper-class's benefits and awards. And when the Wilsons are forced to breakaway from their carefree identities in order live; it only proves they can be just as savage as their own Tethers. Particularly reflecting on the refuge crisis happening today during the Trump administration, Adelaide and Red's conflict becomes less about the duality between good and evil and more about whom deserves the better life and what is it worth to gain and keep that life.

Easily the best movie this year so far and is defiantly made be to watched more then once.

Going into Captain Marvel I was a bit nervous that this would feel like a forced prequel to the MCU especially how uninteresting the advertisement made it to be. After watching the whole thing I found this entry in the MCU to be somewhat compelling and interesting with some puzzling choices on how it to ties to the larger cinematic universe.

Rather then begin the story with the hero's humble beginnings and going through a redemption arc by gaining powers and taking responsibility, Captian Marvel uses a sort of Memento-inspired style of story-telling to introduce her Carol Danvers as the alien Kree's version of a super-soldier on the planet Hala engaged in a war with the shape-shifting Skrulls and then following her to rediscover her past on earth. It is a very unconventional way, in terms of Marvel, of telling the hero's origin that can the be both the story's strength and weakness. When the directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck are allowed to focus on the more quiet character moments I can feel being engaged in the social-political messaging about individuality, identity, authority and toxic masculinity even if it is not as subtle or as heavy compared to Black Panther or Wonder Woman. The way story uses the Kree and Skrulls as a metaphor for issues happening today elevated Captain Marvel above just another solo adventure but is undermined at times when certain twists do not pay off based on how its focused.

Performance-wise I thought most of the cast and characters were pretty solid. Samuel L. Jackson gets to channel more of his comedic side as a young two-eyed Nick Fury. Lashana Lynch as Danver's best friend's Maria Rambeau gives an emotional breakout performance that was needed. But the MVP surprisingly is Ben Mendelsohn as the Skrull general Talos. Unlike his previous one-note villain in Ready Player One, Mendelsohn brings a lot more depth and humor then what you expect his character to be as the obvious villain of the story. Every time Mendelsohn popped up in a scene I could feel the movie actually getting a lot better and more fascinating when it focused on his character. Where I can see the divided line on a lot of critics is how the story uses Brie Larson as Carol Danvers. I like Brie Larson's performance and charisma particularly when the movie allows her to have some fun but for the story relying on flashbacks to tell her backstory I felt denied clear character growth like previous mcu characters. Larson has good comedic timing with Jackson when the film shows Danvers and Fury teaming up as a buddy-cop duo but it never feels like Larson is able let out her more dramatic side because of what the story tells her to hold back emotionally.

Major problems I did find were the 90's element and the MCU tie-ins. The 90's references become a little more jarring then nostalgic at times. And other then the fact of introducing a less-experienced Nick Fury and setting up certain plot devices to lead into Endgame, the 90's era didn't feel felt like it offered that much to the story. When the film goes into prequel mode, particularly near the end, I could feeling its choices being less of a game-changer like Winter Soldier, Ragnarok or Infinity War and more like an unnecessary joke or answer to something I didn't care to be revealed.

Another thing that I felt was underwhelming was the action and visuals. Because Marvel usually hires unknown directors that have a lack of experience on working in big-action set pieces, the fight sequences felt very cheap with too many quick cuts and the cgi became more and more like playstation cut-scenes as it got closer to the third-act battle. I do have to credit though how seamless the de-aging process on Samual L. Jackson to the point I completely forgot that Jackson turned 70 last year. However, Clark Gregg's Coulson could of used more work though since there times he looked like a living Ken doll.

Similar to Last Jedi, Captain Marvel I can see being divisive based on how it fits into the MCU but for me I chose judge the movie itself on its own term. Not my favourite MCU installment but still enjoyed it more then most.

This is a movie with the most campy title and premise that is more character-driven drama then guilty b-movie action entertainment. Its surprising prestige that elevates its genre setting comes a lot from Sam Elliot's performance and director Robert D. Kryzowski's focus on the emotional weight of the protagonist's journey.

Elliot carries this strange absurd premise as Calvin Barr, a retired veteran living in solitude. As the man who assassinated the titled Nazis leader in secrecy during WW2 (played by Aiden Turner as the young Calvin), he feels regret that his mission mattered very little to world while the love of his life, Maxine (Caitlin FitzGerald) had to move on herself when he returned home. When an American agent (played by Ron Livingston) asks for Calvin's skills and service to kill the titled creature to prevent it from spreading humanity-ending disease, it becomes a catalyst for Calvin to find some form of redemption to give purpose in his life. Elliot doesn't just rely on his usual charm and charisma but shows vulnerability in his character's state of mind. From moments where he breaks down into sadness when thinking about the life he could have had or being forced to inflict harm on another thing, we are shown that Calvin is not the war hero that lived a happy life but instead is this old warrior fading away into nothing more then a myth that glorifies his violent actions. And it surprisingly fits thematically when the film explores him killing Hitler and the Bigfoot (as the title says so not a complete spoiler). The two well-known figures are interpreted in ways one would not expect as Hitler's evil was more powerful and contagious then history described and Bigfoot is seen less as a classical movie monster but as this damaged being in pain much like Calvin is internally. You still get a memorable bloody fight between Calvin and the legendary creature (even if gets too silly) but by the end you feel the tragedy for both Calvin and the Bigfoot.

Outside of Elliot's performance and his character's journey, the movie does have weak aspects. When it tries to embrace its b-movie cheesy elements they feel forced and distracting to the point it hurts the serious weight the story has built. While the film doesn't spend too time much trying to justify or explain its ridiculous plot, the slow pace can feel like its dragging even near the end. Plus the music felt like it was from a 90's hallmark soap opera that didn't feel like it fit. As silly as this movie gets, I never felt it was trying to entertainment me with cheap thrills. Elliot's awards-worthy performance and its examination on the glorification of myth and history made for an engaging piece of dramatic art to analyze and appreciate. Give this movie a watch. It will certainly be a memorable and surprising experience even if gets too crazy for its own good at times.

Yorgos Lanthimos continues to be one of the most unique and dynamic filmmakers working today. In his latest film, Lanthimos engages the audience in 18th century royal British politics that is centered around three women. We have Queen Anne (Olivia Colman), the emotionally unstable and sensitive ruler of England who would rather spoil herself with treats and play with her pet rabbits then engage in any sort of politics. And by her side and constantly controlling her every decision is Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz). Cold, cynical and mean-spirited, Sarah makes sure the country runs the way she prefers by speaking on the behalf of the queen herself. And then comes in the final girl, Sarah's cousin Abigail who finds the Achille's heel in Anne and Sarah's relationship to exploit. As Sarah and Abigail go to war with each other for Anne's affection, it begins to have huge affect on the literal war that is going on with France.

The dynamic chemistry between all three of the actresses and the engaging script by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara is what keeps you hooked in this heightened period piece. From the beginning, Weisz, Stone and Colman portray their characters in one way that you would seem straightforward but by the end your view on them turns a complete 180. Weizs's confidence and dry wit makes her character Sarah feels like a force of nature you want to avoid crossing. By contrast Stone's charm and humour shows her character Abigail as appearing sweet and you wanting to root for. However, once the table turn in the game of manipulation and favouritism, Weisz display vulnerability in Sarah and Stone expands her dramatic chops to the reveal the dark trickster that hides behind Abigail's sweet smile. However the most fully ranged performance is that of Colman. While Queen Anne seems written to be as comic relief at first, Colman gets to put on show of emotional depth that by contrast makes her feel more human then the rest of the royal over-the-top characters we meet. Colman's comedic time definitely does earn most of the laughs in a very dark and twisted story. However it's through her emotional performance that gives the Favourite a sense of humanity that would otherwise be lacking.

Robbie Ryan's cinematography makes the Favourite visually stand apart from previous period piece dramas. The wide dynamic perspective shots make the character's interactions with each other feel like a you're removed from their presence because of their wealth and class status. The feeling of alienation from the shots is what helps it to sell its cold atmosphere. With close-ups of character's face the film then lets you get inside their heads to know where their minds and emotions are at in the moment. This then allows the story and its characters to be seen as being flawed but also honest and real.

Like Lathimos's previous films The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Favourite is a film that will leave feeling very cold and disturbed but is definitely joy to watch three amazingly talented actresses to perform with and against each other.

After experiencing the disappointment of Cloverfield Paradox, I was very worried about Bad Robot's next genre film Overlord when it was rumoured to be another instalment of the Cloverfield franchise. Thankfull Overlord is not.

On their way to destroy a Nazi radio tower to ensure the success of the Normandy invasion on the eve of D-day, a paratrooper unit's plane is shot down with only a few surviving soldiers left to finish the mission. Not only are they outnumbered and forced to hide within the French village the Nazi rule over with limited time remaining, the discovery of the Nazi's twisted experiments also puts them on a huge road block on their goal.

Rather then just rely on creepy Nazi-bred monsters and zombies to sell the horror, director Julius Avery and his writers Mark L. Smith and Billy Ray smartly rely the horror of the WW2 setting to make you feel tense and scared, particularly in the beginning and ending with amazing one-shot set pieces. By establishing that any of these characters can easily die with a single mistake or if the Nazi catches them, the film leaves you with this tense, inescapeble atmosphere. While it takes a while, once the film's pure-horror elements arrive you can see Avery having fun with the scenes filled with messed body-horror and gore that are very creative and detailed. Avery also has a good eye for action with how dirty and intense he makes it while still being playfully inventive.

What elevates Overlord just above style-over-substance is the attention to its characters and the performances by their actors. Jovan Adepo carries the film as Boyce, the only member of the unit who shuns violence. His lack of experience in the war causes him to truly see the horror of war that many of his more-experienced comrades choose to embrace. Adepo's nice-guy charm and reliability gives Overlord a character you can root for. In contrast is Wyatt Russell's tough-as-nail, take-no-prisoners Ford. Channelling the moxy and charisma seen in his father Kurt Russell from similar films like The Thing and Escape from New York, Wyatt Russell creates a flawed but also badass character from his own performance. Unlike Boyce, Ford is willing commit any cruel act of violence if it means the mission will succeed thus making him get close to becoming the very enemy he despises. Mathilde Ollivier also stands out as the French local Chloe who gets a couple of great moments against the film's Nazi antagonists. While Pilou Asbaek (Euron Greyjoy from Game of Thrones) just plays a very straightforward evil Nazi captain, he excels at portraying as being even more disturbing compared to the other Nazi in the film. There is a creepy scene in the film between him and Ollivier's character that I have seen draws some controversy so just to be warned.

While Overlord takes itself seriously just enough to get you invested in the story and its characters, it is not as deep nor as artistic as say more prestigious war films like Saving Private Ryan. And its monster b-movie elements takes a while for it to become the central conflict which any monster and zombie fans may become impatient by. But at the end of the day, Overlord knows what it is trying to do and mostly succeeds

The most stunning and poetic-beautiful film I have ever seen. Every single shot of the film feels like a character. The continuously-long shots show so much is going on in the backgrounds from the sounds and images of crowds of people, dogs barking, birds chirping to even planes flying by. These don't feel like distractions because the way Cuaron shoots them (also as his own cinematographer this time) makes them feel like they are these moving pieces of art. As the camera slowly pans through the inside of the family's house and the outside of the city and landscapes of the Mexican country, Cuaron's ability to show-not-tell immerses you into family's daily routines but also into the political climate where it reaches a boiling point in a very climatic scene. The digitally-shot black and white imaginery makes Roma feel like you step into old photograph get re-mastered and then was turned into a moving picture.

But it is what's in the foreground that is what really captures our attention in the main character Cleo (a great breakout performance from Yalitza Aparicio). She is the maid to this family that lives next door and takes of their house and children. She has become so accustomed to her work routine that she practically cares and looks after the kids as if they were here own family. And family is definitely the theme to best described this film. Throughout the story the father is rarely ever there as though he does not exist. And the lack of one parental figure has certain affects on Cleo's relationship with the kids and the mother, for better and worse. As the audience watches Cleo and become more invested in her personal life throughout the story, the changes in her emotional state begins to affect you.

Roma is a film packed with so many tones and emotions. There are many moments that are awkward, funny and quirky. These moments allow these characters to feel comfortable enough to show their spontaneous and optimistic sides. And then there are some where the story takes dark turns that deliver one hell of an emotional gut-punch. And by the end you feel just went through rollercoaster of emotions.

I saw this film at TIFF this month and while this film is produced by Netflix to be part of their streaming service, I highly recommend you see it in theatres first, if it gets a wide theatrical release this year, because it deserves to be seen on the biggest screen with great sound quality enveloping a large room. Don't let the first time you watch Roma be on your phone or tablet.

Caught Widows at TIFF this month and I can tell after watching that this is going to be an Oscar favourite next year. After a group of criminals dye in a heist gone wrong, their widows, Veronica, Alice and Linda, are forced to collect the money to repay their husband's debt. From there the women have to find their individual strength to survive especially when most of the men in their world are either cut-throat criminals or corrupt politicians. And that is just the basics of Widows. This story has far more to tell when you look at it under the surface.

Widows is thematically about how people move on and rebuild themselves in a broken society. The core group of women have had their lives be defined by their husbands' actions for better or for worse. From sexism, race relations, entitled privileges, politics to infidelity, director Steve McQueen is exploring so many of these subjects in his heist thriller. In less capable hands, so many of these themes and messages could feel force-fed and overbearing but McQueen makes them engaging in every single scene he shoots. Scenes will cut from calm, quiet moments to establish the nature of the widow's late marriages to sudden bursts of violence, action and tension to get your heart racing. Along with shots filled with dark and cool, light color palettes, McQueen shows on screen how divided the world is between those who feel they deserve wealth and power and those are mistreated by it. And through this divided perception, the women begin to take ownership of their lives and reassess what their marriages were really built on.

While Widows is a thematically dark and serious story, Gone Girl author-turned-screenwriter Gillian Flynn gives the characters a lot of subtle humour and sharp witted dialogue that actually makes the film surprisingly fun to watch. And to its credit that Flynn, along with McQueen as the co-writer, gives so many of these characters, especially the star women, unique layers that makes no one feel like a blank slate.

While it is an ensemble piece, Viola Davis is definitely the most awards-worthy to watch. As the lead widow Veronica, Davis brings so much to her character without even having to say a word. Davis displays this feeling that Veronica has to build a wall to block the emotional pain she is suppressing in order to keep the other widows in line for the upcoming heist. But once in moments when she is alone, you see Davis unleash that emotions very suddenly and then very quickly go back into being a commanding presence. Michelle Rodriguez gets a break from the usual action films to show dramatic range in her character Linda. While I wouldn't call it a break-out, it establishes that Rodriguez can play more then just the usual action heroine. Collin Farrell also does great bringing complexity to the corrupt politician Jack Mulligan who is seeking to escape his cruel father's legacy. But Widows is also filled with a lot of surprising stand-outs in terms of acting performances. Elizabeth Debicki does a lot with her character Alice that could have been one-note. Debicki shows Alice go on a transformation from a young, frail socially-dependant housewife to a character that is done being mistreated and seen as vulnerable. While Cynthia Erivo doesn't show up until late in the film, she makes a very strong impression once she joins the crew. And Brian Tyler Henry and Daniel Kaluuya bring a lot to their villain roles. Henry is calm, confident but also intimidating as the kingpin-turning-politician Jamal Manning, particularly in a scene with Davis. However it is Kaluuya as Jamal's brother Jatemme, who is just absolutely terrifying. With just a stare, Kaluuya'c character makes you feel small and scared knowing what horrible things he will do next. The one thing I will criticize is that I felt both Jon Bernthal and Carrie Coon were both underutilized in their roles.

Widows has a lot going on in its two-hour runtime and there some plot twists that make it feel a little incoherent but does very little to impact the film's near perfect quality. Widows is a film that is one of the most thrilling of this year and still has a very compelling and ambitious story that McQueen and Flynn have put on screen.

The basic premise of Jeremy Saulnier's adaptation of Hold the Dark takes place in Alaska where wolf expert Russell Core has arrived to investigate the disappearance of a child claimed by his mother to have been taken from the very animal Core studies. From there Core discovers that the wolves may be the least of his concern.

The film is interesting through its dark atmospheric tone and gorgeous yet haunting cinematography of the wild landscape. As with any other of his, the violence is very sudden and brutal. It sneaks up behind you and leaves you in gasp from the site of it. While the body count is way higher and on a much bigger canvas, it lacks the self-contained momentum of Green Room and Blue Ruin. The pacing felt very inconsistent at times especially as it seems it never quiet matches the shocking shootout scene that happens in the middle act. Both Jeffrey Wright and Alexander Skarsgard get to show great character work in their performances. Wright shows Core as a man whom is sympathetic towards wolves as he sees their behaviour isn't intentionally evil but is disturbed and often times terrified of what horrifying acts human beings themselves do throughout the story. And Skarsgard as the missing boy's veteran father Vernon brings an intensity and intimidating presence while still conveying there is still a little bit of humanity left in him to understand his motivations. While the characters are certainly compelling, the vaguely defined supernatural element makes the story's direction feel too plot heavy and less compelling. The story is very much an exploration of how human behaviour can be more vicious then nature itself. While the conclusion makes sense thematically, it can feel anti-climatic depending on how much you are invested in the themes.

Hold the Dark I wouldn't call a disappointment but does not live up to the quality of his past films. It still has some really good scenes that are still worth watching.

The co-writing and acting duo of Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal along with feature directing debut of Carlos Lopez Estrada have brought one of the most compelling and thought-provoking dramas I have seen this year. Blindspotting is funny, dramatic, emotional, provocative and dark as well as mesmerizing to watch in the theatre.

Blindspotting takes place in present day Oakland focusing on childhood best friends Colin (Diggs) and Miles (Casal). The story largely follows Colin, a convicted black man serving his last few days of probation. Colin struggles to avoid getting into situations that will send him back to prison. It is difficult especially when his white best friend Miles's reckless behaviour puts Colin in tough and awkward positions that he can't seem to avoid. But once Colin sees a young black man get gunned down by a white cop, a journey of self-discovery begins.

As we follow Colin on his arc where he revaluates his place in the world and his personal relationships, the film digs deep into how our world is constantly changing and dividing based on the way we as a society perceive things and people. The perception of identity is express through little things like a local fast-food joint changing their menus to be more vegan, oak trees being turned into a new art trend to the major issues like Colin worrying his black identity will be placed into a racial stereotype so he tries to act passive and calm to avoid getting racially scrutinized by a white person. And it doesn't help that he is often being blamed for Mile's careless actions. From there the film explores serious social issues about racism in America. We get inside Colin's head to see his fear of how the white-dominated system makes his life and other minorities both difficult and terrifying to live in. As much as he tries to avoid confrontation he ends up becoming either a non-guilty victim or a helpless spectator watching the madness unfold.

Diggs and Casal's script starts off being very comedic to help the audience warm up to their characters and to the see the world through their eyes before entering into the very heavy issues it takes on. This in turn helps to elevate each of their performances. Diggs begins the film as the comedic straight man pointing out the ridiculousness and futility of situations he comes across. But as the film goes deeper into its themes character's arc Diggs delivers a captivating, dramatic and compelling performance that should be worth considering for award season. And Casal also brings a strong layer of depth in his performance near the end that brings a sense of empathy towards his flawed character.

Estrada visualizes the themes of identity in very stunning and unique ways. Cinematographer Robby Baumgartner paints Oakland as a character of itself starting from the opening montage of footage. The shots of graffiti, old but colourful houses that populate the neighbourhood to the neon lights on the streets allows you to feel Oakland's personality and history. The visuals become especially impressive when a local describes the sequence of events that got Colin arrested in the first place. As the film goes deeper into its issues, we see more haunting and provocative imaginary that lets us know things are going to get very dark and serious.

Blindspotting is a film that is no doubt relevant for where we are right now as a society in terms with how we deal with race and stereotypes and can leave a lot to think about after you experience it.

Hereditary is a slow-burn descent into madness and hell all weaved around the structure of this dark family drama. It begins with the funeral of Anne Graham's estranged mother Ellen. And the word "estranged" is a light way to describe the relationship between Anne and Ellen. Due to mental illness being a common trait in Anne's family history, Anne continually felt her mother trying to control her life. It even led to the point where had Anne had to keep Ellen away from her first-born son Peter. Eventually Anne "gave" her second child and daughter, Charlie, to Ellen when she was living in her house before her death. Hereditary does have haunted houses and demonic possession elements but the draw of this masterpiece is seeing how this seemingly ordinary sane family discovers the horrifying reality they are in.

Ari Aster shows superb amount of craft for a horror story that could have been handled ok or mediocrely. Aster never lets the horror be something that is front and centre. He shows very little jump-scares and relies on very little explanation of the supernatural until the third act. While the horror is lurking off-screen which makes it even more effective, the attention is made towards the dysfunctional relationship within the Graham family. By exploring the idea of family-based mental illnesses, Aster makes us question if this family truly has control over their horrible choices or if they have inherited something that denies them choice at all. As the film goes deeper into the mentality of the Graham's, psychosis and supernatural blur to challenge what is real or not. When supernatural horror kicks in, you already start to feel your sanity slipping away.

If Hereditary deserves any recognition other then Ari Aster's skills as a talented filmmaker, it's Toni Collette's Oscar-deserving performance as Anne. Collette creates an emotionally complex character from her performance. Collette can go from showing complete denial to breaking down into complete despair after discovering something horrible. And then she will lash out with the fury of hell in a particular dinner scene that will not be forgotten. Once you see Anne's psyche break, Collette convinces you her turn from being a sceptic to suddenly believing in the supernatural thanks to the desperation she expresses on her face.

The build-up of the tension is helped by Pawel Pogorzelski's cinematography. The film now and then shows Anne making life-like miniature replicas of her house. Every room in her artwork matches to detail the real-life house. And thanks to the way Pogorzelski frames the camera, the negative space makes you feel like the characters are unknowingly living inside one of these miniatures. The camera's perspective makes feel like some higher power is watching their behaviour like someone looking at fish inside an aquarium.

Hereditary won't be for those expecting a quick scare for entertainment sake. Hereditary fits more in the mold of A24's other artistic horror films like The Witch and It Comes At Night. It's a deep psychological analysis of a family loosing their minds with otherworldly forces playing a part. Hereditary is very unique creepy experience that is worth dissecting once you have seen the film.

When I saw the first Deadpool, it was the perfect antidote to oversaturation of superhero movies that consumed the media. Since then the amount of superhero projects has ironically increased with Deadpool's second movie, once again, responses to this. This is especially clear when it released only a few weeks after Infinity War.

While John Wick's David Leitch takes over directing duties from Tim Miller, the writing duo of Paul Wernick and Rhett Rheese and Ryan Reynold's full embodiment of his character's off-kilter persona is what keeps the sequel from loosing its mojo. The jokes are twice as funny with visual gags that caused an explosion of laughter while watching it in theatres. The humor rarely ever feels like goes too far thanks to Reynold's execution and delivery of the script and blends very with bigger action set pieces. But probably what surprised me the most was the emotional depth has a lot more weight and complexity. While Deadpool 2 never forgets it's a comedy first, it puts the character on an arc that brings an existential question about himself. Sometimes the movie tries too hard to copy the same emotional beats from the previous X-men movie Logan (whether jokingly or unknowingly), it still makes you feel pity for Wade Wilson despite he is a cold-blooded killer.

While Reynolds continues to be perfect as Wade, the rest of the cast, both new and old, standout. Colossus gets more screen time to show more depth to the dysfunctional relationship he has with Wade. Newcomer Zazie Beetz as Domino becomes a scene-stealer even though she doesn't show up till the latter half of the film. Beetz's is hilarious especially with seeing how her character's power of luckiness works on a cinematic level. While still not as captivating as his previous Marvel character Thanos from Infinity War, Brolin still makes Cable distinct enough with how he talks and behaves in a grizzled and damaged way. While I wished there was more, his good-cop-bad-cop dialogue with a not-so-serious Deadpool was both fun and interesting. It was also great to see Julian Denison get to expand his acting chops even though his character Russell was a bit of heightened version of Rick Baker from Hunt for the Wilderpeople. It did feel awkward that TJ Miller's role wasn't shortened after the amount of controversial that has happened within the actor's personal life. It was a shame that Morena Baccarin's role as Vanessa is reduced for the sake of the story which felt a bit hypocritical at times.

Where David Leitch does improve from the first film is the action. Leitch's experiences in fight choreograph makes the practical fights in Deadpool 2 look more real and vicious especially with Wade's first encounter with Cable. There we get to see how far Wade's healing factor can go leading to some disturbing body horror. While Leitch is better with handling practical action, the use of cgi shows to be more of Miller's talent. Since Deadpool 2 does not have Tim Miller's visual eye nor his vfx company Blurr Studios that made the cgi for the first movie, the visual effects don't feel as seamless. It is especially the case when an iconic comic book character in cgi shows up in the third act and feels more cartoonish then real.

Deadpool 2 is funnier and more emotional but what keeps it from being better then the first is that you can feel the plot dragging by the last quarter of the movie. While the first Deadpool felt quick and short (compared to the runtime of most superhero movies), the extra 10 minutes this sequel has causes the runtime to feel more noticeable.

While Deadpool 2 does not have same surprise factor nor quickness, I can still say it is an accomplishment since most sequels to superhero movies and comedies fail by being too repetitive or not being ambitious enough. Deadpool 2 swings bigger then the first instalment and for the most part succeeds where others have failed. Also stay for the post-credit scenes. They are unforgettable.

While most post-apocalyptic horror is very familiar about people trying to survive in a bleak setting, A Quiet Place brings a refreshing twist to it. After 89 days, the last remnants of humanity, particularly a single family, have survived by living a literal quiet existence. If a single word is said or the slightest noise is made, mysterious blind creatures will hear it even from a distance and will come to slaughter them. They are near indestructible, and impossible to outrun so hiding with sign language in the place of talking is the absolute means of survival.

Similar with Jordan Peele's directing debut in Get Out, John Krasinski uses his comedic experiences in timing to nail the build-up to suspenseful moments and well-used jump scares. By excluding dialogue mostly from the story, the quietness of the scenes leaves you in fear of any sound being made. Krasinski uses his sharp focus with the camera and the amazing sound design to turn everyday objects into instruments of chaos when they draw the attention of the creature's effective hearing. Not since 2016's Don't Breathe and Hush has a horror movie been this effective with idea of sound. Along with Bryan Woods and Scott Beck that he co-wrote with, Krasinski does not let what little verbal dialogue there is to be wasted on exposition. Instead he uses certain visuals to allow the audience to understand the history and rules of the world made effective with the haunting cinematography by Charlotte Hans Christensen (Molly's Game). The limited conversations that do happen are based around characters connecting and rebuilding relationships.

The part of the movie that affected me the most was actually the family drama. From the very start, the film establishes this is a loving and caring family that is negatively impacted by the lack of speaking about their problems that is reinforced by a recent tragedy. While casting your wife in your movie may seem lazy, the fact Krasinski's wife is Emily Blunt makes it justified. The performance Blunt gives as the mother Evelyn is truly astounding with the range of emotion she gives to her character especially with the situation she is in. Complimenting her is Krasinski's own performance as the protective and well-planned father Lee struggling to connect with his kid. When you get these two together in a scene, you feel their real connection as a married couple and parents bring emotional weight to this very bleak and sad story. The beating heart of this story though really is Milicient Simmonds as the deaf oldest daughter Reagan. Being deaf in real life, Simmonds uses that experience to bring this tremendous arc to her character. While the creatures have a heightened sense of hearing, Reagan lives the opposite unfortunately. The inability to hear without a working hearing aid puts a strain on the relationship with her family, particularly with her father for other certain reasons. Noah Jupe as the younger son Marcus also stands out by bringing a sense of fear that feels real for a child living in a very threatening world. When the two children are separated from their parents due to a domino effect of catastrophic events, they learn to take matters into their own hands to keep their family alive.

While the design of the creatures (made by ILM) feels a bit familiar, Krasinski's execution is what makes them truly terrifying in a very unique way. The Jaws method of holding back the creature's full reveal allows the use of sound and flashes of their blinding speed to build their presence. When creatures come out in full view within the third act they are used effectively in many great Jurassic Park-inspired set pieces especially when they show the giant ear canals hidden within their eye-less heads. But what makes the creatures impactful is what their unknown origin represents; the fear of the unknown taking away those you love. Krasinski has stated his reasons for taking on this project were driven by the responsibility he feels as a parent in real life. And A Quiet Place's monster element reinforces those themes he as a father connects to such as mentoring, protecting your child and making the sacrifices needed to ensure their own future.

A Quiet Place is a perfect marriage of family drama and creature survival horror that creates a brilliant thriller that truly embraces its original concept from beginning to end. While it is not immune to some characters making a few predictable horror movie decisions they are easily forgiven for what it achieves in the end. A Quiet Place will fill you with fear and sadness but by the conclusion you will feel awarded with an excellent sense of satisfaction from the experience.

I remember after watching Guillermo Del Torro's big epic monsters-vs-mech movie Pacific Rim I said to myself that it was the live-action Transformers and Power Rangers movie I always wanted to see as a kid. After finally seeing the long-awaited sequel Uprising by Steven S. DeKnight, I felt like that movie had more in common with the forgettable modern versions of Transformers and Power Rangers of recent years. There were times it really did feel like this movie was filmed by Transformers's Michael Bay based on the sense of humour and the plot but minus the overabundance of explosions and racial stereotypes. It would make sense since DeKnight was once a part of the writer's room for Michael Bay's Transformers cinematic universe.

The original's rich anime-style that was brought to life by Del Torro's focus for eye-popping colour and dirty detail is gone. Instead the scenes are blandly lit in regular daytime with not enough dirt and too much cleanliness to recreate the lived-in feel it once had. The film focuses more on the use of Jaeger technology after the war but sacrifices exploring most of the unique lovecraftian creature elements. DeKnight's story choices either alter or ignore the more interesting parts of the original's mythology for a conventional, blander plot. And it felt like a lot of the times it was a disservice to what came before.

The use of the characters is a hit-or-miss depending how you view them. John Boyega gives the charm, charisma and depth in his performance that this film was lacking (which probably helped by the fact he was a producer on it). As the one improvement from the first film, Boyega as the late Stacker Pentacoast's estranged son Jake brings more leading power then what Charlie Hunman ever did. Another standout is breakout star Cailee Spaeney as the Jaeger pilot recruit Amara. However, it's a shame that these two interesting leads are mostly paired with boring side characters. They range from Scott Eastwood's overly serious and dull Nate Lambert to the other forgettable Jaeger recruits. These recruits become nothing more then Pacific Rim's equivalent of glorified red shirts that would be killed off in a Star Trek episode. The use of Charlie Day's character Newt felt the most problematic. In the original, you could see Del Torro's love and fascination for monster biology being injected into the levity Day brought. With Uprising, Newt becomes more of the annoying guy you would find in a Michael Bay film. Without giving away spoilers, the plot does explain his change in character but it felt like it was a creative choice that didn't payoff. It feels also insulting that Rinko Kikuchi's return to her role as Mako has such short screen-time and does not give her much to do at all.

It took a while for me to get used to DeKnight's swifter and quicker fighting style for the more advanced Jaegers. The big city-destroying battles are not as terrible or disjointed like Transformers but they lack the sense of awe, wonder and creativity Del Torro put effort into crafting. The closest Uprising ever gets to resembling the original is the last half-hour with the Jaegers assembling in Japan to take on the new groups of Kaiju. But even then the battles don't give enough time or attention to show off the Kaiju's personality and abilities. As a big monster fan, I would have preferred the Kaiju to have been better used.

While Guillermo Del Torro is credited as a producer, there is nothing of his love for monsters, robots and world building I can feel in this inferior sequel. It is also dissapointing since I like what Steven S. DeKnight brought to TV in the past with Spartecus and Daredevil season 1. Unfortunately his debut into film feels so forgettable. If one good came out of this aside from John Boyega getting a non-Star Wars big franchise role, it allowed Del Torro the time to create his Academy Awarding-winning fishman movie The Shape of Water.

If you are expecting symmetrical compositions, deadpan humor and the occasional sudden bursts of uncomfortable violence with some emotion throw in then you know you have stepped into a Wes Anderson film. And that's what Isle of Dogs but a lot more political and serious then you might expect.

Isle of Dogs is set in an alternate future Japan where Mayor Kobayashi uses fear and paranoia to manipulate the people of Megasaki City to banish his family's ancient mortal enemy: dogs. With the dog population carrying a contagious flu, Kobayashi tricks the citizens into believing Trash Island (literally an island made of trash) is the only place the infected canines can be quarantined. But through the actions of his distant adopted nephew Atari to rescue his bodyguard dog Spots, he gains the aid from a pack of Alpha dogs Rex, Boss, Duke, King and reluctantly the stray Chief.

At first it may seem like it's a boy and his dog storyline but Anderson goes deeper then that. It is truly about the stray Chief finding his place in a xenophobic world. Because of his status as a wild stray, Chief isn't trustful of human society and sees the civilized democratic voting method by the other Alpha pack members as being more problematic then progressive. Chief's hatred for civilized politics becomes justified when we see how the people of Megasaki's decision-making process is very much influenced by the latest rumour and propaganda to portray the dogs as the threat to society. Its there that Anderson's political points become very clear that reflect on what is going within the political system today. By making most of the Japanese characters speak in their natural language while dogs are translated into English, it creates a language barrier that shows Atari as an outsider. This displays the divide that has been made between dog and mankind. But when Atari's noble actions speak louder then his own words, his kindness and sympathy changes Chief's view and he finds a greater purpose in life beyond just trying to survive. There it becomes more of a classic tale of a group of underdogs (no pun intended) fighting against people in power.

Where Isle of Dogs really succeeds beyond its politics is its world-building. Anderson creates so much history around Trash Island. His attention to detail makes each layer and cube of garbage feels so real and tactile. As the characters travel across the island, more is revealed of its tragic history to reflect on the dog population's own blight. Megasaki City is a bright shinning utopia that is in political disarray that has divided the people between the corrupted Kobayashi clan and the dog-supporting protesters.

Where Isle of Dogs I think does struggle with is that the Japanese characters outside Atari don't get as much characterizations and are more painted as broad archetypes. And since Anderson does not use that much subtitles for the Japanese dialogue, it can feel a bit disconnecting since I only speak English. It feels even more awkward the character that gets the most depth in Megasaki is the white American English-speaking foreign-exchange student Tracy Walker.

Not sure if it's a negative but Anderson, with lack of subtly and maybe its intentional, makes cats or at least cat people as the obvious villains. The fact that every evil member of the Kobayashi family has a devlish-looking cat as a pet to the mayor himself revealing to have a huge back tattoo of cats, it could shrugged the cat people community the wrong way.

While it does not top his previous film Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs is more spectacular, smarter and richer in detail then Wes Anderson's previous stop-motion film Fantastic Mr. Fox. It's a movie that I think adults will take more in then kids because of the heavy subject matter and dark themes.

Thoroughbreds is a great psychological thriller/black comedy that takes you into the demented world of two well privileged but very psychological-disturbed teenaged women.

Former childhood friends Amanda and Lily, who were once connected by their love of horseback riding as kids, are reunited when Amanda kills her family's prized horse for unknown reasons. With Lily taking the paid job of being Amanda's tutor, it eventually leads to their lost friendship being repaired and a plot being hatched to murder Lilly's obnoxious and rude step-father Mark.

Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy just own the screen with the energy and charisma they bring to their performances. Olivia Cooke brings a large amount dimension to her cold, sociopathic character Amanda despite that she lacks human emotions. Her approach to uncomfortable situations during conversations leads to a lot of the film's deadpan and dark humour. But she can also be a chameleon of faking heart-warming emotions when she wants to hide her troubled nature. As a fan of hers since her breakout in The Witch, Anya Taylor-Joy continues to impress me. As Lily, she puts on this perfect nice girl persona but deep down has this unstable emotion that is waiting to burst out. Her resentment towards her stepfather comes from her own denial of how flawed she really is as a person. Once their murder plan is set, you see Amanda's lack of morality in taking a life clash with Lily's judgement being misguided by her resentment, pride and anger. With this as his final performance before his passing, the late Anton Yelchin delivers one I won't forget. His charm just oozes on screen as the drug-dealer Tim hired by Lily and Amanda to pull the trigger on Mark. Tim feels that he deserves a wealth lifestyle more then Amanda and Lily because their wealth was inherited rather then earned. However, he is not prepared for how cunning and manipulative these girls can be.

The remarkable thing about Cory Finley's direction and writing (especially as this is his first feature film before it was originally made to be a stage play) is how well he creates tension throughout the scenes with just dialogue and pacing. Without having to show any violence or gore on screen, Finley uses very descriptive disturbing dialogue, careful framing and pacing to make your skin crawl. Finley's direction feels like it would be very appropriate for a Stephen King horror adaptation.

Thoroughreds is a great feature debut by Finley followed by two great performances from Cooke and Taylor-Joy. If you are into this kind of dark twisted comedies and dramas then this is worth giving a look at.