A River Runs Through It; Quiet, albeit boring meditation on life, family, growth, and its parallels to fly fishing & fighting against or flowing w/(one’s) nature. Spectacular scenery and nature vistas lovingly captured, give cinematic treatment to a book that seems mostly better read than viewed; C

Jaws; Excellent filmmaking pairs w/fantastic character acting to elevate what is a thread bare B-movie plot. Brass orchestration strikes more fear and suspense than a giant rubber prop with teeth, resulting in some clever shots and spooky jump scares. The humour peppered throughout lands nicely; A-

The 400 Blows; Kinetic filmmaking captures misguided youth and an energy of Paris in beautiful black and white. The young lead captivates from his first transgression, winning over the audience as his life’s influences and disappointments come clearer. Moments will stick in your mind forever; A

Highest to Lowest; Another tight wire act by Spike & Denzel, serving up an amazing performance in a stylishly tense morality play. The shots of New York in newly minted opulent or more worn down locales are stunning and parallel the film’s themes. Confounding at times, but ultimately entertaining; B

Blue Valentine; Falling in love with Ryan Gosling isn’t that hard but seeing him and Williams fall out of love is heart wrenchingly powerfully expressed in this intimate, realistic pastiche of life. Intercutting across moments of time lends intrigue to the amazing performances. A true hidden gem; A-

My Beautiful Laundrette; Raw glimpse into Thatcher era immigrant experience along w/what would have been at the time, groundbreaking gay representation. Seeing a young Daniel Day Lewis displaying undeniable screen presence is a bit jolting, as the tone & execution shifts wildly, yet effectively; B+

Prince: Sign ‘o’ the Times; Goofy attempts to string barely a narrative across stellar live performances looks and sounds phenomenal in IMAX close to 40 years later. A clear reminder of the powerfully dynamic troupe of musicians Prince spotlighted alongside him while delivering iconic rock shows; A

The Cameraman; Another classic from Buster Keaton, showcasing his skills thoroughly with gags galore and hard hitting emotional beats. Starts off as a rom com and ramps up the stunts, surprises and thrills as it progresses. Scenes point directly towards inspiringTom Cruise, Rowan Atkinson & more; A+

The Bad Guys 2; Fun little film that utilizes its great voice cast to power the quirky characters through animated hi-jinx. Revisiting the group for a sequel roots it with built-in love and concern for the characters, raising the emotional stakes a bit more right off the bat. Well animated fun; B

The Naked Gun; Does a great job mirroring the tone & gags of the OG series, but doesn’t quite feel as laugh per minute as the originals. Neeson & Anderson work well as leads, playing it straight amongst insanity. Some crazy stretches pay off for big laughs. Nice to have this comedy style revived; B

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events; Stellar production work brings the first three books alive in a delightfully sinister fashion. Carrey wickedly embodies the Olaf character and his various disguises. The orphan trio are game to go head to head w/Carrey, fabulously spot on casting; A

Happy Gilmore 2; Light on laughs, relying on nostalgic moments & golfer cameos to elicit a reaction. It seems designed to provide the Sandler family w/acting experience (they’re actually not bad) and give his pals some funny moments. The return of Shooter is wildly over the top, as it should be; C-

The Fantastic Four: First Steps; Exquisite production design paints a fabulous world, more idealistic than any Earth we’ve known, situating the FF family in a story centred on their relationships. This allows the great cast’s acting to provide the explosiveness more so than the superhero action; A-

BLACKPINK: The Movie; A Covid lockdown era gift to fans while the world slowed, this time capsule documentary celebrating 5 years is enjoyable despite it seemingly thrown together in haste. The four superstars each get their moment to shine, while remaining spectacular as a group. For fans only; B

Clue; A classic that hits great today, because its comedy is rooted in the timelessness of witty writing, broad slapstick physical comedy, and a perfectly balanced tone between hijinks and murder mystery. The cast is a murderer’s row of comedy greats, led by an energetic charismatic Curry; A+

Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 4: Dawn of the Vampires; Why make original films when Disney can trot out more tropes to give very talented performers a platform safe in franchise security? Milo & Meg will 4ever be the best duo, so having them hand off the reins is hard 2 knock. Unnecessary yet slightly enjoyable; C+

Superman; Exquisite casting of major roles creates a Superman story driven by character and defining attributes. Side characters serve the story well bringing levity and pathos. Hoult’s Luthor is sinisterly ripped from the headlines as the film tackles world issues in the kindest way imaginable; A-

Elio; Seemingly less ambitious than Pixar’s previous films, while still striving to push animation into realms only existing in our imagination. Story is sweet and possibly tear inducing, with an affirming message but lacks the start to finish quality that classic Pixar films had in its prime; B+

A Minecraft Movie; Battles between a banal attempt to craft a comprehensible story out of nonsense and Jack Black and Jason Mamoa rollicking along in a bromantic fantasy. The absurdity teeters from sheer boredom to incredulous eye gouging visuals. None of it really works but what could we expect?; D

How to Train Your Dragon; Impeccable casting allows this remake to succeed when it had no business being as good as its source material. Somehow the blending of really scary looking dragons + the characters being cute & goofy in the face of death works on a different level. A great companion film; A

Ballerina; Ana DeArmas works wonderfully in the world of John Wick. She has always had an ability to kick ass while looking artistically beautiful. Her savage mission takes us through a series of gloriously staged, spectacular action scenes, culminating in a fireball of violent destruction; A

Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning; Serves up 2x tense stunt sequences, w/a greater emphasis on dramatic high stakes w/somber reverence for the series/characters as a whole. It’s great entertainment, but main stunts are so far removed from what we will experience, thrill is more detached; A-

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre; A Wild Journey taken by a trio of men who differ greatly in how they handle desperate times and moments of crisis. Bogart’s character is so very frustrating to stomach, a testament to his over dramatic turn butting up against his stellar costars. Great adventure; A-

Casablanca; Classics become one on account of their individual elements excelling on all fronts. This film has the writing, acting, directing, mise-en-scène, and music to last a lifetime. With quotable moments and a stark, ominous setting, it’s one for the ages; A

The Maltese Falcon; A fast talking detective noir that doesn’t pull punches. The cast of characters spout dialogue like a radio play, snapping the plot along at a steady pace. Some parts seem silly to modern standards, but the entertainment value has endured nicely. Effie steals her scenes; A-

Captain America: Brave New World; Has the opportunity to cover new ground but seems to rehash old themes and topics. Film feels like a sad victim to real life circumstances overshadowing the release and timing of this movie. At least it finally acknowledges the events of Eternals. VFX seem off; B-

Fear Street: Prom Queen; Completely 80s style horror w/few knowing winks or attempts at meta commentary. In many ways, it feels very much like it could have come out in the 80s, for better or for worse. Straight up 80s horror w/o any clever storytelling like the Fear Street films preceding it; C+

One of Them Days; Keke Palmer is so readily watchable, adeptly conveying comedy, romance & drama across a day’s worth of zany coincidental circumstances that occur only in a contrived comedy like this. Plausibility aside, it’s just so darn fun watching her bounce her way through the day with SZA; B

Thunderbolts*; Gets deeper than anticipated while offering Marvel brand destruction couched in humour we’ve come to expect. The cast plays well off each other, following the James Gunn formula for loveable misfits overcoming their pasts to connect w/their found family. Preaches the power of love; B+

The Children’s Train; A sad film that conveys a sense that there’s a really good book as its source, while failing to fully realize the emotional heft that it no doubt holds in printed form. Instead, the well crafted film comes across cold, neglecting to imbue the story with palpable pathos; C+

A Real Pain; Explores a very real nuanced dichotomy we experience in our day to day lives, which is heightened in our most life changing moments. Watching two adept actors represent the id and ego of navigating life’s challenges with varying degrees of satisfaction is fascinatingly well executed; B

Sinners; A layered, intriguing take on a century old genre that owes much to the cinematic auteurs who inspired Coogler, while also being highly original, thoughtful and inspired. Stellar work by all involved in the filmmaking, for entertaining us foremost, yet offering deeper meaning to it all; A

Havoc; If a bullets and blood orgy is your thing, you’re going to like this film. But if the actors are the draw, you’ll soon find they’re there to elevate a stylistic action film by lending their names for added prestige. Unfortunately, none of the characters are worth rooting to keep alive; B-

The Last Detail; An odd trio of navy men find themselves on the road together and make unlikely revelations about their lives and their country as a whole. With some comedic relief masking the underlying truths, the film manages to capture the disillusionment of its time via a buddy road movie; A-

Mufasa: The Lion King; Miranda has lost his golden touch, as the songs are cringe inducing. The animation is spectacular but the stylized nature of using photo realistic rendering for fantastical elements seems to clash with its own ambitions. The result is off putting both aurally and visually; C

The Conversation; After Hackman’s roles in early 70s action films, his buttoned down, subdued & introspective turn in this Coppola helmed examination of mental spirals of conspiracy and detachment, demonstrates how talented he was in even less flashy roles. A slow burn that is haunting to watch; A-

The French Connection; In addition to the highly regarded car chase, there’s foot chases, shakedowns, stakeouts and shoot outs; a constant adrenaline rush buoyed by kinetic acting and gritty filmmaking. A treasure from a special decade of cinema that hits just as hard today; A+

Anora; Grabs hold of you from the opening frames and takes you on a ride with its tragic protagonist. Kinetic energy propels the film, as its creative force, Baker, elevates each moment through dynamic cinematic touches. Mikey Madison is tantalizingly great, embodying a role like few others could; A

Funny Boy; An entry into the horrors, of a national civil war, by way of a small and personal struggle. The story telling is intimate, the subject matter compelling. But the pacing can be quite a struggle for some to work through. Good performances by many who service the story; B

Bugsy Malone; Either you have a predilection for this sort of thing or you find it appalling. Its kitschy use of children acting like adults wears thin quickly even when it’s executed perfectly. Bit of a hoot, from an era when oddities like this puzzlingly counted as quality family entertainment; C

Indian Horse; Attempts to make horrors of residential schools palatable to audiences by wrapping it up in a hockey story. Result is a typical movie storyline that doesn’t fully convey the reality of widespread impacts. Swaps raw, emotional pain for a slick standard story arc. Yet, still impactful; B

Piece by Piece; Clever conceit to use LEGO animation to prop up biopic that doesn’t have much drama but a ton of great music to spotlight. Pharrell’s beats tell the story w/some pretty great music heavyweights weighing in, made all the better in their LEGO form. Elevates an otherwise simple story; B

Taking Chance; A side of war not often showcased, the preparation and transportation of a dead soldier. Bacon gives a great solemn performance that grounds the mixed feelings of honour, horror, disgust and dedication to respecting the military process. Worthwhile watch, if ultimately infuriating; B

Sometimes, between New Year's and Easter, or more specifically, between Golden Globes and the Oscars, I will spring my year's best and worst list on you unsuspecting movie watching film goers. So, here it is: kireel.blogspot.com/2024/12/the-...

The Wild Robot; Beautifully rendered, lovingly told, the film follows the WALL-E way of endearing the audience to the robot via silent film techniques and cute, tiny interactions. By the time the conflict shows up, we’re rooting for the robot to succeed in its reflection of humanity. Sweet film; A-

Se7en; Sordid, bleak investigation pairs two very different cops, played marvellously by Freeman & Pitt, captivates via a tight script, unraveling at just the right pace. Moody, stylistic work by Fincher makes it all unforgettable & burned into your brain by the time you’re asked what’s in the 📦; A+

Panic Room; Epitome of a contained thriller, expertly crafted to squeeze every ounce of tension from a cats and mice culmination of conundrums. Each actor is excellent in their part, and Fincher sets the stage exquisitely so that each piece fits perfectly towards the final outcome. A masterpiece; A+

Little Big Man; Combats Hollywood mythology using hilarious satire, brutally violent reenactments daring to sympathize w/the original people & actually casting Indigenous ppl, notably Chief Dan George. Hoffman displays Buster Keaton levels of physical comedy amid a brilliant dramatic performance; A

My Old Ass; Sweet, funny, honest & real. Wonderful work by the entire cast. Another stunning, poignant directorial piece from Park. Captures a moment of youth so beautifully. The lesson our naive younger self can teach us may be more valuable to our old asses than 20 years of “wisdom” gained; A

Sonic the Hedgehog 3; Keanu brings gravitas to voicing Shadow, while double Jim Carrey gives us Sellers levels of insane high jinks. Action propels forward, ignoring some logistics but it’s all good on account of Schwartz’s ability to make us enjoy the cute critters as enthusiastically as he does; B