There’s nothing quite like a sobriety memoir to put an actor through their paces and Saoirse Ronan goes on a full marathon as an alcoholic searching for recovery, grace, and little birds in the harsh windswept beauty of the outer Orkney Islands
Category: Reviews
Megalopolis still has me scratching my head
Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver) is a genius inventor who discovered/created a new element he dubbed Megalon. This material is incredibly durable, easily manipulated and can do any number of things in any number of ways to create stuff we need across many aspects of our lives (ie the load-bearing structure of a building or material for a dress, it can apparently run the gamut). Cesar considers this new compound the answer to many of mankind’s problems including homelessness and war. Ever the optimist, he wants to create a utopia, Megalopolis, with Megalon as its backbone both literally and metaphorically.
Sweetheart Deal is a moving story of heartbreak and tragedy on Aurora Avenue
Sweetheart Deal is 98 minutes of tragedy and heartbreak but it also felt so vital and important to tell the stories of these women who suffer from so much abuse and marginalization. “Sex work is work” and “my body, my choice” are good, rhetorical, platitudes (that I believe) but they are also too vague to meaningfully represent anyone whose choice and autonomy are often taken out of the equation, often by situations far beyond their control.
The Wild Robot takes flight with gorgeous animation and voice acting
A movie about a lost robot and a cynical loner fox raising an orphaned goose, plus the power of unlikely animal friendships? It’s as if this gorgeously animated marvel was built in a lab specifically to make me weep. Task accomplished, satisfaction rating 10/10.
Kate Winslet brings a spotlight to a pioneering photojournalist in Lee
In the title role of Lee Miller, Kate Winslet embodies the humanity of a pioneering photographer who was driven to bravely document the front lines of World War II.
TIFF 2024 Journal: Dispatches from the Toronto International Film Festival
Instant reactions to movies playing at the Toronto International Film Festival, which is in full swing from September 5-15 with celebrities and films flooding downtown.
Demi Moore triumphs in body horror satire The Substance
At long last, someone is brave enough to answer the question of whether there is anything grosser than watching Dennis Quaid eat shrimp.
Will & Harper, an illuminating cross-country road trip of discovery
Comedy superstar Will Farrell joins his recently-transitioned friend for an illuminating cross-country road trip of strikingly honest conversations and open-hearted discovery.
I Am Still followed Jungkook of BTS as he embarked on his first solo project
Jungkook (JK) may be a member of arguably one of the most famous bands that exists today, BTS, but over the last couple years he’s also been making headlines under his own name. JK set his sights on solo work last year following in the footsteps of his fellow bandmates who have all dropped at least a single of their own if not full-length work. With the pending release of his all-English album Golden and planned stint in the South Korean military looming (a requirement for all Korean men), 2023 was a chaotic time for the up-and-coming artist. Between April and November, he recorded tracks, filmed music videos, released the record and went on a quick promotional tour. No wonder “I’m tired” was a phrase he uttered throughout the film. I Am Still has him reflecting on that time both in interviews and unreleased footage as he rushed head-first through the process.
Transformers One is a lesson in history and believing in ourselves
The animated film Transformers One throws us back to a time when Optimus Prime, going by the name of Orion Pax, is but a mere miner working in the belly of Cybertron: the planet that all ‘bots call home. With the disappearance of the great Matrix of Leadership which coincided with the death of the Primes who had been protecting Cybertron from aliens who wanted to steal the precious Energon… the death of all but one: Sentinel Prime. Now Sentinel is on a mission to find the Matrix of Leadership to return the world to its former glory and peace to all Cybertronians.