His Three Daughters
Invoking comparisons to Mass and Our Friend, His Three Daughters may not be as good as those character-driven dramas, but it’s still a fantastic chamber piece that should spark award buzz around its stripped-down cast.
Netflix
Mother of the Bride
Self-awareness can either make or break a movie. In 2008, the feature adaptation of Mamma Mia! was considered a crowd-pleaser by those who were swept up in the fun being had on screen. But, personally, I found the movie to be conceited and distracted by its joy; so much so that it felt like the movie existed in its own impenetrable bubble for those who either liked the original stage musical or the music of ABBA….
What Jennifer Did
Documentarian Jenny Popplewell returns to true crime with her latest film, What Jennifer Did. Finding a comfortable balance between a conventional format (talking heads, unsettling nighttime B-roll) and the resourceful surveillance storytelling she exhibited in Netflix’s American Murder: The Family Next Door, Popplewell recounts the details of a disturbing attempted double murder, while also dissecting its police procedural.
Damsel
Though Netflix’s latest female-led action flick was released on International Women’s Day, Damsel makes an unconvincing case to empower anybody. Especially when the film stops in its tracks to have its heroine Elodie (Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown) denounce the story’s deliberate discriminatory attitude towards young women. However, if viewers are looking for a fun romp where that same heroine is in a cavernous cat-and-mouse chase from a fire-breathing, angry dragon, Damsel is just the…
Lift
Director F. Gary Gray calls back to his days as an acton-thriller filmmaker with Lift, a heist movie that aspires to be an airborne version of Gray’s remake of The Italian Job. However, that former influence was an entertaining and accessible thrill ride with enough charisma to boot. Lift , the complete opposite, is an expensive-looking, self-serious knockoff; hampered by a convoluted plot and absent camaraderie among the cast. The only thing this empty-headed flick…
Good Grief
While actor Daniel Levy has proven to be a comic force for loyal viewers of TV’s Schitt’s Creek, I personally find his demeanour suggests that he’s the smartest person in the room. Self-confidence is an admirable trait, but only if it avoids puffing up one’s ego. The idea of a feature film written and directed by Levy had me feeling skeptical, but I was optimistic for a surprise. Fortunately, Levy’s feature filmmaking debut, Good Grief,…
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
The amazing minds at Aardman Animations think outside the coop for Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, a fitting follow-up to the studio’s early 2000s hit although this sequel is so-so at best.
Family Switch
The only real positive takeaway from Netflix’s dreadful yuletide family comedy Family Switch, other than the odd mild chuckle, is that it acts as a canary in the coal mine for body swap flicks.
Best. Christmas. Ever!
Netflix’s first tentpole Christmas movie, Best. Christmas. Ever!, arrives a tad later than usual. Now that it’s here, you’ll be wanting to fall back even further.
