Falling for Christmas
Falling for Christmas is Netflix’s kick-off for its seasonal programming and Lindsay Lohan’s return to headlining movies. It’s underwhelming on both counts.
Netflix
Wendell & Wild
Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach, Monkeybone, Coraline) is a gifted visionary. Even when his stop-motion animated movies become too outrageous or “out there”, it’s a pleasure watching him throw caution to the wind to create art. Selick has teamed up with Netflix and Academy Award winning screenwriter Jordan Peele (Get Out) for his latest stop-motion horror-fantasy Wendell & Wild, a freaky flick involving an orphan making a connection to the afterlife to make…
The Gray Man
A dependable cast (which includes Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Billy Bob Thornton, and Julia Butters) is let down by weak storytelling and sloppy filmmaking in Netflix’s summer blockbuster The Gray Man.
The Sea Beast
Directed by Oscar-winner Chris Williams (Big Hero 6) and brimming with adventure and good humour, The Sea Beast is an all-around great flick that exceeds its family-friendly demographic.
Hustle
NBA talent scout Stanley Sugerman (Adam Sandler) is loyal to his beloved Philadelphia 76ers, and is reputation is respected throughout the industry. However, he’s burning the candle at both ends and he’s growing more restless towards the required travelling that keeps him away from his family. Management is rearranged, as well as Stanley’s brief raise, and the pressure is on to find the next big star.
Senior Year
Senior Year has an outrageous premise that, surprisingly, feels minor in the hands of its filmmakers.
The Bubble
The drop in quality between Judd Apatow’s comedy The Bubble and his previous effort The King of Staten Island is staggering, confusing, and disappointing. The King of Staten Island was, in my opinion, the best movie of 2020. While The Bubble is in contention to be the worst movie of 2022.
Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood
Academy Award nominated filmmaker Richard Linklater revisits rotoscope animation to portray a slice-of-life narrative in Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood.
The Adam Project
Watching The Adam Project is like watching someone fall down stairs. The movie stands steadily, stumbles, picks itself back up, and repeats that same process until the film is so exhausted with itself that it doesn’t bother to pull itself together.