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February 2022

Reviews

Parallel Mothers

Parallel Mothers is seemingly about a jaw-dropping, life-changing mishap between two pregnant single strangers, Janis (Penélope Cruz) and Ana (Milena Smit), who give birth on the same day.  The new mothers exchange information and part ways, only to be reunited months later after Janis uncovers the secret.  Ana, feeling confident and independent yet abandoned, is offered hospitality by Janis, who is struggling to break the news to Ana and also dealing with her own strife…

Reviews

Blacklight

Each action headliner brings their own qualities to a movie and, unless we’re squaring them off in a fantasy match, movie goers really shouldn’t be comparing these movie stars against each other.  But exceptions can be made when the conditions call for it and, since we’re talking about Blacklight and why it fails, let’s blend fantasy with reality.

Reviews

Marry Me

Twenty one years ago, over the weekend of the Superbowl, Jennifer Lopez won over audiences with the innocuous yet likeable rom-com The Wedding Planner.  History repeats itself with Marry Me, an equally sweet ’n satisfying date night flick that will surely act as successful counter-programming for this weekend’s Superbowl.

Reviews

A Cops and Robbers Story

By: Trevor Chartrand Documentary filmmaker Ilinca Calugareanu takes on a recent New York controversy in A Cops and Robbers Story;  which focuses on former NYPD chief Corey Pegues.  A vocal advocate against police brutality and racism, Pegues was the centre of a media swarm following a recent confession of his darker past. 

Reviews

Poly Styrene: I am a Cliché

In 1976, Marion Elliott-Said – a Somali-English teenager from London – formed a band.  That band, called X-Ray Spex, would quickly become one of the most distinct groups to emerge from the fledgling punk scene.  Marion, in her front-woman persona as Poly Styrene, broke into an industry that was overwhelmingly white and overwhelmingly male, paving the way for other female musicians and women of colour.  Many credit her with laying the foundations for what would,…

Reviews

The King’s Daughter

The King’s Daughter has a lot of strikes against it.  It wrapped in 2014, and it shows.  It’s a shameless Pirates of the Caribbean wannabe, with the romantic lead resembling an Orlando Bloom-Johnny Depp mashup.  The other performances are broadly mannered.  The overlit locations look as if they belong on stage or on a television show.  And, the effects are a little hokey.