Wonder review — Get ready to laugh and cry during this feel-good movie
Wonder will win over audience's affection with its charming take on R.J. Palacio's novel of the same name. Wonder is an inspirational poster of a movie, which I say in the least cynical way possible. Like director Stephen Chomsky's last movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Wonder knows how to emotionally invest its audience in its characters and story. You…
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri review — Hilarious, but problematic black comedy
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a bleak black comedy that boasts some of the best performances and writing of any movie this year. "Raped while dying." "Still no arrests?" "How come, Chief Willoughby?" That is what is written on the titular billboards in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. And while it seems like a simple targeted…
Call Me By Your Name review — A masterpiece about first love
Call Me By Your Name is a sensitive and beautiful portrait of a first love set against the summery backdrop of Italy's countryside. Drenched in the warm tones of summer and set against the backdrop of 1983 "somewhere in Northern Italy" as an opening title card says, Call Me By Your Name tells the story of Elio…
Coco review — Mexican culture shines bright in this great Pixar film
Coco is a beautifully designed and emotionally resonant Pixar film that is a step in the right direction for diversity at the studio Death, murder, loss, and grief are just some of the topics and themes that Pixar’s 19th feature Coco tackles, which is surprising considering it’s a kids movie featuring talking skeletons and an incompetent dog. However,…
Thor: Ragnarok review — Funny, quirky, the best Thor movie yet
Thor: Ragnarok is a quirky and hilarious departure from the usual Marvel fare that feels fresh and possibly one of the best movies the studio has put out The Thor sect of the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe needed a life saver change after two middling movies that are among the least critically successful movies that the…
The Shape of Water review — Sally Hawkins gives the performance of a lifetime
The Shape of Water is a beautifully crafted story by master filmmaker Guierrmo Del Toro, but lacks the emotional depth to make it great. Love is love, even if it’s between a human woman and an amphibian man. That's the message that Guierrmo Del Toro seems to be trying to get across with his newest movie The…
Brigsby Bear review — SNL’s Kyle Mooney is the hero we need in this surprisingly sweet comedy
Brigsby Bear is an offbeat comedy with a large beating heart at its center in the form of Saturday Night Live's Kyle Mooney Kyle Mooney is arguably the most underrated repertory cast member on Saturday Night Live. Since joining the cast in 2013, many of his sketches written with frequent collaborator and long-time friend Beck Bennet have been…
Phantom Thread review — Daniel Day-Lewis falls in love in his final performance
Phantom Thread is a surprisingly funny and poignant romance with stellar performances by Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville, and, in particular, Vicky Krieps. I could listen to Daniel Day-Lewis order breakfast all day. In what is supposedly his final film performance, the three-time Oscar winner plays a role that encapsulates what makes him one of the greatest…
‘Mom and Dad’ review — Honey, I killed the kids
Mom and Dad is a ridiculous, campy horror-comedy starring Nicolas Cage and Selma Blair with a premise that it stretches to the absolute max. Mom and Dad comes on the heels of a line of highly successful horror movies about the anxiety of parenthood—mainly The Babadook, A Quiet Place, and Hereditary. While each of those examples is elevated…
‘Annihilation’ review — Science fiction that will make your skin crawl
Annihilation is equal parts beautiful, terrifying, and intellectual while also including an emotional truth about what it means to be human. High-minded sci-fi has defined the late 2010s with entries like Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 defining the period. Another film that could be included in that group is Alex Garland's Ex Machina. Garland explored extremely human topics by framing…