Dear Evan Hansen follows a high school senior with a social anxiety disorder who suddenly finds himself as the hero of his town after a student commits suicide Undoubtedly one of the worst movie-musicals ever made. Overwrought and emotionless at the same time, insensitive towards trauma and mental illness, and out of touch with reality.…
The Toronto International Film Festival is in full swing. Here is a round up of quick reviews for thrillers playing the fest. Read all of my reviews, including full-length reviews, from the fest here! Hany Abu-Assad's Huda's Salon. Courtesy of TIFF. Huda's Salon As someone who both writes and consumes film criticism, there is nothing…
Filipino film Whether the Weather is Fine takes a quirky approach to its story of the aftermath of a Typhoon Carlos Francisco Manatad's Whether the Weather is Fine will surprise you with its melancholic surrealist drama and absurdist comedy approach to a real-life disaster and capture you with its heart. Whether the Weather is Fine,…
The Humans takes place over a single night as a family gathers in a lower Manhattan apartment for Thanksgiving — and that's a horror. The Humans is a terrifically acted New York City-set family drama that plays like a horror movie about existential dread and the figurative, and literal, claustrophobia of life… so the most East…
In Last Night in Soho, an aspiring fashion designer escapes her drab London life by transporting by to the 1960s and inhabiting an aspiring singer. But eventually dreams become nightmares. Edgar Wright is anything but subtle in his filmmaking and storytelling. When asked, “how much?” he answers with a resounding, “yes!” — and that’s typically…
House Atreides is tasked with controlling the mining operation on the dangerous desert planet of Dune, but what they don't know is political intrigue is afoot On the surface, Dune is ambitious and thrilling. However, it feels like a good movie that flirts with greatness but never quite gets there. Though it's stunningly made and…
The Guilty follows a suspended police officer working 911 dispatch who falls upon an abduction case that he becomes determined to solve The Guilty is a tense, innovative, and constantly twisting police procedural that unfolds in real-time and solely through phone calls to incredible effect. However, it elevates itself by also acting as a character…
In M. Night Shyamalan's Old a group of vacationers become trapped on an isolated beach where time is sped up and everyone is aging rapidly Old is a weird psychological body horror that’ll divide audiences. The odd tone of that film makes for an interesting B-horror movie that either you'll love, hate, or love to hate.…
In Wrath of Man, Jason Statham plays a mysterious stranger who joins an armored truck company with an undercover mission looking to seek revenge Wrath of Man comes really close to being the loud dumb revenge action movie you want it to be. And even if it doesn’t get completely there, Jason Statham’s classic hero…
Golden Arm follows a down-on-her-luck baker is convinced by her college roommate to train for and compete an arm wrestling competition Golden Arm is an irresistibly charming and funny tongue-in-cheek sports movie that overcomes its unevenness with a knockout lead performance by Mary Holland. ▶︎ Available to buy or rent I first discovered Mary Holland…
