Category: Mini Review
-
Mini Review: Forgotten Island
Wow, I was totally taken aback by the story of friendship at the heart of DreamWorks Forgotten Island, that added the perfect emotional weight to balance its frenetic & bold visual style. What a great new animated film & a beautiful ode to Filipino culture. Consider me impressed!
-
Mini Review: Primetime
Oppenheim captures 2000s era TV making with such fascinating style in Primetime, propelled by a truly transformed performance by Pattinson & incredible support from Gisondo & Wever. While the film asks more questions than it answers, it’s a great directorial debut nonetheless.
-
Mini Review: Hope
If the intention of Hope was for me to like the monsters more than the people, than bravo. Especially since most of the characters are one-note caricatures. The scale of the film is impressive. But it doesn’t lived up to the hype, with a story that starts strong & then flatlines.
-
Mini Review: Colony
The first half of Colony serves as an incredible set up to a different take on the zombie apocalypse genre, & is filled with tons of exciting set pieces. But the film falls apart as more characters make horrible choices & ultimately become too difficult to root for. So I’m torn.
-
Mini Review: Late Fame
The satire in Late Fame wouldn’t work nearly as well if it wasn’t for Willem Dafoe’s wonderfully warm performance coupled with Greta Lee’s zany but layered counterpoint. Because man some of those art students are beyond annoying and need a little punch in the face.
-
Mini Review: The Magic Faraway Tree
There’s a level of wholesomeness in The Magic Faraway Tree that is almost nostalgic, with a lot of heart buried amongst the silly fun and beautiful set design. Some may find it cringe, and at times it is, but man can Andrew Garfield really crush any role that’s handed to him.
-
Mini Review: Tony
Tony is the good kind of biopic, giving new insights into the subjects life, not shying away from the morally ambiguous, all while still giving us a full character arc. Dominic Sessa delivers a good, layered performance (albeit similar to past roles). So overall, I’m satisfied.
-
Mini Review: The End of Oak Street
The End of Oak Street is certainly entertaining, playing up its central mystery & the nostalgia of its 80s suburban setting. But man the script needs some work. Between its incredibly dumb main characters & basically non existent side cast, I wasn’t always sure who to root for.
-
Mini Review: The Rivals of Amziah King
Let’s start with the good. McConaughey is excellent in The Rivals of Amziah King, & the music is great. But the film is more a tribute to American folk music & bees than a crime revenge thriller. And they really needed to cool it with the quick cuts & edits. It’s a miss for me.
-
Mini Review: Obsession
Out of all the big horror flicks this year, I think Obsession is arguably the most horrific, & manages to hold the tension all the way to the very end. Inde Navarrette is indeed a breakout, totally owning every scene. Huge respect to the team, but I never want to watch it again.
