Mini Review - The Black Phone 2
The Black Phone 2 (out Oct 16) takes the franchise in a slightly different direction from the 2022 original. A few elements detract (predictable story, stiff dialogue) but when this film is good, it's VERY good. Admired the cinematography and use of graphic horror. Grade: B.
Mini Review - After the Hunt
After the Hunt (out Oct 16) is from Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino and is an engaging, debate-generating thriller centred on an alleged sexual assault which takes place at Yale University. The messaging could have been clearer, but it thrives as a character study with a great lead turn from Julia Roberts. Grade: B+.
Mini Review - Roofman
Roofman (out Oct 16) is centred on the story of Jeffrey Manchester who robbed roughly 50 fast food and department stores in the United States and, after being convicted, escaped from prison and hid in a Toys "R" Us store. I grew tired of the light-hearted “please-like-me” approach to Manchester (Channing Tatum). The film needed more Kirsten Dunst who is the much more interesting character as his newfound love interest. Grade: B-.
Mini Review - The Travellers
The Travellers (out Oct 9) is an Australian film about a young man who returns to his family home in rural Western Australian to help his ageing parents. It's a nice cast with worthy themes... but the screenplay is a massive let-down. Most subplots (e.g. two bullies starting a wine company) are weirdly constructed with little relevance. Grade: C+.
Mini Review - A House of Dynamite
A House of Dynamite (out Oct 9) is from Oscar winning director Kathryn Bigelow and is a slick thriller, told from multiple perspectives, about a nuclear weapon of unknown origin which has been fired towards the United States. A few subplots (e.g. pilots) are underdone but it's intense and asks questions of the audience. Grade: A-.
Mini Review - Tron: Ares
Tron: Ares (out Oct 9) is the 3rd movie in the franchise and provides a full-throttle mix of music, sound and visuals. The script is a disappointment, however. Subplots are undercooked, the villain is laughably one-dimensional, and cameos from Gillian Anderson and Jeff Bridges add nothing. Grade: C+.
Mini Review - Merchant Ivory
Merchant Ivory (out Oct 9) is a 112-minute documentary which chronicles the history of a small film production company which made over 40 movies between 1963 and 2009. I’m not convinced it has broad allure, and I wouldn’t be recommending to those who aren’t cinephiles. That said, if you’re a movie tragic like me, it provides enthralling, behind-the-scenes insight into the filmmaking process. Grade: B+.
Mini Review - The Smashing Machine
The Smashing Machine (out Oct 2) may earn Dwayne Johnson a first Oscar nomination in that he's doing something different, he’s playing a real-life person, and he’s wearing a lot of prosthetics. That said, this biopic of wrestling pioneer Mark Kerr never gets out of first gear. There's a bunch of interesting subplots but, in jumping all over the place, the film struggles to finish any of them. Grade: B-.