A cranky history teacher at a remote prep school is forced to remain on campus over the holidays with a troubled student who has no place to go.
Directed by Alexander Payne, who won Oscars for writing Sideways and The Descendants, The Holdovers is destined to be an instant classic. It’s my new favorite Payne movie, and shows Paul Giamatti as an expert actor in both the comedic and dramatic fronts, yet a very different performance from his Sideways role. He plays a resentful yet timid and lonesome soul who finds an unexpected companion over the Christmas break. Da’Vine Joy Randolph should be a frontrunner to get nominated for Best Supporting Actress as a woman dealing with unthinkable grief but still attempting to be a voice of warmth and reason for those around here. Dominic Sessa delivers a sensational and heartbreaking and breakout performance as a savage teenager devoid of his parents’ love, who is the center of the film along with Giamatti’s character. Payne’s direction is his most magnificent, delivering the 1970s sets and soundtrack with a feeling of grandiose. He digs deep into these broken misfits who have lovable souls underneath their pain, characters we’d often be quick to judge but soon would stand up through thick and thin as audience members. It has something for everyone, whether you want to laugh and feel connected, or a little poignant emotion too. Comedy and drama fans, this is one of the best of the year, and a highlight for both Payne and Giamatti’s careers as artists.
Dumb Money is the ultimate David vs. Goliath tale, based on the insane true story of everyday people who flipped the script on Wall Street and got rich by turning GameStop into the world’s hottest company.
A true story released only two years after the real events happened has the potential to be concerning, but Dumb Money takes a ridiculously fun approach to its outrageous story. In order to tell such an insane turn of events that actually happened, you need to match that with a style that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and the soundtrack and comedic tone of the film very much understand that. Similar to The Big Short, it also does a great job of making financial talk sound accessible and engaging. It also frames the Gamestop short squeeze as an underdog story, and ordinary people gathering knowledge about finance and investing as a positive incentive. Everyone is great, from Paul Dano who plays the film’s lead rebel and hero, to funnier roles like Seth Rogen and Sebastian Stan. America Ferrera gives the film a lot of spirit and Anthony Ramos, Myhal’la Herrold, Talia Ryder and Shailene Woodley are also very entertaining. However, Pete Davidson is sure to get the most audience reactions as hands-down the funniest and most memorable presence in the film. With a cast this awesome and a style this entertaining, it’s hard to find much that doesn’t work about what Dumb Money sets out to do — or a reason not to watch it in theaters.
When recent college gradaute comes across a valuable piece of military tech designed by Kord Industries, he suddenly gets attached to a sentient scarab and becomes its host. He must use his new suit to discover his identity and fight for his family.
Blue Beetle has no concern with scale or world-building like the other last few DCEU films, but feels effortless in building beautiful family dynamics among the Reyes family that give our lead character a real soul and a reason to fight. It’s lovely to see such a supportive family with no strings attached in a superhero film, and see Jaime as a college graduate going through relatable life issues. But the character could’ve easily still fallen flat in the script had the film not struck gold with its casting. Xolo Mariduena is a ray of light and as Jaime. Not a moment goes by where you don’t feel his charm and energy as a magnetic and empathetic presence, but as Jaime learns, he isn’t the same without his family. He’s surrounded by a cast of fantastic performers as the family. George Lopez in particular is absolutely hilarious as his Uncle Rudy, not to mention a scene-stealing Adriana Barazza as his grandma. Belissa Escobedo is also a breakout as Jaime’s sister Milagro who is an incredibly layered and likable character, and these actors come together to build a support system that helps Jaime understand the importance of family while cheering him on on his own journey. Bruna Marquezene is also great as Jenny Kord and adds a lot to the film, and Harvey Guillen has a small but hysterical role. Susan Sarandon is well-cast as Victoria Kord, though her lines and motives are riddled with superhero corporate baddie cliches.
Though the cast helps make the movie as soulful as it is, the visual look of the film can be underwhelming. The 80s campy feel is appreciable but the quality of the CGI and the lighting choices are uninteresting, and occasionally questionable. That being sad, the cheeky energy converts enough into smiles and emotion that the audience feels for its lead characters, making Jaime Reyes potentially one of the best DCEU protagonists, and worth a watch for fans of superhero films.
For years, Raphael, Michaelangelo, Donatello and Leonardo have been trained in the ways of ninjitsu by their father Splinter, and have been told not to leave the sewers for fear of what the humans will do to them. But the turtles decide to foil a dangerous plot and become the heroes New York City needs.
After numerous iterations, the Ninja Turtles franchise finally has an installment that understands the tone this IP deserves to feel lively and memorable. The turtles are voiced by actual teens, so they really get to feel youthful and like genuine characters (as much as mutant turtles can), and perhaps animation was the best way to go all along. The live-action designs of the characters in the past always looked too silly or creepy, and the style always helps this film live up to the mayhem suggested in the title. The Spider-Verse-inspired animation style of 3D graphics and 2D coloring gives the film a teenage feel, but more than that, something imaginative, wild, and fresh that doesn’t demand to be taken too seriously like the Michael Bay-produced live-action iteration. The dynamic “camera movements” and hip-hop soundtrack gives the film a constant energy that always put a smile on my face. The packed voice cast is also great, particularly Jackie Chan as Splinter, who may secretly be the heart of the film. Chan gives the talking rat a soul that makes him unique beyond what could have been the typical strict parent in an animated movie. Ayo Edebiri is also lovely as April O’Neill, an aspiring teenage journalist who befriends the turtles instantly and is a refreshing departure from the hyper-sexualized it-girl April from past iterations. Ice Cube is a very entertaining villain whose personality and understanding motivations make it easy to enjoy his cliche evil plan. The only character I didn’t quite enjoy was Maya Rudolph’s Cynthia Utrom, not because of the voice performance but rather the generic archetype and motives that had nothing to elevate or make her feel necessary.
I’m surprised to say that I finally find the Ninja Turtles to be great, but this movie is incredibly funny and booming with imagination and heart. Though it does draw a lot tonally from the recent iterations of Spider-Man, it’s hard to complain when the animation and script are this much fun.
Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) leaves the Barbie-run utopia of Barbie Land alongside Ken (Ryan Gosling) in search of self-discovery after realizing she might not be as perfect as she thought.
Director Greta Gerwig of Lady Bird and Little Women fame takes what could’ve been a tiringly formulaic fish-out-of-water toy-based film and makes it a clever and cheeky good time. For all its ridiculousness, there is an undeniable heart here and the cast seems to be having such a great time. Gosling in particular gets to show off his master skills as a comedic and physical performer and America Ferrera is an important character who’s inarguably the heart of the film. Aside from Robbie, Simu Liu, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Kingsley Ben-Adir Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey and Will Ferrell are also as delightful as some of the performances are campy, though that’s definitely the point of the movie thematically. The bright colors and fun costume designs, as well as the spot-on soundtrack add to this film’s level of meta irreverence that’s only matched by The LEGO Movie, a movie that may draw comparisons, including the fact that Will Ferrell plays a character related to business in both.
While this may be the most self-aware movie of all time and it leans into that quite well, it also packs some delightful surprises in its humor and themes that definitely weren’t written particularly with kids in mind. It’s so in touch with its audience, who may be especially tweens and teens, but may also be a great watch for mothers. The movie explores the idea of Barbie as having been a representation of womanhood and shows with honesty the complexity of the human condition and women as flawed individuals who are expected to always be at their best but that isn’t quite life, and that’s the beauty of it. It also unpacks some of the ridiculousness of social constructs such as gender stereotypes and the patriarchy in a way that occasionally hits you on the head but adds nuance to this film about Barbie dolls. Best of all, the jokes are great and so passionately delivered by the actors that like I said, the fun they must have had on set feels contagious to the audiences watching.
Barbie may be obvious in its thematic delivery but also absurdly charming and witty, with an excellent message for young girls and an all-star cast that’s the best live-action movie about dolls we could’ve imagined.
After going back in time to try to undo his mother’s death, Barry Allen AKA The Flash finds himself in a drastically changed timeline with unexpected consequences, threats and allies.
The Flash surprises with its impressive visual and tonal energy, and feels like possibly the best Flash movie we could’ve gotten. From the beginning, the visual approach to Barry’s powers and the comedic flow of the film’s pace, carried well by Ezra Miller’s dual performance with a nervous, confused charm, is what makes the movie feel like light but very exciting fun. The character feels fleshed out and the grand action combining named heroes feels like the comic-book feel DC has been trying to nail for years. Barry’s story is also very fleshed out, and he’s a character who makes mistakes but is also sympathetic and gets much to work with from a script perspective, with the film tonally feeling like Tom Holland’s Spider-Man with the story elements of Back to the Future Part II, Men in Black 3 or The Adam Project. Michael Keaton gives the film lots of charismatic gravitas and some of the film’s best action moments with his return as Batman over thirty years later; his performance feels exactly like the mentor/deuteragonist the film needed. Sasha Calle gives the movie an edgier side as Supergirl in feature film debut and adds a lot to the film, and Maribel Verdu is excellent as Barry’s mother. However, the return of Michael Shannon’s General Zod as the villain adds almost nothing to the film, and a talented actor like Shannon is given almost nothing to work with, same with Kiersey Clemons who feels underused as Iris West.
The Flash has plenty for action and superhero fans, moving swiftly with heart and an interesting story, though the final act and resolution doesn’t hit very hard or have that same effortless wit. The visual effects in those later scenes also could’ve used improvement. Still, it overall ranks as one of the better DCEU installments and director Andy Muschietti brings a sweet, fun but cosmic eye to the Flash character and the lineup of DC heroes without ever feeling pretentious or losing sight of its audience like the insistent, indulgent approach of Zack Snyder’s films. The Flash benefits itself by never taking itself too seriously but feeling true to its titular character in the most energetic, hilarious, and rewarding way I could’ve hoped for.
Air tells the true underdog story behind a stamp in worldwide culture — shoe salesman Sonny Vaccaro, and how he led Nike’s pursuit of the greatest athlete in the history of basketball, Michael Jordan. We know how the story will end, but seeing the risks and passion of the characters is what makes the experience of watching Air pay off. The film is led by an all-star cast of Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, and Viola Davis, who are all great — as well as Chris Messina who delivers a fantastic supporting performance as Jordan’s agent. Damon takes the spirit of a many who dared to think against the company’s norm and risk everything to aim extremely high in his belief that one athlete and one shoe can make the world better for all the sports fans, shoe-wearers and dreamers out there. That heart absolutely is felt with the audience, with the knowledge that Michael Jordan has in fact become one of the most inspirational figures in the world to people of all ages, genders and backgrounds. Not only that, but the writing and directing make the business side of the rise of Air Jordan interesting, when the courtside aspect of the sport is absent. Also absent is Jordan as a character in the movie, which may distract for some, but the movie doesn’t outright suffer because of it. Davis is also excellent, showing a mother that gives everything to advocate for her son, and stands for the pure belief that her son will in fact change the world of basketball forever.
The turning of a pivotal moment in the NBA into a high-stakes, big dream from humble beginnings, that changed an industry forever, definitely reminds of the recent HBO series Winning Time: The Rise of The Lakers Dynasty, which would make a great companion piece to watch with Air. The 80s feel and soundtrack that director Ben Affleck gives the movie provides a feeling of the greatness that is right around the corner, that these dreamers at Nike are just about to achieve, and the rush of whether or not their hard work and putting everything on the line will convert to success and dreams into reality. Fans of Damon and Affleck, sports films, feel-good movies, and dramas should go to the big screen for this one that turns a business deal about a shoe into the fight of a generation that changed the world and raised the bar for what humans and dreamers can do.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie assembles an all-star voice cast in the game-based movie in which Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach must band together to stop Bowser’s attack on the mushroom kingdom. The animation is colorful and lively, doing the vivid and imaginative world of Mario justice. Though the movie starts out with a sweet underdog charm due to its protagonist brothers, it soon trades any personality that makes the franchise stand out for the same flat characters and dynamics Illumination Entertainment has been writing for over a decade. The characters’ journeys aren’t all that intriguing besides some of the voice performances, and the plot, dialogue and even song choices have been borrowed from countless other movies. There are a few funny moments and the action is suitable for families to watch, but the movie never aims to have a heart that could impress teens or adults. Chris Pratt does an okay job as the titular character, though his turn is nowhere near as unique as what he brought to Emmett in The Lego Movie. Jack Black, Charlie Day and Seth Rogen perfectly fit their characters, so does Anya Taylor-Joy though Princess Peach’s characteristics are reduced to “brave female butt-kicker” and any character relationships or themes are brushed past, even the adventure feels incredibly rushed. Mario and Luigi’s brotherhood is the one thing that’s charming, though they aren’t together for that long.
The movie draws from and pays tribute to many corners of the Mario game franchise, but a lot of the game play references feel incredibly on the nose, when the point of a video game adaptation is to draw from the look and feel of the source material rather than strictly translate its gameplay. Though it does reward fans to see all parts of Mario’s history including Super Smash Bros and Luigi’s Mansion, it’s unfortunately not enough to warrant the price of admission. The film’s main strength is in the voice cast and colorful animation, as well as a few good jokes, but it’s really only worth going to to keep audiences 10 and under attentive, as most of the film’s story beats feel like an AI took Illumination’s past movies and wrote them into the Mario universe. Unfortunately, you’re better off rewatching similar movies like The Lego Movie or Wreck-It Ralph.
Billy Batson and his foster siblings protect Philadelphia with the powers that give them the strength of the gods, but soon the daughters of Atlas arrive seeking revenge for the stealing of their family’s magic ages ago, and declare war on the Shazam family and the human world.
Shazam! remains one of the best films in DC’s current shared movie universe, and Fury of the Gods brings forward everything that worked about the first movie, while expanding on the family dynamic. It’s very entertaining to watch as all the siblings are now superpowered and how it affects their interactions and characters moving forward, as the siblings who weren’t Billy and Freddy were much more minor characters in the first film. The movie also retains the same sweet, heartwarming energy that makes the Shazam saga irreverent, touching and harmlessly entertaining. The action is more in line with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man films than something as world-ending and grim as Justice League — though sometimes the world as still at stake. Zachary Levi’s charisma and natural sense of humor shines again, though it’s way more interesting to see him on screen than Asher Angel. However, Billy is a formidable hero who’s selfless, kind, and even clumsy. However, Jack Dylan Grazer and Adam Brody shine equally as Freddy. Grace Caroline Culley also stands out as both the normal and superpowered Mary, as well as Rachel Zegler, who continues to take the world by storm after West Side Story. Though Helen Mirren is incredibly entertaining as a villain, Lucy Liu’s performance is occasionally eyebrow-raising and questionable.
The visual effects also have some moments that could have used polishing, including the creatures or large set pieces, but overall most of the sets fit the Sunday-cartoon-like vibe that Shazam has always been aiming for. Not to mention, the humor is easily as memorable as the first, though the themes aren’t so as much as Billy and Freddy’s bonding in the first movie. There’s also a few scenes with Djimon Honsou that are funny but the least interesting parts of the movie. However, Shazam!Fury of the Gods gives viewers everything they signed up for while making them laugh and smile at the screen.
At only age 38 and with 4 major films, Damien Chazelle has solidified himself as one of our time’s most respected, beloved and exciting auteur filmmakers. His flare for grandeur and stories of epic and wondrous proportions shows once again in Babylon, even if the fact that it’s by far his most graphic movie may turn off many viewers, even within the first few minutes. As a matter of fact, there’s barely a moving story, the content is incredibly graphic, the character arcs are sometimes purposely incomplete for you to try and discover, and it doesn’t necessarily teach anything new about old Hollywood — yet something about Babylon is so transfixing and stunning that I was completely invited into the world Chazelle presented to me for 3 hours, and didn’t want it to end. The costumes and sets expertly bring you into the world of 1920s Hollywood glamour and cinema, but it’s the masterful cinematography that elevates the film into a stylistic marvel. The score by Justin Hurwitz is the best of the year, but that’s no surprise when his scores for Chazelle’s last three films were all life-changing, and this one is no exception. Hurwitz’s magnificent jazz themes and blends of instruments create a score that make an already breathtaking world a place you won’t want to leave, which perhaps explains the movie’s title.
Diego Calva is a breakthrough as the film’s lead, a party fixer that starts to work his way into the wonders of picture making. His eyes and spirit create a relatable sense of awe to the glamour he discovers and an undying empathy that sticks with the audience even when he seems to lose his way. Brad Pitt is also great as a movie star who’s devoted to his art, despite a messy home life, but fears losing his fame when silent films are no more, and talkies are suddenly the new big thing in the industry. The real scene-stealer, though, is the captivating Margot Robbie as Nellie LaRoy, an aspiring actress whose path to the spotlight is as messy as her potent need for attention, which Robbie conveys in the most lavish of ways. She delivers an Oscar-worthy performance as she creates a tremendous character that will help define her career for years to come, and will resonate even with those who didn’t love the rest of the film. The supporting cast also has their terrific moments, including but not limited to Jean Smart, Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li, Katherine Waterson and Tobey Maguire.
Babylon‘s storytelling sometimes feels like a hangout movie in the way Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was, with extended scenes that build more to a mood than a plot point. It also feels like Damien Chazelle ripped a page out of Paul Thomas Anderson’s book, being a plot-driven character piece where an actual story with an objective, direction or basic structure still takes a back seat. Instead, the story is defined by the characters’ larger than life personalities and the outrageous decisions they make which may or may not play into the later scenes and are often what define their arc, rather than a clear backstory or revelation. My main issue with the film is the ending itself, which takes what could’ve been a more powerful moment and decides to spoon-feed the message to the audience in an incredibly baffling way, and while others may be checked out by its length and self-indulgence by then, the final minute was the only thing I really think didn’t work from a writing and editing perspective. Though it’s an understandably divisive movie for its graphic content, it is for better or worse, one of a kind, and though it isn’t as coherent, sensible or even logical as many viewers would want, it’s more than enough to invite you to discover and dig into the beautifully messy and gargantuan spectacle that is Babylon.
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