The Thing with Feathers (2025)

A recently widowed father navigates through grief after the sudden passing of his wife, as he contends with a voice in his head and an ominous presence that appears to visit him through his illustrations. It goes without saying that it's depressing as fuck, without much reprieve. It couldn't help but remind me of Tuesday, but way more of a bummer. Benedict Cumberbatch carries the film on his shoulders, but the story is sparse and it never quite manages to take off.

2 sad dads out of 5

The Roses (2025)

An update on The War of the Roses which tones down and loses all of what made the original feel so dark and memorable. After 10 years of marriage, resentments start to brew, and a husband and wife are at each other's throats, leaving the lawyers, families, and everyone in their orbit in marital collateral. It lacks much of the bitterness and viciousness which made the 1989 film good. This one doesn't compare at all; it's tamer and doesn't have the conviction to push its limits as far. Feels like we're being edged but we never get to finish.

1 Julia Child oven out of 5

DOCTOR STRANGE [2016]

The 60's era Pink Floyd badge that director Scott Derrickson's Doctor Strange wears is swimmingly earned through the mind-bending special effects alone.
The 2nd film in the MCU's Phase 3 (and 14th film all together) follows arrogant neurosurgeon Stephen Strange who discovers an ancient world of mystical arts after a car accident leaves him with irreparable damages to his hands.
Not since Robert Downey Jr's Tony Start has an actor embodied their character with perfection as Benedict Cumberbatch has so gracefully done.  However it's the rest of the actors who are left little to work with behind Strange and the mind-boggling visuals.  The special effects look like Inception, The Matrix & Dark City all dropped acid together and lost all sense of reality, which begs for the IMAX 3D treatment.  Doc Strange isn't the MCU reinvention Marvel seems to think it is but it's still a pretty fun trip to take.

3 interstellar overdrives out of 5

BLACK MASS [2015]

After an extended string of crappy films, Johnny Depp returns to form in director Scott Cooper's American true crime film, Black Mass.
The film depicts the rise & fall of the infamous Irish-American crime boss, Whitey Bulger who became an FBI informant in order to get away with as much as he possibly could in Boston during the 70's and 80's.
Aided by an impressive cast, Depp gives a subtle yet empowering performance that kept me uncomfortably mesmerized.  However I couldn't help but feel the story needed a good extra hour of padding to really give it the impact it appeared to be aiming for.  There was so much going on that they briefly skimmed over, as a whole it never really explores anything we haven't seen before with a film like this.  In the end it's a slightly above average film with some really great performances.

3 confused doormen out of 5

THE IMITATION GAME [2014]

Director Morten Tyldum, in his English langue debut, does a graceful job at telling the true story of WWII British cryptanalyst/computer scientist Alan Turing's solving of the Enigma code in The Imitation Game.
Benedict Cumberbatch is superb as the socially awkward and arrogant Turing who brilliant as he was, fell victim to his emotions, insecurities and heavy heart.   At the front, the film is a psychological character study smoothed over with the traits of a tragic historical thriller but it surprisingly and thankfully has it's fair share of well-timed laughs that is a breath of fresh air to it's type of film.  It's a harrowing story that's so easy to get invested in, with it's wonderful performances, confident storytelling and brilliantly executed direction all of which never outshine each other and instead compliment the next with refined precision.

4 crossword puzzles out of 5

PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR [2014]

Co-directors Eric Darnell & Simon J. Smith continue the adventures of the scene-stealing paramiliatry penguins from the popular CGI animated Madagascar series.
The lazily titled Penguins Of Madagascar follows the quartet as they attempt the thwart the plans of a psychotic octopus and his octo-minions.  It's frantic energy, rapid-fire gags and colorful characters keep you from noticing it's lack of wit and originality.  While Dreamworks' rivals Pixar might take pride in their graceful & thoughtful execution of each film, here we're treated to something more akin to Bugs Bunny or Tom & Jerry with it's ADHD like pacing.  The kids will eat this stuff up like a bag of Cheezies and it packs the same nutritional value as well but at least it keeps you nourished until the next well-balanced meal.

3 districts of Dublin, Shanghai out of 5

THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES [2014]

The final part of Peter Jackson's over-bloated Hobbit trilogy brings us to a mildy under-whelming farewell to the cinematic world of Middle Earth.
The Battle Of The Five Armies will satisfy hardcore fans of Jackson's vision but will more than likely bore anyone uninterested with it's constant attack of CGI battles and creepy crawlies.  It might be billed as "the defining chapter" but one can't help but feel it's not much more than a generous helping of fan service.  With all that out of the way, as a fan, it's a pretty jaw-dropping spectacle with many an applause worthy sequence and giddy-inducing moments leading into the Lord Of The Rings.  

3 bears falling out of the sky out of 5

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY [2013]

John Wells adapts Tracy Letts' dysfunctional family stageplay August: Osage County for the screen with a most impressive cast ensemble.
It's Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts who do most of the heavy lifting but it's hard to find a weak link in the bunch as each actor brings tragic dedication to their own role.  While there are some wickedly funny bits of dialogue throughout the film, I found this to be one of the saddest films of the year with it's story about a family falling to pieces after a funeral.  Each character gets their own introduction and since there are so many you start to wonder where it's all going after awhile until the middle of the film when it kicks into high gear.  With the addition of some painfully awkward and uncomfortably funny scenes, I'd watch it all over again just to pick each individual performance because there's so damned much going on at once.

4 catfish out of 5

12 YEARS A SLAVE [2013]

Based on Solomon Northup's own auto-biographical 1853 novel, 12 Years A Slave, director Steve McQueen takes up the heavy challenge of adapting it into a powerfully moving film.
Everything about it from the outside screams Hollywood epic tale but once you get past that you find an intimate tale about the power of the human soul in even the worst of times.  Some of the most effective moments are long takes of nothing but silence and allowing the actor's eyes or subtle body movements to do the talking.  Chiwetel Ejiofor deserves every bit of praise he's received for this role but so should Michael Fassbender, as despicable as his character is, one can't deny the impact of his performance.
As difficult as some of the necessary subject material is to watch, it's a film and story that needs to be told, heard and seen.

4 fiddles out of 5

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG [2013]

With the 2nd part of Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy, the wonky pacing of the first is smoothed out making for a more enjoyable experience.
The Desolation Of Smaug still might be longer than it really should be but the pay-off is well worth the wait with the introduction of the mighty dragon, voiced with exquisite intimidation by Benedict Cumberbatch.  Sure, there's a lot of padding to flesh the story out into three films but Jackson, Guillermo Del Toro & crew are obviously so committed to staying true to Tolkien's world, characters and themes that it all blends together quite organically.  The problems with the 48 fps of the original are completely diminished and makes for an even more incredible experience.
The final razzle dazzle film of the year is quite literally the way to end 2013 with a bang.

4 barrel rides out of 5

FOUR LIONS [2010]

Four Lions is a hilarious satirical comedy from Chris Morris about a group of bumbling British jihadists who aspire to be better than they could ever be.
Based on its premise you'd expect it to be full of racist or overly silly jokes but in truth it's actually quite a spot on witty comedy that speaks more truth about both sides of the war against and for terrorism.  At times it reminded me of a Christopher Guest film with its inanely hysterical banter between the leading characters but it never felt unrealistic and actually made you root for these poor fools.  It's shot in such a way that it seems there's always someone watching these guys from a distance but not in the overdone "found footage" style and more or less like TV's 24.  I don't remember the last time I've laughed this much during a film and whole-heartedly recommend it.

4 bunnies without ears out of 5

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS [2013]

A little bigger, darker and bolder than director J.J. Abrams & his Fringe team's first film in the franchise, Star Trek Into Darkness continues the "more balls than brains" version of Trek.
It stirs the excitement with adventure and intrigue, while taking us to brand new worlds that seem more in place in the Star Wars universe than Rodenberry's vision.  Nevertheless, with a simply deliciously cold and menacing performance from Benedict Cumberbatch and Chris Pine & Karl Urban stealing lens-flared scenes left right and center, the film is nothing more than good summer fun to butt heads with Iron Man 3.

3½ models of Zefram Cochran's ship out of 5

WAR HORSE [2011]

Steven Spielberg brings Michael Morpurgo's children's novel War Horse to the big screen with mixed results.  It rapidly goes back and forth between run-of-the-mill emotionally manipulative schmaltz to moments that are actually quite engaging and effective.  Not one of Spielberg's best nor is it his worst.  

2½ barbed wire missteps out of 5