Say Anything... (1989)

Cameron Crowe's debut feature is a classic romantic comedy/drama about an underachiever who falls for a valedictorian, and the class struggles that ensue as they court romance within their disparate social groups. It's a charming film full of memorable performances that only seem to get better with age, even though it's filled with tropes that have been overused for the past 40 years.

3½ boomboxes outside your window out of 5

Toy Story 5 (2026)

The reason this franchise hits so hard is because it's clearly made by people who love film and have a fond remembrance of childhood. Each one has been about embracing and leaving behind the past, and as we get older, so do our memories. The farther away we are from those experiences, the harder it hits.

This one tells the story of how electronic devices are leaving the traditional brick and mortar toys in the dust and forcing kids to grow up too quickly. It's easily the most depressing entry of the series and makes me feel older and more obsolete than ever because it hits on an inevitable truth. It seems like it's on the verge of having something significant to say, but then bails out at the last minute. It's a shame. Can't disparage our technological overlords, I guess...

2½ Lilypads out of 5

Toy Story 4 (2019)

Boy, 2019 feels like a long way behind. This film features the vocal talents of Don Rickles, Carl Reiner, Betty White, Estelle Harris and Carl Weathers, all of whom are no longer with us anymore. It also predates COVID, which feels like simpler times. Film truly is a time capsule. It's important to preserve the past.

Likewise, this franchise understands the value of legacy while continuing to take risks and reinvent itself, branching out in all new directions. This film is about those left behind who must move on from the past in order to find new purpose. It does it in traditional Pixar fashion and succeeds with flying colors.

This would have worked better as the last film in the series, but, you know...

3½ sporks out of 5

Klaus (2019)

An entirely fresh take on the Santa myth, this charming animated film revolves around a postman stationed in the Far North who meets a reclusive woodsman, and their attempts to bring a little cheer to the miserable residents of the town. Even though it treads familiar ground, it somehow feels reinvigorated in its storytelling. It's a different kind of Christmas movie, focusing more on the folklore and the human element, rather than any magical superstitious stuff. Juxtapose this with the terrifying Santa character J.K. Simmons played in Red One and there is no contest. Present this to the intelligent children in your life, or gift it to yourself; it will give you the warm and fuzzies.

4 letters delivered out of 5

Martian Child (2007)

Dir. Menno Meyjes' MC is about David (John Cusack), a widowed science fiction author, and the bond he struggles to forge with his newly adopted son, a strange kid named Dennis (Bobby Coleman) who claims to be a Martian.
The quirky set-up does its job well, addressing its intended audience. Even the playful but slightly reserved cover art is a hint to the type of film you're getting: a comedy/drama about relationships and self-discovery. I've seen the same kind of thing done better, but if the thought of yet another sweet, sentimental film in which a self-isolated young boy and an adult male with something missing in his life help solve each other's emotional problems is pleasing to you, then it'll probably tick most of your boxes.

3 coping mechanisms out of 5

POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING [2016]

Musical-comedy trio The Lonely Island return to the big-screen with the impressively funny mockumentary Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.
In the silly spirit of This Is Spinal Tap, we follow the rise & fall of an idiot modern day pop-star who doesn't realize his real claim to fame was with the other two members from his acclaimed boy-band roots.
The comedy is a smooth mix of clever, dumb, vulgar, immature and satirical but always manages to feel quite natural in it's hilariously artificial execution.  You might need some knowledge of the modern pop music business and the social media hoo-ha that surrounds it to get many of the satirical jokes but there's plenty of universal laughs to be had too.

3 lupus attacks on Seal out of 5

THE END OF THE TOUR [2015]

Director James Ponsoldt adapts writer David Lipsky's memoir Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself into the deeply profound and affecting The End of the Tour.
It tells of Lipsky's 1996 five-day road trip interview with David Foster Wallace, the author of the critically acclaimed Infinite Jest.
It's a deeply woven character study that dissects the fabricated camaraderie and lies told when it comes to a journalist and the human subject at hand.  However it explores an unexpected and brief friendship that is born at different stages of these two men's lives.  Jesse Eisenberg perfects his awkward personality with exquisite execution but it's Jason Segel as the deceased author that completely surprised me with multiple layers of sadness, hatred, intelligence and observation.

4 Big Ships out of 5

The Allnighter (1987)

The story of a group of friends on the eve of their college graduation, some of whom are aware they’ll be following different roads once the shared accommodation of college life is ended. Molly (Susanna Hoffs) is the most thoughtful of three girls; she longs still for the one big College romance, recognising the importance of having something that she can use as a marker for her future, giving her something to look fondly back on.
There are the beginnings of a half-decent film under all the crap but it never manages to surface for long enough to take any kind of significant hold.

2 alleged sluts out of 5

High Fidelity (2000)

John Cusack leads a fourth-wall breaking comedy drama based on a 1995 Nick Hornby novel of the same name (that I've not read). It’s about a guy in his mid-thirties, Rob, a record store owner, who lists his Top 5 relationship breakups as a means to put his current one in perspective. His incremental move toward acceptance of his own broken nature is cleverly edited and filled with sharp dialogue. Rob’s sullenness would be tiring if not for the contrasts afforded him by the people around him. In that respect, despite his shakiness, he’s the rock upon which all other aspects of the film depend.

3½ professional appreciators out of 5

School of Rock (2003)

I’m used to nothing much happening in a Richard Linklater film. I don’t have a problem with that at all, because he usually captures perfectly a moment in time—a transformative juncture that can never be repeated for the people that live it. School of Rock has the genesis of that in its makeup, but it doesn't do anything memorable with it. The music references are great fun to someone like me, but with no weight behind the epiphanies or the supposed life-changing acts of rebellion it falls flat. If Jack Black wasn't there to ignite it then it’d be as lifeless as the institutions it mocks.

2½ minds for moulding out of 5

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER [2012]

Stephen Chbosky adapts his own coming of age novel, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower for the screen with a heartfelt sincerity.

The leading stars are all fantastic with the help from a strong supporting cast, noting Paul Rudd in a wonderful minor role as a high school English teacher.  It's the type of film that could have easily fallen apart with some miscasting or sentimental schmaltz but thankfully it stays true to who the characters are and their realistic reactions to the world around them. Flavored with a healthy dose of early 90's music and cultural references, the film is a constant reminder as my days as an outcast teenager struggling to find a comfortable spot among some sort of social circle. 

4 mix tapes out of 5

TOY STORY 2 [1999]

Recapturing the spirit and the warmth of the first film, Toy Story 2 manages to keep up with the quality we've come to expect from Disney/Pixar collaborations. 

Even though it may not be the most overly complicated film, it still never talks down to it's audience no matter what age they are.  It's funny, creative and beautifully animated with well-rounded characters to boot.  

Timeless storytelling at some of it's best.

4 Geri's out of 5

LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION [2003]

Joe Dante's made a lot of entertaining popcorn flicks in his career. Some of them entertaining and some of them utter crap.
The live action/animated Looney Tunes: Back In Action falls somewhere in the middle. While it is significantly better than it's predecessor Space Jam, it doesn't quite live up to it's full potential. Aimed towards a younger audience the film makes no attempt to try to entertain adults or anyone with a brain. It'd rather keeps the father's attention with Jenna Elfman and Heather Locklear curiously dressed in short skirts, tight shirts and latex cat suits...for a kid's movie?
It's fun but not that great. Stick to Who Framed Roger Rabbit to see how it's done properly.

2 Matthew Lillard vs. Shaggy's out of 5

TOY STORY 3 (2010)

Pixar hits the jackpot again with near perfection.
3rd chapters usually walk in a little worn out and ready to be put down. Not Toy Story. It retains freshness like you kept it in the box.
Ned Beatty steals the show.
Humor, action and warmth are so perfectly timed.

4 Hidden Totoro's out of 5