Ella McCay (2025)

A young upstart appointed to governor navigates the tricky politics of home dynamics and public office, with a heaping dose of "girl power." James L. Brooks brings his trademark light comedic style to the proceedings, but this feels so hollow and empty at its core that I don't even know what it's trying to say. Performances are good, but almost everyone feels wasted in their role.

1½ screams out of 5

THE BFG [2016]

Director Steven Spielberg & Disney conjure up a bit of a rare miss for the duo with the big-screen adaptation of Roald Dahl's children's novel The BFG.
Here we follow a young orphaned girl who is whisked away into a world of giants, where all but one have a taste for human flesh, the Big Friendly Giant who vows to keep her safe from his man-eating peers.
Unlike most of Spielberg's works this one manages to lack the magical whimsy that other films of this style seem to excel in.  It's not that it doesn't have heart or imagination, it just doesn't seem to always have the wondrous enthusiasm one would expect from such a film.  There's plenty of scenes of inspired delight but there's also plenty that are quite the opposite.  The film's greatest strength is the chemistry between it's two leads where the storytelling finds it's most joy.  If not for it's insanely dull second act and whimpering climax I might have enjoyed it a lot more in the end.

2½ dream jars out of 5

THE GIFT [2015]

Actor Joel Edgerton makes his directorial debut with the standard fare yet highly effective thriller, The Gift.
A socially awkward oddball from a husband's past places himself into the married couple's lives and get's weirder and weirder as his obsession with the couple begins to grow.
It's a premise most will be familiar with much earlier thrillers like Fatal Attraction or The Hand The Rocks the Cradle, Edgerton crafts the film in such a way that it still feels fresh while never covering any new ground.  The pacing, character reveals and thrills are all perfectly timed so much that it never outstays it's welcome.  It manages to steer away from the usual shocks most films these days would go for and instead disturbs the audiences with it's unsettling character subtleties that'll have your head spinning by the final act.

3½ fish out of 5

TRANSCENDENCE [2014]

Cinematographer Wally Pfister steps out from under Christopher Nolan's shadow to make his directorial debut with the sci-fi/thriller Transendence.
Rebecca Hall plays the wife of a man (Johnny Depp) that turns himself into a frightening form of artificial intelligence.  It's visually beautiful and breathing with a comfortable atmosphere but beyond that the film aims for more ambition than it can actually juggle.  By asking big questions and giving silly answers you get the feeling Pfister wasn't entirely sure what the script was attempting to say and instead focused on flash 'n flair.  Another jarring problem is I felt Hall (and Depp's voice) could have easily carried the entire film on her own with a bit of script re-working and deleting the rest of the useless supporting characters.  

2 digital dreamcatchers out of 5

IRON MAN 3 [2013]

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang director Shane Black reunites with Robert Downey, Jr. on the third instalment of the ridiculously popular Iron Man franchise.
A little darker than the previous films, IM3 still delivers on the loud, vibrantly colored action sequences and enthusiastic performances from all parties involved.  The main attraction is the humorous chemistry & witty banter between RDJ and Don Cheadle, which I never tired of, unlike the climax, which was a lot of fun but eventually felt over-done and cliche.  Sure there's plenty of annoyances sprinkled throughout the film (particularly the introduction of an annoying kid) but it has just enough well-paced adrenaline and biting dialogue to rise above the half-baked previous film.

3 "bedtime stories" out of 5

THE AWAKENING [2011]

I love a good ghost story, especially the ol' fashioned types like The Orphanage and The Others.  They never cease to give me the wiggins something fierce...until now.
Nick Murphy's The Awakening is light on the creepy factor and resorts to cheap jump scares a bit too much.  Apart from some great performances from Rebecca Hall and Dominic West and the beautifully haunting photography, this uneven yawner challenged me to stick around till the end.  Surprise, surprise.  There's a nonsensical twist that seems pretty formulaic when it comes to these stories.  M. Night would roll his eyes.

2 creepy singing bunnies out of 5

THE TOWN [2010]

Based upon Chuck Hogan's crime thriller novel, The Town, actor/director Ben Affleck gathers together an amazing cast and takes us on another moody and atmospheric trip through Boston.
Like his directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone, Affleck allows the city to play the leading character while setting up the captivating story and characters around it. With brutally realistic action pieces, believable performances and tension that builds at the perfect pace, The Town shows that Affleck is an incredibly talented director and storyteller.

4 Nuns With Guns out of 5

Everything Must Go (2011)

Fired from his job, alcoholic Will Ferrell comes home to find his wife has moved out, left his shit on the lawn, changed the locks and cancelled the credit cards. With nowhere else to go and nothing left to lose, he decides to camp out on his lawn and drink. Tackles serious subject matter much in the same way The Beaver (2011) did, without any real form of resolution or clear-cut answers... just like life (whaddaya know!).

3 S&M neighbors out of 5