The Creed films, which began in 2015, have been a solid but not especially exciting offshoot from the Rocky franchise. Part of the problem is that title character, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) while likeable and convincing in the role, is a bit bland. He seriously lacks the style and charisma of his father Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) Rocky’s nemesis
Read moreMissing is a follow-up but not a direct sequel to 2018’s Searching in which a father desperately trawled through social media and other online resources to find his daughter after her disappearance. Remarkably, that film was composed entirely of images from screens, particularly the internet and social media pages at which the father was looking. Missing takes that concept even
Read moreWomen Talking, which is written and directed by Sarah Polley and based on the 2018 novel by Miriam Toews, powerfully and confrontingly explores the impact of sexist social structures on the status of women. A remarkable cast that includes, Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Frances McDormand and Ben Wishaw bring to life this unusual and important story. Set in
Read moreBelgian coming of age drama Close, which has been nominated for the Best International Feature Film at this year’s Oscars, is destined to be hailed one of the year’s most important and affecting films. Beautifully shot and superbly acted, this is a devastating study of guilt, grief, homophobia, destructive teenage social rules, the roots of toxic masculinity and the end
Read moreWith its contemporary catchphrase title, Spoiler Alert sounds like it should be a snarky teen comedy. Instead, this romantic comedy/drama ,which is based on memoir of the same name by Michael Ausiello, is a sensitive, at times very moving but also tonally erratic film about the impermanence of life and the short time we have with one another. Jim Parsons,
Read moreA religious parable, a critique of a society poisoned by chatroom conspiracy theories, an endorsement of conspiracy theories or simply a loopy shaggy dog story, the meaning of M. Night Shyamalan’s latest film A Knock at the Cabin is a little too fuzzy and while some of the journey is worth it, its half-baked story makes for an often-irritating experience.
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