Author: Dave

There are few movie sub-genres more predictable than the babysitting comedy. The sitter, usually reluctant, arrives at the house, meets the kids, who are all uniquely troublesome, sends the parents off, and then proceeds to take the kids out of the house on some wild, irresponsible, and dangerous errand. This type of movie only succeeds on its details and its jokes. Jonah Hill’s new movie, The Sitter, hasn’t thought out the former and doesn’t have enough of the latter.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/the-sitter-movie-review/

Whether you consider it a blessing or a curse, we humans are obsessed with rational explanations. All children eventually wonder how Santa Claus delivers presents all over the world in one night, and because of this, there has been no shortage of family films and TV specials explaining how it’s done. Arthur Christmas is the latest of these, and while few of its explanatory ideas are new, it makes up for it with a story full of action, humour and heart.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/arthur-christmas-movie-review/

I love sharing movies with my kids, and we watch a lot of them. However, “family” films, like all others, vary in quality and impression. I have a pretty good memory, but when it came time for us to see Happy Feet Two, I couldn’t remember seeing the original, which says something about it. And while I’m pretty sure the sequel will disappear down the same rabbit-hole in my mind, it does have its moments.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/happy-feet-two-movie-review/

Being of a certain age, I grew up not knowing much about J. Edgar Hoover. By the time I came along, he had already become a pop culture cartoon, well known for his rumoured eccentricities. Knowing that Hoover was the architect of the modern Federal Bureau of Investigation, however, I was interested to learn more about him through director Clint Eastwood’s new film J. Edgar. But while it is interesting, the film lacks depth, and understanding its subject still proves elusive.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/j-edgar-movie-review/

The best science fiction is about ideas. Even Star Wars has a story about the virtues of spirituality over technology. When sci-fi explores a great idea, that world can rattle around in one’s brain for days afterward. This is the case with In Time.

But a science fiction movie must still entertain. A bad movie, whatever the cause, distracts us from the story and pulls us out of the experience. Unfortunately, this is also the case with In Time.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/in-time-movie-review/

Over the years, we have come to expect that movie sequels will usually be worse than the original. Creators often feel pressure to out-do themselves, and in doing so they trade good stories for empty spectacle and extraneous new characters. It’s usually even worse for “spin-off” movies, which take one or more of those extraneous characters and try to make their own franchises. I’m qualifying those last few sentences because Puss in Boots, a spin-off of the Shrek movies, is actually great fun and stands apart from its origins.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/puss-in-boots-movie-review/

2003’s Johnny English introduced us to the titular bumbling superspy played by Rowan Atkinson, and was a fair attempt at poking fun at the ultra-cool James Bond movies. Now, eight years later, Atkinson is back with Johnny English Reborn, which seems a bit of a long stretch for a sequel, though it’s nice to see they haven’t made any attempt to hide his age. The new movie still isn’t fantastic, but it should please fans of the genre just fine.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/johnny-english-reborn-movie-review/

Not every movie can be, or should be, a blockbuster. We sometimes forget this in our mad rush to tally box office receipts, see flashy visual effects, and follow the latest memes on YouTube. We forget that sometimes all it takes to be entertained is a simple and involving story.

There has been a lot of speculation prior to the opening of The Big Year that the movie has been abandoned by the studio, that it’s terrible, has no appeal, and will die a quick death at the box office. All of these things may or may not be true, but I found it enjoyable. It likely won’t give you what you’re looking for going in, but if you keep your expectations in check, it may surprise you.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/the-big-year-movie-review/

There have been a lot of sports movies released this fall, and though it has an interesting science fiction aspect, Real Steel is really just another one. While kids will love the action, the movie’s devotion to sports clichés won’t impress their parents.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/real-steel-movie-review/