Category: Review

We who are fortunate to be parents love our role for the most part, but I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that we’ve all had moments, however brief, where we wonder why we got into this. Sleep-deprived, financially stressed, and lacking opportunities for intimate contact with our partners, romance is often put on hold while a family adjusts to the arrival of its newest members. Friends with Kids is a nicely effective comedy-drama that looks at this from a different angle.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/friends-with-kids-movie-review/

It’s been forty years since children’s author Dr. Seuss (aka Theodor Geisel) published The Lorax, a fable about environmental irresponsibility. Since then, the issues the story touched on – resource conservation, habitat destruction, industrial pollution, and corporate “biggering” at the expense of the Earth – have only become more contentious. It’s a wonder that The Lorax hasn’t received a big screen treatment until now, but at least the film honours the book while offering some light-hearted family fun.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

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

Fighting in hockey has always been a contentious issue, but Goon arrives in theatres at a particularly controversial time, as the news media has turned its eye on the darker side of the sport. Star players have been sidelined by brutal concussions, and a disturbing number of former NHL brawlers have committed suicide in the past year. Hardly the backdrop for a sports comedy.

For the record, I don’t believe fighting is, or should be, an essential part of the game. But that isn’t an obstacle to the enjoyment of Goon, which is a well-paced and highly amusing film with a surprising sweetness.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/goon-movie-review/

It seems like a good idea, on paper: two secret agents fall for the same girl, then use their resources to spy on her and compete for her affections. In execution, however, This Means War is a mess, saddled with a formulaic script that won’t please fans of action or romantic comedy.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/this-means-war-movie-review/

Movie stars often bring the baggage of their previous efforts to new projects. We’ve now seen enough of Denzel Washington doing his Denzel Washington thing to be able to guess how any film he’s in will unfold just from the trailer. This isn’t necessarily a problem – if the movie can subvert our expectations, or at least do something new with the actor’s style, it will still be entertaining. Unfortunately, Safe House does neither of these things.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/safe-house-movie-review/

Sometimes, filmmakers use gimmicks where none are needed. Chronicle plays out like a documentary filmed by the characters, similar to movies such as The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield. But, while it does find some interesting ways to play with this concept, the gimmick ends up yanking us out of what might otherwise be an entertaining story.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/chronicle-movie-review/

I often wonder why we’re drawn to stories where groups of people, one-by-one, get picked off by monsters, accidents, or the cruel forces of nature. I’m sure most dramatic theorists would say it’s about catharsis, the feeling of spiritual release brought about by an intense emotional experience. Personally, I think most people just like to say to themselves, “Wow. Glad that wasn’t me.”

The Grey is one such survival story, but in this case the gradual thinning of the ranks is in the service of a grander purpose. This elevates the movie’s dramatic ending, but it also renders much of the middle pointless and boring.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

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

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is the kind of film we rely on the British to make, since Hollywood often seems incapable of producing movies that don’t constantly explain themselves to the viewer, like we are six-year-old children. Indeed, at the screening I attended, I heard more than a few whispered conversations as people tried to follow what was going on. You might call that poor storytelling, but I call it a lack of patience brought on by years of Hollywood coddling. This is a film that definitely rewards the patient viewer.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy-movie-review/

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows continues director Guy Ritchie’s efforts to turn the famous consulting detective into an action hero. But the more Holmes is moved in that direction, the more he moves away from the things that make the character who he is. Thus, while the sequel is fairly entertaining, it’s not as good as the first, and nowhere near many of the other stories in the Holmes canon.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/sherlock-holmes-a-game-of-shadows-movie-review/

The great power of film is its ability to draw the viewer into a lifelike world, which is one of the best arguments for seeing movies on a big screen – when the picture fills your vision, it has that much more effect. While War Horse does pull you in with impressive visuals and a moving story, problems in the adaptation undercut the experience by continually reminding how artificial this world is.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/war-horse-movie-review/