Category: 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/

Let’s be honest – given the choice, most young moviegoers are unlikely to pick a film about a man’s struggle with cancer. It’s a tough subject under the best of conditions, since we generally don’t like to be reminded of our own mortality. 50/50, however, is a comedy produced by and featuring Seth Rogen, which is certainly likely to raise its profile. But, while it’s lighthearted and tells an uplifting story, people expecting the outrageous humour Rogen is known for may feel like victims of a bait-and-switch.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/5050-movie-review/

Though the term is never used, Moneyball is about sabermetrics, which is the practice of analyzing baseball purely on statistics, focusing not on players’ perceived talent but their hard numbers as a predictor of future performance. If anything about that sentence makes your eyes glaze over, you wouldn’t be alone, but actually Moneyball is a mostly enjoyable sports drama.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

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

Before fuel injection was invented, all car engines had something called a choke valve, which was designed to limit the amount of air drawn into the fuel chamber while the engine starts. This is also an accurate description of Drive, an engaging crime thriller held back by some odd creative choices.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

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

If you’ve heard anything about Warrior, you will know it’s a movie about two brothers who separately enter a mixed martial arts tournament, and end up battling each other for the top prize. Even if you haven’t, that’s no spoiler, since the way the story goes you’d have to have taken more than a few kicks to the head to not figure out what’s going to happen. Which illustrates one of the odd things about sports movies – they can be great even if you know a little too much about the ending. And Warrior happens to be more than great – it’s one of the best films of the year.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

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

It’s challenging to be famous for doing something heroic. Constantly recognized for your accomplishments. Continually asked to repeat the stories of your life for the benefit of your admiring fellow citizens. Being held up as an example for all. While gratifying, it can also wear on you. But then imagine that your fame and success are based on a lie.

The Debt is a film about the lifelong burdens of maintaining such a lie. It’s also an exciting thriller, a character study, and a bit of a romance. And it’s very, very good.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

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

Is there a modern word for “hippie”? If there isn’t yet, a good start might be “Ned”, after the title character in Our Idiot Brother – an organic (sorry, bio-dynamic) farmer who embraces the world, names his beloved dog “Willie Nelson”, and when frustrated can only muster enough violence to say stuff like “Geez, Louise!” Conservative people usually avoid Neds, but it’s almost impossible not to like this one, and you might very well say the same about the movie.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/our-idiot-brother-movie-review/

Like the previous Spy Kids movies before it, Spy Kids: All the Time in the World is a product of the tireless work of its creator, Robert Rodriguez. Rodriguez is well-known for his many talents spanning a range of filmmaking disciplines – among his contributions here are writing, directing, producing, cinematography, and music.

Unfortunately, involving oneself heavily in a project sometimes leads to a measure of nearsightedness, and that’s the case here. All the Time in the World is jammed full of creative ideas, but the execution is often nonsensical. Kids will love it, but adults will likely be frustrated.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/spy-kids-all-the-time-in-the-world-movie-review/