What’s in a name? If you’ve seen the original Zootopia – or if you’re fond of puns – you would likely know that the name of this animated anthropomorphic town derives from it being created as a utopia for animals. Zootopia 2 takes up where the first film about a bunny and a fox being partners in crime solving left …
It is not as much a film about William Shakespeare, but about love and loss and grief made real through the centuries with exquisite storytelling and acting. For those who love The Bard, this will give a look at his life not from the dry pages of a book, but from the eyes of his wife, his children and, finally, …
Wicked: For Good invites us to continue following the Yellow Brick Road that leads to Oz, picking up where the two witches, Glinda and Elphaba, left off. Publicly branded as “wicked”, Elphaba now lives in the forest, honing her magic and hiding her heart. Her sister Nessarose has been appointed Governor of Munchkinland, and the glittery Glinda is now engaged …
The Roses is a witty update of the story of a married couple whose egos collide with the passion they have for each other. They have passion but not compassion. Theo is an architect, Ivy, a chef. His career is brought crashing down – literally – by the very tempest that brings the spotlight on to Ivy’s restaurant. Theo stays …
I think the real Mission: Impossible for Tom Cruise, a.k.a. Ethan Hunt and his cohorts of the IMF team, is to top THIS Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, the latest in the action-espionage films. The first of two parts of a craftily told spy thriller, the movie has a long run-time – more than two and a half …
Tom Cruise is one of the few bona fide “box office heroes” in Hollywood. He has charmed and thrilled audiences for more than forty years and he has been doing the impossible – Mission Impossible that is – for about thirty years. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning may be the last. If it is, it’s going out on a …
Gladiator II is not a mere sequel, it is an epic historical film that so brims with exceptional performances, sets, costumes and ferocious action that it stands on its own. Ridley Scott builds on his legacy of the 2000 film, taking the story further. Lucius Verus, portrayed by Paul Mescal, is the son of Maximus Decimus Meridius and Lucilla, the …
It takes an outstanding production to meet up to the expectations of die-hard fans of the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz and the hit Broadway musical Wicked. It takes pure magic to exceed those expectations. Jon M. Chu’s film Wicked did just that. Visually sumptuous with an explosive cast and music by John Powell and Stephen Schwartz, it is …
Full and fair disclosure: I like those little Minions and I would go see Despicable Me 4 regardless. But as an accredited film reviewer, I can’t let personal biases get (too much) in the way. Therefore, when I went to see the new Minions-and-Gru mash-up, I brought a secret weapon with me – a 14-year-old nephew who grew up on …
Every decade or so a movie comes out that sets a new standard and invokes a description vocabulary that, if it were not true, would sound like a pod of marketing gurus on caffeine overdrive. Dune: Part Two is one of those. The word “blockbuster” seems pale. “Stunning” seems tepid. Dune: Part Two raises the bar for visual effects, photography, …
Napoleon, which debuts this month, is not a documentary, it’s a Ridley Scott film. Do not expect meticulous historical accuracy but do get ready to immerse yourself in a film about one of history’s most celebrated and controversial leaders as told through Scott’s atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Director Scott does not do anything small, and this is about …
How do you go about telling the most terrifying story about war, raw humanity, genius and political mire? Christopher Nolan tackles this brilliantly in his truly stunning Oppenheimer. Three hours may sound like a long film but when you are seeing it, in its diamond-sharp non-linear editing, you will not just feel that time is fleet, but that the film …
