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DIGITAL REVIEW: Frozen II not a classic, but still delivers the goods

The whole gang is back for Disney’s Frozen II, which just arrived on BluRay. The sisterly bond of Anna and Elsa is once again explored in this imaginative, fantastic animated film. Nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Film, it’s not the classic its predecessor was, but there is a lot to adore here. When…
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DIGITAL REVIEW: Jojo Rabbit an imaginative, unhinged satire

Following six Oscar nominations, including a Best Picture bid and a win for Best Adapted Screenplay, Jojo Rabbit hits BluRay shelves February 18. The pitch-black satire is the strangest awards-season movie you’ll see this year, with a host of oddball performances, zealous directing from Taika Waititi, and a fantastic central turn from child actor Roman…
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REVIEW: Fantasy Island a dud of a re-imagining

This horror remake of the hit 1970’s TV show of the same name cashes in on all the allure of the latter, while holding on to none of the magic. It’s a carbon copy horror film with a premise it never realizes fully. The idea of an island that can grant your hugest desires, but twists…
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REVIEW: Harley Quinn is free but never soars in Birds Of Prey

It’s a beautiful thing to see Suicide Squad’s best character released from failed franchise hell. Birds of Prey marks Harley Quinn’s return to the screen in a film all her own, and Margot Robbie is just as devilish and gleefully insane as the original. Without the Joker — or anyone else — holding her back,…
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DIGITAL REVIEW: Kill Chain another indistinguishable, low-rent Nic Cage thriller

Writer-director Ken Sanzel — once the writer on The Replacement Killers — now helps this Nic Cage borefest limp onto DVD. Cage is the best thing, nay, the only thing good about this film. While it tries to be a noir three-timeline film that intersects — it never does so with any tangibility. With only…
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DIGITAL REVIEW: 21 Bridges a hugely entertaining & suspenseful, if cliched, cop yarn

This cop thriller has quite the pedigree. From the writer of Deepwater Horizon and produced by Joe & Anthony Russo, directors of the Avengers finale, this is a pulse-pounding follow-up. 21 Bridges is about a brash New York detective who starts a city-wide manhunt after two men kill a rash of cops and steal 50…
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REVIEW: Violent, foul-mouthed Gentlemen ignites early 2020 film landscape

This is a twisted, perverse, fast-talking, brute of a film for anyone who thought helming Disney’s bombastic Aladdin remake meant Guy Ritchie went soft. Ritchie — in vintage British gangster form here — brings together an eclectic group of very talented men for this incredible flick. It’s an answer to critics who feel Ritchie’s lost…
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Digital Review: Parasite is, by far, the crowning achievement of 2019

This original review was posted during the FIN: International Film Festival in Halifax in September. Parasite has become my favourite film of 2019, and is a must-have on BluRay or digital. The thing about Parasite is, it’s 10 different genres cocooned into one film. It starts as a slow-burn, with essences of great comedy…
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REVIEW: Little Women is an astounding, astute examination of female empowerment

This period piece set in the 1850’s takes a broad lens on a group of sisters, and what they have to do in order to honour their families and society. But we soon find out that — regardless of what time it takes place — the themes of love, soulmates, family responsibilities and women’s right…
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DIGITAL REVIEW: Maleficent sequel improves drastically on original

As a lover of nearly everything Disney, I was perturbed when Maleficent arrived in theatres, and I squirmed in my seat. I found it to be tonally uneven and horribly acted. Then this sequel came around, and pulled me right into this universe. Angelina Jolie’s role as the misunderstood Maleficent has been given so much…