During a time where movie studios are putting out their worst, it’s amazing to report that an affable film titled Dog Days provides some of the best, breezy entertainment. It’s not going to win an Oscar, but for parents, children, and moviegoers tired of explosions and superheroes, this alternative plays out like Love, Actually for…

In the film world, there are few movies so nauseatingly stupid that they’re hard to even sit through. The Spy Who Dumped Me is — by far — one of the most knee-bounce, watch-check inducing films I’ve ever seen, where every second you spend in the theatre feels like a wasted moment. This is a…

Eighth Grade — a transformative endeavour in subject matter and audience feeling — is the a film of the highest calibre. It will rank among Dazed & Confused and Boyhood as one of the best coming-of-age features of all time. Make no mistake, the film owes everything to Elsie Fisher, who has been acting since…

This spellbinding documentary on megastar Whitney Houston is an emotional showcase of the star’s life. Whitney — equal parts footage and interviews with family, friends and colleagues — is a portrayal of a woman who had such success. However, it also delves into the deep personal struggles — with drugs, her abusive husband Bobby Brown…

Sometimes nostalgia breeds a beautiful amount of happiness, and man, did I need a jaunt back to the 100 Acre Wood this weekend. In this film, which reunites our eclectic cast of speaking animal characters with Christopher Robin, the amount of joy that transpired was infectious and inspiring. This film landscape leaves little room for…

If Mission Impossible: Fallout truly is Ethan Hunt’s swan song, then it’s a good thing it’s the most incredible film in the franchise’s 22-year history. Tom Cruise — at 56-years-old — still tumbles, rumbles and kicks ass like no one else, and he quite literally outdoes even himself here. Between helicopter stunts, high-flying acrobatics and…

The performances in director Gus Van Sant’s tremendous drama are so good that the actors completely embody the characters they play. It’s not three-time Oscar nominee Joaquin Phoenix strugglng to overcome addiction from a wheelchair — it’s cartoonist John Callahan, consistently willing to blame his struggles on others. We don’t see Jonah Hill as his…

Denzel Washington comes back for his first-ever sequel, and almost matches the original with Equalizer 2. He re-teams with Antoine Fuqua, the genre director responsible for other Denzel hits like Magnificent Seven and Oscar-winner Training Day. Fuqua provides an action-packed sequel and allows Washington’s natural charisma to shine once again. Equalizer was a brutal, difficult…

Something about this sequel sings, dazzles and shines just a little brighter than the bombastic original did 10 years ago. The eclectic mix from ABBA’s lesser-known, less showy catalogue somehow brings us a film that matches — and improves on — the original in so many ways. The film follows Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) who’s preparing…

Every few years, a film comes along that’s so incredibly original, raw and insane that it shocks audiences everywhere. If you haven’t heard by now, nothing can prepare you for director Boots Riley’s Sorry To Bother You. Lakeith Stanfield — a standout performer in last year’s horror phenomenon Get Out — is Cassius Green, an…