To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before may be more noteworthy for its irable on-screen representation than for its relatively formulaic story, but it nevertheless transcends its typical high school romcom trappings with engaging performances, above-average cinematography, and a surplus of heart.

The film’s screenplay adheres pretty closely to cliches of this genre, but it fleshes out protagonist Lara Jean greatly, and provides lovable star-in-the-making Lana Condor with great substance for her to draw on in an endearing lead role.…

While I ire Andy Serkis for attempting to go in a darker direction than Disney’s take, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle is ultimately a tonally jumbled version of Rudyard Kipling’s classic tale with a decent voice cast but a meandering storyline and inconsistent visuals.

The jungle-centric first half, albeit a bit choppy, is far more interesting/engaging than the human-focused second half, primarily due to the voice work of Bale, Serkis, and Blanchett among others. We’ve seen this world and this…

I’m wholly convinced that Roma is as close to time travel as we’ll get in my lifetime.

From the first frame, it’s abundantly clear that Alfonso Cuarón isn’t intent on merely imitating the past - he plans on immersing us in it. Every detail of his childhood home is painstakingly recreated in raw, authentic detail, and we are thrust right into the environment of 1970s Mexico.

Cuarón’s camera keeps the audience distant, never engaging in close-ups. Through a mix of…

The Christmas Chronicles isn’t nearly as bonkers or fun as it’s initial trailers suggested, and it’s squarely in the realm of “predictable made for TV holiday schlock”, but it’s fine, harmless family entertainment nonetheless.

Kurt Russell’s lead performance is the main (and almost only) reason t give this flick a glance, as he bursts right through the cliche-ridden screenplay to deliver charm and charisma galore. By far and away one of the best on screen Santa portrayals I’ve ever seen.…

Bird Box is by far and away one of the strongest feature-length efforts from Netflix yet, combining potent apocalyptic sci-fi thrills with genuinely humanistic performances, led by a commanding Sandra Bullock.

Although the script (adapted by Arrival's Eric Heisserer from the 2014 novel by Josh Malerman) may feel a tad derivative of other sci-fi horror/thriller flicks such as A Quiet Place, The Happening, and The Mist, this doesn't make Bird Box any less effective. Heisserer provides the protagonist, Bullock's Malorie…

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is more impressive as a episodic entertainment experiment than as a cohesive narrative (merely due to the structure inherent in the “choose-your-own-adventure” approach applied here), but it certainly left quite an impact on me nonetheless. The reveals are handled expertly, and the themes of “free will vs. control” spur the philosophical and existential consideration that Black Mirror is iconic for. It’s very hard to judge the story, as it’s quite unlike any previous episode in this series…

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs goes to great lengths to transport viewers into the authentic atmosphere of the American Wild West, and although the narratives of a few of these tales can be slight or underwhelming at times, the tone and voice of the Coen Brothers continues to shine through.

On technical merits alone, this film deserves considerable acclaim. Bruno Delbonnel’s astounding cinematography beautifully captures the rough terrain and open skies of the West. Carter Burwell’s melodic, folksy score adds…

Private Life is real, raw, and riveting. Thanks to an empathetic and emotionally affective script from Tamara Jenkins and equally moving turns from Kathryn Hahn, Paul Giamatti, and Kayli Carter, the narrative mines heavy thematic material for humor and heart.

This is a film I’d heard much about for months, and for some reason, I’d kept pushing it off. “It’s always available on Netflix,” I’d say. “I’ll get to it eventually.”

Well, I am DAMN glad I watched this one…

Dumplin’ is as predictable as they come, but it hooks you with its big heart and pleasant performances from Danielle Macdonald and Jennifer Aniston.

Really, it’d be easy to take a cynical approach and knock the oft-repeated lessons about “loving oneself” and “accepting one’s faults”, but Dumplin’ has too much charm that prevent it from being dismissed that easily. The script follows a familiar “misfits vs. the status quo” storyline, but it provides us with real, tangible characters to connect…

I wasn’t as exclamatory about Roma on my first watch (despite still enjoying it quite a bit overall), but after reading and re-reading countless reviews and articles detailing the meticulous work done throughout the film’s production, I gained a greater appreciation for Cuarón’s work in hindsight and wished to take another trip down his memory lane to see if my opinion on the film would improve.

While it’s a technical masterwork through and through (that deserves to be studied and…

Velvet Buzzsaw holds the potential to be a biting satire of the pretentious art world and a campy body-horror slasher, but its bursts of creativity are too few and far between to satisfy either path fully.

The first half lurches along with nearly indecipherable art world jargon and focuses too much on Zawe Ashton’s Josephina (the weakest actress and character of the ensemble). Luckily, the film does pick up energy in the second half as the central mystery unravels and…