The Goldfinch fails to adapt but Donna Tartt’s DNA survives
Movies: #TIFF19 - The Goldfinch
The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about survival divided audiences in print form as it fragmented in the final act. John Crowley’s visually satisfying, but dramatically disappointing, movie version falls prey to the same problems in its bid to fit too much into the frame.
Five Feet Apart: Teen love tropes and a cruel twist of phage
Movie review: Five Feet Apart
Haley Lu Richardson and Cole Sprouse play cystic fibrosis patients forced to stay at a safe distance, yet ultimately sacrifice everything to satisfy their breathless love. It’s a run-of-the-mill millennial teen romance, but proves the next generation isn’t living in denial when it comes to death.
Greta meets expectations with a twisted grin
Movie review: Greta
Isabelle Huppert hones her skills as psychotic menopausal menace in Greta, Neil Jordan’s creepy mother-daughter thriller that makes kindness and compassion a modern liability.
Isn’t It Romantic? feels like a rhetorical question
Movie review: Isn’t It Romantic?
Rebel Wilson leads a revolutionary effort through the red taffeta jungle of rom-coms, but fails to topple the upper tier of icing-covered couple expectations. And that’s probably just the way we want it. “Somewhere deep down, we crave a fairy tale ending for a relatable character — just as we do for ourselves,” writes movie critic Katherine Monk.
LEGO Movie 2 misses magical click but still sticks
Movie Review: The LEGO Movie 2 - The Second Part
The absurdist edge and creative intelligence that made the first LEGO movie a masterpiece is eclipsed by shallow self-awareness and plastic brick branding, but the Second Part still builds a world of enchantment by piecing together sibling rivalries with heart.
Hunter Killer: A canful of manliness
Movie Review: Hunter Killer
Gerard Butler’s ode to Cold War formula serves up sub tropes and B-movie baloney for those seeking junk and hunk comfort food.
Venom pits Tom Hardy against an oily Zeitgeist
Movie Review: Venom
Ruben Fleischer’s movie about supervillain Venom fails to sink its fangs into genre, leaving Tom Hardy to wrestle a dark alien force that’s colonized his DNA. It’s a perfect metaphor for the times, but can filmmakers capitalize on the moment when they’re working in the Marvel universe?
A Star is Born is a gassy giant, indeed
Movie review: A Star is Born
Bradley Cooper writes, directs and stars in this latest revamp of a seminal Hollywood yarn that proves the nexus of progressive America remains completely conservative when it comes to its own story. On the bright side, Cooper and Lady Gaga use their first-timer adrenaline to fuel this bumpy rocket ride, creating great spectacle -- if not deep drama.
Ant-Man and The Wasp Give a Nice Buzz
Movie Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp
The laws governing the very big and the very small are different, and this ant-hero story of a nice thief and outlaw physicists taking on big foes brings fragmented intimacy to the ever-expanding Marvel Comic Universe.
