IS GOD IS Starring: Kara Young, Mallori Johnson, Sterling K. Brown, Vivica A. Fox, Janelle Monáe, Erika Alexander, Josiah Cross, Mykelti Williamson, Xavier Mills, and Justen Ross Director: Aleshea Harris AMARÚ Is God Is is powerful in every sense of the word. Aleshea Harris’ ferocious and focused direction and her tightly written script are funny and frightening in all the right moments, with an ensemble who know what to do with both. Vivica A. Fox kicks off the Kill Bill -like revenge plot with style, the entertaining dynamic between Mallori Johnson’s emotional Anaia and Kara Young’s rough Racine carry the heart of the film, while Sterling K. Brown caps it all off with a movie-stealing performance. Is God Is is poignant, hilarious, impactful, and thought-provoking in all the ways life itself can be. ADRIANO When you have a basic story, it takes real talent to elevate it to something that feels unique. Is God Is accomplishes just that. Sure, it devolves into familiar revenge story thematics. But what the film has to make up for that are two fascinating central characters (played excellently by Kara Young and Mallori Johnson) and a thoroughly engaging style that I only wish it had committed to even more. This is Aleshea Harris’ directorial debut, mind you! Despite my minor qualms, Is God Is is a great film that’s both raw and tender in a bizarre but captivating way.

EDGE OF EVERYTHING Starring: Sierra McCormick, Jason Butler Harner, Ryan Simpkins, Emily Robinson, Dominique Gayle, Nadezhda Amé, Sabina Friedman-Seitz, and Anthony Del Negro Director: Pablo Feldman and Sophia Sabella NICK The biggest triumph of Edge of Everything is how authentic it feels. Sure, it covers all the typical hallmarks of a coming-of-age film (family drama, relationships, teenage angst) but it does so in such a genuine way. Directors Pablo Feldman and Sophia Sabella aren’t afraid to let their protagonist, Sierra McCormick's Abby, be unlikeable as she spirals into a life that is one part negative influence and one part her own doing. This leaves Abby's mistakes front and center without any attempt to hide them, which you understand when you see how little consequence she thinks her actions have. It’s a nice touch. KATIE Edge of Everything is a hard-hitting yet tender coming-of-age drama that doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of the young characters’ lives. The film explores the dark complexities of teenage girlhood, as well as the importance of authentic friendship. It, admittedly, left me in tears more than once. The protagonist Abby, played by the fantastic Sierra McCormick, is deeply relatable, and she perfectly portrays the sense of invincibility and eagerness to grow up, regardless of the consequences, experienced during this age. With compelling and impactful storytelling and authentic performances, Edge of Everything is a powerful film that leaves a lasting impression. PAIGE In spite of Edge of Everything ’s simplicity and lightness, it embraces the messiness of adolescence without providing prefabricated answers. While I do feel that the directing duo of Sophia Sabella and Pablo Feldman played it a little safe, this coming-of-age story does serve as a sobering reminder of how difficult it can be to find your place in the world. Despite the story lacking depth while having unlikeable characters, it captures a realness within. This is due to its strong performances, the themes of identity, and the highs and lows of growing up, which I think will resonate deeply with many.

DON'T SAY GOOD LUCK Starring: Sunny Sandler, Melanie Lynskey, Max Greenfield, Stephanie Beatriz, Matan Friedman, Eitan Friedman, Scarlett Estevez, Emma McNulty, Jack Champion, Elyse Bell, Bebe Neuwirth, and Steve Buscemi Director: Julia Hart ROBERT Despite my feelings on Roommates earlier this year, my guard was up for the Happy Madison-produced Don’t Say Good Luck . My defenses are now down because the Sandler acting tree is stout; Sunny Sandler’s Sophie is as true to a theater teenager’s experience as conveyed. While the drama wasn’t always as gripping, the film snuck in some real gut punches and manifested some cascading tears. Melanie Lynskey is always underrated, but the surprise was the steadfastness and poise of Max Greenfield. It was earnest and thoughtful and ultimately uplifting despite some direness. If you're on the fence, give this a callback to win you over outright. KATIE Don't Say Good Luck is a superficially emotional drama starring Sunny Sandler as awkward theatre kid Soph. Unfortunately, I didn’t find her performance at all convincing, and the quality of her singing and acting is sadly not good enough to justify a leading role like this. The film is persistently overly emotional and weepy, but the clunky script and lack of chemistry between any of the characters make it feel insincere. Melanie Lynskey, playing Soph’s mother Elizabeth, is great as always, but her relationship with her daughter — the proposed heart of the film — feels inauthentic and clumsy. Overall, Don't Say Good Luck falls flat.

BROS Starring: Billy Eichner, Luke Macfarlane, TS Madison, Monica Raymund, Guillermo Diaz, Harvey Fierstein, Guy Branum, Jim Rash, Amanda Bearse, Miss Lawrence, Dot-Marie Jones, Jim Rash, and Bowen Yang Director: Nicholas Stoller JACOB Bros doesn’t exactly rewrite the rom-com or elevate the form in most senses, but its status as the first mainstream LGBTQ romantic comedy will certainly not be considered a waste. Billy Eichner and Nicholas Stoller’s hilarious script brings the rom-com back in full force, with all the tropes, humor, and heart it needs to be counted amongst the best of both the genre and Stoller’s other directorial efforts. It does overstay its welcome by a bit, but between Eichner’s surprisingly confident leading man energy and the soft vulnerabilities of Luke Macfarlane, it’s hardly an experience one is eager to cut short. QUENTIN While I applaud a major studio for finally having the balls to make a queer rom-com, Bros is mostly a formulaic yawnfest. It doesn’t even try to do something new with the genre, seemingly content to be like other rom-coms but gay. It feels…lazy?...like a giant missed opportunity? Plus, I simply didn’t buy the titular bros as a couple due to their lack of chemistry. Billy Eichner’s rapid fire comedic stylings didn’t help either, as he never lets a joke sit long enough before moving on to the next one, many of which weren’t all that funny to begin with. Gotta say, “nah, bro….” ADRIANO I don’t think there’s anything I didn’t love about Bros , and it was the absolute hardest I’ve laughed in a very long time. The one-liners are nonstop, and they rarely, if ever, missed. But that aside, it also provides a very sweet rom-com at the heart of it all, and at the center of that heart are truly wonderful performances by Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane. Their chemistry is so hard to root against, not to mention the interesting view of the LGBTQ community, both past and present. This is the kind of studio comedy we need more of. NICK While I don't want to downplay the importance of Bros as it pertains to progress for LGBTQ film, I just didn't find it that funny. The jokes range from stereotypical to worthy of a minor chuckle, and the ones that do work are often spoken over by star Billy Eichner before they get a chance to land. This actually works better as a love story than a comedy, as the romance between the leads has a modern day sweetness to it. But even then, Bros was a film with every chance to be unique, yet for the most part, it falls into tired rom-com clichés. AMARÚ Bros is the cinematic manifestation of Billy Eichner. It’s a purposeful, laugh-out-loud, stream-of-consciousness scene dump that wraps a whole lot of randomness around a really sweet story. Its staccato pacing moves from club scene, to crass one-liner, to sex scene, to LGBTQ+ history lesson, to sex scene, to rom-com montage, to heartfelt monologue, back to sex scene. Born from this chaos is a mixture of simple, straightforward dialogue, hilariously awkward moments, and engaging characters. But that’s Eichner’s appeal - he’s simultaneously unique, brash, blunt, and warm, and he imbues this movie with every bit of that abrasive charm. This film was reviewed by Nick, Quentin, and Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.

THE POWER OF THE DOG Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee Director: Jane Campion JACOB Film lovers unaware of writer/director Jane Campion should be rocked when they discover her via The Power of the Dog . Although its first half is slow, this methodical treatise on predatory abuse and its generation-permeating infections leaves an appreciable impact on the viewer. Each and every performance is in top form – especially Benedict Cumberbatch and Kodi Smit-McPhee – but Campion is the real star of the show. Her control is felt over every minute of story, over every shot and line delivery. Even as it ages, this one is going to stick with me for a long, long time. JAMES It seems we’re inundated in Cumber-dramas these days, and The Power of the Dog is one you don’t want to miss. It’s a film that constantly surprises, using the tropes of the western genre to subvert your expectations. Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a truly nuanced character. By turns, I rooted for him, hated him, and felt sorry for him. He’s a man of contradictions: lovable for his devotion to his work, despicable for his treatment of Rose (Kirsten Dunst). This film is a cautionary tale of what happens when we choose to tarnish others’ joy instead of celebrating it. JOSEPH The Power of the Dog may just be the moodiest, dreariest film of the year. Packed with talent, the film boasts nearly everything that makes for an award winner, except it’s incredibly dull. It’s mostly just a compilation of beautiful nature shots, people solemnly staring at the camera, and some vague connecting threads that create something that resembles a story. Thankfully, despite how bored I was, I can confidently say each actor gave a fantastic performance, but it just wasn’t enough to save this movie for me. ADRIANO The Power of the Dog is a gripping slow burn worth every single second. Writer/director Jane Campion’s latest is a tense and miraculously crafted western that plays as a very effective examination of toxic masculinity. This is, hands down, one of the year's best ensembles, led by Benedict Cumberbatch at his absolute best…but Kodi Smit-McPhee is the revelation here. Campion’s attention to detail is superb, the story is unbelievably captivating, and I do not see how that ending is gonna leave me any time soon. QUENTIN First, a random hot take: There Will Be Blood is extremely overrated. I tell you that to give context for the rest of my review. Now… The Power of the Dog is a mix between There Will Be Blood and another (in my opinion) extremely overrated Oscar darling that I can’t name here because it would take us to Spoilertown. Admittedly, the cinematography is absolutely gorgeous and the performances are good-not-great. However, it’s a slow-moving bore that would rather be about masculinity in the artful abstract than tell a gripping story. It’s for only the most pretentious of film nerds.

A BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY Starring: Margot Robbie, Colin Farrell, Kevin Kline, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge Director: Kogonada ADRIANO Let's inspect the adjectives of A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, shall we? Big: as grand as the movie wants you to think it is, it's actually remarkably small-scaled, operating on one narrative schtick. Bold: it plays way too safe for an otherwise bold director like Kogonada, creating emotional catharsis that feels unnatural and confused. Beautiful: beyond being visually similar to a Russo Brothers movie, the beauty of its storytelling is nonexistent and fake, compounded by the fact that Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie have no chemistry in sight. It's more of a small, bland, emotionless journey, honestly. NICK To tell a successful love story, the key component is chemistry. In A Big Bold Beautiful Journey , there just isn't any evident between Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie. Then again, with this script, how could you reasonably tell? There are concepts and scenes that clearly show what this film could have been, but the execution of the overall story is rough. There isn’t even anything visually big, bold, or beautiful. Something dynamic could have helped make up for the weak story, but the film feels fairly low budget. Maybe someone can take a crack at this story down the line since this attempt is a failure. AMARÚ Like Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (yes, I’m mentioning a film I adored just to show it some love), A Big Bold Beautiful Journey has some aspects that are quite lovely. Unlike Downton , the seemingly formulaic bits leave something to be desired. Journey is so desperate to intelligently subvert romantic expectations that it smothers the chemistry between the effortlessly charismatic Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell. While the big, bold, and unexpected things spearheaded by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Kevin Kline are magical, it’s the mushy, sappy, beautifully cliché romance between our leads that missed the mark. PAIGE A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is a big, bold letdown. Despite Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie's best efforts to do what they can, the story just lacks passion. This all comes down to a messy and jumbled script that is all over the place. The film aims to be this unique, whimsical, and impactful journey, but ultimately gets lost in its own emotionally hollow tale. It’s a bummer that this one never quite reaches its potential, as it’s aesthetically stunning and has an intriguing premise worth exploring. In the end, I think it’s for the best that director Kogonada sticks with directing his own scripts to avoid another mishap like this.

EDDINGTON Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward, Austin Butler, William Belleau, and Emma Stone Director: Ari Aster NICK Regardless of what you think of Ari Aster films, they're always interesting and Eddington is no different. With a good chance to go down as the definitive COVID film, Eddington is a window into a time we all wish we forgot. It's political and bound to be divisive to be sure, but it's also tense and exciting and funny and absurd. It's a little bit of everything, but not in a sloppy way, in a deliberate way. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some label this a masterpiece (I’m not, though it flirts with brilliance) but I can confidently say Ari is four for four. ADRIANO You can't deny writer/director Ari Aster's films leave a unique impact. With Eddington , that impact left me unsure if the extreme nature of this COVID satire is playing it safe or twisting a societal knife. Eddington could've easily pointed a judgmental finger solely at the most nutty 2020 behaviours, but instead, it examines how this moment was the selfish breaking point for a media-savvy society. As fun as the bizarre turn of events and Joaquin Phoenix's amazing performance are, the impact is something unfamiliar, and that in itself is an accomplishment. BODE What do you make of a film like Eddington , particularly after you’ve had some time to mull it over? Well, I’d certainly say that it’s the most engaged I’ve been with an Ari Aster film in a while, especially in the nerve-shredding back half. And while I don’t think it’s the definitive film about the pandemic (that’s Steven Soderbergh’s Kimi ), it’s fairly sharp in its observations of the American disconnect at that time. It’s much too long, and most of its humour can feel too obvious, but this is still something of an improvement over Aster’s previous two efforts.

OPERATION MINCEMEAT Starring: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, and Kelly Macdonald Director: John Madden JOSEPH Operation Mincemeat is the epitome of the phrase “truth is stranger than fiction.” The film focuses on English government agents crafting an oddly convoluted lie to deceive the Nazis during WWII. It has something of a ticking time bomb effect, which creates a constant sense of growing urgency, and while no performance shines especially bright (Colin Firth being a mild exception), the ensemble works together quite well because everyone is fully committed to their character. At times, it can feel like Oscar bait, but in all fairness, it has all the qualities of an Oscar-nominated film. QUENTIN Broadly speaking, Operation Mincemeat is a pretty decent movie. Not mind-blowing, but enjoyable enough with its mix of workmanlike acting and a wild true story. My only complaint is that with an espionage tale this crazy, it could have used a bit more panache. I get that it’s a British movie, but it has absolutely zero flair. It has the same kind of bland dryness as The Courier and Bridge of Spies , which makes it the type of movie that your Dad will enjoy watching while dozing off in the recliner, but not one that you’ll remember a year from now.

THE END OF SEX Starring: Jonas Chernick and Emily Hampshire Director: Sean Garrity QUENTIN Given The End of Sex ‘s very indie, low-budget leanings, it’s hard to knock it too much. It feels like a high-end student film with a production value on par with a Canadian sitcom. I won’t say it feels cheap, but you can tell they had limited resources, which makes what they were able to do admirable. Even if it’s fairly basic and obvious, the story goes in some interesting directions and provides some mild laughs. The performances are serviceable too. I’m not saying it’s a movie worth the effort it will likely take to actually watch it, but I walked away thinking, “good for them.” ADRIANO My favourite part of The End of Sex was the end of the movie because it feels so much like a student film that it prevented me from getting into the plot. It has such an awkward vibe throughout, and I don’t mean that in the way it might’ve been intended. I mean the story, editing, and line delivery are awkward. The humour is cringey and obvious too. The only times I chuckled involved some jokes about text messaging visualized on screen, but even those felt kind of out of place. The lead performances are fine for what this is, but it’s not a good movie. This film was reviewed by Quentin and Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.

KRAVEN THE HUNTER Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, and Russell Crowe Director: J.C. Chandor NICK The Sony/Marvel partnership (live-action edition) has been nothing short of a disaster, and Kraven the Hunter may be its worst film to date. Whether it's the waste of a surprisingly stacked cast (Aaron Taylor-Johnson has the screen time of a supporting character) or the atrocious script, I couldn’t help but laugh AT this film on multiple occasions - something I try to avoid. But it is just really, truly dumb. The decision making, the character development (or lack thereof), the effects... There are flashes (and I use that word generously) of what could have been, but it sure isn’t what we got. Let this partnership die. ADRIANO As the reported swan-song for Sony's catastrophic Spider-Man universe, Kraven the Hunter brings it to a close in an appropriate manner. In other words, it's a total disaster from start to finish that you kinda can't help but have a blast laughing at. Its bizarrely stacked cast is wasted, the R-rating adds nothing, the ADR and editing are noticeably bad, and the bloated plot is unengaging. It's a product of pure, unbridled incompetency, and there’s a thousand meme-worthy moments that made me burst out laughing. So, for that, Sony-Verse, you hilariously wretched disaster, you will be missed. PRESTON There is so little care put into this film that it is a shame that it is tied to Marvel Entertainment, and I’m not even a Marvelite. Kraven the Hunter has so many inconsistencies and goofs that my theater was laughing at the unintentional awfulness and atrocious editing that jumps from scene-to-scene with little congruence. Add on pencil-thin story development, some super rough CGI, a range of inconsistent accents, and a cheesy script, and you can see how over two hours might be kind of a drag. It seems the comparisons to Madame Web are justified.

HOPE Starring: Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-Sung, Hoyeon, Taylor Russell, Alicia Vikander, and Michael Fassbender Director: Nah Hong-jin NICK In the opening hour of Hope , director Nah Hong-jin presents a film on an impressive scale, filled with intense tracking shots and only the destruction and carnage of its unseen creature. It’s brilliant. Then the creature is revealed and Hope devolves into a film with too heavy a focus on highly underwhelming VFX as it struggles to justify its lengthy runtime. Despite this, it is still a good film that features a ton of entertaining (albeit repetitive) action and chase sequences. However, after Hong-jin showed what this film could have been in the first hour, everything else feels like a step down. ADRIANO For the first hour, I was perplexed about Hope ’s mixed reception. The filmmaking and action were perfect and had me thoroughly excited about what director Na Hong-jin cooked up for the next two hours. Then the monster is revealed, horribly rendered and looking like Morbius . From there, it becomes clear there is no compelling story and it’s all action, which is very well made aside from the horrendous visual effects. Eventually, though, it becomes repetitive, followed by some gibberish that sets up a sequel that I’m not stoked for despite this movie's strengths. BODE It seems crazy that a film as defiantly wild as Hope could play in-competition at Cannes, but here we are. For the first hour, I couldn’t have been more in love with director Na Hong-jin’s vision, as he pulls together a string of monster movie sequences so muscular that it puts most Hollywood blockbusters to shame. It feels like watching the best Michael Bay knockoff there is. However, while still fairly engaging as it continues (even with some dodgy CGI), it becomes needlessly overstuffed, and the stakes become less compelling. All that said, I’ll likely watch the sequel it so shamelessly sets up.

RAYMOND & RAY Starring: Ewan McGregor, Ethan Hawke, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Maribel Verde, and Sophie Okonedo Director: Rodrigo García NICK Although Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke give fine performances, Raymond & Ray struggles to stand out. There are some comedic moments and quirky elements, but beyond that, it's a film that just sort of happens, underscored by an out-of-place hotel lounge score. The pairing of McGregor and Hawke sparked excitement, but the lackluster story and characters let them down. Unfortunately, for me, Raymond & Ray will mostly be remembered as a film that didn't take full advantage of its cast. It’s another case of what could have been. QUENTIN You’ve heard the old saying “two wrongs don’t make a right.” Well, two great actors don’t necessarily make an entertaining movie either. Despite being a character dramedy with a premise brimming with black comedic potential for Ethan Hawke and Ewan McGregor, Raymond & Ray is extremely flat and a minor labor to watch. The story is generally uneventful, featuring bland characters that belie the natural charisma of the two stars. I don’t want to say Hawke and McGregor are phoning it in, but frankly, they just aren’t given much to do except show up. That alone can’t save this sluggish, anticlimactic, and boring misfire. ADRIANO Part of me enjoyed Raymond & Ray , while other parts of me did not. Ethan Hawke and Ewan McGregor are very good, they work well off each other, and they created a genuine feeling of a brotherly bond in a story full of increasingly crazy moments. I ate that up the most. However, it ultimately overstays its welcome. Once the main plot ends, it just keeps going for some reason, and I wasn’t really enjoying myself anymore. So, while there is enough here to recommend, there isn’t enough for me to watch it again. This film was reviewed by Nick, Quentin, and Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.