Search Results

ECHO VALLEY Starring: Julianne Moore, Sydney Sweeney, Domhnall Gleeson, Kyle MacLachlan, Fiona Shaw, Edmund Donovan, and Rebecca Creskoff Director: Michael Pearce QUENTIN While Echo Valley certainly goes over the top with some of its twists and turns, I can’t deny I enjoyed each and every patently ridiculous, get-the-fuck-outta-here moment. The cast deserves most of the credit for that enjoyment because they keep their performances grounded and (generally) believable even as the story goes for broke with big swings that would be right at home in a soap opera. This movie could have easily devolved into predictable and campy melodrama, but Julianne Moore, Sydney Sweeney, and Domhnall Gleeson will it to be something better. It truly caught me by surprise with how it all plays out. ADRIANO I counted at least seven different movies in Echo Valley . I certainly see the intrigue of what director Michael Pearce and writer Brad Ingelsby were shooting for, trying to give us a dark look at what a parent will do to protect their child, and Julianne Moore is excellent; however, this would have benefited from being a limited series since so many drastically rushed plot jumps happen in order to get to an even more rushed “gotcha” moment that felt uncharacteristic. Its stale look and retreading of tropes make this mess quickly forgettable. KATIE Echo Valley appears to begin as a standard drama about a parent struggling with a child battling drug addiction, but turns out to offer a lot more. The bleakness can sometimes feel overwhelming, but luckily, it’s driven by Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney’s electrifying performances. Moore is deeply moving as the grieving mother who would do anything to protect her daughter, and Sweeney’s fierce performance swings from frenzied rage to seemingly like an innocent child. Overall, Echo Valley is compelling, has gripping performances, and provides a satisfying resolution despite some ridiculous plot contrivances. ROBERT For the first act of Echo Valley , I was getting real The Horse Whisperer meets Thirteen vibes, with a splash of Stepmom . However, the turn in the second and third acts completed a tonal shift I didn’t think possible, but was glad they perpetrated, as I was infinitely more invested after that. There were some logical leaps that string you along until the end, but the beauty of the agrarian landscape and the performances of the three leads (Julianne Moore, Sydney Sweeney, Domhnall Gleeson) keep you contained within the world crafted so that you always feel reined into its environment. BODE Films like Echo Valley tend to frustrate me, because you can see what it could’ve been if it were more surefooted in its efforts to strike the balance between the couple different movies it wants to be (in this case, it’s caught between being a pulpy, twisty thriller, and a drama focused on familial grief and addiction). Because director Michael Pearce seems to struggle with this (and writer Brad Inglesby’s script is fairly clumsy to begin with), the movie, while not unwatchable thanks to its cast, comes up pretty half-baked and, even with a satisfying conclusion, instantly forgettable.

THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 Starring: Keira Knightley, Guy Pearce, David Ajala, Gitte Witt, Art Malik, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Hannah Waddingham, Kaya Scodelario, David Morrissey, Daniel Ings, Christopher Rygh, Pippa Bennett-Warner, John Macmillan, Paul Kaye, Amanda Collin, and Lisa Loven Kongsli Director: Simon Stone ROBERT Based on a popular book, The Woman in Cabin 10 is like if an Agatha Christie novel, say Death on the Nile , met The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo . The story is one you have seen hundreds of times: a main character, fresh from a traumatic experience, gets caught in the middle of a murder plot but is gaslit into thinking she is crazy. Unfortunately, in addition to being derivative, it is also constructed poorly, with unusual character motivations, questionable actions, and illogical conclusions. If you enjoy Keira Knightley-face on a boat, this movie is for you, but otherwise, unravel a better mystery. KATIE The Woman in Cabin 10 is disappointingly weak, considering the straightforward concept and strong cast. I found the lead character Lo, played by the always reliable Keira Knightley, underdeveloped, and I was frustrated by her confusing decision-making. Plus, her character-defining trauma is alluded to through flashbacks that aren't substantial enough to be meaningful. When certain characters’ decisions or twists didn't make sense, the story simply skipped over the details and moved on. There were so many instances where I was left questioning minor plot details, which really distracted from any potential enjoyment.

LAST BREATH Starring: Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, Finn Cole, Cliff Curtis, Mark Bonnar, MyAnna Buring, Bobby Rainsbury, and Josef Altin Director: Alex Parkinson NICK Director Alex Parkinson's decision to recreate the subject matter of his 2019 documentary as a dramatic feature is a bit of a mixed bag. The highlights are the stranger-than-fiction story that the narrative follows and the authentic performances of the cast. When the film creates tension, it's at a peak. Unfortunately, in staying true to the real life story, there are some lulls that stall any momentum being built, and the nature of the film doesn't allow for engaging performances to fill up those spaces. All in all, this is a fine film that does nothing to add to the doc. QUENTIN While the true story of Last Breath is an incredible one, it’s too thin to sustain a feature length movie considering the real-life incident only lasted about 30 minutes. At no point was I invested in any of the characters, outside of the general sympathy I’d feel for any random person trapped on the ocean floor without oxygen, and there isn’t much to the efforts to save the stranded diver, resulting in absolutely zero tension. As such, the cast isn’t given much to do, including a completely wasted Woody Harrelson and another step towards irrelevance for Simu Liu. This one should be left in the abyss. AMARÚ For a 93-minute movie, much of Last Breath tends to drag. I can appreciate the attention to detail director Alex Parkinson pays to the mechanics of diving, especially because this is a true story, but the careful time spent setting up the dive makes the film plod at a snail’s pace. What helps are the emotional performances from much of the cast, with Mark Bonnar being a standout and Woody Harrelson trying to “Woody” the hell out of any scene he can, but the short runtime mixed with its real-life pacing has every exciting moment slip away just as fleetingly as it came. KATIE The concept of Last Breath terrifies me to my core, so I was primed and ready for a tense and engaging film. It's at its best during the nail-biting underwater scenes, but when above water, the pacing drags, especially considering its short runtime. I know Simu Liu’s character is meant to be standoffish, but he comes across as stiff; Woody Harrelson is charming as always, but his performance is nothing special. Most disappointingly, the miraculous fate of one of the divers is so understated that they somehow make it seem unremarkable, and the tedious latter half of the film truly lost me. ADRIANO To my surprise, Last Breath is solid enough. I fell for its crowd-pleaser aspects as the situation, while not perfect, is easy enough to root for, although my favourite parts are when the characters are bouncing off each other before the incident. As I've said before, for all the complaints about movies being too long, there is such a thing as a movie being too short. As is, I didn't have enough time to be fully scared for this guy before they got to the inevitable rescue. But, hey. I was entertained, so I can't fully complain. PAIGE Last Breath may be a claustrophobic watch, but it oddly lacks tension as the stakes never feel as prevalent as the film intends them to be. The underwater scenes are fascinating to witness, but everything above the surface is hardly serviceable to this true story. Not to mention the dialogue sucks the air out of the room with how thin it is. All in all, this movie is as generic as they come, though perhaps I would have appreciated the story more if I had seen the documentary on which the film is based. ROBERT Nothing scares me more than feeling claustrophobic underwater, so Last Breath upped my anxiety levels to near-maximum. With no concept of the documentary, I felt the closing weight of the ocean and the uncertainty of being swept away by an unrelenting force. It did feel short, but simultaneously felt as if the filmmakers meant to end it sooner than it actually did, as I was expecting an addendum to the rescue that never came. However, that didn’t detract from the roll-out of the story overall. The lived-in character bonds made me care for the emotional relationships; but mostly, this film showed that the ocean should remain mostly unexplored. BRYAN Even for someone who’s terrified of films primarily set underwater, Last Breath doesn’t fully live up to its tense potential. While there are quite a few flaws, there is also quite a bit to praise. For one, the underwater sequences are nail-biting, and the performances from the cast are serviceable. Yet, the screenplay doesn’t do the film any favors, being a mostly surface-level (pun intended) plot. It was 90 minutes that I don’t entirely regret spending on a jarring attempt to transition a documentary into a narrative, and while it isn’t a disaster, it could have been so much more.

MADAME WEB Starring: Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O’Connor, Tahar Rahim, Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, and Adam Scott Director: S.J. Clarkson ADRIANO In a purely ironic sense, Madame Web is kind of a miracle of a film. Something of a remarkable achievement in its own way. A film where not one thing is good is something that can't be done on purpose, right? Every line reading is off, the story is total nonsense, and the editing is a choppy mess. I truly don't know how many misfires it's going to take for Sony to realize that they need to give up the Spider-Man rights. If this isn't the final nail in the coffin for the Sony-verse, I don't know what is. AMARÚ Who at Sony keeps signing off on this bullshit? No amount of Spider-Man connections, off-kilter camera shots, and edgy flashbacks can save Madame Web from its poor writing, lethargic action and nonsensical… everything. It doesn’t even have dialogue. Instead of actually talking to each other, people are speaking clichés into a void while their scene partners respond in kind without listening, encapsulated by the most automated-voice-message-system villain I’ve ever experienced. I just hope all the film’s creatives go on to do great things, and pray that Aaron Taylor-Johnson survives whatever Kraven The Hunter has in store. Sony must be stopped. PAIGE When you leave Madame Web , be ready to clear cobwebs out of your eyes, because the Sony-verse may put you to sleep with this dull, lackluster entry. Sincerely, I'm not entirely sure what the studio had in mind when it released this movie. It has horrendous writing, illogical editing, dreadful ADR, and horrible visual effects. Nothing about this origin story is explored enough to make any sense, leaving me with a lot more questions than answers. I genuinely feel bad for the film’s actresses since they tried their best to get through delivering this soulless material. CALEB Madame Web reeks of apathy. The direction is uninspired, the script plays out like a first draft, and the editing is sloppy and disorienting. All of the actors phone it in, but Dakota Johnson’s performance is laughably unenthusiastic. She clearly doesn’t want to be there, and considering how bad the material is, I can’t really blame her. Madame Web is plagued by a lot of problems, but the biggest one is the unmistakable lack of passion from all those involved. If Sony wants audiences to care about these Spider-Man D-listers, then they should convince their filmmakers to care about them first.

PLAYDATE Starring: Alan Ritchson, Kevin James, Banks Pierce, Benjamin Pajak, Sarah Chalke, Alan Tudyk, Isla Fisher, and Stephen Root Director: Luke Greenfield KATIE Playdate is mostly unbelievably unfunny, but against my better judgement, I did find a way to laugh at some parts. Alan Ritchson’s loveable idiot, himbo type character reminded me of Chris Pratt’s early roles, and he displays a lot of comedic potential. The child actors are also funny, and the gags involving them were responsible for the few times I laughed. However, Kevin James seemed completely disengaged, and the plot is nonsensical. Plus, there are constant terrible needle drops that do nothing for the scene, and the use of very annoying background tracks that made me feel like I was watching a TikTok video. ROBERT There appears to be a playbook at Amazon for their action comedies, and truthfully, it is only successful when the two leads are equal and buy in completely (See: Heads of State ). For Playdate , there is no balance as Alan Ritchson shows his funny bone as the dumb jock, and Kevin James seems angry that his last handful of starring vehicles stalled his movie career. The film itself is a bland, man-child buddy flick that seems long at 93 minutes. The caliber of performer they got to color in the cast for one or two scenes confirms that script quality will always lose to cash.

PREDATOR: BADLANDS Starring: Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Elle Fanning, and Michael Homick Director: Dan Trachtenberg NICK With Prey , Dan Trachtenberg resurrected the Predator franchise. With Killer of Killers , he showed its potential. And with Badlands , he cements its future. Trachtenberg has crafted a film that subverts all expectations, stretching the PG-13 rating as far as he can and changing the trajectory of this IP. Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) is a solid new addition to build around, while Thia, played by Elle Fanning (who won me over this year), fuels the film's buddy-cop stylings. It's the action, however, that really drives this thing. The success of the series’ overall direction is yet to be determined, but I had lots of fun with Badlands . ROBERT Does anyone in Hollywood have more surehandedness with a franchise than Dan Trachtenberg and Predator ? At this point, he is three-for-three as Predator: Badlands emerges as a blast of a sci-fi action romp. Trachtenberg manages to enhance the scope of knowledge of the Yautja (Predator) species while also honing in on a singular story of self-discovery and identity. Beyond what standard expectations you might have for a Predator film, Badlands also surprises with some heart and humor that only minimally creates some tonal imbalances. The film only feels misguided when shoehorning in Alien lore, but otherwise, it’s a killer of killer films. ADRIANO I'm all in on Dan Trachtenberg continuing to explore the Predator universe. While not as gripping as Prey , Predator: Badlands takes the franchise in a new direction, and as a Predator fan, I was admittedly nervous about the idea of a Yautja protagonist, but it works. It gets a little too MCU-y towards the end, but between the incredible score and sick action, the whole film remains engaging, in part due to the world-building that all feels like it comes from someone who truly loves the Predator movies. So (and I rarely say this) let's keep these spinoffs coming. PAIGE Predator: Badlands is a unique and refreshing take on the franchise that puts the Yautja front and center as our protagonists. There are so many elements that shouldn’t work, but somehow, they do. Director Dan Trachtenberg not only delivers badass action sequences, but he infuses the film with heart and humor. At its core, this movie tells a found-family story that never shies away from the violence the franchise is known for. Elle Fanning’s enthusiastic synthetic and the runt Yautja make for an epic dynamic duo. Admittedly, the story is fairly straightforward and lacks complexity, but it’s still an absolute blast! Trachtenberg once again proves that the Predator franchise is in good hands. BODE I still haven’t seen Prey or the animated Killer of Killers , so I went into director Dan Trachtenberg’s latest entry in the Predator universe, Badlands , practically fresh-faced. While I get why people love this one, I’m not quite on that train myself. I thought some of the world-building was cool, the action is fun (if a little weightless), and I liked the dynamic between android Thia (a very charming Elle Fanning) and Yautja Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi). It’s ultimately just a little too safe and artificial for it to leave a lasting impact. Regardless, for what it is, I had a decent enough time. AMARÚ The Yautja are all-time sci-fi antagonists because of their mysterious intrigue. Taking away that mystique might seem unwise, but Predator: Badlands has two ideal circumstances that prove otherwise: being a damn near 30-year-old franchise, and a director deeply steeped in the world. Dan Trachtenberg’s intimate understanding of this franchise (as proven with his two other uniquely amazing entries) allows us to accept sentiment in a quintessentially unemotional culture, and using sibling bonds as the catalyst to finally explore the Yautja made for a natural world-builder. Action, story, and tension provide top notch entertainment, but it was Badland ’s unique approach to the Predators that surprised me most. QUENTIN Although it doesn’t come anywhere close to the highs of Prey or Killer of Killers , Badlands also isn’t near as tragic as 2010’s Predators or 2018’s The Predator . The biggest problem for me is the narrative shift to make this iconic villain the protagonist. I want this species to be a menacing and unrelenting force of unexplained nature like Michael Myers. By giving me backstory and social constructs to generate empathy, director Dan Trachtenberg has removed almost all the mystique surrounding the universe’s best hunter. That aside, everything else — from the story to the action beats — is fine but overly sanitized and extremely Disneyfied.

THE NAKED GUN Starring: Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Danny Huston, Paul Walter Hauser, CCH Pounder, Liza Koshy and Kevin Durand Director: Akiva Schaffer NICK By my account, the original The Naked Gun is one of the greatest comedies of all time, so needless to say, this had big shoes to fill. Well, we ended up with probably the best modern version of this film you could make. The spirit of the original is there, but Liam Neeson (Frank Drebin Jr.) has added a hint of anger to the aloofness Leslie Nielsen brought as Drebin Sr. Although some jokes are overplayed or don’t hit, the ones that work outweigh the ones that don’t, including a few that brought on tears. It’s not perfect, but I’ll gladly take more of Neeson’s Drebin Jr. ADRIANO Going into The Naked Gun , I only wanted to laugh at utter stupidity, which I got in spades. Director/co-writer Akiva Schaffer delivers on the type of satirical humour that would make the spoof comedy legends The Zucker Brothers blush, with all the ridiculous visual gags, bits, and misinterpretations you could ask for. Liam Neeson fills the large shoes of Leslie Nielsen's deadpan delivery flawlessly, complete with hilarious chemistry with an equally funny Pamela Anderson. The entire crew's commitment to this bizarro universe made this a film I regularly cried laughing at. I don't know what else to say: it's perfect. AMARÚ The Naked Gun remake has the right cast for the job. Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, and Danny Huston understood the balance of serious and silly to deliver on what director Akiva Schaffer wanted to do. It’s too bad that whatever it is he wanted to do isn’t remotely funny. Even in the tremendously short 85-minute runtime, I was ready to escape the half-hearted pity chuckles heard throughout my theater within 15 minutes. Now, the jokes may land for some, and I’m happy for you if that’s the case, but aside from three references I personally smiled at, this remake beat their comedy to an unfunny death. QUENTIN I’ll be the first to admit that trailers for The Naked Gun have been painfully unfunny. That said, once you’re in it, and you’ve recalibrated your sense of humor to the wavelength at play, it surprisingly works. Gun delivers jokes at breakneck speed, and while they don’t all hit, even a 50 percent success rate provides enough legit giggles to make this rebootquel worth a watch. I admit this is a bold comparison, but Gun could easily be the next Anchorman or Zoolander , where every initially dumb joke gets funnier during every rewatch. This was genuinely a pleasant surprise (pre-show beers helped, to be fair). ROBERT In the realm of internet comedy clips, Liam Neeson’s stint on Life’s Too Short is legendary; he blends absurdity with stoicism as well as anyone. As such, it wasn’t overly shocking to hear him be tapped for the lead in The Naked Gun reboot. When you combine that with the comedy instincts of Akiva Schaffer and Seth MacFarlane, the design was there for a rare success in the laughter department. I was chuckling more than not, especially at sight gags and long-running joke bits, but I was expecting more consistency. Pamela Anderson, at least, was a real shot of caffeine that kept the film energized. BODE Perhaps it’s ironic to root for a reboot of The Naked Gun to revive theatrical comedies, but when the state is so dire, you take what you can get. It certainly helps that this new edition is very funny. Director Akiva Schaffer gets close to the absurdist spirit of the original movies without being overly referential, with plenty of jokes and gags that had me consistently laughing (or chuckling, at least). Liam Neeson fills Leslie Nielsen’s deadpan shoes quite comfortably, and Pamela Anderson, Danny Huston, and Paul Walter Hauser are game scene partners. It’s a genuine delight from start to finish. KATIE I love the kind of humour typified in the original Naked Gun films, and I was worried this new reboot wouldn't do it justice. Like other recent comedies, I was concerned it’d rely too heavily on nostalgia and modern references, but my worries were quickly quelled as I was able to sit back and enjoy one of the funniest films I’ve seen in ages. Director and co-writer Akiva Schaffer clearly understood the absurd, spoofy tone he needed to emulate, providing gags that never let up, whilst Liam Neeson is completely perfect in the leading role, masterfully balancing silliness with deadpan delivery. Want to hear even more of our thoughts? Nick, Amarú, and guest Harrison Martin join Matt to take A Bigger Bite out of The Naked Gun HERE .

BOY KILLS WORLD Starring: Bill Skarsgård, H. Jon Benjamin, Jessica Rothe, Michelle Dockery, Brett Gelman, Isaiah Mustafa, Andrew Koji, Famke Janssen, Sharlto Copley, Yayan Ruhian, and Quinn Copeland Director: Moritz Mohr QUENTIN In the crowded action revenge genre, it doesn’t take much to succeed. The plots are almost always the same, so you only need charismatic characters, well-choreographed fight scenes, and exciting action sequences to entertain. Sadly, Boy Kills World didn’t get the memo. I admit there are few solid chuckles to be had, particularly a running joke about the deaf and mute Boy (Bill Skarsgård) being unable to read another character’s lips, but they aren’t enough to carry the film through its bloated runtime, mundanity, or dumbass twist. You’re better off rewatching John Wick . Or Monkey Man . Or Silent Night . Or…well, you get the idea. NICK Boy Kills World is a lot like a video game because the action scenes are bombastic and clearly inspired by that world. Bill Skarsgård makes for a dynamic lead despite any of his own dialogue thanks to his facial expressions and combat skills. I actually wish he had done the internal monologue over H. Jon Benjamin (the way it was originally screened at TIFF) as Benjamin provides too much disconnect. All in all, I liked this more than most of the John Wick -style films, probably because it leans heavier into the comedy side of things. It’s just a good-ass time. AMARÚ The second Bob from Bob’s Burgers (H. Jon Benjamin) starts narrating Boy Kills World , I knew what to expect: an utterly ridiculous time that rides the line between satirical and stupid. Then I saw the “Old Spice Man Your Man Could Smell Like” (Isaiah Mustafa) leading the film’s best running bit, and from that point on, I said fuck it. The action (and paired soundtrack) is cool, Bill Skarsgård’s gamut of expressions fit perfectly, and supporting actors like Mustafa and Sharlto Copley know exactly how to elevate this kind of stupidity. Yayan Ruhian alone is worth the crazy, and I’m here for it.

WINDFALL Starring: Jesse Plemons, Jason Segel, and Lily Collins Director: Charlie McDowell QUENTIN Given its minimalist approach and confined setting, Windfall feels very much like a “made during COVID” movie. That vibe actually works really well for the film, which plays out like a Hitchcockian stage play (the excellent score does some heavy lifting towards that end too). The three leads are varying levels of good, but it’s Jesse Plemons who shines the most, finally getting away from the sad sack characters he most often portrays. Although the story could have gone deeper in a few places and it drags ever-so-slightly in the middle, Windfall kept me engaged throughout (mostly) on the back of Plemons’ performance. NICK When you’re releasing original films as often as Netflix does, you’re bound to get some misses. That’s exactly what Windfall is, a miss. This under-the-radar release has some good things going for it: an intriguing premise, a notable cast… but, instead, it flounders. The comedy isn’t funny, the thrills aren’t thrilling, and the whole thing just kind of happens. It’s nice seeing Jesse Plemons have fun in his role, but Jason Segel and Lily Collins especially feel miscast. Windfall had a chance to tell a story that built tension and intrigue throughout, but all it did was make me look at my watch. JOSEPH Everything about Windfall is bizarrely captivating. The jazzy score is perfect for the offbeat humor that is tied to the story, while the clever script and dialogue maintain your interest. It’s nice to see Jason Segel play a slightly more serious role, although Jesse Plemons and Lily Collins stand out a bit more. In lesser hands, I think this film could have totally failed, but at the same time, I feel that it could have been better too. Even so, Windfall keeps your interest because of the talented performances, and it will have you chuckling in disbelief.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - THE FINAL RECKONING Starring: Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Angela Bassett, Greg Tarzan Davis, Henry Czerny, and Shea Whigham Director: Christopher McQuarrie AMARÚ Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning is really two movies, one after another. The first is a montage fest that leans on nostalgia from one explanatory scene to the next, killing all emotional connection. But once a certain character walks in, Reckoning ’s actual story begins. From then on, it’s an exciting mix of nice call backs, emotional tidbits, funny moments, and most of all, edge-of-your-seat action set pieces that Tom Cruise, somehow, manages to make more intense, yet uniquely reminiscent, than anything the franchise has seen. Ultimately, though flawed, this love letter delivers a fitting sendoff for arguably the best franchise in movie history. ADRIANO If the mission was not to be let down by the (alleged) final outing of a great series, then it turns out this one was impossible. Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning's desire to beat you over the head with franchise continuity is eye-roll inducing and uncharacteristic. Hell, the first hour is practically a clip show. The plot paces itself terribly, feeling convoluted beyond repair. But I know what y'all are here for, and yeah, the set-pieces and death-defying stunts are remarkable, giving the movie colossal weight in the final hour and salvaging the experience, if not fully saving the movie's disappointment. NICK Considering what we get with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning , this was probably the right time to end things. Some of the series’ trademarks (extreme exposition and death defying stunts) are either overdone or simply don’t hit the same. Yes, the airplane stunt from the poster is cool, but the story surrounding it is lacking; so much so that a significant portion of the film is just scenes from prior entries in the franchise. It’s still a Mission Impossible movie so it’s not bad, but compared to the rest of Ethan Hunt's (Tom Cruise) escapades, this franchise closer is more than a little disappointing. ROBERT I’m aware there is some disagreement on the nature of whether Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning will be the last of the series, but it didn’t set that standard of finality. Beyond an impossibly long runtime, it felt as if every loose thread and past MacGuffin had to tie into the greater story at large, including inflating the importance of a previous side character. The dialogue is so fast paced that it feels like 1.5x speed, the acting from tertiary characters is wooden, and the stunts, while impressive, are second-rate to those in prior, and superior, entries. I won’t choose to accept another entry like this. BODE There are many (needless) callbacks in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning , yet I often thought of John Woo’s second entry the most. Both films have overstuffed plots, to the point where they feel incomprehensible. However, Woo’s wild formalism in II makes it easier to forgive. Christopher McQuarrie, the talented filmmaker he is, seems to struggle with this, which makes this film's flaws, which populate its disjointed first half, harder to accept. It eventually improves, with the second half providing some of the franchise’s highest highs (including the biplane setpiece), making it impossible to say I disliked this Mission . But I’m disappointed that I didn’t love it. QUENTIN If The Final Reckoning truly is the end for Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), I have no problems with the call-backs and nostalgia baiting that occupy the first hour. It provides a lovely appropriate finality to the proceedings that, if there happens to be another entry, will be completely lost. Operating under the assumption that this is the final mission, however, I was fully on board. It’s action-packed (obviously), low-key funny, emotional, and an earnest love letter to everything that came before (especially the underrated third installment). It pulls from all previous entries, in both varied tones and admittedly forced continuity, working perfectly as a franchise capper. KATIE Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is a wonderfully fitting finale for the best action franchise out there. It stays true to everything I love about these movies, providing thrills, a fantastic cast with great chemistry, a nonsensical plot, and Tom Cruise pushing the limits with breathtaking and nail-biting set pieces. It’s blockbuster cinema at its finest, and there was not a second that I wasn't entertained, and although it's heavy on the references and callbacks, it's deservingly so. It's a perfect tribute that celebrates Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his crew’s insane adventures over the past 30 years. Want to hear even more of our thoughts? Nick, Adriano, and guest Amanda Guarragi join Amarú to take A Bigger Bite out of Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning HERE .

JUROR NO. 2 Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, Chris Messina, J.K. Simmons, Kiefer Sutherland, Zoey Deutch, Gabriel Basso, Leslie Bibb, and Cedric Yarbrough Director: Clint Eastwood QUENTIN I have no idea why Warner Bros. is seemingly burying Juror #2 because it's director Clint Eastwood's best movie since 2003's Mystic River . Admittedly, it's nothing flashy; just a good, sturdy, old-fashioned movie for grown-ups. But it presents involving questions about our flawed justice system and personal morality in the face of self-preservation, carried by a tremendous performance from Nicholas Hoult (and, to a lesser extent, Toni Collette). The somewhat ambiguous ending might be frustrating for some, but Juror #2 is an excellent addition to the courtroom drama genre. Fans of 12 Angry Men should especially make an effort to check it out. ADRIANO As someone who is typically not into Clint Eastwood as a director, I was pleasantly surprised by Juror #2 . While the filmmaking is flat and the plotting sort of relies on a lot of suspended disbelief, I was really hooked on the story and curious about how the film would escalate. Some of its commentary on the justice system is a tad undercooked, but it is a very challenging film with regards to its protagonist, played wonderfully by Nicholas Hoult. This movie is being buried by Warner Bros., and honestly, I don't understand why.

SHARP CORNER Starring: Ben Foster, Cobie Smulders, and William Kosovic Director: Jason Buxton NICK Although it’s nice to see Ben Foster playing against type, Sharp Corner leaves much to be desired. You can tell it was originally a short story because its thin premise is stretched out to a near two-hour runtime filled with tons of build-up that culminates in a rushed and disappointing final ten minutes. Foster does well to keep you interested up to that point, but when all is said and done, I just felt deflated. The story either needed to be adapted into a short film or a really expanded and fleshed-out mini-series. As currently constituted, it misses the mark. BODE There’s a fascinating concept at the centre of director Jason Buxton’s second feature, Sharp Corner , particularly its attempt to examine the intersection between emasculation and control through a mix of psychological thriller and dark comedy (think Nightcrawler with the absurdity of a Tim Robinson sketch, with Ben Foster’s creepily polite performance intermittently feeling like it jumped out of the latter). Unfortunately, the film never really digs below the surface of its commentary, nor is it tense or humorous enough to consistently engage the viewer. It has the occasional moment of intrigue, but for the most part, it comes up frustratingly short. This film was reviewed by Nick as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.