music

It should come as no surprise that the star of writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson’s period drama about a finicky dressmaker in 1950s London is... the fashion. And, I suppose, the art direction. Yes, yes, this is rumored to be Daniel Day-Lewis’ final film before a self-imposed retirement, so all eyes should theoretically be on him, but (for me) the movie is actually more a case of the clothes making the man and the movie.

And while Phantom Thread is certainly visually sumptuous, its storytelling is comparatively wanting, and its lead character decidedly unsympathetic.

Though All the Money in the World comes with its own sensational backstage drama, the cinematic result is is a gripping thriller led by the terrific Michelle Williams.

Despite an inspired idea, Alexander Payne misses the mark... for being the wrong director for his own movie.

Gary Oldman's performance as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour is on par with Meryl Streep as Maggie Thatcher in The Iron Lady. The first time you see them in character, you gasp at the transformation. Then you immediately forget the familiar actor in the makeup and only see the performance. There is much deserved murmur that like Meryl's Maggie, Oldman's Churchill will finally win the widely-respected actor an Oscar. We'll have to see...

Admittedly, walking into the screening for Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, my hopes were high but my expectations were low. When the reboot of the classic 1990s adventure film had initially been announced, I scoffed. “A remake? Only 20-ish years after the original? Pshaw!” Nevermind that I didn’t recall anyone clamoring for more Jumanji back in 1995. But the reboot’s trailers gradually won me over, and – as someone who already loves The Rock – I was looking forward to seeing what new spin they’d put on the adventure classic... but I feared I was about to sit through two hours of unfun.

Much to my relief and delight, J:WttJ is a fun, energetic action-comedy buoyed by a talented cast, who fully embrace the fact that they’re in a movie about being stuck inside a video game, with a very obvious – and effective – nod to the John Hughes classic, The Breakfast Club.

Let me get this out of the way first: the songs and music in The Greatest Showman are fantastic. Wonderful. Written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the Oscar-winning team behind La La Land’s songs, they’re catchy, clever and memorable, and they elevate the story each time anyone opens their mouth to sing. As well, those songs will no doubt ensure the movie is eventually reborn as a stage musical, because the whole thing screams Broadway right from its opening frames.

Unfortunately, that killer soundtrack is let down by the actual movie itself, which pales in comparison and winds up being a clunker on a few levels – especially if you’re one of the women in the film.