The Grand Seduction review

Directed by Don McKellar, written by Michael Dowse and Ken Scott. I saw this movie when it opened the 2013 Atlantic Film Festival. It was much beloved by the audience, and it's easy to understand why. The movie is a charming, slightly sassy tale of good people living in a Newfoundland fishing village who are…Read More

Million Dollar Arm review

Directed by Craig Gillespie, written by Thomas McCarthy I went to see this Disney picture for a few reasons. I liked the sound of the true-to-life angle, it's based on the story of two young guys from India who were brought to the US to take a shot at being baseball pitchers. I liked the creative…Read More

Under The Skin review

Directed by Jonathan Glazer, written by Glazer and Walter Campbell, from a novel by Michel Faber | 108 min | On Demand Imagine Scarlett Johansson dropped in the middle of busy Glasgow, Scotland. She's known all over the world for her role in those Marvel Studios superhero movies, so she has an unlikely, de-glammed brunette…Read More

X-Men: Days Of Future Past review

Directed by Bryan Singer, written by Simon Kinburg from a story by Kinburg, Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn I never really understood why 20th Century Fox chose to prematurely conclude the X-Men franchise.  Fox officially called it quits as a trilogy, with Brent Ratner's limp X-Men: The Last Stand back in 2006. Yes, Singer's beneath-the-skin understanding…Read More

Only Lovers Left Alive review

Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch Ah, the welcome return of the godfather of American indie film. It's a real delight to see something new from Jarmusch.  For those who don't know his stuff, he's best known for languid, atmospheric features low on plot but high on characters skirting the margins of society. His films include Stranger Than…Read More

10 Great Jeff Goldblum roles

It was only recently that I started to appreciate Jeff Goldblum's special appeal. I'd respected him as a character actor who'd flirted with big time stardom, in movies like The Fly and Jurassic Park and Independence Day, but who rarely had his name above the title. It's a good place to be, career wise. It…Read More

Godzilla (2014) review

Directed by Gareth Edwards , written by Max Borenstein, from a story by David Callaham. Well, folks, Godzilla is here. The beloved gigantic radioactive lizard with the fiery breath is the star of his own American movie once again. Those of you with fond memories of the Toho Studios movies going back to the 1950s…Read More

Blockbuster Blues 2014: The Good and The Grim Prospects for This Season at The Movies

This summer's blockbuster selection looks pretty dire, I gotta say. In April we had Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Transcendence. This month we've got The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Godzilla and X-Men: Days of Future Past. These are big-budget science fiction and fantasy films, highly anticipated, which make all in the Nerd Nation very happy—and me too. But the first three are…Read More

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 review

Directed by Marc Webb Written by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner and James Vanderbilt, adapting the Marvel comic created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko My friend Dave, who loves superhero movies, and I disagreed on this one, and I had to admit that maybe my enjoyment of it was at least partly the…Read More

CTV Morning Live, May 2, 2014

Yup, I still talk with my hands. Like, all the time. The good people at CTV Morning Live in Halifax had me on again today to talk movies. I reviewed The Amazing Spider-Man 2—full review on this site still to come—as well as Tim's Vermeer and Dom Hemingway, and previewed a few of May's interesting…Read More