The Amateur (2025) review — Silly but satisfying spy thriller

April 14, 2025 flawintheiris

Directed by James Hawes | Written by Ken Nolan and Gary Spinelli, based on the novel by Robert Littell | 123 min | ▲▲▲ | Crave You could go looking for the first movie adaptation of the Robert Littell novel, but it's tough to find — a Canadian thriller produced by Garth Drabinksy starring John…Read More

The Friend review — Charming, melancholy New York dog movie

April 10, 2025 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Scott McGhee and David Siegel, adapting a book by Sigrid Nunez | 119 min | ▲▲▲ 1/2 One of my favourite movies is Anthony Minghella's Truly Madly Deeply, from 1991. It's about Nina (Juliet Stevenson), a translator and a musician whose partner, Jamie (Alan Rickman), dies unexpectedly, leaving her angry and…Read More

The Luckiest Man in America review — The price isn’t quite right

April 9, 2025 flawintheiris

Directed by Samir Oliveros | Written by Oliveros, Maggie Briggs, and Amanda Freedman | 91 min | ▲▲1/2 Loosely inspired by actual events, here's a story about the insincerity of American media and how someone found a way to game it. Is that the American dream? Go a little deeper it's about an average man…Read More

Freaky Tales review — Wildly fun ’80s grindhouse tribute

April 9, 2025 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck | 106 min | ▲▲▲▲ Did you know there was a new Pedro Pascal movie in cinemas? Until a day or so ago, I didn't, and I do this semi-professionally. This picture is from a pair of veteran filmmakers who had a huge hit with their…Read More

From The Vault: The Player (1992)

April 6, 2025 flawintheiris

Directed by Robert Altman | Written by Michael Tolkin | 124 min | ▲▲▲▲ | Criterion Channel/VOD This review is prompted by the recent arrival of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's Apple TV+ show, The Studio, which features a veteran Hollywood exec named Griffin Mill played by Bryan Cranston. No accident that Griffin Mill is…Read More

The Knox Office: Canadian Screen Awards and three movie reviews

March 30, 2025 flawintheiris

On Friday I was on CBC Information Morning — over the phone — with guest host Preston Mulligan to talk movies. We discussed a few of the Nova Scotian nominees at the Canadian Screen Awards and then moved onto review of three new films in cinemas: Death of a Unicorn, Bob Trevino Likes It, and…Read More

Death of a Unicorn review — Bloody myth goes lame

March 28, 2025 flawintheiris

Written and Directed Alex Scharfman | 107 min | ▲▲ | VOD I really admire the American upstart film studio A24 for investing in talented filmmakers and letting them take big swings. They've done it again here with Alex Scharfman, but the end result is a swing and miss — and that's what sometimes will…Read More

The Penguin Lessons review — The bird’s the best bit

March 27, 2025 flawintheiris

Directed by Peter Cattaneo | Written by Jeff Pope, from the book by Tom Michell | 110 min | ▲▲ This is one of those sweet stories aimed at an older audience where its curmudgeonly lead character has to face up to an unresolved trauma and troubling current affairs. It's all going to make him…Read More

From The Vault: The Bride (1985)

March 23, 2025 flawintheiris

Directed by Franc Roddam | Written by Lloyd Fonvielle, adapting Mary Shelley's Frankenstein | 118 min | ▲▲▲ | Shout Factory/Scream Factory Blu-Ray, VOD Sometime in the months ahead a picture called The Bride will arrive, another adaptation of Shelley's Frankenstein, or maybe a direct remake of James Whale's classic Bride of Frankenstein. With Maggie Gyllenhaal…Read More

The Knox Office: Novocaine, Mickey 17, and where to watch Canadian cinema

March 17, 2025 flawintheiris

ICYMI, my film review column, The Knox Office, on CBC Information Morning on Friday with guest-host Preston Mulligan offered reviews of Novocaine and Mickey 17, along with a few suggestions of where to find quality Canadian films online. You can go here to listen! Read More