Tag Archives: streaming

Emma. review — Jane Austen romcom refreshed in 2020 edition

March 9, 2020 flawintheiris

Directed by Autumn de Wilde | Written by Eleanor Catton, based on the novel by Jane Austen | 124 min | On Demand The period, or "full stop" as they say in the UK, in the title is intentional, apparently. My best guess is it's there to remind us of the movie's literary source, or… Read More

Greed review — Satire on big money got no soul

March 5, 2020 flawintheiris

Directed by Michael Winterbottom | Written by Winterbottom and Sean Gray | 104 min | Crave Plus "I don't need drugs, I am drugs!" says the young Ricky "Greedy" McCreadie (Jamie Blackley, looking like Rufus Wainwright's angrier brother) who eventually becomes a billionaire, knight, fashion tycoon, and all around asshole — played by Steve Coogan.… Read More

The Invisible Man review — See it, but maybe not alone

March 2, 2020 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Leigh Whannell, based on the HG Wells novel | 124 min | VOD Unlikely as it sounds, this loose adaptation of the classic science-fiction story — first adapted by James Whale and starring Claude Rains in 1933 — is a wholly satisfying suspense thriller. I say unlikely because recent efforts to… Read More

Portrait Of A Lady On Fire review — Passion simmers then burns

February 27, 2020 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Céline Sciamma | 122 min | On Demand It screened at last year's FIN Atlantic International Film Festival, and now this gorgeous French romantic drama has finally arrived in Halifax cinemas. Céline Sciamma’s formal period film melts like butter on the tongue, a lovely if unlikely amalgam of The Piano and… Read More

The Photograph review — Stylish romance has heat to spare

February 18, 2020 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Stella Meghie | 106 min | On Demand Michael (LaKeith Stanfield, everywhere these days) is a writer for a New York-based magazine on assignment in Louisiana to do a story on a fisherman, Isaac (Rob Morgan), and the impact of the BP oil spill. Michael hears a little about an old… Read More

Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn review — Great action can’t save it

February 6, 2020 flawintheiris

Directed by Cathy Yan | Written by Christina Hodson | 109 min | Crave Plus For those who might not remember, DC comics and Batman antagonist Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie, who can't not be a delight) was introduced on the big screen in a movie called Suicide Squad, which was an unaccountable global hit despite… Read More

Bad Boys trilogy review — The regular return of buddy cops

February 5, 2020 flawintheiris

Somehow I've arrived in 2020 without ever having seen a Bad Boys movie. I'm not sure how that happened, but this week I remedied the situation. Here's the review for the first two films, followed by the third one now in cinemas. Bad Boys (1995) | Directed by Michael Bay | Written by George Gallo,… Read More

Jumanji: The Next Level review — An OK sequel to a better movie

January 19, 2020 flawintheiris

Directed by Jake Kasdan | Written by Kasdan, Jeff Pinker, and Scott Rosenberg, based on a book by Chris Van Allsburg | 123 min | Netflix Though I'm surprised to find I never wrote it up on this blog, I did see 2017's Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle—I think on an airplane. It's a good… Read More

Now On Canadian Netflix: January 2020

January 18, 2020 flawintheiris

The Two Popes On the face of it, this strikes me as strange material for Fernando Meirelles to approach. The Brazilian filmmaker responsible for City Of God and The Constant Gardener is a visionary of colour and kinetics, of movement. Why would he choose to tell the story of two senior citizens having a conversation, his… Read More

The Song of Names review — Middlebrow mystery never hits high note

January 10, 2020 flawintheiris

Directed by François Girard | Written by Jeffrey Caine, based on the novel by Norman Lebrecht | 113 min | Crave Plus 1951: London, a 22-year old Polish-born violin prodigy, Dovidl Rapoport, is expected to debut on the West End stage. He doesn't show up, then vanishes. 1986: Martin, the English boy he grew up… Read More