The Voyeurs (2021)

Genre: Thriller
Directed by: Michael Mohan
Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Justice Smith, Ben Hardy
Running Time: 116 minutes

 

Pippa and Thomas are a young couple starting their life together, as they move into a studio apartment in Montreal. From their window, they can clearly see their neighbors across the street having sex and living a passionate life. They become intrigued, and later obsessed (particularly Pippa) about what they see across the street.

While not a film without flaws, The Voyeurs remains a very enjoyable thriller, with a cool plot twist, some good acting and even some enjoyable nudity. In its perversion and horniness, this movie so does not feel like it has been made in 2021. It strikes a very pleasant change from this prudish era.

Rating: ««««

Winter's Tale (2014)

Genre: Fantasy / Romance
Directed by: Akiva Goldsman
Cast: Colin Farrell, Jennifer Connelly, William Hurt, Russell Crowe
Running Time: 118 minutes

 

Peter Lake is a thief that decides to leave his boss Pearly Soames’ gang. Pearly is a supernatural demon that raised Peter with the same superpowers. When his protégé leaves, Pearly starts hunting him down, but Peter escapes on a magical white horse. In the process of escaping, Peter finds the love of his life, Beverly, a fragile woman that suffers from consumption.

This film, which is based on the novel of the same name, written by Mark Helprin, offers a good visual presentation, but the story just never hooked me. I found the characters uninteresting and the story simply too silly to care about.

 

Rating: «

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

 Genre: Superhero
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway
Running Time: 165 minutes

 

Eight years after sacrificing Batman to keep the deceased Harvey Dent a hero for the sake of Gotham City, Bruce Wayne is living a secluded life. But the arrival of a dangerous revolutionary named Bane, with an evil plan to destroy the city with an atom bomb while turning its citizens against each other, the Dark Knight will have to rise again.

While extremely long, this film offers a compelling story and some good action. The acting is mostly very good, albeit a little over the top at times. That is often a given with superhero movies. Bale’s Batman voice is still weird, and there are other little faults here and there in the film, but, overall, it is a lot of fun to watch.

Rating: ««««

Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed (2021)

Genre: Documentary
Directed by: Joshua Rofé
Cast: Steve Ross, Vicky Ross, John Thamm
Running Time: 92 minutes

 

This documentary covers the life and times of Bob Ross, a painting instructor that became known worldwide for hosting The Joy of Painting, where he would paint a nice scenery over the course of 28 minutes while instructing viewers on how to do the same. The film also discusses the legal battle over Bob Ross’ business empire after the painter’s passing.

This is a brilliant documentary. I remember seeing Bob Ross on TV as kid and never understanding why anyone would want to watch someone paint for half and hour. This film helped me understand the impact that man had on people. It is also sad to see the ordeal his son had to go through with the fight for his father’s name and legacy.

This documentary made me smile, it made me sad and it made me angry. Job well done.

Rating: «««««

 

Cop Land (1992)

 Genre: Drama
Directed by: James Mangold
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro
Running Time: 109 minutes

 

Freddy Heflin is a washed up law enforcer who never got accepted as a true cop because of a bad ear, so he became sheriff of Garrison, New Jersey. At first he refuses to see that his city is overrun with corrupt NYPD cops, led by Lt. Ray Donian, but events force Freddy to consider taking action.

This film greatly benefited from a loaded cast of actors offering solid performances. Stallone was particularly noteworthy, in a role that was quite different for him. The problem here is the story. It was interesting, but it lacked focus and went into too many directions at once. It should have been tightened up a bit.

Rating: «««

The Girlfriend Experience (2009)

 Genre: Drama
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: Sasha Grey, Chris Santos, Emma Lahana
Running Time: 77 minutes

 

A high-end escort in the New York City area must contend with the struggles of her work in the adult business while trying to maintain a normal love relationship with her boyfriend.

The look at human nature that this short film offers is compelling, but it would be so much more so if the characters were not so uninteresting and if the dialogues were not so pointless. I fell asleep the first time I tried to watch this, so I gave it another chance. It is not without merit, but the good points are few and far between.

Rating: ««

The Dark Knight (2008)

 Genre: Superhero
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger
Running Time: 152 minutes

 

Batman, Police Lieutenant James Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent work together to attempt to stop evil mastermind The Joker, who is trying to undermine them and create chaos in Gotham City.

The Dark Knight offers a compelling, albeit charged, story, with some very good action. Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker needs to be commended. His transformation was insane, and it might have cause the actor’s demise in the end. I still feel like the performance was not really Oscar-worthy, but it was nonetheless remarkable.

Christian Bale’s Batman voice was a weird acting choice in my book. It took away from an otherwise good performance. I also felt like the Dark Knight character was made much too weak and vulnerable here.

All things considered, this is a very good movie with a few flaws.

Rating: ««««