Movie review: "Paddington 2"

THROND'S CHOICE
dir. by Paul King
writ. by Paul King & Simon Farnaby
2015's Paddington was an unexpected delight, a sweet and funny kids' movie which did justice to its source material with a warm and inviting tone which gave it broad family appeal despite being clearly geared at a younger demographic. Especially when so much family fare can be shrill and overly self-aware. the simple charms and Wes Anderson-inspired visuals of Paddington were refreshing, even with all of its broad slapstick.

Like its predecessor, Paddington 2 has arrived in North American cinemas riding a tidal wave of good news from its original United Kingdom release, and also like its predecessor, that praise is warranted. But whereas the original film was merely sweet and endearing, this sequel is a nonstop delight, tightening up the prior film's slapstick while doubling down on its heartwarming sweetness, making for a truly joyous example of pure cinematic pleasure. Paddington 2 is absolutely brilliant, and that makes its American dump release in January all the more criminal.

My Top 10 Favourite Films of 2017

In many ways, 2017 was a year of regeneration for popular cinema. Despite the continuing blight of forced franchise-building and the existence of The Emoji Movie, there was also a shocking outpour of artistry in studio tentpoles: Get Out, Logan, Wonder Woman, Baby Driver, War for the Planet of the Apes, Dunkirk, Blade Runner 2049, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, among others, all provided the year with a ceaseless procession of ambitious and intelligent blockbusters, and Netflix provided a flawed but ambitious and well-crafted alternative in Okja, which has all the excitement and visual prowess of a studio tentpole while also packing much more of a personal vision. In an era where so many alternatives to the inconvenient and expensive world of cinema entertainment exist, studios saw losses on many pictures, but where the product delivered, audiences showed up. In that sense as well as many others (most notably the #TimesUp movement), this was also a year of upheaval. For the industry, there's work to be done, and lessons to be learned, but for moviegoers, there was a wealth of riches to experience. Here, from A to Z, are my ten favourites of this lot.

Movie review: "The Post"

dir. by Steven Spielberg
written by Liz Hannah and Josh Singer
Uniting Steven Speilberg with two of Hollywood's finest actors and a timely script, The Post seems like a surefire recipe for awards success. It's a recipe which on the surface seems foolproof: a major event from American history, milked for all of its contemporary relevance, perfectly poised for great actors to do their thing, all wrapped up with direction from one of the greatest filmmakers currently working. While such a perfect formula may bring the accusation of Oscar bait, that doesn't necessarily mean the film isn't worthwhile: that a premise is suspiciously timely doesn't make it less powerful, and that the performances are so heavily emphasized doesn't diminish their excellence.

But there's only so much that great actors and a great director can do, and with The Post, they're given the tough job of elevating a script which consists largely of a constant stream of exposition, with plot detail after plot detail explained to the audience and personal stakes which strain against that plot for even the faintest hint of emotional resonance. The film's politics are certainly admirable, and Spielberg's mastery of tone and tension elevates the whole affair, but it's only in the all-too-rare moments where the film shuts up for a moment that it finally gains the tension which this story so desperately needs.

Movie review: "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"

THROND'S CHOICE
dir. and written by Rian Johnson
Star Wars has been successful for 40 years. It's a testament to the strength of this franchise that it's never fallen from the popular consciousness, but it's also a testament to the sheer force of marketing which has always surrounded these films. Any franchise as successful as this risks falling victim to complacency, delivering exactly what its fans expect for fear of alienating them, and while The Force Awakens gloriously tip-toed the line between paying tribute to all that came before it while still providing a new, exciting future for this universe, its deviations from series formula were related to theme and character, whereas its plot structure remained similar to the the original film from 1977, albeit purposefully so.

The Last Jedi matches its predecessor for thematic impact, fascinating characters, and astonishing action scenes, but it adds an almost total refusal to give in to fan expectations, and this is what makes it a more challenging and ultimately superior movie. There's nothing predictable about this latest Star Wars, which renders it ultimately more mysterious than this franchise has been in ages, and it benefits further from the considerable skill of director Rian Johnson, who is among the greatest visual stylists to ever operate on this universe. It's a long, often grim, at times even surprisingly talky, and yet it's also relentlessly gripping, punctured by strong comedic beats and some of the greatest action scenes the series has ever seen. Despite all of its idiosyncrasy, this is unmistakably Star Wars at its very finest.