By: Craig Allan

Three and a half stars. See it.

In Send Help (SH), director Sam Raimi teams up with his Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (2022) actor McAdams to argue that the jungles of the corporate world are no match for the real jungle. One of the true masters of the horror genre, Raimi makes a film that, while not quite a return to his absurdist horror origins, is an accessible, thriller-like movie. With a script from Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, Raimi stretches the plot to make the movie work as a feature-length film. Despite this, SH is a fun thriller with some good twists and another solid performance from the frequently underrated McAdams.

SH centers on Linda Liddle (McAdams), a secret survivalist living her daily life as an underappreciated, awkward and unliked office worker. When she is passed over for a promotion by the new owner of her company, the son of the founder, the petulant and snarky Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien), she is given a token opportunity to prove herself on a business trip to Bangkok, Thailand. On the way, their plane crashes, with Linda and Bradley being the only survivors to reach a deserted island. Stranded with no help on the way, the power dynamic between Linda and Bradley changes, with Bradley now in need of Linda, who is in her element on this harsh, unforgiving island.

I saw this movie in 3D, and while I normally don’t like 3D, and was skeptical that a film with such standard visuals like this would not be just another 3D cash grab, Raimi was able to make the technology work. This didn’t feel like a normal 3D movie where you forget you are wearing glasses after 10 minutes. Raimi is able to make the technology noticeable in multiple scenes throughout the movie. Raimi here proves that 3D technology isn’t necessarily bad if the person behind the camera knows how to use it.

Despite being a film that feels very much outside of his usual fare, Raimi incorporates many aspects of his directorial style into this film. Things like the brutal killing of a boar or a zombie-like creature popping up in a fantasy sequence feel very much like his absurdist horror films, like The Evil Dead and Drag Me to Hell. Though this is not the typical Raimi film, it has his style all over it. It’s nice to see that Raimi can still be versatile even after so many years.

It helps that Raimi has a clever script by Shannon and Swift. The movie’s twists make you question certain situations, but when they are unravelled, you will be kicking yourself for not realizing what was happening. Without spoiling it, it is entertaining that Linda is seen reading survivalist books, but also watches The Survivor; she becomes so invested that she sends in an audition tape to compete on the show. This is interesting because Survivor is not about surviving the elements, but the people who backstab and lie to get to the end.

McAdams is truly one of the most underrated actors of our generation. The way she can play both a mousy loner and a survivalist badass is a range few actors can pull off. Much like with Bradley, she has to carry the film most of the time. While O’Brien does do a good job as Linda’s weaselly, conniving boss, it is McAdams who shines. The movie does not let the audience truly know the violent nature of Linda, indicating that she has always been a survivor and not the submissive woman her comfy attire and sensible shoes make her out to be.

The movie does suffer from some pacing issues, though. There is only so much story you can tell with two people on a deserted island. The movie’s ending could also use a little bit more narrative heft, as it does end a bit abruptly. Despite this, SH is still a fun, bonkers ride that teaches what everybody should learn in high school: never discount the awkward girl.

By: Craig Allan

Three and a half stars. See it.

The mystery screening at Cineplex and Landmark on February 2, 2026, was Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (NtBtStM). An oddly appropriate movie considering the day, as it involves its stars looking to undo the past. I was mostly unfamiliar with the web series, Nirvanna the Band, and the show it was based on, but I was a fan of the director and star Matt Johnson’s previous film, last year’s critical hit about the founding of the eponymous telecom giant, Blackberry. As for NtBtStM, despite not being familiar with writer/co-star Jay McCarrol, I found the movie an enjoyably absurd comedy rooted in Millennial nostalgia and with some truly creative ideas.

NtBtStM follows as Johnson and McCarrol continue their pursuit of trying to play at Toronto’s famed The Rivoli. After a failed skydiving stunt, a bottle of Orbitz will lead the pair to face their past and test their partnership like never before.

Johnson is carving a path for himself as one of the most innovative directors around. He skillfully adapts not-quite found footage into something that feels lived-in. One example of his innovation is his use of intellectual property, as debuted in Blackberry. Both Blackberry and NtBtStM contain a lot of intellectual property, from posters to scenes from movies. Normally, including these types of works would have to go through getting rights clearance from the respective studios, but if the material is imperative to the narrative structure of the film, it can be used without informing the copyright holder. Johnson is able to use many forms of IP as set dressing, in an innovative subversion of copyright law.

Johnson and McCarrol take a time-honoured film trope (avoiding spoilers) and turn it on its head. The way Johnson and McCarrol play out the core plot of their story makes it feel like they had been planning this movie for over 15 years. The way they take different material and blend it with older footage from their web series days is impressive. The comedy comes from the fact that Johnson seems more concerned with just being noticed via wacky stunts while McCarrol seems more concerned with the music. Just from the previews of their act, you wonder as a viewer what Johnson’s plan would be if he actually did win a chance to perform at The Rivoli.

Millennials often feel like a lost generation on film. Unlike 80’s kids who had the films of John Hughes, Millennials feel like they don’t have a director who made films embracing the Millennial experience. Johnson and McCarrol feel like they are tapping into the underserved demographic of the Millennials. Whether it is through their copious number of references adorning their home or the use of Orbitz soda as a driving plot of the film, NtBtStM is a film that wears its love for Millennial culture on its sleeve.

The film has a few jokes that really hit well. Scenes like a Canadian Tire employee who hears that the duo are going to jump off the CN Tower, but is unwilling to report this due to being a Libertarian. This is an example of the interactions that Johnson and McCarrol have with people whom you cannot be 100% sure are actors. There is also one truly hilarious and unexpected moment involving McCarrol that had me laughing for a good minute straight, but I won’t spoil it for you.

It’s good to see a new generation of Canadian talent establishing a unique brand of comedy in the fertile ground of Canadian comedy. Especially seeing as this movie is being shown as a surprise screening, the Monday after Catherine O’Hara died, a Toronto native who blazed her own comedy trail in Canada for the world to witness. Johnson and McCarrol are following in the tradition of great Canadian duos like Bob and Doug MacKenzie, Kenny Hotz and Spencer Rice. While the show may not go on, or ever go on, NtBtStM is proof that when it comes to performing, the joy comes in the journey, not the destination.

By: Craig Allan

Three Stars. See it.

Pixar has had a rough time in the 2020’s. A variety of issues, including three of their movies going streaming only, and unimaginative storytelling due to studio interference, have led to the studio producing some of its least well-liked and worst-performing movies. Pixar always feels like it is against the ropes, struggling to find relevance in a world where movies like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and K-Pop Demon Hunters by Sony Animation are dominating the conversation. In this competitive cinematic world, it is bold storytelling that will win the day. Pixar aims to achieve this with Hoppers, which at first looks like the typical Pixar fare, but like a beaver dam, has more under the surface. While the movie may start at a caterpillar’s pace, it blossoms into an absolutely insane second half that is so bewildering it actually becomes delightfully fun.

Hoppers follows Mabel Tanaka (voiced by Piper Curda), a university student desperate to save the pond she visited with her late grandmother (voiced by Karen Huie) from Mayor Jerry Generazzo (voiced by Jon Hamm) who plots with developers to put a skyway through the pond and surrounding forest. With time running out, Mabel discovers a lab underneath Beaverton University where scientists created the technology to put human consciousness into animals. Thinking that could be the way to bring the animals back to the pond, Mabel transfers her mind into a robot beaver and makes her way to the forest to rally the animals and save the pond.

The first half of Hoppers is a bit sloth-like, with the movie spending a lot of time establishing characters, motives, and the workings of the movie’s world. However, once the movie enters its second half, it goes absolutely feral. The movie includes everything from the main character killing a creature that is a descendant of royalty, kidnapping someone while translating the animals’ instructions through a phone, and a scary encounter with someone living through a mix of The Terminator (1984) and Face/Off (1997). All this with a scene involving the use of an apex predator that is so nuts it will make audiences wonder if psychedelic toad venom had been slipped into the concession food.

All of these make for some odd material, but in a way, they are also moments that make Hoppers kind of special. The movie goes places that an audience won’t see coming. This movie is very bold for a kids’ movie like some psychotic version of Day of the Dolphin (1973). This is director Daniel Chong’s second directorial film after We Bare Bears: The Movie (2020), and seeing as his previous experience involved working on a lot of productions for Cartoon Network, which itself is no stranger to off-kilter storylines, it makes sense how his style would work for this subject matter. While contributing to the story, Jessie Andrews is the main script writer. Andrews has written many works involving people in their teens suffering from loss, like Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl (both the 2012 book and the 2015 movie) and the film Every Day (2018) so this kind of story about a woman trying to save something she loves is very much in his wheelhouse. While the foundation for Mabel is not as interesting as the movie’s bug-out second half, its still interesting overall due to its premise. Nonetheless, the film readily acknowledges that it is a bit of a ripoff of Avatar (2009).

While its animation may still reside in the style of CGI Pixar pioneered, Hoppers is some ambitious storytelling. A much-needed hardwiring for a studio that has been treading water for a while. It might be too scary for the under-eight-year-olds, but for older children, and adults alike, Hoppers is a dam good time.

By: Craig Allan

One Star. Do not see.

With the recent success of Netflix’s Frankenstein (2025), it is not a bad time to capitalize on the popularity of the character with the monsters equally cobbled together wife. The Bride! directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal and starring this year’s Best Actress Oscar frontrunner, Jessie Buckley as the titular bride, looked to be a promising movie. Unfortunately, The Bride! is a complete misfire. While the sets and makeup are top-notch, the film is marred by confusing writing, a boring story, and a completely unhinged Buckley, who blends a multitude of ideas in a mind-numbing mess.

Gyllenhaal’s second written and directed film, after getting an Adapted Screenplay nomination in 2021 for the movie The Lost Daughter, is an adaptation of The Bride of Frankenstein to the depression era streets of Chicago. A desperate Frank (Christian Bale) seeks out the help of Dr. Cornelia Euphronius (Annette Bening) to make him a bride. Finding the recently deceased Ida (Buckley), Dr. Euphronius resurrects a suitable mate for Frank. As a mentally clouded Ida tries to put the pieces of her identity together, she and Frank wreak havoc across the northeastern states, terrifying people and influencing an army of women to upend the patriarchal system.

              The highlight of the movie is the set design. The 1930’s aesthetic is well put together, with Dr. Euphronius’s lab and some of the party scenes being well designed and set. The makeup design is also very well done, in many cases outdoing the Oscar-nominated makeup work for Frankenstein. The design of having some of the black liquid used to revive the bride stained on her cheek is a good addition, and the design on Frank has better dimensions and features than the recent Jacob Elordi-designed monster from the Netflix film. These almost make for a passable film, but everything else brings it down.

              This movie was released on March 6 with the embargo lifted around the Wednesday before the release. Given that the period for Oscar voting ends March 5, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility that the reason for this was not to affect Buckley’s Oscar hopes. While Buckley has frequently made amazing performances, like in Women Talking (2022) and Hamnet (2025), The Bride! is one of her worst performances. Throughout the film, Buckley’s Bride sports many different accents from American English to Cockney and other accents, each more unintelligible than the last. She also plays Mary Shelley, who is talking to The Bride from beyond the grave. The performance is all-over-the-place, and with Buckley being so close to winning an Oscar for Hamnet, this feels like Norbit (2007), where Eddie Murphy seemed destined to win a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Dreamgirls (2006) but lost, with many blaming the critically derided Norbit for the failure. It’s a stressful performance that will make the viewer wonder if their brain has been brought back to life as a scrambled mess.

              While Buckley’s performance is a mess, it can’t be denied that these were the lines she was contracted to say. The other characters are not much better in their dialogue, which feels too modern for 1934. Gyllenhaal was clearly influenced by the 1930’s era setting, and the desolate American rural backdrops to make Frank and The Bride a Bonnie and Clyde type couple like the 1967 film. There is potential for a story that could work in that setting, but Gyllenhaal is unable to find it. The Bride! confusingly meanders from scene to scene, fitting in Ida performing fellatio on Frank and the two committing murders, which they confusingly enjoy at first but feel remorse for later. The uneven nature of the movie makes it a slog to watch, with audiences hoping a bolt of lightning will strike the theatre, if only to bring life to the movie.

              Gyllenhaal took a big swing here with her second movie. The thing about big swings is that they can miss. That is the case with The Bride!, a film that is as scattered as Ida’s mind and as meandering as Frank’s walk. The Bride! is alive, but it needs to be put down.

By Craig Allan

Four stars out of five. See it.

As the American brand of capitalism seems to degrade annually, films are questioning whether it was ever good to begin with. Set in 1952, Marty Supreme (MS) follows Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet) as he tries to become the world’s greatest table tennis player. Though the film may look like a table tennis movie on the surface, it is actually about the way capitalism poisons our collective dignity and how American exceptionalism blinds people into believing that becoming the best is the totality of success in life.

Safdie’s script, co-written and edited with Ronald Bronstein, is rich with themes of hustling and anti-capitalist ideals. These are themes that have been echoed in other projects Safdie has done with his brother, Benny Safdie, like Good Time and Uncut Gems. Marty is a cocky individual who believes he can be the best table tennis player in the world; however, his desires seem to be based more on the fame of being at the top of the podium than on the money he could make. This is fame that Marty can gloat over as he poses for Wheaties boxes. He is entirely selfish and dangerously full of himself, and in his vanity, he represents America on the world stage both now and in the latter half of the twentieth century. Marty wants to be the best, but he is being crushed by the realities of life in a capitalist society. He thinks that he can hustle and scam his way out of his problems, and he will learn that he can’t.

Chalamet has had a lot of great performances in his short time in the spotlight, and MS is his best performance yet. Chalamet delivers as an overconfident man who will use every person he comes across in order to get ahead. You can see the ever-growing desperation in Marty as the movie goes on, but his brash nature is present throughout. Marty sees himself as almost a folk hero, but compared to Japanese people who had atom bombs dropped on them and concentration camp survivors who sacrificed to try and save others, Marty looks pathetic. Chalamet is amazing here, giving his all in a committed performance, creating a decent chance that he may have rallied the Best Actor Oscar nod in a “Brando-esque” performance. Another surprising performance is by real-life millionaire Kevin O’Leary, who plays millionaire pen entrepreneur Milton Rockwell, and Marty’s benefactor. Considering how anti-capitalist this movie is, it is surprising that O’Leary would appear in a film that, in a meta way, insults everything that he represents in real life. O’Leary is basically playing his “Mr. Wonderful” persona established on Dragon’s Den/Shark Tank, but in a movie.

This is Safdie’s first film directed without his brother, and he has proven to be up to the task. Safdie’s direction is stellar, as he makes MS feel like a gritty 70’s film. The sets look incredible, and Safdie does not shy away from showing the ugly parts of his subject. You can see every pore and scratch on Marty’s face and every freckle and beauty mark on everyone else. This is an ugly film in the best way, especially in the 70mm version that I saw.

The tagline for this movie is “Dream Big,” but this tagline is misleading. It is the act of dreaming big that is cursing Marty into complacency. It is only at the end of the movie (no spoilers) that he realizes what really matters. Along with a great score by Daniel Lopatin, editing, and some standout performances by Odessa A’zion, Tyler Okonma, and Luke Manley, MS is an absolute tour de force movie that goes in wildly different directions than expected. A repeat viewing is in store for me, as I am sure I did not catch every subtle thematic reference in this movie, but MS serves up one of the best films of 2025 and has set itself up as a supreme Oscar contender.

By: Craig Allan

Three and a half stars. See it.

One trope in modern movies and tv shows is the proliferation of the “serious” comedy. This is where shows like the rebooted Fresh Prince of Bel Air or the 2017 remake of The Mummy make a serious version of a film or tv show. They seem to put down the original version for being lower because of its comedy focus. I have long wanted a movie to come along that does the reverse: a comedy based on a serious movie. That project has come in the form of Anaconda, a comedic remake of the 1997 campy thriller about an absurdly large snake. While the storyline for Anaconda 2025 is set around a “movie within the movie,” it feels like they didn’t have the budget to fulfill all of the CGI snake-binding glory that they wanted. Anaconda is still a funny movie that takes a serious, yet campy, film and provides something different from the big blockbusters of today.

The movie is full of funny jokes, especially in the beginning. Lines like Kenny Trent (Steve Zahn) saying that he is “Buffalo sober,” where he only drinks beer, wine, and some light liquors. Or an earlier movie that the four made about a mini Sasquatch called “The Quatch”, which they edited for classrooms by removing the swearing, making the whole movie a series of bleeps. “The Quatch” feels like the kind of production kids who want to seem edgy would do, and it’s a good introduction to this group of friends who had dreams and interests but gave them up for a safer life.

Along with this are the more meta angles of the cast. For example, Black plays a focused director willing to put his entire cast and crew in danger for a movie about a larger-than-normal creature. If this seems familiar, its because he had a similar role in what is arguably his most serious film, playing Carl Denham in Peter Jackson’s King Kong 20 years earlier. This addition provides some fun meta commentary and actually makes moments like Doug and crew filming the movie after they find the large snake funny, if not a little nonsensical. Absent a Saving Silverman (2001) reunion between Black and Zahn, this movie feels like 2025’s welcome return to the early 2000’s action comedy.

Director Tom Gormican, who co-wrote the film with Kevin Etten, has limited directing experience, which shapes his style. This is his third film after That Awkward Moment (2014), or what I call “Wait, Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan were in a really bad romantic comedy,” and the meta Nicolas Cage film The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022) (UWMT). Specifically with UWMT, the comedy of that movie is very good, but the script has a superfluous plot that derails the story and feels like filler. This problem is especially noticeable in Anaconda’s 99-minute runtime. This is exposed in Anaconda with Ana Almeida (Daniela Melchior), who is on the run in a gold heist plotline. Strangely, her character fades into the background a lot, and when her storyline comes up, it feels like she is just there because they didn’t have enough money for all the anaconda effects they wanted, and had to pad the movie with something. While the anaconda effects are good, they are very limited for a film that is supposed to feature a large anaconda attacking people.

Anaconda is not high-brow humour, but for those looking for a smaller, lighter fare, this holiday season, it fits the bill. This is about people making a snake movie about a snake that snakes around the jungle and kills people. P.S. Try not to watch the newest trailer, as there are some sizable spoilers.

By Craig Allan

Three and a half stars

Over the last few years, it has become easier for independent writers to publish their own books through places like Amazon. With this ease, it also becomes easier for new voices to be found. One of those new voices is Frieda McFadden, who in 2022 published her own democidal thriller, The Housemaid, which follows a woman working for an unstable mother. The novel was a hit with readers, and it wasn’t long before Hollywood came calling for an adaptation. Feig, most known for comedies like Bridesmaids (2011)and The Heat (2013), takes on this thriller novel, adapting and improving it for the silver screen. Between Sweeney’s perfect casting as Millie and a change to the ending that makes better use of the story for film, The Housemaid makes a worthy adaptation of the twisty, pulpy quality of the book.

The Sonnenshine and Feig adaptation closely follows the book for the first two acts; it’s only in the third act that they diverge. I would say this is for the better, as the ending of the movie is far more tense and cinematic. This, along with a better adaptation of Nina Winchester’s daughter, Cece Winchester (Indiana Elle), lets Feig’s movie improve on the book while keeping the core elements.

Unfortunately, Sweeney has had a tough year as a leading lady. Her films, Americana, Eden, and Christy, struggled, and an advertising controversy led people to question her star power. However, it looks like Sweeney ended 2025 strong with The Housemaid. She is perfect for the role of Millie, as she looks exactly like the character description and also portrays the forlorn struggle and awkwardness of the character. While Seyfried does not look like the description of Nina, the casting of both actors is a good addition to the movie. Both actors share visual similarities, yet are distinct, a factor that works for the film.

Sonnenshine and Feig really take the movie to a more violent place, with the ending being the biggest departure. While the ending of the book was a little tame, the movie goes for violent and shocking imagery. The characters have many moments that feel ripped out of an over-the-top soap opera, with Seyfried providing delightful crash outs, fitting this at times unsettling thriller. This really harkens back to movies like Single White Female and Fatal Attraction with their obsessive, manic characters.

The movie also does a good job at giving Millie more agency as she handles herself more realistically than in the book. The movie also provides some fun moments for people who have read the book, making references to the colouring of women’s hair and some background imagery. Details, like a stack of books, are meant to misdirect those in the know into thinking the movie adheres to the novel, only to zag in a different direction. The set designs are also very well done, making each set feel like a character in itself, with the house looking exactly like the description in the book.

While it might have been better to take some liberties with the source material in the first two acts, the movie is a successful adaptation of McFadden’s novel. It’s hard to tell if audiences who have not read the book will react to elements of this movie outside of the third act, as they are less engaging. However, for a movie trying to play in a genre that has not been seen in theatres recently, Housemaid is a fun throwback to the tense, sexually charged thrillers of the past.

By Craig Allan

Four and a half stars. See it.

Everyone feels moments in life where there is a feeling of betrayal. Whether it is from a relationship gone south or a partnership that has run its course, it can be fraught with emotions, especially if one half goes on to great success. This is the situation chronicled in director Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke’s new film Blue Moon (BM), a film about Lorenz Hart (Hawke), the original partner of famed musical writer Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott), before he paired up with Oscar Hammerstein (Simon Delaney). Taking place almost entirely within the famed Sardi’s restaurant in New York City on March 31, 1943, the movie follows the eccentric Hart as he grapples with the horrible truth that he has been replaced. At the same time, he is swooning over a young college student, Elizabeth Weiland (Margaret Qualley), whom he believes might have feelings for him. Packed to the brim with whip-smart dialogue that is both funny and devastating, Blue Moon is an absolute riot and one of the best films of the year. With Hawke carrying the film, it might just secure him his elusive Oscar.

Hawke had to be in every scene for this movie, remembering long stretches of fast, complicated stories and anecdotes which he handles in spades. Diatribes on Rogers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! being horrible due to the exclamation point at the end and waxing poetically about the beauty of a half-erect penis being some of the funniest asides as Hart grapples with his midlife crisis. Hawke never ceases to be amazing and funny as the increasingly desperate Hart. The movie hangs on every word he says, and the movie is enjoyable because you have no idea what off-kilter comment Hart is going to make. While actors like Michael B. Jordan, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Timothee Chalamet may be in more high-profile films, Hawke is making a serious play as a spoiler for the Best Actor Oscar. This was a movie Hawke was originally scared to make due to how much dialogue was involved, so the script, written by novelist Robert Kaplow, sat around for years before Hawke was willing to take on the project. The dialogue is superb, and while this may not be as weighty a project as some of Linklater’s other films, it is still some good work from one of the industry’s best small-scale directors.

The only negative for the film could be its ending. While the movie is not very long, an ending in which Weiland tells a story of unrequited love does slow the frenetic pace simply because it is Weiland telling a story, and Hart just listening. We get less of Hart’s emotionally funny dialogue in this moment, and the fact that it goes on for a while doesn’t help.

This is a small picture, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in the performance of Hart. In a cinema landscape of big-budget fare, BM is a refreshing diversion into a chamber play that shows what happens when a great actor and great dialogue are put in a space and left to run wild. With movie budgets getting larger and making the theatrical experience more of a premium outing, BM is a once in a blue moon film that shows movie magic is not limited by budget when someone like Hawke is strutting around the set. How can so much talent be contained in small strips of celluloid?

By Craig Allan

Three and a half stars

Back in the 1980’s and 90’s, an ensemble romcom-esque movie where characters go through relatable issues like Ella McCay would not have felt out of place. James L. Brooks, director of the Oscar-winning film Terms of Endearment, and later, one of the three creators of an all-time greatest show, The Simpsons, made his career in this genre. However, Brooks has been operating in Hollywood for so long that he has experienced the decline of this genre; his previous directorial effort, How Do You Know?, released in 2010, was a box office bomb and looked like the end of his career. That thought was premature, though, as Brooks has returned to the silver screen with another ensemble comedy that aims to bring back the emotional slice-of-life films that made him famous as a director. In the case of McCay, James L. Brooks mostly succeeds. With a dynamite performance by Emma Mackey, some solidly funny moments, and the nostalgia for a film of this now rare type, Ella McCay is a fun throwback and a solid directorial return.

              Despite the surprise narration by Julie Kavner (voice of Marge Simpson), the highlight of this breezy film is Emma Mackey as Ella McCay. She plays a high-strung lieutenant governor who is promoted to governor when her predecessor, Bill Moore (Albert Brooks, no relation to James L. Brooks), vacates the position for a federal cabinet posting. Mackey is in almost every scene in the movie, and balances the comedy and heartfelt moments really well. Her comedic highlights involve her unknowingly consuming marijuana at her brother’s place (Casey McCay, played by Spike Fearn), and going on about a dental program under the colloquial name of “Tooth Tutors,” and Mackey’s comedic wide-eyed looks of shock and stress. Hopefully, Mackey gets more lead opportunities after this role, as she proves in this movie that she can carry a film.

              Brooks, who also wrote the script, feels like he overextends himself in some parts of the film, but does a good job at giving everyone at least one moment in this ensemble comedy. Moments like Ella’s aunt, Helen McCay (played by Jamie Lee Curtis), running barefoot down the street, chasing Ella’s soon-to-be husband, Ryan Newell (played by Jack Lowden), after he snuck in through her window, provide levity. There are also some subtle jokes in the film, like a moment where Ella and Ryan are in bed after a tryst and Ella has what seems to be a blanket wrapped around her neck, seemingly insinuating roleplay during sex. The script does not feel as much of a cliché as it could have been, proving that James L. Brooks still has his finger on the pulse of this genre.

              Then there’s Ella’s bodyguard, State Trooper Nash (Kumail Nanjiani), who is constantly berating State Trooper Alexander (Joey Brooks, son of James L. Brooks) for not figuring out ways to hang out with his kids that don’t involve spending money. As much as the large ensemble is a plus, the movie does not work on all levels, though. Alexander appears out of nowhere and is forced in through his scheme to get overtime to pay for his kids during his visitation periods. After getting berated for it, he is seen but not heard from for the rest of the movie. There is also a storyline between Casey and his ex-girlfriend, Susan (Ayo Edebiri), that gets resolved in a way that confused the audience in my theatre.

              A film like Ella McCay would likely be forced onto streaming today, so it is nice that this film got an opportunity to play in theatres. Also, credit to the marketing department for this film for making an interactive poster.

By Craig Allan

Three stars

Song Sung Blue, a title that is as hard to say as it is to remember, is another musical biopic in the line of many musical biopics. Focusing on two smaller performers, it is different from biopics on artists like Elvis Presley or Johnny Cash; nevertheless, it still hits a lot of the same biopic beats. Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson are a good pairing, and the movie flows well due to the use of Neil Diamond songs. But the movie is just another standard biopic that really loses steam in the second half of the movie.

While Jackman is known for his role as Wolverine in Marvel comic movies, he also has a history of being a song and dance man, appearing in projects like The Greatest Showman and plays on Broadway like The Boy from Oz and The Music Man. Jackman clearly has a love for musicals, so Mike “Lightning” Sardina is a good fit for him. While he does not look like Diamond, Jackman does well to channel what Lightning calls “A Neil Diamond experience”. Hudson is also in fine form as Lightning’s wife and singing partner, Claire “Thunder” Sardina. Between her singing and her midwestern twang, Hudson puts in one of the better performances of her career. Along with supporting performances like King Princess as Lightning’s daughter Angelina Sardina, and a real standout performance by Ella Anderson as Rachel Cartwright, Claire’s daughter from a previous marriage, the cast of Song Sung Blue is the highlight of the film.

The on-stage performances are also well done, with the movie injecting more life into the Diamond catalogue beyond “Sweet Caroline.” The film was directed and written by Craig Brewer, who has directed music-based films like Hustle & Flow and the remake of Footloose. Though he has experience directing music-driven movies, his previous efforts did not have large stage components, which did not show in the execution of the musical numbers. Credit to frequent Brewer cinematographer Amy Vincent as well for the look of these numbers.

While the acting and music are good, the movie falters in the second half. The second half involves a tragic moment, which sucks all the goodwill and energy out of the movie. Outside of a funny moment involving the repair of a car, this second half is a real downer. Hudson does a good job at showcasing sadness after showing how happy her character has been, but it gets to the point of being dull in the second half as the movie stops progressing.

While the first half is good, this film might be hard to access for people who are not fans of Neil Diamond. It could be that the underperformance of the Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me from Nowhere is a sign that audiences might be getting tired of the musical biopics. Therefore, a movie not about Neil Diamond, but a cover band, might be really inaccessible for younger audiences who didn’t grow up with Diamond’s music. It might have been a better idea to just do a Diamond biopic, as that may have been a safer bet. Especially if it focused on his disastrous Jazz Singer remake.

Sing Sung Blue is a light, breezy affair that touches on connection and partnership, but it’s a little too clean in the first half and too down in the second. Comparing it to music, the song is not horrible, but the notes are off throughout. For audiences in the Vancouver Metro area, it might be more worth your time to hunt down a show from Nearly Neil, a Diamond cover band in the area, than to go out for Song Sung Blue.