Movie Review: The Heat (2013)

Genre: Buddy Comedy Action  

Director: Paul Feig  

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy  

Running Time: 117 minutes  

Synopsis: New York-based FBI Agent Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) is exceptionally competent, but also arrogant and unpopular with her colleagues. She is dispatched to Boston to track down a brutal drug lord, and soon tangles with local streetwise cop Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy). The two woman have polar opposite approaches to law enforcement, but as they track down a large drug shipment, they learn more about each other.

What Works Well: This is a surprisingly effective and frequently hilarious buddy cop action comedy movie. The contrast in attitudes between Sandra Bullock's by-the-book commitment and Melissa McCarthy's by-the-seat-of-her-pants chaos drives plenty of laughs, conflicts, and eventually, revelations. Both actresses excel in their roles, and director Paul Feig moves from one comic highlight to the next with brisk pacing and vivid cinematography. The crass and crude dialogue aligns with nods to 1970s blaxploitation aesthetics.

What Does Not Work As Well: The plot comfortably fits on the back of a postage stamp, the villains are exceptionally generic, and beyond the two leads, there are no memorable secondary characters to meaningfully animate the edges.

Key Quote:

Ashburn: I was actually married for six-some years.

Mullins: Was he a hearing man?

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Movie Review: A Knight's Tale (2001)

Genre: Medieval Sports Action Romantic Comedy  
Director: Brian Helgeland  

Starring: Heath Ledger, Paul Bettany, Rufus Sewell, Shannyn Sossamon, Christopher Cazenove  

Running Time: 132 minutes  

Synopsis: In medieval Europe, jousting is a popular tournament sport, but only open to noblemen. When his master Sir Ector unexpectedly expires, commoner William Thatcher (Heath Ledger) decides to change his destiny and find a way to compete. Poet Chaucer (Paul Bettany) forges papers to "prove" that William descends from nobility, and William is soon winning tournaments. He falls in love at first sight with the noble Jocelyn (Shannyn Sossamon), but she is also being courted by his villainous competitive rival Count Adhemar (Rufus Sewell). 

What Works Well: This lighthearted adventure mixes sports arena action with romance, rivalries, and a feel-good underdog story. The medieval setting is a refreshing change from most rom-coms, and Heath Ledger is a dashing hero determined to rise above humble roots and achieve success - but only with a strong sense of morality and honour. Paul Bettany steals many scenes as the spotlight-loving gambling-addicted grandiloquent poet, and sudden modern music interruptions spike the comedic quotient.

What Does Not Work As Well: The running time is a solid 30 minutes too long, and the fundamentals of the romance between William and Jocelyn start and end with a few barbed exchanges. The stuntmen receive plenty of camera time in the numerous and repetitive jousting scenes, while interesting characters like Kate (a widowed blacksmith) and Prince Edward are short-changed.

Key Quote:

Adhemar (to William): You have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting. In what world could you possibly beat me?

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Movie Review: Blood Work (2002)

Genre: Crime Thriller  

Director: Clint Eastwood  

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Jeff Daniels, Anjelica Huston  

Running Time: 110 minutes  

Synopsis: In Los Angeles, FBI Agent Terry McCaleb (Clint Eastwood) suffers a heart attack while chasing a serial killer. Two years later, he is retired, living on a boat, and receives a new heart in a transplant surgery performed by Dr. Fox (Anjelica Huston). The heart donor was shot in a corner store hold-up, and her sister Graciella (Wanda De Jesus) implores Terry to investigate the death. Still ailing but feeling obligated, Terry initiates an unsanctioned investigation with help from his boat neighbour Buddy Noone (Jeff Daniels). They uncover a much more complex case than first meets the eye.

What Works Well: This adaptation of a Michael Connelly novel boasts a polished look, efficient pacing, and a smarter-than-usual plot for a thriller. The Brian Helgeland script maintains clarity through a measured mix of good clues and red herrings, and while Clint Eastwood looks too old for the early scenes as an on-duty FBI Agent, he provides soulful central presence as an exhausted post-surgery investigator. McCaleb’s personal connection to the case and the theme of the past haunting the present add vivid texture.

What Does Not Work As Well: The climax on a creaky rusting freighter is a bit of a let-down, and more could have been revealed about the villain’s background to delve deeper into a murderer’s mind.

Key Quote:

Graciella: So why do you live on a boat?

Terry: Because I hate mowing lawns.

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Movie Review: North Of Normal (2022)

Genre: Coming-of-Age Drama  
Director: Carly Stone  

Starring: Sarah Gadon, Amanda Fix, Robert Carlyle, James D'Arcy  

Running Time: 90 minutes  

Synopsis: Cea is a young girl raised off-grid in the rural Canadian wilderness by her unconventional hippie family, led by counterculture grandfather Papa Dick (Robert Carlyle). Her mother Michelle (Sarah Gadon) is perpetually high and never really grew up. Mother and daughter eventually leave the commune with a wanderer, and in adolescence Cea (Amanda Fix) enrolls in a public high school for the first time. She adapts to social norms and attempts modeling, while taking on a more adult role due to Michelle’s enduring immaturity.

What Works Well: The adaptation of Cea Sunrise Person's autobiographical book is a gentle exploration of jarring contrasts, director Carly Stone using elegant perspectives and enchanting cinematography to capture beauty within dislocation. From tent living in the middle of nowhere to integrating within a suburban community, Cea's journey is traced with heart, affection, and minimal melodrama. The challenge of growing up with a clueless mother adds a layer of tension, Cea forced to adapt to new surroundings and assume the burden of abdicated emotional responsibilities. Amanda Fix and Sarah Gadon both deliver warmly genuine performances.

What Does Not Work As Well: The frequent time jumps between Cea's adolescence and childhood are not all that necessary. While always engaging and graceful, ultimately this is a small and personal story with limited broad resonance.

Key Quote:

Papa Dick: What's my number one rule?

Cea: Never give in to fear.

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Movie Review: The Fan (1996)

Genre: Sports Drama Thriller  

Director: Tony Scott 

Starring: Robert De Niro, Wesley Snipes, Ellen Barkin, John Leguizamo, Benicio del Toro  

Running Time: 116 minutes  

Synopsis: Divorced salesman Gil Renard (Robert De Niro) is a die-hard fan of the San Francisco Giants baseball team. He is thrilled the Giants have signed star slugger Bobby Rayburn (Wesley Snipes) for the upcoming season. When Bobby starts to underperform and the fans turn on him, Gil redoubles his commitment to Bobby, and his fandom transitions to obsession. With Bobby's teammate Primo (Benicio del Toro) enjoying a stellar season, Gil descends into criminal acts.

What Works Well: The underlying premise of fan obsession is a worthwhile topic, exploring the pathetic psychology of a loser vicariously living through his dedication to one team, and more narrowly, one player. Without overextending, Robert De Niro and Wesley Snipes are never less than watchable.

What Does Not Work As Well: The tone never settles between drama, menace, and an ill-advised search for action. Director Tony Scott is caught in no man's land, contaminating what is ultimately a human story with bombastic overreach into thriller territory. Once Gil flips to criminal mode, the plot's essence is lost in favour of cheap thrills featuring multiple murders, a kidnapping, and a quite ridiculous over-clocked climax featuring a professional baseball game in the pouring rain.

Key Quote:

Bobby: At least you're not one of those diehard, you know, baseball fans. You know, really.

Gil: Why's that?

Bobby: Because those guys are losers.

Gil: Aren't the fans what it's all about?

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Movie Review: Two If By Sea (1996)

Genre: Romantic Caper Comedy  

Director: Bill Bennett  

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Denis Leary, Yaphet Kotto  

Running Time: 96 minutes  

Synopsis: Small-time and rather dim thief Frank (Denis Leary) and his long-suffering girlfriend Roz (Sandra Bullock) have just stolen a precious painting on behalf of a Boston mobster. While waiting to connect with the buyer, they help themselves to a hide-out at a lavish unoccupied Rhode Island vacation home. Roz is soon infatuated by wealthy neighbour Evan (Stephen Dillane), straining her relationship with Frank, while Detective O'Malley (Yaphet Kotto) closes in on the couple.

What Works Well: Yaphet Kotto lends undeserved stature to an otherwise talent-starved project. That a black cop could be called "O'Malley" is about as funny as the script gets. 

What Does Not Work As Well: Ineptly co-written by co-star and stand-up comic Denis Leary, this is a not-even-half-baked idea for an old fashioned romantic comedy that quickly withers and dies. Frank and Roz as a none-too-bright bickering couple are devastatingly uninteresting, charisma-free, and never funny, together creating a black hole that sucks the soul out of the content-challenged plot. An attempt at comic relief through the bungling antics of the Boston goons only serves to expose the witless core.

Key Quote:

Frank (to Roz): People like us are born in little houses and die in little houses, and we've got to find happiness somewhere in between.

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Movie Review: The Whisper Man (2026)

Genre: Suspense Thriller  

Director: James Ashcroft  

Starring: Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, Michael Keaton, Adam Scott  

Running Time: 111 minutes  

Synopsis: Tom Kennedy (Adam Scott) and his young son Jake relocate to a small suburban New Jersey community. Local police detective Amanda Beck (Michelle Monaghan) is dealing with a missing child case, raising fears that a serial child murderer is active in the area. 30 years prior, Tom's estranged father detective Peter Willis (Robert De Niro) had apprehended serial child murderer Frank Carter (Michael Keaton), who remains in prison. When Jake disappears, Tom, Peter, and Amanda have to confront the past and race against time to rescue the boy.

What Works Well: The cast is deep in talent, with Robert De Niro (conveying subdued weariness as a retired detective), Michelle Monaghan (grounded), and especially Michael Kearon (sharply unhinged as an incarcerated monster) ensuring quality in the key roles. The adaptation of Alex North's book is rich in characters and incidents, cross-cutting in time and place.

What Does Not Work As Well: Too much of the book appears crammed into a sub two-hour movie, resulting in shallow characterizations and short-changing the key father-son theme. More time was needed with Frank Carter and his offspring to explore a deep reservoir of psychological damage, and similarly the broken bond between Peter and Tom deserved further elaboration.

Key Quote:

Note sent by the child abductor: If you leave a door half open, soon you'll hear the whispers spoken.

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Movie Review: Hypnotic (2021)

Genre: Thriller  

Directors: Matt Angel, Suzanne Coote  

Starring: Kate Siegel, Jason O'Mara, Dulé Hill, Lucie Guest  

Running Time: 88 minutes  

Synopsis: In Portland, Jennifer (Kate Siegel) is suffering trauma after losing an unborn child and ending a long-term relationship with fiancé Paul. Her friend Gina (Lucie Guest) refers Jennifer to therapist Dr. Collin Meade (Jason O'Mara), who uses hypnotherapy to help patients. Jennifer is initially pleased with the results, but a mishap related to Paul's food allergies prompts her to delve into Meade's mysterious background with the help of Detective Rollins (Dulé Hill).

What Works Well: This competent, compact, and undemanding thriller enjoys a decent cast, a slick villain, and a feisty damsel-in-distress. Jason O'Mara as Dr. Meade oozes smiley menace from every thread of his expensive wardrobe, and the Richard D'Ovidio script maintains brisk pacing to wrap up proceedings in under 90 minutes.

What Does Not Work As Well: The hypnosis sessions are often skipped in their entirety, the science relegated to a high-concept demonstration of potential harms. With a singular focus on momentum, the plot gallops past numerous plot holes and revelations related to Dr. Meade's father, a name change, other victims, and previous investigations.

Key Quote:

Dr. Meade (to Jennifer): Only you can control your subconscious.

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Movie Review: The Vanished (2020)

Genre: Mystery Thriller  

Director: Peter Facinelli  
Starring: Thomas Jane, Anne Heche, Jason Patric  

Running Time: 115 minutes  

Synopsis: Married couple Paul and Wendy (Thomas Jane and Anne Heche) along with 10-year-old daughter Taylor arrive in their RV to an isolated lakeside camping site. As Paul gets to know their campsite neighbour Miranda (Aleksei Archer), Taylor disappears. Sheriff Baker (Jason Patric) arrives to investigate, and his men start a search of the surrounding woods. Paul and Wendy grow increasingly frantic when they learn an escaped convict is in the area. They also find Miranda and her husband Eric suspicious, while the camp ground manager and his assistant are plain creepy.

What Works Well: Writer and director Peter Facinelli creates a strong sense of place, the remote lakeside RV park (filmed in Tuscaloosa, Alabama) offering both beauty and mystery. The twisty plot leads Paul and Wendy on a wild ride, and they are soon much more than just concerned parents. Thomas Jane, Anne Heche, and Jason Patric provide sufficient quality in the lead roles to maintain interest.

What Does Not Work As Well: It takes a bewildering amount of police ineptitude to advance the plot. With a vulnerable child gone missing, Sheriff Baker and his officers do not properly search the premises (sordid secrets hide behind most doors), nor do they investigate the backgrounds of key characters, nor do they ever make meaningful progress on multiple related crime scenes (including two deaths and one missing person). Unsurprisingly, the compounding logic holes consume the predictable climax.

Key Quote:

Sheriff Baker, reassuring Paul and Wendy: I promise, I'll always be as transparent and as honest as I can be. You've got a partner here.

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Movie Review: The Man In The Moon (1991)

Genre: Coming-of-Age Drama  

Director: Robert Mulligan  

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Sam Waterston, Tess Harper, Gail Strickland, Jason London, Emily Warfield  

Running Time: 99 minutes  

Synopsis: The setting is rural Louisiana in the late 1950s. 14-year-old tomboy Dani (Reese Witherspoon) is growing up on a farm with her older sister Maureen (Emily Warfield) and their parents Matt and Abigail (Sam Waterston and Tess Harper). Dani likes to skinny dip at the local pond, where she meets 17-year-old Court (Jason London), the son of the widow Marie (Gail Strickland). Dani develops a crush on Court, and while he is interested, he also knows she is too young. A series of unexpected mishaps then shape Dani's transition to adulthood.

What Works Well: This old-fashioned and well-crafted coming-of-age story (written by Jenny Wingfield) combines the nostalgic innocence of simpler times with the joyous dizziness of first love, the responsibility for unintended consequences, and the devastating pain of experiencing loss. Reese Witherspoon (aged 14 in real life) sparkles in her debut, deploying a range of emotions and clever expressions to reveal the first draft of Dani the woman emerging from the shell of a girl. She is surrounded by several other well-drawn characters, including her father Matt, sister Maureen, and first love Court, who also experience their own complex emotional journeys.

What Does Not Work As Well: The burgeoning relationship between Dani and Court goes through some repetitive hot-and-cold beats. A few promising sub-plots are dangled then abandoned, including Maureen's boyfriend and his lecherous father, while the widow Marie has a backstory with Matt and an off-screen tragedy that are only mentioned in passing.

Key Quote:

Dani: You know...sometimes...I think nothing's ever gonna make sense again.

Maureen: Maybe life's not supposed to make sense.

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