The Incredible Jessica James: Movie Review

Not as incredible as she thinks she is.

The Incredible Jessica James is only partly a misnomer. The title Jessica (played by The Daily Show’s Jessica Williams) thinks of herself as incredible. She also likes to use many other adjectives to describe how wonderful she is, but it doesn’t take long before the audience just finds her annoying and incredibly insufferable. Oddly the movie around her is mostly non-descript. An unremarkable comedy-drama mixing together a little quarter-life crisis with a romantic comedy.		2017 Directed by: James C. Strouse Screenplay by: James C. Strouse Starring: Jessica Williams, Chris O'Dowd

Girls Trip: Movie Review

Funny and satisfying film about love, sex, pee, drugs, debauchery and self-acceptance.

The thing about Girls Trip that works is that it cares about its characters, and its audience. It’s a funny film – crass, funny, and sweet; and so effortlessly it has us caring about this foursome of women. None of these character types are new to film, and none are overly complicated, but they all contribute to the film and there’s a genuineness to all four of them which makes the predictability and relationship drama easier to swallow.		2017 Directed by: Malcolm D. Lee Screenplay by: Kenya Barris, Tracy Oliver Starring: Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Tiffany Haddish and Jada Pinkett Smith

Dunkirk: Movie Review

Visually and aurally immersive experience of war.

Christopher Nolan decided to tell a World War II movie. One thing needs to be made very clear: this is not a story; this is a visually and aurally immersive experience of war. I’m sure many people were thinking Dunkirk would be something along the lines of Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan but updated with today’s impressive technology and added upon with Nolan’s visual flair, but Nolan is striking a very different chord. Dunkirk just wants to get you in your seat and throw a thousand different things at you.		2017 Directed by: Christopher Nolan Screenplay by: Christopher Nolan Starring: Mark Rylance, Fionn Whitehead, Cillian Murphy, Kenneth Branagh

To the Bone: Movie Review

Dramedy tied together with empathy.

To the Bone is a somber yet intriguingly uplifting look at the life of a young woman struggling with anorexia nervosa, and this is the extreme side of the disorder, literally on the brink of death. Or looking at that another way, the film is about a young woman dying who is incapable of saving herself. Not an easy watch, but that’s also only in parts because of the film’s use of humour and introduction of supporting characters there is a feeling of optimism scattered throughout.		2017 Directed by: Marti Noxon Screenplay by: Marti Noxon Starring: Lily Collins, Keanu Reeves

The Big Sick: Movie Review

Funny, heartfelt romantic comedy with real characters (literally).

The Big Sick explores several topics including the struggle of artists as they try to make it big, the clash of American and Pakistani cultures, relationships with in-laws, and how near-death experiences can change people and their loved ones, and it does all of this while being framed as a romantic comedy. Which is just one of the reasons it’s a good movie: an accessible and entertaining romantic comedy but approaches it from more interesting, and refreshing, view points.		2017 Directed by: Michael Showalter Screenplay by: Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani Starring: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan