Movie Review: Normal (2025)

Genre: Crime Action Comedy  

Director: Ben Wheatley  

Starring: Bob Odenkirk, Lena Headey, Henry Winkler  

Running Time: 91 minutes  

Synopsis: Two Yakuza underlings are assigned the unglamorous work of guarding crime proceeds in sleepy and frigid Normal, Minnesota. Around the same time, jaded law enforcement officer Ulysses (Bob Odenkirk) is appointed the town's Interim Sheriff. He finds the locals quirky, with an unusual amount of weaponry and unexplained wealth. When two hapless robbers unintentionally expose the Yakuza's haul at the local bank, Ulysses realizes that the whole town is corrupt, starting with the Mayor (Henry Winkler). A bloody war ensues.

What Works Well: Bob Odenkirk finds the necessary caustic but laidback spirit as a lawman rediscovering his passion just in time to improvise survival in an impossible situation. The overall premise leans far into ridiculous territory to find plenty of laughs, and several characters meet unexpected - and always ultraviolent - endings.

What Does Not Work As Well: The murky and muddy washed-out visuals are simply horrid. While the action is entertaining, nothing here is memorable, and the Tarantinoesque ambitions for gore overload lack artistry, ultimately achieving numbness.

Key Quote:

Ulysses: Calm cleans messy.

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Movie Review: Animals (2026)

Genre: Crime Drama Thriller  

Director: Ben Affleck  

Starring: Ben Affleck, Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson  

Running Time: 106 minutes  

Synopsis: Mark Kimball (Ben Affleck) is an independent candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles. With election day approaching, he navigates financial pressures with campaign manager Sam (Steven Yuen). Meanwhile, Mark's wife Abigail (Kerry Washington) is having a secret affair. Their child Denny is cared for by housekeeper Cecilia (Adriana Paz), whose partner Ramon (Luis Geraldo Mendez) is a proud handyman but an illegal alien in the US. Mark's world is upended when Denny is kidnapped and held for a $7 million ransom. Sam calls upon shadowy high-priced fixer Dayle Burton (Gillian Anderson) to resolve the crisis, but many unexpected twists await.

What Works Well: This slick thriller builds tension with taut pacing, several surprises, and an icy Gillian Anderson performance. The foundational cracks in the relationship between Mark and Abigail (he is keeping money secrets, she is cheating) provide a crackle in the pair's reaction to the kidnapping, while Dayle's all-business approach to crisis management adds a riveting core of emotionless efficiency. Housekeeper Cecilia and her partner Ramon grow in prominence as the clock ticks down.

What Does Not Work As Well: The limited information about the kidnapper leaves the drama short of a worthwhile villain. A couple of scenes hint at budget limitations, notably an under-staged but supposedly pivotal public campaign event. The plot is overburdened with sub-themes, including the status of immigrants, the class divide, campaign finance, a fractured marriage, and corruption embedded in money-fueled power. Unsurprisingly, the resolutions fall short, and the postscript to the kidnapping ordeal is particularly unconvincing.

Key Quote:

Dayle: Power creates leverage, and leverage dictates outcomes.

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Movie Review: Project Hail Mary (2026)

Genre: Science Fiction Adventure  

Directors: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller  

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller  

Running Time: 156 minutes  

Synopsis: Middle school science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up disoriented on a spaceship deep in space. Flashbacks reveal his mission: he was recruited by scientist Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller) to join a team frantically attempting to save the Sun - and therefore life on Earth - from a microorganism depleting its power. Grace's mission is to approach a star that appears immune to the microbic alien threat and uncover its resiliency. As he approaches his target, Grace connects with another being on a similar mission.

What Works Well: The adaptation of Andy Weir's book mixes themes from E.T. The Extra-terrestrial and The Martian, with nods towards Close Encounters Of The Third Kind and Arrival. The cinematography and special effects are often spectacular, and Ryan Gosling, largely on his own, provides the necessary heart and soul as the reluctant space traveler improvising multiple concurrent rescues. The alien Rocky, on a similar mission to Grace and evolving into his unlikely scientific partner, is an innovative presence and lands - marginally - on the tolerable side of cutesy. The dialogue exchanges between Grace and Rocky provide rich grounds for quotable dry humour.

What Does Not Work As Well: Nowhere near as good as its various sources of inspiration, this science fiction tale shortchanges the science to condescending levels and leaves large blanks whenever rigour and complexity are required. The running time is excessive, and the pacing noticeably drags on several occasions. As the adventure trudges along and repeatedly aims for simple messages, huggy emotions, and faux moments of sentimentality, the target audience narrows towards children and collectible chasers.

Key Quote:

Rocky: Amaze. Amaze. Amaze.

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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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