Movie Review: Ladies First (2026)

Genre: Satirical Fantasy Comedy  

Director: Thea Sharrock  
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Rosamund Pike, Emily Mortimer, Charles Dance, Fiona Shaw  
Running Time: 93 minutes  

Synopsis: In London, Damien Sachs (Sacha Baron Cohen) is a misogynistic marketing company executive, in-line to be the next CEO. After he promotes previously ignored middle-manager Alex Fox (Rosamund Pike) to be a token female presence on the executive team, Damien bangs his head and wakes up in a world where women have all the power. Alex has his job and is the CEO-in-waiting, and men are treated like playthings and their opinions ignored. Damien has to find a way to return to his version of normal, and decides to compete with Alex for the CEO role.

What Works Well: Although in real life his character would have been marched out of the office carrying a box, Sacha Baron Cohen is adequate as a smug and over-confident executive. Some chuckles can be found in the representation of a topsy-turvy world where males are subservient, and a perpetually miffed cat makes for a good co-star.

What Does Not Work As Well: The premise is about 40 years out of date and may have been marginally funny in a 1980s context, although even by then Diane Keaton and Sigourney Weaver were already bossing the corner office. The imaginative dead-end of women behaving just as badly as men if roles were reversed results in ideas drying up by about the 30 minute mark. Desperate for any plot line to prolong proceedings, a "let's have a competition for CEO" results in a bizarre lack of self-awareness as order is restored with the supposedly more awakened man still destined to come out on top.

Key Quote:

Alex: Can you change a tire?

Damien: No. I'm a man.

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Movie Review: Office Romance (2026)

Genre: Romantic Comedy  

Director: Ol Parker  

Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Brett Goldstein  

Running Time: 115 minutes  

Synopsis: Jackie Cruz (Jennifer Lopez) is the embattled CEO of Air Cruz, the company founded by her father (Edward James Olmos). With the airline embroiled in legal action initiated by a competitor, Jackie works closely with lawyer Daniel Blanchflower (Brett Goldstein) from her legal team, and they fall in love despite the company's strict policy forbidding office romances. Jackie's pregnant assistant Sydney (Betty Gilpin) starts to suspect that her boss is in a relationship, and when Jackie's private life is dragged into the legal action, the romance is threatened.

What Works Well: Jennifer Lopez makes for a glamorous CEO.

What Does Not Work As Well: It's difficult to believe that an HR policy can be the catalyst for a rom-com, and sure enough this limp effort leans heavily on adults behaving like (literally) horny teenagers. Daniel gets tongue-tied and develops a very visible erection in Jackie's presence, and his use of the "c" word, apparently quite acceptable in his native England, is over-deployed. It's never clear if the pregnant Sydney is supposed to be comic relief, a supporter, or an antagonist, but she is victimized by a shock-for-shock's sake birth scene. Equally, Daniel's incarcerated sister (Jodie Whittaker) is a sub-plot that goes nowhere.

Key Quote:

Jackie (to Daniel): Do you believe in magic?

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Movie Review: The Rebound (2009)

Genre: Romantic Comedy  

Director: Bart Freundlich  

Starring: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Justin Bartha  
Running Time: 95 minutes  

Synopsis: 40-year-old suburbanite housewife Sandy (Catherine Zeta-Jones) separates from her cheating husband and moves to New York City with her two pre-teen kids. She finds a sportscasting job and leans on 25-year-old barista Aram (Justin Bartha) for babysitting. He is a college graduate but aimlessly drifting through life and still living with his parents. Gradually a romance evolves between Sandy and Aram, but the age difference will get into the way.

What Works Well: Catherine Zeta-Jones is radiant as a mom getting to grips with a new stage of life, and director Bart Freundlich avoids romanticizing Manhattan. The final act seeks originality within genre confines. 

What Does Not Work As Well: This clunky rom-com suffers from poor pacing, a paucity of ideas, unfunny secondary characters (Aram's parents are obnoxious), and a lack of both subtlety and wit. A couple of scenes (a woman's self-defense class, Sandy's disastrous date with a chiropractor) are prolonged well after the humour runs out. Vulgarity is deployed in a misguided search for laughs, with adults who should know better and kids spouting foul language. Sandy and Aram generate limited romantic chemistry, and it's never clear what a supposedly smart woman sees in his failure-to-launch character other than convenient babysitting services. 

Key Quote:

Sandy (to Aram): Someone like you shouldn't be with someone like me - an old girlfriend with two kids.

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Movie Review: Convoy (1978)

Genre: Anti-Authoritarian Action Comedy  

Director: Sam Peckinpah  

Starring: Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw, Ernest Borgnine, Burt Young  

Running Time: 111 minutes  

Synopsis: On the open highways of Arizona, trucker Martin "Rubber Duck" Penwald (Kris Kristofferson) tangles with photographer Melissa (Ali MacGraw) in her speedy convertible. At a truck stop she sells the car and becomes his passenger. When corrupt Sheriff Lyle Wallace (Ernest Borgnine) shakes down Rubber Duck and his trucker friends "Pig Pen" (Burt Young) and "Spider" Mike (Franklyn Ajaye), a brawl ensues. The truckers flee and motor into New Mexico, where they are joined by many other disgruntled truck drivers. The convoy becomes a public spectacle and political headache.

What Works Well: Freedom expressed as enjoyment of the open road is both nostalgic and poetic, and the kinetic visual imagery of massive trucks roaring down the highway under gorgeous skies is impressive. Cinematographer Harry Stradling Jr. also excels in capturing countless stunts involving crashing police cars and overturning trucks. The movie was inspired by the fun 1975 C.W. McCall song of the same name.

What Does Not Work As Well: There is no plot to speak of, and no meaningful characters beyond cartoon cut-outs (Ernest Borgnine suffering most from peak buffoonery). The script generally consists of CB radio chatter, and the movie invests in exactly one scene to spell out - straight to the camera - a cacophony of grievances (high gas prices, low speed limits, corrupt law enforcement, the Vietnam War, Nixon, Rockfeller). The final act steps into the ridiculous, bringing in heavy weaponry and big explosions for the sake of spectacle.

Key Quote:

Melissa (referring to the huge convoy of trucks behind Rubber Duck): But they're all following you.

Rubber Duck: No, they ain't. I'm just in front of them.

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Movie Review: Some Girls (1988)

Genre: Romantic Comedy  

Director: Michael Hoffman  

Starring: Patrick Dempsey, Jennifer Connelly, Lila Kedrova  

Running Time: 94 minutes  

Synopsis: American college student Michael (Patrick Dempsey) heads to Quebec City at the invitation of his girlfriend Gabby (Jennifer Connelly), who had abruptly abandoned him mid-semester. Gabby lives in a spooky old mansion along with her parents and two sisters Irenka (Sheila Kelley) and Simone. Gabby is flirty but admits to Michael she no longer loves him. He is further disoriented by overtures from the two sisters and a series of surreal encounters with Gabby's Granny (Lila Kedrova), who is suffering from dementia and mistakes Michael for her deceased husband.

What Works Well: This quirky romantic comedy combines cloak-and-dagger aesthetics, sly behaviour, and minor fantasy elements. The European sensibility is emphasized within the French Canadian setting, where the sisters disassociate lust from romance, nudity is common (Gabby's father can only write while naked), generational bonds are strong, femininity remains an ethereal mystery, and the surrounding snowy forests can nurture desires and secrets. Michael is the outsider awakening to how little he understands a different culture.  

What Does Not Work As Well: As the central character, Michael is also unfortunately purely reactionary, reduced to a series of embarrassments, befuddlements, and bamboozlements. Elsewhere, some secondary characters (Gabby's mother, Irenka's sort-of boyfriend) contribute uneven influence.

Key Quote:

Gabby's father (to Michael): How many of my daughters have you slept with?

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Movie Review: Best Seller (1987)

Genre: Thriller  

Director: John Flynn  

Starring: Brian Dennehy, James Woods  

Running Time: 95 minutes  

Synopsis: Police officer and celebrated writer Dennis Meechum (Brian Dennehy) became famous after publishing a best-selling book about a notorious heist that left several officers dead. 15 years later Dennis is a single dad, tired of policing, and suffering from writer's block. Professional assassin Cleve (James Woods) approaches Dennis to write a non-fiction book exposing the ruthless methods of wealthy industrialist Madlock. The skeptical Dennis investigates Cleve's story, and his own life is soon endangered.

What Works Well: This briskly-paced thriller mixes an original premise and moments of action with a thorny buddy story, Larry Cohen's script most interested in the intriguing dynamics between detective and assassin. Dennis is following a scent without losing sight of his purpose, while Cleve's psychotic yet strangely sympathetic hitman is seeking respect and redemption. James Woods delivers one of his best performances, finding a cool edge but never over-stepping into theatricality.

 

What Does Not Work As Well: Unfortunately, the secondary characters are barely sketched in, creating a hollow chamber around the plot idea. The capitalistic villain Madlock could have been so much more, and the women in Dennis' life (his daughter and agent) are reduced to stock representations. The middle act struggles for content and overcooks Cleve's smugness and Dennis' cynicism.

Key Quote:

Cleve (to Dennis): You need me. We need each other.

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Movie Review: Cop (1988)

Genre: Crime Thriller  

Director: James B. Harris  

Starring: James Woods, Charles Durning, Lesley Ann Warren  

Running Time: 110 minutes  

Synopsis: Highly stressed Los Angeles Police Detective Lloyd Hopkins (James Woods) takes on the case of a young woman brutally murdered in her apartment. After his wife and daughter leave him, Lloyd immerses himself in the investigation, concluding that the victim was a feminist and the assailant enjoys poetry and may be a serial killer. Supported by Detective "Dutch" Peltz (Charles Durning), Lloyd tangles with corrupt Deputy Sherriff Delbert Haines (Charles Haid) before seeking insight from feminist author Kathleen McCarthy (Lesley Ann Warren).

What Works Well: Director and writer James B. Harris adapts the James Ellroy book into a gritty crime procedural with neo-noir vibes. Despite no shortage of violence and suspense, the focus is on the character of Lloyd Hopkins, a restless detective with strong convictions, a short temper, and dubious morals, unable to get out of his own way. James Woods injects unrelenting energy into the role, powering through a sordid plot punctuated by sex and blood.

What Does Not Work As Well: The frequency of coincidences and vague plot points is high, even for this type of hard boiled everyone-is-shady thriller. Lloyd's inability to ever read a room and modulate his behaviour confines him to the status of a ticking time bomb, while the third act suffers from an exceptionally poorly defined villain and barely explained motives.

Key Quote:

Lloyd: Well, there's some good news and there's some bad news. The good news is you're right - I'm a cop and I've gotta take you in. The bad news is I've been suspended and I don't give a fuck.

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Movie Review: Run All Night (2015)

Genre: Action Thriller  

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra  

Starring: Liam Neeson, Ed Harris, Joel Kinnaman, Vincent D'Onofrio, Common, Nick Nolte, Genesis Rodriguez, Boyd Holbrook, Bruce McGill  

Running Time: 114 minutes  

Synopsis: In New York City, Jimmy (Liam Neeson) is an aging hitman working for his life-long friend, mobster Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris). Shawn's unhinged son Danny (Boyd Holbrook) instigates a bloodbath witnessed by Jimmy's estranged son Mike (Joel Kinnaman), a limousine driver and family man who wants nothing to do with his father. Over one long night, Jimmy has to protect Mike and his family from Shawn's wrath, a corrupt police force, and a professional assassin (Common), while police Detective Harding (Vincent D'Onofrio) tries to pick up the pieces.

What Works Well: The father-son redemption story is elevated by an exceptional cast in top form. In the interludes between uncompromising action set-pieces, Liam Neeson and Ed Harris share several scenes full of sorrow, lament, the weight of history, and an understanding of a looming fate. Neeson's Jimmy is increasingly unable to hide from the ghosts of his victims, but now finds a purpose in a mission to rescue his son and maybe get a glimpse of family life. Director Jaume Collet-Serra adds style by cutting through the darkness with glistening swoopiness.

What Does Not Work As Well: Many of the action scenes are prolonged beyond what is necessary, including a long-winded car pursuit, a chaotic search-and-escape through a large apartment complex, and a subway station hide-and-seek sequence. In contrast, several interesting secondary characters including Mike's wife (Genesis Rodriguez) and Jimmy's brother (Nick Nolte) and mother (Lois Smith) are short changed.

Key Quote:

Jimmy: It's your regrets that haunt you in your final moments. Everything you've failed to be. Everyone you let down. Everything you'd go back and change, if only you had more time.

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Movie Review: F/X (1986)

Genre: Thriller  

Director: Robert Mandel  

Starring: Bryan Brown, Brian Dennehy, Diana Venora, Cliff De Young, Jerry Orbach  

Running Time: 108 minutes  

Synopsis: In New York City, movie special effects expert Rollie Tyler (Bryan Brown) is hired by Justice Department official Lipton (Cliff De Young) to stage the death of mob informer DeFranco (Jerry Orbach). But immediately after the fake assassination, Rollie finds himself a target and realizes he has been set-up, with his girlfriend Ellen (Diana Venora) also endangered. Rollie has to use his special effects skills to escape and clear his name, while gruff police Detective McCarthy (Brian Dennehy) wades into the case.

What Works Well: A relatively innovative premise creates intriguing opportunities for melding visual tricks of the screen into the "real" movie-created world. Bryan Brown is lithe and suave in the central role, and Brian Dennehy as a frumpy battering ram of a detective provides a good counterpoint. Director Robert Mandel ensures brisk pacing and high-energy chase and action scenes.

What Does Not Work As Well: The plot mechanics are ludicrous to the point of not even attempting an explanation. Rollie transitions, in a quite a hurry, from a regular Joe to an all-action hero with secret agent abilities and willingness to use lethal force. The whiff of a B-movie is accentuated by clunky dialogue and amateurish secondary performances, with Martha Gehman as Rollie's assistant suffering the most.

Key Quote:

Ellen: Nobody cares about making movies about people any more. All they care about is special effects.

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Movie Review: Enola Holmes (2020)

Genre: Mystery Action  

Director: Harry Bradbeer  

Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Sam Claflin, Henry Cavill, Helena Bonham Carter  

Running Time: 123 minutes  

Synopsis: It's England in the 1880s, and parliament is debating expansion of voting rights. 16-year-old Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown) was raised as an independent thinker by her mother Eudoria (Helena Bonham Carter), after her older brothers Sherlock and Mycroft (Henry Cavill and Sam Claflin) left home. Now Eudoria disappears, and Enola is unwillingly thrust into the care of the traditionalist Mycroft. She runs away and encounters Tewksbury (Louis Partridge), a young aristocrat also running from his family. Using clues left by her mother, Enola has to find Eudoria, help Tewksbury, and evade capture.

What Works Well: The target audience of 12 to 15-year-old girls will enjoy Millie Bobby Brown's spunky performance and the can-do message of girl power. England of the 1880s is recreated with beautiful settings, including the lavish Holmes estate and the muddy bustling chaos of London.

What Does Not Work As Well: As the jumbled and overstuffed action shifts from Eudoria's disappearance to Enola's escape then Tewksbury's barely explained sub-plot, Enola breaks the fourth wall with annoying frequency. Meanwhile, the anachronistic militant feminist message (with a generous side-dish of anti-male contempt) is delivered with sledgehammer subtlety, while the caught-in-the-middle Sherlock Holmes has never been less effective. In the rush to lecture and hector, the script fails to properly discuss neither the politics nor the threat of violence that supposedly propel the plot.

Key Quote:

Tewksbury: I'm a man.

Enola: You're a man when I tell you you're a man.

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