Handsome Devil: Movie Review

A well-told entertaining and inspiring coming-of-age story for our times.

Handsome Devil is a great film because it effortlessly combines characters both relatable and vital to the well-being of society, important themes of acceptance and self-confidence, and grandiose statements on the nature of growing-up, and put them all in an entertaining story. It brings to mind similar films that have come before it, notably Dead Poets Society and School Ties, but still draws a favourable comparison. This is a film for now, for this generation of school kids, and is good enough to make a difference.		2016 Directed by: John Butler Screenplay by: John Butler Starring: Fionn O'Shea, Nicholas Galitzine, and Andrew Scott

Shimmer Lake: Movie Review

Atmosphere and comedy hold together backwards crime drama.

Shimmer Lake has a great atmosphere and an intriguing sense that an interesting mystery is unfolding. It starts on Friday only giving hints as to what happened. Then progressing backwards through the week, providing further clues, and a few dead bodies, to show how it all went down. It takes most of that time to produce a coherent crime drama and the comedic casting makes it difficult to strike the right tone; however, by the end, you have watched a funny, interesting crime drama best told in reverse.		2017 Directed by: Oren Uziel Screenplay by: Oren Uziel Starring: Benjamin Walker, Rainn Wilson

Megan Leavey: Movie Review

The bond between woman and dog with emotional strength.

Megan Leavey is a dog movie, but it’s also a war movie. Kate Mara stars as Megan Leavey, a young woman who turned to alcohol following the death of her best friend who died at the hands of drugs and alcohol. She’s very clearly lost in life and has no difficulty admitting it; she blames her parents (mostly her mother) for not letting her cope, but she had to get out of the house and do something, so she joined the Marine Corps.		2017 Directed by: Gabriela Cowperthwaite Screenplay by: Pamela Gray, Annie Mumolo, and Tim Lovestedt Starring: Kate Mara, Ramon Rodriguez