The Materialists (2025) was a fantastic and surprising watch. From the trailers, this film doesn't look like much, but given the chance to unfold over its slow pace it provided a calm perspective on what matters most in life and love. Less rom-com and more social commentary. Likely not a repeat watch, but worth watching.
Last night I had all to myself, so I decided to head to the theatre to check out this adaption of Stephen King's first-written novel. Thankfully, this adaptation was much better than that of The Life of Chuck (2025).
The Life of Chuck (2025) is such a disappointment.
The trailers make it look like a much better, and put together, film than it actually is.
I wonder if King’s novella is just as bad, or rather the film is simply a poor adaptation.
On a whim the other night we landed on Alice, Darling (2022) to watch. Moments into the film we could tell that it was a Canadian production.
For those not from The Great White North, Canadian television and film productions have a certain understated flair to them. It’s hard to pin down what makes a Canadian production standout, other than you immediately know when you are watching one.
During the first 40% of the film we figured it was going to end up being a bust. Luckily, it was a slow burn of a watch that really came together in the final 30-45mins. The build up to the finale was easy to spot and anticipated, but it wasn’t clear if the crescendo would ever actually arrive.
I’m glad we stuck with the film because it was a rewarding watch in the end. Not a rewatch, but an easy recommend.
Since yesterday was Valentine’s Day, we figured we’d watch something at least somewhat romantic. Given that we rarely have enough time in the evenings to stay awake through a full-length (2+ hour) movie, we aimed for a 90-minute flick. At that length, the options are usually limited to family-friendly films or romantic comedies. We went with the latter.
Not knowing much about it beforehand, Aloha (2015) seemed like a promising choice, given its star-studded cast: Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, Bill Murray, John Krasinski, and Danny McBride. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long to realize we’d picked a lemon.
It’s hard to tell whether the movie was trying to be a romantic comedy, a half-baked spy thriller, or a social commentary on billionaire egos. Maybe all three? Whatever the intent, it failed to deliver anything meaningful.
There were fleeting moments of romance, and I caught myself laughing out loud a few times, but not often enough to feel engaged. In hindsight, we should have gone with a rewatch of Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)— a film that delivers from start to finish.