By John H. Foote (*) In theatres What happened? Such a marvelous cast, combined with a solid director, and this is what happens? Ouch. It has bomb written all over it and, if I am not mistaken, just smells bad. After some great films such as Three Kings (1999), The Fighter (2010), Silver Linings Playbook…
By John H. Foote (****) Is Cate Blanchett our greatest film actress (after Meryl Streep of course)? There is, in my opinion, no one greater than Streep, but if anyone is, and could one day challenge Streep’s body of work, it is Cate Blanchett. Her latest performance in Tar promises her an Academy Award nomination…
By John H. Foote (***) On Netflix The tragic life of Marilyn Monroe has been told in books, TV films, documentaries, plays and film. I am not sure any one of them captures her naked vulnerability with as much visceral power as this new film, Blonde. It is a difficult watch, but the extraordinary lead…
By John H. Foote (**) In theatres I have struggled with writing this review for more than a week, not because I did not know what to say, but I wanted it to be as honest as I could be without being cruel. Nope did not work for me, at all, I found it trite,…
By John H. Foote (****) On Criterion Blu Ray There is no doubt that Raging Bull is among the greatest films ever made, a visceral and punishing biography of middle weight fighter Jake LaMotta from the forties and through his retirement. I first saw the film opening night in Toronto at the Uptown Theatre with…
By John H. Foote Harvey Weinstein was a bullying sexual predator who preyed on the dreams of young women who wanted into the movie business. He would lure them to a hotel room and then attempt to assault them, often raping them, scarring them for life with his actions. He began doing this in the…
By John H. Foote (**) In theatres Let’s be clear: Elvis had a danger about him that this film never approaches, a sexual energy that they just did not capture. One of the best-looking men of the last century, impossibly good looking in his prime, Elvis was a macho man in big capital letters. He…
By John H. Foote (****) Streaming on Prime Emma Thompson should be declared a national treasure for Great Britain. She remains, at 63, one of the most fearless actresses working in film. Though it has been three decades since she won an Academy Award for Best Actress, and three years later one for Screenplay Adaptation,…
By John H. Foote (****) Streaming on Netflix For his sublime performance in Hustle, a new Netflix film, Adam Sandler might just get the Academy Award nomination for Best Actor he so deserved for his acclaimed performance in Uncut Gems (2019). Nomination? Hell, he deserved to win Best Actor for his magnificent, jittery, wildly brilliant…
By John H. Foote (**) In theatres Remember the awe and majesty we felt seeing that massive dinosaur in the very first Jurassic Park film nearly 30 years ago? Taken to the park on a chopper, the good doctor and his assistant land not knowing what to expect. A short time later, riding in a…