Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is the kind of film we rely on the British to make, since Hollywood often seems incapable of producing movies that don’t constantly explain themselves to the viewer, like we are six-year-old children. Indeed, at the screening I attended, I heard more than a few whispered conversations as people tried to follow what was going on. You might call that poor storytelling, but I call it a lack of patience brought on by years of Hollywood coddling. This is a film that definitely rewards the patient viewer.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy-movie-review/

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows continues director Guy Ritchie’s efforts to turn the famous consulting detective into an action hero. But the more Holmes is moved in that direction, the more he moves away from the things that make the character who he is. Thus, while the sequel is fairly entertaining, it’s not as good as the first, and nowhere near many of the other stories in the Holmes canon.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/sherlock-holmes-a-game-of-shadows-movie-review/

The great power of film is its ability to draw the viewer into a lifelike world, which is one of the best arguments for seeing movies on a big screen – when the picture fills your vision, it has that much more effect. While War Horse does pull you in with impressive visuals and a moving story, problems in the adaptation undercut the experience by continually reminding how artificial this world is.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/war-horse-movie-review/

Director Steven Spielberg has spent nearly 30 years trying to bring The Adventures of Tintin to the big screen. The popular comics by Belgian artist Hergé have a worldwide fan base, but more so in Europe than in North America, which may limit the film’s appeal on these shores. Lack of knowledge of these stories should not deter you from seeing this movie, however. More than just an excellent family film, it’s an action-adventure on par with some of Spielberg’s best work.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/the-adventures-of-tintin-movie-review/

By way of full disclosure, I should mention at the start that I have not read Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, the bestselling Swedish mystery novels featuring punk hacker Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist. I also haven’t seen the trio of films originally made for Swedish television that were released to worldwide cinema two years ago. What I have seen is director David Fincher’s North American adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and while it’s not perfect, it’s a riveting experience that will stay with you.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-movie-review/

In real life, Tom Cruise inspires more eye rolls than excitement these days, but in the movies, he can still do the opposite. No matter how crazy the stunts or gadgets get in his Mission: Impossible movies, they still remain wild thrill rides. The sub-titled Ghost Protocol, fourth in the series, is just as good as the previous ones, even if the missions are beginning to seem a little less impossible.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/mission-impossible-ghost-protocol-movie-review/

There are few movie sub-genres more predictable than the babysitting comedy. The sitter, usually reluctant, arrives at the house, meets the kids, who are all uniquely troublesome, sends the parents off, and then proceeds to take the kids out of the house on some wild, irresponsible, and dangerous errand. This type of movie only succeeds on its details and its jokes. Jonah Hill’s new movie, The Sitter, hasn’t thought out the former and doesn’t have enough of the latter.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/the-sitter-movie-review/

Whether you consider it a blessing or a curse, we humans are obsessed with rational explanations. All children eventually wonder how Santa Claus delivers presents all over the world in one night, and because of this, there has been no shortage of family films and TV specials explaining how it’s done. Arthur Christmas is the latest of these, and while few of its explanatory ideas are new, it makes up for it with a story full of action, humour and heart.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/arthur-christmas-movie-review/

Those of us with formative years in the 70s and 80s remember The Muppets with great fondness. Whether learning and dancing with them on Sesame Street, or enjoying the offbeat humour and easy class of The Muppet Show, there was always something about them that appealed, even to the older generation. But although they’ve never really gone away, it’s been a long time since The Muppets were a big thing. Now they’re back, and while most of the best jokes have been given away in the advertising, The Muppets is still great entertainment for kids and their nostalgia-prone parents.

Read the rest of my review at Oakville.com:

http://www.oakville.com/articles/the-muppets-movie-review/