movies

Joy Ride (2023)
Buckle up for a gloriously raucous hot rod in female-led comedy. It's unabashedly ribald, fiercely sex-positive, and a welcome reprieve by flipping burnt-out gender stereotypes; although its brazenness may eject sensitive viewers. Even a perfunctory "finding roots" theme and the Deadeye character equivalent to a flat can't stop it from punching the accelerator. Rare proof that empowerment and raunch can both ride in the front seat.

The Idea of You (2024)
A piquant romcom deploying familiar tropes yet elevated by the taboo pairing of an older woman with a younger man revealing societal hypocrisy. While the male interest is the unfortunate embodiment of the manic pixie dream guy, a charming undercooked fantasy, Solène's family-first sacrifice adds emotional ballast, making the happy ending feeling earned. Formulaic but compellingly human.

Robot & Frank (2012)
A warm, quirky tale about a retired thief and his android caretaker forging an unlikely bond. Sadly undermined by extraneous subplots, the most egregious is Madison's irrelevant character; and a forced revelation defies credulity. Thankfully, its brisk runtime and central heart prevail.

Wyrmwood (2014)
Aspires to be a hybrid of Mad Max's chrome fury and Dawn of the Dead's dreadful horror but misfires and sputters into shambling neutral. Campy absurdity sparks too late amid tonally jarring shifts, while neither horror nor humour properly ignites. Brief spurts of fleshed-out scenes injects potential but is ultimately devoured by the undead. Choose a lane.

Eat, Pray, Love (2010)
"Americans know entertainment, but don't know pleasure" is this film’s inadvertent epitaph. Profoundly American superficiality, tailor-made for "live, laugh, love" audiences mistaking spiritual tourism for enlightenment. It fully embodies the banal aphorism of its title, pleasant Kodak sunsets masks the starvation of authenticity. A hollow triptych of postcard profundity.

All this vehicular imagery was fun and a little exhausting to write.