Happy New Year everyone!!! Let’s make 2021 a good one!! I thought I would start this year off with some movie reviews!! Enjoy!!
Who misses going to the movie theatres?! I know I do!! I always loved going to watch a new movie or heading to a movie premiere with my friends and family!! Everyone has to agree that besides the movie, the best part about the theatres was…the popcorn…nothing can ever beat movie theatre popcorn. Since movie theatres have been closed I have made my own movie theatre in my bedroom. This last week of winter break I have been on a serious movie binge. From thrillers, to cheesy romances, to 3 hour long movies, at any time of day I was watching a movie. Many of you may be thinking “Does she not have a life?” and honestly that is true with us being in lockdown again…KIDDING I obviously do other things than spending all day watching movies to keep myself busy! I am just a movie fanatic and watching movies is just my favourite time of the day!! If you don’t know what to watch and need a new movie, here is a list of some of my favourite titles I have watched this week!!
Soul
Soul is full of surprises and a truly inspiring movie!! Disney & Pixar’s Christmas gift to us all! I watched this movie with my little brother and he loved it too! Not only will little kids love it but it will definitely have a deeper meaning for adults watching this film. Soul follows middle school teacher Joe Gardner, voiced by Jamie Foxx who finally gets to live out his dream at the best Jazz club in town. Hours after he hears the news, he has an accident that takes him from the streets of New York City to The Great Before – a fantastical, vivid place where new souls find their personalities, quirks and interests before heading to Earth. On a mission to return to Earth, he teams up with soul 22, voiced by Tina Fey, who does not understand the purpose of living life. As Joe is showing 22 the best parts about life, along the way he discovers and learns some of life’s important lessons. This film made me cry, made me laugh and made me smile. The animations were exquisite and vivid, the movie seemed so real!!! Soul takes life lessons and clarity to the next level. I honestly did not know I liked Jazz until I heard some of the amazing pieces throughout the film. Anyone looking for a cute, meaningful movie, definitely watch Soul! You can stream Soul on Disney+.
A side note, Adobe Creative Cloud has partnered up with Pixar, Disney and the movie Soul and created a contest where you get a chance to design a soundtrack cover for the movie. I love graphic design and decided to take a chance and enter. Down below you’ll see both my submissions. I used both Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator and had so much fun creating these pieces! I love drawing and putting graphics together it has to be my favourite thing to do!! My absolute favourite is definitely the second submission. The colours and animations perfectly describe the Jazz, clarity and the meaning of music in the movie. Slide on the photo down below to get a glance at both designs created by myself!!


All My Life
Warning: Grab a tissue box before watching this film. Not only did this film make me bawl my eyes out, but this story was really touching. All My Life is based on a true story of a young couple from Toronto, Solomon Chau, played by Harry Shum Jr. and Jennifer Carter, played by Jessica Rothe. From the moment they meet, they automatically click and fall in love with each other. Jennifer and Solomon are your vision of the perfect, happy, newly engaged couple who are ready to spend their lives together. After Solomon is diagnosed with terminal cancer, their hopes for a summer wedding starts diminishing. As days and doubting moments go by, their family and friends put together an inspirational plan, and raise money to help Jennifer and Solomon have their dream wedding. Not only does the movie have an amazing soundtrack that fast-forward’s the tears, but the chemistry between the two characters really emphasizes the relationship and the story the real couple had, as if the viewers knew exactly who they were. One part that really tugged on my heartstrings, was the end of the movie during the credits, they showed footage from the actual couple’s wedding…that was so heartwarming and I automatically started bawling. I think this movie also taught me that you never know what could happen in your life and you have to make sure you live life to the fullest when you can, no matter what may happen. When you are surrounded by amazing friends and family anything is possible. You can stream All My Life on Soap2Day.
Drive
ALRIGHT who doesn’t love Ryan Gosling?! He is an amazing actor, and this movie is one of his best works. Drive follows Ryan Gosling’s character Driver, who is a skilled Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway car for criminals. Driver holds a guard up, until he starts growing closer to his neighbour Irene played by Carrie Mulligan and her younger son Benecio. When Irene’s husband gets out of jail, he confides in Driver to help him finish a million-dollar heist that he hadn’t got to start before he went to jail. When the heist takes a terrifying turn, Driver does anything in his power to protect Irene and Benecio from the consequences about to arise. This movie honestly came with so many surprises and jumping out of your seat moments…literally, it kept you on your toes! Now, the first 30 minutes of the movie were slow but as soon as you pass that 30-minute mark, you are met with the craziest plot twisting movie of your life. Also, a warning the cars and gunshots are going to scare the crap out of you if your volume is above 13, definitely turn on subtitles or you’ll find yourself turning up the volume when they talk and turning it down when you hear a gun or a car motor. Drive can be streamed on Soap2Day.
Secret Obsession
Secret Obsession was such a fun watch. This movie kept you on your toes throughout the entire time. Secret Obsession is a psychological thriller, that follows a girl named Jennifer, played by Brenda Song, who wakes up with amnesia after a traumatic attack. When she wakes up, Russell, her caring husband (or so you think) is there to put all the pieces back together to help her remember all events in her life. As society seems to think “If a man is too perfect, there must be something wrong” and in this situation there definitely is something wrong. If you are looking for a edge of your seat thriller, this is definitely your movie. You will tend to notice, Brenda Song grunts in pain more than speaking actual words throughout the entire movie. You can stream Secret Obsession on Netflix.
The Skulls
Okay hands down one of the best movies I have watched this week. I would like to dedicate one full star to Paul Walker. Rest in peace to this amazing actor, who was taken from us way too young. I would also like to dedicate one full star to Joshua Jackson because as you guys know from other articles, he is one of my favourite actors ever…TEAM PACEY ALL THE WAY! Skulls tells the story of a prestigious Ivy League campus that runs a secret society where power and the status of elite is bred. Only few are chosen to be a part of this league where they are treated like royalty and where wealth comes easy for all of them. It is a dream come true when student Luke McNamara played by Joshua Jackson, gets chosen to be a part of the skulls until murder befalls a close friend of his. Now you know that Tiktok that says “I aint never seen two pretty best friends…” well Joshua Jackson and Paul Walker in this movie ARE those two pretty best friends. This movie was filmed in Toronto, which you can recognize by the scenery and streets! Not only are the characters in the movie compelling but the mystery beyond the storyline is a puzzle in your mind, where you think you may know the answer, but you will not expect what is coming. You all know my love for 90s movies, and this has made the favourites list. You can stream this movie on Soap2Day.
Drive Me Crazy
DRUM ROLL FOR THE 90s ICONIC MOVIES PLEASE…90s romcoms are my favourite comfort movies ever. No matter the cheesy storyline or movie trope I love them. This movie features Melissa Joan Heart who plays Nicole Maris and Adrien Grenier who plays Chase Hammond. Nicole and Chase were close as ever when they were younger, both live next door to each other but now in high school are very different worlds apart. However, they both plan a scheme to date each other in order to get the people they really want jealous. Throughout their “fake dating” they both realize that what they wanted may be much much closer than they thought. Yes this is a cheesy 90s romcom but I say we need more movies like this to this day. You can stream Drive Me Crazy on Soap2Day or any site you can find it on!!
Promising Young Woman
Promising Young Woman follows a young girl named Cassie played by Carie Mulligan who has an interesting hobby. After a traumatizing assault involving her best friend Nina occurs while she was in med school, she drops out and never was the same. She entraps men at night, while pretending to be very drunk and sometimes unconscious, revealing to them that their own perception of a moral code is a form of denial and catches men in the act before they do something they regret. This movie was so perfectly curated and Carey Mulligan was amazing. Promising Young Woman is a roller coaster. I honestly did not expect the ending to this movie. Fennel, the writer really surprised everyone. You would think that there is nothing left to do to create revenge in order for Cassie and everyone to feel satisfied, however she pushes right through that wall with the final act that definitely divided audiences! Anyone looking for a kick ass girl power movie definitely watch this!! It is available to stream on Soap2Day!
Acquainted
To be completely honest I only wanted to watch this movie because actor Giacomo Giannotti is featured in this film and who doesn’t love seeing Dr. Deluca on their screens?! I also loved the fact that Acquainted is based and filmed in Toronto. This movie follows former college classmates who run into each other at a bar and automatically have a captivating bond. In result, this leads to both Drew played by Giacomo Giannotti and Emma played by Laysla De Oliveira, questioning their long-term relationships and where they stand. I am a total sucker for movies like this. They are my guilty pleasure. The thing I loved about this movie was how real the chemistry between the characters were and how realistic the storyline was compared to other romance novels. You get to see the characters work out their problems and come to a realistic conclusion rather than a higher expectation, typical movie ending. Another thing I loved about this movie was that they were filming in a ton of my favourite spots Downtown. The club where Drew and Emma reunite is Apartment 200! A fun and chill bar on Queen St, with retro gaming machines and vintage décor. They also filmed at the famous Distillery! I love when movies are filmed in Toronto, it brings back fun memories and is so fascinating to see the city on the big screen!! Toronto represents! Acquainted can be streamed on Amazon Prime!
Taxi Driver
Taxi Driver was released in 1976 written by Paul Schrader and directed by Martin Scorsese. The movie focuses on themes of loneliness and urban decay, while taking place in New York City in the 1970’s. Martin Scorsese is an ICONIC director and his movies never disappoint. Taxi Driver features Robert De Niro playing the character of Travis who was a ex-marine and Vietnam veteran , who works as a taxi driver in New York City. When Travis meets a campaign worker Betsey, played by Cybil Shepard, he becomes obsessed with the idea of saving the world. He plots his first mission to rescue a 12-year-old prostitute, Iris, played Jodie Foster, from her pimp. In my opinion, this is a true masterpiece of Scorsese. His films are both beautiful and have an edgy tone to them. This film really captures the true essence of New York City in the 70s. Before New York City was known as “the city that never sleeps” the city was much different and scarier if you did not live there. X-rated theatres, sex shops and pimps and prostitutes were the norm. Another thing I found fascinating about this movie was Robert De Niro’s character Travis. Robert De Niro has been in many iconic performances and is a loved actor by many. He delivers an excellent performance of loneliness, isolation and social awareness. His character’s transformation is intriguing as you see him go from mentally unstable to mental madness, cold blooded character, when he takes certain actions (I will not spoil don’t worry). Overall an amazing movie, if you are looking for an edgy film this is definitely your pick! You can stream Taxi Driver on Crave.
If you have any movie suggestions drop them in the comments below!!