Three And Above

     Five Forgotten Fantastic Feature Films Or: How I Learned How to Stop Worrying and Love Alliteration by Grant Kanigan     As summer begins to heat up and things get busy, I'll likely be posting less through the coming months. To hold readers over until the next long form review, here's a list of five underrated gems that range from brand new to cinematically ancient. Here, in no particular order, are five great films that have, in one way or another, been overlooked: Without Limits   ( 1998) Steve Prefontaine is probably the most fascinating figure to ever grace the running track, trashing normal conventions, breaking records and pushing the limits of the human body and his own psyche. His greatest strength; his unwillingness to be bound by the preconceptions of running, was also his greatest weakness. Like a modern day Icarus, Prefontaine's story is a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions, but remains a story and life that is as inspiring...

Annihilation Directed by : Alex Garland Written by : Alex Garland, based on  Jeff VanderMeer's novel Starring : Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh Tessa Thompson, Oscar Isaac, Benedict Wong Rating : 18A Release Date : February 23rd, 2018 Gina Rodriguez & Natalie Portman stare into the proverbial abyss in Annihilation Image Source       Annihilation has a brilliant premise, features a stellar cast, original ideas and a mind-blowing array of dreamlike visuals; at times rivalling the visual artistry and creativity of Kubrick's canonical 2001: A Space Odyssey . However, for all it's cinematic wizardry, technical prowess, and intelligent ideas, it can't shake the fault that lies at it's core - stupidity.        Annihilation  follows Lena, an army veteran and biologist, who works as a professor at Johns Hopkins University. Her doctorate is in cellular replication , and her class goes from the very first cell from which life ...

The Shape of Water Directed by : Guillermo del Toro Written by : Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor Starring : Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Richard Jenkins, Michael Shannon,  Doug Jones & Michael Stuhlbarg Rating : 14A Release Date : December 22, 2017 Michael Shannon interrogates Sally Hawkins & Octavia Spencer  in The Shape of Water Image Source       I am not a Guillermo Del Toro fan. Hellboy was a half decent action flick, but it's sequel was a long trip into a fantastical orgy of banality, Pacific Rim, while featuring a damn cool monologue from the underused Idris Elba, was too aggressively stupid to suspend disbelief. Even Pan's Labyrinth , while interesting, seemed to fizzle out and go nowhere. I mean, I get why people like his films, and the guy is no doubt imaginative, but I'm not a fan. Still, curiosity got the best of me; why had a guy behind so many duds and the lacklustre impotent-vampire series The Strain  won the Oscar fo...

Blade Runner 2049 Directed by : Denis Villeneuve Written by : Hampton Fancher & Michael Green, based on a short story by Philip K. Dick Starring : Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford,  Robin Wright, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks and Dave Bautista Rating : 14A Release Date : October 6th 2017 Ryan Gosling and Ana de Armas try to write a story using only the letters GATC and the numbers 1 and 0 in  Blade Runner 2049      The behemoth that has become the entertainment industrial complex is slowly phasing out the avant garde classics of yesteryear. Although the rare gem of originality and importance like Get Out still make it to the mainstream, and there are some recent art house flicks like Lady Bird  that make a splash, it is still rare that a film with substance, intelligence and artistic merit makes it to the multiplex. Furthermore, it's even rarer a sequel, reboot, reimagining or whatever else you want to call it is even good - let alone s...

The Foreigner (2017) Directed by : Martin Campbell Written by : David Marconi, based on  Stephen Leather's The Chinaman  Starring : Pierce Brosnan, Jackie Chan, Rating : 14A Release Date : October 13th 2017,                          On VOD/Blu-Ray/DVD January 9th, 2018 Jackie Chan & Pierce Brosnan meet in The Foreigner Image Source      Both Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan are known for the larger than life, heroic and iconic roles they’ve played. Brosnan had Bond, Remington Steele , and a multitude of varied roles throughout his long career, (including the grief stricken, distant father in the criminally underrated Remember Me) . Chan made a name for himself as a martial arts action star, completely eclipsing those who came before him.*  Starting first with his Chinese cinematic work like Drunken Master , Police Story , Twin Dragons, the crossover hit Rumble in the...

I Am Not Your Negro (2017) Directed by : Raoul Peck Written by : Raoul Peck, based on  James Baldwin's writings Starring : James Baldwin, narrated  by Samuel L. Jackson Rating : 14A Release Date : February 24th, 2017 A protester exercises his free speech as a police officer looks on in a still from I Am Not Your Negro Image Source      "The story of the negro in America is the story of... America," says James Baldwin, in an archived interview. When I Am Not Your Negro  was released slowly throughout 2016 and to general audiences in 2017, James Baldwin had been dead for thirty years; he died of stomach cancer in 1987. Yet, the cancerous roots of racial hatred, slavery and institutional bias have only dug deeper and deeper into the heart of American society. A quick search on whatever search engine you use, reveals seemingly endless factsheets , articles ,  and staggering injustices like the fact "the vast majority of [U.S.] counties...

Killing Gunther (2017) Directed by : Taran Killam Written by : Taran Killam Starring : Taran Killam, Bobby Moynihan,  Cobie Smulders & Arnold Schwarzenegger Rating : 14A Release Date : October 20, 2017 Schwarzenegger & Killam debate gun control in Killing Gunthe r Image Source      It's an odd time to be a filmmaker. With superheroes clogging up the screens at the theatres, it's rare to find something that's not related to some otherworldly heroes that effortlessly save the world time and time again, without a scratch. Of course, there's always exceptions to the rule; It was a welcome change, featuring a broad arcing story and R-rated dialogue, and Wonder Woman  was a pro-feminist stab in the heart to the idiotic Marvel and DC films of late. Still, gone are the days where a goofy, avant-garde comedy, an experimental film, or a post-modern dissection of a certain cinematic subject could be seen on a big screen. But there's still hope;...