Hunt's Film Reviews, Should You Choose to Accept Them

  Go see The Ballad of Wallis Island . There's my review in one sentence, but I'd still love for you to read on. People who know me well are aware that a go-to phrase if I enjoy a movie is that it "checks all the boxes." The Ballad of Wallis Island does just that. Looking for both laugh-out-loud lines and moments of tender emotion? Check. Do you want to be compelled by the story and the characters in it? Check. Interested in good, original music? Check. You get what I'm saying, dear reader. However, don't be confused. The Ballad of Wallis Island isn't some cliché film.  I was impressed by how The Ballad of Wallis Island  didn't take cheap or contrived directions with its story and characters. There's a lot of honesty and figuring out how to deal with life in the film. Coming to grips with the past and how it determines our current reality is a central theme. Even the location of The Ballad of Wallis Island , a remote island off the coast of the Uni...

  There are things in life that we feel don't get enough credit. Maybe it's a sports team, an athlete, an actor or a movie. Not Just a Goof takes this idea to explore the cult classic A Goofy Movie . I've been a fan of A Goofy Movie for basically my whole life (as have many other millennials I know) and have always wanted to learn more about the film's history. Not Just a Goof  was made by and for the generation who grew up with A Goofy Movie . Not Just a Goof contains a plethora of elements of an effective documentary. The documentarians had access to Kevin Lima's (the director of  A Goofy Movie ) videotapes that chronicled the making of  A Goofy Movie . The vast amount of behind-the-scenes videotapes used really stands out (had to reference one of the songs from  A Goofy Movie ).  I was continually impressed with how much we as the audience learn about A Goofy Movie all the way from its conceptualization to its release and basically everything in between....

Black Bag occupies an interesting place for me. I didn't love the film or hate it. I'm unsure of what takeaways to have (perhaps that's the point of a spy thriller). Let's see if I can come to a decision on Black Bag . I'll start with what was good about Black Bag . The movie features a very capable group of actors leading the charge. Everyone is believable in their roles and you're curious to learn more about the characters and what motivates them. Black Bag has a hazy look and moody feel which both lend well to the tension and paranoia of an espionage story. The film keeps your attention and you want to unravel the mystery at the core of the narrative. I do have my qualms with certain creative decisions in Black Bag though.  It was an intentional decision to not have sex or nudity in the film, but what replaces it is a lot of dialogue about sex and infidelity that I found distracting. This didn't add much if any to the characters or the story in my opinio...