Movie Reviews

Turning to late 14th Century Middle English chivalric romance, Sir Gawain (Dev Patel) is challenged by a mythical Green Knight (Ralph Ineson) to return a gifted axe in one year’s time– A quest that promises to shape Gawain into a man of honor, that is, unless he’s corrupted by the forces of the world around him. Written for screen and Directed by David Lowery, this classic fantasy tale is steeped in cinematic glory, beautiful imagery, and eye catching costuming with a “less is more” approach to dialogue– a stylized approach that lingers on the retinas of the viewer in a way that could best be described as an acquired taste. Additionally peppered with memorable performances from Alicia Vikander and Joel Edgerton the film allows the viewer to soak in the period ephemera at a metered pace. Still, for those with a hankering for the something outside the norm, adventure and the Green Knight awaits. Running two hours and five minutes, the Green Knight is rated R.

Having lost his father to the hands of men who do evil, Snake Eyes (Henry Golding), is a self made mercenary and non-joiner. But, when the opportunity to settle the score with his father’s killer comes to him from the Japanese Yakuza, morals and principals become debatable, before long Snake eyes is entangled with the Arashikage clan but to what or who’s agenda? Directed by Robert Schwentke with Screenplay by Evan Spiliotopoulos, Joe Shrapnel, and Anna Waterhouse, this origins tale ambitiously takes on one of the most beloved G.I. Joe characters to add richer backstory than the original “Joe Command Files” originally packaged with the Hasbro collectible toys; which it does, sort of, but at the cost of one might consider “quality character development” and half baked plotting. Un-inspired gambit chases and Macguffin treatment, followed by untenable handheld action cinematography makes this potentially powerhouse monster instead fall flat. No question fans of the franchise will find some love for this, but, those with a critical eye are likely to come up with fewer positives and NO swivel arm battle grip. Maybe a rental later. Snake Eyes is rated PG-13.

Based on the beliefs and research of the best-selling author and forester Peter Wohlleben, The Hidden Life of Trees is a walk into the woods aimed at providing a Cliff’s Notes level of understanding of some of the author’s fascinating ideas and concepts. Beautifully filmed and captured for cinematic purpose, leaning heavily on time-lapse nature photography, woven with a handful of Wohlleben’s lectures and field trips through Germany, Poland, Sweden, and Vancouver BC, Director Jörg Adolph crafts a film that invites the viewer to consider forestry concepts without delving too deep into the weeds (so to speak), but rather, the focus is more so on exploring the possibilities of life in the “very slow lane” of trees, their sentient qualities, and the way they cooperate to allow for the survival of the species. Brisk in its runtime of roughly an hour and forty minutes, the film hardly overstays its welcome and instead leaves the curious wanting to learn more. Worth getting into this weekend, The Hidden Life of Trees is rated PG.