Movie Reviews — FilmSpeak

'Play Dirty' Review: Shane Black's Welcomed Return

Shane Black has fun in the cartoonishly glorious adaptation of Donald E. Westlake’s work with ‘Play Dirty’, containing Mark Wahlberg’s best performance in years as he dons the mantra of Westlake’s most iconic character.

Movie Review, ComedyMaxance VincentOctober 1, 2025Play Dirty, Comedy, Shane Black, Prime Video, ReviewComment

‘Eleanor the Great’ Review: Scarlett Johansson’s Misguided Directorial Debut

While ‘Eleanor the Great’ is elevated by a legendary turn from June Squibb as the titular character, the film’s handling of several subjects leaves much to be desired, as does Scarlet Johansson’s direction.

Comedy, Movie ReviewMaxance VincentSeptember 26, 2025Eleanor the Great, Scarlett Johansson, Comedy, Movie ReviewComment

‘Sunny Side Up’ Short Review: Transcends Expectations while Providing Valuable Lessons [SFF 25]

‘Sunny Side Up’, a short film at this year’s Seattle Film Festival, is done with such masterfulness that its baffling that such a beautifully well acted, and whimsically playful film was made under a budget of just five hundred Euros.

Anyhing Helps Review: Simple Companionship Can Go a Long Way [SFF25]

‘Anyhing Helps’ may not illustrate how to solve the problem of global homelessness, but it does show that communication and the love emulated from simple companionship can go a long way as a first step.

'HIM' Review: The Ultimate Fumble

Ultimately, despite a strong premise, ‘Him’ ends up throwing a Hail Mary, which, if not fumbled, undoubtedly could have been more interesting than the end result.

Movie Review, HorrorBrennan DubéSeptember 19, 2025Marlon Wayans, Football, Jordan Peele, Horror, NFL, Review, Horror Thriller

‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’ Review: A Bounce Back to Brilliance for Benoit Blanc [TIFF 25]

While ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ doesn’t quite live up to the lightning in a bottle that was the original Knives Out, it is certainly a worthy sequel. Its serpentine plot, laugh-out-loud sardonic tone and cast of memorable characters will please any cinematic detective.

‘No Other Choice’ Review: Park Chan-wook’s Masterpiece of Pure Cinema [TIFF 25]

Park Chan-Wook redefines his filmography with his adaptation of Donald Westlake’s ‘The Ax’ in ‘No Other Choice’ and offers a once-in-a-generation lesson of pure cinema that anyone who appreciates the art form must see.

'Easy's Waltz' Review: Vince Vaughn Takes the Stage as a Crooner Who Proves It’s Never Too Late [TIFF 25]

In recent years film has entered a reflective period where there seem to be more and more works that are about looking back and honoring what was. Nic Pizzolatto’s ‘Easy’s Waltz‘ slips right into this milieu, following a down-on-his-luck Las Vegas entertainer, Easy (Vince Vaughn) navigate his way through the Vegas show business.

‘The History of Sound’ Review: Oliver Hermanus’ Meandering Love Story

While Oliver Hermanus stuns with its patient visual language and soul-shocking musical sequences, ‘The History of Sound’s structure — and a miscast Paul Mescal — leaves a lot to be desired by the time the movie reaches its admittedly devastating epilogue.

LGBTQ+, Drama, Movie ReviewMaxance VincentSeptember 12, 2025The History of Sound, Review, Drama, Oliver Hermanus Comment

‘Frankenstein’ Review: Del Toro’s Creature Comfort Film [TIFF 25]

Guillermo del Toro and Toronto have a special relationship, and debuting the filmmaker’s passion project, ‘Frankenstein’, at Toronto’s festival just seems fitting.

'Roofman' Review: Doesn't Quite Stick The Landing [TIFF 25]

For Channing Tatum fans, this is definitely not a film to miss – as always, he is a standout as his natural charisma brings a lot of life to ‘Roofman’ and makes the film more than worthwhile. Other audience members may not be convinced.

'If I Had Legs I'd Kick You' Review: Rose Byrne’s Descent Into Chaos [TIFF 25]

While ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’ may be inconsistent at times, Rose Byrne stuns in role as chaotic and spiralling mother who, despite her best efforts, is trapped in one dark spiritual hole after another.

'The Testament of Ann Lee' Review: A Religious Pilgrimage of Epic Proportions [TIFF 25]

Even for the areligious viewer, Amanda Seyfried’s Ann, her passion and her fervor are tremendously transfixing in Mona Fastvold’s ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’.

'Bad Apples' Review: Saoirse Ronan Shines In This Tonally Adept School Satire [TIFF 25]

The sardonic comedy ‘Bad Apples’ plants itself in utter absurdity, and yet, it may be an effective public service announcement for education reform.

'Exit 8' Review: Breaks the Video Game Curse [TIFF 25]

Skillfully adapted from the minimalist psychological horror video game, Genki Kawamura’s ‘Exit 8’ is an eerily worthy adaptation that truly breaks free of the bad luck surrounding the genre.

TIFF, Video Game Movie, Sci-Fi, Movie Review, Live-Action, Independent Film, Foreign FilmLuca MehtaSeptember 8, 2025TIFF 2025, Genki Kawamura, Exit 8Comment

‘The Secret Agent’ Review: Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Lesson in Film and Political History [TIFF 25]

Kleber Mendonça Filho gives us the most important political film of the year with ‘The Secret Agent’, a thriller fluent in both film and political history, with a captivating performance from Wagner Moura anchoring the picture.

'Orwell: 2+2=5' Review: Raoul Peck's Latest Has A Strong and Eerily Relevant Thesis [TIFF 25]

Frighteningly prescient, renowned documentarian Raoul Peck navigates through generations of fascism with the words of George Orwell.

Documentary, Festival Review, Movie Review, TIFFArjun PersaudSeptember 8, 2025Orwell 2+2=5, Orwell 2+2=5 Review, Movie Reviews, TIFF25, TIFFComment

'Tuner' Review: This New Thriller Reaches a High Pitch [TIFF 25]

Oscar-winning documentarian Daniel Roher makes his narrative debut directing ‘Tuner’ - a film with shades of Michael Mann and Nora Ephron.

'Hamlet' Review: This Visceral New Take on The Bard Proves Its Reason 'To Be'

Director Aneil Karia readapts Shakespeare’s masterpiece ‘Hamlet’ with Riz Ahmed and a distinctly digital and urban visual landscape.

Festival Review, Movie Review, TIFFArjun PersaudSeptember 5, 2025Hamlet, Movie Review of Hamlet, Hamlet (2025), Riz Ahmed, TIFF25, tiffComment

'The Conjuring: Last Rites' Review: Horror Finale Fails to Scare in Sendoff

'The Conjuring: Last Rites’ just doesn't come together in concept or on the page, and the film falls well short as a result. If you’re a fan of this franchise, it may be worth checking out to see the Warrens slow dance into the sunset. Otherwise, this is a wash of an experience at the cinemas.

Horror, Movie ReviewLane MillsSeptember 5, 2025Movie Reviews, Horror review, horror, The Conjuring, The Conjuring: Last Rites, Michael Chaves, James WanComment