Tidbit: 'Coco' (2017; PG)

One of the things that struck me, is how little we see of the titular character Coco; a wheelchair-bound, lovely old lady, with severe memory loss, whose father was a famous musician, who supposedly abandoned his family. She has little screen time. Instead, Miguel, her great-great-grandson, takes center stage, and through the magic of storytelling, it all weaves back to Coco, and Héctor, her musician father. The sight of Coco, made me think of my maternal grandfather.

Tidbit: 'The Irishman' (2019; R)

Thelma Schoonmaker's editing is leisurely paced and timely, and enables you to savour stellar performances from Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, and others, without interruption. I didn't grasp the minutiae of union politics, which seems to be at the heart of the conflict in this film, but the elegantly simple camera work and editing, and solid acting, kept me attentive nonetheless. De Niro's performance is memorable.

Tidbit: 'Wreck-It Ralph' (2012; A)

When you watch this gem from 2012, you will experience one of three things: 1) You will be thrilled by the genius writing; 2) You will laugh out loud; or 3) You will reach for the Kleenex (or whatever brand of tissue takes your fancy). It's likely though, that you'll experience all of the above, and more. 😊

Tidbit: 'Zack Snyder's Justice League' (2021; R)

Zack Snyder directs Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot

Some of the first comics l saw, when l was 10 or so, were DC comics (that old 'bullet' logo is unforgettable). The feeling l had as l looked at the speech balloons and art, had an indescribable specialness. It felt like stepping into a whole other world, with excitingly limitless possibilities, and an endless supply of fascinating characters. A sort of mental expansion. 'Zack Snyder's Justice League' (2021), gives me a similar experience. 😊

Tidbit: 'Anna' (2019; R)

I hate to write critically of a film by writer-director Luc Besson, l've enjoyed most of his movies; they tend to have heart, a profound message, and solid action. But, and l say this with humility, 'Anna' (2019) leaves much to be desired. However, Sasha Luss, who plays lethal KGB-CIA agent Anna Poliatova, is a pleasure to behold.

Tidbit: 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' (2013; PG-13)

It seems director Jon M. Chu intended to make an awe-inspiringly sprawling, Michael Bay-inspired action adventure, with jaw-droppingly advanced weaponry, amazingly elaborate high-octane action, laugh-out-loud humour, fully fledged characters that the audience would care about, moving moments, and an inspiring pro-G.I. Jane message... but somehow missed the mark. I don't know. Bruce Willis is fun to watch though. 😊