Tiny Reviews Department: "No Hard Feelings", "BlackBerry" and "Sanctuary"

• NO HARD FEELINGS

No matter what the most demanding critics might think, I found No Hard Feelings to be quite a fun ride! For those (like me) who expected a raunchy, inconvenient and controversial comedy will find a raunchy comedy with a lot of heart and sensibility. Millenials' (and Gen Z's) issues are handled here smartly, but not truly explored - the lack of financial stability of the younger ones to afford a house of their own, the lack of good job conditions, the volatility of the personal/sexual relationships or the fact we are handling with a new generation stuck in the online world. Jennifer Lawrence elevates every scene thanks to her great comedy chops. She's hilarious and it's refreshing seeing her this effortless on screen, away from the JLaw fatigue days where she was everywhere in every big production and I find it quite atrocious how is this the first "straight comedy" she has on her resume besides Don't Look Up - it's a huge vehicle for her star power. And then there's Andrew Barth Feldman, who is able to shine as bright as Lawrence and he has some great scenes that make him the true heart of the movie thanks to a sweetly affecting approach to his character. His redemption of "Maneater" will be remembered as one of the most joyous moments in 2023 cinema. But No Hard Feelings also has some issues: an unnecessary nudity scene where JLaw kicks some teens ass; the lack of exploitation of the teen's parents' concerns; and the third act feels bland and loses a lot of spice (but I liked the ending though).  A good movie for a relaxed Summer night and it will become a guilty pleasure movie for Saturday's night movies at home.

RATING: 7/10

• BLACKBERRY

It's labeled as a comedy, but I didn't think it was funny. In fact it was thrilling...! One of the best biographical "tech thriller" I have ever watched and I didn't see it coming. BlackBerry is about the ultimate smart-phone (at the time) which was selled as a social status symbol and business device, which provides not only an interesting narrative (since the source material AKA real life story is interesting itself) but it also offers some social commentary on the humanity's perpetual seek of status. It's also about a successful corporate adventure that turned into a corporate nightmare. Director Matt Johnson knows the material he's handling and knows the only thing he needs to make is to keep the narrative dynamic - and he succeeds! Great editing work, a great ensemble cast (with Glenn Howerton being utterly fantastic as the controversial corporate shark Jim Balsillie) and a killer playlist that offer audiences a ride back to the 90's and early 2000's. BlackBerry is the most surprising random movie pick I've had this year... I was looking for something to get me entertained and I ended-up completely engaged. It's a movie that grabs the audiences and offers a lesson about greed and the consequences of aiming to fly too close to the sun.

RATING: 8,5/10

• SANCTURARY

Sanctuary is all about the filthiest human impulses and self-perception and not very much about sex as some might expect. I was underwhelmed by the movie itself, but it's a showcase for Christopher Abbott and MargaretQualley. While Abbott is consistently good from the very first minute he's on the scene, Qualley has a different trajectory: I was not convinced by her acting charms in the very beginning, when she's in full dominatrix mode, but once she puts the wig down I thought she shined bright and she reached some kind of acting brilliance as her character's dynamic got more and more chaotic with Abbott's. The movie benefits from great cinemartography work and some sharp editing, which balance the claustrophobic set of "one hotel room only". It's a 2 actors show and while the dialogue isn't always great, the actors keep the audience engaged enough by the way they deliver it. It's more about power dynamics and unconventional love than kinky sex fantasies. It's worth the watch. 

RATING: 6/10