How does the best, worst movie of all time get made? And for what reasons? James Franco directs himself, his brother, and all his friends in The Disaster Artist, which is based on the book of the same name by Greg Sestero of The Room fame. Focusing more on Sestero’s relationship with Wiseau, The Disaster Artist answers some of our […]
Film Festivals
Reviews, interviews, and news about film festivals.
TIFF 2017: ‘The Rider’ Review
The Rider is a beautiful and introspective portrait of a young cowboy, Brady, in South Dakota who can’t give up the life of a rodeo star even after a near-fatal head injury that stemmed from being bucked off a horse. Doctors have told him he needs to stop riding, but without the rodeo he doesn’t know […]
TIFF 2017: ‘Happy End’ Review
Michael Haneke’s (The White Ribbon, Amour) latest film is misnomer. There is nothing happy about this movie – and I loved it. The ironically named film is a dark, satirical drama about a seemingly perfect family on the surface, but is actually quite dysfunctional behind closed doors. Seeing Isabelle Huppert and Jean-Louis Trintignant reunited as a […]
TIFF 2017: ‘The Florida Project’ Review
Shot in beautiful pastel colours, Sean Baker’s The Florida Project is so intimate and real that you can almost feel the Floridian heat radiating on your skin. Set during the summer, the film follows Moonee, a young girl living with her mother, Halley, in an extended-stay motel. She explores her surroundings with her friends with a […]
TIFF 2017: ‘Porcupine Lake’ Review
Love never feels quite real from afar, but once you’re face to face with it, it’s like nothing else matters. Ingrid Veninger’s Porcupine Lake brings us an honest tale of discovery of a young girl named Bea, who meets Kate during a family trip. While Bea and Kate form a connection and explore a loss […]
TIFF 2017: ‘High Fantasy’ Review
The hedonistic era of filmmaking has had a much needed boost over the past few years, ones that gave off vibes of undoubtable realism. Jenna Bass’s High Fantasy is a movie that manages to keep that realization at hand with a twist to it. Here, a group of South African teens recoil a camping trip […]
TIFF 2017: ‘Novitiate’ Review
In recent years, there have been a couple films about the Catholic Church. Spotlight made us angry about the scandals behind closed doors. Ida let us see the psyche of a young woman who was about to take her vows to become a nun. Margaret Betts’ latest film, Novitiate, balances both of these stories. Cathleen (played by a […]
Toronto International Film Festival Announces First Slate of Documentaries and Midnight Madness Programming
The 2017 Toronto International Film Festival is shaping up to be another great festival. Even with scaling back, the programmers at TIFF continue to select great films. Many of the documentaries announced today have a recurring theme of resistance. In a statement, TIFF Docs Programmer Thom Powers said, “We pay witness to rebels challenging the […]
First Batch of Films Announced for TIFF 2017 in Special Presentations and Galas
The Toronto International Film Festival announced the first wave of Special Presentations and Galas today and it’s shaping up to be another great festival! TIFF 2017 brings 25 World Premieres to the Special Presentations and Galas, including Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig’s highly anticipated directorial debut, which will be the opening film for the Special Presentations. The closing night […]
Joseph Clement on ‘Integral Man’, Stanley Kubrick, and … Tomato Sauce?
Joseph Clement’s Integral Man was a hit at this year’s Hot Docs Festival. The documentary, filmed over several years, was a passion project for Clement who ended up spending a lot of time with James “Jim” Stewart, the owner of Integral House in Toronto, up until his death in 2014. Not so much a biography of […]
Creative Visions: Hong Kong Cinema 1997-2017 – Celebrate 20 Years of Hong Kong Films
The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival is bringing Creative Visions: Hong Kong Cinema 1997-2017 to Toronto for one weekend only. As only one of 11 other cities in the world selected to host the event, Creative Visions will feature eight carefully curated films that celebrate Hong Kong films. The event will run from June 23 – […]
Support Women Directors at the 2017 Breakthroughs Film Festival in Toronto
Did you read our piece on Wonder Woman and women in film? Want to continue to support women directors and strong female voices? Well put your money where your mouth is and check out the 2017 Breakthroughs Film Festival in Toronto. The festival runs from June 16 – 17, 2017 at the Royal Cinema (608 College […]
CSFF 2017: ‘Keepers of the Game’ Review
For years lacrosse has been the main sport for the men of the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory. But that changes when the local High School forms an all girls lacrosse team. They must face an uphill battle to be respected by their classmates but also their community. When they reach the Championship, it’s much more than […]
CSFF 2017: ‘Salluit Run Club’ Review
Salluit Run Club is a short documentary about seven Inuit youth who travel to Hawaii to run a half-marathon. It’s not really about the half-marathon; it’s about their personal journeys and why they decided to take up running. Each one of these kids has their own struggles and it’s touching to see them open up to […]
CSFF 2017: ‘Hillsborough’ Review
On April 15, 1989, one of the worst days in football (soccer) history occurred. 96 men and women went to watch a game and never returned. Growing up as a Liverpool fan my Grandpa always told me about the Hillsborough disaster and how important it was that we honour the memory of those 96 who […]