BORDER was absolutely not what I expected. It was more. I saw BORDER at the end of LAFF as it had won their World Fiction Jury Award and it had a wild premise. Tine, a woman who can smell emotions, has the perfect job as a border agent in Sweden. She sniffs disembarking ferry passengers […]
Movies
All the latest movie reviews for films released in Canada.
LAFF 2018 Review: THE GREAT BUSTER
Historians, film-buffs, comedy-students alike, this is a documentary not to be missed. Buster Keaton is the inventor of dark comedy and a true pioneer of cinema. The documentary film THE GREAT BUSTER is a loving tribute to his legacy as a director, actor, screenwriter, stunt performer and comedian. Keaton’s story is lovingly told by director […]
VIFF 2018 Interview – FROM ACROSS THE STREET & THROUGH TWO SETS OF WINDOWS writer Rayisa Kondracki
“Our film is about a woman who watches her neighbour across the street. She watches him as he eats dinner, talks on the phone, plays nintendo…stands naked in the window. She’s become obsessed. But it’s not sexual. His presence seems to comfort her loneliness.” Writer Rayisa Kondracki on FROM ACROSS THE STREET & THROUGH TWO […]
VIFF 2018 Interview: ELI director Colin Gerrard
“An elderly man’s visit to his local doctor ends up changing the lives of the other patients in the waiting room. Most of the somewhat disillusioned strangers start raising questions over immigration, identity and morality until the old man begins to tell a story he’s kept hidden for years.” Director Colin Gerrard on ELI which […]
VIFF 2018 Interview: MANGOSHAKE director Terry Chiu
“Two guys running a lemonade stand but instead of lemons it’s mangos inadvertently start a war with their mango dealer who is a psychopathic old blind man named Nancy because the stand’s representative was over five minutes late to the meeting point.” Director Terry Chiu on MANGOSHAKE which screens at the 2018 edition of […]
VIFF 2018 Interview: THE MUSEUM OF FORGOTTEN TRIUMPHS director Bojan Bodruzic
“The film considers the collapse of the former Yugoslavia—and the Bosnian war in particular—through the prism of the life of an old couple living out their last days in Sarajevo. The couple just happen to be my grandparents, who I was separated from as a child when the war started in the region. The film […]
Toronto International Film Festival 2018: The Twenty Best & More
Oh, heavenly TIFF. The Toronto International Film Festival is a stunning behemoth that is a complete celebration of film, so many of them, in the busiest and most populated city in Canada. Out of all of the film festivals I attend every year, there is just something special about Toronto’s film culture. Of course […]
TIFF 2018 Interview: WHEN ARABS DANCED director Jawad Rhalib
“The film is an alarm signal that I urgently draw. But also a sensual ode to Arab Muslim culture and freedom. They are artists who resist and refuse to remain silent in the face of the increasingly violent Islamist threat.” Director Jawad Rhalib on WHEN ARABS DANCED which screens at TIFF 2018. Congratulations on your […]
TIFF 2018 Interview: JIRGA director Benjamin Gilmour
“Shot in extraordinary conditions in Afghanistan, Jirga follows the story of an Australian war veteran who returns to Kandahar searching for the family of a civilian he accidentally killed during the war, and offering himself up to the village justice system – the Jirga.” Director Benjamin Gilmour on JIRGA which screens at the 2018 edition […]
TIFF 2018 Interview: DZIADZIO director Aaron Ries
“As summer days grow longer, 22-year old Stefania – who lives with her aging grandfather – begins to spiral into fantasy in this unpredictable and darkly comedic drama about intergenerational disconnect and malaise. Buckle up, Dziadzio is a 12 minute ride.” Director Aaron Ries on DZIADZIO which screens at the 2018 edition of the Toronto […]
BLACKKKLANSMAN Review – Based On Some Fo’ Real, Fo’ Real S**T
In November of 1992, my life was changed forever. My parents took me to a Saturday night screening of MALCOLM X in the biggest theater in my home town. I was a casual movie buff at that time and enjoyed some of the major studio movies on the big screen and watched some movies on […]
SKATE KITCHEN Review – The Subculture of the Revolutionary Girls Who Skate
The “rowdy ass girl crew” known as the SKATE KITCHEN, are here to give people a new perspective on the male dominated community of skateboarding. Following the same title of the movie, The Skate Kitchen is a real group of girls who like to shred and inspire other female skaters in Brooklyn and around the […]
THE MEG Review: A Jaws Lite Guilty Pleasure
Thank god for Jason Statham. Maybe he is the same guy in all of his movies, but he does that guy better than anyone else. He is cool, funny, ripped, and charismatic all at the same time, which makes him perfect for roles like this. I was really happy not to see Dwayne “The […]
LUBA Interview – On The Film Festival Circuit
Every now and then you get sent a copy of a movie you have never heard of, sit down to watch it and find a true discovery that you want to see more of. LUBA, this little Canadian movie that could, is definitely one of these experiences. It’s a Toronto story that feels all too […]
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE FALLOUT Review – The Definitive Action Movie of 2018
Anyone who is a regular moviegoer these days will notice the plethora of sequels, remakes and franchise movies dominating the box office charts and hogging up nearly every screen in a multiplex. Of course, we live in a mass-moviegoing climate where money talks and the majority of people want the exact same movie over and […]