Lea Mysius’s debut Ava is a daring piece of filmmaking – a confident, though sometimes wavering, examination of teenage rebellion. The film begins with a stunning shot of a French beach brimming with tourists, setting a precedent of gorgeous cinematography full of vibrant colours. This beach is where most of the action takes place, and […]
London Film Festival 2017: ‘The Nile Hilton Incident’ Review
Transferring the film noir from classic Hollywood to modern Egypt, The Nile Hilton Incident attempts to reinvent the genre with middling results. The film stars Fares Fares (who you may recognise from Rogue One) as a corrupt Cairo police officer investigating the murder of a singer in the midst of the Egyptian Revolution. What starts […]
Van Royko, co-director of ‘Let There Be Light’ sheds some light on fusion
I had the opportunity to talk to Van Royko, co-director and cinematographer of Let There Be Light, an uplifting documentary about fusion technology. Together, director Mila Aung-Thwin and Royko created a visually stunning, but very human documentary about a complex technology and the clean energy hope of the future. Thanks to Royko, I was given […]
‘First They Killed My Father’ Review: Angelina Jolie’s Labour of Love is Difficult, but Necessary
Angelina Jolie’s First They Killed My Father is clearly a labour of love and a deeply personal project for her (her adopted son, Maddox, is from Cambodia and served as an executive producer). She has been outspoken in her obligation to use her fame to shed a light on this dark part of Cambodia’s history […]
TIFF 2017: ‘Indian Horse’ Review
Indian Horse tells the story of a boy who’s taken away from his family and thrown into a residential school. He experiences unimaginable horrors in his early years and it’s not until he finds the game of hockey that his life starts to change. Directed by Stephen Campanelli Indian Horse is an honest look at […]
TIFF 2017: ‘Brawl in Cell Block 99’ Review
Craig S. Zahler is back with his first film since the phenomenal Western Bone Tomahawk and man did he knock it out of the park. Brawl in Cell Block 99 follows Bradley (not Brad) who’s played by longtime comedic actor Vince Vaughn. Bradley is a drug runner for his friend Gil because of a need for money to provide […]
‘Let There Be Light’ Review: Big, Bright and Beautiful
Let There Be Light is an elegant reminder of a distasteful truth: we are yeast. We are continually multiplying while hungrily eating up all the available resources until eventually dying in our own excrement, as physicist Mark Henderson expresses in a grisly metaphor. Thanks to a steady diet of fossil fuels since the Industrial Revolution, […]
TIFF 2017: ‘Of Sheep and Men’ Review
Of Sheep and Men offers a sombre slice-of-life story, shining a light on the lives of sheep in Algeria, and the men who own them. (The documentary fully delivers on the expectations of its title, with sheep occupying almost every single frame.) The men in question are 16-year-old bus conductor Habib, who hopes to train his […]
TIFF 2017: ‘The Breadwinner’ Review
Based on Deborah Ellis’ award-winning children’s novel of the same name, The Breadwinner is about the story of Parvana, a young Afghan girl living in a Taliban-controlled Kabul, and her family. Females are not allowed to be outside without a male, so when her father is captured and imprisoned by the Taliban, she pretends to be […]
TIFF 2017: ‘Valley of Shadows’ (‘Skyggenes Dal’) Review
Lots of horror films (recently, in fact) have had a large focus on capitalizing fear through a device of sorts. And then here comes a film by Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen. While it’s not what you’d call horror necessarily, the keen intent of capturing fear through the eyes of a child is also prominently featured here, […]
TIFF 2017: ‘Brad’s Status’ Review
Ben Stiller stars in Mike White’s Brad’s Status as a 47-year-old man who resents how little he’s accomplished in his life. He’s jealous of all of his college friends who he perceives as being more successful than him because of their fame and money. When Troy, Brad’s son, starts looking at colleges, Brad projects his own […]
TIFF 2017: ‘What Will People Say’ Review
As the title suggests, What Will People Say is about expectations, image and reputation. Even more than that though, Iram Haq’s second film is an honest but brutal portrayal of the second-generation immigrant struggle to both fit in and devote oneself to family. Nisha (Maria Mozhdah) lives a double life – at home, she follows the […]
TIFF 2017: ‘Stronger’ Review
Stronger is based on the true, inspirational story of marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman (Jake Gyllenhaal) and his marathon-running girlfriend Erin (Tatiana Maslany). After losing his legs in the bombing, Jeff isn’t so much as having a hard time acclimatizing to not being able to walk, but rather the media attention. He did help the […]
CONTEST: Win Advance Screening Passes to see ‘Happy Death Day’ across Canada
Enter for your chance to win a double pass to see Happy Death Day at an advance screening in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and Ottawa. Screenings take place on October 11, 2017 at 7 pm local time. There are two ways to win: Like our Facebook page, like the contest post on Facebook, and leave a Facebook comment […]
‘IT’ Review: Scary, Funny, and Emotional
So far 2017 is considered one of Hollywood’s worst box office years in recent memory with many big budget action and comedy movies completely flopping while costing their studios millions of dollars. Against all odds and expectations, 2017 is proving to be the year where horror movies are reclaiming the box office glory of the […]