Interview: Mamoru Oshii

We briefly get the chance to talk to anime pioneer Mamoru Oshii right before he takes the stage at the TIFF Bell Lightbox for an In Conversation session tonight that kicks off a brief retrospective of the master animator’s finest work.

Made in America Review

The Jay-Z fronted/Ron Howard directed concert documentary Made in America could have just as easily been titled Made by Anybody. It’s a puff piece designed solely to play up the brands of every artist involved.

This Week at The Bloor: 7/4/14

This week at The Bloor brings the premiere of the latest from Paradise Lost director Joe Berlinger, the solid Whitey: The United States v. James J. Bulger and the rousing sports drama Next Goal Wins.

Tammy Review

Melissa McCarthy’s first project as producer, writer, and star will most likely flop, but it’s not the abysmal failure than its curiously quiet dumping over the Fourth of July holiday in the States would suggest.

Interview: Jody Shapiro

We talk to filmmaker Jody Shapiro about his documentary Burt’s Buzz, a look at Burt’s Bees’ founder and corporate icon, Burt Shavitz.

Interview: Ingrid Veninger

We talk to Canadian filmmaker Ingrid Veninger about her work on The Animal Project and how the film came together as a co-op sort of operation, how her casting process worked, how her personal experiences fit into a story about acting, and why the project was a fun and rewarding thing that she’ll probably never attempt again.

Interview: Mark Critch

We sat down with Canadian actor Mark Critch to talk about returning to Newfoundland for his role in The Grand Seduction, the culture of the island, lead actor Brendan Gleeson’s attention to detail, and we use his famed impression of talk show host George Stroumboulopoulos to talk about the difference between accents and impressions.

Interview: Pat Healy

We chat with beloved character actor and Cheap Thrills star Pat Healy about being a part of so many memorable filmgoing experiences, what appeals to him about characters who can never do the right thing, and why the uncomfortable shoot for Cheap Thrills made the film’s tension far more palpable.

Interview: Rob Meyer

We talk to Rob Meyer, director of the coming of age film A Birder’s Guide to Everything (now available on DVD and VOD in Canada, and on DVD in the US this coming Tuesday and starring Kodi Smit-McPhee and Ben Kingsley) about the energy his young stars brought to the production, how he pulled unlikely inspiration from Monty Python, why it’s impossible to look cool while birdwatching, and why he was actually really excited to fight his film’s initial R-rating in front of the MPAA.

Home Entertainment Round-Up: 5/20/14

We play catch up with the DVDs we’ve accumulated over the past month with Phil looking at Criterion releases for Riot in Cell Block 11 and Breaking the Waves, the recently remastered Sorcerer, a re-cut version of the documentary Cocaine Cowboys, the fourth and final season of Eastbound and Down, and the latest Paranormal Activity film. Dave looks at straight-to-video efforts Mr. Jones and Bad Country, along with new discs for Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia and Seven Warriors. And Andrew looks back on A Birder’s Guide to Everything and Big Bad Wolves.

This Week at The Bloor: 5/9/14

This week at the Bloor, a look at an inspirational pianist that picked up an Academy Award this year and a not so inspiration, but comprehensive and artistically enlightened look at the history of teenagers.

The Highs and (not quite) Lows of Orson Welles

This week, the TIFF Bell Lightbox brings audiences a mini-retrospective of films from famed and controversial American auteur Orson Welles (including a never before seen in Canada early work) that shows the man was more than just Citizen Kane and his sad late career selling out.