Point Blank (John Boorman, 1967) – Sometimes you just have to go back to the bare basics to get the job done and get it done right. There’s nothing complicated about revenge films. They’re about as straight forward of an idea and emotion that you are bound to come across, and 1967’s Point Blank, the […]
Bears (Alastair Fothergill, Keith Scholey, 2014) – While Disneynature and the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund are certainly doing some good things and raising awareness, the yearly documentaries that they end up producing are a mixed bag. Standing alone as a nature documentary, Bears features some amazing photography, but the cutesy narration ends up making the […]
Filth (Jon S. Baird, 2014) – It’s possible that Irvine Welsh’s novel Filth might have been unfilmable, but that certainly didn’t stop writer and director Jon S. Baird from trying. It’s an admirable attempt to encapsulate a decent into abject madness and abasement at the hands of one of Welsh’s most memorably misanthropic creations, if it’s not […]
Need for Speed is both better than any racing video game adaptation really has any right to be and yet it’s still better than what most who see it will be expecting. It’s a loud, brash, somewhat silly throwback to simpler times. It’s a delightfully old school thrill ride made with the kind of brazen disregard […]
We take a look at and review some of the stage shows, art installations, performance art, music, and dance taking place at this year's 2014 SummerWorks festival!
The Water Thief Juried Series A hauntingly clever blend of cinema, live musical accompaniment, and movement, there’s nothing else quite like The Water Thief at this year’s festival. Wordless, fantastical, and existential, this story of an old man in a coastal community that finds his final remaining days on Earth haunted by ghosts from the […]
Unknown Soldier Juried Series Although boasting an electrifying performance from Jeff Ho in the lead of this one man show, writer/director/producer Jonathan Seinen’s fictionalized take on the struggles faced by imprisoned American soldier and whistleblower Chelsea Manning (formerly Bradley) is a well intentioned mixed bag that actually does better when it goes a bit off […]
Unintentionally Depressing Children’s Tales Juried Series Definitely not for kids, but not as “depressing” as the title suggests, writer Erin Fleck and director Maya Rabinovitch’s whimsically staged telling of four fractured fairy tales with melancholic undertones blends stage reading and gorgeous puppetry beneath a cozy, elaborate blanket fort with the audience gathered around on the […]
Thus Spoke… National Series A potent and vibrant mix of dance, movement, performance art, and monologuing, Thus Spoke… makes its English language debut in Toronto by way of its original staging in Montreal. Two men (Frédérick Gravel, Frédérick Lavallée, with Gravel also serving as the artistic director, choreographer, co-creator, and lighting designer) and two women […]
Fuck You! You Fucking Perv! Juried Series With a title as in-your-face as Leslie Baker’s look at long standing mental health issues that have been caused as a result of childhood sexual abuse, you should know full well that what you’re going to get is going to be a provocation. And this one really works. […]
The Container Juried Series Definitely not for those who have issues with claustrophobia, this ingeniously mounted production of Clare Bayley’s politically and ethnically charged British play about refugees under stress and pressure takes on a whole new meaning under Zachary Florence’s tight and brave direction. The claustrophobia remark was not a joke. The show comes […]
Complex Juried Series This Toronto set culture clash takes place between Sarah (Emily Piggford), a 23 year old U of T graduate student studying math, and Warren (Mazin Elsadig) a troubled 15 year old Chalkfarm teenager, who she’s trying to tutor. They come from vastly different background, but both have to deal with loved ones […]
Chicken Grease is Nasty Business Juried Series An unabashed crowd pleasing comedy with few pretensions, Chicken Grease is Nasty Business follows the madcap exploits of a non-traditional family as they celebrate the less that happy birthday of one of their own. Matriarch and fried chicken maven Modestine (Lili Francks) has devoted her life to adopting […]
Tour Live Art Series Making its East Coast debut following mountings in Vancouver and Victoria, this positively delightful bit of immersive art doesn’t last very long (maybe only about 20 minutes, tops), but there’s a real warmth and heart to this versatile little show that will stick with your long after your “tour” has ended. […]
Into the Storm might not necessarily be a “good” movie, but it is certainly a thrilling, exciting, entertaining, and impressive one.
