A Girl on Girls: Episode 3.1 Recap
Elena joins the Dork Shelf team and takes on the first episode of Girls season three: "Females Only."
True Detective Episode 1.1 Recap
Our Film Editor jumps over to the TV side for several weeks to start our weekly recaps of the new (and very much worth watching) HBO series True Detective, starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. What went down this week and what do we think of the first episode and where it's headed? Check it out! (Warning: Spoilers)
Films in Brief: 1/10/14
Due to our Film Editor being down for the count this week (tearing tendons in his foot and having the flu at the same time), there will sadly be a few reviews missing this week, including the Bloor Cinema column, but he did want to pass along these thoughts for the films he saw but couldn’t write about: I am Divine, Persistence of Vision, Gabrielle, and Ms. 45.
August: Osage County Review
Although it could use a more accomplished director at the helm, August: Osage County is a gleefully misanthropic, exceptionally acted dark family comedy from the same crazy writer who brought you Killer Joe and Bug.
Lone Survivor Review
As far as wartime sagas go, Peter Berg’s Lone Survivor is certainly a technical marvel and it’s nothing if not genuine at heart, but as a film it’s far too underdeveloped and misguided to really have any impact.
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones Review
There was precisely one moment in the fourth entry in the Paranormal Activity franchise that terrified me. It happened just as the credits hit and I was in such a hurry to get out of the theatre that I dropped my keys. I got down on my hands and knees in a panic. It was the absolute worst.
This Week at The Bloor: 1/3/14
The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema kicks off 2014 with a trio of new films looking at the American educational system (in the perceptive, but flawed and skewed American Promise, extreme marathon runners (in the crowd pleasing Desert Runners), and the plight of the modern honeybee (in the gorgeous looking More than Honey).
Dhoom 3 Review
The Bollywood action import Dhoom 3 has become quite a success in North America over the past few weeks, but while it's still a considerable amount of fun, it's also the weakest in the franchise.
47 Ronin Review
It makes perfect sense why Universal largely declined to press screen their $175 million budgeted and largely already written off 47 Ronin. It's the new Cutthroat Island, only less fun, which really only means that Carl Rinsch's debut feature somehow sucks at the very art of sucking.
Justin Bieber’s: Believe Review
The latest concert film from the now allegedly retired Justin Bieber isn't awful as far as these things go, but it's certainly redundant since it's essentially the same film he already made once.
The Wolf of Wall Street Review
Martin Scorsese's best and most thoroughly insane film in years, The Wolf of Wall Street isn't for everyone and is bound to be misread by people not willing to think about the rampant greed, avarice, and drug use on display, but for those who can stomach the breakneck paced three hours with one of the worst human beings in screen history, it's a very rewarding experience.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Review
Although it doesn't work 100% of the time, Ben Stiller's take on James Thurber's famous short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty shows the filmmaker and actor maturing as an artist full of wonderful vision and boundless ambition that make it a joy to watch.
Grudge Match Review
Grudge Match is pretty tired and cliched sports movie pablum, but made a lot more palatable by a cast willing to go the extra mile to make their own comedic opportunities.
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Review
While it boasts an outstanding leading performance from Idris Elba as late South African civil rights leader Nelson Mandela, Justin Chadwick's Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is overlong and lacks focus.
This Week at the Bloor 12/23/13
The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema closes out their programming year with the stunning and thoughtful Expedition to the End of the World and the problematic Maidentrip. We also look at a bunch of special screenings happening over the holiday season, including the quadruple-feature of holiday classics going down today!
