Interview: Phoenix Author SF Said
Author SF Said talks about writing for young people, the wonders of stars, Pixar, Rio Bravo and space adventures in his new book Phoenix.
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones Review
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones will be barely passable for non-fans, but it's thankfully far less derivative than it looks on a passing glance. It all comes with a brisk pace, knowing wit, good performances, and a set-up that never talks down to its core demographic of fans by pandering to basic adolescent needs.
Blu-Ray Round-up: 8/19/13
This might be our best Blu-Ray review round up yet, including The Muppet Movie, The Sword in the Stone, Wes Craven's Swamp Thing, John Carpenter's The Fog, Mel Brooks' The Producers, and The Kentucky Fried Movie.
Batgirl #23 Review
This issue starts the three issue "Batgirl: Wanted" arc that pits Commissioner Gordon against Batgirl.
Jobs Review
There's no way Jobs can be looked at as a serious biopic about Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. It's a frustrating iDisaster.
Paranoia Review
Other potential titles for the abysmally idiotic thriller Paranoia that must have been taken: “Patently Implausible on This or Any Other Earth,” “Captain Obvious,” and “Seriously, Guys, Is This Some Sort of Joke?”
A Hijacking Review
A Hijacking resonates like a visceral true story lifted from the front page of a newspaper and a hostage drama unfolding in real time (despite being a month long stand-off).
This Week at The Bloor: 8/16/13
This week at The Bloor: the powerful and distressing Call Me Kuchu looks at LGBT human rights abuses in Uganda (now more timely than ever given the current landscape in Russia that's eerily similar), and Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp takes a look at how a "street poisoned" criminal found catharsis in confessional writing to become one of the most vital African American literary voices in history.
Kick Ass 2 Review
Misguidedly choosing incredibly lame jokes instead of maintaining Mark Millar's (sometimes) misguided edginess, Kick Ass 2 is a dreadful mess of hedged bets that somehow becomes more offensive to watch than if the film had been actively going for the shock value Millar's work often courts in the first place.
Everyday Is Like Sunday Review
Despite a rough start and some rougher edges, the Toronto set mumblecore dramedy Everyday Is Like Sunday still has plenty of emotionally rewarding and amusing sequences to make it worthwhile.
La Pirogue Review
While most likely faithful to the hardship face by African immigrants attempting to escape to Europe on dangerous fishing boats, La Pirogue suffers from a lack of character that it can't quite overcome.
The Scene: An Exploration of Music in Toronto Review
There’s nothing particularly wrong with the music documentary The Scene: An Exploration of Music in Toronto, but it’s doubtful that anyone outside of the bands being profiled and their friends and followers will get too excited by the prospect of rushing out to see it.
Lee Daniels’ The Butler Review
Lee Daniels' The Butler is a strange kind of film that tries to avoid the standard pitfalls of the biopic by being somewhat irreverent, and it nearly succeeds.
A Band Called Death Review
A Band Called Death tells a heck of a story (that towards the end gets a bit long winded) about one of punk rock's most unrecognized early bands. Possibly even the first one ever.
The Spectacular Now Review
James Ponsoldt's The Spectacular Now is the most authentic depiction of what it means to be a teenager since Cameron Crowe's landmark Say Anything. It's so adept at conveying youthful awkwardness, petulance, and regret, and how every moment in a teenagers life could signify the end of their comfortable world that it could practically incite post traumatic stress memories in those who watch it. The aching and longing at the heart of this bracing work is the kind that informs the rest of a young person's life for better or worse, and it's all done entirely free of cliche or artifice.
