Marley Review
A complex, thorough, and painstaking tribute to the legend of reggae icon Bob Marley, director Kevin Macdonald has crafted the documentary experience of the year so far with Marley.
The Dictator Review
The Dictator is simultaneously tasteless and toothless – a provocation in search of a point, taking a potentially explosive premise and reducing it to the level of a mediocre studio comedy and never living up to any of its transgressive promises.
This Week in DVD: 5/15/12
This week's a busy one at the video store, as we take a look at Chronicle, Hard Core Logo 2, a BBC remounting of Great Expectations, Rampart, Albert Nobbs, the first season of Hell on Wheels, Wrestlemania XXVIII, and a very brief, curt message about The Devil Inside.
The New Old: Boys, Men, Aliens, and Gremlins
Lots of talk about boys and men this week as Brandon Bastaldo takes a look at the coming of age tale La Haine, looks at the Quebecois hockey comedy Les Boys II, and Phil Brown looks at Men in Black, About a Boy, and the almost childlike inhibition of Gremlins 2: The New Batch.
Big Boys Gone Bananas!* Review
The very best kind of David and Goliath stories are the ones where the David in question eventually wins out. However in his battle against fruit giant Dole Foods, victory never feels completely assured for Swedish filmmaker Fredrik Gertten. Big Boys Gone Bananas!* is an autobiographical documentary about Gertten's protracted moral and legal fight to get his 2009 doc Bananas!* released. The film is essentially a documentary about a documentary, with the director of both movies becoming the central character in his own story.
Dark Shadows Review
While definitely closer in tone to what director Tim Burton should be making with his vivid imagination, wit, and eye for detail, Dark Shadows shouldn’t be heralded as a comeback for the director just yet. The potential for this film to serve as a middle ground between the big haired auteur’s beloved Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice feels somewhat squandered by a lightweight script and a really terrible final 20 minutes.
Theo Fleury: Playing With Fire Review
After premiering recently at Toronto's Hot Docs film festival, the documentary Theo Fleury: Playing with Fire debuts tonight on HBO Canada. The film follows Theoren Fleury - among the most controversial and memorable figures in contemporary hockey history. Director Larry Day paints a shocking and honest portrait of a man who has battled personal demons, addiction, and sexual abuse.
Sound of My Voice Review
The twisty sci-fi tinged mystery Sound of My Voice raises as many questions as it does answers, and despite a great performance from co-writer Brit Marling as an enigmatic cult leader, viewer enjoyment hinges on the ability to deal with large amounts of ambiguity well.
Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster Review
Featuring a great leading performance from Scott Speedman, Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster stands to be one of the best English language Canadian films in quite some time, and it marks director Nathan Morlando’s debut as a filmmaker to watch for in the future.
This Week in DVD: 5/8/12
This week's DVD column is all over the map as takes on Underworld: Awakening, the horror remake Mother's Day, and the romantic drama The Vow, while Phil Brown takes a look at the almost unclassifiable Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie.
TIFF Next Wave Round-up
We take a look at the inaugural TIFF Next Wave teen oriented film festival with an overview and a review of three of the festival's biggest titles. including 17 Girls, Re:Generation Music Project, and the directorial debut of actor Matthew Lillard, Fat Kid Rules the World.
Detachment Review
Director Tony Kaye's Detachment wants nothing more than to rip your guts out and make you feel like shit for 98 minutes… in a good way. It’s a sort of emotional horror movie for educators. It might ruin your day to watch the movie, but at least it feels like the harsh experience was done with a purpose, even if Kaye’s execution is somewhat muddled.
Pull List: 5/2/12 – Earth 2 and The Spider
It’s another new week and another edition of the Pull List coming at you. This week features a fresh start for some classic heroes with Earth 2 #1 from DC and Dynamite's pulp noir tale The Spider #1.
Headhunters Review
An almost old fashioned, slick, and sometimes icky thriller, the Norwegian import Headhunters doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it's aimed squarely at an appreciative adult audience.
Hot Docs 2012: The Mid-Week Report
As we reach the mid-point of Hot Docs 2012, we take a look at An Affair of the Heart, Canned Dreams, Shut Up and Play the Hits, Soldier/Citizen, Breath, Love Story, and Only the Young.
