Tasha Hubbard’s powerful documentary nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up details the murder trial and political fallout that ensued after Colton Boushie’s death, as well as the dangerous ways racism has embedded itself into the Canadian legal system.
TMN's documentary series Reelside consists of six episodes, each concentrating on a different group of filmmakers. Each part is unique but forms a cohesive unit that subtly reinforces pride in film talent that just happens to be Canadian.
This week in archival DVD land, we take a look at new Blu-Rays for the Canadian classic sex comedy Porky's, Criterion treatments for Terrence Malick's Badlands and Fritz Lang's Ministry of Fear, and a Steven Seagal TV show that was re-edited into a movie with the hopes no one would notice.
Guy Maddin's Keyhole starts as his most accessible film today with an updating of 30s gangster films before gently giving into the filmmaker's unique visual style. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
It’s rare that a thriller comes along and pulls you into the world of a movie in a way that really makes you experience the protagonist's fear. Try as it might, The Odds is not one of those rare exceptions. Set against the oxymoronic backdrop of a “high stakes high school gambling ring” the story spins a semi-decent mystery but suffers from a lack of logic and sympathetic characters we can identify with.
An underdog story both thematically and in its making, Moon Point has you rooting for the characters and filmmakers alike. Since Canadian features, particularly the independents, usually end up seen by few if any, this one should be considered a victory just by virtue of you reading about it here. Fortunately the film does succeed in that it delivers a bit of fluffy entertainment, which is all most really ask for when going to the movies.
When was the last time you saw a good Canadian film? How many Canadian films can most people even name? Maybe that’s because unlike music and television, there are no government enforced quotas for Canadian content in our movie theatres, allowing Hollywood to dominate our screens. the city’s newest rep theatre, the Toronto Underground Cinema is taking long overdue measures to remedy this. Starting this Thursday, the Underground is dedicating all 8 of its weekend screenings to great Canadian films.
