This Week at The Bloor: 5/9/14
This week at the Bloor, a look at an inspirational pianist that picked up an Academy Award this year and a not so inspiration, but comprehensive and artistically enlightened look at the history of teenagers.
film
Stage Fright Review
Despite having the somewhat inspired idea of melding the 80s slasher genre with the 70s big screen rock opera, Stage Fright (which arrives in select theatres and on VOD today) is a much easier film to admire than it is to actually like.
Belle Review
Although at times it feels like Amma Asante’s Belle is unwisely trying to be a Jane Austen period romance that never quite takes off, the film’s true to life trappings and some exceptional performances and wit save the film from ever becoming something it shouldn’t be.
I Used to Be Darker Review
Matthew Porterfield’s American indie drama I Used to Be Darker focuses intently enough on the effects of outside stress on a failing marriage, but far too much energy is being expended on the strain Porterfield is placing upon his own narrative.
The German Doctor Review
The German Doctor is a quietly unassuming based on a true story chiller that really gets inside your head.
The Highs and (not quite) Lows of Orson Welles
This week, the TIFF Bell Lightbox brings audiences a mini-retrospective of films from famed and controversial American auteur Orson Welles (including a never before seen in Canada early work) that shows the man was more than just Citizen Kane and his sad late career selling out.
Under the Skin Review
Few films since the late Stanley Kubrick have been able to approach the unnerving artistic depths that Jonathan Glazer reaches with his latest effort, Under the Skin.
Moms’ Night Out Review
It’s certainly not a high bar to clear, but the faith based comedy Moms’ Night Out is certainly better than it needs to be. That’s probably because the whole thing feels suspiciously like a somewhat promising, if a bit unoriginal and lacklustre secular idea that simply had some Jesus-y stuff crammed into it and any sense of true naughtiness removed from it.
Interview: Steven Knight
We talked with Locke writer and director Steven Knight about the casting of Tom Hardy, the claustrophobic nature of his film, our culture of always being in touch and how it pertains to loneliness, and about the film’s intricate, specific details.
Fed Up Review
The advocacy documentary Fed Up carries an important message of the dangers of sugar in our food supply (which is a very agreeable, scary, and vital message), but it sets apart its argument in one of the worst, most shamefully privileged ways possible making it a total disaster.
Neighbors Review
Nicholas Stoller’s Neighbors has all of the trappings of a crowd pleasing, bad taste classic in the making, but at least there’s no question that the filmmakers are laughing directly at their subjects rather than with them.
Ida Review
For his latest film, the powerful and low key Ida, Pawel Pawlikowski takes the term “negative space” to wonderfully literal and figurative extremes.
CONTEST: See an Advance Screening of Fading Gigolo in Vancouver!
Enter for a chance to win a pair of passes to an advance screening of Fading Gigolo in Vancouver on Thursday, May 22nd, courtesy of Dork Shelf and Mongrel Media!
A Month in Thailand Review
An unpretentious no-frills look at the male ego and its struggles with stagnancy, Romanian director Paul Negoescu’s A Month in Thailand (screening this Wednesday at Double Double Land in Toronto in conjunction with MDFF) falls nicely in the same category as similarly minded North American filmmakers Noah Baumbach, Whit Stillman, and Lena Dunham.
Fast Five: Best Bets for CMW’s 2014 Film Line-Up (and How to Win Tickets!)
Not only are we counting down the five best movies to see from this year's Canadian Music Week film selections, but we're also giving away tickets to see them on us! Check out this year's must sees (including a new Alex Gibney documentary, a look at Elliot Smith, the latest film with Michael Fassbender in a giant paper mache head, and more) and how to win tickets to each of the films we're showcasing!
