film

Goon Review

Calling Goon this generation's Slap Shot would be an understatement. Aside from the obvious surface comparisons to the George Roy Hill/Paul Newman classic about a minor league hockey team going nowhere, director Michael Dowse (Fubar) and co-writer/co-star Jay Baruchel have created a film that outdoes what many hail as the greatest hockey comedy ever made.

Interview: Alison Pill

Dork Shelf talks to another Goon cast member, Toronto native Alison Pill, about what to look for when choosing a love interest role, working with Seann William Scott and Jay Baruchel, and her fear of improv.

Interview: Marc-Andre Grondin

The charming and candid Marc-André Grondin talked to Dork Shelf about the upcoming hockey comedy Goon and what it’s like to play someone so irredeemable as his character, how to dress like a douche for the camera, and how challenging it can be to make a French Canadian character funny without turning it into a stereotype.

This Week in DVD: 2/21/12

During a big week for DVD releases, we take a look at Brett Ratner's Tower Heist, the film festival favourite Martha Marcy May Marlene, the multiple Genie award nominee Café de Flore, and a trio of big name direct to DVD features starring the likes of Chris Evans, Colin Farrell, Keira Knightley, Ryan Reynolds, and Julia Roberts.

Defending The Indefensible: Judgment Night

In the first entry of the published offshoot of the popular screening series, Defending the Indefensible curator looks back at the "overlooked and under-appreciated" 1993 thriller Judgment Night, starring Emilio Estevez and Denis Leary.

The Nic Cage Project: Con Air

To celebrate TIFF’s ongoing Bangkok Dangerous: The Cinema Of Nicolas Cage series, Alan Jones has resurrected his retrospective of the actor’s work entitled The Nic Cage Project. In this edition, Jones boards Simon West's Con Air – playing tonight at the Lightbox.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance Review

While technically a step up in quality from the first film in terms of storytelling, the second entry in the somewhat unnecessary Ghost Rider franchise still manages to feel like a bit of a missed opportunity given the talent both in front of and behind the camera. A film starring Nicolas Cage and directed by the duo of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (Crank, Gamer) should be balls to the wall, action packed insanity. Instead, what we get is a film that feels curiously neutered in terms of content and budget.

Contest: See Goon in Toronto, Ottawa, and Halifax

What's up Toronto, Ottawa, and Halifax? Would you guys like a chance to win something extra special? How about a pair of passes to see an advanced screening of Alliance Film's new comedy GOON? If you live in one of these cities, we would love to hook you guys up. Thanks to Alliance we have five pairs of passes for Toronto and ten pairs each for Ottawa and Halifax!

The Secret World of Arrietty Review

Even dubbed into English, it’s hard to go wrong with almost any film bearing the Studio Ghibli name on it. Similarly, the much beloved children’s novel The Borrowers – written by the late Mary Norton with no fewer than four big and small screen adaptations – stands as an enduring brand in family entertainment. While only written by Ghibli head maestro Hayao Miyazaki and only somewhat faithful to Norton’s beloved source material, The Secret World of Arrietty still manages to be another solid, but slight effort from the Japanese powerhouse.

This Means War Review

This Means War refers not only to the title of director McG’s latest romantic action-comedy, but also to the exact sentiment I felt about forty minutes into the film. Staggeringly unfunny with a masochistic mean streak, only one of the jokes in the film even manages a single actual laugh, making for an extremely long feeling 95 minute sit. Ugly, incoherent, and all around lazy as hell, this is exactly the kind of movie I feel I will be weeping about when it inevitably hits number one at the box office.

Giveaway: Catch Act of Valor in Toronto!

Hey guys! Want to catch an advanced screening of the film ACT OF VALOR in Toronto before it comes out in theatres? Well, our good friends at Alliance Films have given us 10 double passes to give away to you wonderful Dork Shelf readers. The film tells the story of a US Navy Seal unit […]

This Week in DVD: 2/14/2011

Not much of anything romantic on DVD this Valentine's Day (unless you count the family dynamic in the brilliant Take Shelter), but there are a pair of decent horror films, a drunken Johnny Depp, Samuel L. Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones arguing in a room for 90 minutes, and some pretty great philosophical discussions. Something for everyone! Except romantics.

Interview: Remake/Remodel Curator John Semley

Few things make filmgoers shudder more than the word “remake.” For years, audiences have been treated to reheated, recast, and reimagined versions of past films, both classics and otherwise. John Semley, Chief Editor for the Onion AV Club’s Toronto branch, aims to create a broader dialogue and discussion surrounding remakes with a new screening series at the Toronto Underground Cinema titled “Remake/Remodel,” where local film writers will present two sides of the same cinematic coin.

The Nic Cage Project: Wild at Heart

To celebrate TIFF’s ongoing Bangkok Dangerous: The Cinema Of Nicolas Cage series, Alan Jones has resurrected his retrospective of the actor’s work entitled The Nic Cage Project. In this edition, Jones analyzes David Lynch's violent road trip Wild at Heart – playing tonight at the Lightbox.

Safe House Review

Ever since Paul Greengrass’ Bourne Identity sequels, espionage movies have been about terrorism and government cover-ups, set in third world countries and filmed with shaky handheld cameras and blown out colour schemes. Safe House falls firmly into this camp, loaded with nods to dirty dealings and water boarding. It’s a fairly entertaining movie, just one that definitely feels like it’s coming out a few years too late.