Just one month after The Devil Inside seemingly ruined the found footage film for everyone, along comes Chronicle, a sci-fi tinged powerhouse of a movie that single-handedly saves the sub-genre to stand as quite possibly the best example of the format. Even more than the iconic Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield, Chronicle dares to tell a dark and bold story that actually feels painfully real and heartbreaking despite being somewhat of a superhero origin story.
Griff the Invisible is an odd little film, one that wears a big heart on its sleeve. Writer/director Leon Ford has created a film that is equal parts enamouring and sad. The film stars Ryan Kwanten as the titular Griff, a quiet loner who doubles as a masked vigilante by night. What makes this film different from the growing roster of DIY vigilante movies, is that our hero's crime-fighting adventures are essentially made up. His foes are imagined fantasies and his feats gross exaggerations of his own creation. It's a relatable tale of outsiders who try to fit in the only way they know how.
In Superheroes , director Michael Barnett introduces to a gallery of men and women who take it upon themselves to don masks and capes, lurking the streets for criminals to thwart. But in a subculture that is so much more showmanship than substance, Barnett's film begins to stumble on almost identical faults.
This year's Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival kicks off tomorrow and runs through May 8. Featuring over 200 films in total, picking which films are worth seeing is a tall order for even the most seasoned fest-vet. With that in mind, allow us to present the first part of our Hot Docs coverage - A selection of documentaries that may just pique your interest.
It’s been less than 24 hours since I watched The Green Hornet , and I’m already having a hard time forming a strong opinion on it. I’ve definitely never seen a movie try so hard and turn out so immediately forgettable. I at least have to give the movie moxie points for doing something (or rather, everything) differently. The Green Hornet eschews the now-formulaic Hollywood superhero blockbuster formula in favour of (seemingly) bold choices.
