A film that prides itself on being the first Black-Western, ‘The Harder They Fall’ is a viciously brutal and wildly captivating adventure from start to finish, boasting incredible performances from the whole ensemble that bring their characters to life in the most entertaining of ways.
Read MoreSnakehead, the feature film debut of Evan Jackson Leung is a worthwhile watch. The film’s highly stylized cinematography, its thoughtful examination of an under-explored subject, and the two female lead characters are all dynamic enough to carry the film through any shortcomings it might have.
Read MoreBen Foster gives a transformative performance that should garner the actor his first Oscar nomination in Barry Levinson’s ‘The Survivor’, a career highlight for the veteran director that shows the Holocaust from a different perspective while looking to the future.
Read MoreAn all too familiar addition to an already oversaturated subgenre, director Rob Savage follows up his debut feature ‘Host’ with ‘Dashcam’, another pandemic horror film that seems to aim at audience’s patience, rather than their ability to be frightened.
Read More‘Oscar Peterson: Black + White’ is one of the great music documentaries, and an essential release out of TIFF 2021. Guided lovingly by Barry Avrich, this tribute to the extraordinary life and career of Oscar Peterson must be seen by anyone who loves music, and especially if they love Oscar Peterson.
Read MoreThe appeal of ‘All My Puny Sorrows’ comes not necessarily from the heavy subject matter, but the novel and stimulating manner in which it presents the story. The film is packed with stellar performances, lead by Alison Pill, and captained by a director who always seems to get ‘stellar’ out of his actors.
Read MoreWhile Kenneth Branagh may only make a handful of artistic choices as director, every ounce of thoughtfulness went into the script of ‘Belfast’, and that remains enough. The film is shot in an intimate and small manner, the conflict is shrunk down, and eventually it’s all slow cooked into more delicious morsels about morality and love.
Read MoreCanadian cinema has always had an uphill road to climb, but this is especially true of films like ‘Wildhood’. Now being screened for the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, Wildhood draws heavily from Hannam’s own identity and experiences, telling the story of re-defining one’s family, rediscovering love, and recovering one’s sense of self.
Read More‘Titane’ is Julia Ducournau’s second feature length film and just like her last film, this on e isn’t for the faint of heart. A movie that will truly divide audiences with its disturbing imagery but one that will stand the test of time because of the method to it’s madness
Read MoreDirector Liz Garbus delves into the life of the legendary oceanographer through unique uses of voiceover, stock footage and visuals to bring an urgency to our current climate crisis.
Read MoreThough Demi Lovato appears to be a willing subject, “Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil” falters in telling her story due to its narrative-chasing and sterilized delivery from Michael D. Ratner.
Read MoreA seasoned performer like Justine Bateman, who has done almost everything in terms of acting, seemingly has to invent a new ‘thing’ while directing her feature film debut. Her Violet can easily be defined as ‘experimental cinema’ as it isn’t your typical type of film in terms of format or the tools used. It can also, unfortunately, be easily defined as ‘obvious’
Read MoreOccasionally, audiences can find these hidden gems at the SXSW festival in comedy, science-fiction or horror, but occasionally, audiences may find something like Welsh-language thriller, The Feast.
Read MoreFran Kranz, a great comedian in his own right, has shown the world his adept grasp on the dramatic side of life with his directorial debut, “Mass.”
Read More“Pieces of a Woman” is not for the faint of heart; it’s a truly heartbreaking, intimate, unflinching, and harrowing look at one woman’s unimaginable loss and her process to recovery.
Read MoreChloe Zhao’s “Nomadland”, based on the novel by Jessica Bruder is the story of a forgotten part of the Boomer generation who has to keep moving to work, and working to live.
Read More“Concrete Cowboy” is a story about a forgotten aspect of Black-America which needs to be told. That is why it is such a shame that it gets lost in an otherwise formulaic ‘coming of age’ film for inner-city youth.
Read MoreAaron Moorhead & Justin Benson might not be household names, but something is on the horizon for this duo. Their new film, SYNCHRONIC has subtext, a message, and a key central idea, but because Moorhead & Benson wanted to introduce so many elements from different genres, almost all of that effective storytelling was, ironically… lost in time.
Read MoreWe might look at some of the forgotten childhood tidbits that have been chipped away from our soul and scoff at the idea, but A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood reminds us not only are these things natural, they can come back into our lives easily. Here’s our review.
Read MoreJoker utilizes the popularity of the comic book movie platform to deliver a new character story. In a repulsive, vile, and evil exploration of one of comics’ most iconic villains, Phillips changes the lens through which we view films in this genre.
Read More
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