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May 2016

Does It Float?

Does It Float?: Dirty Grandpa

When Dirty Grandpa was released in January, it was panned by critics and moviegoing audiences stayed fairly quiet.  However, after Wylie Writes’ Shannon Page reported that the film was a funny party with irresistible chemistry between veteran actor Robert De Niro and heartthrob Zac Efron, I was inclined to check it out.

Reviews

Sunset Song

After a 5-year hiatus, English filmmaker Terence Davies returns with Sunset Song, an adaptation of the seminal Scottish novel by Lewis Grassic Gibbon.  Davies’ traditionally melodramatic and stilted approach to writing drama is on display here, and a great hindrance to this adaptation.

Reviews

The Before Time

Sometimes, a film may fail at one or two or even five things.  A much rarer find is a film that manages to fail at absolutely everything it attempts.  The term “attempt” is important, since The Before Time did unintentionally succeed at making me laugh out loud several times – a much higher success rate than many recent comedies.

Festival Coverage

Wylie Writes @ The 2016 ReelAbilities Film Festival

Movie goers fresh off of Hot Docs may want to consider moseying over to Toronto’s first annual ReelAbilities Film Festival.  The 6ix will be joining the ranks of other worldwide communities like New York, Portland, and Chicago to showcase filmmakers who are adamant in portraying people with different abilities and their inspiring stories.

Reviews

The People Garden

If The People Garden inspired me in any way, it reminded me that I really should mail filmmakers Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas a thank-you letter for 2013’s The Oxbow Cure.  I’m not comparing both Canadian dramas (which also, coincidentally, take place in the woods), but if a filmmaker creates a minimalist movie, they ought to have a resonating voice.

Reviews

The Boss

I liked The Boss.  The film isn’t particularly memorable and the comedy hits low targets when it has the ability to be more ambitious, but Ben Falcone’s movie had me in frequent fits of laughter nonetheless.