Libera Nos (Deliver Us), a documentary chronicling numerous exorcisms, rides an innovative line between being a commentary on the distractions of devout faith and a real-life horror movie. It shook me up like no other film has in years.
This year, immersive and transmedia theatre group The Secret Sessions is throwing a Shaun of the Dead party/immersive theatre experience just in time for Halloween.
In this current political climate, Russian president Vladimir Putin – along with his government – has frequently been held suspect for unethical ideologies. On Putin’s Blacklist, a Canadian-produced documentary directed by Boris Ivanov, exposes more of these unorthodox decisions while also linking these rippling effects to possible ideas of Putin’s personality.
Most documentaries about legendary people are unsurprisingly structured since the subject’s history and reputation steer the film through its motions. Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton is no different, but I do admire how the film paces the impressive life of the surfer/entrepreneur/game changer.
Cold Hell (DIR. Stefan Ruzowitzky) Cold Hell is a dark and gritty crime thriller written by Martin Ambrosch and directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky. The film has been deservedly compared to other serial-killer thrillers like David Fincher’s Se7en; though it doesn’t revolutionize the genre, Cold Hell’s adrenaline-fuelled brutality prove that following the usual formula isn’t always a bad thing.
By: Jessica Goddard Frederick Wiseman’s Ex Libris: The New York Public Library is a slow and detailed documentary about the vast institution of the New York Public Library (not to be confused with its famous headquarters in Midtown Manhattan). The film focuses on the NYPL’s many branches and services and functions, offering long samples of footage of what goes on from day-to-day in different branches, ranging from the micro to the macro. Famous speakers and…
Two teenage girls come-of-age in a small town. They use “teen speak”, spend all their time on social media, and find themselves consumed by their various hobbies. What makes Tragedy Girls different from a plethora of similar films is that one of these girls’ hobbies is murder.
Dead Shack (DIR. Peter Ricq) Audiences that like their zombies with a healthy side of laughs shouldn’t miss Dead Shack, director Peter Ricq’s dark comedy about three teenagers whose week-long vacation at a cabin in the woods takes a nightmarish turn when they learn that their neighbour in the cabin next-door is feeding unsuspecting young locals to her undead family.
Filmmaker Reese Eveneshen seems to be his own worst enemy with his latest project Defective. On one hand, on a limited budget, he’s developed Toronto into a nameless city living in a convincing dystopia. The visuals are on par with the works of Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium). However, Eveneshen’s overwritten screenplay becomes so convoluted, it reaches a point of no return.
Game of Death is a gory conundrum that is both impressive and bothersome.