I didn’t believe anything in Considering Love & Other Magic. These characters are so disengaged, you could set them on fire and all they would do is shrug. They’re all too busy pondering about death; mostly the long-term existentialism that lingers when a loved one passes away. The press release describes Dave Schultz’s film as a “family movie”. Try explaining that pitch to your kids. You’ll owe them ice cream after the show.
Blade of the Immortal kicks off with an epic outmatched brawl featuring the film’s heroic samurai Manji (Takuya Kimura) facing off against a hoard of sword-wielding enemies. The fight scene, despite some shaky cinematography, is an excellent sequence of non-stop action featuring the same audacious violence director Takashi Miike has been known to provide.
By: Nick van Dinther The title Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri tells you exactly what the movie is about. If you peek behind that literal title, you’ll find one of the best films of the year.
By: Trevor Chartrand Showcasing the contrast between two farming families in Mississippi, Mudbound examines the overbearing racist climate of the southern states in the 1940s. Based on a novel of the same name and directed/co-written by Dee Rees, the film takes place both during and after the Second World War. When a white family takes ownership of a Mississippi farm, they find themselves living in the fields among the black farmhands who will work for them….
Stegman Is Dead is the latest addition to the string of Quentin Tarantno copycats. Smooth anti-heroes and bumbling crooks come together in a quirky crime story played for laughs and gags. However, this debut feature film from TV director David Hyde edges out its sub-genre competition; mostly due to the chemistry of the film’s ensemble.
To perform stand-up comedy takes skill, and it’s a developmental process specific to each comedian until they find their own individual presence. For some comics, however, the experimental process becomes their career – always finding ways to deliver jokes and stories while keeping listeners on their toes. Bob Saget certainly falls into this category. Being professionally experimental is what makes Saget’s comedy work.
Recently on Twitter, a user asked their followers to name the best documentaries of the decade. Instead, I named three notable documentarians who have produced excellent work. One of those mentioned filmmakers was Brett Morgen. Morgen has made one of the best docs about Hollywood history (The Kid Stays in the Picture), one of the best docs about music history (Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck), and with his latest project Jane, he’s made one of the best…
The European Union Toronto Film Festival is currently screening at The Royal Cinema (until Tuesday, November 23), and the selected features offer audiences different stories told by filmmakers from various EU countries. The festival serves an important purpose as a cultural essential in one of Canada’s most diverse cities.
