2018
Canadian Film Fest ’18: The Go-Getters
In The Go-Getters, Jeremy LaLonde’s first foray into the twisted genre of dark comedies, audiences are convinced that misery really does love company; especially in the metropolis of Toronto.
Isle of Dogs
By: Trevor Chartrand Director Wes Anderson is at it again with another quirky stop-motion animated feature, his second foray into the genre since 2009’s The Fantastic Mr. Fox. In Isle of Dogs, Anderson’s gone above and beyond to create a clever, stylized, and memorable motion picture.
Catwalk: Tales from the Catshow Circuit
Last year’s Kedi, one of the best films of the year, showed us just how much potential there is in cat documentaries. This year, CBC Docs attempted to follow that nascent tradition in Canada with Catwalk: Tales from the Catshow Circuit, a study of people and their pets who participate in such performances. And, yes, there’s a healthy dose of cute cat action.
Canadian Film Fest ’18: A Swingers Weekend
Certain topics pertaining to sex and intimacy aren’t really taboo anymore. We’ve had an influx of orgy comedies (A Good Old Fashioned Orgy, How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town), and filmmakers have also captured stripped-down dating culture in the current digital age (Jackie Boy, as well as with glossier mainstream movies). Because of these advancements in storytelling, Jon E. Cohen’s underwhelming feature film debut A Swingers Weekend feels a few years too late.
The Leisure Seeker
By: Jessica Goddard Paolo Virzì’s geriatric road trip flick wastes the legendary talents of Donald Sutherland and Helen Mirren on some of the most unfortunate forced sentimentality and rushed melodrama I’ve seen in years. Despite a promising premise, this adaption of Michael Zadoorian’s novel of the same name is more often cringeworthy than sincere.
TIFF Kids ’18: Nelly & Simon: Mission Yeti
Nelly, a gung-ho private detective, and Simon, an aspiring anthropologist, make an unlikely heroic pair in Nelly & Simon: Mission Yeti, a colourful French-Canadian action/adventure yarn from directors Nancy Florence Savard and Pierre Greco.
TIFF Kids ’18: Supa Modo
Supa Modo hit an emotional sweet spot with me, as I’m sure it will with TIFF Kids audiences. It’s easy to engage with a film that has this much optimism and zest.