Latest

March 2019

Reviews

Amy Schumer: Growing

Comedienne Amy Schumer is at her best when she’s in unfamiliar waters and vocalizing about it.  By being incredibly observant and quick-witted, she forms a unique and bold perspective that humorously addresses relatable hesitation.  This transferable approach is why her film roles have worked for me as well (Trainwreck, Snatched, I Feel Pretty).

Festival Coverage

Canadian Film Fest ’19: Nose to Tail

In the heart of Toronto’s entertainment district, high-end restaurants hold their own against competition and stress, or so we assume.  This facade, however, becomes too much for Daniel, a well-versed chef with a bad reputation and unhealthy work ethic.  Over the span of a day in Nose to Tail, Daniel’s life spins out of control as his attitude costs him his staff and his family, and possibly the last chance he’ll get in the business.

Reviews

For Love or Money

The selling point of For Love or Money is the outrageous premise that’s established well in the trailer.  It offers a familiar dynamic, but is so suggestive towards the film’s comedic potential that viewers are naturally reeled in.  If you enjoyed How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days or What Happens in Vegas, here’s a movie for you.

Reviews

Woman at War

Benedikt Erlingsson must be a gambling man.  With his new film Woman at War, he pushes the limit on imagination;  crossing the narrative with elements of a thriller and a deadpan comedy.  But like a gambler with no self-control, Erlingsson overestimates his luck;  spinning the film’s results into a somewhat smug affair.

Reviews

Ghost Town Anthology

The work I’ve seen from French-Canadian filmmaker Denis Côté all involve the subject of lost souls.  Carcasses was a pseudo-doc about a lonely scrapyard owner who is suddenly interrupted by a gang of wanderers, and Curling followed the faded relationship between a father and his daughter in the wake of a tragedy.

Reviews

To Dust

By: Trevor Chartrand A surprising and VERY unique take on the buddy-comedy, To Dust is a thoughtful and inspired look at grief – with plenty of well-timed comedic wit.  It’s a premise we’ve all heard before, with two unlikely companions teaming up to reach a common goal, however the approach and style this film takes is a brand entirely its own.

Reviews

Finding Hygge

Finding Hygge explores the Danish concept of hygge, which a quick Google search tells me has to do with comfort, wellness, and happiness.  I was forced to Google, because at no point in this ninety-minute long documentary is the concept distilled or defined in a coherent manner.

Reviews

3 Faces

In 2010, Jafar Panahi was arrested on the charge of making propaganda against Iran and was sentenced to not make any films for twenty years.  To a filmmaker, that is akin to having one’s tongue cut off.  Panahi, however, did not take that sentence into consideration;  the last nine years seeing four new releases from him, making it the most prolific chapter of his career.  This new act of revolutionary filmmaking has created some of…