Latest

March 2020

Reviews

My Spy

My Spy is the latest addition to a very specific sub-genre that features a rough n’ tough action star dialling it down to shape a more family-friendly image.  Dave Bautista, of Guardians of the Galaxy fame, reports for duty in My Spy, following in the steps of fellow wrestlers John Cena and Tyler Mane (Playing With Fire), Vin Diesel (The Pacifier), and Arnold Schwarzenegger (Kindergarten Cop).  The film that has had the most persuasion over…

Reviews

Ophelia

Sometimes, the most reassuring type of storytelling is the kind that unexpectedly reels you in with material you formally thought was uninteresting. Such is the case for Claire McCarthy’s Ophelia. As a viewer with limited knowledge (and interest) of the classic works of William Shakespeare, I couldn’t help but be swept up in the characters and drama of McCarthy’s reenvisioning.

Reviews

Afterward

Afterward is a personal documentary for Ofra Bloch.  With a career in psychoanalysis and a desire to make a movie, she sets out to talk with people of various backgrounds about how they’ve been effected by their culture’s history, followed by discussions examining guilt.  And with so much cultural animosity taking place in the modern world, Bloch digs deeper to see is if these claims are proven to be contradictive of current discrimination, and then pushes further…

Reviews

Hope Gap

One thing that can be said in Hope Gap’s favour is that it has a strong sense of place.  Filmed in Seaford, Sussex, the stunning white cliffs, quaint village streets, and the dark stone beaches are displayed wonderfully.  Hope Gap is, at points, a visually beautiful film;  unfortunately, it isn’t a particularly interesting one.

Reviews

Greed

Writer/director Michael Winterbottom and actor Steve Coogan have collaborated before in biopics (24 Hour Party People, The Look of Love) and straightforward comedies (Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story, The Trip franchise), but they haven’t tackled a movie like Greed.  Greed binds those previously mentioned genres into a potently bitter, satirical tragicomedy – a fitting playground for Winterbottom and Coogan.

Reviews

Lie Exposed

By: Trevor Chartrand An adaptation of the stage play Pornography (written by Jeff Kober), Lie Exposed explores a series of relationships on the edge of ending, following each couple’s attendance at a controversial art installation.  The art in question features tintype photographs of vaginas, which for most of the couples sparks a conversation about their own sex lives as well as the objectification of the female form.  Thematically, the film explores the definition of art…

Reviews

Run This Town

Run This Town, writer/director Ricky Tollman’s exceptional and intelligent feature-length debut, isn’t just about Rob Ford and and his public busts.  It’s not just about Ford’s team of “special assistants”, or the eager journalists who want a big break and be the first to report breaking news.  Run This Town is a magnetically contemplative film about the ethical decisions within these careers that jeopardize the integrity of these people.

Reviews

True Fiction

What role does the precarity of labour play in young people choosing to take on dangerous jobs?  In the #MeToo era, how does one go about separating an artist’s actions from their work?  Is anonymity possible in the 21st century?  What is the difference between violence and a simulation of violence?  If unethical acts lead to brilliant art, is it ethical to consume the art?  What do these questions have in common?  Well, for one, they…