13 Minutes
13 Minutes jostles my pet peeve with disaster movies; almost as if the movie is trying to push me over the edge.
2021
Honey Girls
If a poppin’ and lockin’ Willy Wonka owned a music studio instead of running a chocolate factory, perhaps he would’ve run a contest like the one featured in the hokey Build-A-Bear Entertainment co-production Honey Girls.
The Beta Test
Jim Cummings proved to be a brilliant performer and an exciting filmmaker with Thunder Road, a film he not only directed but also wrote and starred in. As that film’s leading character, he commanded the screen with run-on breakdowns that ranged from hysterical highs to desperate lows. The unforgettable results balanced heavy emotions and dark comedy.
Nine Days
Written and directed by Edson Oda, Nine Days is a metaphysical film that follows a lonely man named Will, played by Winston Duke (Black Panther, Us), who is tasked with interviewing human souls and deciding which one will be given a chance to live. One soul in particular, Emma (Zazie Beetz), is an independent thinker who resists the tasks Will assigns and forces him to examine his own existence.
Daisy Productions: ‘#BasicBAEs’ and ‘Thank U, Ex’
The latest efforts from the Toronto-based comedy collective Daisy Productions are two different takes on a fantasy vs. reality theme. #BasicBAEs, directed by Dennis Alexander Nicholson (Kitty Mammas), is a short film that follows the individual lives of friends who primarily communicate through social media. Thank U, Ex, a hybrid show directed by Maddie Rose that incorporates theatre with taped segments, chronicles the love life of a hopeless romantic with a chip on their shoulder….
The French Dispatch
By: Jolie Featherstone Wes Anderson’s latest feature is a dazzling ode to the joys of the printed word and the spirit of the American wanderer.
Mass
One of the most compelling movies of the year is the minimalist drama Mass, a bottle drama led primarily by its four outstanding leads (Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, Ann Dowd, Reed Birney). The actors portray parents from two families, reeling from a tragedy involving their sons. After prior detached conversations, they decide to convene at a mutually chosen location – a church basement – while a mediator is stationed outside.
Toronto After Dark 2021: ‘Paul Dood’s Deadly Lunch Break’
By: Trevor Chartrand Director Nick Gillespie’s Paul Dood’s Deadly Lunch Break is a hilarious dark comedy that combines 2019’s Joker with 2004’s Napoleon Dynamite – featuring an inept dancing social outcast who plots vigilante justice. The titular Paul Dood (Tom Meeten) is a troubled man-baby who, despite living with his mother, has aspirations of achieving fame. On his way to an important career-making audition, Paul is delayed by a series of rude and apathetic citizens,…
Toronto After Dark 2021: ‘Alien on Stage’
Directed by Lucy Harvey and Danielle Kummer, Alien on Stage is an unexpectedly heartwarming documentary about an amateur theatre group comprised of Dorset bus drivers who set out to produce a stage adaptation of Ridley Scott’s classic sci-fi/horror Alien. Though their initial adaptation is serious, they are given the opportunity to take their show to London’s West End as a comedy.