Toronto Jewish Film Festival 2018: ‘Humor Me’
Humor Me is a fine example of how charismatic actors and a promising new filmmaker can rise above ordinary movie mechanics.
Festival Coverage
Hot Docs 2018: ‘First Stripes’
Jean-François Caissy’s look into the Canadian Armed Forces’ intensive training program is a slice-of-life style treat for those especially interested in modern military training practices. First Stripes follows a 12-week course in French Canada, from the time recruits are being told the rules of the facility and getting in shape to performing mission simulations and learning how to use their weapons.
Hot Docs 2018: ‘1999’ and ‘What Walaa Wants’
1999 (DIR. Samara Grace Chadwick) A hauntingly dreamlike style of documentary and exploration of memory, Samara Grace Chadwick’s 1999 is artistically-conceived though low on information.
Hot Docs 2018: ‘Playing Hard’
Playing Hard (DIR. Jean-Simon Chartier) Jean-Simon Chartier’s behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of video game development is engrossing, informative, and unexpectedly full of tension and drama.
Hot Docs 2018: ‘The Artist & the Pervert’ and ‘United We Fan’
The Artist & The Pervert (DIR. Beatrice Behn, René Gebhardt) Beatrice Behn and René Gebhardt’s The Artist & The Pervert tells the story of composer Georg Friedrich Haas and author/activist Mollena Williams’ dominant/submissive relationship, as well as the public’s response to it.
Hot Docs 2018: ‘The Cleaners’ and ‘Turning Tables’
The Cleaners (DIR. Hans Block, Moritz Riesewieck) Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck’s The Cleaners is a documentary that claims to be one thing, but is really about another topic.
Hot Docs 2018: ‘Golden Dawn Girls’ and ‘Transformer’
Golden Dawn Girls (DIR. Håvard Bustnes) Håvard Bustnes’ Golden Dawn Girls is a feature-length interview-of-sorts with several female relatives of Nikolaos Michaloliakos, the head of the far-right, Greek “social nationalist” party known as Golden Dawn.
Canadian Film Fest ’18: The Cannon
Boogie Nights meets The Wrestler in Marshall Axani’s The Cannon. Although those are some fairly daunting examples to follow, The Cannon – for the most part – does a decent job of keeping up.
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.
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.