As a film critic, you try to keep an open mind; especially with subject matter that may not be of personal interest in the first place. Those films have the opportunity to teach something new. That said, economical documentaries are still my kryptonite – they’re still too dense to comprehend. Jed Rothstein’s The China Hustle – a film about devious activity on Wall Street – is more proof of that, but it also surprised me.
A new documentary called Maker of Monsters: The Extraordinary Life of Beau Dick was formally titled Meet Beau Dick. The older title is fitting because, over the course of 90 minutes, that’s exactly what the audience does thoroughly. I assume the name change was for keepsake purposes since Beau Dick passed away last year at the age of 61. But no matter what it’s called, Maker of Monsters is a good movie. Standardly structured, but an honourable film…
By: Trevor Chartrand Between the imminent threat of attack, the dank living conditions and the terrible rations, there’s no nightmare worse than enduring trench warfare. Filmmaker Saul Dibb dares to depict these WWI conditions in Journey’s End, a gritty war drama with intense realism. To be clear, this isn’t a film that celebrates war heroes or glorifies the battlefield. Instead, the film follows a group of soldiers who are faced with the inevitable promise of death,…
By: Jessica Goddard A loving tribute to man’s best friend, Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs is an imaginative, playful, and visually fascinating stop-motion fable that should appeal to animal lovers of every kind. Endlessly clever and unapologetically fun, this movie keeps you guessing and isn’t afraid to misdirect for the sake of a good twist.
Netflix is a juggernaut of content, and they’re still breaking the mould. Just take Daryl Hannah’s Paradox, for instance. Who could’ve guessed the streaming service could turn your living room into a snooty arthouse theatre? That’s a flippant comment but, boy, is Paradox excruciatingly smug. How do you rate or review this movie? Is this even a movie?
I Can Only Imagine is, more or less, about the act of forgiveness. And just like that personal journey, this movie starts out tough before it starts feeling better for everyone.
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.
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.
