By: Mark Barber Jay Roach’s Trumbo resembles so many “awards season” films. It’s a mildly politicized, star-studded historical drama that wants you to think it’s more important than it is. Ultimately, Trumbo lacks ambition and relevance, and feels little more than a weak attempt to pander to Academy voters.
By: Shahbaz Khayambashi Requiem for the American Dream does not have anything new to say if the viewer is familiar with Noam Chomsky’s ideas, but watching one of our greatest minds speak is always a treat.
By: Addison Wylie Pause Charles Wilkinson’s latest documentary Haida Gwaii: On the Edge of the World at any given moment, and you’ll more than likely land on a stunning image. The cinematography displaying the tucked away world of Haida Gwaii, British Columbia is almost too perfect, but that’s just how naturally beautiful it is. At first, it appears Wilkinson doesn’t have preferred motives in his filmmaking other than to shine a light on a lesser-known Indigenous community where…
By: Mark Barber Billy Ray’s Secret in Their Eyes, an American remake of Juan José Campanella’s 2009 film of the same name, is eerily reminiscent, both thematically and atmospherically, of Denis Villeneuve’s thriller Prisoners, but without going “full-blown Hollywood” in the last act. In other words, Secret in Their Eyes succeeds where Prisoners didn’t, and in ways that highlight the moral ambiguity of its political context. Much like how Prisoners worked as a moderately effective…
By: Addison Wylie Drone looks at the controversy attached to the airborne warfare from all angles; including the conception of the device (including some neat trivial facts about how drones were first intended for fishermen searching for tuna), the budding utilization introduced by the Bush administration, and the ongoing decisive back-and-forth over whether it’s an effective tactic or just creating war crimes. Considering the subject matter and the high risk surrounding drones, it’s to no surprise…
By: Addison Wylie Lisa Immordino Vreeland continues to merge filmmaking with her love for fashion in Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict after debuting on the film scene with Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel in 2012. A newfound artifact serves as bedrock in Vreeland’s doc as the audience listens to the last interview given by world renowned art collector Peggy Guggenheim. The interview remains conversational between her and biographer Jacqueline Bogard Weld, which allows Guggenheim…
By: Addison Wylie The Trick with the Gun has a lighthearted voice, but the film shouldn’t be discounted. Michael McNamara’s documentary is one of the most enjoyable and exhilarating films I’ve seen this year. Though the film is easy for us in the audience, the same can’t be said for the film’s subjects who face a deadly task. Scott Hammel is a valiant magician whose illusions and motivational speaking have helped inspire young audiences. He…
By: Addison Wylie I believe the saying goes: everybody gets one. Screenwriters Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon got theirs last year with the highly successful faith-based picture God’s Not Dead. I was indifferent towards the film featuring an Atheist professor and his devout student debating God’s existence because I genuinely felt the screenwriters didn’t know any better. I even shrugged off the tasteless ending where the film flips the ultimate bird towards non-believers. A year later, I’m…
By: Addison Wylie Adam Massey’s broiling small-scale thriller Man Vs. follows reality television show host Doug Woods (a Les Stroud clone played by The Three Stooges’ Chris Diamantopoulos) on his latest survival adventure. Woods gears up for a five-day retreat in Northern Ontario while his production crew camps out far enough away for Doug to fully seclude himself in nature. As these wilderness shows often hammer in, fire and shelter is critical – Doug builds both using the…
By: Addison Wylie Sneaking in under the radar during this year’s final quarter is an uplifting family film called The Games Maker. For those who take a chance on it, they’ll be as pleasantly surprised as I was when Juan Pablo Buscarini’s film pulled me into a wonderful world of old-fashioned strategy. I say “pleasantly surprised” because the marketing for The Games Maker drives home its whimsy and fantastical elements a little too hard; so much…