Streamline
Written and directed by Tyson Wade Johnston, Streamline is a polished yet forgettable sports drama that puts young athletes, and the pressures they face, front and centre.
Reviews
A Week in Paradise
A Week in Paradise is not so much a movie as it is a template. This is a paint-by-numbers rom-com, but nobody has bothered to colour anything in. I would say the film relies on clichés, but that would suggest director Philippe Martinez (co-producer of My Dad’s Christmas Date) made an effort to find existing tropes to lift. I have a hard enough time believing Martinez was even on set.
Help
By: Trevor Chartrand Short film writer/director Blake Ridder is on the right track with his feature-length debut Help, but the movie struggles to tell a cohesive story. This neat little thriller is tidy and simple, but ultimately falls apart during its goofy, over-the-top final act. While the film has some decent visuals and an acceptable sense of pacing and style, it’s hard to take the narrative seriously.
Parallel Mothers
Parallel Mothers is seemingly about a jaw-dropping, life-changing mishap between two pregnant single strangers, Janis (Penélope Cruz) and Ana (Milena Smit), who give birth on the same day. The new mothers exchange information and part ways, only to be reunited months later after Janis uncovers the secret. Ana, feeling confident and independent yet abandoned, is offered hospitality by Janis, who is struggling to break the news to Ana and also dealing with her own strife…
Blacklight
Each action headliner brings their own qualities to a movie and, unless we’re squaring them off in a fantasy match, movie goers really shouldn’t be comparing these movie stars against each other. But exceptions can be made when the conditions call for it and, since we’re talking about Blacklight and why it fails, let’s blend fantasy with reality.
Marry Me
Twenty one years ago, over the weekend of the Superbowl, Jennifer Lopez won over audiences with the innocuous yet likeable rom-com The Wedding Planner. History repeats itself with Marry Me, an equally sweet ’n satisfying date night flick that will surely act as successful counter-programming for this weekend’s Superbowl.
A Cops and Robbers Story
By: Trevor Chartrand Documentary filmmaker Ilinca Calugareanu takes on a recent New York controversy in A Cops and Robbers Story; which focuses on former NYPD chief Corey Pegues. A vocal advocate against police brutality and racism, Pegues was the centre of a media swarm following a recent confession of his darker past.
Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America
Few documentaries have moved me like Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America has. It’s an unflinching breakdown of American history and an empathetic reach to those who have suffered through it. Lawyer Jeffery Robinson (who last appeared in 2020’s brilliant doc The Fight) guides us every step of the way.
Poly Styrene: I am a Cliché
In 1976, Marion Elliott-Said – a Somali-English teenager from London – formed a band. That band, called X-Ray Spex, would quickly become one of the most distinct groups to emerge from the fledgling punk scene. Marion, in her front-woman persona as Poly Styrene, broke into an industry that was overwhelmingly white and overwhelmingly male, paving the way for other female musicians and women of colour. Many credit her with laying the foundations for what would,…