Naples ’44
Naples ’44 is a film with a lot of history, as told though Norman Lewis’ WWII memoir and narrated by actor Benedict Cumberbatch. It’s too bad the film gets lost in translation.
Ramen Heads
A documentary about ramen sounds a little thin (and, believe me, the movie is), but the interviewees in Ramen Heads pull their weight and offer audiences interesting tidbits about the art, history, and “slurpibility” of the delicacy.
I, Tonya
By: Nick van Dinther Every news station covered what happened to Nancy Kerrigan leading up to the 1994 Olympics, and the supposed involvement of Tonya Harding. So, how do you take a story that everyone knows and create something new out of it? Director Craig Gillespie excellently answers that question with I, Tonya, a movie about so much more than just “the incident”.
Friend Request
Horror fodder like Friend Request tends to be dismissed based on its timely nature, which is really too bad. These digital age thrillers may borrow from other formulas (or other movies), but they certainly are not derivative. In the case of Friend Request, it owes a debt of gratitude to fellow social media flick Unfriended, but it fuses its modern premise of cyberstalking with revered lore and finds a good balance between “old” and “new”…
The Shape of Water
By: Trevor Chartrand Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water is a masterfully crafted modern-day fairy tale. An incredible, romanticized take on the creature feature, director/co-writer del Toro seamlessly combines genre and visual style to bring us this beautifully bizarre morality tale.
Dim the Fluorescents
Dim the Fluorescents is a fast and furious masterclass in deadpan comedy. Its filmmaker, Daniel Warth, knows this and doesn’t miss an opportunity to make an uncomfortably honest comment about creative communities, or portray convoluted art – no matter how ridiculous it is – as believable impassioned labours of love.
The Shape of Water
By: Nick van Dinther There are certain directors that have a specific style audiences can always identify – Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson, Tim Burton to name a few. Guillermo del Toro (The Devil’s Backbone, Pan’s Labyrinth) is surely a part of that crew. When it comes to The Shape of Water, del Toro’s style is out in full-force to bring us an unforgettable visual spectacle.
The Other Side of Hope
Directed, written, and produced by Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki (Le Havre, The Man Without a Past), The Other Side of Hope is a timely and oddly touching comedic drama that manages to combine artistry and humour with wry social commentary.
Wonder Wheel
By: Jessica Goddard Woody Allen’s Wonder Wheel is colourful, melodramatic, deliciously tacky cinematic theatre driven by an intriguing premise and infused with refreshing nostalgia. It’s visually delightful, and the quirky setting and quirkier characters sustain curiosity even if those characters don’t feel totally real.