When I wrote about Ryan Ward’s directorial feature debut Son of the Sunshine, I was humbled by the filmmaker’s response to my unenthused review. I had labeled his film as “maple syrup melancholy”, a term I coined to encompass Canada’s ongoing trend of churning out depressing, empty movies. I thought the term was clever, Ward didn’t think so. The Canadian writer/director advised that, while disliking a movie and its motives is fine, labelling art can…
Movie goers may instantly attribute Audrey Cummings’ Place of Bones with fellow westerns, but theatre aficionados may lean more towards low-end productions with sloppy offerings. As someone who finds themselves in the intersection of both groups, Place of Bones pulls me towards my fellow theatre nerds and that, well, sucks.
Movie goers who have been caught rolling their eyes at “chapter narratives” will be pleasantly surprised by Sean Garrity’s The Burning Season, a reversed romantic drama that unravels an affair between two star-crossed lovers.
From his breakout with My Awkward Sexual Adventure to his recent collaborations with other actors and returning filmmakers, Jonas Chernick has been an actor/screenwriter to watch for. The projects he creates or attaches himself to are filled with an unforgettable, compassionate energy. His latest collaboration with director Jeremy LaLonde (How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town) and Becky’s Amanda Brugel is one of his strongest efforts to date, but it also might be the most he…
Amanda Brugel (Kim’s Convenience, Becky) and Jonas Chernick (Borealis) are centre stage in Ashgrove, a two-hander character drama that serves as a great vehicle for both stars and an ethereal departure for filmmaker Jeremy LaLonde (The Go-Getters, How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town).
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.
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.
The arrival of Dead Rush’s world premiere at this year’s Canadian Film Fest came at a coincidental time. On April 8, Ilya Naishuller’s Hardcore Henry hits theatres. Both films are very good genre flicks that position the viewer in the lead character’s perspective. As far as which film has a cleaner landing though, Dead Rush has the edge.
Jackie Boy leaves a controversial footprint at this year’s Canadian Film Festival. It’s bound to shake up the room and ignite all those who watch it. In other words, filmmaker Cody Campanale reminds us of how films can be greatly provocative and start intelligent discussions.
There is no bigger proponent of Canadian cinema than myself. If a film really captures me, I’ll go out of my way to champion it. Low budget, undetectable indies sometimes need that extra push. However, no matter if the film is big or small, if the end result is wildly inconsistent, I have to throw in the towel. Case in point: Navin Ramaswaran’s shockingly inept Chasing Valentine.