Canadian

Festival Coverage

Hot Docs 2024: ‘My Dad’s Tapes’

Ever since the the death of Leonard Watson in 2006, aspiring filmmaker Kurtis Watson has struggled to find closure and understand his Dad’s decision to commit suicide.  It’s been an upsetting topic for his family, who are either still grieving or are more in the dark than Kurtis about the tragedy.

Reviews

The Movie Man

The Princess Diaries The Dark Knight The Secret Life of Pets Mission: Impossible – Fallout These are the four movies I’ve seen at Highlands Cinema in Kinmount, Ontario.  Four completely different movies with a ubiquitous moviegoing experience; provided by the theatre, its staff, and owner Keith Stata.  It’s only fair to present my bias before reviewing The Movie Man, Matt Finlin’s documentary about Stata’s legacy and the history of his DIY multiplex.  Located in the…

Festival Coverage

Canadian Film Fest ’24: Daughter of the Sun

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…

Reviews

Suze

With only two features under their belt, married filmmakers Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart have demonstrated that a story can be singlehandedly developed on a unique and personal dynamic between two characters. While their debut indie I Put A Hit On You may have fizzled after liftoff, their sophomore effort Suze shows growth in all the right areas; resulting in an absolute crowd-pleasing charmer.

Reviews

Orah

By: Trevor Chartrand Lonzo Nzekwe tells a very personal story in his gritty revenge-thriller, Orah.  Having lost his brother at the hands of an alleged corrupt police officer in Nigeria, the filmmaker has admittedly helmed this movie as a sort-of revenge fantasy;  with his characters exacting justice in ways he never could.  As the film’s writer and director, Nzekwe’s ambitions are noble and empowering but, as a film, Orah is ultimately a messy series of…

Reviews

Be Still

Based on the play of the same name by Canadian playwright Janet Munsil, Be Still is an experimental biopic about the work and emotional pain endured by Vancouver photographer Hannah Maynard.

Reviews

Designer $hit

Actor Saffron Cassaday (Pete Winning and the Pirates: The Motion Picture) gives audiences an up close and personal perspective of her experience with ulcerative colitis and invites the viewer to tag along on her biohacking journey in her documentary Designer $hit.

Reviews

Unfriending

You’ve heard of an intervention.  But, have you heard of a “life intervention”?  I hope you haven’t.  If you have, I sure hope it wasn’t under the guidance of a similar core clique as seen in Unfriending.