Doc
Mighty Ground
By: Trevor Chartrand Documentary filmmaker Delila Vallot brings the world passion and soul personified in her emotionally-charged character study, Mighty Ground.
The China Hustle
As a film critic, you try to keep an open mind; especially with subject matter that may not be of personal interest in the first place. Those films have the opportunity to teach something new. That said, economical documentaries are still my kryptonite – they’re still too dense to comprehend. Jed Rothstein’s The China Hustle – a film about devious activity on Wall Street – is more proof of that, but it also surprised me.
Maker of Monsters: The Extraordinary Life of Beau Dick
A new documentary called Maker of Monsters: The Extraordinary Life of Beau Dick was formally titled Meet Beau Dick. The older title is fitting because, over the course of 90 minutes, that’s exactly what the audience does thoroughly. I assume the name change was for keepsake purposes since Beau Dick passed away last year at the age of 61. But no matter what it’s called, Maker of Monsters is a good movie. Standardly structured, but an honourable film…
Learning to See: The World of Insects
One thing that tends to endear viewers to a film is something that has been described as a “personal” style of filmmaking. When the director finds something that they have a deep personal connection with and they present it to us in an authentic, unpretentious way, that is usually something to be commended. Unfortunately, it is also possible to become too personal, giving up certain aesthetic qualities in favour of familiarity. When that happens, the…
My Piece of the City
Focused on Toronto’s Regent Park, My Piece of the City follows a few local kids as they prepare for their community-inspired stage production, The Journey.
Shiners
By: Jessica Goddard An intercontinental survey of the state of the archaic shoe shining profession, Stacey Tenenbaum’s Shiners is endearing in its graceful simplicity and ability to shine a spotlight on truly memorable, delightful characters. Tenenbaum has a genuine gift for seeking out excellent subjects – from the quirky and lovable, to the inspiring and pleasantly puzzling. All have in common a philosophical attitude towards the work of shoe shining; whether they consider it a bona…
A Year in an English Garden: Flicker + Pulse
And here I was thinking that this week’s scatological doc Poop Talk was going to be the most pointless release of the year.
