By: Trevor Chartrand It doesn’t take a car enthusiast to enjoy the high-octane drama that fuels Ford v Ferrari, one of the best movies of 2019. Director James Mangold (Walk the Line, Logan) helms this fast paced, in-your-face film that’s based on the true story of the ‘car wars’ that took place in the late 1960s. The film comes fully loaded with a classic look, (mostly) strong characters, and a tight, focused story. Ford v Ferrari…
There seems to be an unhealthy trend of shooting and wrapping film productions within a short time frame (A Fall from Grace, Appiness). But for Toronto indie Space & Time, writer/director Shawn Gerrard sees the appeal of a patient process. Space & Time has been shot over the period of 11 months; allowing the film to naturally capture the passage of, well, space and time. This lends a potentially special quality to the film’s story…
Céline Sciamma’s highly acclaimed drama Portrait of a Lady on Fire is visceral filmmaking at its most eloquent. So much of this period piece hinges on textures, sights, and sounds to make the audience believe that we’re living through someone’s romantic memories.
Most movies build towards a crescendo, yet the first act of Ant Timpson’s Come to Daddy is the climax. But then, instead of gradually hitting new heights, Timpson’s film simmers to a tepid temperature. Despite the outrageous feedback you may have heard about the movie’s wild qualities, Come to Daddy is actually family tame (if you’re used to off-the-wall genre pieces).
By: Jessica Goddard The day after I saw this movie, I got an ad for it on Facebook. According to the post promoted on my timeline, Time Out New York had given Kitty Green’s The Assistant five stars, and called it a “flawless thriller.” I can’t disagree that The Assistant is a good, worthwhile movie, but calling it a thriller is a stretch. Especially when what makes it work so well is its very objective,…
By: Trevor Chartrand While epic in scale with an ambitious, decade-spanning story, The Traitor is ultimately a disappointing, bloated film. This movie sets out to tell the gritty true story of the Italian mafia’s first police informant, Tommaso Buscetta (Pierfrancesco Favino), however, this lengthy picture gets bogged down with an overstuffed plot. Even with such rich and captivating source material, the film is ultimately uninteresting due to its failure to satisfy in the ‘audience accessibility’ category.
Rosie is a realistic depiction of a family experiencing sudden homelessness. After their rented house is sold by their landlord without much time to prepare for change, daily life becomes a struggle to find a place to sleep. Parents Rosie and John Paul (Sarah Greene, Moe Dunford) scramble to find vacancies in local hotels, keeping the truth away from their four children.
In between takes on the set of David Fincher’s Gone Girl, Tyler Perry must’ve thought about making a crime drama or an erotic thriller; and he must’ve thought about merging those ideas into one project. But like most pipe dreams, these visions are usually filed away into our subconscious. But for Perry, A Fall from Grace must’ve been itching to get out.
An ensemble story depends on memorable performances and compelling writing. Neither are found in Thomas J. Churchill’s overexposed, patriotic thriller Nation’s Fire.
After wowing audiences with his feature-length debut The Witch, writer/director Robert Eggers takes a big swing with The Lighthouse – a film with more specifications and fewer actors. His latest film connected with many (our own Shahbaz Khayambashi loved it at TIFF), but it didn’t work for me. I can appreciate the dedication of Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe (which translates into their memorable performances), but the actors are wasted on a movie that’s too muddled…