Bitter Harvest
By: Nick Ferwerda To my surprise, Bitter Harvest – a film that was supposed to be about the Holodomor Genocide in the early 1930’s – is actually a mediocre love story. I didn’t say it was a good surprise.
Drama
A United Kingdom
By: Jessica Goddard A United Kingdom is a beautifully-made, sincere, and well-acted historical drama. Director Amma Asante (Belle) knows what she’s doing with this story, and hits all the right notes to make this an inspiring and uplifting film that still feels truthful and grounded in reality.
Kiss and Cry
Kiss and Cry is a lovely Canadian companion to Josh Boone’s crowd-pleaser The Fault in Our Stars.
Gold
Directed by Stephen Gaghan (Syriana) and written by Gaghan, Patrick Massett, and John Zinman, Gold is loosely based on the true story of the 1993 Bre-X mining scandal. Matthew McConaughey stars as down-and-out prospector Kenny Wells who stakes (no pun intended) his last penny on a partnership with a struggling geologist. Together, the two men venture into the jungles of Indonesia in search of gold.
Shepherds and Butchers
As the weekend approaches and I search for a matinée recommendation to have in my holster, Oliver Schmitz’s courtroom drama Shepherds and Butchers comes along and fits the bill.
Teenage Cocktail
John Carchietta’s Teenage Cocktail is a surprisingly satisfying small-time endeavour in teenage angst.
48 Hours to Live
At this point in his career, music video director Benny Boom is more of an imitator than a filmmaker. His feature film debut Next Day Air, a violent crime/comedy driven by half-baked druggies and misunderstandings, was definitely inspired by the early work of Quentin Tarantino. Boom’s latest project 48 Hours to Live plays as a three-way collision between the trippy in-your-face antics of Argentinian provocateur Gaspar Noé, your average American television crime drama, and dance sequences seen in…
Sieranevada
Sieranevada is an often charming, occasionally tedious, and relentlessly honest family drama written and directed by Romanian filmmaker Cristi Puiu (The Death of Mr. Lazarescu).