By: Addison Wylie If I was an actor starring in Revenge of the Green Dragons and I was watching the final cut of the film, I would be feeling cheesed by the filmmakers. Well, maybe if I wasn’t Harry Shum Jr., the dancing charmer from Glee who takes his acting to a more dramatic level with this crime film. If I was him, I would be feeling proud that I had pulled off a such…
By: Addison Wylie There’s an aristocratic quality to Love Is Strange. Everyone is nicely dressed in houses and restaurants that could all be rated five-stars. Characters laugh at high-brow jokes and mild-mannerly talk about “the classics”. Love Is Strange is a film so tidy, that you kind of want to scowl at it. But, the film is far too sweet and performed with accomplishment to feel such resentment towards Ira Sachs’ film. Ben and George…
By: Addison Wylie I liked Craig Johnson’s indie The Skeleton Twins, but it’s a stickler of a movie to justify. It hardly has a narrative except when it peppers in a loose story towards the final leg, and it’s a character study that’s light on characterization. To say it’s either one or the other doesn’t feel right. Without the film’s stellar leading performances, The Skeleton Twins truly would be floating. Johnson has recruited Saturday Night…
By: Addison Wylie As much as I love Wild Card’s straight-to-the-point capsule synopsis, it’s a little misleading. In the e-mail I received describing Jason Statham’s latest film, it read: “A recovering gambling addict finds work providing protection to his friends. Statham-style action follows.” Statham-style action does follow, and it’s a sock to the solar plexus. However, it’s not as frequent as you would imagine from the gruff action star who has kicked so much ass…
Tru Love hits Toronto’s Carlton Cinema today, and it’s a wise choice to support it. While it occasionally dabbles as a soap opera, I found its romantic intimacy lovely. The characters are innocent when facing the premise, which makes their maturity manifest naturally. Recently, I talked Tru Love shop with the film’s co-directors, Kate Johnston and Shauna MacDonald. We discussed the film’s snowcapped Toronto setting, the importance of setting a general tone, and if post-production altered that original mood….
By: Addison Wylie Toronto’s new year begins with Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s observant film, Winter Sleep. The film is subdued and often quietly alluring. Ceylan’s central theme even transcends into the more technical building blocks of the film, giving audiences open cinematography that’s filled with details that always have our eyes grazing across its palette. But when you sign on for Winter’s Sleep, you’re in for the long haul. While you may hear wonderful, deserving praise…
By: Addison Wylie Copenhagen is bound to be compared to Lost in Translation or Cairo Time. A young man (William played by Game of Thrones’ Gethin Anthony) embarks on foreign travels and runs into a young woman (Effy played by Frederikke Dahl Hansen) who becomes very interested in the man’s personal journey. They drink in the scenery, taste the culture, and slowly develop something that’s more than a friendship. However, complications arise – as they…
By: Addison Wylie White Bird in a Blizzard hits you with a wallop pivotal enough to make you concussed. You walk away having appreciated Gregg Araki’s latest film, but it doesn’t entirely settle well, and its difficult to come up with reasonings as to why. Now thinking of it though, the Araki films I’ve caught (Mysterious Skin and Smiley Face) have had the same effect. Mysterious Skin is a distraught story of a troubled teenage…
By: Addison Wylie Alex Ross Perry’s Listen Up Philip is decently crafted by biting dialogue and watchable performances. However, I’m unsure what audiences are supposed to “get” out of the film. Perry certainly pulls us in with an atmosphere reminiscent of films made during the 70’s. He has the correct details lined within his style, as well as the rebellious glimmers in his filmmaking. However, once we’re invested and get on board with the film’s…
By: Addison Wylie Director Adam Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett are two filmmakers who love the horror genre. Furthermore, they’re filmmakers who understand the genre. They deserve a ton of success and praise. I hope The Guest finally gets them there. You might say, “Addison! What’re you talking about? These two have made a name for themselves already!” Sure, they have; I agree that the duo have established themselves in moviemaking, but Wingard and Barrett…