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Festival Coverage

TIFF 2014: Into the Drink

September 11, 2014Addison Wylie0 Comments

By: Addison Wylie For a while, Atlantic. was the most relaxed I had felt at this year’s festival.  Incredibly shot sequences of Fettah windsurfing across the infinite drink eased me into a trance.  Its angelic score cradling the audience is the final nuance Atlantic. has that completely sends us into adoration with these moments of Jan-Willem van Ewijk’s tranquil tale. Alas, Atlantic. follows a bothersome and oddly common theme at this year’s TIFF.  Atlantic. eventually drifts…

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Festival Coverage

TIFF 2014: Wet Noodle

September 6, 2014Addison Wylie2 Comments

By: Addison Wylie Wet Bum features a superb performance by TIFF Rising Star Julia Sarah Stone.  Her helpless presence draws us in, as if we feel the need to lend her a shoulder to cry on.  But, it’s her earnest portrayal of fourteen-year-old outsider Sam that signifies the puzzling phases of fitting in among your peers, and trying to swallow the lump in your throat when you’re singled out for being different. The film that…

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Reviews

Señoritas

August 21, 2014Addison Wylie0 Comments

By: Addison Wylie As soon as I found out Señoritas was the feature debut for filmmaker Lina Rodriguez, everything started making sense. Señoritas reminded me a lot of Krivina and Tower, two indies I caught at TIFF two years ago.  Both films featured up-and-coming filmmakers taking on character studies and applying a drawn out pace. What separates those two independent films from Señoritas is that they were building towards something.  Krivina applied a twist that…

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Reviews

Life of Crime

August 21, 2014Addison Wylie1 Comment

By: Addison Wylie In an attempt to be complementary, but at the same time seem unintentionally inconsiderate, I enjoyed Life of Crime because it lacked a notable visionary’s presence.  It didn’t feel the need to impress the audience with any sort of pizazz.  It has a solid story, an array of interesting people ranging from low-lifes to the pompous rich, and a good time period to reference through lavish art direction and a sensational score….

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Reviews

The Single Moms Club

July 28, 2014Addison Wylie0 Comments

By: Addison Wylie When people gang up on Tyler Perry, I’m there to usually defend him.  I might not be saying good things about his movies, but I’ve stood up for him from a business perspective.  He knows his audience well, and that knowledge has led him to be one of the most profitable filmmakers of our time.  But this time, I side with the haters.  And, I can’t see his fan base happily accepting…

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Reviews

Words and Pictures

July 5, 2014Addison Wylie0 Comments

By: Addison Wylie “Is this really happening?” Get used to those four words, people.  You’ll be asking yourself that a lot during Words and Pictures, a big letdown that wavers between an overplayed drama, an awkward romantic comedy, and hokey classroom schmaltz. Despite that harsh statement, Words and Pictures isn’t flat-out bad.  We at least have watchable performances by Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche.  Their roles as teachers who butt heads (Binoche being the more…

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Reviews

Borgman

July 5, 2014Addison Wylie1 Comment

By: Addison Wylie A film can tell you nothing for no good reason, having you frustrated until the final frame.  Sometimes, a movie can keep everything a secret and get away with it because of how intriguing it is.  Alex van Warmerdam’s haunting Borgman is a magnificent example of the latter. Borgman is a weird flick, but daring because of that.  The skillful filmmaker has set up his plan masterfully, and has the average movie…

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Reviews

Me and You

June 26, 2014Addison Wylie0 Comments

By: Addison Wylie Me and You marks the return of Bernardo Bertolucci as he cozies his way back into the director’s chair.  After all, it’s been a decade since audiences caught Bertolucci’s controversial, NC-17 drama The Dreamers. The filmmaker has toned matters down for Me and You compared to the graphic content in The Dreamers, but his latest is unique in its own way. I wouldn’t go as far as to say Me and You’s…

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Reviews

Winter’s Tale

June 24, 2014Addison Wylie0 Comments

By: Addison Wylie There should be entertainment in watching something as expensive and clueless as Winter’s Tale foul up as bad as it does.  To do so, there has to be peculiar performances or unusual story elements to keep us guiltily hooked.  Winter’s Tale has these, but it’s empty core covers any unintentional laughs.  It’s a film serviced by a writer/director who can’t fully comprehend the source material he’s adapting. Akiva Goldsman has been a producer on…

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Reviews

Making the Rules

May 21, 2014Addison Wylie0 Comments

By: Addison Wylie Mustering through Making the Rules is like watching a bunch of people try and sail using only the framework of a boat. The film marks the acting debut of musician Robin Thicke.  This triggers a question right off the bat: is watching thespian Thicke as painful as it sounds?  My answer may disappoint those wanting me to slam the Blurred Lines hit maker.  I honestly couldn’t tell you if his performance is…

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