My Spy is the latest addition to a very specific sub-genre that features a rough n’ tough action star dialling it down to shape a more family-friendly image. Dave Bautista, of Guardians of the Galaxy fame, reports for duty in My Spy, following in the steps of fellow wrestlers John Cena and Tyler Mane (Playing With Fire), Vin Diesel (The Pacifier), and Arnold Schwarzenegger (Kindergarten Cop). The film that has had the most persuasion over…
Run This Town, writer/director Ricky Tollman’s exceptional and intelligent feature-length debut, isn’t just about Rob Ford and and his public busts. It’s not just about Ford’s team of “special assistants”, or the eager journalists who want a big break and be the first to report breaking news. Run This Town is a magnetically contemplative film about the ethical decisions within these careers that jeopardize the integrity of these people.
Code 8 is an Indiegogo funded passion project from actors Robbie and Stephen Amell that raised over $3,000,000 (Canadian) crushing the campaign’s $200,000 goal – that’s impressive. I learned about the crowdfunding after watching the movie, which made my appreciation for the film grow. But, I still think Code 8 is both a tedious action/thriller and a mishmash of too many observational social commentaries.
By: Jessica Goddard Full disclosure: I am bad at watching war movies. I watch war movies out of some (likely misdirected) sense of duty – if actual human beings lived these horrors, I should be able to stomach cinematic recreations of them, is my thinking. But, I find it very hard to watch people die (which I’ve chosen to attribute to a smug overabundance of empathy) even if it’s only a performance. For this reason,…
By: Jolie Featherstone Paul Downs Colaizzo’s directorial debut, Brittany Runs a Marathon, offers a progressive and empathetic take on a classic storyline that has historically had insidious effects on our view of body image. The film packs an emotional punch in its ambition to tell a compassionate fable reminding us that everyone walks (er…runs) their own journey in life.
Filmmaker Nick Broomfield recounts his memories of Marianne Ihlen and singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen in his documentary Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love.
