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Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival

Festival Coverage

Wylie Writes @ Hot Docs 2014: Hitting the Road to Knock Boots

May 4, 2014Addison Wylie0 Comments

The Special Need (DIR. Carlo Zoratti) By: Parker Mott The Special Need is a playful pun on that little itch a late-bloomer might get when he or she starts to become interested in the prospect of love and sexual intimacy.  This ticklish desire is possible as well in those with mental or physical disabilities;  the problem is our educational and even judicial systems do not teach citizens about or condone this issue.  It’s merely swept under the…

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Festival Coverage

Wylie Writes @ Hot Docs 2014: Alakaflim, Alakaflam!

May 3, 2014Addison Wylie0 Comments

An Honest Liar (DIR. Justin Weinstein & Tyler Measom) By: Addison Wylie An Honest Liar is a chip off of James “The Amazing” Randi’s block.  Justin Weinstein and Tyler Measom’s doc is as entertaining and clever as any of Randi’s illusionary deceptions. Residing in Toronto, Ontario before joining the circus and becoming one of the most successful magicians of all time, Randi set out to disprove charlatans and phonies claiming to have mystical powers when really they…

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Festival Coverage

Wylie Writes @ Hot Docs 2014: One-On-Two with Hotline’s Tony Shaff and Miss Cleo

May 1, 2014Addison Wylie0 Comments

By: Addison Wylie As I state in the interview, part of the reason I love Hot Docs is that I usually have the chance to sit down with people I wouldn’t have expected to talk to. Miss Cleo is someone who I grew up watching on TV during commercial breaks.  The infomercial psychic movement she created with her catch phrase and bright on-screen personality is something that couldn’t be ignored.  She became a nostalgic icon to…

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Festival Coverage

Wylie Writes @ Hot Docs 2014: Crouching Arpaio, Hidden Elliot

May 1, 2014Addison Wylie4 Comments

Kung Fu Elliot (DIR. Matthew Bauckman & Jaret Belliveau) By: Addison Wylie Matthew Bauckman and Jaret Belliveau’s Slamdance favourite Kung Fu Elliot goes through three stages. First, there’s the ultra cheese.  Elliot Scott (also known as “White Lightning”) is a martial arts expert and is set on being Canada’s first notable action star.  He’s produced a few independent films to which he also peddles out.  The films shine of lo-fi aesthetics, but it’s hard to not turn…

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Festival Coverage

Wylie Writes @ Hot Docs 2014: Deep Rooted

April 30, 2014Addison Wylie1 Comment

The Last Season (DIR. Sara Dosa) By: Gesilayefa Azorbo It’s often said that there’s nothing stronger than the bonds of brotherhood forged between fellow soldiers.  Regardless of place of origin or beliefs, the experiences that form one’s life as a soldier are often common across borders, with a mutual understanding that often transcends other differences. The Last Season is ostensibly a film about a mushroom hunt.  The town of Chemult, Oregon, population 135, is also home to…

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Festival Coverage

Wylie Writes @ Hot Docs 2014: Hunky-Dory Heartbreak Doc

April 29, 2014Addison Wylie0 Comments

Sleepless in New York (DIR. Christian Frei) By: Addison Wylie There’s narration – nay – lots of narration in Christian Frei’s Sleepless in New York from lonely people who have been dumped.  The voiceovers wear thin after a while, but they do serve a purpose. The doc is a film that gets “the break-up” right.  Frei is fortunate to have received good applicants from his open casting call (street-laden flyers inviting heartbroken souls to participate), and those…

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