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Into the Weeds: Dewayne “Lee” Johnson vs. Monsanto Company

May 24, 2022Addison Wylie0 Comments

There’s no denying how uncompromising Into the Weeds: Dewayne “Lee” Johnson vs. Monsanto Company is with its recap of the ongoing legal battle against agriculture company Monsanto (now owned by Bayer).  The struggle for justice after Monsanto’s glyphosate was discovered to be extremely hazardous was an exhausting process for the plaintiffs, and documentarian Jennifer Baichwal does not want to skip over any details.  But, does this integrity affect the documentary?  For me, it did.

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The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

May 1, 2022Wylie Writes Staff0 Comments

By: Jeff Ching When I had first heard about a movie centred around Nicolas Cage playing himself and that it was going to be “the most Nicolas Cage movie ever made”, it became the film I was anticipating the most this year.  He’s been my favourite actor since, maybe, grade 8.  Con Air was the first R-rated movie I ever snuck into…and got caught doing so as well.  We tried to pull off the whole, “I…

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All My Puny Sorrows

April 19, 2022Addison Wylie0 Comments

All My Puny Sorrows, directed by One Week’s Michael McGowan, is cut from similar cloth as last year’s outstanding, sad drama Our Friend.  Carried by a small yet mighty cast who are all approaching sensitive material under the guidance of a cautious filmmaker, All My Puny Sorrows tracks how deep mental illness can run within a family’s dynamic, and how it affects its members.

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Mothering Sunday

April 10, 2022Addison Wylie0 Comments

Mothering Sunday is, at least, commendable for the swings it takes.  Instead of following a typical period drama formula, director Eva Husson (Bang Gang [A Modern Love Story]) and screenwriter Alice Birch (Lady Macbeth) explore a titillating affair through several time-jumping perspectives.  At first, it’s frustrating to keep up with the pace that’s further developing the romance between housemaid Jane Fairchild (Assassination Nation’s Odessa Young) and elite gentleman Paul Sheringham (Josh O’Connor of God’s Own…

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Reviews

Learn to Swim

March 24, 2022Addison Wylie0 Comments

By: Trevor Chartrand In this feature directorial debut of Thyrone Tommy, Learn to Swim focuses on the failing relationship between a stubborn jazz saxophone player Dezi (Thomas Antony Olajide) and an up-and-coming singer, Selma (Emma Ferreira).  The film plays with time and takes place both before and after the relationship has failed.  I hesitate to compare the film to 2009’s 500 Days of Summer, simply because Learn to Swim takes a much more sophisticated, and…

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Reviews

Jockey

March 5, 2022Addison Wylie0 Comments

In Jockey, director/co-writer Clint Bentley offers audiences a reflective perspective from the eyes of horse jockey Jackson Silva (Clifton Collins Jr.).  Silva is respected around the track but, otherwise, he’s a reclusive athlete who is becoming a little long in the tooth to be continuing with his sport.  He encounters increasing issues with his body, both from past injuries and aging, but his physical weaknesses haven’t broke his determination.  Even when he’s faced with the…

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Parallel Mothers

February 14, 2022Addison Wylie0 Comments

Parallel Mothers is seemingly about a jaw-dropping, life-changing mishap between two pregnant single strangers, Janis (Penélope Cruz) and Ana (Milena Smit), who give birth on the same day.  The new mothers exchange information and part ways, only to be reunited months later after Janis uncovers the secret.  Ana, feeling confident and independent yet abandoned, is offered hospitality by Janis, who is struggling to break the news to Ana and also dealing with her own strife…

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Reviews

Red Rocket

January 31, 2022Addison Wylie0 Comments

Filmmaker Sean Baker follows up his American masterpiece The Florida Project, a drama about a helpless community living on the fringe of fantasy, with Red Rocket, another winner that dabbles in the same wheelhouse but broadening its scope to a rural population.  And much like how The Florida Project found humour in innocence, Red Rocket finds humour in ignorance.

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