The 95th Academy Awards are tonight! Are any of Wylie Writes’ favourite flicks on the list of nominees? Have some of these titles have already been praised by the Academy Awards? Are there any hidden gems that may have not made the cut? The answers are: yes, yes and absolutely!
By: Trevor Chartrand Cat Daddies is a documentary about, you guessed it, men who own cats. As someone with a career in the pet industry, and as a ‘Cat Daddy’ myself, I could safely assume I’m the target audience for Hye Hoang’s movie. While I had high hopes for Cat Daddies to spin some riveting “tails” (eh? eh?!), this doc, unfortunately, is barely fur-deep.
By: Trevor Chartrand With the title alone, Firenado makes its intentions (or lack of intentions, perhaps) clear right off the bat: this is not a movie to be taken seriously. As if a film like this ever could be. This flaming twister of a motion picture is a zero-effort waste of your time – in the most entertaining ways possible.
By: Trevor Chartrand As far as unnecessary sequels are concerned, Fisherman’s Friends: One and All isn’t the worst thing ever made, but there’s not a whole lot of new material here, either. Fans will find this second film feels comfortably familiar, but lacking in some of the nuance and charm of its 2020 predecessor. But despite its shortcomings, this picture does deliver in the music department – with plenty of toe-tapping sea shanties to clap…
We’re halfway through the year, which means it’s time for Wylie Writes’ mid-year recap. Don’t forget to click the coloured titles to read a more detailed write-up about the film!
By: Trevor Chartrand Marlene dramatizes the notorious true story of the wrongfully-convicted Canadian Steven Truscott, who was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of classmate Lynne Harper in 1959. Appropriately, the movie pays special attention to his wife, the titular Marlene, who spent years tirelessly researching his case and eventually clearing his name. The justice system is put under close scrutiny during this understandably melodramatic, romanticized, version of true events and director Wendy…
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…
By: Trevor Chartrand Donkeyhead is the first feature film from writer/director Agam Darshi, who has extensive credits both in front of and behind the camera. Her film focuses on Mona (played by Darshi herself), the least-successful sibling among the four brothers and sisters in her family. As a failed writer, she is the only one among them who still lives at home, aimless in her pursuits with no job and no prospects. Instead of pursuing…
Better late than never, right? These movies were hard enough to watch in the first place, let alone revisit them for a year-end round-up. Give us a break! As always, don’t forget to click the highlighted titles for reviews from each Wylie Writes critic.
By: Trevor Chartrand Big Gold Brick is the brainchild of writer/director Brian Petsos, whose first feature film comes fully-loaded with a surprisingly star-studded cast. Featuring Andy Garcia, Megan Fox, and Oscar Isaac, this surreal comedy-drama has its moments, but ultimately gets bogged down by a slow pace and a series of uneven tonal shifts.