True Things
While far from perfect, director Harry Wootliff’s (Only You) drama True Things is an excellent showcase for actor Ruth Wilson, as well as a challenging portrait of a woman caught between societal expectations and her own desire.
Vortex Media
Get Away If You Can
Written and directed by real-life couple Dominque Braun and Terrence Martin, Get Away If You Can is a surreal, and occasionally baffling, thriller.
The Royal
Directed by Marcel Sarmiento (The ABCs of Death [D Is for Dogfight], Faceless) and written by Gregory W. Jordan, The Royal is based on the true story of Willie Mays Aikens, a star hitter for the Kansas City Royals (and the Toronto Blue Jays!) who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for drug possession. Before his arrest, Aikens was one of the top sluggers in major league baseball, hitting a total of 110 home runs…
The Righteous
Actor Mark O’Brien, who you may recognize from his film roles in Ready or Not, End of Days, Inc. and Hammer, or his recurring role on TV’s Republic of Doyle, makes his feature-length debut as a writer and director with The Righteous. And coming from a performance background, it’s understandable that The Righteous is an “actor’s movie” in the sense that it relies heavily on its performances and character work.
Inside Out 2022: ‘Stupid For You’
Stupid For You, a sophomore effort from musician-turn-filmmaker Jude Klassen, is an awkward movie. Sometimes deliberately, and sometimes unintentionally so.
Nitram
Nitram is by no means an easy watch, but I do implore readers to go into the movie knowing very little about it. The movie is outstanding in its own right, but to have limited knowledge of the Australian drama makes it more powerful. I’ll do my best to provide as much interest as possible with this review, but it’s no spoiler to mention Nitram starts as a character study and ends in a real-life…
Peace By Chocolate
It may be clichéd pun to call Peace By Chocolate sweet but, no matter how hard I try, I find my way back to that simplistic-yet-all-encompassing word – sweet.
Marlene
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…
Minamata
Minamata was in the running for the inaugural Fan Favourite Oscar earlier this year. The primary issue: nobody really knew what Minamata was. It was a nominee that was championed by Johnny Depp’s loyal fanbase, and the dedication resulted in the mystery movie coming in third-place ahead of Spider-Man: No Way Home and tick, tick…BOOM!.