By: Addison Wylie I consider Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson as two of today’s most capable actors. Elba is becoming more of a household name thanks to his appearances in Marvel’s universe, and his highly regarded turn as Nelson Mandela in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. Henson remains as someone who makes you breathe a sigh of relief when they suddenly grace the screen in middling fare like Date Night and Larry Crowne. She…
By: Gesilayefa Azorbo Last Days in Vietnam, directed by Rory Kennedy, is a gripping look back at the massive, often unsanctioned evacuations of South Vietnamese citizens and Americans in Vietnam that were undertaken in the chaotic final days of the Vietnam War. This is a story told through meticulously researched archival footage and interviews with key players in the US and Vietnamese military and state departments – including Henry Kissinger himself – as well as…
By: Addison Wylie Housebound gives off the scent of a film written by multiple parties who want different things, even though the screenplay was solely written by director Gerard Johnstone. The film quickly develops an amusing dynamic between its two female leads. Kylie (Played by Morgana O’Reilly) is a criminal forced to live under house arrest with her mother Miriam (played by Rima Te Wiata). Mom would like to get along, but Kylie would rather…
By: Addison Wylie Corner Gas: The Movie is a prime candidate for a review that requires me to cop out. The bottom line: if you liked Corner Gas during its humbling five year run on television and have since enjoyed reruns in syndication, then you’ll enjoy its big screen debut. But, let’s see if I can elaborate. The original cast of Canada’s beloved Corner Gas have reunited for an encore, which includes Saskatchewan funny man…
By: Addison Wylie I Put a Hit on You is a movie with a hangover. It doesn’t want to bother getting out of bed. When it eventually does, it shuffles its feet from one end of 78 minutes to the other. It’s found love on the festival circuit, and that makes me confused. Harper (played by Sara Canning) likes to be in control. When a proposal to her boyfriend Ray (played by Aaron Ashmore) goes…
By: Addison Wylie Toronto’s new year begins with Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s observant film, Winter Sleep. The film is subdued and often quietly alluring. Ceylan’s central theme even transcends into the more technical building blocks of the film, giving audiences open cinematography that’s filled with details that always have our eyes grazing across its palette. But when you sign on for Winter’s Sleep, you’re in for the long haul. While you may hear wonderful, deserving praise…
By: Addison Wylie It’s unlikely that a life story doesn’t strike a chord with anyone. Nicholas “Nicky” Vreeland’s contributions to Buddhism have moved many, and it’s easy to see why. His fascination and skill with photography (along with his overall pure intentions) made waves, and helped the Tibetan monk become more in touch with his new Buddist lifestyle. But, some life stories are lucky enough to sustain a feature length film and others are more…
By: Addison Wylie By this point, you pay to see The Quiet Ones and sort of know it’s going to be the fifty-seventh by-the-numbers possession film you’ve seen within the past decade. You get a vibe that the film is riding off the success of other, more successful horror films and a lot of the scares will be abiding by the rules of “gotcha” spooks. The Quiet Ones reminded me of movies like The Conjuring…
By: Addison Wylie I thought As Above, So Below was very, very dumb. And, I’m someone who throughly enjoyed both National Treasure movies. What does that say about me? Not wise enough in general, or wise enough to draw a line? My self-prognosis coming soon. But, yes, As Above, So Below is as dumb as movies get, and it wants its audience to take it so very seriously. The aforementioned National Treasure movies fill similar…
By: Addison Wylie Before another year of moviegoing goes into full swing, TIFF respectively collects a list of features and short films that astounded audiences and erupted conversation within the past year. TIFF’s annual Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival began on January 2 with Sturla Gunnarsson’s documentary Monsoon, and continues with other Canadian favourites such as Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Susan Avingaq’s doc Sol, as well as Xavier Dolan’s Mommy, which sparked buzz after the Québécois filmmaker won…