Boxcutter is both a love letter to Toronto and a hate-letter from struggling, hustling artists trying to make it in the big city. This is a well-meaning Canadian indie with bounds of excitement, and it’s unfortunate that so much of that passion gets lost in the shuffle of the production’s immaturity. Playing out like an RPG version of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, robbed amateur rapper Rome (Ashton James) must locate copies of his missing…
40 Acres represents the best qualities of Canadian cinema. R.T. Thorne’s outstanding survival thriller is enormously entertaining with taut and rhythmic tension, but the movie also pitches hauntingly beautiful scenery (a near-future dystopia using Northern Ontario as a backdrop) and a metaphorical vision about land being usurped from minorities. The blockbuster hit A Quiet Place was a sensory experience for audiences to perceive the stark hopelessness of an apocalypse through silences. In comparison, 40 Acres offers movie goers…
Bride Hard is an example of an action-comedy that has everything and, at the same time, absolutely nothing. Pitch Perfect co-stars Rebel Wilson and Anna Camp are the headliners, so one would assume their chemistry hasn’t changed since then. Filmmaker Simon West (Con Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, The Mechanic, Wild Card) has been brought on to direct, so one would assume he knows the language of an action flick. The film is also supported by seasoned actors like Stephen…
I recognize Jamie Elman from the Canadian cult teen comedy Student Bodies, and I remember Eli Batalion making me laugh with his tech comedy Appiness. But, I had never watched their efforts on YidLife Crisis, a web series created and starring Elman and Batalion that explores and celebrates Jewish culture through sketch comedy. After finding an audience online, the duo have since adapted their observational humour for live stage shows. Despite having a passion for their heritage, they’re…
Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day was Croatia’s submission for the 2025 Academy Awards. Even though it never moved past being shortlisted, Ivona Juka’s historical drama is still worth checking out; especially during its Pride Month theatrical release. Writer/director Juka tells the heart-wrenching story of closeted, former soldiers (and war heroes) who have been assigned the task of making propaganda movies for the Tito regime after WWII. Already feeling suppressed by extreme and contemptible opinions on homosexuality…
Dangerous Animals has the potential to be a sleeper hit of the summer. So, it’s unfortunate Sean Byrne’s horror-thriller film has been released prematurely. But nevertheless, the film will initially attract a crowd from the squeamish to the chortling yucksters who share a mutual interest – everybody loves a shark movie. While Byrne’s movie has plenty of deep sea casualties, the film’s secret sauce is the star power of Jai Courtney; a comment that could be…
Charles Grodin was a fascinating performer and public figure. While occasionally disarming his stoic presence for his audience, the actor always appeared to have more personality and tricks underneath his tough exterior. In Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause, documentarian James L. Freedman (Glickman) attempts to pinpoint the core of Grodin’s strengths, and his persistence to always be fair. The doc also follows his career as an actor, producer, director, talk show host, and activist….
Few movies can pull off comedy that’s been conceived from clumsy Americans on vacation. I Don’t Understand You is one of those anomalies. Former Big Mouth co-stars Andrew Rannells and Nick Kroll star as Cole and Dom, a married couple who have been trying to adopt a child with no such luck. After several attempts, they’re matched with expectant mother Candice (Amanda Seyfried) just before a vacation to Italy to celebrate their 10th anniversary. Now with…
The Woman in the Yard finds Blumhouse Productions singing a different tune compared to their back catalogue of modern horror classics. It’s a tune that’s still worth singing, but it isn’t without some unnecessary vibrato that may rub some people the wrong way. The premise starts out simple enough: a single, depressed mother, Ramona (Danielle Deadwyler of Netflix’s western The Harder They Fall) and her two kids (Peyton Jackson, Estella Kahiha), who already have a tense…
A family dramedy takes a sharp turn into high-strung farce in Bad Shabbos, a twisty walk across a tightrope from co-writer/director Daniel Robbins. Taking place during the Jewish Sabbath where those who participate are encouraged to rest with family, Robbins and co-writer Zack Weiner don’t waste a moment to build comedic tension. New extended family members are being welcomed while snarky swipes from an existing feud threaten to derail the introductions, followed by a misfired…