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July 2014

Reviews

STRANGE PARADISE: Coffee and Cigarettes

July 30, 2014Addison Wylie3 Comments

By: Addison Wylie TIFF Cinematheque opens up a wonderful world of  weird with Strange Paradise: The Cinema of Jim Jarmusch. The retrospective – which began on July 24 and runs until August 16 – screens Jarmusch’s unique filmography in pristine condition at the TIFF BELL Lightbox.  The scheduling of the program jumps around, so faithful watchers are never following the career in chronological order.  Something tells me this quirk is much like Jarmusch’s unpredictable sensibilities. Wylie…

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Reviews

Hercules

July 29, 2014Addison Wylie1 Comment

 By: Addison Wylie The legend of Hercules has been told time after time.  Heck, earlier this year, movie goers even received another Hercules film.  It didn’t do so hot (both with overall reception and with box office receipts), but maybe I’ll give it a watch down the road to wash away the dingy aftertaste Brett Ratner’s Hercules left behind. When a character as old as Hercules is dusted off and used to make another swords-and-sandels…

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Reviews

Tammy

July 29, 2014Addison Wylie1 Comment

By: Addison Wylie Tammy is the latest instalment in a series of movies featuring Melissa McCarthy acting inappropriately.  It garnered her an Academy Award nomination in Bridesmaids, it repelled good taste in Identity Thief, and brought in lots of giggles in The Heat. Now, her rude persuasiveness finds its way in the backwoods.  Tammy, which embraces its hickabilly fog, has McCarthy playing the title role and hitting the road with her blunt, booze gulping grandma…

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Reviews

The Single Moms Club

July 28, 2014Addison Wylie0 Comments

By: Addison Wylie When people gang up on Tyler Perry, I’m there to usually defend him.  I might not be saying good things about his movies, but I’ve stood up for him from a business perspective.  He knows his audience well, and that knowledge has led him to be one of the most profitable filmmakers of our time.  But this time, I side with the haters.  And, I can’t see his fan base happily accepting…

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Reviews

And So It Goes

July 25, 2014Addison Wylie2 Comments

By: Addison Wylie The conception of a movie like And So It Goes doesn’t so much start with an outline or a series of ideas.  It begins with a demand no one has demanded; except for zealous producers who think they know their desired demographic. The general public likes Michael Douglas and those same patrons are most likely to enjoy watching Diane Keaton.  The brains behind And So It Goes have taken these two variables…

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Reviews

GMO OMG

July 24, 2014Addison Wylie0 Comments

By: Addison Wylie You often hear the term “edutainment” thrown around. I’ve used it in a few reviews regarding films that keep the audience thrilled while offering plenty of food for thought, but I usually pair the word to learning tools a teacher could use in a grade school homeroom. Whether you’re watching GMO OMG for fun or using it to study up about genetically modified organisms, Jeremy Seifert’s film is able to keep you…

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Reviews

Monty Python’s Last Hurrah is Flawless (mostly)

July 23, 2014Addison Wylie0 Comments

By: Addison Wylie Legendary British comedy masterminds Monty Python gathered at London’s O2 arena and performed their last show of Monty Python Live (mostly) on Sunday, July 20.  There were plenty of animal puns, ridiculous cheekiness, and spam to go around. Monty Python Live (mostly) opens with a silly song about llamas and leads in with John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and show director Eric Idle performing a sketch about reuniting and oneupmanship…

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Reviews

A Master Builder

July 22, 2014Addison Wylie0 Comments

By: Addison Wylie Last year, I caught a humbling documentary called André Gregory: Before and After Dinner.  Cindy Kleine’s candid look at Gregory’s life and multi-talented career stole my heart and made me very interested in what the artist had to offer for the future. In the doc, Gregory and his close collaborator Wallace Shawn are working on their latest work – an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s The Master Builder.  You may remember Shawn for his…

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Reviews

They Came Together

July 21, 2014Addison Wylie2 Comments

By: Addison Wylie I bet if we scoured filmmaker David Wain’s DVD collection, we would find romantic comedies.  A lot of them.  It takes a certain kind of guilty affection to lampoon a genre this immaculately. That’s what the absurdist has done with fellow writing cohort Michael Showalter.  The two collaborated on the cult hit Wet Hot American Summer – which took the piss out of camp movies – and now they go for the…

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Reviews

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa .5

July 21, 2014Addison Wylie0 Comments

By: Addison Wylie Jackass brings back everyone’s favourite filthy grandpa in Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa .5.  Home viewing audiences get an assortment of pranks that were cut from the original hidden camera escapade as well as ideas that paid off with unsigned release forms or slacked pacing that may have bogged down Bad Grandpa’s storytelling. Bad Grandpa .5 is an extended behind-the-scenes feature more than anything.  The indestructible Johnny Knoxville as well as director Jeff…

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