Precious Cargo
Precious Cargo, a cheesy caper directed/co-written by Max Adams, is simultaneously occupying theatres and on Demand. It was also released a day after my birthday, which is fitting since it made me feel my age.
April 2016
Mother’s Day
There are movies by Garry Marshall that are “very Garry Marshall”, and movies that are “sort of Garry Marshall”. Mother’s Day is – most definitely – “very Garry Marshall”.
Hot Docs 2016: ‘The Pearl of Africa’ and ‘Putuparri and the Rainmakers’
The Pearl of Africa (DIR. Jonny von Wallström) By: Shannon Page Director Jonny von Wallström’s first full-length documentary is the story of Cleopatra Kambugu, a transgender woman living in Uganda who is forced to leave her country after a bill is passed making her gender identity punishable by life in prison or even execution. The Pearl of Africa follows Cleo as she travels from Uganda to Thailand for sex reassignment surgery.
Green Room
Jeremy Saulnier, the director of the unusually and undeservedly lauded Blue Ruin, concocts a second feature where hot punk rock meets cold blooded murder.
Too Late
Private Investigator Mel Sampson (John Hawkes) fast-talks his way through strip clubs and mob bosses for one very dear-to-his-heart dancer. After one-time acquaintance Dorothy (Crystal Reed) places a call to Sampson for help, Sampson comes running, but he’s too late. The chain-smoking Sampson doesn’t rest until he finds out what happened to her – and makes sure the appropriate parties understand their mistakes.
Hot Docs 2016: ‘Bobby Sands: 66 Days’ and ‘Off the Rails’
Bobby Sands: 66 Days (DIR. Brendan Byrne) By: Shannon Page Bobby Sands, a member of the Irish Republican Army, was only twenty-seven years old when he died in prison in 1981 after refusing food for 66 days. Sands was the first of ten IRA prisoners to die as the result of a hunger strike in protest of their status as regular criminals, as opposed to political prisoners.
Hot Docs 2016: ‘Holy Hell’ and ‘The Infinite Flight of Days’
Holy Hell (DIR. Will Allen) By: Shahbaz Khayambashi Cults have almost become a stereotype in our society to a point where anyone can practically spot one on sight. This is one of the main reasons why Holy Hell is so powerful.
Hot Docs 2016: ‘De Palma’ and ‘League of Exotique Dancers’
De Palma (DIR. Noah Baumbach, Jake Paltrow) By: Shannon Page Directed by Noah Baumbach (Frances Ha!, Mistress America) and Jake Paltrow (Young Ones), De Palma is a love letter to twentieth-century cinema and an engaging look into the mind of an artist whose career has been nothing if not eclectic.
The Benefactor
The Benefactor features Richard Gere at his most animated playing a troubled philanthropist with a guilt complex.