Ingrid Goes West
Set on the sunny California coast, director Matt Spicer’s Ingrid Goes West is a dark critique of social media that manages to hit its mark, despite some minor flaws.
August 2017
The Reagan Show
The Reagan Show is about Hollywood B-list actor-turned-conservative dream president Ronald Reagan, told entirely through found footage, but the timing and certain elements betray its true intentions.
Expo 67: Mission Impossible
It takes a while to get off the ground, but once it gathers momentum, Expo 67: Mission Impossible proves itself to be a fascinating and ultimately moving look at the events that took place behind the scenes of Montreal’s 1967 international exhibition.
Dave Made a Maze
Bill Watterson’s Dave Made a Maze will receive comparisons to Dan Harmon’s TV show Community. Their quirky in similar ways, the characters are alike, and there’s an uncanny connection to pop culture in both. Most importantly, just like in Harmon’s cult hit, Dave Made a Maze is a story of misfits trying to define their self-worth while “adulting” by way of their own arrested development.
Phoenix Forgotten
Derivative scares are surrounded by boring filler and exposition in Phoenix Forgotten, a feature debut by graphic artist Justin Barber that’s also been stupefyingly blessed by producer Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, The Martian).
Wylie Writes @ TIFF ’17 – Canadian Slate
Despite all the less-than-stellar changes made to TIFF this year, the festival continues to excel in giving a voice to Canadian filmmakers and video artists. Representatives of TIFF, once again, gathered in the Fairmont Royal York hotel to announce Canadian films which will play at the festival this year and then – presumably – disappear into Canadian cinemas, where a few of them will compete with the latest Oscar bait and Hollywood slop.
Wind River
By: Nick Ferwerda Set in the snowy mountains of Wyoming on an indian reservation in the town of Wind River, Taylor Sheridan’s dark and thrilling crime drama – also titled Wind River – follows Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner), a wildlife protection officer, a local gametracker, and a man who had two children with someone from the reservation. They split soon after their eldest daughter was killed in a murder that would, most likely, never be solved.
Naked
Marlon Wayans, Michael Tiddes, and Rick Alvarez take a break from spoofing horror flicks (the Haunted House series) and mainstream smut (Fifty Shades of Black) to present Naked, a Netflix Original (and remake of 2000’s Sweden comedy Naken) that borrows the framework of narrative-looping to make a funny and surprisingly sweet movie that you’ll want to watch over and over again.
Wylie Writes @ Toronto Youth Shorts Film Festival ’17
The Toronto Youth Shorts Film Festival has always been a reliable and reassuring venue for up-and-coming filmmakers and animators to showcase their passion projects for a wider audience; establishing an early imprint in their career. In its ninth year, the festival continues to succeed by screening solid work.