September 2019
John Wick Chapter 3 – Parabellum
Even though I’m late to the game, I still feel the need to announce my new favourite action franchise as if I’m the first to discover the John Wick series.
The Curse of Buckout Road
Myths and urban legends are most effective in horror movies when filmmakers stick with simplicity. It’s what makes most legendary villains in the genre resonate with audiences. The Curse of Buckout Road is a film that does the exact opposite, further proving why less is always more.
The Meaning of Life
The Meaning of Life walks and talks like a conventional weepy melodrama, but it’s much more than a typical tear-jerker. This is a smart and sweet film that reads between the lines. Instead of rattling off a familiar story about a friendly relationship that blooms between a struggling musician (Finn played by Canadian pop artist Tyler Shaw) and a young leukemia patient (Sophie played by Sadie Munroe of CBC’s Workin’ Moms’), The Meaning of Life…
Riot Girls
After making a decent impression with her unsettling segment in the horror anthology XX, Canadian filmmaker Jovanka Vuckovic takes a swing at directing a feature-length story with Riot Girls.
TIFF 2019: ‘Tammy’s Always Dying’
By: Trevor Chartrand Former actress Amy Jo Johnson’s second directorial effort is Tammy’s Always Dying, an incredibly painful look at dysfunctional family dynamics. The film explores the dark and unstable relationship between the understandably broken Catherine (Anastasia Phillips) and her suicidal mother Tammy (Felicity Huffman).
Freaks
You don’t so much watch Freaks as you do discover it. As the writers and directors of this terrific flick, Zach Lipovsky (co-producer of Afflicted) and Adam Stein do a good job building anticipation in their sci-fi/thriller. Each scene contains clues, and it’s up to the audience to piece the film’s premise together up until the somewhat typical finale.
TIFF 2019: ‘Coppers’
In his documentary Coppers, Alan Zweig (15 Reasons To Live) interviews Canadian ex-police officers. Occasionally, viewers are given the a ride-along perspective as the subjects drive around their formally patrolled turf and share some unforgettable stories. Most of these interviewees can recall aged confrontations as if it happened hours before Zweig’s camera turned on. For some, these cases have led to current wellness complications. Along with riding shotgun, Zweig has also emulated the atmosphere of…
TIFF 2019: ‘The Last Porno Show’
The Last Porno Show pushes itself to the limit (and then some) to portray a shocking and unshakable character study of an off-kilter actor who loses himself to method acting.