When I wrote about Ryan Ward’s directorial feature debut Son of the Sunshine, I was humbled by the filmmaker’s response to my unenthused review. I had labeled his film as “maple syrup melancholy”, a term I coined to encompass Canada’s ongoing trend of churning out depressing, empty movies. I thought the term was clever, Ward didn’t think so. The Canadian writer/director advised that, while disliking a movie and its motives is fine, labelling art can…
Movie goers may instantly attribute Audrey Cummings’ Place of Bones with fellow westerns, but theatre aficionados may lean more towards low-end productions with sloppy offerings. As someone who finds themselves in the intersection of both groups, Place of Bones pulls me towards my fellow theatre nerds and that, well, sucks.
By: Trevor Chartrand Readers, please note – if you’re not familiar with the serial killer Ted Bundy, The Black Mass will likely leave you feeling confused and alienated. Then again, if you are familiar with Bundy and his capture, you’ll also feel just as confused and alienated…but probably disgusted as well. By making this film, director Devanny Pinn has wasted the time of her crew, her cast, and anyone unfortunate enough to make the mistake…
By: Jolie Featherstone [CW: Violent punishment, religious trauma, forced birth, miscarriage, newborn murder] IT girl Sydney Sweeney (Anyone But You, Madame Web) puts herself in motion to be the next Scream Queen in the blood-soaked, religious horror film Immaculate.
Late Night with the Devil is a high-wire act that has the viewer glued to the screen at all times. And, just when we thought period variety shows couldn’t be any scarier than the Mother of All Shows.
Riddle of Fire is a remarkable feature debut from writer/director Weston Razooli for a number of reasons, ranging from visual flare to its irreverent and hilarious sense of humour. However, the most memorable feat of the film is its pristine ability to portray childhood in a genuine way that transports the audience back to a time where boundless make-believe was a daily activity. What’s even more impressive is Razooli’s restraint to not call attention to…
Movie goers who have been caught rolling their eyes at “chapter narratives” will be pleasantly surprised by Sean Garrity’s The Burning Season, a reversed romantic drama that unravels an affair between two star-crossed lovers.
By: Jolie Featherstone Funny and charming, French Girl takes audiences back to the classic romantic comedies of the 2000s in this impressive feature-length directorial debut from James A. Woods and Nicolas Wright.
Though Netflix’s latest female-led action flick was released on International Women’s Day, Damsel makes an unconvincing case to empower anybody. Especially when the film stops in its tracks to have its heroine Elodie (Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown) denounce the story’s deliberate discriminatory attitude towards young women. However, if viewers are looking for a fun romp where that same heroine is in a cavernous cat-and-mouse chase from a fire-breathing, angry dragon, Damsel is just the…
They Shot the Piano Player is an animated docdrama that, ultimately, failed to connect with me. But, to credit filmmakers Javier Mariscal and Fernando Trueba (co-directors of the Oscar-nominated animated film Chico & Rita), the movie’s efforts are certainly not wasted.