Director F. Gary Gray calls back to his days as an acton-thriller filmmaker with Lift, a heist movie that aspires to be an airborne version of Gray’s remake of The Italian Job. However, that former influence was an entertaining and accessible thrill ride with enough charisma to boot. Lift , the complete opposite, is an expensive-looking, self-serious knockoff; hampered by a convoluted plot and absent camaraderie among the cast. The only thing this empty-headed flick…
By: Trevor Chartrand For years, filmmakers have pondered the potentially apocalyptic dangers of self-aware, sentient computers: from Kubrick to the Wachowski’s, and everything in between. The machine uprising is an all-too-common cautionary tale, but has also never been more relevant than it is today. With deepfakes and ChatGPT, it appears we are closer than we’ve ever been to this trope becoming a reality. So the timing is right for director Spencer Brown to throw his…
The dedication writer/director Aki Kaurismäki has for the art of deadpan is nothing short of impressive, and he successfully conveys just how well he understands the form of communication with Fallen Leaves. The issue is Kaurismäki’s movie peaks too early, staying loyal to its consistency but also refusing to evolve from its core strength.
A movie based on a Broadway musical that is, in turn, based on a two-decade old cult classic teen comedy doesn’t exactly read like a recipe for cinematic success. The original Mean Girls, released in 2004, was directed by Mark Waters (2003’s Freaky Friday, Just Like Heaven) and featured performances from some of the biggest teen stars of the early aught’s — including Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, and Amanda Seyfried. It was an instant hit,…
Be Still, an experimental biopic on Canada’s trailblazing photographer Hannah Maynard, educates and hypnotizes viewers. Thanks to filmmaker Elizabeth Lazebnik, Be Still channels Maynard’s creative vision and offers viewers a very special perspective. Eager to know more about the movie, I contacted Lazebnik to pick her brain.
Movie goers who have claimed big screen adaptations of stage plays are stilted may be ready to dismiss Freud’s Last Session, but I hope they give it a chance. This two-hander between Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins (as neurologist Sigmund Freud) and Matthew Goode (as British author C.S. Lewis) is riveting and reminds viewers about the power of great acting.
While actor Daniel Levy has proven to be a comic force for loyal viewers of TV’s Schitt’s Creek, I personally find his demeanour suggests that he’s the smartest person in the room. Self-confidence is an admirable trait, but only if it avoids puffing up one’s ego. The idea of a feature film written and directed by Levy had me feeling skeptical, but I was optimistic for a surprise. Fortunately, Levy’s feature filmmaking debut, Good Grief,…
