Articles by Addison Wylie

Festival Coverage

TJFF 2025: ‘Swedishkayt: YidLife Crisis in Stockholm’

I recognize Jamie Elman from the Canadian cult teen comedy Student Bodies, and I remember Eli Batalion making me laugh with his tech comedy Appiness. But, I had never watched their efforts on YidLife Crisis, a web series created and starring Elman and Batalion that explores and celebrates Jewish culture through sketch comedy. After finding an audience online, the duo have since adapted their observational humour for live stage shows. Despite having a passion for their heritage, they’re…

Reviews

Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day

Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day was Croatia’s submission for the 2025 Academy Awards. Even though it never moved past being shortlisted, Ivona Juka’s historical drama is still worth checking out; especially during its Pride Month theatrical release. Writer/director Juka tells the heart-wrenching story of closeted, former soldiers (and war heroes) who have been assigned the task of making propaganda movies for the Tito regime after WWII. Already feeling suppressed by extreme and contemptible opinions on homosexuality…

Reviews

Dangerous Animals

Dangerous Animals has the potential to be a sleeper hit of the summer. So, it’s unfortunate Sean Byrne’s horror-thriller film has been released prematurely. But nevertheless, the film will initially attract a crowd from the squeamish to the chortling yucksters who share a mutual interest – everybody loves a shark movie. While Byrne’s movie has plenty of deep sea casualties, the film’s secret sauce is the star power of Jai Courtney; a comment that could be…

Reviews

TJFF 2025: ‘Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause’

Charles Grodin was a fascinating performer and public figure. While occasionally disarming his stoic presence for his audience, the actor always appeared to have more personality and tricks underneath his tough exterior. In Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause, documentarian James L. Freedman (Glickman) attempts to pinpoint the core of Grodin’s strengths, and his persistence to always be fair. The doc also follows his career as an actor, producer, director, talk show host, and activist….

Reviews

I Don’t Understand You

Few movies can pull off comedy that’s been conceived from clumsy Americans on vacation. I Don’t Understand You is one of those anomalies. Former Big Mouth co-stars Andrew Rannells and Nick Kroll star as Cole and Dom, a married couple who have been trying to adopt a child with no such luck. After several attempts, they’re matched with expectant mother Candice (Amanda Seyfried) just before a vacation to Italy to celebrate their 10th anniversary. Now with…

Reviews

The Woman in the Yard

The Woman in the Yard finds Blumhouse Productions singing a different tune compared to their back catalogue of modern horror classics. It’s a tune that’s still worth singing, but it isn’t without some unnecessary vibrato that may rub some people the wrong way. The premise starts out simple enough: a single, depressed mother, Ramona (Danielle Deadwyler of Netflix’s western The Harder They Fall) and her two kids (Peyton Jackson, Estella Kahiha), who already have a tense…

Reviews

Bad Shabbos

A family dramedy takes a sharp turn into high-strung farce in Bad Shabbos, a twisty walk across a tightrope from co-writer/director Daniel Robbins. Taking place during the Jewish Sabbath where those who participate are encouraged to rest with family, Robbins and co-writer Zack Weiner don’t waste a moment to build comedic tension. New extended family members are being welcomed while snarky swipes from an existing feud threaten to derail the introductions, followed by a misfired…

Reviews

Clown in a Cornfield

Based on Adam Cesare’s popular YA novel of the same name, Clown in a Cornfield is a mishmash of pseudo comedic and horror elements, but it doesn’t come together as a cohesive horror-comedy. Director Eli Craig (Tucker & Dale vs. Evil) is given an array of teenage anti-heroes; a clan of “bad apples” who have given their town an infamous reputation from phoney online videos featuring a ghoulish, stalking clown named Frendo. When they begin to be…

Reviews

Bonjour Tristesse

As usual, considering that Durga Chew-Bose’s Bonjour Tristesse is based on Francoise Sagan’s novel of the same name, I can’t comment on how faithful this movie is to its source material. However, considering how unsatisfied I was by the end credits, I did some research to understand the film’s relation to the novel. Suddenly, the stars aligned and I figured out the root of my agitation. Sagan’s Bonjour Tristesse was published in 1954, predating the French New Wave…

Reviews

Sharp Corner

Sharp Corner is a character study of repressed, prickly ambiguity from writer/director Jason Buxton (Blackbird). The McCalls feel as though they’ve moved into the perfect house, until they discover an unfortunate wrinkle behind their rural address. Their new house looks out to a winding backroad that challenges vehicles to its turn. The drivers that succumb to the rough road turn up in the McCalls’ front yard where they’re either fatally injured or dead. This becomes…