By: Trevor Chartrand On their anniversary, successful films often get a special edition re-release that includes new bonus features, interviews, and a high-def restoration that celebrates the film’s impact and longevity. With a film like 2009’s After Last Season, however, the tenth anniversary brings us nothing but bootlegs and a handful of rare DVDs that sell for $300 online.
YouTube Premium, so far, has catered to younger audiences with popcorn entertainment and recognizable faces from their streaming platform (The Thinning: New World Order). But, the streaming giant’s latest series Wayne seems to be cut from different cloth. Created by Shawn Simmons and executive produced by screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Zombieland, Deadpool), Wayne pitches mature audiences a good old fashioned story about finding justice that will surely feature Reese and Wernick’s brand of action and comedy.
By: Trevor Chartrand There are some unforgettable vast desert vistas in Jirga, a philosophical study of redemption and forgiveness screening at this year’s festival. I had a chance to talk with director Benjamin Gilmour and star Sam Smith to discuss their experience making the film, but I just had to ask about those landscapes.
Benched is pitched (har, har) to audiences as the latest entry in the sports movie genre, but it almost ends up working more as a buddy comedy instead. The scenes of gameplay are present and they’re easy to get wrapped up in, but the drive behind those scenes – along with other elements in this charming story of winning and losing – is the love/hate dynamic between two little league coaches playing on the same…
Sook-Yin Lee is currently mystifying Toronto movie goers with her long-awaited return to feature-length filmmaking. Octavio is Dead! gradually reels us in with a dream-like allure as we observe Tyler (Sarah Gadon) rediscover herself through the death of her absent father (Raoul Max Trujillo). From there, Lee strings her audience on a winding narrative that consistently maintains a personal intimacy throughout its run.
Let There Be Light, a directorial feature debut from Hercules’ Kevin Sorbo, is the latest entry in the faith-based sub-genre. This Christian family film has been a passion project of Sorbo’s, with an added bonus of being able to work closely with his wife, Sam (who co-wrote the script with The Hurricane’s Dan Gordon). While mirroring certain details of God’s Not Dead (another devout drama Kevin Sorbo starred in as a similar atheist), Let There Be Light gives audiences…
By: Jessica Goddard Wexford Plaza was one of the best films of 2017, and it was also a finalist for the Toronto Film Critic Association’s award for Best Canadian Film. As the film celebrates its home release on digital platforms, I reached out to writer/director Joyce Wong to ask about her feature debut, its universal story, and her personal connection to the film.
By: Trevor Chartrand After sweeping the festival circuit, Badsville continues its public theatrical run at Toronto’s Carlton Cinema with a VOD/digital release planned for early this year. I recently talked with director April Mullen and screenwriters/actors Benjamin Barrett and Ian McLaren about the inspirations behind their latest film.
Suck It Up was an encouraging sleeper flick that helped close out last year.
In the mid-2000’s, a copy of Caché in a Rogers Video would be my introduction to the works of Michael Haneke, and what an introduction it was. I had heard of a shocking moment in Caché, and I was still unprepared for it. A decade later, I had seen every feature that Haneke had made, always salivating for the next. This is why it was such a shock to me when I was told that,…