Latest

Articles

One-on-Ones

Tru Talk: A Two-On-One With Kate Johnston and Shauna MacDonald

Tru Love hits Toronto’s Carlton Cinema today, and it’s a wise choice to support it.  While it occasionally dabbles as a soap opera, I found its romantic intimacy lovely.  The characters are innocent when facing the premise, which makes their maturity manifest naturally. Recently, I talked Tru Love shop with the film’s co-directors, Kate Johnston and Shauna MacDonald.  We discussed the film’s snowcapped Toronto setting, the importance of setting a general tone, and if post-production altered that original mood….

CrowdFUNding

CrowdFUNding: ‘Deep Shock’ and ‘The Date’

By: Addison Wylie Back when I was writing for Film Army, I would occasionally get requests from filmmakers to review their short films.  Davide Melini and Rob Comeau were two of those people, and CrowdFUNding has reunited me with them. Melini – an Italian filmmaker with a fascination for  faith – and Comeau – a Canadian moviemaker with an eye for style – strike different chords with their work.  It’s awesome to see these two haven’t…

Articles

Kung Fu Elliot: Playing at a Theatre Near You

By: Addison Wylie Every film festival has movies that are so unusual, the audience wonders if the flicks will ever see the light of day.  Kung Fu Elliot and Giuseppe Makes a Movie were those films for me at this past year’s Hot Docs Film Festival.  The jury’s still out on a release for Giuseppe, but Elliot can be seen by many very soon. It’s a doc that rolls with the punches – no pun intended.  The flick starts…

Does It Float?

Does It Float?: A Haunted House 2

By: Addison Wylie The Haunted House films have their haters.  But, these comedies also have those happy-go-lucky appreciators who laugh like hyenas with each crass joke.  The difference between those two audiences is that the haters will openly vent about how these movies stink, while the others are too embarrassed to admit they chuckled. A Haunted House was a guilty pleasure of mine.  It was a minor comedy that found success during its theatrical run,…

CrowdFUNding

CrowdFUNding: Forbidden Films’ ‘Headless’ Horror

By: Addison Wylie My most anticipated movie of 2014 is one I’ve already seen, but has yet to make a widespread appearance in theatres or on DVD/VOD.  I want to recommend this excellent indie as soon as it shows its bloody face. Found screened for horror hounds at last year’s Toronto After Dark.  It left the audience – particularly me – shaken and disturbed.  The low budget flick about a sibling who discovers his stoic,…

Festival Coverage

Wylie Writes @ Hot Docs 2014: One-On-Two with Hotline’s Tony Shaff and Miss Cleo

By: Addison Wylie As I state in the interview, part of the reason I love Hot Docs is that I usually have the chance to sit down with people I wouldn’t have expected to talk to. Miss Cleo is someone who I grew up watching on TV during commercial breaks.  The infomercial psychic movement she created with her catch phrase and bright on-screen personality is something that couldn’t be ignored.  She became a nostalgic icon to…

Does It Float?

Does It Float?: The Dirties

Matt Johnson’s impressive and ambitious feature film debut The Dirties is making its way onto Blu-ray and DVD after earning plenty of well-deserved accolades – including winning the Scotiabank Jay Scott Prize for the top emerging artist at January’s Toronto Film Critics Association Film Awards. The Dirties is an unsettling and unflinching look at bullying through a struggling perspective.  The first-person view follows Johnson and his friend Owen (both using their real names, but taking on different on-screen…

CrowdFUNding

CrowdFUNding: James Evans’ DIY Shakespeare

  By: Addison Wylie I’ve always seen a bright future for actor James Evans.  James and I attended the same high school and we were fortunate to take part in a few stage productions together.  He’s  a really sharp and talented guy who – to my memory – does a spot-on Don Knotts. Where James and I differ is with Shakespeare.  I’ve always had a difficult time grasping onto William Shakespeare’s writing.  Evans not only…

One-on-Ones

Down the Miller River: A One-On-One with Gabrielle Miller

By: Addison Wylie Opening this weekend is Canadian indie Down River, a drama that peers into the lives of three strong women pushed to extremes in order to fulfill an artistic destiny.  What they also have in common is their connection to Pearl, an old soul who is ready to drop everything if she’s needed for friendship and support. Down River is a character study that offers a fair bit to chew on and doesn’t…

CrowdFUNding

CrowdFUNding: Jamie Tiernay’s Kenny vs. Spenny: On The Road

By: Addison Wylie It’s no competition that Kenny vs. Spenny – whether you like it or not – has become a staple in Canadian pop culture. Kenny Hotz and Spencer Rice’s reality television show featured the buddies going toe-to-toe with each other in various matches such as Who Can Win a Ten Mile Race and Who Can Stay in a Haunted House the Longest.  However, as the competitions became increasingly irreverent and Hotz’s strategies more…