By: Addison Wylie Edge of Tomorrow owes some gratitude towards video game culture. Doug Liman’s exciting movie emulates the entire process of playing a challenging level against inhuman hoodlums, failing it, and then having to repeat your steps. It also searches through that option of having to find an alternate route in order to complete your mission. When people compare movies to video games, it’s usually to knock the film down a couple of pegs….
By: Gesilayefa Azorbo The first question Point and Shoot director Marshall Curry asks his subject off-camera is, “So how did a guy from Baltimore end up fighting in the Libyan revolution?” This is likely the question on the minds of every audience member who sits down to watch this film. And, it’s this question that the film itself repeatedly returns to examine through a mix of personal interviews and exposition via first-person video footage shot over…
By: Addison Wylie Misunderstandings are a common thread in movies directed by the Farrelly Brothers. With Dumb and Dumber To, misunderstandings have exceeded past plot and the dimwitted characters. Since Dumb and Dumber To has the filmmakers returning to the past, let’s take a look at their flawed filmography. The 90’s were very kind towards the brothers with Dumb and Dumber, KIngpin, and There’s Something About Mary scoring mightily with audiences. In 2003, matters started…
By: Addison Wylie “I think I liked that movie…” As soon as Maleficent’s credits rolled, those were the lukewarm words that scrolled across my brain like a news ticker reporting a traffic jam at three in the morning. Robert Stromberg’s reimagining of one of Disney’s villains had me entertained and interested throughout. But, do modern day revisions have to be this heavy? This is more of a question directed towards Disney and screenwriter Linda Woolverton. When…
By: Addison Wylie Anyone can review The Amazing Spider-Man 2. It’s a popular property that accumulates truckloads of moolah, merchandise, and movie goers. It’s an easy film to seek out and watch, and afterwards, the consensus is measured on whether that audience was thrilled enough. Marc Webb’s sequel is popcorn entertainment that either comes through or doesn’t. There’s no middle ground. Instead of using this space to write about how much I was thrilled during…
By: Addison Wylie It’s dangerous for a film like Palo Alto to have a character openly confess that movies nowadays are pointless. You expect that character to look straight into the camera and sigh. I was left sighing while I watched Gia Coppola’s feature film debut. I was also skeptically furrowing my eyebrows and skewing expressions in my stupor. Palo Alto could easily be resold as a workout video for voice actors. Coppola has taken…
By: Addison Wylie This November and December, TIFF pays tribute to one of comedy’s most influential talents. Mel Brooks: It’s Good to Be the King gives movie goers the chance to relive Brooks’ hilarious masterpieces through pristine prints. TIFF kicks off the retrospective on November 15 with screenings of The Producers (5:00 p.m. at the TIFF Bell Lightbox) and Young Frankenstein (7:30 p.m. at the TIFF Bell Lightbox). However, I’m going to focus on the…
By: Addison Wylie Emptying the Skies finds itself in a scenario where the message is greater than the film its wrapped up in. Douglas and Roger Kass have strewn together interviews and clips from conspicuous raids and tense confrontations to make an eye-opening film chronicling the ever-growing problem of bird poaching in southern Europe. The kindheartedness and tenacity of CABS (which stands for: Committee Against Bird Slaughter) is seen throughout, and their hearts remain open…
By: Addison Wylie Terrence Malick is a filmmaker who marches to the beat of his own drum. His unorthodox work has made audiences ponder, and his unique direction and screenwriting has challenged the actors he’s worked with. He’s certainly a one-of-a-kind with a sixth sense for beauty. I imagine collaborating under his mentorship would provide an artful view of how to express yourself using poetic language and imagery. However, the point of being a protege…
By: Addison Wylie I began watching Propganda not knowing of its satirical backbone, and my head nearly exploded. I’m glad I stopped the film to get caught up on Slavko Martinov’s faux-doc for it may have rendered me utterly speechless. My regret after reading the press release was turning the film back on to finish it. It takes a lunatic to make a “movie” as blunt, sarcastic, and grim as this one. That madman is Martinov,…