By: Addison Wylie When a family favourite reaches for a sequel, the franchise has to be careful it doesn’t catch a case of contagious sequelitis. For the much anticipated second part of the How to Train Your Dragon series, I’m happy to report that this latest adventure only suffers from slight sniffles. Otherwise, this is the follow-up that the 2010 hit deserves. We’re reunited with Hiccup (voiced by Jay Barachel) and his colourfully named pals…
By: Addison Wylie Neighbors has more than a handful of really good laughs. It’s also consistently likeable and plays with its R-rating in a way that doesn’t feel too childish. Mac and Kelly (played by Seth Rogan and Rose Byrne) are concerned about losing touch with their more spontaneous sides after they move into a new neighbourhood. They don’t hate their adult life though. They get a kick out of their baby daughter – the…
By: Addison Wylie Brothers Hypnotic seems like it does everything right. It’s a good looking doc and an even better sounding one. Filmmaker Reuban Atlas knows how to show how music can explode with vibrance as various crowds bob their heads happily. All the songs that are featured and played by Hypnotic Brass Ensemble are great examples of the band’s range and how their chemistry expands their performance etiquette. The boys in the ensemble all…
By: Addison Wylie For a documentary that presents itself as poorly planned, imagine my elation when Scott P. Harris’ Being Ginger began winning me over with his accidental autobiographical doc. Harris had me beaming and declaring love towards his personal mission. The filmmaker – who’s a red head himself – sets out across Edinburgh, Scotland to figure out why there’s so much of a disliking towards “gingers”, as well as why it’s so hard for…
By: Addison Wylie The Sacrament is rightfully a horror movie. A damn unsettling one at that. The problem is the film’s promotional materials may be steering audience expectations in a direction less suited for Ti West’s latest. There’s no camp here. Just tragedies. In my eyes, The Sacrament is much more of a dramatic reenactment than something that is strictly here to spook you. It’s a horror in the same way some movie goers would…
By: Addison Wylie The only thing that could be more amazing than Godzilla’s timeless legacy is that Gareth Edwards was given the opportunity to direct a multi-million dollar modernized take on the creature. Seriously, let’s all take a moment and realize how crazy and ambitious the producers had to be to invest so much trust into a filmmaker who doesn’t have a whole lot of feature film experience. Those chancy attitudes have paid off big…
Who’s Afraid of Vagina Wolf? (DIR. Anna Margarita Albelo) By: Addison Wylie There’s nothing more obnoxious than a movie that thinks its being clever. Enter Who’s Afraid of Vagina Wolf?, an indie with all the self-absorption of Michael Urie’s He’s Way More Famous Than You helmed by Anna Margarita Albelo who wishes to become Lena Dunham through eccentric styles and a hipster soundtrack. Who’s Afraid of Vagina Wolf? has writer/director Albelo playing an exaggerated version of herself. She’s…
The Foxy Merkins (DIR. Madeleine Olnek) By: Addison Wylie Margaret (played by Lisa Haas) has taken on the life of prostitution and homelessness. Being that she’s a lesbian, her clients are all high end females looking for a good, undisclosed time. While on her way to find a place to sleep, she meets Jo (played by Jackie Monahan). The two hit it off almost instantly, and Jo – who’s also homeless – soon starts to show Margaret…
An Evening with the Impostors (DIR. Raymond Helkio) By: Addison Wylie Filmmaker Raymond Helkio takes a day-in-the-life approach and applies it to the Impostors, an all male performance group where the talent impersonate female celebrities. Beyoncé, Aretha Franklin, and Cher are among the names in their roster. We follow the gang as they travel to Port Hope for their largest venue yet – the Captiol Theatre. While the performers remain professional with oodles of charisma, they…
By: Addison Wylie Seth MacFarlane is known for pushing the limits. He practically takes over FOX every Sunday night with various animation programs that would make your parents cup their own ears. He’s also shown his naughty side with his feature film debut hit Ted, a crass comedy about a friend and his talking – occasionally drunk and high – teddy bear. With his latest anticipated endeavour A Million Way to Die in the West, those gross-out…