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Festival Coverage

Wylie Writes @ Hitchcock/Truffaut: Magnificent Obsessions

July 9, 2016Mark Barber0 Comments

Contemporary cinephilia places – at times – undue emphasis on the auteur in relation to their work and in relation to the works of others.  Intertwined authorship and intertextuality are the two most recurrent approaches in film criticism.  As such, it’s easy to rationalize the existence of the Hitchcock/Truffaut: Magnificent Obsessions retrospective at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, given the sheer amount of discourse written on the famous relationship of Alfred Hitchcock and François Truffaut.

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Reviews

Out of Print

July 7, 2016Addison Wylie0 Comments

A new documentary titled Out of Print will undoubtably excite movie goers who are regulars at Los Angeles’ New Beverly Cinema, as well as cinephiles in general.  Filmmaker (and long-time New Bev employee) Julia Marchese has basically created a glossy love letter to the precious repertory cinema known for its ingenious programming and its eclectic clientele (including support from high-profile filmmakers).

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Reviews

The Debt

July 6, 2016Addison Wylie0 Comments

The Debt is a multi-narrative award-winning feature from writer/director Barney Elliott.  It’s a reputable drama, and when The Debt is on a roll, it’s on par with Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic.

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Reviews

Finding Dory

June 30, 2016Addison Wylie1 Comment

Only Pixar could find a way to reevaluate quirky comic relief as a poignant study on mental and physical disabilities.  Academy Award winning writer/director Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, WALL·E) along with co-director/writer Angus MacLane (in her feature-length debut after developing her filmmaking through Toy Story short films) have developed a faithful sequel while also identifying a message that has been treaded cautiously in the past.

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Reviews

Underdogs

June 28, 2016Addison Wylie1 Comment

Like a near-death experience, I can recall the exact moment when I first watched the trailer for Underdogs.  The shabby preview – exchanging comedic pacing and intelligence for celebrity vocals that didn’t match the animation and a stupid premise – almost eclipsed the train wreck that followed it (Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2).

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Reviews

The Brothers Grimsby

June 27, 2016Addison Wylie0 Comments

Sometime after Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan and before Brüno, Sacha Baron Cohen was at a crossroads with his comedy: does he expose more social experiments with wry satire or does he stick with outrageous nastiness?

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Reviews

The Neon Demon

June 25, 2016Trevor Jeffery1 Comment

There’s not much that can be said about recurring themes in Nicolas Winding Refn’s films that hasn’t been said before, but here’s a recap: self-indulgent, hyper violent, misogynist, pretentious, shallow.

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Reviews

9 Days with Cambria

June 24, 2016Shahbaz Khayambashi0 Comments

9 Days with Cambria is sold as an experiment in character development and storytelling.  It tells the story of a young woman by the name of Cambria, who was once raped by her boyfriend-at-the-time which led to their breakup and her worsened mental state.  In more competent hands, this could have been an inquisitive work, but in the hands of directors Mike Klassen (Abolition) and Jason Armstrong, the final product is at best inconsequential and at…

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Reviews

Free State of Jones

June 24, 2016Shannon Page0 Comments

Free State of Jones is inspired by real events that took place in Jones County, Mississippi following the United States’ civil war.  As expected, Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar, Dallas Buyers Club) is impressive as Newton Knight, a former army medic who lead an armed rebellion against the confederate army.  The film also features strong performances by Gugu Mbatha-Raw as a freedwoman named Rachel, and Mahershala Ali as a former slave named Moses who joins Knight’s movement.

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Reviews

Look Again

June 23, 2016Addison Wylie0 Comments

Look Again has an interesting concept, but stops at its moral dilemma.  It even feels like it begins fifteen minutes into its own story, not giving audiences a fair chance to bite into any leading characters.  The film is filled with ideas and questions and confrontations that are better suited for a stage show developed by a flavourful improv troupe.

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