By: Addison Wylie My disappointment with The Conjuring isn’t caused by oodles of pre-release buzz, but because I know director James Wan can do so much better. Wan, who I consider a modern day master of horror, knows the genre well. He’s able to build tension and isn’t afraid to milk a quiet situation for all that it’s worth. He knows exactly how long to hold the viewers’ anticipation and how far to drag them…
By: Addison Wylie Nat Faxon (who you may have seen playing bit parts in Broken Lizard films and playing the title male on the unfortunately short lived TV show Ben & Kate) and Jim Rash (who you may have caught on the cult television hit Community) have Academy Awards under their belts. Their screenwriting, along with Alexander Payne penmanship, earned all three of them a prestigious Oscar for their adaptive screenwriting in The Descendants. Now,…
By: Addison Wylie In the span of a month, Toronto has gotten two independent films that feature exotic locations starring a cast member of Degrassi: The Next Generation. While they’re both badly made, Adriarico My Love is not the worst out of the two. That dishonour still goes to Dev Khanna’s Fondi ’91. However, Nikola Curcin’s peculiar film is a shabby endeavour and just about the strangest film you’ll see this Summer – and, not…
For those who may be unaware, I also write on a more Canadian-savvy site called Film Army. At Film Army, contributors wish to bring filmmakers – ranging from students to up-and-comers to tenured artists – together and provide resources, news, and other relevant information in order to keep these dedicated readers in the loop regarding the film and television industry. Contributors have some sort of tv/film experience under our belts. Some have been working behind-the-scenes…
By: Addison Wylie It’s generally known that a sweet-and-salty combo more than likely delivers successful results. While Superman’s latest origin story Man of Steel has problems, the sweet-and-salty pairing of director Zack Snyder and producer Christopher Nolan (with Nolan’s Batman screenwriter David S. Goyer penning this script as well) entices movie goers and the results pull mesmerized, giddy audiences to the edge of our seats. Snyder is no stranger to graphic novels and superheroes. Unfortunately,…
By: Addison Wylie Riding high off his commercial and Academy Award nominated hit Bridesmaids, Paul Feig is back with The Heat, a female driven crass cop comedy with a perfect pairing of Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy and a surprising number of laughs. Feig’s comedy starts off on a funny but familiar step. We’re introduced to Bullock’s character, Ashburn, as well as introduced to her cockiness and her arrogance that makes her the least liked…
By: Addison Wylie Trying to remember I Send You This Place is like trying to recount a fuzzy dream you had a couple of days ago. You can recollect bits of ideas and images, but assembling a resonating big picture is near impossible. That about sums up my feelings about Andrea Sisson and Pete Ohs’ abstract documentary. It’s a personal piece about Andrea’s intimate relationship with Iceland and her feelings of frustration towards the withdrawal…
By: Addison Wylie Adam Sandler’s ego has become so large, it is now starting to swallow film. Case in point: Grown Ups 2, an unnecessary and excruciatingly unfunny experience where everyone bows to the shrine of Sandler with director Dennis Dugan barely steering the mayhem…again. I suppose the beginning is the best place to start. It’ll at least ease my way back into the headache I was feeling by the end of this ordeal. Adam…
By: Addison Wylie After seeing Vince Offer’s appalling InAPPropriate Comedy and Seth Gordon’s despicable Identity Thief, I thought I’d be done using “the worst” to describe any other film released this year. That is, until I saw Dev Khanna’s Fondi ’91. Don’t get me wrong. Offer’s racist cinematic tirade and Gordon’s insufferable comedy are still the worst films 2013 has given audiences, but this crummy coming-of-age tale about a young man’s week long soccer getaway…
By: Addison Wylie When I reviewed Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers in March, I stated that “it may very well be this year’s most argued about film.” I still stand by that, and it’s bittersweet to do so. On the one hand, I’m right. On the other, there are still movie goers that react wildly negative towards Korine’s fever dream. However, just as many people are faithful to their opinion about Spring Breakers and even go as far…