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Addison Wylie

Festival Coverage

Blood in the Snow ’14: Serpent’s Lullaby & Berkshire County

November 25, 2014Addison Wylie3 Comments

As movie goers prepare for the season’s holiday offerings, horror fans buckle up for a round of Canadian talent at this year’s Blood in the Snow Film Festival. The festival, founded by Kelly Michael Stewart, features the cream of the genre crop.  Blood in the Snow’s selections range from unsettling slow burns to the visually grotesque.  It’s a competently passionate showcase that gives indie filmmakers a fantastic opportunity to premiere their work, and hands audiences a rare…

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Reviews

Dumb and Dumber To

November 20, 2014Addison Wylie0 Comments

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…

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Reviews

Maleficent

November 20, 2014Addison Wylie2 Comments

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…

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Reviews

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

November 17, 2014Addison Wylie0 Comments

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…

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Reviews

Palo Alto

November 17, 2014Addison Wylie0 Comments

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…

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Reviews

It’s Good to Be the King: Blazing Saddles

November 15, 2014Addison Wylie0 Comments

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…

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Reviews

Emptying the Skies

November 14, 2014Addison Wylie0 Comments

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…

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Reviews

The Better Angels

November 13, 2014Addison Wylie0 Comments

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…

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Reviews

Propaganda

November 12, 2014Addison Wylie1 Comment

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,…

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Reviews

Gone Girl

November 10, 2014Addison Wylie2 Comments

By: Addison Wylie David Fincher is a masterful filmmaker, but he’s even better at spinning a web of mystery and suspense.  Numerous films in his catalogue deal with puzzling content, and not once have I seen him drop the ball. He’s also a fantastic handler of, shall we say, hidden motivations.  Gone Girl is an extremely difficult film to delve into without giving away too much – bear with me. There are people in Fincher’s…

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