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Maker of Monsters: The Extraordinary Life of Beau Dick

March 29, 2018Addison Wylie0 Comments

A new documentary called Maker of Monsters: The Extraordinary Life of Beau Dick was formally titled Meet Beau Dick.  The older title is fitting because, over the course of 90 minutes, that’s exactly what the audience does thoroughly.  I assume the name change was for keepsake purposes since Beau Dick passed away last year at the age of 61.  But no matter what it’s called, Maker of Monsters is a good movie.  Standardly structured, but an honourable film…

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Reviews

Loving Vincent

October 5, 2017Addison Wylie1 Comment

Loving Vincent wants you to focus hard on the six-year process it took to make this movie.  This oil-painted film is the first of its kind, with over 100 artists (including Canadian Valerie Fulford) painstakingly painting over 65,000 frames to make a cohesive cinematic work of art.  Each frame is in the signature swirly style of tortured painter Vincent van Gogh.

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Reviews

White Night

September 30, 2017Addison Wylie0 Comments

There’s an art project titled White Night.  It’s a collaborative between five filmmakers (Sonny Atkins, P.H. Bergeron, Brian Hamilton, Matt Purdy, Dan Slater) and it chronicles six fictitious stories during Toronto’s Nuit Blanche – an all-nighter dedicated to art.  One of the characters, a struggling artist named Emily, contributes a cumbersome piece made entirely out of stacked cardboard boxes.  People pass by and heckle at it, while Emily fumes and eventually releases the tension through a…

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Reviews

Manifesto

June 28, 2017Addison Wylie0 Comments

The craft of brilliant costume designers and make-up artists can transform the most recognizable actors into strangers.  Such is the case for Manifesto, a one-woman-show featuring two-time Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett portraying 13 different roles.  Of course, the production is also lucky to have one of the greatest living actors at the forefront.  However, what Manifesto also displays is that sometimes the best artists overshoot their target.

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Festival Coverage

Hot Docs 2017: ‘Do Donkeys Act?’ and ‘Flames’

May 7, 2017Wylie Writes Staff1 Comment

Do Donkeys Act? (DIR. David Redmon, Ashley Sabin) Do Donkeys Act? takes an animal that is not usually afforded much dignity – the donkey – and gives movie goers an opportunity to let the animals speak for themselves (without speaking). The film takes its audience to visit various donkey sanctuaries around the world, where donkeys that have been subjected to abuse or neglect are cared for, healed, and allowed to relax and retire.

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Reviews

Miss Hokusai

October 29, 2016Addison Wylie0 Comments

The animation featured in Keiichi Hara’s anime Miss Hokusai is terrific.  A single cell has the ability to represent the humility and emotion of its characters, along with the imagination the film can achieve.  What’s peculiar and disappointing is how these images don’t make a cohesive film when edited together.

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