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Canadian Film Fest 2025: ‘Home Free’

April 9, 2025Addison Wylie0 Comments

Home Free is the feature-length directorial debut from trailblazing indie producer Avi Federgreen (Moon Point, Lifechanger, Things I Do For Money).  The movie is a routine family drama that, frankly, comes as a surprise considering this is the type of movie formula that Federgreen must be hip to.  However, maybe he’s wearing that producer cap of his and channeling what audiences want. Certainly, there’s an audience for Home Free.  With premium cable outlet Hollywood Suite being one…

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Canadian Film Fest 2025: ‘Gold Bars: Who the F*ck Is Uncle Ludwig?’

April 8, 2025Addison Wylie0 Comments

Surly lawyer Glenn “Joseph” Feldman is certain that a former business partner was profiting from a hidden stash of stolen Nazi gold.  In fact, Joseph’s infamous conviction becomes detrimental to his career and personal life, and has brought on a defamation lawsuit against him by his old friend.  His skeptical and inquisitive daughter, Alex, wants to help bring closure to this chapter with some tough love and some outsider expertise. Billie Mintz’s documentary looks slick…

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Festival Coverage

Canadian Film Fest ’24: Daughter of the Sun

March 31, 2024Addison Wylie0 Comments

When I wrote about Ryan Ward’s directorial feature debut Son of the Sunshine, I was humbled by the filmmaker’s response to my unenthused review.  I had labeled his film as “maple syrup melancholy”, a term I coined to encompass Canada’s ongoing trend of churning out depressing, empty movies.  I thought the term was clever, Ward didn’t think so.  The Canadian writer/director advised that, while disliking a movie and its motives is fine, labelling art can…

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Canadian Film Fest ’24: Place of Bones

March 29, 2024Addison Wylie0 Comments

Movie goers may instantly attribute Audrey Cummings’ Place of Bones with fellow westerns, but theatre aficionados may lean more towards low-end productions with sloppy offerings.  As someone who finds themselves in the intersection of both groups, Place of Bones pulls me towards my fellow theatre nerds and that, well, sucks.

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Festival Coverage

Wylie Writes’ One-On-One with Jonas Chernick

March 23, 2022Addison Wylie0 Comments

From his breakout with My Awkward Sexual Adventure to his recent collaborations with other actors and returning filmmakers, Jonas Chernick has been an actor/screenwriter to watch for.  The projects he creates or attaches himself to are filled with an unforgettable, compassionate energy.  His latest collaboration with director Jeremy LaLonde (How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town) and Becky’s Amanda Brugel is one of his strongest efforts to date, but it also might be the most he…

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Festival Coverage

Canadian Film Fest ’22: Ashgrove

March 23, 2022Addison Wylie0 Comments

Amanda Brugel (Kim’s Convenience, Becky) and Jonas Chernick (Borealis) are centre stage in Ashgrove, a two-hander character drama that serves as a great vehicle for both stars and an ethereal departure for filmmaker Jeremy LaLonde (The Go-Getters, How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town).

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Festival Coverage

Canadian Film Fest ’18: A Swingers Weekend

March 20, 2018Addison Wylie0 Comments

Certain topics pertaining to sex and intimacy aren’t really taboo anymore.  We’ve had an influx of orgy comedies (A Good Old Fashioned Orgy, How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town), and filmmakers have also captured stripped-down dating culture in the current digital age (Jackie Boy, as well as with glossier mainstream movies).  Because of these advancements in storytelling, Jon E. Cohen’s underwhelming feature film debut A Swingers Weekend feels a few years too late.

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Festival Coverage

Canadian Film Festival ’16: Dead Rush

April 3, 2016Addison Wylie5 Comments

The arrival of Dead Rush’s world premiere at this year’s Canadian Film Fest came at a coincidental time.  On April 8, Ilya Naishuller’s Hardcore Henry hits theatres.  Both films are very good genre flicks that position the viewer in the lead character’s perspective.  As far as which film has a cleaner landing though, Dead Rush has the edge.

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