By: Addison Wylie Movies like Debug make me wish I had a notebook handy during screenings. I feel overwhelmed trying to remember all of the sci-fi mumbo-jumbo that fills David Hewlett’s futuristic space horror. Let’s just say Hewlett’s self-penned script has expiatory dialoguing of the laziest kind. Science fiction often hosts the worst scenarios since some filmmakers just want to hurl a bunch of technical nonsense towards the audience and expect movie goers will be…
By: Addison Wylie 88 is proof a film can go feral. It’s a version of Memento that’s been influenced by exploitation schlock and left out in the sun for too long. It’s fun for a bit, but the film runs out of steam. The rowdy trashy energy sends the film to a place of no return – fandom purgatory. April Mullen has appeared in front of the camera in various supporting roles, and has now…
The Amina Profile (DIR. Sophie Deraspe) By: Trevor Jeffery The Amina Profile is three stories in one: a three-part politically charged long-distance romance with a twist; a bit of Going the Distance meets a bit of Milk, with a lot of Catfish. It’s a story of civil unrest under a dictatorship told through a somber love story: two women meant for each other, with half a world between them – Sandra in Montreal and Amina in Damascus. Six…
By: Addison Wylie Dov Tiefenbach is the Sasquatch of cinema. He materializes in random movies, showing his unmistakable mug just long enough for movie goers to do a double take. As soon as we realize who he is, Tiefenbach vanishes. Because of this, I used to think YTV’s Squawk Box was a figment of my imagination. But, I digress. Tiefenbach has come out of hiding to star in Pretend We’re Kissing, an odd romance directed…
By: Addison Wylie The 2015 WIFT-T Showcase is an enlightening selection of eight short films made by Canadian women. The screening taking place at Toronto’s classy Royal Cinema makes for a splendid time out, and will surely restore faith in audiences trying to shake off early year moviegoing stupors. Out of the eight films, I’ve seen half. And, if the films I watched reflect the rest of the submissions, the quality will be mostly consistent….
By: Addison Wylie An after hours horror show goes mad in the uneven Late Night Double Feature. Before the mayhem ensues on the set of Dr, Nasty’s Cavalcade of Horror, the audience is treated to a couple of spooky shorts intercut by commercials and previews. For the most part, the film is authentically structured like a craggy cable access show, which provides plenty of chuckles. An ill-placed ad cashing in on the night’s horror theme…
By: Addison Wylie Earlier this year, I gave I Put a Hit on You an unfavourable review. This led me to believe that making a compelling comedy about snippety people bumming around their house was impossible. Mars Horodyski proves me wrong with Ben’s at Home. This film is funny and fully realized, successfully capturing an introvert’s post-breakup buffer period. Ben (played with wit by Dan Abramovici) chooses to stay housebound because he’s satisfied with personal…
By: Addison Wylie Musicians Mike Ford and Murray Foster have a shared enthusiasm for toe-tapping britpop. This appreciation motivated the compadres to develop The Cocksure Lads, an imitation homage to the lively tunes. Foster has taken the ruse further with The Cocksure Lads Movie. While the comedy is lightheartedly harmless, I have a disagreement with how this nutty band has taken the leap to the big screen. The Cocksure Lads, a tame group of goodie-goodies,…
By: Addison Wylie Standstill seems straightforward enough with its plot involving a photographer overhearing and witnessing the brunt of a murder. However, I believe, a lot of Majdi El-Omari’s story is up for interpretation. Movie goers will pull details out of El-Omari’s screenplay and apply them to their own vision of Standstill. Elements of mysteries and road movies ring throughout the black-and-white movie. Arihote (played by Atewenaron David Dearhouse) gives Wedad, the perplexed Palestinian murderer,…
By: Addison Wylie Big News from Grand Rock is a petite Canadian comedy with petite laughs about a petite town where nothing really happens. Grand Rock’s friendly and carefree community is always seen smiling and wishing healthy salutations to each other. While this may be nice for people living here, it’s dull for those who work for the local newspaper. They have nothing significant to report on. Leonard Crane, a local try-hard journalist, tries to…