Addio Commentary: Cancun Was the Original Paradise
The first-part of a two-night season finale of Bachelor in Paradise airs tonight – and, dammit, I’ve been hooked.
Documentary
Hooligan Sparrow
I had a career epiphany last year after watching Harold Crooks’ financial doc The Price We Pay: maybe there’s nothing wrong with certain types of movies, maybe I’m just not fit for them. As a critic, you try and watch a bit of everything, but if something doesn’t interest you, don’t try and fake it – respect the filmmaker and the audience they’re playing to and admit it’s not your cup of tea.
Miss Sharon Jones!
The biggest takeaway from Barbara Kopple’s electrifying doc Miss Sharon Jones! is Jones’ incredible energy and willpower. It’s marvellous to watch the soulful musician allow music to possess her, and it’s even more astonishing considering Jones’ exhaustive struggle with pancreatic cancer.
Life, Animated
I’m catching Life, Animated far into its successful theatrical run, and after it was a hit on the festival circuit (placing sixth on the audience favourites list at Hot Docs, winning an award at the Sundance Film Festival for Roger Ross Williams’ direction and also being nominated for the prestigious Grand Jury Prize). I’m thankful to have seen the documentary, and I’m elated to pay the recommendation forward to anyone who hasn’t yet watched this…
VAXXED: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe
I’m going to be honest: VAXXED: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe is a film I debated reviewing. You can’t necessarily critique Andrew Wakefield’s exposé on vaccines and their potential Autistic influence without chiming in with personal opinions. As far as grading the actual filmmaking, it’s obvious that Wakefield is concerned more about facts than shot composition.
The Blackout Experiments
The Blackout Experiments could be that “next big thing” for horror folks who avidly discuss the genre. Not only does it offer envelope-pushing originality, it also shows an underbelly that is generally out-of-bounds for a mainstream crowd. Some outsiders may find the doc’s humiliating and semi-exploitive nature to be too intense, but they won’t be able to take their eyes off the screen.
Under the Sun
As the saying goes, “too many cooks spoil the broth”. In the world of cinema, movie goers tend to hear horror stories about intrusive producers, stubborn filmmakers, and critical test audiences all trying to collaborate in order to make the perfection. In the case of Vitaly Mansky’s doc Under the Sun, the North Korean government are the ones overseeing the production, and it couldn’t have worked out any better.
Wylie Writes’ One-On-One with Michael Sparaga
Producer/writer Michael Sparaga has seemingly laid low since 2011’s Servitude, but he’s been very busy working on The Missing Ingredient: What is the Recipe for Success? – a documentary that has the filmmaker testing the waters in another culinary scene. This time, Sparaga hits the director’s chair for this duel story of creative minds within the food industry.
The Missing Ingredient: What is the Recipe for Success?
From cocky waiters in Servitude to sophisticated restauranteurs in his latest project The Missing Ingredient: What is the Recipe for Success?, you would think Michael Sparaga is determined to cover every aspect of the food and hospitality industry. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if Sparaga’s next movie was about napkin origami.
The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble
I approach this review with an unenthused sigh, knowing that my opinions on The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble will sound pompous, crusty, and blasé.