Kiss and Cry
Kiss and Cry is a lovely Canadian companion to Josh Boone’s crowd-pleaser The Fault in Our Stars.
Drama
Gold
Directed by Stephen Gaghan (Syriana) and written by Gaghan, Patrick Massett, and John Zinman, Gold is loosely based on the true story of the 1993 Bre-X mining scandal. Matthew McConaughey stars as down-and-out prospector Kenny Wells who stakes (no pun intended) his last penny on a partnership with a struggling geologist. Together, the two men venture into the jungles of Indonesia in search of gold.
Shepherds and Butchers
As the weekend approaches and I search for a matinée recommendation to have in my holster, Oliver Schmitz’s courtroom drama Shepherds and Butchers comes along and fits the bill.
Teenage Cocktail
John Carchietta’s Teenage Cocktail is a surprisingly satisfying small-time endeavour in teenage angst.
48 Hours to Live
At this point in his career, music video director Benny Boom is more of an imitator than a filmmaker. His feature film debut Next Day Air, a violent crime/comedy driven by half-baked druggies and misunderstandings, was definitely inspired by the early work of Quentin Tarantino. Boom’s latest project 48 Hours to Live plays as a three-way collision between the trippy in-your-face antics of Argentinian provocateur Gaspar Noé, your average American television crime drama, and dance sequences seen in…
Sieranevada
Sieranevada is an often charming, occasionally tedious, and relentlessly honest family drama written and directed by Romanian filmmaker Cristi Puiu (The Death of Mr. Lazarescu).
Tumbledown
I appreciate movies like Sean Mewshaw’s Tumbledown. As someone who is asked on a daily basis for movie recommendations, Tumbledown provides me with a safe, warm suggestion for easygoing audiences.
La La Land
In this age of postmodernism, filmmakers are always willing to go back to the well and make films which are heavy on pastiche from an earlier Hollywood – these tributes are very hit-or-miss. Damien Chazelle’s La La Land is a strange film that succeeds at its recreations, but fails at everything else.
Blood Empires
Peter Rajesh Joachim, a graduate of Sheridan College’s advanced television and film program, makes his feature-length directorial debut with the shoestring crime drama Blood Empires. It’s adequate and exactly what you would expect from a new filmmaker tackling a genre that’s known for obvious clichés, but thankfully Joachim is aware enough to somewhat withhold his cast from sleepwalking through tiresome territory.