I can picture filmmaker Braden Sitter Sr. watching the news and becoming sidetracked by the ticker scrolling across the bottom of the screen. I can also picture the filmmaker getting lost down a rabbit hole of ridiculous clickbait articles on social media. This isn’t a knock against Braden because a movie as off-the-wall as his unauthorized comedy The Pee Pee Poo Poo Man needs sheer mischievous curiousity to make it work, and there’s no shortage of…
By: Trevor Chartrand The notoriously quirky Jason Schwartzman (The Overnight) stars in Between the Temples as – brace yourself – an odd-ball character. Shocking, right? In all seriousness though, Nathan Silver’s offbeat film does ultimately prove to be a relatively serviceable, if tired, indie-style dramedy. To the movie’s credit, Silver explores an otherwise formulaic narrative with a character-focused vulnerability that truly enhances the material.
Close to You is stark with vulnerability, living within the vacuum of anxiety from the personal perspective of a trans man.
Comedienne Megan Stalter receives an overdue leading role in Hannah Pearl Utt’s Cora Bora. While the film may not make her an overnight star, similar to the likes of Bridesmaids’ Melissa McCarthy or Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’s Maria Bakalova, Cora Bora is a solid enough vehicle for Stalter to show her capabilities as a potential character actor.
Sporting an unstoppable slew of passive-aggressive, allegedly improvised, humour and a refreshing spin on man-child comedies, Dad & Step-Dad is one of the funniest films ever made. Don’t believe me? How about if I told you I’ve watched Dad & Step-Dad four times, and have doubled over with hearty laughs with each viewing? How about if I told you I’m worried that my fifth viewing will put me in the hospital?
After watching kids have a ball with subversive superhero fodder like Megamind, The Bad Guys, and the Despicable Me franchise, older audiences finally get to have their fun with Villains Inc. But instead of assuming that adults want another frenetic flick with balls-to-the-wall violence and a four-to-twelve-letter colourful dialect (ala Kick-Ass and its sequel), Villains Inc. works within a more patient element with organic wit while outrageous characters build charismatic rhythms.
With only two features under their belt, married filmmakers Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart have demonstrated that a story can be singlehandedly developed on a unique and personal dynamic between two characters. While their debut indie I Put A Hit On You may have fizzled after liftoff, their sophomore effort Suze shows growth in all the right areas; resulting in an absolute crowd-pleasing charmer.
M.H. Murray’s I Don’t Know Who You Are is a well-meaning dramatic thriller that raises awareness about systemic abandonment felt by sexual abuse survivors.
Written and directed by Jon Garcia, Love in Dangerous Times is among the first of what is sure to be a plethora of pandemic-themed projects that will emerge over the coming months, and even years. Written and filmed entirely in lockdown, the film follows Jason (Ian Stout), a struggling playwright searching for love in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.
I don’t think it’s always required for a filmmaker to have an opinion about war if their movie is about war. Sometimes, the movie simply exists to entertain or educate about a significant historical event. But, if a filmmaker was to tell a story about the effects of war (primarily the long-term psychological impact), I feel like the filmmaker should use the platform to send a message about the value of combat.