By: Addison Wylie At TIFF ’12, a cold film named Krivina made its mark on the circuit. Directed by Igor Drljaca and produced by Albert Shin, Krivina was a film with a strong, silent lead. It tested my patience with meandering stretches, but halfheartedly won me back with a shocking twist I didn’t see coming. Smashcut to present day and the roles have switched with In Her Place – Shin is now the writer/director and…
By: Addison Wylie Guardians of the Galaxy plays as a gnarlier, more rugged version of The Avengers. But, only will that thought hit you after the credits have rolled. You won’t be put off by it though; Guardians of the Galaxy is a boatload of fun nonetheless. It’s only worth bringing up because when a generic formula is paired with this much originality, the combination can’t help but flare. Then again, I sort of expected this…
By: Addison Wylie Swearnet: The Movie follows three chowderheads trying to figure out where they fit in after their long time claim to fame. The three douchebags: Robb Wells, John Paul Tremblay, and Mike Smith. Those fucking tools that we’ve seen bumble around on television and star in this year’s jag-off road comedy Trailer Park Boys: Don’t Legalize It. They can’t be associated with anything that has to do with that fucking landmark in Canadian…
By: Addison Wylie God’s Not Dead – one of the many mainstream films to be released this year that central around religion – is a project that’s easy for select opinionated movie goers to pile on. With its earnest ambitions and its obvious preferences as to who the film is geared towards, some are ready to stamp Harold Cronk’s movie as manipulative pap just by viewing the trailer. Well, curiosity got the best of me…
By: Addison Wylie As soon as I found out Señoritas was the feature debut for filmmaker Lina Rodriguez, everything started making sense. Señoritas reminded me a lot of Krivina and Tower, two indies I caught at TIFF two years ago. Both films featured up-and-coming filmmakers taking on character studies and applying a drawn out pace. What separates those two independent films from Señoritas is that they were building towards something. Krivina applied a twist that…
By: Addison Wylie It’s been about a week since I’ve seen Richard Linklater’s much anticipated Boyhood. I don’t usually give myself that amount of time to conceive a write-up. Boyhood’s different though. Boyhood’s an ambitious project that had Linklater shooting scenes over a 12 year period capturing his young lead Mason (played by Ellar Coltrane) mature into a strong-willed individual. He, along with his cast, crafted a story around that filmmaking method and then –…
By: Addison Wylie For the past month, intrepid comedic actor Will Arnett has been promoting the bejesus out of his latest flick Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a hyperactive reboot of the original heroes in a half shell. He fearlessly sells his character (news cameraman Vernon Fenwick), the action sequences, and the New York City setting with utmost grit and spirited enthusiasm. If Tommy Boy’s Tom Callahan could sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman in…
By: Addison Wylie Audiences can witness Wes Anderson going through filmmaking periods. We’re not exactly sure what’s triggering these changes of pace, but those willing to follow the whimsical auteur don’t regret the trip. As of late, Anderson has been wearing his French influences on his sleeve – or, rather across his forehead. He made the transition with The Fantastic Mr. Fox and then went full-tilt Français with his highly acclaimed Moonrise Kingdom; nodding towards…
By: Addison Wylie In Dead Man, Johnny Depp plays William Blake, an accountant removed from society twice over. The loss of his parents has his mind aimlessly wandering and a new job in the West has Blake feeling further alienated. Then again, it would take a lot of adjusting to fit in with Machine’s homely, rugged community. After meeting a local woman and then meeting her beau, Blake is pitted and pinned to a murder…
By: Addison Wylie “If a movie does nothing wrong, does that make it a movie that does everything right?” I asked myself that during The F Word, and afterwards when I was developing my overall feelings towards Michael Dowse’s Toronto bound romantic comedy. The F Word does the trick, and goes through the hoops it needs to in order to please its general audience. We have two likeable leads (Wallace and Chantey played by Daniel…