By: Addison Wylie I can easily sell you on Relative Happiness by describing Melissa Bergland’s dynamite performance. She’s spunky and wise, manages an adorable Bed and Breakfast in Nova Scotia, and her sense of humour is quick-witted towards those who condescend her. She takes the audience’s attention and commands the screen. I wish it was that easy to describe Deanne Foley’s lukewarm dramedy. Mostly because of a deceptive bait-and-switch at the halfway hump which converts…
By: Addison Wylie Adam Carolla plays curmudgeon comic Bruce Madsen in Road Hard, a semi-autobiographical sophomore effort co-directed and co-written by Carolla and frequent collaborator Kevin Hench. Maden feels like he’s in the shadow of everyone more successful than him. This film would probably feel the same way about its presence next to Judd Apatow’s Funny People. That said, I know a lot of people who quiver just thinking about Apatow’s expansive ode to comedians….
By: Addison Wylie Why Don’t You Play in Hell? features characters who are crazy about filmmaking. And, with cruel irony, Why Don’t You Play in Hell? made me want to abandon movies. Have you ever been around a group of people who like something? I mean, REALLY like something. The wave of high-pitched enthusiasm is enough to make you suffocate. This unwatchable film takes that glee and warps it into a form of aggressive, painful…
By: Addison Wylie Fresh off its stardom at the Canadian Screen Awards after earning nominations for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score, the general moviegoing public gets to see if Cast No Shadow lives up to the hype. I congratulate director Christian Sparkes and his team on the nominations, but Cast No Shadow didn’t work for me. Slivers of ideas are buried under the uneven tone of the film. If you disregard…
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 While I watched The Resurrection of a Bastard, I often wondered where Guido van Driel’s movie was headed. It’s so aimless and without a thought in its busy little head until the existential epiphany its despicable lead character has. However, as soon as I questioned the film, I followed up with another query: Do I even care where this story ends up? Unless the movie is a slapstick send-up, the crime genre…
By: Addison Wylie Once finishing White God, one feels the need to exclaim in delight over the film’s overwhelming strengths. That, or look up other opinions. I did both. Reviews have been circulating ever since the film’s win at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival (White God won the Un Certain Regard Prize), but I didn’t dare look too far into other write-ups. However, the film’s press notes state something very interesting: “Kornel Mundruczó’s newest film…
By: Addison Wylie Montrealer Giuseppe Marinoni is a respected inspiration who builds bicycles. His work continues to be appreciated by cyclists worldwide. But, what a peculiar fellow he is. Marinoni’s attitude changes like the wind. One moment, he’s freely talking to documentarian Tony Girardin about the process behind his constructions, and the next minute, he’s berating the filmmaker for asking silly questions. Then again, the 75-year-old has a dry sense of humour that could only…
By: Addison Wylie The Wonders is slow, unremarkable, and unfortunately, blends in all too well. Writer/director Alice Rohrwacher’s drama is a story of squashed empowerment by a superior who doesn’t know any better. The young Gelsomina (played by Maria Alexandra Lungu) finds herself as a leader within her detached family; which proves to be a blessing and a burden. She’s dependable, trustworthy, and a figure of inspiration to her siblings. However, her father Wolfgang (played…