“Class of Nuke’em High is a great intermediary between the higher-end Troma productions such as the Toxic Avenger franchise and the ‘sexy comedies’ Kaufman focused on earlier in his directing career.” Class Of Nuke’em High Directed by Richard W. Haines Every Troma Entertainment release provides a sense of familiarity to its viewers; not only because [...]
Pulling John Directed by Vassiliki Khonsari If the name John Brzenk doesn’t ring a bell, don’t worry: he’s just an airline mechanic for Delta. But since 1983, he has also developed and cemented his legendary status as the greatest professional arm wrestler of all-time (as certified by the Guinness Book of Records). His utter dominance [...]
Repo Men Directed by Miguel Sapochnik Have you ever seen Repo! The Genetic Opera? It premiered at Fantasia on July 18th, 2008 to a packed house. Upon receiving mixed reviews the film obtained a limited theatrical release in North America the following winter and was finally released on DVD a few months later. Surely you [...]
Shutter Island definitely begs a second viewing, and while it might not rank up there with earlier Scorsese classics, it remains a masterpiece in my eyes, and a production that has set the new standard for all future psychological thrillers. Shutter Island Directed by Martin Scorsese Before seeing Shutter Island, all I knew about the [...]
When comparing these critical scenes to their counterparts in such classics as An American Werewolf in London or The Howling, they are simply not in the same league. The Wolfman Directed by Joe Johnston Joe Johnston walks into a bar and says: “Bartender, I’ve directed Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Jurassic Park III and Hidalgo. [...]
bills itself as a low-budget film bent on entertaining audiences… Daybreakers Directed by Michael and Peter Spierig Over the years several pairs of brothers have directed high-grossing, successful Hollywood films. Notable duos include the Cohen’s, the Wachowski’s, the Hughes’ and the Farrelly’s. However, the Spierig brothers from Australia will never, ever be on that list. [...]
I judge the efficiency of a documentary based on two things: its ability to inform in an interesting way, and its long-lasting effect. If I am still thinking about it a week later, then it’s passed the test. Based on those criteria, here are my top 10 documentaries of the decade. 1- Children Underground (2001) [...]
Review of Amreeka Directed by Cherien Dabis There is an obvious correlation between the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the rise in Islamaphobia across the United States. Arabs (or anyone Arab-looking) who had already established their lives in the States before that year suddenly found themselves the target of racial prejudice, and those who would [...]
The Men Who Stare at Goats Directed by Grant Heslov According to Jon Ronson’s book The Men Who Stare At Goats, the U.S. government has experimented with various extra-sensory ‘abilities,’ such as remote-viewing and mind control, since the 1950s. These highly classified sub-divisions of the Army were developed in the hopes of creating a different [...]
Directed by Spike Jonze As I left the cinema Friday night still reeling from my experience, I realized that the perfect barometer for Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are was the 4-year old girl walking with her mom in front of me. Throughout the film I could hear her alternating between laughing, crying and [...]
As a huge fan of Natural Born Killers and White Men Can’t Jump, I used to look forward to every Woody Harrelson movie. For awhile we were spoiled with excellent performances but in the past decade, I’ve been thoroughly disappointed with almost every role WH has signed up for. Well, believe it or not, you [...]
Daybreakers Directed by Michael Spierig & Peter Spierig In 2003 the twin Australian filmmakers, The Spierig Brothers, unleashed the no-budget, frenetic, zombie opus titled Undead onto the world. Now after a six year hiatus, they have finally returned with the world premiere of their new movie Daybreakers, at TIFF’s Midnight Madness. Daybreakers tackles the vampire [...]
BRONSON (cue “Digital Versicolor” by Glass Candy) While non-Americans win very few of the top acting awards at the Oscars, we see it happen from time to time (Daniel Day-Lewis, Roberto Benigni, etc). As a result, I’d love to see Tom Hardy, the English actor who brilliantly portrays Michael Gordon Pederson in Bronson, be considered [...]
Lars Von Trier is never one to shy away from controversy. In 1998, Zentropa was the first mainstream film company to produce hardcore pornography. Guess who it belongs to? Despite that highly interesting fact, that’s the closest you’ll ever see Von Trier’s name associated with the word “mainstream,” because nothing this man creates can ever be [...]
District 9 Directed by Niel Blomkamp South Africa has been to hell and back during the past century. Famine, corruption, AIDS and the apartheid era have seriously hindered the country’s chances of becoming a serious player within the African continent. A few years ago, local director Neill Blomkamp produced a short film entitled Alive in [...]
The American: Visions of damnation
A look back at “Wings Of Desire”
Abre los ojos (Open Your Eyes)
8: The Mormon Proposition
This Movie is Broken
The Last Exorcism: A surprisingly invigorating horror film
A Look Back At Spielberg’s Masterpiece “Jaws”
Fausta: The Milk of Sorrow
MIFF2010: The Illusionist
Piranha 3d
The Switch
Afterschool
Rampage
Stonewall Uprising
Toronto After Dark 2010: Doghouse (Review #1)
The Expendables
Toronto After Dark 2010: Last Lovecraft (Review #1)
