—————— The American Directed by Anton Corbijn Action fans and George Clooney enthusiasts might well be ill-prepared for The American, which, despite its marketing as a slam-bang thriller, is actually closer in spirit to Euro arthouse fare, and features Clooney in full-on “emptied out” mode. (It’s best described as a brooding drama slightly peppered with [...]
“Intelligent, audacious and complex filmmaking…” Open Your Eyes Directed by Alejandro Amenábar The 1998 Sundance Film Fest hit Open Your Eyes announced Alejandro Amenábar as one of the top directors working today. His sophomore feature is a labyrinth, thick in mystery, with intricate plot twists and a riddle that will keep you guessing to the [...]
8: The Mormon Proposition Dir. Reed Cowan, Steven Greenstreet If you are the type of person who watches documentaries like 8: The Mormon Proposition, then it is likely that you already have an opinion on the subject of homosexuality, Mormonism, and California’s Proposition 8. In this case, you are in good company: it is clear [...]
“Worth recommending to fans of music, whether or not you are familiar with the workings of Broken Social Scene…” This Movie Is Broken Directed by Bruce McDonald Whether or not Bruce McDonald’s experiments in filmmaking are always successful, his passion and continued desire to push the limits of the medium in both form and content [...]
“If you’re in the mood for some mindless genre affection, for a film whose plot trajectory can be summarized to: revision scene, ‘legend’ episode, characterization sequence and blistering blitzkreig, then Hatchet 2 comes warmly recommended.” Hatchet 2 Directed by Adam Green World Premiere A suitably gloomy, rainswept August pallor ushered in London’s Frightfest film festival yesterday [...]
“The gothic horror genre has been fairly maligned in cinemas lately – shoddy stories and appeals to the lowest common denominator are largely to blame. Thankfully, Heartless is the movie to buck the trend.” Heartless Dir. Philip Ridley (2009, UK, 114 mins.) Heartless is an uncommon film from an uncommon director. Philip Ridley is, among [...]
“A surprisingly invigorating horror film.” The Last Exorcism Directed by Daniel Stamm Thanks to its wicked humor and unexpected smarts, The Last Exorcism sets itself apart from many recent attempts at faux-documentaries. In the film, documentary filmmakers follow a disillusioned preacher who hopes to expose the danger exorcism poses in the modern age. He attempts [...]
“Outrageous, and hysterical, All About Evil is as much an ode to no-budget indie horror as it is a celebration of independent movie theatres; surely, a veteran horror fan can ask for nothing more.” Dir. Joshua Grannell (2010, USA, 98 mins.) Freaks everywhere, rejoice. Director Joshua Grannell, better known as cult film champion and trend-setting [...]
“A charming film that will appeal to those with patience or tender souls…” Fausta: La Teta Asustada / The Milk of Sorrow Director: Claudia Llosa Fausta is a young woman afflicted with a rare disease. The milk of Sorrow, passed on to her through her mother’s breast milk, affects the children born to women tortured [...]
“Rubber is this century’s Attack of the Killer Tomatoes…” Rubber Directed by Quentin Dupieux Director/writer Quentin Dupieux’s horror-comedy Rubber opens with the narrator asking the questions that have long baffled humanity: “Why is ET brown? In the movie JFK, why does that president get assassinated? And why do some people like sausages and other people [...]
“An exquisitely rendered, charmingly wordless lament of a changing world.” The Illusionist Directed by Sylvain Chomet The Illusionist arrives with a spot of controversy up its sleeve. The fact of its being based upon an unproduced Jacques Tati script is more widely known than the alleged truth of its initial inspiration, which, according to Tati’s [...]
“Horror fans finally have a remake worthy of the original…” I Spit on Your Grave Dir. Steven R. Monroe (2010, USA, 107 mins.) Though the horror remake is fairly ubiquitous at today’s cinema, and though most horror remakes have been terrible, fans of Meir Zarchi’s 1978 controversial film can breath a sigh of relief. Director [...]
Rubber Dir. Quentin Dupieux (2010, France, 85 mins.) Quentin Dupieux has brought us one of the year’s most interesting, intelligent, and worthwhile films. To say that Rubber is about a sentient, psychokinetic, murderous tire would be accurate, but would also miss the point. This film defies easy explanation and does not fit neatly into any [...]
Fehérlófia Directed by Marcell Jankovics Despite having an Oscar nomination and a short film Palm D’Or to his name, it is rare to hear the name Marcell Jankovics outside of hardcore animation circles (although I understand he is well loved in his home country of Hungary). None of his work is as criminally underrated as [...]
“Brash, numbing, shocking and laugh-out-loud hilarious…” Piranha 3d Directed by Alexander Aja There is nothing particularly funny or poetic about the carnage in Piranha 3D. Even “disturbing” seems a bit too strong a word to describe the excessive, but still somehow palatably cartoonish bloodshed on display – can a film about pre-historic. bloodthirsty piranha really [...]
The American: Visions of damnation
A look back at “Wings Of Desire”Abre los ojos (Open Your Eyes)8: The Mormon PropositionThis Movie is BrokenThe Last Exorcism: A surprisingly invigorating horror film
A Look Back At Spielberg’s Masterpiece “Jaws”Fausta: The Milk of SorrowMIFF2010: The IllusionistPiranha 3d
The Switch
Afterschool
Rampage
Stonewall Uprising
Toronto After Dark 2010: Doghouse (Review #1)
The Expendables
Toronto After Dark 2010: Last Lovecraft (Review #1)
