50- District 9 (2009) Directed by Neill Blomkamp Genre: Sci-fi District 9 is an allegory for our time, bursting with contemporary themes such as oppression, greed, power and propaganda and while the metaphor itself is pretty clear, Blomkamp goes for the visceral quality of the images and situations proving that sci-fi thrillers don’t have to [...]
5. The Crying Game This Fantastic 1992 thriller was written and directed by Neil Jordan. The film is a gripping character piece that explores themes of race, gender and sexuality. It tells the story of the inevitable fallout after a British soldier is accidentally killed while being held captive by the IRA. The plot twists [...]
10- Bronson (2008) Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn Genre: Bio-pic, Prison film, Drama, Audacious and cutting-edge cinema that is high in energy, often-funny, violent, very smart, dark, intelligent and disturbing. There have been many films about the prison experience, but Nicolas Winding Refn’s mannered biopic is the first to examine its incarcerated subject not as [...]
70- Love Exposure (2008) Directed by Shion Sono Genre: Comedy, Romance Over its four-hour running time, Love Exposure unfolds an extremely bizarre odyssey revolving around an unusual love triangle, advanced techniques in upskirt photography, Japanese Catholicism, perversion, guilt and obsession amongst another dozen or so motifs. Masterfully directed by Sion Sono (Suicide Club, Hair Extensions), [...]
100- Morvern Callar (2003) Directed by Lynne Ramsay Genre: Drama On Christmas Day, Morvern finds her boyfriend dead and a note on a computer telling her to be brave and to sell his novel. She does, but only after pocketing the funeral money and claiming the book’s authorship. Morvern Callar is assured and confidently-made while [...]
90- Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) Directed by Mike Leigh Genre: Comedy / Drama In a shift away from his usual exploration of the dark and dreary, director Mike Leigh takes a lighter look at life with Happy-Go-Lucky. Sally Hawkins is a comic revelation as the lead character Poppy, delivering a nervy, utterly captivating tour de force performance. [...]
110- Headless Women (2009) Directed by Lucrecia Martel Genre: Thriller This masterly, disturbing and deeply mysterious film is an astounding portrait of a person entirely out of sync with her own existence. Headless Woman doesn’t fit neatly into a clear storyline, and will frustrate most viewers, but after just three features Lucrecia Martel has firmly [...]
20- Alien 3 (1992) Directed by David Fincher After Ridley Scott’s atmospheric Alien and James Cameron action thriller Aliens, anticipation was high for the third instalment of the franchise and so it is no surprise that fans and critics were disappointed at the time. But given the studio interference and several rewrites from nine screenplay [...]
120- The Cove (2009) Directed by Louie Psihoyos Genre: Documentary Winner of the best documentary at this years Academy Awards, The Cove is an astounding piece of investigative journalism that plays out like a heist movie. It is overwhelming, compelling and will set your heart racing, while never overshadowing its message. Documentaries don’t get more [...]
134- Birth (2004) Directed by Jonathan Glazer Genre: Drama A stylistically bold movie that combines the surrealist work of Luis Buñuel while evoking the austere technical mastery of Stanley Kubrick, Birth is visually dazzling, always unpredictable and features lingering performances by Nicole Kidman and 11-year-old Canadian actor Cameron Bright. Coupled with an intriguing premise about [...]
5. Brokeback Mountain vs. Crash (2005) A strong character has the privileged opportunity to reveal who we are, and sometimes whom we want to be, delivering a message linked to the consequences attached between the two. Ang Lee’s tender love story between two homosexual ranchers in the American Midwest effectively demonstrated this harrowing reality. It [...]
150- The Birthday (2004) Directed by Eugenio Mira Genre: Horror, Dark Comedy A young man attends his girlfriend’s father’s birthday party held at a luxury hotel. Just as they arrive, weird things start to happen and guests and hosts alike become exceptionally aggressive. Shot in real time (a la Hitchcock’s Rope), The Birthday begins as [...]
Wu-tang, originating from Staten Island, NY, aka Shaolin, burst onto the scene in the early 90’s. Ever since, the group has had a significant impact on a wide range of artistic mediums, including film. Whether it’s RZA spinning a slick, unique bass line to complement a flick, or Method Man lighting up an L and [...]
5. Sara Polley – Away From Her (2006)– The first word that comes to my mind in regards to this film is serene. Polley is so successful in her capitalization of that feeling in fueling her narrative. The void, rural landscape of Northern Ontario mimic the inner turmoil of the protagonists in this film, fusing the [...]
#10- Werewolves On Wheels (1971) Directed by Michael Levesque Werewolves on Wheels was produced by Paul Lewis, a frequent collaborator with Dennis Hopper who had only two years before directed the quintessential biker road movie Easy Rider. Werewolves is the directorial debut of Michel Levesque, who would go on to work as Art Director on [...]
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)
