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The Grand Budapest Hotel |
6/30/2014
2014 in Review: The Best So Far
6/29/2014
'The Camel Lady and Her Black Dog'
Tracks
(Australia, 110 min.)
Dir. John Curran, Writ. Marion Nelson
Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Adam Driver
What’s the deal with camels? Camels don’t figure into the
pictures much outside of advertisements for cigarettes or as icons of exotic places.
The animals with the humps rarely receive prime billing in the movies even
though they have an inherently cinematic quality to their peculiar frame. Tall,
but not as tall giraffes, camels don’t need a long shot to share the screen
with a fantastic actress. Their long, gangly frame also suits widescreen
perfectly as they stretch across the screen with a dynamic hump in the middle
that reaches for the sky. They seem like a cinematographer’s best friend! Also,
they spit.
Labels:
2014 Reviews,
Mia Wasikowska,
Tracks
6/28/2014
Losin' It, Ozon-Style
Young & Beautiful (Jeune & jolie)
(France, 95
min.)
Written and directed by François Ozon
Starring: Marine Vacht, Géraldine Pailhas, Frédéric Pierrot,
Fantin Ravat, Johan Leysen, Charlotte Rampling.
How funny is it that Young
& Beautiful is basically a feature film version of the song “Young and Beautiful”
that Lana Del Rey sings as the Daisy theme in Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby? Young & Beautiful, a
worthwhile, if mildly disappointing offering from director François Ozon after the spectacular In the House (which made this blog’s list of the BestFilms of 2013), and “Young and Beautiful” both tell of girls who’ve seen
the word, done it all, and had their cake now. They’ve enjoyed the world as
their stage on summer nights, but youth fades and both tales end by asking how
men view women when they’ve reached their golden years. By the time one is
Charlotte Rampling with grey hair and nothing but her aching soul, youth and
beauty don’t seem like hot commodities. The saucy Young
& Beautiful is a François Ozon film, though, so it’s inevitable that
the great Miss Rampling will reign over some hot young thing, but it’s
fascinating to watch the director play newcomer Marine Vacht like a child in
this unnerving tale of lost innocence.
Labels:
2014 Reviews,
Francois Ozon
6/27/2014
Contest: Win Tickets to see 'Begin Again' in Ottawa! (CONTEST CLOSED)
Any fans of Once
here on Cinemablographer? Yes? There’d
better be! Director John Carney made a true breakout with 2007’s acoustic love
balled Once and he’s finally back in
movie musical territory with the sweet ditty Begin Again. Begin Again opens in theatres July 11
from eOne Films, but if you want to win
tickets for an Ottawa sneak peek (along with some cool swag!), answer the trivia below to
enter!
Labels:
Begin Again,
contests,
Keira Knightley,
Once
6/26/2014
Changes for 2015 Canadian Screen Awards
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A still from Watermark ©Edward Burtynsky, courtesy Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto / Howard Greenberg & Bryce Wolkowitz, New York |
6/25/2014
Ottawa International Animation Festival Announces Short Animation and Series for Kids Competition
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"The Christmas Log" |
The selected films are as follows.
Labels:
Animation,
OIAF,
Ottawa Arts,
Shorts
6/24/2014
“I Wonder What Adam Shankman Could Have Done with That.”
Jersey Boys
(USA, 134 min.)
Dir. Clint Eastwood, Writ. Marshall Brickman & Rick
Elice
Starring: John Lloyd Young, Vincent Piazza, Michael Lomeda,
Erich Bergen, Christopher Walken.
Jersey Boys marks
the first—and hopefully only—time I have left a movie thinking, “Gee, I wonder
what Adam Shankman could have done with that.” Yes, even Mr. Hairspray might have been a far better
fit for this Broadway adaptation than the great Clint Eastwood. Jersey Boys sure looks and feels like a
Clint Eastwood movie, though, for it’s sombre, serious, and dark, yet the
chocolate-malt-and-jukebox-vibe of the material might simply be better suited
to the bubbly candyfloss direction of filmmaker who better understands the
energy of the genre. Jersey Boys is
possibly the most inert and lifeless musical ever put to screen.
Labels:
2014 Reviews,
Clint Eastwood,
Jersey Boys
6/23/2014
Great Representation, Poor Dramatization
Maïna
(Canada,
102 min.)
Dir. Michel
Poulette, Writ. Pierre Billon
Starring: Roseanne Supernault, Ipellie Ootoova, Uapshkuss
Thernish, Tantoo Cardinal, Graham Greene, Eric Schweig, Natar Ungalaaq.
When the Innu and Inuit first met, the first major
meeting of cultures on Canadian soil was a giant case of boy trouble. An
essential chapter of this nation’s history receives a rare telling in Maïna, a Best Picture nominee at the Canadian Screen Awards earlier this
year, and the result is a disappointing hybrid of soap opera romance and those Canadian heritage minutes
that used to play during the commercial breaks of Hockey Night in Canada. Maïna tells a story that predates the
arrival of European colonists, but the encounter between Aboriginal tribes
doesn’t receive the treatment it deserves. This well-intentioned film makes
admirable leaps in terms of representing Aboriginal customers, cultures, and practices,
yet it belittles its subject with its melodramatic treatment.
Labels:
2014 Reviews,
Canadian Film,
Maina
The Enlightened Screen: Carl Bessai
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Carl Bessai on the set of No Clue, an eOne Films release. |
Labels:
Canadian Film,
Carl Bessai,
CFI,
No Clue,
Ottawa Arts,
The Enlightened Screen
6/22/2014
'Reasons' Keeps it Real
All the Wrong Reasons
(Canada, 118 min.)
Written and directed by Gia Milani
Starring: Karine Vanasse, Cory Monteith, Emily Hampshire,
Kevin Zegers
Ah, the big box store. It’s the place where everything is
easy and accessible. Life is one-stop shopping with groceries, clothes, and
electronics only a few aisles away and all for low, low prices. If only life
could be so perfect!
Happy Birthday, Meryl Streep!
![]() |
Meryl Streep in One True Thing |
Best,
-Pat
Labels:
August Osage County,
Meryl Streep,
One True Thing
6/21/2014
Israeli Film Fest Review: 'The Wonders'
The Wonders
(Israel, 112 min.)
Dir. Avi Nesher, Writ. Avi Nesher, Shanaan Street
Starring: Ori Hizkiah, Yehuda Levi, Adir Miller, Yuval
Scharf
The 2014 Israeli Film Festival closes by taking audiences
down a strange and wonderful rabbit hole in Avi Nesher’s The Wonders. The Wonders,
not to be confused with Alice Rohrwacher’s Cannes film of the same name, is an
amusing oddity. What exactly Avi Nesher is up to in this film is a wonder itself.
The Wonders is an intriguing
noir/adventure/comedy with a splash of the strange and unusual (a few splashes
in the unusual department, actually) as a stoner-slacker named Ariel (Ori
Hizakiah) finds himself embroiled in a bizarre espionage game involving a shady
private investigator, a sultry femme, and a rabbi with supposedly wondrous
powers. Deciphering which of these four players is the greatest charlatan of
them all is half the fun, but Nesher might pull the biggest con of the lot with
his generic hodgepodge and smart misdirection.
Labels:
2014 Reviews,
CFI,
IFF
6/20/2014
Contest: Win Tickets to See 'Obvious Child' in Ottawa! (CONTEST CLOSED)
People raved after enjoying a Toronto sneak peek of ObviousChild earlier this week. Now Obvious
Child wants to warm the hearts (and butter) of Ottawa readers. Obvious Child opens in Ottawa this July, but a few lucky readers may win tickets to a sneak peek of this
summer’s breakout indie comedy starring Jenny Slate! Answer the trivia below
for your chance to win.
Labels:
contests,
Obvious Child
6/19/2014
'The Grand Seduction' and 'Enemy' Lead Directors Guild of Canada Awards Nominations
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Brendan Gleeson and Gordon Pinsent in The Grand Seduction, an eOne Films release |
The nominations for the feature film categories are:
Labels:
An Enemy,
awards,
Canadian Film,
Gabrielle,
Grand Seduction
Israeli Film Fest Review: 'A Place in Heaven'
A Place in Heaven
(Israel, 117 min.)
Written and directed by Yossi Madmony
Starring: Alon Aboutboul, Tom Graziani, Sophia Ostritsky,
Karen Beger, Rotem Zisman-Cohen
A soldier, hungry in the battlefield, might do something
drastic to save himself. Alternatively, a soldier looking for redemption might
do anything to be saved when his life is on the line. An odd transaction—mutually
beneficial it seems—happens almost anecdotally in Yossi Madmony’s sprawling A Place in Heaven as two soldiers strike
a quick bargain during a repose from battle. Their deal follows an odd precept of
Jewish law that permits a person to sell his or her place in heaven. The
afterlife should cost a great deal, but a soldier named Bambi (Alon Aboutboul),
the hero-of-the-moment after a risky mission, trades his soul for a plate of
eggs. The deal occurs quickly and hurriedly like two friends trading a stick of
gum for a cigarette. The nonchalant air with which Madmony dramatizes this
transaction doesn’t bode well for the egg hungry man.
Labels:
2014 Reviews,
CFI,
IFF,
Ottawa Arts
6/18/2014
Contest: Win 'All the Wrong Reasons' on DVD! (CONTEST CLOSED)
All
the Wrong Reasons had a bittersweet debut when it
premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year. The acclaimed
film scooped the 2013 Grolsch Film Works Discovery Prize for writer/director
Gia Milani, but as the film marked an introduction to a bold new filmmaker, it
also offered a sad farewell to a popular Canadian star, Cory Moneith. Monteith’s
fans will be pleased to see a different side of the Glee star in this fine ensemble film that features several of
Canada’s hottest talents including Karine Vanasse (Polytechnique), Emily Hampshire (My Awkward Sexual Adventure), and Kevin Zegers (The Colony). All the Wrong Reasons comes to home video June 23rd
from TVA Films and Pacific Northwest Pictures, but two lucky readers may take home a copy of the film on DVD.
Answer the trivia below for your chance to win!
Hobnobbing: The Movie
Supermensch: The
Legend of Shep Gordon
(USA, 84 min.)
Dir. Mike Myers, Beth Alla
Supermensch: The
Legend of Shep Gordon is basically Hobnobbing:
The Movie. That isn’t really a bad thing if one considers the smorgasbord
of celebrities that Mike Myers trucks out for this fun talking heads
documentary about Hollywood manager Shep Gordon. The amiable, laid-back
atmosphere Myers creates as the A-listers tell stories about the legendary mensch
is much like a group of friends reminiscing about good times at a party, trading
stories and finding links in order to build some kind of rapport. Rubbing
elbows and shaking hands is only a fraction of a manager’s job, but people need
to like you if you want to get ahead in the biz. And people clearly like Shep
Gordon. A lot.
Labels:
2014 Reviews,
Documentary
6/14/2014
'A Long Way Down' Falls with a Splat.
A Long Way Down
(UK/Germany, 96 min.)
Dir. Pascal Chaumeil, Writ. Jack Thorne
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Toni Collette, Aaron Paul, Imogen
Poots.
Nick Hornby’s novel A
Long Way Down is one of those irresistible books that can save your life.
The film adaptation by Pascal Chaumeil, however, is one of those dreadful films
that kill a good book. A great cast goes to waste in this staggeringly disappointing
misfire. A Long Way Down, the movie,
jumps from the ledge of greatness and falls with a splat into the abyss of
adaptation hell. It’s a long way down from its potential and the result ain’t
pretty.
6/13/2014
The Joy of Cooking
Chef
(USA, 114 min.)
Written and directed by Jon Favreau
Starring: Jon Favreau, John Leguizamo, Sofia Vergara, Bobby
Cannavale, Emjay Anthony, Scarlett Johansson, Dustin Hoffman, Oliver Platt,
Robert Downey Jr.
There is no pleasure in writing a terrible review. Sure, it’s
fun to trash empty derivative garbage once in a while, but even that feels like
an insufferable waste of time since one could spend those hours seeking out
valuable fare. A reviewer certainly finds some level of amusement crafting
clever witticisms to make the medicine go down with a spoonful of sugar, but drafting
a nasty review never feels as satisfying as crafting a glowing rave that
encourages a reader to run out and discover something as value. A level of
disappointment underlies harsh reviews, too, since one almost inevitably feels
let down when one sees a talented artist fail to deliver upon the standards of
which he or she is capable. Bad reviews leave a sour aftertaste for everyone.
Labels:
2014 Reviews,
Chef,
food on film,
Jon Favreau
6/11/2014
'Obvious Child' Takes Back the Rom Com in New Featurette
“Romantic comedies tend to write even the male character as a perfect, too good to be true kind of guy, and I don’t like that guy. I like
the guy who pees and farts,” says writer/director Gillian Robespierre while
describing the authenticity of her characters in a featurette the upcoming
comedy Obvious Child. Obvious Child takes back the rom com and
does away with silly brides, candyfloss, and Katherine Heigl. No relationship
is perfect, so this unconventionally sweet film takes the rom com for a loop by
asking if the perfect baby daddy—and maybe even Mr. Right—is actually that
everyday guy who pees and farts on a date.
Labels:
Obvious Child
Spectacular Ensemble in Tale of Faith and Fate
Miraculum
(Canada, 110 min.)
Dir. Daniel Grou, Writ. Gabriel Sabourin
Starring: Xavier Dolan, Marilyn Castonguay, Robin Aubert,
Anne Dorval, Louise Turcot, Julien Poulin, Jean-Nicolas Verreault, Gabriel
Sabourin, Gilbert Sicotte.
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Xavier Dolan and Marilyn Castonguay in Miraculum. Photo: Les Films Séville. |
A flurry of excitement is boosting Canadian film ever since Mommy premiered at Cannes in May, so
eager beavers will undoubtedly want to see Miraculum, which is this year’s other major
Canadian film starring the hot director/star team of Mommy, Xavier Dolan and Anne Dorval. Dolan and Dorval share not a
single frame of the film, but they both give exceptionally strong performances
within the solid cast of Québécois actors who fill the roles of this
intricately plotted drama. Miraculum
sees Dolan and Dorval within two separate time-lines in this multi-narrative
kaleidoscope that sees fates intersect with one devastating plane crash. It’s
an elaborate drama in the vein of Crash
and 21 Grams, and the powerhouse
performances are reason alone to see this thoughtful film.
Labels:
2014 Reviews,
Anne Dorval,
Canadian Film,
Marilyn Castonguay,
Miraculum,
Podz,
Xavier Dolan
Ottawa Film Exclusive: 'A Good Madness: The Dance of Rachel Browne'
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Rachel Browne, 1992. Photo Credit: Randal Newman |
Labels:
Canadian Film,
Documentary,
Ottawa Arts
6/10/2014
Israeli Film Fest Review: 'Farewell, Herr Schwarz'
Farewell, Herr
Schwarz
(Israel/Germany, 96 min.)
Written and directed by Yael Reuveny
Writer/director Yael Reuveny scores a winner with her
remarkable feature debut Farewell, Herr
Schwarz. This powerful documentary, which screens Thursday as part of the Canadian
Film Institute’s ongoing Israeli Film Festival, is a moving exploration of
family history. Reuveny’s approach is beautifully intimate and delicate in its
simplicity. Farewell, Herr Schwarz is
a deeply personal film—almost uncomfortably so in its emotional frankness—yet
the candor and vulnerability of the filmmaker fuels one’s desire to learn more.
Labels:
2014 Reviews,
CFI,
Documentary,
IFF
Start Your Planning, TIFFgoers: Dates and Ticket Packages for #TIFF14!
The Festival is just 85 days away! The Toronto International
Film Festival released the dates and ticket packages today, so TIFFgoers can
start their planning! Choosing the right ticket package for the optimal
festival experience can be daunting, but there’s enough choice and variety that
festivalgoers can expect to be satisfied with their screenings regardless of
the package they choose.
6/08/2014
The 'Doctor' Disappoints
The German Doctor
(Wakolda)
(Argentina/Spain, 93 min.)
Written and directed by Lucía Puenzo
Starring: Àlex Brendemühl, Natalia Oreiro, Diego Peretti,
Elena Roger, Florencia Bado.
The German Doctor
lives and dies by its status of being inspiring by true events. This might seem
like an unfair diagnosis for the film, which repped Argentina in the most
recent Oscar race for Best Foreign Language Film, but much of the power,
horror, resonance, and disappointment one feels while watching The German Doctor almost inevitably
pertain to the true events that intersect with the narrative. The German Doctor is a frequently
satisfying and occasionally chilling tale of Nazi hunting, but the title cards
that end the film and fill in the gaps are almost fatal punctuation marks for
how much further writer/direct Lucía Puenzo (XXY) could have taken this intriguing story.
Labels:
2014 Reviews,
Best Foreign Lang Film
6/07/2014
Israeli Film Fest Review: 'Hunting Elephants'
Hunting Elephants
(Israel/USA, 107 min.)
Dir. Reshef Levi, Writ. Reshef Levi, Regev Levi
Starring: Sasson Gagai, Moni Moshonov,
Patrick Stewart, Gil Blank, Yaël Abecassis.
They say an elephant never forgets, but the reputation of
the elderly flows in the opposite direction. Memory is a funny thing. The three
old cards in Hunting Elephants, which
opens the Canadian Film Institute’s 11th annual Israeli Film
Festival on June 8th, have more wrinkles than most elephants do, but
they haven’t forgotten how to put on a good show. This fun, light-hearted crime
comedy is a geriatric caper in the vein of RED,
but like the machine gun toting’ Helen Mirren pic, Hunting Elephants sees some grey-haired grifters with a few tricks
stashed away in their trunks, so this consistently delightful film should
please viewers young and old.
Labels:
2014 Reviews,
CFI,
IFF,
Ottawa Arts
'Live, Die, Repeat': Star Performers and the Accidental Metaphor
Edge of Tomorrow
(USA/Australia, 113 min.)
Dir. Doug Liman, Writ. Christopher McQuarrie and Jez
Butterworth & John Henry Butterworth
Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Brendan Gleeson, Bill
Paxton.
“Live, die, repeat,” is the tagline for Edge of Tomorrow, but it just as easily serves as a motto for a
star operating under the Hollywood system. An inevitable machine of sameness,
for better or for worse, allows actors to find a niche, build an audience, and
rise to the top. Tom Cruise is one such star who has competently navigated
Hollywood star economies to assert himself as a bona fide action star. From Top Gun to Days of Thunder and a few heroic dramas in between, the 1980s and
1990s easily establish a base that positions Cruise as an all-time star.
Hollywood formulas, however, die by the virtue of their sameness just as easily
as they succeed by them.
Labels:
2014 Reviews,
Edge of Tomorrow,
Emily Blunt,
Tom Cruise
6/06/2014
Contest: Win Tickets to see 'Obvious Child' in Toronto! (CONTEST CLOSED)
Every summer needs a breakout indie comedy and this year’s
bun in the summer oven looks like Obvious Child. Obvious Child, a hit at
this year’s Sundance Film Festival, stars “Saturday Night Live” and “Parks and
Recreation” comedienne Jenny Slate in a star-making performance of
self-discovery. The film opens in Toronto June 20th, but a few lucky
readers may win tickets to a sneak peek (with Jenny Slate in attendance)! You
won’t have to murder-suicide anyone, but you will have to answer some trivia.
Labels:
contests,
Obvious Child
'Enemy', 'Orphan Black' Top Canadian Cinema Editors Awards
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Melanie Laurent stars in Enemy |
The winners are:
Labels:
An Enemy,
awards,
Canadian Film
6/05/2014
Israeli Film Festival Screens in Ottawa June 8 - 22
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Patrick Stewart stars in the Israeli Film Festival opener Hunting Elephants. |
Labels:
CFI,
IFF,
Ottawa Arts
'The Animal Project' Opens June 6!
![]() |
The Lion (Aaron Poole) and the Beaver (Joey Klein) in The Animal Project. Photo by John Gundy. Courtesy of Mongrel Media. |
Labels:
Animal Project,
Canadian Film
6/04/2014
New Trailer for 'The Giver' Delivers Epic Streep in Black and White
I finished reading Lois Lowry's The Giver on the weekend and I was struck with two thoughts
regarding the upcoming adaptation: 1) The film indeed needs to be in black and
white and 2) The Giver needs more
Streep. A new trailer for The Giver
was released today and it seems that The Weinstein Company agrees.
Labels:
Adaptation,
Meryl Streep,
The Giver
It's not a Total Disaster
Pompeii
(Canada/Germany, 105 min.)
Dir. Paul W.S. Anderson, Writ. Janet Scott Batchler &
Lee Batchler and Michael Robert Johnson
Starring: Kit Harington, Emily Browning, Carrie-Anne Moss, Adewale
Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jessica Lucas, Jared Harris, Kiefer Sutherland.
Pompeii might
actually be the only film that improves the more it enters Roland Emmerich
territory. There’s a compliment in there somewhere.
Labels:
Canadian Film,
Capsule reviews,
Pompeii
6/03/2014
Xavier Dolan's 'Mommy' Gets Oscar-Friendly Release Date
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Mommy director Xavier Dolan. Photo credit: Shayne Laverdière. |
Labels:
Best Foreign Lang Film,
Canadian Film,
Mommy,
Oscars,
Xavier Dolan
'The F Word' Trailer
Labels:
Canadian Film,
F Word
6/02/2014
Canadian Film Review Signs Off
![]() |
The Sweet Hereafter |
This decision comes at a high point for the Canadian Film Review. After developing a successful publication, TV show and web series, the CFR has not only accomplished what it set out to do, but it shattered myths that these types of things could not be done. We are extremely popular with Canadian audiences. I am so incredibly proud of what my team and I have accomplished. We have proven that Canadians love Canadian content and there is an audience out there for it. This is groundbreaking in the eyes of the entertainment industry but it isn’t enough.
(The post makes some necessary observations on the state of Canadian film and is worth reading in full here.)
Labels:
Canadian Film
CFI Presents the Ecuador Film Series in Ottawa June 5-7
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In the Name of the Girl |
The programme for the Ecuador
Film Series is as follows:
Labels:
CFI,
LAFF,
Ottawa Arts
6/01/2014
Jolie Reigns as Maleficent
Maleficent
(USA, 97 min.)
Dir. Writ. Linda Woolverton
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning,
Sharlto Copley, Sam Riley, Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple,
Brenton Thwaites.
Angelina Jolie retains her title as the reigning Queen of
Badassdom with Maleficent. The Oscar
winning bad-girl-turned-Supermommy assembles many of the facets of star
persona, plus some extravagantly accentuated cheekbones, and delivers a
deliciously malevolent Maleficent who is both hero and villain alike. The film
somewhat disappoints overall, but Jolie’s inspired incarnation on the beloved Disney
baddie ensures that Maleficent at
least lives up to some of the expectations.
Labels:
2014 Reviews,
Angelina Jolie,
Maleficent
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