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Patricia Clarkson and Scott Speedman star in Ruba Nadda's October Gale. |
8/29/2014
CdnFilm at TIFF: New Clips from 'October Gale' and 'Wet Bum'
Labels:
Canadian Film,
October Gale,
Patricia Clarkson,
TIFF,
TIFF 14,
Wet Bum
8/28/2014
Opposites Attract?
Lawrence &
Holloman
(Canada, 89 min.)
Dir. Matthew Kowalchuk, Writ. Daniel Arnold, Matthew
Kowalchuk
Starring: Ben Cotton, Daniel Arnold,
Katherine Isabelle, Amy Matysio, Christine Willes.
They say opposites attract. One couldn’t find a bigger pair
of opposites than in Lawrence and Holloman, the frenemies of the anti-buddy
comedy that bears their names. Lawrence and Holloman are polar opposites in just
about every way. There’s no attraction between the two, though. They’re more like
magnets in reverse: the tension becomes stronger the closer they come together.
Labels:
2014 Reviews,
Canadian Film
8/27/2014
Watch: Trailers for the Canadian Features at TIFF '14
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Monsoon, one of the Canada features at TIFF. Photo courtesy of TIFF. |
Labels:
Canadian Film,
TIFF 14
8/26/2014
What's the Deal with 'Frankie & Alice'?
Frankie & Alice
(Canada, 100 min.)
Dir. Geoffrey Sax, Writ. Cheryl Edwards, Marko King, Mary
King, Jonathan Watters, Jo Shrapnel, Anna Waterhouse.
Starring: Halle Berry, Stellan
Skarsgard, Phylicia Rashad, Chandra Wilson.
What’s the deal with Frankie & Alice? This Canadian drama
carries a well-deserved Golden Globe nomination for Halle Berry that it received when Frankie & Alice had a qualifying run in the awards race of
2010. Audiences may now see the merit in Berry’s nomination now that Frankie & Alice has a home video
release, but it’s weird to watch the film and wonder what exactly made it
linger on the shelf for four years when it obviously had a sliver of support.
Berry gives a searing performance in her turn as Frankie Murdoch, a woman who
suffers from multiple personality, so it’s an absolute shame that distributors
threw Frankie & Alice under the
bus.
Labels:
Canadian Film,
Capsule reviews,
Halle Berry
8/24/2014
Uvanga: Myself
Uvanga
(Canada, 88
min.)
Dir.
Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Madeline Ivalu, Writ. Marie-Hélène Cousineau
Starring: Marianne Farley, Lukasi Forrest, Travis Kunnuk,
Paka Innuksuk, Madeline Ivalu, Peter-Henry Arnatsiaq, Carol Kunnuk .
Take a trip to Igloolik, Nunavut, in the striking melodrama Uvanga. Uvanga, directed by Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Madeline Ivalu, two
members of the Arnait Video Collective and the winners of the Best Canadian
First Feature Film award at the2008 Toronto International Film Festival for Before Tomorrow, takes an age-old story
of a return to one’s roots to reclaim what is missing. The story could
literally take place anywhere, but Uvanga,
shot entirely in Nunavut during the season of twenty-four hour sunlight, feels
both universal and specific.
Labels:
2014 Reviews,
Canadian Film
8/22/2014
The Pimp and the Protégé
Fading Gigolo
(USA, 90 min.)
Written and directed by John Turturro
Starring: John Turturro, Woody Allen, Vanessa Paradis,
Sharon Stone, Sofia Vergara, Liev Schreiber
John Turturro makes a decent stab at making a Woody Allen
movie with his latest picture, Fading
Gigolo. Fading Gigolo is an
enjoyably unconventional take on the oldest profession. Woody Allen has always
fancied himself a man with the ladies, casting himself in progressively wider
May-December romances with everyone from Helen Hunt to Scarlett Johansson, but Fading Gigolo fashions the Woodman in an
age-appropriate role as the seasoned neurotic pimping his friend (Turturro) out
to a pair of bombshell New Yorkers played by Sharon Stone and Sofia Vergara.
Any Allen fan will undoubtedly appreciate Woody’s turn on the screen. He
appears in front of the camera less and less these days, and a role this fun is
worth the curiosity alone.
Labels:
Capsule reviews,
Woody Allen
8/20/2014
Ottawa Int'l Animation Festival Celebrates Disney at OIAF 2014
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Disney's Feast. |
Labels:
Animation,
Disney,
OIAF,
Ottawa Arts
8/19/2014
TIFF Completes Massive Line-up with Mavericks and More Titles, plus a Guest List and Official Schedule.
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Juliette Binoche (Clouds of Sils Maria) gets a Mavericks talk! Photo courtesy of TIFF. |
8/18/2014
Contest: Win Tickets to see 'The Captive' in Toronto!
Acclaimed Canadian director Atom Egoyan returns with The Captive, which features an all-star
cast of Ryan Reynolds, Scott Speedman, Rosario Dawson, Mireille Enos, Kevin
Durand, Alexia Fast, Arsinée Khanjian, and Bruce Greenwood. The Captive opens in
theatres September 5 from eOne Films, but if you want tickets to a Toronto
sneak peek with Atom Egoyan in attendance, then you are in luck! Answer the trivia below to be entered to win!
Labels:
Atom Egoyan,
Canadian Film,
contests,
The Captive
Canada, TIFF, and the Oscar Race: Can Anything Top 'Mommy'?
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Mommy. Photo courtesy of TIFF. |
The annual question arises now that the Toronto
International Film Festival has announced its Canadian line-up: What film will
be Canada’s Oscar pick? That question, however, seems awfully redundant as we
approach the best launching pad for Canadian films and Oscar hopefuls alike on
the fall festival circuit. The real question for Canadian film fans and Oscar junkies
circa TIFF 2014 is really, “Can anything top Mommy?”
8/17/2014
'Thank you for your childhood.'
The Giver
(USA, 90 min.)
Dir. Phillip Noyce, Writ. Michael Mitnick and Robert B.
Weide
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Brenton Thwaites,
Alexander Skarsgard, Katie Holmes, Odeya Rush, Cameron Monaghan, Taylor Swift.
Dystopian flicks are all the rage for the teen crowd
nowadays. This business of art sees something viable in the franchises of
futuristic young adult novels that offer readily cinematic adventures, so the
rationale behind the recent surge of sameness becomes apparent no sooner than
one can utter the word “Katniss.” Katniss has a predecessor, though, and his
name is Jonas. Crowds of complacent cogs
of YA dystopia chant his name in Lois Lowry’s 1994 Newberry Medal winning novel
The Giver and the success of Lowry’s
novel exceeds all of the successors that follow in its wake—if not commercially
then at least critically. It’s therefore only fitting for the novel that
started the trend to receive its own big screen adaptation.
Labels:
2014 Reviews,
Adaptation,
Jeff Bridges,
Meryl Streep,
The Giver
8/14/2014
'Lucy' is a Brain Fart
Lucy
(France, 89 min.)
Written and directed by Luc Besson
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Choi Min-sik,
Amr Waked.
Scientists say that humans use only ten percent of the
brain's cerebral capacity. Science fiction writers, on the other hand, wonder
what happens when humans maximize their intellectual potential. The result is a
freak show that could never happen in real life. Be thankful for that.
Labels:
Capsule reviews,
Scarlett Johansson
8/13/2014
Contest: Win Tickets to see 'Swearnet' in Toronto!
Bust out some quarters for
the swear jar! The Trailer Park Boys are back in Swearnet and they’re bringing 76 “shits,” 79 “cocks,” 935 “fucks,”
and more R-rated shenanigans than you can count! (Especially if you’re from the
park!) Swearnet opens in theatres
August 29th from eOne Films, but if you can’t fuckin’ wait to see
it, then ‘yer in luck! Answer the trivia below to win tickets to a Toronto
sneak peek in Toronto with the Trailer Park Boys in attendance!
Labels:
Canadian Film,
contests,
Trailer Park Boys
8/12/2014
TIFF Unveils International Spectrum with More Galas, Special Presentions, Shorts, and World Cinema
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Jennifer Connelly in Shelter. Photo courtesy of TIFF. |
8/11/2014
Earmuffs, Children!
Sunflower Hour
(Canada, 90 min.)
Written and directed by Aaron Houston
Starring: Amitai Marmorstein, Kacey Rohl, Patrick Gilmour, Ben
Cotton, Peter New (Donald Dirk), Johannah Newmarck.
If some lucky film buff discovered a crude puppet film made
by Christopher Guest in the 1980s, it might look a lot like Sunflower Hour. Sunflower Hour, a 2011(ish) micro-budget mockumentary by director
Aaron Houston, certainly owes a tip of the hat to Guest's backstage opus Waiting for Guffman and its funny play
on the true/fictional farce of amateur performing artists. Sunflower Hour is raucous entertainment as the mockumentary follows
four aspiring contestants in a talent contest for a hit children's show called “The
Sunflower Hour.” Sunflower Hour
features all sorts of cuddly puppets, but the plush playthings are anything but
child-friendly. This R-rated comedy is definitely for the eighteen-and-over
crowd.
Labels:
2014 Reviews,
Canadian Film
8/10/2014
'Moonlight' is Fun in the Sun
Magic in the
Moonlight
(USA, 98 min.)
Written and directed by Woody Allen
Starring: Eileen Atkins, Colin Firth, Marcia Gay Harden, Hamish
Linklater, Simon McBurney, Emma Stone, Jacki Weaver.
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Colin Firth as Stanley and Emma Stone as Sophie. Photo by Jack English © 2014 Gravier Productions, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics |
Woody’s parabolic filmography continues
with the enjoyable, if slight, Magic in
the Moonlight. Magic in the Moonlight,
Woody Allen’s 44th film as a director, is a fun bit of summer escapism
and has all the magic for which one comes to love Allen’s films, but even a
die-hard Allen fan must realize this film as an admittedly lesser entry in a
very strong career. Second-rate Allen is still better than most, though, and Magic in the Moonlight mostly suffers only
because it comes out in the midst of one of Allen’s hottest comebacks following
the one-two punch of five-star gems like 2011’s Midnight in Paris and 2013’s Blue Jasmine, which rank among the best films he’s ever made. Magic in the Moonlight is a step above
2012’s pleasant summer diversion To Rome with Love, though, which came sandwiched between the aforementioned pair of
Oscar winners, so this dip down in Allen’s oeuvre leaves one anticipating the
winner he’ll crank out next year.
I Love 'The F Word'!
The F Word
(Canada, 97 min.)
Dir. Michael Dowse, Writ. Elan Mastai
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe
Kazan, Megan Park, Adam Driver, Mackenzie Davis, Rafe Spall.
Okay, I’m just going to come out and say it: I love The F Word! It’s literally been years
since anyone delivered a romantic comedy that feels so refreshingly authentic
and true, and I just can’t help but fall head over heels for this charming,
warm, and infectiously feel-good-funny film. This Toronto-shot (and
Toronto-set!) rom-com hits all the right notes as Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan
give a pair of winning performances as two star-crossed friends who might
ultimately be the perfect match. The F
Word might be the best romantic comedy this country has ever produced.
Labels:
2014 Reviews,
5 Stars,
Canadian Film,
Daniel Radcliffe,
F Word,
What If,
Zoe Kazan
8/09/2014
CDFF Hosts Outdoor Screening of 'Night of the Living Dead'!
Here come the
ghouls! Cellar Door Film Festival wants Ottawa
filmgoers to be on high alert! Westboro will be crawling with zombies when CDFF
hosts an outdoor screening of George A. Romero’s horror classic Night of the Living Dead in Lion’s Park
on August 15th. The event is just a short zombiewalk away from Westboro Station,
so please come see the film that started the whole craze of the walking dead!
And make sure to come early: there’ll be zombie trivia and door prizes, so make
sure to bring your braaaaaaains!
Labels:
Cellar Door,
Ottawa Arts
8/07/2014
The Origin Story of All Origins Stories
I Origins
(USA, 107 min.)
Written and directed by Mike Cahill
Starring: Michael Pitt, Brit Marling, Astrid Bergèse-Frisbey,
Steven Yeun, Archie Panjabi.
There are so many origin stories at the movies these days.
New Batman, new Superman, and new Spiderman (again) litter the screens.
It's only natural, then, for a new film to look to the origin of all origins.
The root of the matter, however, differs greatly whether one relies on science
or faith to explain the full story. Writer/director Mike Cahill confronts the
science/faith debate directly in his metaphysical drama, I Origins. The film delivers upon the considerable promise hinted
at in Cahill's debut Another Earth,
and it asks provocative questions with inquisitive indie flair.
Labels:
2014 Reviews,
I Origins
8/06/2014
TIFF Showcases New Talent with Canadian Line-up
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Wet Bum. Photo courtesy of TIFF. |
Labels:
Canadian Film,
Documentary,
Shorts,
TIFF,
TIFF 14
8/05/2014
They Grow Up So Fast
Boyhood
(USA, 165 min.)
Written and directed by Richard Linklater
Starring: Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke,
Lorelei Linklater
![]() |
Patricia Arquette (Olivia) and Ellar Coltrane (Mason) in Boyhood. Photo Credit: Matt Lankes. Courtesy of IFC Films. |
It's so weird to hear “Soulja Boy” serve as a time stamp in
a period piece. “2008 as a time piece? That can't be right,” one might respond.
Richard Linklater's contemporary time capsule Boyhood, however, remains acutely aware of time with each second of
the story that passes. The soundtrack itself is like a watch marking intervals
of time with greatest his as Mason (Ellar Coltrane) grows up from being a
little kid riding his bike to the tune of Sheryl Crowe's “Soak Up the Sun” to a
school age boy learning to be cool to the grove of “Soulja Boy.” When the
Arcade Fire's The Suburbs marks time,
however, then one really feels old as Mason readies himself for college. They
grow up so fast, don't they?
Labels:
2014 Reviews,
Boyhood,
Ethan Hawke,
Patricia Arquette,
Richard Linklater
8/04/2014
Contest: Win a DVD of 'Cas & Dylan' Starring Tatiana Maslany and Richard Dreyfuss!
Hey, Orphan Black fans,
do you want to see another side of the talented Tatiana Maslany? Maslany scores
another winner with her vibrant performance as Dylan alongside Oscar-winner
Richard Dreyfuss in Cas & Dylan. Cas & Dylan, the directorial
narrative feature debut of Jason Priestley, comes to home video August 12 from
TVA Films and Pacific Northwest Pictures. If you want a chance to check out more
of Maslany’s dynamic work, you are in luck! Answer the trivia below for your
chance to win a copy of Cas & Dylan
on DVD!
Labels:
Canadian Film,
Cas and Dylan,
contests,
Tatiana Maslany
8/01/2014
Birds of a Feather Laugh Together
The Birder
(Canada, 85 min.)
Dir. Ted Bezaire, Writ. Ted Bezaire, Michael Stasko
Starring: Tom Cavanagh, Mark Rendall, Jamie Spilchuck ,
Tommie-Amber Pirie, Cassidy Renee, Graham Greene, Fred Willard.
This bizarre phenomenon occurs at my cottage whenever any member
of my family goes kayaking. No matter the day and no matter their skills with
the paddle, my relatives become expert birders the second they kayak around the
nice cottage area on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River. Keohanes paddle about
identifying ducks, osprey, pomerants, and loons with the naked eye. (They’re
all loons, if you ask me.) Perhaps it’s the wilderness or the unpolluted air,
but birds bring out a wholesome childlike enthusiasm in even the sternest of
paddlers. They can watch them for hours! And when a family of American bald eagles
moved in the Bay, well, the shit, as they say, most definitely hit the fan.
Labels:
2014 Reviews,
Canadian Film
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