8/26/2016
Contest: Win 'A Perfect Day' on DVD!
An all star cast featuring Academy Award winners Tim Robbins
and Benicio Del Toro teams up for the rugged dramedy A Perfect Day. A Perfect Day comes
to home video on Tuesday, August 30 from Pacific Northwest Pictures, and Cinemablographer has DVDs of the film to
give away. Answer the trivia below for your chance to win a DVD of A Perfect Day!
Labels:
contests
Whiskey-Soaked Noir
Manhattan Night
The streets are dark and the women are deadly. Back in the day, a guy knew when he was a mark and he knew who was makin' him.
(USA, 113 min.)
Written and directed by Brian DeCubellis
Starring: Adrien Brody, Yvonne Strahovski, Campbell Scott,
Jennifer Beals, with Linda Lavin and Steven Berkoff
New York. Present day.
The streets are dark and the women are deadly. Back in the day, a guy knew when he was a mark and he knew who was makin' him.
Labels:
2016 reviews,
adrien brody
8/25/2016
Bleak Swan
A Tale of Love and Darkness
(Israel/USA, 95 min.)
Written and directed by Natalie Portman
Starring: Natalie Portman, Amir Tessler, Gilad Kihana
Natalie Portman makes her feature directorial debut with the
austere historical drama A Tale of Love
and Darkness. This film shows ample promise for Portman as a director after
testing her chops with a segment in the anthology film New York, I Love You. It’s a work of great passion and dedication.
The Jerusalem-born Portman adapts the story of Amos Oz (Amir Tessler), a young
man who witnesses the changes in Israel following the Second World War and as
the British Mandate for Palestine widens the historic rift as the Jewish people
win their own nation state. The subject matter alone is vast and ambitious for
a first feature for anyone. The film is as far removed from a vanity project
that a starlet like Portman can direct, as it is barren and bleak, but there’s
no denying that this film is ultimately a star vehicle for a very talented
actress.
8/24/2016
The Snowball Effect
In Order of Disappearance
(Norway/Sweden, 116 min.)
Dir. Hans Peter Moland, Writ. Kim Fupz Aakeson
Starring: Stellan Skarsgård, Bruno Ganz, Pål Sverre Hagen
“Instead of justice, I only got retaliation and escalation
of violence in return,” says director Hans Peter Moland on his experiences with
revenge. “So if you can’t have justice, you may as well have some fun.”
Labels:
2016 reviews
8/23/2016
Contest: Win Tickets to See 'The Wild Life' Across Canada!
Robin Crusoe embarks on a new animated adventure in The Wild Life. The Wild Life is a hilarious new film about the relationship between humans, animals and smart, savage kitty cats. The Wild Life opens in theatres September 9 from eOne
Films, but lucky readers across Canada have a chance to attend a sneak peek. Answer
the trivia below for your chance to win tickets!
8/20/2016
It's Only the End of the Summer: Taking Stock of Canada's Oscar Contenders Pre-TIFF
![]() |
Xavier Dolan with Marion Cotillard and Nathalie Baye on the shoot for It's Only the End of the World. eOne Films. |
Here’s the first question: Where are all the Canadian films
this year? 2016 feels like a drought. There are far too many movies these days,
but few of the films making to Canadian screens are Canadian.
8/19/2016
Contest: Win Tickets to See 'Southside with You' in Toronto!
Before POTUS and FLOTUS there was Barack and Michelle.
Experience the love story of the young Obamas in the acclaimed drama Southside with You. Southside with You opens in theatres on Friday, August 26 from eOne
Films, but lucky readers in Toronto have a chance to attend a sneak peek. Answer
the trivia below for your chance to win tickets!
Labels:
contests,
Southside with You
8/18/2016
One Hell of Movie
Hell or High Water
(USA, 102 min.)
Dir. David Mackenzie, Writ. Taylor Sheridan
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Gil
Birmingham, Katy Mixon, Dale Dickey
Sicario
screenwriter Taylor Sheridan returns with another intense, visceral, and potent
crime drama with Hell or High Water.
This crime drama is one lean, mean flick. Don’t go in expecting the adrenaline-pumping
and heart-palpitating breathlessness of Sicario,
though, since Hell or High Water
takes an older man’s view of the world as grizzled old Sheriff Marcus (Jeff
Bridges) looks at the decline of the American south as he nears retirement. The
film, like the wise sheriff, is pensive and contemplative with its holster at
the ready. Hell or High Water
presents a parched America that is no country for old men and the divide
between wrongdoers and victims is something that an ornery sheriff can no
longer see with a fine line. It’s one hell of a movie.
Capsule Reviews: 'Endorphine', 'Tallulah', 'Sausage Party'
Capsule catch-up, as it's now TIFF email season.
Endorphine
(Canada, 84
min.)
Dir. André
Turpin, Writ. Valérie Beauregard-Champagne, André Turpin, Robert Morin. Jonah
Hill
Starring: Sophie Nélisse, Mylène MacKay, Lise Roy, Monia
Chokri
André Turpin is one of the best cinematographers in Canada.
Just look at Mommy, Incendies, Tom at the Farm and other recent efforts. He knows the art of
composition and builds dramatic depth and tension by setting up a shot and
using camera movement to exploit cinematic space to its full potential. He
doesn’t shoot his latest feature directorial effort Endorphine, but the film looks fantastic as it envisions a dark,
labyrinthine, and speculative world that exists in the grey area between Enemy, Inception, and Upstream Color.
8/16/2016
'The Fault Lines of America': David Mackenzie Talks 'Hell or High Water'
![]() |
Director David Mackenzie and actor Ben Foster on the shoot of Hell or High Water. VVS Films. |
8/15/2016
Zoom, Zoom!
Zoom
(Canada/Brazil, 96 min.)
Dir. Pedro Morelli, Writ. Matt Hansen
Starring: Gael García Bernal, Alison Pill,
Maria Ximenes, Jason Priestley, Don McKellar, Tyler
Labine
“Zoom, zoom!” Like the kid in those catchy old Mazda
commercials suggests, two zooms are better than one. Zoom, the new animation hybrid from Rhombus Media, offers three
levels of zooms and kicks the film up a gear as it revs through these layers.
This ambitious meta-movie is an intricate time loop that navigates multiple
universes of fiction and storytelling. It’s a mind-bending, globe-hopping head-trip
that puts audiences in the panels of a metaphysical comic book to explore the
far-flung limits of reality.
Labels:
2016 reviews,
alison pill,
Animation,
Canadian Film,
Don McKellar,
Gael Garcia Bernal,
Zoom
8/13/2016
Passion and Rage
Indignation
(USA, 110 min.)
Written and directed by James Schamus
Starring: Logan Lerman, Sarah Gadon, Tracy Letts, Linda
Emond, Danny Burstein
James Schamus makes a film just as well as he puts one out
there. The former co-President of Focus Features and producer/executive
producer of films such as Brokeback
Mountain and Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon has ample experience with screenwriting and his work on The Ice Storm reverberates in this
similarly themed story of disaffected young Americans. Instead of drafting some
words for Ang Lee to helm, though, Schamus offers his feature directorial debut
with Indignation and it’s a taut,
expertly crafted drama driven by story, character, and a quartet of powerhouse
performances.
Labels:
2016 reviews,
Indignation,
Logan Lerman,
Sarah Gadon
Win a Free iTunes Download of 'Lolo'!
Julie Delpy (Wiener-Dog,
Before Midnight) returns to the
director’s seat in Lolo. Delpy stars in this snappy new comedy about an unconventional love story
and the demon child that threatens happily ever after. Lolo comes to home video on Tuesday, August 19 from Pacific
Northwest Pictures, and lucky readers across Canada have a chance to win a free
iTunes download Answer the trivia below for your chance to win!
Labels:
contests,
Julie Delpy,
Lolo
8/11/2016
It's Not Over Until the Iron Lady Sings
Florence Foster
Jenkins
(UK, 110
min.)
Dir. Stephen Frears, Writ. Nicholas Martin
Starring: Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant,
Simon Helberg
![]() |
Meryl Streep in Florence Foster Jenkins. Photo courtesy of eOne Films |
Meryl Streep’s career as a performer began with opera. One
wouldn’t know it from the caterwauling she does in Florence Foster Jenkins, but the hilariously heartfelt screeching
as the notoriously bad singer highlights how Meryl Streep is simply marvelous in this role. As chronicled
in Michael Schulman’s wonderful book Her
Again: Becoming Meryl Streep, the twelve-year-old Streep underwent lessons
with soprano and vocal coach Estelle Liebling, just around the corner from
Carnegie Hall where Florence Foster
Jenkins enjoys a riotous climax. She learned how to breathe properly and
stretch the full register of her vocal chords, while Liebling emphasised the
meaning of the text to her students and the importance of covering the full
range of the vocal register. It didn’t last, though, for four years later,
Meryl recognised her limitations and quit.
TIFF Announces Platform Competition, Includes 2 Canadian Films
![]() |
Those Who Make Revolution Only Halfway Only Dig Their Own Graves. Courtesy of TIFF. |
Labels:
Canadian Film,
Platform,
TIFF,
tiff 16
8/09/2016
Contest: Win Tickets to 'Kubo and the Two Strings' Across Canada!
Embark on a new animated adventure with Kubo and the Two Strings. Headlined by an all-star cast that includes
Charlize Theron, Rooney Mara, Ralph Fiennes, Art Parkinson, and George Takei, Kubo and the Two Strings is an ambitious
animated feature from the acclaimed Laika animation studios. Kubo and the Two Strings opens in
Canadian theatres August 19 from eOne Films, but lucky readers across Canada
may attend a sneak peek. Answer the trivia below for your chance to win tickets!
Labels:
Animation,
Charlize Theron,
contests,
Kubo,
Ralph Fiennes,
Rooney Mara
TIFF Adds 2 Canadian Titles Including Ottawa-shot Thriller
![]() |
I am the Pretty Thing that Lives in the House. Courtesy of TIFF. |
Labels:
Canadian Film,
tiff 16
8/07/2016
Locarno Review: 'Where is Rocky II?'
Where is Rocky II?
(France/Germany/Belgium, 93 min.)
Written and directed by Pierre Bismuth
Featuring: Pierre Bismuth, D.V. DeVincentis, Anthony
Peckham, Mike Scott, Robert Knepper
Filmmaker Pierre Bismuth finds himself between a rock and a
hard place in the ingenious hybrid film Where
is Rocky II? Bismuth, who won on Oscar for his work on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, shows off some meta-movie
skills as he follows the peculiar story of American artist Fred Ruscha and a
piece of art that allegedly belongs to his body of work, but leaves no trace in
the catalogues, museums, or collections of art lovers around the world. Ruscha’s
work is a giant fake rock said to be made out of resin, papier-mâché, or other
materials (it depends who one asks) that he reportedly used in a photo shoot
and documentary. The rock, named Rocky II
after the unfortunate Sylvester Stallone movie, sends Bismuth and a cast of
characters on an eccentric quest for truth.
Labels:
2016 reviews,
Documentary
8/06/2016
The Hollywood Dumpster Fire Rages On
Suicide Squad
(USA, 123 min.)
Written and directed by David Ayer
Starring: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Viola Davis,
Joel Kinnamen, Jai Courtney, Cara Delevingne, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jay
Hernandez
Throw Suicide Squad into
the raging dumpster fire that is 2016 tent poles. Hollywood just isn’t
delivering this year. There’s a lot of star power here with the likes of Will
Smith, Jared Leto, Viola Davis, and Margot Robbie and the premise of comic book
baddies taking over for the superheroes is novel, yet this flick is for fan
boys only. Despite a reported $175
million production budget, and probably something comparable spent on marketing
given the film’s tiresome yearlong publicity assault, Suicide Squad amounts to two-hours of empty boring spectacle driven
by crappy effects and unnecessary 3D glasses. (This review considers the 3D
release.) Suicide Squad isn’t the
raging pile of crap that Batman v.Superman is, but it brings absolutely nothing to the table besides a lot of
unfulfilled potential.
8/05/2016
Contest! Win Tickets to 'Florence Foster Jenkins' Across Canada!
Warm up your pipes with Meryl Streep as the best actress every plays the worst singer ever in the inspiring true story Florence Foster Jenkins. Florence Foster Jenkins opens in theatres August 12 from eOne Films, but lucky readers across Canada have a chance to attend a sneak peek. Answer the trivia below for your chance to win tickets to Florence Foster Jenkins!
Labels:
contests,
Florence Foster Jenkins,
Meryl Streep
8/04/2016
Contest: Win 'Demolition' Prize Packs!
Jake Gyllenhaal breaks his home apart bit by bit in
Jean-Marc Vallée’s new drama Demolition.
(One of this blog's picks for the best films of the year so far!) Before taking a cue from Jake G, enjoy JM-V’s latest in the comfort of your own
home as Demolition comes to home
video. Demolition is out now on
Blu-Ray, DVD, and digital from VVS Films, and Cinemablographer has some swanky prize packs to give away. Answer
the trivia below for your chance!
Labels:
contests,
Demolition,
Jake Gyllenhaal,
Jean Marc Vallee
8/03/2016
TIFF Announces Canadian Films!
![]() |
Nelly. Courtesy of TIFF |
I'm especially excited for Nelly, the latest film from Our Loved Ones director Anne Emond. Also promising are new features from Johnny Ma and Ashley Mackenzie, who delivered some of this blog's favourite shorts in recent years (A Grand Canal and Rhonda's Party, respectively). Plus eight docs and a Mullen! (No relation.)
Newly announced Canuck features are:
Labels:
Canadian Film,
tiff 16
8/02/2016
Woody, Reheated
Café Society
(USA, 96 min.)
Written and directed by Woody Allen
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Steve Carell, Blake
Lively, Jeannie Berlin, Corey Stoll, Parker Posey, Ken Stott
![]() |
Bobby (Jesse Eisenberg) and Vonnie (Kristen Stewart) in Café Society. Photo by Sabrina Lantos, courtesy of Gravier Productions.. |
Woody Allen reheats some leftovers in the palatable but only
mildly satisfying Café Society. The
film, Woody’s 47th as a director (depending on whether one counts
the shorts and anthology work), serves up a classy buffet of all his usual
savoury fixings. There’s a steam tray of neuroses, a gravy boat of good looking
girls, a side order of Jew jokes, and a worrisome young man having soup for
one. Woody dresses it all in the swanky nostalgic fixings that typify about
half of his work. There’s nothing like Woody serving up Paris when it sizzles,
but California isn’t famous for its cooking and the Hollywood-set Café Society is like a day-old clambake
in the Allen oeuvre. It won’t kill you, but it tasted far better the day
before.
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