TIFF Journal: ‘Kodachrome’
You know you’re deep in the midst of Oscar season when you see a movie that exists exclusively due to a single performance. ‘Kodachrome’ is based on a true story that’s inspirational and blah blah blah̷...
You know you’re deep in the midst of Oscar season when you see a movie that exists exclusively due to a single performance. ‘Kodachrome’ is based on a true story that’s inspirational and blah blah blah̷...
‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’ will likely take multiple viewings to process its achievements. What’s clear from the first round is that writer/director/playwright Martin McDonagh (‘In Bruges...
‘Brawl in Cell Block 99’ is a mean and nasty movie that sneaks up on audiences. It’s not immediately clear where this dark odyssey is headed or how bleak and violent it will get. Writer/director S. Craig Zahler c...
Is it possible to spin the worst movie ever made into a good bio-pic? Can walking enigma/punchline Tommy Wiseau be turned into an inspirational figure? Apparently, if you’re James Franco, the answer to both questions is R...
It wouldn’t be a TIFF or awards season without a beautiful able-bodied movie star portraying a historically important disabled person. This time it’s Andrew Garfield doing the capital-I Important acting as Robin Cavend...
Throughout his strange career, Guillermo del Toro has made it a mission to fuse horror and fairy tales until they become indistinguishable. The guy has done a remarkable job weaving those dreams together so far, but something abou...
‘Suburbicon’ is a film made by talented people and with the best intentions that somehow went wrong. It started as a discarded Coen brothers screenplay that was picked up by George Clooney to direct. It still feels lik...
From the moment it was announced that Louis C.K. had made a secret movie over the summer that would play at TIFF, it was safe to say the film wouldn’t exactly be a safe bit of light entertainment or a ‘Pootie Tang̵...
A pop feminist dramedy is just the ticket for a crowd-pleasing awards bait picture. With writer Simon Beaufoy (‘Slumdog Millionaire’) and co-directors Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton (‘Little Miss Sunshine̵...
Brad’s Status is a film about narcissism and self-pity from a fairly successful middle-aged and middle class man played by Ben Stiller. That should mean that it’s an almost unwatchable bit of navel-gazing, but in the h...
An extraordinary exploration of how vulnerable trans women are to mistreatment and bigotry, Sebastián Lelio’s ‘A Fantastic Woman’ is often a harrowing experience. It’s also a story filled with such dignity,...
Writer/director Armando Iannucci has a knack for finding comedy where it shouldn’t be. He essentially invented cringe comedy (anything ‘Alan Partridge’ related) and even made political comedy mainstream (relative...