TIFF Journal: ‘Mississippi Grind’
In just a handful of movies including ‘Half Nelson’ and ‘Sugar’, co-writers/directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have established themselves as filmmakers dedicated to tales of fumbling outsiders. They appro...
‘The Bastard Executioner’ Pilot Recap: “Stupid
In watching ‘The Bastard Executioner’, the FX network’s transparent attempt to get in on some ‘Game of Thrones’ action, I had just one nagging question that I needed answered: Is the title character a...
TIFF Journal: ‘Trumbo’
Hey! Here’s a 2015 bio-pic about Hollywood overcoming adversity, so I guess we’re officially in awards season! Fortunately, this is actually a decent one thanks to a deft sense of humor from all involved. You just have...
TIFF Journal: ‘Demolition’
With ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ and ‘Wild’, Montreal filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée has been on a hot streak of movie-star led character studies that conceal their crowd-pleasing, feel-good nature just long enough to...
TIFF Journal: ‘Our Brand Is Crisis’
As always, just when you think you’ve got a handle on where the hell you think director David Gordon Green is going in his career, he throws in another monkey wrench. After spending time in mainstream comedy following the st...
‘The Strain’ 2.10 Recap: “I Don’t See Any
Let me get this straight: A guy who’s barely ever held a pistol gets hold of his first rifle, and with no training or practice whatsoever expects that he’s now automatically an expert sniper? I’m not sure if this...
TIFF Journal: ‘Black Mass’
The tale of Boston crime lord James “Whitey” Bulger is so good that it’s surprising it took this long for someone to make a movie out of it… or at least an official bio-pic anyway. Martin Scorsese flavored his &#...
TIFF Journal: ‘Eye in the Sky’
‘Good Kill‘ might have been the first of an inevitable trend of drone warfare movies, but ‘Eye in the Sky’ qualifies as the first actually worth seeking out. Even though director Gavin Hood (‘X-Men Or...
TIFF Journal: ‘Green Room’
Writer/director Jeremy Saulnier’s thriller ‘Blue Ruin‘ took off above and beyond anyone’s expectations after a festival run a few years ago. Award-winning and one of the first VOD hits (in as much as that&#...
‘Under the Dome’ Series Finale Recap: “There
It’s over! Hallelujah, ‘Under the Dome’ is over! The dome is dead. Long live the dome.
TIFF Journal: ‘The Final Girls’
‘The Final Girls’ proves that a clever premise can only get you so far. The movie promises to be delightful pisstake on ’80s slasher movies with ideas pulled from ‘Last Action Hero’ (don’t worry...
TIFF Journal: ‘Victoria’
Move over ‘Birdman’, there’s a new one-take wonder in town. Filmed in three tries on three different nights in Berlin (according to legend, the third was the charm, if you were wondering), Sebastian Schipper̵...