It turns out if you cast charming people in a charming story, you’ll end up with a charming movie. Who knew?
Continue reading “VIFF Review: Brooklyn”VIFF Review: Brooklyn
Hey Vancouver: VIFF is Happening!
Just a heads up, Vancouver! In case you’ve been living under a rock you know that the Vancouver International Film Festival is happening again right now! This will be my second year in attendance with a pass and I couldn’t be more excited. Stay tuned to this space over the next two weeks for reviews from the films I’m seeing.
There are a lot of interesting choices this year and you should make some time to see some of them. Lots of people work very hard to put this thing on, the least we can all do is attend! So head over to [the VIFF website](http://www.viff.org/) and plan a day to see a film or three. It’s good for you. Maybe I’ll see you there.
VIFF Review: The Face of an Angel
A few years ago, a young British woman was murdered in Sienna, Italy. The case gained worldwide attention as the girls’ American roommate and friend were accused, tried, and convicted of the crime and then later acquitted on appeal.
The Face of an Angel is a fictionalization of this case. Sort of. Rather than going for the true crime angle, director Michael Winterbottom and writer Paul Viragh instead tell the story of a washed-up film director in Sienna trying to find a story among the city, the massive media presence, and local characters during the appeal trial.
Yes, we’re talking about a director making a film about a director trying to make a film about a real-life story. And also using _Dante’s Inferno_ as a frame for the story. Yeah. It’s a bit weird. It’s not what I’d call bad, but it’s definitely weird.
Continue reading “VIFF Review: The Face of an Angel”VIFF Review: Foxcatcher
Bennett Miller has a pretty good track record. His last two films, Capote and Moneyball, were both nominated for Best Picture; for each, he was nominated for Best Director, and for both, his main actors were nominated for acting awards. It looks like he will keep the streak alive with _Foxcatcher_, a superbly directed, superbly performed, and compelling film.
Continue reading “VIFF Review: Foxcatcher”VIFF Review: Mr. Turner
I’ve said before that one of the things I love about movies is those few occasions when I get to witness one of the great performances of our time, when an actor disappears into a role completely, and I can forget even the most familiar of faces as belonging to an actor I’ve seen before and instead see the character that they are playing.
This doesn’t happen quite as often as you might think, but it happened today when I saw Mr. Turner, in which Timothy Spall played famed British painter J.M.W. Turner.
Continue reading “VIFF Review: Mr. Turner”VIFF Review: Black Fly
When writer-director Jason Bourque was a boy, his family moved to St. John, New Brunswick. The move to a rural area was meant to be a peaceful one, but as it turns out, their new neighbour was a serial killer.
The Bourques didn’t suffer any losses at his hands, but Jason, now based in Vancouver, has turned that experience into a taut thriller called Black Fly.
Continue reading “VIFF Review: Black Fly”Mommy Trailer: VIFF Hit Is Canada’s Selection To Compete For Best Foreign Language Oscar
Xavier Dolan’s VIFF has been officially selected to compete for the foreign language oscar. Hooray! There are no more showings at VIFF. Boooo! There’s a trailer you can watch! Hooray!
VIFF Review: Pulp: a Film About Life, Death & Supermarkets
Pulp: a Film About Life, Death & Supermarkets is an easy film to recommend. If you’re a fan of the band, then you should definitely want to check out the story of the band’s final concert –played in their hometown of Sheffield– and if you’re not a fan of the band, then you should check out the story of a band winding down, getting ready to stop playing, and wanting on last great night of rock and roll before they go.
Continue reading “VIFF Review: Pulp: a Film About Life, Death & Supermarkets”VIFF Review: Miss and the Doctors
You know what’s refreshing? A movie about a romance between adults, made by adults and for adults. Miss and the Doctors, or Tirez la Langue, Mademoiselle (Stick Out Your Tongue, Miss, roughly translated) if you prefer the original French title, is just that. It’s a romantic drama about two brothers, opposites dependent on one another, who fall for the same woman, and how their relationship changes as a result.
Continue reading “VIFF Review: Miss and the Doctors”VIFF Review: 1987
1987 is an autobiographical film by writer/director Ricardo Trogi. He looks back at that year in his life and all the wacky hijinks that he got up to. The film is self-deprecating, honest, and funny, but it also suffers from some of the same problems that most teen coming-of-age comedies do.
Continue reading “VIFF Review: 1987”VIFF Review: Maps to the Stars
David Cronenberg makes two kinds of films: Great ones and weird ones. I’m honestly not sure which category Maps to the Stars falls into. On the one hand, it’s a biting indictment of Hollywood and the stars who live there and features some fantastic performances, but on the other, it’s a muddled mess of slow-moving plots, some of which are never resolved.
Continue reading “VIFF Review: Maps to the Stars”Foxcatcher Poster: Steve Carell Looks Creepy
Steve Carell has put on a bunch of makeup and disappeared into his latest role in Foxcatcher. Here’s a better look at him, in makeup and character.
Continue reading “Foxcatcher Poster: Steve Carell Looks Creepy”
Maps to the Stars Trailer: Secrets Kill
David Cronenberg’s latest features Julianne Moore going a little crazy with Mia Wasikoska, Robert Pattinson, and John Cusack along for the ride. Let’s take a look!
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