With films under his belt such as ‘The Black Phone’, ‘Sinister’ and ‘Doctor Strange’, director Scott Derrikson should be an exciting, much talked auteur. Instead ‘The Gorge’ merely adds another film in a growing list of visually stunning yet ultimately flawed films.
Read More![‘Saturday Night’ Review: Reitman Resurrects the Rabble of 30-Rock Originators [TIFF 2024]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5816af52e6f2e15be207b0cd/5e3b25f7-af2b-4326-a93f-13753055ff44/GUYY11iWgAITMyL.jpeg)
For 50 years Saturday Night Live has been the bedrock of late night comedy, but the story of its premiere night is apparently crazier than any sketch. Director Jason Reitman brings the rabble of 30-Rock originators back to life in 'Saturday Night'. [TIFF 24]
Read More![‘The Life of Chuck’ Review: A Charming Cosmic Study of the Human Spirit [TIFF 2024]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5816af52e6f2e15be207b0cd/1726013384850-8Q0GVKY3623K5IGP767G/Screenshot_2024_08_28_at_10.01.28_AM.jpeg)
Novelist Stephen King and director Mike Flanagan are both maestros of horror, but ‘The Life of Chuck’ shows the tremendous sensitivity both men have towards life, love and humanity. [TIFF 2024]
Read More![‘The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster' Review: A Contemporary and Timely Retelling [SXSW 2023]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5816af52e6f2e15be207b0cd/1684804915289-X3PXGMJ9R4WTI4OO2VKA/image.jpeg)
The Frankenstein monster or Prometheus legend has remained evergreen for a reason, but by juxtaposing it in the tumultuous world of racial inequality, ‘The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster’ gives an old monster some very new tricks.
Read More!['Pure O' Review: Truly a Pure Experience [SXSW 2023]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5816af52e6f2e15be207b0cd/1684804254514-BP0M7LO54HKATFSRMQQA/pureo1.jpg)
Often Festival Films Can overload its audience with drama, emotion, or ham-fisted messages, but in a delightfully subtle film, ‘Pure O’ makes you candidly connect with the characters and the plot.
Read More!['My Drywall Cocoon' Review: An Aptly Named Dusty, Claustrophobic Drama [SXSW 2023]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5816af52e6f2e15be207b0cd/1684807725377-1KP3ZAF9D48J3BB6ZPZ8/image-w1280.jpg)
‘My Drywall Cocoon’ sounded like a promising premise about a teenaged tragedy but it simply ended up, merely a tragedy to watch.
Read More![‘Appendage’ Review: A Millennial Twist on Horror Classics [SXSW 2023]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5816af52e6f2e15be207b0cd/e2243a56-6702-4923-8e3e-2e85f967cfea/Appendage_SXSW_still_horizontal_3+%281%29.jpg)
For fans of Gremlins, Critters, or Evil Dead but who crave the more modern storytelling touch of having a critical social issue in the jaws of a Cronenberg-esque fleshy Muppet, Appendage is a welcome addition to stream at home.
Read More!['The Menu' Review: A Biting Satirical Thriller That Will Give Audiences Something to Taco 'Bout [TIFF 2022]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5816af52e6f2e15be207b0cd/1663201436842-T35RYF9KQ0JFZM5P6AJD/0812-the-menu-lede.jpg)
Regardless of your taste in film, the eclectic ensemble of The Menu gives you something you can sink your teeth into. The script, while perhaps nothing new in terms of premise or political commentary has enough twists and turns and an overall foreboding gloom that makes the film a delicious addition to the thriller genre.
Read More![‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ Review: Only Martin McDonagh Can Make a Madcap Modern Fable Seem So True [TIFF 2022]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5816af52e6f2e15be207b0cd/1668480077614-QW1UWI2KPEIGGM4H8ZFQ/5625.jpg)
Martin McDonagh has crafted a modern day allegory in Banshees of Inisherin - a cinematic yarn that the small town elder tells kids as they ride their bikes through the midtown square. It serves as a lesson about love and loss, and more importantly, the reality of what those mean to those of us who wear our hearts on our sleeve.
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Ben Affleck plays Vic, a man enjoying early retirement as he enjoys his artistic endeavours, attending never ending parties and his beautiful wife, Melinda, played by Ana de Armas. Audiences quickly discover Vic and Melinda do not have the perfect marriage, only perhaps, perfect for one another. The bigger issue being, this film was far from perfect, and far from deep.
Read More!['Spin Me Round' Review: A Great Cast In A Lukewarm Quirk-Fest [SXSW 2022]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5816af52e6f2e15be207b0cd/1648051529964-S6CXA604T1GTPYDSFQ6Y/aubreyANDAlison.jpg)
One of the bigger draws at this years’ SXSW, Spin Me Round features Alison Brie leading an all-star comedic cast in a part mystery, part rom-com,, part Italian misadventure. However, by the time the aptly titled Spin me Round stops spinning, audiences aren’t quite sure what movie they just watched.
Read More!['I Love My Dad' Review: A Twisted But Strangely Endearing Indie Comedy [SXSW 2022]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5816af52e6f2e15be207b0cd/1648055112807-PWKOIQZY3EXDT233I7TZ/Slide2.JPG)
You could not ask for a better fit than writer/director James Morosini’s perverse comedy I Love My Dad and the SXSW festival. It takes bravery to tell this abnormal tale of catfish courtship, but director James Morosini shows no fear in sharing his true story, and the comedy is one of the highlights of the festival this year.
Read More!['Sissy' Review: Nothing Timid About This Topical Aussie Indie [SXSW 2022]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5816af52e6f2e15be207b0cd/1649080994100-QO6V9S0I6KUN3DOPC37B/Sissy-3.jpg)
One of the most enjoyable aspects of attending a festival like SXSW, is you often find diamonds in the rough; opportunities given to talented filmmakers waiting to be discovered., especially within the genres of horror or science fiction.. Sissy, is just such a gem.
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Melissa McCarthy re-teams with director Theodore Melfi and actor Chris O’Dowd to once again show her dramatic chops, but while “The Starling” attempts to soar and be poignant, the script grounds the film very quickly.
Read More!['All My Puny Sorrows' Review: Alison Pill Excels in this Sad and Sweet Canadian Drama [TIFF 2021]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5816af52e6f2e15be207b0cd/1631635312068-28D2A7EURCKHFW14Z7MN/0814-arts-brief-ciff-w.jpg)
The appeal of ‘All My Puny Sorrows’ comes not necessarily from the heavy subject matter, but the novel and stimulating manner in which it presents the story. The film is packed with stellar performances, lead by Alison Pill, and captained by a director who always seems to get ‘stellar’ out of his actors.
Read More!['Belfast' Review: Kenneth Branagh Tells His Most Personal Story in His Most Poignant Film [TIFF 21]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5816af52e6f2e15be207b0cd/1632253848731-0XPPFAR1YJUA80OELKC6/TIFF-2021-Belfast-Publicity-H-2021.jpg)
While Kenneth Branagh may only make a handful of artistic choices as director, every ounce of thoughtfulness went into the script of ‘Belfast’, and that remains enough. The film is shot in an intimate and small manner, the conflict is shrunk down, and eventually it’s all slow cooked into more delicious morsels about morality and love.
Read More![‘Violet’ Review: An Experiment in Cinematic Exploration and Repetition [SXSW 2021]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5816af52e6f2e15be207b0cd/1618810112621-JNAZO73RX0N47IMBWI1L/5E5A0107-9EDD-471D-B7FB-8ADBD2DED577.jpeg)
A seasoned performer like Justine Bateman, who has done almost everything in terms of acting, seemingly has to invent a new ‘thing’ while directing her feature film debut. Her Violet can easily be defined as ‘experimental cinema’ as it isn’t your typical type of film in terms of format or the tools used. It can also, unfortunately, be easily defined as ‘obvious’
Read More![‘The Feast’ Review: A Psychological Horror as Foggy as the Welsh Wilderness [SXSW 2021]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5816af52e6f2e15be207b0cd/1618808921112-VPXPMRY0YCHCVIE5XHGA/Gwledd-Promo-Screen-Grabs.Sub_.32.png)
Occasionally, audiences can find these hidden gems at the SXSW festival in comedy, science-fiction or horror, but occasionally, audiences may find something like Welsh-language thriller, The Feast.
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Tom and Jerry isn’t overly deep or groundbreaking, which it seemingly isn’t trying to do, but it works on the level of a nostalgia-filled respite for those looking for an innocent family film.
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Lee Daniels’ upcoming film ‘The United States vs Billie Holiday’ is a beautiful reminder of our connection to art, but it reminds us that often there is a responsibility in having a voice - that we must use art, when we can, to create change.
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