TIFF’s got a retrospective of Taiwanese master Hou Hsiao-Hsien on right now. Which could make you swoon, if you love lush cinematography, oblique story-telling and very long takes with a free-wandering camera. Or it … Continue reading The Strange Case of Hou Hsiao-Hsien and the Very Very Long Take
Heard of her? Probably. Name a film she’s done? Not so easy. Barbara Stanwyck earned a deserved spot in the A-List of classic Hollywood celebrity in her day. She … Continue reading Fierce: The Films of Barbara Stanwyck
The Oscars are coming up, airing Sunday, February 22nd for over 40 million people. Yesterday I looked at one of the hardest to follow Academy categories, the award for best live … Continue reading Who’s got short shorts? TIFF’s Oscar short-film showcase: Part II – Animation
Every year at the Academy Awards, there’s a lull, one even more numbing than the Oscar for special effects or the latest garish train-wreck of a dance number. It’s when … Continue reading Who’s got short shorts? TIFF’s Oscar short-film showcase: Part I – Live Action
The great filmmakers are often celebrated for their extraordinary control: the exacting science of Hitchcock’s suspense, the omnipresent symmetry of Kubrick’s vision, the dour Wagnerian pomp of Christopher Nolan. But … Continue reading In the Belly of the Beast: The Films of Alex de la Iglesia
It’s one of the most talked-about games of the year. And this week Destiny adds its first expansion back, The Dark Below. If you’ve been logging in any time with one … Continue reading Biff Bam Pop’s Holiday Gift Guide 2014: Destiny
With the Farrelly Brothers Dumb and Dumber To (2014) bumbling into theatres now, it’s fitting that TIFF has chosen this moment to look back at one of the great purveyors of … Continue reading The Dumberest: Mel Brooks at TIFF
Any film from Studio Ghibli is a treat. The Japanese anime house has put out some great movies over the years, including Hayao Miyazake’s films Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001), and Howl’s Moving Castle … Continue reading Free Spirit: The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
“Whatever you do… don’t fall asleep.” Yeah. That’s gonna work. Talk about an absolute classic catchphrase. Parents of newborns, late night essay crammers and insomniacs all know how weird your … Continue reading 31 Days of Horror 2014 – A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
So Darren Aronofsky’s Noah with Russell Crowe was a huge hit, grossing over $350 million so far this year. Seems like people respond to the story of God pressing the reset … Continue reading TIFF 2014: Interview with Day 40’s Sol Friedman
Genre-bending is a real Korean specialty. From the family drama monster movie hybrid of Bong Joon-Ho’s The Host to the madcap martial arts western of Kim Jee-Woon’s The Good, The Bad, … Continue reading Somber on the High Seas: Haemoo Sinks Under Its Own Weight
Who hasn’t fantasized about living a different life, bifurcated, one where you could make a whole new set of choices and see where they lead? But still live your own life, … Continue reading TIFF 2014: Interview with Entangled’s Tony Elliott
