Blog Archives
Now Streaming On Shudder: ‘Lake Bodom’
There are those who might not be aware of “Nordic Noir,” a term used to describe the recent influx of Nordic genre films and television, but if the quality of genre fare coming out of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and Finland continues to remain high, that should change soon. The latest film added to this list is Lake Bodom, from director Taneli Mustonen, who co-wrote the script with Aleksi Hyvärinen.
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Now Streaming On Shudder: Peeping Tom
It seems unbelievable that a masterpiece like Peeping Tom seriously derailed Michael Powell’s career, but that is just what happened. Peeping Tom was a departure for the director, known for his collaborations with Emeric Pressburger (Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes) over the course of three decades. Thankfully, thanks to critics like Raymond Durgnant and filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, there was a backlash to the backlash, and Peeping Tom is now considered not only a classic of British cinema, but also of the often-derided slasher subgenre in horror.
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‘My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea’: Dash Shaw Lands Quirky Animated Debut
High school dramas are back with a vengeance. There’s the noir soap opera shenanigans of Archie, Betty and Veronica on Riverdale, and the sharply observed teen pathos of Thirteen Reasons Why. Both series paint a portrait of high school about fifty shades darker than the quaint distractions of a John Hughes movie. Out on the big screen in limited release this weekend is My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea, joining the class of 2017 with a surrealistic romp fusing teen comedy and disaster movies to hilarious effect.
Exploring the sights of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them at home
Take one novelist making her screenwriting debut.
Add in the magical world she created some twenty years ago, but in a new continent and era.
Throw in some of the best actors in the world right now, including an Academy Award winner and star who shines in an ensemble.
Top it off with the director behind some of the most successful fantasy films of the decade and what you get is something….
Fantastic.
Watching the Weird: ‘Human Highway’
“The answer my friend/is breaking in the wind/the answer is sticking out your rear”
This is the poetry of Booji Boy — Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh wearing a baby mask — as he walks through a deserted, post-apocalyptic landscape. This is the beginning of Neil Young’s Human Highway.
Human Highway is legendary for its weirdness. Before it was released on DVD in 2016, the film was notoriously hard to find and only available to those lucky enough to find the laserdisc or VHS copies kicking about. Featuring Neil Young as a goofy mechanic who longs to be a rhythm and blues man and Devo as nuclear fallout cleaners, the film is packed with characters, straying storylines, musical numbers and oddness, making it natural material for this column.
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An “Anne Of Green Gables” Superfan Watches The Latest Adaptation
I’ve been obsessed with Anne of Green Gables since I was a kid, and I’m always a bit nervous when new adaptations appear. I never want to see anything that ruins my Anne, so as I sat down to watch the PBS Holiday special, I crossed my fingers, and did my best to keep an open mind.
Here’s What’s Fantastic About “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
Throw on some jazz, pour a glass of Giggle Water, and curl up with your favorite bowtruckle, we’re talking Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, on this spoiler-free review.
Short Cuts: The Brothers Grimsby, The Conjuring 2, The Angry Birds Movie
The Brothers Grimsby
Starring Sacha Baron Cohen and Mark Strong
Directed by Louis Leterrier
Sony
Though it was a critical and commercial disaster upon its release in North America earlier this year, The Brothers Grimsby is actually a fairly funny film, if you’re in the mood for Sacha Baron Cohen’s extreme brand of gross-out comedy. In The Brothers Grimsby, Cohen and Strong play long lost brothers – one is a football hooligan, the other a secret agent. If you can’t figure out which is which, I just can’t help you out. Director Leterrier crafts an outstanding opening action scene and keeps the film moving quickly, while Cohen and Strong work very nicely of one another. There is some seriously gross-out humour happening on-screen, but if you can stomach it, you’re guaranteed some decent laughs.
TIFF 2016 Review: “Arrival” delivers thoughtful sci-fi with a heartfelt twist
Amy Adams is having a pretty great year. It’s only going to get better. With two top-flight films at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, she’s this year’s Benedict Cumberbatch. I already wrote about her note-perfect performance as the love-lorn gallery curator in Tom Ford’s chilly noir Nocturnal Animals. Her role in Denis Villeneuve’s cerebral sci-fi feature Arrival is even better. The movie is pretty great, too. But Amy, she should clear some space on her mantle.
“The Dark Stranger” Blurs the Lines Between Art and Reality
A new Canadian film, The Dark Stranger, focuses on the connection between depression and art. Written and directed by Chris Trebilcock, The Dark Stranger is a psychological thriller that drags you into a young girl’s troubled mind. Who is the stranger and what does he want with Leah? Find out after the jump. Read the rest of this entry
