In the surreal and quirky With Love and a Major Organ, director Kim Albright deftly examines the difficulty of finding love and connection inside a world ruled by the algorithm. Based on a play by Julia Lederer, who also wrote… Read More ›
Canada
Explore every nook of “299 Queen Street West” with Sean Menard’s new documentary. [SXSW]
If you grew up in Canada, specifically Toronto, the address 299 Queen Street West most likely held a special place in your heart as more likely than not you either fought your way through the pandemonium of crowds OR you… Read More ›
Ally Pankiw’s “I Used to Be Funny” first feature is a provocative, intense, and deeply unsettling gut-punch. [SXSW]
In 2020, during the height of this pandemic were still finding ourselves in, I was sitting on my couch with my partner wondering what to do on the first night of TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) and Twitter was recommending… Read More ›
Tünde Skovrán’s pseudo-narrative documentary may not inform who you are, but it will strongly convey “Who I Am Not.” [SXSW]
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. – Genesis 1:27 – New International Version There are many versions of Genesis 1:27. They each carry the… Read More ›
If you vibe with drama “The Young Arsonists,” you’re in for a powerful exploration of feminine adolescent independence. [Santa Barbara International Film Festival]
Memories are a strange thing. They are flickers of the past, like embers of a long burnt out flame riding the strands of neuropathways until they can be inflamed once more, waiting to come billowing into the present. The problem… Read More ›
Mixed-media documentary “Eternal Spring (长春)” offers a unique perspective on what the persecution of people of faith really looks like.
In March 2002, in order to combat the persistent and often violent persecution practitioners of Falun Gong endured in China, several members decided to break into the evening news to project one of their DVDs. The idea being that if… Read More ›
“Dark Nature” contains big ideas that are underserved by putting most of its secrets up front. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
Folklore is easily the earliest form of storytelling we have. Some folklore is intended to serve as lessons in morality or ethics, designed to push a people into certain behaviors, while others are merely stories passed down through the generations… Read More ›
You’ll want to linger after you “Stay the Night.” [SXSW Film Festival]
I love a good romance. Perhaps because reality is unpredictable, often heart-wrenchingly so, there’s comfort in a romantic tale. The key in sticking the landing is the perspective of the creative team, as well as the talent in front of… Read More ›
Nyla Innuksuk’s humorous action horror “Slash/Back” tackles colonialization armed with heritage and the strength of community. [SXSW Film Festival]
Nyla Innuksuk tells a coming-of-age alien invasion story rooted in Inuit culture and legends in her debut feature film, Slash/Back. In Slash/Back, Innuksuk manages to knit together a movie that both pays homage to the “kids on bikes” movies she… Read More ›
Short film “Everything Will Be All Right” packs a feature-length emotional punch. [SXSW Film Festival]
In the current circumstances we live in, and have lived in for the last two years, we sometimes have to remind ourselves that everything will, in fact, be all right. We need that deep breath, that reconciliation with ourselves that… Read More ›
Zom-com “Brain Freeze” has its heart in the right place, yet still arrives DOA. [Fantasia International Film Festival]
Fine, let’s just get it out of the way: I am not a very big fan of zombie films on the base level. There are many other things that can make a zombie film good, that I can identify with… Read More ›
“Be careful what you wish for, be certain what you pray for:” Religious intentions are put on trial in “The Righteous.” [Fantasia International Film Festival]
If you’re into Southern Gothic literature, you’ll go nuts over Mark O’Brien’s feature directorial debut, The Righteous, which screened at the Fantasia International Film Festival earlier this month. Granted, it was filmed in Canada and not the American South, but… Read More ›
“Peace by Chocolate” isn’t tempered to satiate an instant craving, but to preserve a legacy. [Tribeca Festival]
Immigrant stories are treated as all-to-common and extraordinary in the same breath, especially in the United States and Canada. The majority of people who live in both countries did not originate there and each possess a legacy of doing terrible… Read More ›