In 2010, Mike Mills put part of his life story to screen—the part where his elderly father came out as gay. That lovely, delicate movie, Beginners, won an Oscar for Christopher Plummer. With 20th Century Women, Mills has created an ode to his mother and cast her in Annette Bening’s image (what a privilege). It’s […]
Film + TV
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The Founder: not quite a drama
Michael Keaton’s first attempt to really capitalize on his Birdman comeback—he had a minor role in Spotlight—is valiant, but doesn’t add up to much. He’s Ray Kroc, who stole McDonald’s from the actual McDonalds, a pair of corn-fed brothers (Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch) with virtue and principles, things Kroc abandons almost immediately. We […]
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Titanic’s song of fire and ice
New Year’s Day brought the world a fresh look at the sinking of the Titanic, and it has nothing to do with the claim the boat that sank off Newfoundland was actually Titanic’s sister ship, the Olympic. In Titanic: The New Evidence, a documentary aired January 1 on England’s Channel 4, modern animation techniques are […]
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Moonlight‘s powerful glow
In 2008, Barry Jenkins wrote and directed the best independent drama of that year, Medicine for Melancholy. A quiet two-hander about a one night stand that turned into something more, essentially in real time—with some class and gentrification issues deftly weaved in—it was assured and gentle, poignant and disarming. He brings that same care and […]
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The best movies of 2016
10. Ghostbusters Watching Kate McKinnon, a gleefully queer woman, become a movie star live in front of our eyes was an honour and a privilege. 9. The Shallows Blake Lively, third-best Travelling Pant, single-handedly carries what could’ve been a monumentally stupid B-movie to absolute triumph. 8. American Honey Andrea Arnold’s meandering, tense piece about a […]
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Best local productions of 2016
Black Cop (feature film) White police officers mistreating black civilians—it’s a story we’re now too familiar with. But imagine the outrage if a black cop was mistreating white civilians! Cory Bowles sets up this premise in his short film Black Cop. It played at this year’s Atlantic Film Festival and it punched me in the gut. […]
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Best local films of 2016
Fish Director Heather Young looks at the world in a sad but beautiful way. She’s one of Nova Scotia’s most unique and honest storytellers. Being a true East Coaster, she doesn’t like to brag so I’ll do it for her. Since its release in 2016, this film has been travelling the world and winning (well […]
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Stick to your guns, filmmakers
Of all the art forms, film requires the most people and the most money. You can start and end a single day and have a finished song or drawing or painting. But films need many more people and you have to feed those people and if some of them are in unions then you have […]
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Manchester by the Sea is tough to watch
Kenneth Lonergan’s previous films, You Can Count on Me and Margaret, saw Laura Linney and Anna Paquin in respectively deep, nuanced, layered parts. So it’s a shame that his otherwise very fine Manchester by the Sea strands Michelle Williams, as half of a couple torn apart by tragedy, so that Casey Affleck can mope around […]
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Bow down to Moana
Like Frozen, Moana is a princess story. Also like Frozen, it has been mismarketed to hide the fact that it’s a female empowerment story. (Unlike Frozen, its songs won’t attach themselves to the backside of your brain.) Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) is heir to the chiefdom of Motunui, a Polynesian island her people haven’t left for […]
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Animate for life
Animation with Love Festival December 2-4, 7pm Carbon Arc Cinema 1747 Summer Street The Animation with Love Festival is expanding this year, showcasing three times as many animated films as previous years. Now in its sixth year, the weekend-long event brings together animators, artists and film-lovers at Carbon Arc Cinema, located inside the Museum of Natural […]
