Maggie Gyllenhaal stars as one of those magic white people who can overcome seemingly impossible societal problems through sheer force of will in the stale, manipulative Won’t Back Down. Convincing all around her with plucky quirks and a flirtatious smile, Gyllenhaal attempts to overhaul her daughter’s low-income public school and revolutionize the education system. Joining […]
Film + TV
Posted inArts + Music
Pitch Perfect
There’s scant few off notes in the harmoniously enjoyable singing comedy, Pitch Perfect. Anna Kendrick stars as the cool college freshman who mixes together mash-ups and dreams of escaping to California to work in the music industry. But after her dorm shower singing is overheard, she’s begged to join the school’s ragtag acapella team in […]
Posted inArts + Music
The Master
Who do you serve in life, and to what cost? Questions posed by the brilliant, enigmatic The Master. Joaquin Phoenix stars, contorting himself into a crackling sneer of a man. A sailor post-WW2 whose violent outbursts and PTSD cause him to drift from job to job. He’s eventually taken under the wing of a charismatic […]
Posted inArts + Music
Flying Swords of Dragon Gate
The prettiest pictures can still be dragged down by context, and such is the case in the gorgeous but muddled martial arts spectacle, Flying Swords of Dragon Gate. The first wuxia, or Chinese martial arts film shot in Imax and 3-D, Dragon Gate finds dozens of characters (including evil eunuchs, flute-playing killers and Jet Li) […]
Posted inArts + Music
The House At The End Of The Street
If you want a film with split personalities, try the long-winded and long titled The House at the End of the Street. Cool teenager Elissa (a rightfully aloft Jennifer Lawrence) and her mother Elizabeth Shue have moved to a new town and into a secluded house tucked away in the woods. Their nearest neighbour happens […]
Posted inArts + Music
Trouble with the Curve
Clint Eastwood is old, and trying to teach these young people with their computers a lesson, in the fussy but endearing baseball comedy, Trouble with the Curve. An septuagenarian scout for the Atlanta Braves, Eastwood’s failing eyesight might soon force his retirement. So, begrudgingly he brings his distant lawyer daughter (a pleasant Amy Adams) on […]
Posted inArts + Music
Dredd
Judge Dredd is just having one of those days, wherein a routine triple-homicide turns into full-on death trap. Part of the elite team of badass lawmen patrolling the unending dystopia of Mega-City One, the perpetually masked and gravel-voiced Dredd (Karl Urban) is saddled with training a rookie psychic (Oliva Thirlby) when the two end up […]
Posted inArts + Music
Roller Town
Long-gestating, the feature film debut from beloved comedy troupe Picnicface has finally hit theatres. When arcade-pimping gangsters threaten his rink, and snobby prep school skaters disparage disco, roller-skating wonder Leo (Mark Little) must rally his funk to save the town and maybe get the girl (Kayla Lorette). Wisely, the 1970s satire is only a single […]
Posted inArts + Music
End of Watch
From the writer of Training Day comes this gritty look at the day-to-day operations of two street cops in south-central L.A. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a hot shot beat officer who decides to record his operations for a film class, much to the chagrin of loyal partner Michael Peña. The found footage style even extends […]
Posted inArts + Music
Resident Evil: Retribution
Another in a string of video game movies, the Resident Evil series continues, with Alice (Milla Jovovich), a rogue agent of the Umbrella Corporation, fighting zombies (or, more accurately, cloned humans infected with a bio-weapon virus that makes them flesh-eating monsters). Alice’s mission is to traverse a series of simulated cities, battling various monsters summoned […]
Posted inArts + Music
Atlantic Film Fest guide
Click here for all our Atlantic Film Festival coverage on one handy page. Check The Scene blog September 13-20 for daily reviews from the fest.
Posted inArts + Music
Lost at sea
Those who worked on the set of Shandi Mitchell’s film, The Disappeared say it was one of the most memorable film experiences of their careers. The film tells the story of six fishermen who, after their boat sinks, are forced to find their way home in two small dories, stranded in the middle of the […]
