Short films are traditionally an outlet for up-and-coming filmmakers to develop their craft. However, three out of five of the 2024 Oscar-nominated short films feature established stars and filmmakers, including David Oyelowo (Selma), Britney Snow (Pitch Perfect, X), and of course a star-studded Roald Dahl adaptation by Wes Anderson (Asteroid City, The Grand Budapest Hotel)….
A young man must confront his legacy as the heir of a group of martial arts assassins in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Xu Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) is a young Chinese man trying to escape his past as the son of Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung), the leader of a group of assassins,…
A self-help author is tormented on a nightly business by a home-invading killer in Lucky. May Ryer (Brea Grant) is a notable self-help author, whose latest book hasn’t been selling as well as her first. One night. May discovers a masked invader at her house and her husband Ted (Dhruv Uday Singh) matter-of-factly mentions that…
A 90 year old atheist navy veteran contemplates his mortality in Lucky. Living in a small town in the California desert, Lucky (Harry Dean Stanton) has a very specific daily routine, which includes doing the crossword at the local diner run or conversing with his friends at the bar. However, one day Lucky’s routine is…
From the animation studio Laika (Coraline, ParaNorman) comes the stop-motion fantasy-adventure The Boxtrolls. The town of Cheesebridge live in fear of the subterranean Boxtrolls, who are rumoured to kidnap and eat children. Because of this, Lord Portley-Rind (Jared Harris) hires the sinister Archibald Snatcher (Ben Kingsley) to exterminate the Boxtrolls, in exchange for membership to…
The second phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe begins with Iron Man 3. Taking place sometime after the events of last year’s The Avengers, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has been feeling the effects of PTSD and spends his time working on his Iron Man suits, while becoming increasing distant from girlfriend Pepper Potts (Gwyneth…
That fact that Hugo is directed by none other than Martin Scorsese was probably the first sign that it wouldn’t be just your average family film. In fact, the film turns out to be a celebration of the history of early cinema, most notably the work of Georges Méliès, played in the film by Ben Kingsley. For…
I am currently on a trip in Scotland, so I don’t have easy access to films (especially since the release schedule is different). However, I manage to see one film that had a worldwide release: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Video game adaptations have a bit of a bad reputation and despite being…
I have to say that there were a few moments in Shutter Island in which I was feeling a bit confused. It was not until the end of the film when I was able to piece everything together. If anything, this film proves that Martin Scorsese had the power to direct anything he wanted after…
Most of the films I’ve seen at the festival were pretty light-hearted affairs. However, the films I saw last night and this morning were, in contrast, quite serious. Good is a story about a German university professor (Viggo Mortensen), who joins the Nazi party and slowly moves from being a “good” guy to being totally…
