A police sergeant investigates a series of murders that may be related to demonic activity in The Wailing. One morning in the isolated town of Goksung, Sgt. Jeon Jong-gu (Kwak Do-won) is called to the scene of a brutal ritualistic murder. This is the latest of a series of homicides in the city, which seems to …
South Korea
An isolated karaoke bar sees a sudden upswing in business in Karaoke Crazies. Sung-Wook (Moon-Sik Lee) is a depressed and lonely man, who runs the “Addiction Karaoke” bar in the middle of nowhere. Needing a new helper, Sung-Wook hires Ha-Suck (Bae So-eun), a mysterious woman who enters his bar one day. While initially a detriment to business, …
The worst cheerleading team in Finland is inspired to improve themselves in Cheer Up. The Arctic Circle Spirit Ice Queens are a Finnish cheerleading squad, who almost always place last in their competitions. Desperate for improvement, coach Miia travels to Dallas to receive tips from the world champions. However, it turns out the cheerleaders on …
The issue of race is explored in the dark animated film On the White Planet. On a planet completely devoid of colour, there is one teenage boy who has coloured skin. This glaring difference makes him a complete outcast, with the boy turning into a murderous fugitive. The boy is welcomed in by a group …
A detective becomes the victim of blackmail in A Hard Day. On his way to his mother’s funeral, Detective Ko Gun-soo (Sun-kyun Lee) accidentally runs over an individual in the middle of the road. Detective Ko tries to cover up this hit-and-run and, right when it appears that he has succeeded, he receives a call from …
Rodney Ascher (Room 237) explores the terrors of sleep paralysis in The Nightmare. There are people who suffer from a mysterious sleeping condition, where they feel like they are awake, yet they find that they cannot move. Many of those suffering from sleep paralysis have visions of shadowy figures coming at them in the darkness. …
Rodney Ascher (Room 237) explores the terrors of sleep paralysis in The Nightmare. There are people who suffer from a mysterious sleeping condition, where they feel like they are awake, yet they find that they cannot move. Many of those suffering from sleep paralysis have visions of shadowy figures coming at them in the darkness. …
The theft of FBI documents and the backlash is the topic of the documentary 1971. On March 8, 1971, a group of activists broke into the FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania and took off with hundreds of files. The documents, which were later leaked to the media, revealed illegal surveillance activities that were being performed …
From South Korean director Bong Joon-ho (The Host) comes the post-apocalyptic action-thriller Snowpiercer. Following a failed experiment to cure global warming, the world is sent into a cataclysmic ice age, killing most of humanity. For nearly 18 years, the surviving population has been on board the train Snowpiercer, which was designed by the reclusive Wilford …
The Disappeared tells the story of six shipwreck survivors stranded on two life boats in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. The crew consists of Captain Gerald (Brian Downey), Mannie (Billy Campbell), Gib (Ryan Doucette), Pete (Shawn Doyle), Merv (Gary Levert), and Dickie (Neil Matheson). Gerald estimates that they are 600 miles from shore and …
It’s been nearly a decade since Arnold Schwarzenegger has had a leading role in an action film, having spent much of that time as Governor of California. After brief supporting roles in the two Expendables films, Schwarzenegger officially makes his return in The Last Stand. The films centres around a small town sheriff (Schwarzenegger), who …
Samsara is not an easy film to describe. I guess you can call Samsara a documentary, even though it isn’t really about anything. I suppose my best description of the film would be “Avant Garde meets National Geographic.” It’s a film that you watch for the experience of watching it. There is nothing in the …
While most would automatically assume The Bourne Legacy is a reboot of the Bourne franchise, it is more a side-story that takes place during and after the events of The Bourne Ultimatum. It turns out that Jason Bourne and the Treadstone and Blackbriar programs that created him were just a small peace of a larger network of …
Werner Herzog on Stage My first day of TIFF11 considered of two back-to-back screening at the Ryerson Theatre (one of my favourite TIFF venues). It didn’t have the glitz and glamour of the galas, but it was probably more enjoyable. Here are my thoughts on the films. Into the Abyss One news-making item of this …
Vera Farmiga and Keanu Reeves I was quite busy during the last couple of days and I did not have time to post reviews. Also such, I am going to post thoughts on all the films I saw during the last two days into one combined post. Henry’s Crime This film was a nice little …