dark comedy

  • Rumours – TIFF 2024

    The leaders of the G7 nations get lost in the woods while attempting to draft their provisional statement in Rumours. The leaders of the G7 nations convene at a rural German bogland estate to draft their annual statement to the world. Attending the summit are German Chancellor Hilda Ortmann (Cate Blanchett), Canadian Prime Minister Maxime…

  • Nightbitch – TIFF 2024

    A new mother begins to believe she is turning into a dog in Nightbitch. Mother (Amy Adams) has grown resentful of the fact that she gave up her art career to raise her 2-year-old son on her own, while her Husband (Scoot McNairy). Mother begins recieving heighted senses akin to that of a dog. After…

  • Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

    The ghost with the most returns after three decades in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Three decades after nearly being forced to marry Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton), Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) puts the her powers as a medium to use as the host of the paranormal TV series Ghost House, with her dating the show’s producer Rory (Justin Theroux)….

  • Hell Hole

    A Serbian fracking team unearths a parasitic cephalopod in Hell Hole. An American fracking team led by Emily (Toby Poser) and John (John Adams) have begun drilling in the Serbian wilderness, much to the concern of local scientists Sofia (Olivera Peruničić) and Nikola (Aleksandar Trmčić). The team unearthed a 19th-century French soldier encased in some…

  • Kneecap

    Belfast hoodlums form an Irish Gaelic rap group in Kneecap. Liam Óg “Mo Chara” Ó Hannaidh and Naoise “Móglaí Bap” Ó Cairealláin are two Belfast drug dealers, who insist on speaking the Irish language as taught to them by Naoise’s Irish Republican father Arlo (Michael Fassbender). While Liam is detained and questioned by Detective Ellis…

  • Párvulos – Fantasia 2024

    Three brothers fight to survive in a post-apocalyptic world in Párvulos. Salvador (Farid Escalante Correa), Oliver (Leonardo Cervantes), and Benjamin (Mateo Ortega Casillas) are three brothers living in an isolated house in the wilderness. A viral outbreak has resulted in much of the population turning into violent zombies and the three brothers have to fight…

  • Destroy All Neighbors

    An aspiring prog-rock musician faces a rising body count after confronting his grotesque new neighbour in Destroy All Neighbors. William Brown (Jonah Ray) is a recording engineer and aspiring musician, trying to finish his prog-rock magnum opus in the apartment she shares with his girlfriend Emily (Kiran Deol). However, William faces a roadblock with the…

  • Dream Scenario

    A college professor randomly begins appearing in people’s dreams in Dream Scenario. Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage) is a mild-mannered biology professor, who discovers that random people have begun dreaming about him, ranging from his students to total strangers. Despite some concerns about the unwanted attention by his wife Janet (Julianne Nicholson) and daughters Hannah (Jessica…

  • Sleep – TIFF 2023

    A young woman starts to believe her husband’s sleeping disorder might be something more sinister in Sleep. Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi) awakens one night to see her husband Hyun-su (Lee Sun-kyun) sitting on the end of the bed. Hyun-su utters the words “Someone is inside” before going to sleep. Soon, Hyun-su begins scratching himself while sleeping…

  • Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person – TIFF 2023

    A teenage vampire finds herself unwilling to kill humans for their blood in Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person. Sasha (Sara Montpetit) is a 68-year-old “teenage” vampire, who finds herself feeling more empathy towards humans than seeing them as food. One night Sasha encounters suicidal teenager Paul (Félix-Antoine Bénard), who is completely willing to be…

  • Who Killed Maggie Moore(s)?

    A small-town sheriff investigates the murders of two women with the same name in Who Killed Maggie Moore(s)? Jordan Sanders (Jon Hamm) is a small-town police chief investigating the murder of a woman named Maggie Moore (Louisa Krause), whose burnt remains were found in her car. Accompanied by his always-joking Deputy Reddy (Nick Mohammed), Jordan…

  • Here for Blood – TADFF 2022

    A professional wrestler babysitting in place of his girlfriend has to deal with a demonic cult in Here for Blood. Phoebe (Joelle Farrow) has to study for an exam, so she asks her pro-wrestler boyfriend, Tom O’Bannon (Shawn Roberts), to go in her place to babysit Grace (Maya Misaljevic) for yuppie couple Barb (Tara Spencer-Nairn)…

  • Next Door – Fantasia 2022

    An aspiring police officer wakes up after a night of heavy drinking next to an apparent corpse in Next Door. Chan-woo (Oh Dong-min) has been working hard preparing for his police exam when he goes out drinking with friends. The following day, Chan-woo finds himself in the apartment of his noisy neighbours, with an apparent…

  • Flux Gourmet

    A group of “sonic caterers” go into residences at a remote artistic institution in Flux Gourmet. Elle di Elle (Fatma Mohamed), Billy Rubin (Asa Butterfield), and Lamina Propria (Ariane Labed) are a trio of performance artists who take residence at a culinary art institute run by Jan Stevens (Gwendoline Christie). The residency is being documented…

  • Band – Hot Docs 2022

    An all-woman art rock band gives themselves a year to hit it big in Band. Iceland’s Post Performance Blues Band is a mix of electronic music and performance art consisting of the trio of Álfrún Örnólfsdóttir, Hrefna Lind Lárusdóttir, and Saga Sigurðardóttir. First getting together in art school, the PPBB has grown tired of playing…

  • Black Bear

    A filmmaker confronts her demons at a rural retreat in Black Bear. Alison (Aubrey Plaza) is a filmmaker suffering from writer’s block, who rents a room at an isolated cabin owned by Gabe (Christopher Abbott) and his pregnant girlfriend Blair (Sarah Gadon). While hoping to find inspiration for her next film, Alison gets to know her…

  • Another Round

    A group of friends perform an experiment about how consuming alcohol can be beneficial to their lives in Another Round. Martin (Mads Mikkelsen), Tommy (Thomas Bo Larsen), Peter (Lars Ranthe), and Nikolaj (Magnus Millang) are four teacher friends from Copenhagen. While out to dinner to celebrate Nikolaj’s 40th birthday, the group begins discussing the theories…

  • The King of Staten Island

    A basement-dwelling aspiring tattoo artist begins to take the first steps towards a meaningful life in The King of Staten Island. Scott Carlin (Pete Davidson) is a 24-year-old high school dropout, who lives in the basement of his mother Margie (Marisa Tomei) and has aspirations about being a tattoo artist. Life becomes complicated for Scott…

  • The Gentlemen

    Guy Ritchie returns with his first gangster film in over a decade with The Gentlemen. One day Raymond (Charlie Hunnam) is visited by private investigator Fletcher (Hugh Grant), who details his plans to blackmail Raymond’s boss Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey), an American immigrant, who has created a highly successful marijuana dealing operation in the UK. Mickey…

  • The Addams Family

    The creepy and kooky family return for a new animated adventure in The Addams Family. Following their wedding, Gomez (Oscar Isaac) and Morticia Addams (Charlize Theron) are forced by torch-wielding villagers out of the old country and have to find a new place to call home. Arriving in New Jersey, Gomez and Morticia take shelter…

  • The Art of Self-Defense

    A meek accountant joins an unorthodox karate dojo following a mugging in The Art of Self-Defense. Casey Davies (Jesse Eisenberg) is an accountant, who one night gets mugged and beaten by a group of bikers. Fearful about his safety, Casey signs up at a local karate dojo, run by a somewhat unorthodox Sensei (Alessandro Nivola)….

  • Ma

    A group of friends befriend a middle-aged black woman with sinister intentions in Ma. Maggie (Diana Silvers) is a teenager, who has moved to small town, where her mother Erica (Juliette Lewis) grew up. At school, Maggie quickly befriends Haley (McKaley Miller), Andy (Corey Fogelmanis), Chaz (Gianni Paolo), and Darrell (Dante Brown), who invite Maggie…

  • El Angel

    A Buenos Aires teenager becomes embroiled in a life of crime in El Angel. In 1971 Buenos Aires, Carlitos (Lorenzo Ferro) is an angelic looking teenager, who has always been stealing things. Carlitos’ life of crime begins to escalate when he befriends Ramon (Chino Darín), who is the son of career criminals. It is not long until Carlitos…

  • The Family

    The survivors of the most infamous cult in Australia speak about their experience in The Family. The Family was an apocalyptic sect in Australia formed by Anne Hamilton-Byrne in the late 1960s. The membership of the cult included a large number of children, who were both the offspring of members and acquired through adoption scams. The…

  • Tragedy Girls

    Two teenage BFFs take their obsession with serial killers to the next step in Tragedy Girls. Sadie Cunningham (Brianna Hildebrand) and McKayla Hooper (Alexandra Shipp) are two high school seniors, who post videos about local serial killings on their blog “Tragedy Girls.” However, it quickly turns out that Sadie and McKayla are just as sociopathic as the…

  • Chi-Raq

    A young woman fights for peace among the street gangs of Chicago in Chi-Raq. In the south side of Chicago, a violent gang war is in progress between the Spartans lead by Demetrius “Chi-raq” Dupree (Nick Cannon) and the Trojans lead by Sean “Cyclops” Andrews (Wesley Snipes), with tensions reaching their peak when the 11 year old…

  • Hostile

    Strange occurrences centre around two sisters in Hostile. Meredith Langston (Shelley Ward) has recently adopted sisters Emilie (Julie Venturelli) and Anna (Luna Belan). Shortly after moving into their new home, the three experience strange occurrences, which includes seeing a man around the house. Meredith calls in reporters Chloé (Anatolia Allieis) and Chris (Morgan Hec) to stay with…

  • Cutaway

    Last night saw the Toronto premiere of Cutaway, the new short film by Kazik Radwanski (Tower, Princess Margaret Blvd).  Cutaway is the story of a momentous development of a man’s life, told entirely through close-ups of his hands.  Those familiar with Radwanski’s previous films would know that he has the tendency of shooting quite close…

  • Tusk

    Kevin Smith makes a return to filmmaking with the twisted horror-comedy Tusk. Wallace Bryton (Justin Long) is the host of a podcast called “Not See Party,” where he and his friend Teddy Craft (Haley Joel Osment) ridicule weird individuals.  Wallace travels to Winnipeg to interview an internet celebrity, but is shocked to find out that…

  • The Hangover Part III

    It is the epic conclusion of the saga of the Wolfpack with The Hangover Part III.  After the death of his father, Alan (Zach Galifianakis) has fully gone off the deep end.  This results in Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), and Doug (Justin Bartha) staging an intervention and they prepare to drive Alan to…

  • Mr. Viral

    In a nutshell, the darkly humorous thriller Mr. Viral can be described as Mad Men meets Fight Club.  Taking place at a Toronto ad agency, the film follows three interconnected storylines.  In the film’s primary story, the agency’s former creative director Simon (Jefferson Brown) sets out to outdo his smarmy replacement Andy (Christian Lloyd) by…

  • Man on a Ledge

    Last week when it opened, Man on a Ledge was overshadowed by The Grey and barely registered in the top five with an opening gross of only $8M.  However, after finally getting around to seeing the film today (I chose it instead of Woman in Black, which I already saw or Chronicle, which I feared would make…

  • Death at a Funeral (2010)

    I should make clear that there was no reason to remake the Frank Oz-directed 2007 original other than the fact that it was British and had a limited release.  That said, the Chris Rock-starring remake ended up being not all that bad and I was pleasantly surprised by the film. For the most part the…

  • Burn After Reading

    A year after taking a break from the genre with No Country for Old Men, the Coen Brothers return to comedy with Burn After Reading. I have to say that this is probably the Coen Brothers funniest film since 2000’s O Brother, Where Art Thou, though some people might even look at far back to…

  • Fido

    A Canadian comedy about domesticated zombies. Who WOULDN’T want to check that out? Basically the film takes place after a zombie apocalypse where life supposedly reverted back to the way it was in 50s sitcoms and the zombies are controlled with restraining collars. The movie was quite cheesy, but because of the 50s sitcom feel,…