Two cousins go on a tour of Holocaust sites in Poland in A Real Pain. David Kaplan (Jesse Eisenberg) has taken some time off his busy work and family life to join his cousin Benji (Kieran Culkin) on a tour of Poland in memory of their recently deceased grandmother. The two join a tour group …
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The story of the Von Erich family of professional wrestling is told in The Iron Claw. Kevin (Zac Efron), Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), David (Harris Dickinson), and Mike (Stanley Simons) are the sons of legendary Texa wrestler-turned-promotor Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany). Kevin wrestles for his father’s World Class Championship Wrestling promotion, where he is …
A German author is indicted for the death of her husband in Anatomy of a Fall. Sandra Voyter (Sandra Hüller) is a successful German-born novelist living with her husband Samuel Maleski (Samuel Theis) and their visually impaired son Daniel (Milo Machado Graner) at an isolated chalet in the French Alps. One day, Daniel comes home …
A team of French miners uncover an ancient evil in a hidden tomb in The Deep Dark. Roland Neville (Samuel Le Bihan) is the leader of a team of coal miners in 1956 France, which includes Louis (Thomas Solivérès), Miguel (Diego Martín), Polo (Marc Riso), Santini (Bruno Sanches), and Morocon newcomer Amir (Amir El Kacem). …
A teenage boy is guided by a grey heron to search for his missing stepmother in The Boy and the Heron. After previously losing his mother to a fire, Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki) travels to the countryside with his father Shoichi (Takuya Kimura) to live with Shoichi’s pregnant fiance Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura). Mahito encounters a …
A recently orphaned teenager creates a replacement family consisting of recently deceased corpses in The Loneliest Boy in the World. Oliver (Max Harwood) grew up under the incredibly sheltered care of his mother (Carol Anne Watts), who died in a freak accident the previous year. While psychiatrist Julius (Evan Ross) wants to commit Oliver to …
An elite soldier tries to save his family during the start of the zombie apocalypse in Day Zero. Emon (Brandon Vera) is a former special forces soldier who has spent the last eight years in prison and is desperate to reunite with his wife Sheryl (Mary Jean Lastimosa) and deaf daughter Jane (Freya Fury Montierro). …
Joel Coen goes solo with this stylized adaptation of the play by William Shakespeare with The Tragedy of Macbeth. Following a victory on the battlefield, Thane of Glamis Macbeth (Denzel Washington) and his cohort Banquo (Bertie Carvel) are greeted by Three Witches (Kathryn Hunter), who tell Macbeth that he will be the next King of …
An indigenous community is tormented by a vengeful spirit in Don’t Say Its Name. Peace officer Mary Stonechild (Madison Walsh) is called in after local activist Kharis Redwater (Sheena Kaine) is killed in a hit and run, which absolutely devastates her mother Mary Lynn (Carla Fox). Shortly afterwards, a number of people begin turning up …
An indigenous community is tormented by a vengeful spirit in Don’t Say Its Name. Peace officer Mary Stonechild (Madison Walsh) is called in after local activist Kharis Redwater (Sheena Kaine) is killed in a hit and run, which absolutely devastates her mother Mary Lynn (Carla Fox). Shortly afterwards, a number of people begin turning up …
The rise and fall of WeWork CEO Adam Neumann is recounted in WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn. When it was founded in 2010, Adam Neumann described his shared workspace company WeWork as the world’s first “physical social network.” Preferring to call themselves a technology company over real estate, the estimated …
A group of friends Zoom conversation is disrupted by a demonic entity in Host. Haley (Haley), Jemma (Jemma Moore), Emma (Emma Louise Webb), Radina (Radina Drandova), Caroline (Caroline Ward), and Teddy (Edward Linard) are six friends under lockdown, who have gathered for their weekly Zoom conversation. On this particular Zoom meeting, the friends have decided …
A small-time criminal receives help from his father after a botched drug deal in Hammer. Desperate for money, Chris Davis (Mark O’Brien) arranges a high-price drug deal with Adams (Ben Cotton) and his girlfriend Lori (Dayle McLeod). However, an attempt by Chris to doublecross Adams goes sour and Lori ends up being shot, while Chris …
A college student is forced to become a confidential informant for law enforcement in The Dakota Entrapment Tapes. In May 2014, 20-year-old college student Andrew Sadek is reported missing and is found dead two months later. In the ensuing investigation, it is discovered that Andrew found himself in the middle of an aggressive war of …
Neil Marshall reboots the adventures of the monster hunting hellspawn in Hellboy. Hellboy (David Harbour) is a hellspawn raised by Trevor Bruttenholm (Ian McShane) of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. While on assignment in England, Hellboy comes across a plan by the pig-like fairy Gruagach (Stephen Graham) to resurrect The Blood Queen Nimue …
A woman spends Halloween night with her PTSD-suffering husband in Hurt. It is Halloween night in the small town of New Caney, Texas and Rose (Emily Van Raay) is reunited with her husband Tommy (Andrew Creer), who has just returned from the war. After spending some time with Rose’s sister Lily (Stephanie Moran) and her husband Mark …
Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds organizes a music festival in support of LGBTs in the Morman community in Believer. Raised as part of the Morman church, Dan Reynolds begins to have a major crisis of faith involving the church’s strict stance against gay rights, which has contributed to an pandemic of suicides by LGBT youth …
An oil tycoon refuses to pay the ransom for his kidnapped grandson in All the Money in the World. John Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer) is an incredibly successful oil tycoon, who made billions drilling and shipping oil from the Saudi desert. In 1973, Getty’s 16 year old grandson John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) is kidnapped …
A Mexican boy finds himself lost in the land of the dead in Disney and Pixar’s Coco. In the Mexican village of Santa Cecilia, 12 year old Miguel Rivera (Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of being a musician like his idol Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt), however music is banned by Miguel’s family of shoemakers. Wanting to perform in …
Thor tries to save Asgard from the Goddess of Death in Thor: Ragnarok. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) returns to Asgard after he has repeated nightmares about the prophesied apocalyptic event of Ragnarök. In his absence, Thor’s brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) has ruled in the guise of their father Odin (Anthony Hopkins), a consequence of which is the …
Oil painted visuals tells the story of the life and death of Vincent van Gogh in Loving Vincent. One year after the suicide of Vincent van Gogh (Robert Gulaczyk), Armand Roulin (Douglas Booth) is asked by his postmaster father Joseph (Chris O’Dowd) to deliver an undelivered letter from Vincent to his brother Theo. After finding out that …
Two artists film the events that lead up to the end of their relationship in Flames. Josephine Decker and Zefrey Throwell are New York based multidisciplinary, who are passionately in love with each other. On a whim, they decide to take a spontaneous trip with each other, which marks the beginning of the end for their love …
Ghosts, spirits, creatures, demons and more collide in the found footage anthology The Dark Tapes. Two people enter into a studio to find it trashed, along with a video camera, which they begin watching. In To Catch a Demon. Martin (David Rountree) and his assistant Nicole (Cortney Palm) try to capture the entities that supposedly …
A man is given guardianship of his nephew following the death of his brother in Manchester by the Sea. Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is a Boston caretaker, who returns home to the coastal town of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts after the sudden death of his brother Joe (Kyle Chandler). Lee soon finds out that Joe made Lee the legal …
A down on his luck cult deprogrammer tries to save a young woman in Faults. Ansel Roth (Leland Orser) was once one of the top debunkers of cult mind control techniques, however his personal failures has made his life into a wreck. With his latest book a flop, Ansel finds himself greatly in debt to his …
The hunger strike of Irish Republican Bobby Sands is recounted in Bobby Sands: 66 Days. By 1981, the troubles in Northern Ireland have been going on for more than two decades. Imprisoned IRA members, such as Bobby Sands, demanded to be considered political prisoners, rather than common criminals. Inspired by ancient Gaelic laws, Sands and …
This review was originally published as part of my coverage of TIFF15 A trio of teenage boys come of age one summer in an Ontario cottage community in Sleeping Giant. Adam (Jackson Martin) is a 15 year old boy spending his summer in a sleepy cottage community. Adam is friends with Riley (Reece Moffett), though he also has …
Warning: Those wanting to avoid specific plot details are best advised NOT to proceed further. The Star Wars saga continues with Episode VII The Force Awakens. It has been 30 years since the defeat of the Galactic Empire. Out of its ashes arisen the First Order headed by Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis), who commands dark Force user Kylo Ren …
A trio of teenage boys come of age one summer in an Ontario cottage community in Sleeping Giant. Adam (Jackson Martin) is a 15 year old boy spending his summer in a sleepy cottage community. Adam is friends with Riley (Reece Moffett), though he also has to hang out with Riley’s foul-mouthed and rude cousin Nate (Nick Serino). …
A father and daughter bond while participating in a race across Norway in Børning. Roy (Anders Baasmo Christiansen) is a racer and mechanic, who doesn’t the closest of relationships with his 12 year old daughter Nina (Ida Husøy). After losing a big race, Roy is taunted by his rival TT (Trond Halbo), which results in a challenge …
An amateur filmmaker develops a connection with a girl with cancer in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. Greg (Thomas Mann) is a high school senior, who is barely visible to the various cliques at his school, while spending much of his free time making parodies of classic movies with his “co-worker” Earl (RJ …
An old VHS tape becomes a conduit for memories in the experimental essay film Stand by for Tape Back-up. Inspired by the synchronicity that comes from watching The Wizard of Oz, while listening to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, Ross Sutherland pulls out an old VHS cassette that he shared with his grandfather. …
From Japanese auteur Takashi Miike (13 Assassins) comes this multi-reality ghost story. A theatre troupe are in rehearsals for a production of the 200 year old play Yotsuya Kaidan. The play is a story of betrayal and revenge, centring on a samurai named Tamiya Iemon and his spurred lover Oiwa. As rehearsals of the play …
The dragon-riding Vikings return in Dreamworks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon 2. It has been five years since the village of Berk have made peace with the dragons that roam the land. Having come of age, Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) has been asked by his father, Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), to succeed him as …
Alexander is a teenage boy with autism, who has just finished school and is preparing to head out to live on his own. Following his 18th birthday, Alexander goes on a trip to Barcelona with his older brother Sebastian. As they head off to attend a game by FC Barcelona, the two brothers bond, as …
All over the world, people call telephone hotlines for a wide variety of reasons. Some people may be looking for support, through LGBT or suicide-prevention lines. Others may be looking for advice from psychics like Miss Cleo or be looking for phone sex. However, most times, people are just looking for someone to talk to. …
Indie Spotlight is a series focusing on reviews of independent films The following review might contain SPOILERS. The British horror thriller In Fear focuses on Tom (Iain De Caestecker) and Lucy (Alice Englert), a young couple on their way to a festival. After stopping off at a pub, during which Tom has some sort of …
There are probably not many topics that are more taboo and controversial than abortion. The arguments for and against terminating pregnancies are so strong, that it is nearly impossible to come to an agreement that would satisfy all parties. Even more controversial are doctors who perform abortions in the third trimester, since this is the …
I am a huge dog lover and my family’s two dogs provide me with a constant source of happiness. Even though it’s inevitable, I try not to think about the fact that these pets are not going to live forever and will likely die much sooner than any human I’m close to. Furever examines they …
Last night, I attended a special screening of Takashi Miike’s adaptation of the popular Capcom video game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (you can read my overview of the games over on my Tumblr blog). The film has been described as the best video game adaption ever and I have to be compelled to agree with …
The second film I saw at Canada’s Top Ten also happened to be the film that won Best Canadian Film at the last film festival. Edwin Boyd is a film that tells the story of the notorious Canadian bank robber of the same name. The film tells how Edwin Boyd (played by Scott Speedman) got into …
Director Terrence Malick has generally been well known for quality over quantity with his films. The Tree of Life is only Malick’s fifth film in a nearly forty year career. The only previous film of Malick’s that I saw was 1998’s The Thin Line, which has a few stylistic similarities to this film (most notable the …