The Whale

The Whale

A morbidly obese man tries to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter in The Whale. Charlie (Brendan Fraser) is a homosexual English professor who ballooned in weight after the tragic death of his partner. After having a near-fatal heart attack, Charlie is told by his nurse and friend Liz (Hong Chau) that he will die…

Women Talking

Women Talking – TIFF 2022

The women of an isolated religious community meet to decide their future in Women Talking. When multiple accounts of sexual abuse are uncovered within their Mennonite colony, a group of women, including Ona (Rooney Mara), Salome (Claire Foy), Mariche (Jessie Buckley), Scarface Janz (Frances McDormand), Agata (Judith Ivey), and Greta (Sheila McCarthy) meet in a…

as-in-heaven

As In Heaven – TIFF21

A young woman’s faith is challenged over the course of a tragic night in As In Heaven. Lise (Flora Ofelia Hofmann Lindahl) is the oldest child living on a 19th-century farm, who is preparing to go away to school, a choice supported by Lise’s mother Anna (Ida Cæcilie Rasmussen), but not so much by her absentee…

Hail Satan?

Hail Satan?

Disclaimer: This is an objective review of the 2019 documentary, directed by Penny Lane. Personally, Sean Kelly does not support or endorse Satanism or The Satanic Temple. The Satanic Temple campaigns for the recognition of religious plurality in the United States in Hail Satan?. Following in the footsteps of Anton Szandor LaVey’s original Church of…

First Reformed

First Reformed

A country priest has a crisis of faith in First Reformed. Reverend Toller (Ethan Hawke) is the pastor of the First Reformed parish, a historic yet poorly attended Dutch Reform church. Toller is approached by Mary (Amanda Seyfried), a pregnant parishioner, who asks Toller to talk to her husband, an environmentalist, whose despair about the environment…

First Reformed

First Reformed

A country priest has a crisis of faith in First Reformed. Reverend Toller (Ethan Hawke) is the pastor of the First Reformed parish, a historic yet poorly attended Dutch Reform church. Toller is approached by Mary (Amanda Seyfried), a pregnant parishioner, who asks Toller to talk to her husband, an environmentalist, whose despair about the…

Z for Zachariah

Z for Zachariah

A farmer who has survived the apocalypse gets into a love triangle with two fellow survivors in Z for Zachariah. Ann Burden (Margot Robbie) is the apparent sole survivor of a nuclear apocalypse, with the valley housing her family farm being sheltered from the radiation of the outside world. One day, Ann comes across another survivor…

David & Me

David & Me

Ray Klonsky is a Jewish-Italian man from a racially mixed neighbourhood in Toronto.  When Ray’s father started to notice he was starting to go down a troubled path, Ray was connected with David McCallum, who is currently serving a life sentence in prison, for a murder that he did not commit.  With David’s story inspiring…

Noah

Noah

From director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) comes this epic, based on the biblical story of Noah‘s Ark. Noah (Russell Crowe) is a descendant of Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve, who lives a simple life with his family, while the descendants of Cain, lead by Tubal-Cain (Ray Winstone) sends the world into ruin. …

The Story of Film: An Odyssey

The Story of Film: An Odyssey

It was definitely one hell of a ride.  Over the last two months, I ventured out to watch each instalment of this epic 15 hour documentary.  It’s definitely not an easy undertaking, especially since the first episodes, from way back in late September, now seem like a distant memory, compared to the final episodes I…