TIFF

Jockey

Jockey is less about horse racing—although the sport is seen through windows of the plot—as about human relationships and their uncertainties from different perspectives.  The first window we see about being a jockey is the toll it takes on the body.  Jackson (Collins) and his mates in something of a group therapy session recount all the ways they […]

Jockey Read More »

Sundown

Filmmaker Michel Franco’s latest film “Sundown” didn’t make much of a splash at Toronto last year — in fact, I don’t think it was included in my extensive coverage of the film festival. That’s too bad, because “Sundown” was a particularly shocking surprise, especially with its effective 83-minute running time. Franco has been a steady

Sundown Read More »

Ema

Filmmaker Pablo Larraín has garnered a reputation for his particular use of style as seen in Oscar-nominated films “Jackie“ and “A Fantastic Woman.” His prolific nature, releasing on average two movies a year, combined with such an idiosyncratic vision doesn’t always prove a revelation. Case and point, earlier this year his English remake of “Gloria

Ema Read More »

Blackbird

My continued complaint with filmmakers is they don’t watch enough other films. “Blackbird” might have been an award-worthy, groundbreaking new take on the terminally ill/assisted suicide moral dilemma if a handful of other films on the same subject hadn’t gotten their first. Roger Michell (“Notting Hill,” “My Cousin Rachel“) isn’t known for originality, in fact,

Blackbird Read More »

The Personal History of David Copperfield

There are few movies that can land a genuine smile on your face. I’m talking pure unfiltered joy coming from the creativity beaming on screen, something we need now even more than when I first reviewed this film back in Toronto last fall. “The Personal History of David Copperfield” manages to do that more than

The Personal History of David Copperfield Read More »

Hope Gap

Another film that came and went from at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival that is finding its way to a wider audience thanks to the pandemic is “Hope Gap”. Based on writer/director William Nicholson’s own experience (and adapted from his play), watching his parents go through a divorce late in life. “Hope Gap” is

Hope Gap Read More »

Tammy’s Always Dying

Pink Power Ranger turned filmmaker, Amy Jo Johnson makes her feature film directorial debut with Canadian production “Tammy’s Always Dying”. The sarcastic, comedic drama stars Academy Award nominee Felicity Huffman who was occupied with legal proceedings and jail time when the movie premiered at The Toronto International Film Festival. Huffman who is the film’s marquee

Tammy’s Always Dying Read More »

Scroll to Top