Steven Soderbergh makes any subject or genre interesting. More so than most he can find unusual hooks into stories that most filmmakers wouldn’t be able to transform into compelling cinema. His latest is derived from a novel based on the Panama Papers scandal. Taking cues from “The Big Short,” Soderberg uses actors from his previous […]
Screenings were packed for “The Goldfinch,” at the Toronto Film Festival, despite negative reviews. John Crowley (“Brooklyn“) seems to be the right director choice for this film. “Goldfinch” doesn’t have “Brooklyn‘s” magic though. With so much content and plot to cover even over two hours of running-time is not enough time. “The Goldfinch” suffers most
Sometimes when you take a chance on a movie you’re mildly curious about, it pays off, other times, not so much. One of those this year was JT Leroy, a wild but true story from the early 2000s. In a way, this film is like a female counterpart to last year’s The Disaster Artist and the ridiculousness
Part of the 2017 Toronto Film Festival “New Wave” series, Oscar winning actress Brie Larson made her directorial debut with “Unicorn Store”. A welcome surprise and a more impressive actor-turned-director film than Andy Serkis’ “Breathe” which also debuted at the festival that year. Yet no distributor would buy the film, even with an Oscar winner
You might not expect to see the most suspenseful movie of the year at the Toronto International Film Festival, but Hotel Mumbai is just that film. To make things more impressive it’s from first time feature film director Anthony Maras. Hotel Mumbai encapsulates the citywide terror attacks that occurred in Mumbai, India in 2008. It’s
Of the myriad of films I have viewed in my years attending the Toronto Film Festival, “Out of Blue” is by far the worst. It goes beyond bad acting, an uneven screenplay and a low-quality production. Director Carol Morley has essentially transformed a low budget television episode into a disproportional murder mystery. Honestly, I’ve seen
Finally, we are starting to see the LGBTQ genre splintering away from the usual controversial gay relationship dramas and tragedies. Giant Little Ones by Keith Behrman explores gender issues regarding same-sex experimentation among teens and young adults. In life and on film, society reacts differently to sexual intimacy between two females than it does when the intimacy is between
Irish director Neil Jordan is a bit unpredictable when you sit down for his films. “The End of the Affair” was unpredictably sexual, “The Brave One” outrageously violent and suspenseful, even his vampire flick “Byzantium” gave the genre a completely different perspective. His latest thriller “Greta” makes very good use of Isabelle Huppert, recently Oscar
“Vox Lux” is a perplexing experience from Actor turned director Brady Corbett (“Escobar: Paradise Lost”). A horrific school shooting sets the tone for what we are about to see, though that tone shifts in succeeding chapters. Even though the shooting is supposed to be a major theme, Corbett’s script tries to showcase its effect on one individual,
It’s only Alfonso Cuaron’s eighth feature film, but the Oscar-winning director of Gravity says he wanted to make Roma for years. It’s already being hailed a masterpiece and a major awards player. Also, it is the only film this season to land at all three major film festivals (Telluride, Venice & Toronto). I was skeptical of a black and