In spring 2018, I find myself applying to Carleton University’s one-year Post-Baccalaureate Diploma program in Film Studies. In case anyone is coming here in that context, I wanted to not have my review of The Wolfman be their initial introduction to this site. The format here is simple, with screening dates listed in every review […]
February 16, 2011: The Wolfman There’s absolutely no reason to watch The Wolfman other than to see the Oscar-winning makeup, and I don’t think it’s really anything we haven’t seen before. The Victorian-era story, a variation on the typical “werewolf terrorizes small town” idea which brings family connections into the fold, is kind of a […]
February 14, 2011: Another Year I had figured, based on the title and the fact that this film was written and directed by Mike Leigh, that someone in the movie was going to be given just one more year to live. As it turns out, Another Year instead takes the attitude that life goes on […]
February 13, 2011: The Tempest The Tempest is one of those Oscar nominees which comes out of left field because it catches the eye of the professionals in one particular filmmaking craft, and they are able to disregard the abysmal quality of the overall movie because they are so taken by one aspect of it, […]
February 13, 2011: The Illusionist (2010) I saw The Triplets of Belleville (2003) when it came out, and its charming story and rambling animation style immediately won fans, including myself. The Illusionist is the latest from the team which brought us that delightful earlier effort. However, I found The Illusionist to be a relentlessly downbeat […]
February 12, 2011: Restrepo Restrepo, nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar, is about a US platoon in Afghanistan and the effort they expend to capture and retain a particular hill deep within the enemy territory in that country. I can’t tell what point the film is trying to make, but the one it makes […]
February 10, 2011: The Kids are All Right The Kids are All Right seemed to capture the mood of a lot of people and the state of society last year, with its raw and emotional portrayal of a middle-aged lesbian couple dealing with their kids growing up, and it absolutely is a big step forward […]
February 9, 2011: Incendies Canada’s Oscar-nominated entry for Best Foreign Language Film is a gripping and heartbreaking story of a woman’s children forced to come to terms with her past, after she is gone. Incendies is nicely structured, keeps its audience guessing, and delivers a devastating revelation at the end. I found it to be […]
February 8, 2011: How to Train Your Dragon How to Train Your Dragon is an animated film about a remote Viking community hundreds of years ago, plagued by constant dragon attacks. For generations, youngsters have been trained as warriors, to kill dragons in battle. One meek and gentle kid, whose father happens to be one […]
February 8, 2011: The Dilemma Oscar season this year coincided with cereal-box movie passes, and I’m not one to turn down cheap or essentially “free” first-run movies (I eat the cereal), even if I am in the middle of a desperate campaign to see the 40-odd Oscar nominated films. Being generally a fan of Vince […]