Tag: Film

By Stephanie Shewchuk

Mardis Gras is the Catholic celebration preceding Lent and links revellers from all across the world. What once began as a period of abandon foreshadowing 40 days of penance has swiftly transformed into a nondenominational cause for debauchery. Even though many other countries partake in the holiday, New Orleans is the most notorious for its… Continue reading Film Review: WhenMoviesMatter – Mardi Gras

By Ben Hoffman

It’s not hard to find somebody to mutter disdain towards the United Nations in the years since the World Trade Center attacks. It has been brought into question time and time again whether the organization is as irrelevant as its post World War I sister, the League of Nations, became before the Second World War.… Continue reading Film Review: WhenMoviesMatter – The Peacekeepers

By Alan Cho

Forget the paper-thin story, generic direction and a cast with the collective acting prowess of Tara Reid’s left boob–for 10 minutes Doom is glorious. Rumours and the trailer only hint at the sublimity of the exact moment you paid to see when the first person perspective becomes the most transcendent moment in cinema today. Not… Continue reading Film Review: Believe it or not, Doom is dumb

By Peter Hemminger

Rize, the new documentary by Vanity Fair photographer David LaChapelle, has all the elements you would expect from a depiction of life in South Central Los Angeles. The opening features footage from race riots in both the ’60s and the ’90s. The film’s vivid colours begin to show hyper-kinetic dancing backed by an overbearing hip-hop… Continue reading Film Review: Urban clown dancing gets a Rize

By Garth Paulson

Thumbsucker was one of the most eagerly anticipated entries at this year’s Film Fest, evidenced by the massive lines and throngs of people turned away at both of its screenings. Thanks to the buzz it will also go down as one the most disappointing. The film isn’t bad, it’s just entirely average. Boosted by clever… Continue reading Film Fest: Thumbsucker

By Sherri Shergill

Ground breaking, rebellious and defiant aren’t usually Canadian descriptors. Despite this, the documentary Escape to Canada displays Canada as a revolutionary country in conflict with the USA. It’s as if the documentary is committed to exposing Canada’s secret scheme to be different and consequently superior to America.This highly biased documentary pokes fun at the irrationality… Continue reading Film Fest: Escape to Canada

By Peter Hemminger

Fox TV’s treatment of Firefly never made much sense to the few fans it found during its run. The series, created by Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel mastermind Joss Whedon, was the type of show a network would have to go out of their way to screw up. Sadly, Fox did. Episodes were regularly… Continue reading Film Review: Serenity now! Serenity now!

By Garth Paulson

Few things are cooler than the ocean. Explorers, horror-fans and visual junkies alike need look no further than our tumultuous seas for their respective fixes. Deep Blue attempts to capture every reason the ocean fascinates us and manages to succeed at nearly every turn. Narrated by Pierce Brosnan, the film brings Hollywood blockbuster-style cinema- tography… Continue reading Film Fest: Deep Blue

By Kenzie Love

What’s your name, boy?” a stern faced work-house supervisor inquires of a charge near the beginning of Roman Polanski’s Oliver Twist. Because he is slow in responding the boy is thought a fool, though he can be forgiven for his confusion. Past versions of the classic tale have shortened his name to Oliver! in the… Continue reading Film Review: Twist needs a twist

By Peter Hemminger

Undead is an over-the-top, ridiculously silly, very Australian horror-sci-fi-comedy hybrid well aware of its audience and how to cater to it. Written, produced, edited and directed with oodles of style and confidence by brothers Michael and Peter Spierig, it’s a kindred spirit of Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive, all extraneous gore and nonsensically badass characters. Characters… Continue reading Film Fest: Undead