Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2017. Go to TIFF 2017 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.
Director:
Writers:
John Pollono (screenplay), Jeff Bauman (based on the book “Stronger” by)
Stars:
Jake Gyllenhaal, Tatiana Maslany, Miranda Richardson
STRONGER looks at the Boston marathon from the point of view of a victim. And a really bad victim at that – one that has lost both his legs in the middle of the bomb explosion.
To the film’s credit, the film is an adaptation of the memoir by Jeff Bauman, recounting his struggles to adjust after losing his legs in the Boston Marathon bombing. So, it is a true story, rather than one base on true events. But unfortunately the film wallows in self pity.
The film tells the true story of tragedy and rebirth. Runner Erin Hurley (Tatiana Maslany) was still a mile away from the finish line when the bombs went off. Her boyfriend, Jeff Bauman (Jake Gyllenhaal), however, was right there. He is rushed into surgery, but his legs must be amputated. The bombing’s immediate aftermath provides Jeff with an unexpected sense of purpose as he had seen one of the terrorists responsible for the blasts.
Jake Gyllenhaal, Tatiana Malsany and Miranda Richardson (as Jeff;s mother) deliver excellent performances despite the film’s flaws. If the film turned out better, they night have been up for acting Oscars. One can only wish the film would have been a better one instead of one wallowing is self pity.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6MN0QfQx7I
TIFF 2017 Movie Review: THE CHILDREN ACT (UK 2017) ****
Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2017. Go to TIFF 2017 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.
Director:
Writer:
Stars:
Fionn Whitehead, Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci
THE CHILDREN ACT, based on the Booker prize winning novel by Ian McEwan and adapted by him, is a part courtroom drama part marriage crisis involving a London high court Judge, a super-efficient no-nonsense Fiona Maye (Twice Oscar Winner Emma Thompson).
As her marriage founders, she is taking on the ruling of a case involving a Jehovah Witness boy, Adam Henry (Fionn Whitehead). He is in hospital, and in need of a blood transfusion, which he refuses on religious grounds. His parents (Ben Chaplin and Eileen Walsh) feel the same.
Her ruling of the case will not be revealed in this review (for the sake of spoiling a key plot point) but it is safe to say that Maye makes an exception to the rule by making a personal visit to the hospital to speak to Adam before ruling on the case. THE CHILDREN ACT questions the audience’s stand on the morality issue, but not so much as the drama of the film.
The film also ends, quite brilliantly with an open instead of a closed ending as in the book Regardless, THE CHILDREN ACT is a meticulously crafted film, extreme well acted and written.
Trailer: (unavailable at time of writing)
TIFF 2017 Movie Review: THE RITUAL (UK 2017) ***
Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2017. Go to TIFF 2017 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.
Director:
Writers:
Joe Barton, Adam Nevill (novel)
Stars:
Rafe Spall, Robert James-Collier, Arsher Ali |
THE RITUAL is supposed to be a psychological thriller. Brucker who directed the film from a script co-written by him and by Joe Barton based on the novel by Adam Nevill knows how to bring on the scares and audience anticipation.
It all begins with a group of friends planning a holiday as a reunion get-together. Hence no wives or girlfriend and no romantic distractions. Lots of male talk, and fortunately no sexist jokes are included. Vegas? They eventually settle on hiking in the North of Sweden. Why? It is hard to rationalize what men do.
THE RITUAL actually works quite well during the first half. Director Bruckner puts good use of the forest to invoke the biggest scares. It is the fear of the unknown that terrifies. And there are a lot of unknowns in the film. It is only when the film starts explaining why each incident has occurred that the film begins getting into trouble.
Lots of gore, coming when least expected, good genuine scares (what THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT could have been), good monster special effects and excellent use of location (the Swede woods). Forget about the logic of the plot and Midnight madness fans should be satisfied!
But I would doubt if the fairer sex would like this film.
TIFF 2017 Movie Review: THE SWAN (SVANURRIN) (ICELAND 2017) ***
Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2017. Go to TIFF 2017 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.
Director:
Asa Hjorleifsdottir (as Ása Helga Hjörleifsdótirr)
Writers:
Guðbergur Bergsson (novel), Asa Hjorleifsdottir (as Ása Helga Hjörleifsdótirr)
Stars:
Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, Thor Kristjansson,Katla M. Þorgeirsdóttir
Poor nine-year old Sól (Grima Valsdóttir). She is not having it too good. Sol is sent to live with her aunt in rural Iceland as a punishment for shoplifting and her parents are splitting.
She does not like it at the farm, as in her own words, the place is old and smells weird. Adapted from Guðbergur Bergsson’s celebrated novel, Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir’s film is told from Sol’s point of view.
She is also told by the aunt’s daughter, Asta that there is a swan by the lake in the mountains that will lead people to drown. She also meets a local farmhand.
THE SWAN is a coming-of-age stry of Sol who discovers the more complicated life of adults. A slow moving film that allows the audience to feel with young Sol and to experience the slow but no less dramatic lifestyle at the farm.
THE SWAN is a portion of Sol’s coming-of-age, reflected in the maturity of Iceland.
TIFF 2017 Movie Review: MOTORRAD (Brazil 2017) ***
Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2017. Go to TIFF 2017 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.
Writers:
Stars:
Carla Salle, Pablo Sanábio, Guilherme Prates
MOTORRAD begins with Hugo (Guilherme Prates) breaking into a junkyard to steal a bike motor. The old man in charge of the yard catches him but Hugo is saved by a beautiful girl from being shot.
The film changes course with Hugo going on a ride across an isolated region of Brazil with his brother’s bike friends. Hugo meets the girl who takes them on an isolated path. The film changes course once ore at the film’s half hour mark turning it into a chainsaw massacre like film when they find themselves being hunted by a machete-wielding band of motorcyclists intent on killing them all.
Though the film sounds silly, it is well shot, especially the underwater sequence with excellent sound and stereo effects.
Director Amorim does well in combing fun and terror in this otherwise weird and enjoyable romp of male chauvinism.
Movie Review: DISNEY CARTOON CAMERA (USA, Documentary)
Played at the August 2017 DOCUMENTARY Short Film Festival
by Kierston Drier
A fascinating look at the history of cartoon cinema, from the early 20th century to present, Disney Cartoon Camera breaks down the cartoons through the technical lenses- literally and metaphorically.
Following respected and often renown Disney animators, archivists and technicians, this 30 minute short doc takes us step by step through the detailed and highly nuanced breakdown of creating lush and realistic art. From Snow White to Chicken Little we see the elaborate and innovative technology that makes it all possible. Bright, colorful, nostalgic and beyond fascinating, there is something for everyone in this cartoon-classic doc.
Disney Cartoon Camera takes on a far more educational tone that a more story-driven or character-driven doc, but it is nevertheless engaging and captivating. For the movie buff, the young-at-heart or even the cartoon geek, this is a film to watch, savor, learn and enjoy.
| DISNEY CARTOON CAMERA, 23min, USA, Documentary Directed by David BosserDisney Cartoon Camera, hosted by acclaimed historian Leonard Maltin, tracks the history of animation cinematography – from the origins of crude “down shooters” to the first multi-plane camera fashioned out of old car parts, to the latest digital camera capture systems – through the eyes of the camera operators and technicians. CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film! |
Movie Review: MY NAME IS JOAN (USA, Documentary)
Played at the August 2017 DOCUMENTARY Short Film Festival
by Kierston Drier
My Name is Joan, packs an exceptional emotional punch. Poignant, compassionate and full of intrigue, it follows a story that is nothing short of scandalous, involving the mother-and-baby homes of the 1920-1980’s in Ireland. We follow Susan Drew, born Joan Fagan to an unwed mother in Dublin and adopted under mysterious circumstance, as she recounts her story of discovering her past. As Susan revels her own history- and that of her mother who lost her daughter in a mother-and-baby home to an overseas adoption, we also uncover the history of illicit adoptions performed through the Catholic church in a time when unwed mothers faced extreme persecution.
Untold numbers of women gave birth out of wedlock after the second world war. While the Irish government looked away, those women were sent to Church-run mother-and-baby homes, where they were promised totally anonymity and safety to deliver their babies. What they were not told was that they would be subjected to difficult conditions, poor treatment, neglect and that their children could be taken from them and adopted out- with very little they could do about it.
Susan would have been one more unnamed child lost in a sea of murky documentation. That is, if it hadn’t been for one nun who saved and scanned the paperwork of every child she saw under her care- Susan being one of them.
My Name Is Joan is an incredible documentary. Susan’s journey being the primary tale, the story still branches out, spider-web like, into the larger scandal. With jaw-dropping statistics and frightening conclusions to be drawn from them, it is incredible that such an event can take place, seemingly under the nose of a country. My Name Is Joan is one woman’s story of finding her past, and changing her future. It is also a story of a nation whose women and children were under siege. A gripping, emotionally ambitious and incredibly moving film.
MY NAME IS JOAN, 30min, USA, Documentary
Directed by Margaret Costa
Tells the story of Susan Drew, a woman who was born Joan Fagan to an unwed mother in the St. Patrick Mother and Baby Home in Dublin, Ireland in 1949. While the documentary chronicles Susan’s journey to find her true identity, it also highlights the illegal exporting of children by the Catholic Church to families in other countries for profit while the Irish Government looked the other way.
CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!
Movie Review: THE MARCH SWEATER – PART 1: THE CARETAKERS (Canada, LGBT, Documentary)
Played at the August 2017 DOCUMENTARY Short Film Festival
by Kierston Drier
This special part 1 of March Sweater, follows two seniors, Peter and Vincent, who shared their lives together as a married couple, and become caregivers to Peter’s 95-year-old mother. A fascinating peer into at a community from an often-overlooked angle, Peter and Vincent talk about their lives together and the various lessons they learn through loving each other.
From their meeting, to their courtship and through to their marriage of cohabitation, they address the major areas of their world- compromise and sacrifice, but also the love that makes it so very worth it. “I don’t want to think about life without Vincent,” a notable line from Peter that seems to distill the depth of their feelings. For anyone who has ever loved another person, they are, as a couple, instantly relatable.
This film sparkles. Peter and Vincent are easy to love. Peter’s laugh is infectious and warm and Vincent’s’ kindness and compassion are clear in every word. The March Sweater, PART 1 is a testament to true love ability to transcend any obstacle, culture, society, age. They are proof for any skeptic- love always wins.
| THE MARCH SWEATER – PART 1: THE CARETAKERS, 8min, Canada, LGBT, Documentary Directed by Cory AshworthLGBTQ2+ seniors speaking of life, love and the wisdom that comes with growing older. CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film! |
Movie Review: WALLY (USA, LGBT, Documentary)
Played at the August 2017 DOCUMENTARY Short Film Festival
by Kierston Drier
This bright, fresh and endearing short directed by Andy Galloway, follows the life and memories of Wally Linebarger- a renowned and beloved art teacher at a religious school who was let go because of his sexuality in the early 1990s. The story follows, not only Wally (as he discusses who he is and what lead him to his decision to come out) but also his three daughters and the effect the issue had on them.
Wally will captivate you from the first frame with his emotional openness, his humor, his charm and his endearing view of the world. One of the most effective parts of this documentary, however, is the accompaniment of his children. The documentary would stand on its own without them, but with them it truly raises above and beyond. Wally’s three daughters add a complex and resonant angle to a controversial and heartbreaking matter- that their loving and devoted father was let go from his job, and isolated from a community simply because of who he was. The lasting repercussions of that, in turn, affected them. Their points of view, and their varying experiences, added a critical layer of depth. The film is richer and more poignant for their appearances, confessions, anecdotes and honesty.
It is a hard thing to dig through layers of memory, especially when little paperwork or documentation exists. But in the case of Wally, it is done, and with spectacular effectiveness. An engaging story and one worth sharing, Wally is a excellent film.
WALLY, 24min, USA, LGBT, Documentary
Directed by Andy Galloway
Wally Linebarger: a man cught in the turbulence of truth. Plagued by a past that longs to define him and a future that remains unsure, Wally presses forward. Despite a life of gain and loss, three lights continue to guide him.
CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!
Movie Review: UNTIL DEATH DO US PART, (USA, LGBT, Documentary)
Played at the August 2017 DOCUMENTARY Short Film Festival
by Kierston Drier
Directed by Kristine Kirchmeier, Until Death Do Us Part, is a remarkable short documentary hailing from the USA chronicling the harrowing story of newlyweds Megan and Danielle and their battle with cancer. Only two days before their wedding, Megan is diagnosed with stage four cancer.
What follows in story about two incredibly brave people- made brave by the power of love. Faced with a world of uncertainty, turmoil and potential tragedy, Megan and Danielle show startlingly level-headed composure. Perhaps nothing captures their spirits better than Danielle’s confession to Megan, “I love you, you idiot. You’re my person.”
What makes Until Death Do Us Part a special piece, is that as a documentary film, it acknowledges the struggle, concern and desperation of dealing with illness while still showcasing the remarkable resilience of both these women. We see examples of their humanism, their moments of weakness, their fear of the future- while also never once doubting their devotion to one another.
A remarkable film about the lengths we go for love, Until Death Do Us Part is worth the journey. It reminds us all of the things that are worth fighting for.
UNTIL DEATH DO US PART, 8min, USA, LGBT, Documentary
Directed by Kristine Kirchmeier
Young newlyweds Megan and Danielle Love immediately have their wedding vows put to the test after Megan is diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer a few weeks after they’re married.
CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!
Festival Reviews 