I'm not a huge horror fan; my tastes in the genre are very specific. If it's an Eldritch Lovecraftian tale, a lush gothic terror, or a pastoral folk horror? Count me in. Mainstream A-list stars and a hot TV actor/indie director making his first genre film using a flashy gimmick with lots of mainstream media buzz? Not interested.
I wasn't sure what to think going into The Marvels. While I was a strong supporter of Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, the eventual eponymous film that we got and the uneven use of her in subsequent appearances had me uncomfortable.
Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Posted by: Matthew Ardill • July 31, 2023 @ 3:38pm
On a Sunday in 1990, I stood in an empty mall (stores where I lived weren't open on Sunday back then) waiting in line for the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film with my little brother. At 16, I was a fan of Laird and Eastman's black-and-white indie comic.
A hagiography is defined as two things: the writing of the lives of saints, and a biography that idealizes its subjects. The new Disney+ biography Stan Lee does both of those things and fits the descriptor perfectly.
Stan Lee is a controversial character.
Let me start by saying that I have a troubled relationship with the Transformers film franchise. I am a Gen-X Gen 1 Transformers lover who dreamt of owning my own Metroplex play set.
When Marvel announced that they hired James Gunn to direct a Guardians of the Galaxy film, my first reaction was "huh?" A Troma director with a problematic social media presence whose biggest claims to fame were 2 films about worms -- one big (Tremors) and one small (Slither) -- and a deconstruction of the superhero genre (Super) starring Rainn Wils
I stood in the audience to see New Order, a band with a dark and tragic past whose phoenix-like rise from the ashes of Joy Division was the source of several documentaries and biopics.
When you watch a documentary called Weed & Wine, you pretty much know what you're getting into: you're going to learn about two worlds that are similar and yet different. This is personified in a cannabis farmer from California and a family vineyard in France. The film does this quite well. I was genuinely interested, and learned in a way that didn't feel heavy handed.
In an effort to avoid burying the lead, I enjoyed Feast of the Seven Fishes, and there's a lot of heart to unpack. However, like many decent films, its intentions are slightly off. The film doesn't really work as a romantic comedy, but as a time capsule, it's very strong.
Writing a romantic comedy is hard.
JFL42 Reviews: Between Two Ferns, Broad City, and Nick Kroll
Posted by: Andrew Lizotte • September 21, 2019 @ 4:06pm
Between Two Ferns: The Movie
September 20, 2019 • 2:00 PM @ TIFF Bell Lightbox
"How do I turn a five minute sketch into a feature length film?" is the age-old question that I'm sure keeps Lorne Michaels up at night.
SBM on Social Media