Review: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

Posted by: Matthew Ardill  •  October 31, 2022 @ 8:08pm

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.

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Review: Weed & Wine

Posted by: Andrew Lizotte  •  October 20, 2020 @ 8:39pm

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.

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Review: Feast of the Seven Fishes

Posted by: Andrew Lizotte  •  October 18, 2020 @ 8:19pm

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.

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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.

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TIFF Review: Honey Boy

Posted by: Sharilyn Johnson  •  September 15, 2019 @ 6:19pm

Shia LaBeouf used his own experience as an emotionally abused child actor to write and star in Honey Boy, one of the standouts of this year's Toronto International Film Festival.

Like LaBeouf, Otis (played by the phenomenal Noah Jupe) is a young star in the 1990s who is coached, supervised, and controlled by his ex-rodeo clown father, James (LaBeouf).

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TIFF Review: Dads

Posted by: Sharilyn Johnson  •  September 15, 2019 @ 5:39pm

Bryce Dallas Howard -- daughter of Ron Howard -- makes her directorial debut with Dads, a documentary that celebrates what it is to be a father.

Three streams of content are woven throughout: celebrities, her own family, and unconventional dads around the world.

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TIFF Review: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Posted by: Sharilyn Johnson  •  September 15, 2019 @ 5:00pm

If you're expecting a Mr. Rogers biopic, turn back now, and re-watch the 2018 documentary Won't You Be My Neighbour.

In A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks) isn't the protagonist. That honour goes to the character of Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys), who's based on the real life journalist behind a 1998 Esquire profile of Rogers.

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TIFF Review: The Capote Tapes

Posted by: Sharilyn Johnson  •  September 15, 2019 @ 4:36pm

The selling point of The Capote Tapes is the recent discovery of interviews with members of Capote's inner circle, conducted by journalist George Plimpton.

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TIFF Review: The Last Porno Show

Posted by: Sharilyn Johnson  •  September 15, 2019 @ 4:23pm

When an aspiring actor inherits a failing porn theatre from his estranged father, he decides to keep the doors open for a smattering of die-hard customers. He moves into the apartment above the theatre, and memories of his abusive childhood within those walls come flooding back.

Early on, he's cast in an "artful" film that requires a sex scene.

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TIFF Review: Clifton Hill

Posted by: Sharilyn Johnson  •  September 15, 2019 @ 4:14pm

Abby (Tuppence Middleton) returns to her hometown Niagara Falls when she inherits a run-down motel from her late mother, and tries to piece together a childhood memory of witnessing a crime.

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