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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TIFF Review: The Weekend

Posted by: Sharilyn Johnson  •  September 17, 2018 @ 4:58pm

The Weekend is a sharp romantic comedy that boasts a key component missing in most romcoms: it's funny. Like, really funny.

The film opens with aspiring comedian Zadie (Sasheer Zamada) performing a set at a small comedy club.

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TIFF Review: Carmine Street Guitars

Posted by: Sharilyn Johnson  •  September 15, 2018 @ 2:34pm

The legendary New York guitar shop that's the subject of Carmine Street Guitars is certainly worthy of a documentary, but coached dialogue and too-perfect camera blocking leave too much authenticity on the table.

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TIFF Review: Beautiful Boy

Posted by: Sharilyn Johnson  •  September 11, 2018 @ 12:28pm

Based on the autobiographical books by journalist Bill Sheff (Steve Carell) and his son Nic Sheff (Timothée Chalamet), Beautiful Boy chronicles a teenage Nic's addiction to drugs, and his family's heartbreaking attempts to guide him through recovery. The film also stars Maura Tierney as Bill's wife, and Amy Ryan as his ex-wife.

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TIFF Review: The Lie

Posted by: Sharilyn Johnson  •  September 9, 2018 @ 9:23am

Is this the type of frustration Lost viewers experienced?

In The Lie, teenager Kayla (Joey King) gets driven to ballet camp by her father Jay (Peter Sarsgaard). She spots her friend/frenemy Brittany - also headed to camp - waiting for a bus on the outskirts of town, and they pick her up.

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TIFF Review: Fahrenheit 11/9

Posted by: Sharilyn Johnson  •  September 7, 2018 @ 10:40am

Action speaks louder than hope.

That's the message – albeit a buried message – of Michael Moore's sharp expose, Fahrenheit 11/9, which premiered Thursday night at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

The film examines the conditions that helped make President Donald Trump a reality.

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