By John Corrado The 2016 edition of Hot Docs kicks off tonight, and below are my thoughts on ten films that I had the chance to screen in advance, to give you a small sampling of what to expect from this year’s lineup. Please come back for more capsule reviews throughout the festival, and you… Read More #HotDocs16: First Batch of Reviews
By John Corrado Paramount has just put out this brand new edition of The Beverly Hillbillies: The Official First Season on DVD, including all thirty six episodes from the inaugural season of the beloved classic sitcom, digitally remastered for the first time ever. Originally broadcast between 1962 and 1963, the 5-disc set starts with both the original and extended versions… Read More DVD Review: The Beverly Hillbillies: The Official First Season
By John Corrado ★★½ (out of 4) A house fire and bag of stolen money forces the stories of a grieving young bartender (Anton Yelchin) who returns to his hometown following the death of his parents, a haunted fire survivor (Zooey Deschanel) whom he falls in love with, and a dangerous thief (John Hawkes) out for vengeance, to… Read More DVD Review: The Driftless Area
By John Corrado ★★★★ (out of 4) The feeling of watching Sing Street, the latest and for me greatest music-themed drama from director John Carney, is best described partway through the film. The moment comes when the troubled aspiring model Raphina (Lucy Boynton) talks to our lovestruck teenaged protagonist Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) about learning how… Read More Review: Sing Street
By John Corrado ★★ (out of 4) Beginning with a frantic 911 call over the opening credits, Body starts off on a solid and intriguing note, introducing us to its trio of young female characters over a Scrabble game. Their banter has a natural, mumblecore quality to it, with the added dread of knowing that something bad… Read More Review: Body
By John Corrado Telling the “mostly true” story of Miss Shephard (Maggie Smith), an eccentric senior who lives in the back of a beat up old van that ends up parked in the driveway of struggling writer Alan Bennett (Alex Jennings), The Lady in the Van is a small gem that is absolutely worth seeing on Blu-ray. Managing… Read More Blu-ray Release: The Lady in the Van
By John Corrado ★★ (out of 4) Neil Clarke (Simon Pegg) is an average guy in England, who works as a teacher and dreams of finishing his novel, while also pining for the affection of his downstairs neighbour Catherine (Kate Beckinsale). But things change when a group of five aliens (voiced by the remaining members… Read More DVD Review: Absolutely Anything
The Jungle Book Review By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) The experience of watching The Jungle Book is so absorbing and compelling on a purely visual level, that we almost immediately forget that what we are seeing, save for human lead Neel Sethi, has been created almost entirely through the magic of special effects. The… Read More Three Views: The Jungle Book
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) Martine Stonehouse is a celebrated transgender activist living on the autism spectrum in Toronto, who is struggling to complete her gender confirmation surgery before marrying her longtime partner John Gelman, a straight man who is also on the autism spectrum, and wants to have a partner with female genitalia. Because of… Read More Review: Transfixed
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) Directed by Wiebke Von Carolsfeld, The Saver is a gritty and emotionally affective Canadian drama that captures the all too common realities of living in poverty, especially for Native youth who are often ignored within the system. The film follows Fern (Imajyn Cardinal), a 16-year-old who is left desperate and alone after the… Read More Review: The Saver
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) The feature debut of Director X, who is perhaps better known for music videos like Hotline Bling, Across the Line is a well made and often stylish examination of poverty and racism at a small town high school. Partially inspired by real racial tensions in North Preston, Nova Scotia… Read More Review: Across the Line
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) “Growing up isn’t the problem, forgetting is.” Although not a direct quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s original book, this message perfectly encapsulates the enduring resonance of his story and is one of the most poignant lines of dialogue that has been added to The Little Prince. Directed by Mark Osborne, this… Read More Review: The Little Prince
By John Corrado ★★★★ (out of 4) A Canadian coming of age drama shot in and around Thunder Bay, Sleeping Giant is a small film that leaves a big impact in its searing exploration of the long buried feelings that are awoken in the throes of youth. Already landing a spot on my top ten list… Read More Review: Sleeping Giant
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) The latest showcase for a powerhouse performance from Jake Gyllenhaal, Demolition is a gripping character study of a man who quite literally has to tear every little thing in his life apart, so that he can start to piece it all back together again. Last year’s opening night film at… Read More Review: Demolition
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) It always feels good to find a Canadian film that takes some of the most recognizable tropes of homegrown cinema, including a dark sense of humour and scenic shots of our country’s many beautiful landscapes, and uses them in service of telling a story that still feels unique… Read More Review: Borealis
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Just four films into his career, all of which have featured Michael Shannon in one form or another, Jeff Nichols has proven himself to be one of our most promising filmmakers, a visual storyteller with a genuine eye for crafting unique character studies. With his debut feature, Shotgun Stories, he… Read More Review: Midnight Special
By John Corrado Arriving after years of feverish anticipation, and becoming the highest grossing film of last year, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is finally coming to Blu-ray this week, and the set comes highly recommended for fans. The film itself is a lot of fun, minor narrative faults aside, and does a solid job of continuing… Read More Blu-ray Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) After going on a alcohol-fuelled joyride in a stolen car, troubled and rebellious teenager Billy Wyatt (Emory Cohen) is put in the Bernville Camp for Boys, a youth detention centre where intense pecking orders develop between the kids, and the guards (John Leguizamo and Paul Sparks) abuse their power.… Read More DVD Review: Stealing Cars
By John Corrado A few weeks back, the animated special Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade was released on iTunes. When the eggs that Sid (John Leguizamo) is supposed to be watching are taken by a pirate bunny (Seth Green), it’s up to the rest of the gang to find them, thus creating a new Easter tradition. Very… Read More Digital Release: Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade
By John Corrado ★★★★ (out of 4) Richard Linklater is the undisputed master of hangout movies. His films beautifully show characters simply existing within a period of time, from the almost real time narrative framing of Before Sunset, to the collection of moments from a young life that he so poignantly captured in his masterpiece Boyhood. And… Read More Review: Everybody Wants Some!!