By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Following his found footage high school shooting knockout The Dirties, Operation Avalanche is a space age conspiracy caper that finds low budget Toronto filmmaker Matt Johnson playing around on an even larger canvas. This time around, Matt Johnson and his previous co-star Owen Williams portray a pair of young CIA agents who pose as a… Read More Review: Operation Avalanche
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Dramatizing the events of April 20th, 2010, when an offshore oil drilling rig owned by British Petroleum exploded off the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in the worst oil spill in United States history, Deepwater Horizon is a piece of sturdy blockbuster filmmaking. The first half of the film sets… Read More Review: Deepwater Horizon
By John Corrado ★★½ (out of 4) When their parents tell them they have to bring respectable dates to their sister Jeanie’s (Sugar Lyn Beard) wedding in Hawaii, party-loving brothers Mike (Adam Devine) and Dave Stangle (Zac Efron) place an ad on Craigslist to try and find the perfect girls. Enter Tatiana (Aubrey Plaza) and… Read More Blu-ray Review: Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
By John Corrado ★★ (out of 4) When notorious supervillian Shredder (Brian Tee) escapes from custody and teams up with mutant henchmen Bebop (Gary Anthony Williams) and Rocksteady (Sheamus), it’s up to the sewar-dwelling turtles Michelangelo (Noel Fisher), Donatello (Jeremy Howard), Leonardo (Pete Ploszek) and Raphael (Alan Ritchson) to take them down and save New… Read More Blu-ray Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows 3D
By John Corrado When the dead body of local high schooler Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) is found wrapped in plastic in the small logging town of Twin Peaks, FBI Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) is tasked with investigating the murder, unravelling an increasingly strange mystery that enwraps the denizens of the eccentric American border town.… Read More Blu-ray Review: Twin Peaks: The Original Series, Fire Walk With Me & The Missing Pieces
By John Corrado Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Jim Henson’s classic 1986 fantasy Labyrinth follows a teen girl (Jennifer Connelly) who is annoyed with having to babysit her little brother, and wishes for him to get taken away. When her wish is granted by the Goblin King (David Bowie), she gets sucked into a fairy tale… Read More DVD Review: Labyrinth: 30th Anniversary Edition
By John Corrado ★★½ (out of 4) When Nancy (Blake Lively) goes surfing on a secluded beach in Mexico, she finds herself circled by a great white shark, after cutting her leg and spilling blood into the water. Stranded on a large rock a couple hundred metres from the shore, and trying to nurse her… Read More DVD Review: The Shallows
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) A remake of the classic 1960 western, which was itself a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, The Magnificent Seven is a new take on a well-worn tale from director Antoine Fuqua, that feels fresh and entertaining thanks to its kick-ass and refreshingly diverse cast. After her husband… Read More Review: The Magnificent Seven
Queen of Katwe Review By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Produced by Disney under their based on a true story banner, Queen of Katwe follows Phiona Mutesi (Madine Nalwanga), a girl living in the slums of Uganda with her mother (Lupita Nyong’o) and siblings. When Phiona is taken under the wing of kind coach… Read More Three Views: Queen of Katwe
By John Corrado ★★½ (out of 4) Based on true events, Free State of Jones recounts the story of Newton Knight (Matthew McConaughey), a disillusioned medic in the Confederate army who deserts the Civil War and returns to Mississippi, leading a rebel militia of poor farmers and runaway slaves in an armed uprising against the corrupt government. Their rebellion led Jones County… Read More Blu-ray Review: Free State of Jones
By John Corrado Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Disney’s beloved animated classic Beauty and the Beast arrives in a brand new Blu-ray edition, as part of the Walt Disney Signature Collection. Notably the first animated film to ever receive a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars, and in my humble opinion it should have… Read More Blu-ray Review: Beauty and the Beast: 25th Anniversary Edition
By John Corrado After a series of incidents lead to internal conflict between the Avengers, Captain America (Chris Evans) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) find themselves pitted against each other in how to best address a threat, with the other members of the team all taking sides. Although I personally find these superhero teamups have started feeling derivative… Read More Blu-ray Review: Captain America: Civil War
By John Corrado This year’s edition of the Toronto International Film Festival has now come to a close, with La La Land taking home the People’s Choice award, to the shock of literally no one. But before we officially close the door on the 2016 festival, below are my thoughts on the final seven films that… Read More #TIFF16 Reviews: Voyage of Time, Certain Women, Jackie, Bleed for This, The Rolling Stones Olé Olé Olé!, The Edge of Seventeen
By John Corrado We have finally reached the end of the Toronto International Film Festival, and below are my thoughts on five more films that I got to see over the last few days. Please come back tomorrow for my final set of reviews, and you can find information on tickets and showtimes through the links in the film titles. Enjoy! A… Read More #TIFF16 Reviews: A Monster Calls, Lion, Katie Says Goodbye, Boys in the Trees and Manchester By the Sea
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) It’s an almost gargantuan task to try and encapsulate the story of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden into a single film, but Oliver Stone proves himself up to the challenge with Snowden. The filmmaker’s best and most politically charged film in years, this is an engaging and provocative dramatic thriller… Read More Review: Snowden
By John Corrado We are now past the halfway point of the Toronto International Film Festival, and below are my thoughts on five of the films that I got to see over the last few days. Please come back throughout the final few days of the festival for more capsule reviews, and you can find information on tickets and showtimes… Read More #TIFF16 Reviews: La La Land, I, Daniel Blake, Arrival, Two Lovers and a Bear, Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids
By John Corrado The first weekend may have come to a close, but the Toronto International Film Festival is still going strong for another week, and here are my thoughts on three more films that just premiered here. Please come back throughout the rest of the festival for more capsule reviews, and you can find information… Read More #TIFF16 Reviews: Planetarium, Sing and Denial
By John Corrado We are now right in the thick of the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, and below are my thoughts on four more films that I have seen, including the opening night selection The Magnificent Seven. Please come back throughout the rest of the festival for more capsule reviews, and you can find information… Read More #TIFF16 Reviews: The Magnificent Seven, Weirdos, Snowden and Trespass Against Us
By John Corrado The 2016 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival kicked off last night, and below are my thoughts on four more films that I had the opportunity to screen in advance. Please come back tomorrow and throughout the rest of the festival for more capsule reviews, and you can find information on tickets and showtimes… Read More #TIFF16 Reviews: Free Fire, Werewolf, Green White Green and The Girl With All the Gifts
By John Corrado The 2016 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival is getting started tonight, with the sure to be star-studded world premiere of The Magnificent Seven. I’ve been busy screening films in advance over the last few weeks, and below are my thoughts on five of the ones I’ve seen so far, to give you… Read More #TIFF16 Reviews: India in a Day, Moonlight, American Honey, The Salesman and Mean Dreams
The Joy of Movies 