By John Corrado The latest work from Turkish filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan, whose Winter Sleep won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2014, About Dry Grasses is an involving character drama that uses its lengthy running time to absorb us in the lives its of its subjects. The film follows Samet (Deniz Celiloğlu), a middle-aged… Read More Movie Review: About Dry Grasses
By John Corrado The latest film directed by Italian filmmaker Matteo Garrone (Gomorrah), the Oscar-nominated International Feature Io Capitano largely serves as a dramatization of the challenges faced by African refugees who make the long, perilous trek to reach the shores of Europe. The film tells the fictional story of Seydou (Seydou Sarr) and Moussa… Read More Movie Review: Io Capitano
By John Corrado Please note that this is a review of the 4K Ultra HD release of Wonka. For my full thoughts on the film itself, you can read my original review right here. Fashioned as a prequel to the 1971 Gene Wilder film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Paddington director Paul King’s Wonka… Read More 4K Ultra HD Review: Wonka
By John Corrado The latest animated feature from Illumination (the studio behind the Despicable Me movies), Migration is the story of a family of ducks living on a peaceful lake who venture out into the world. And it’s honestly pretty cute. Mack (Kumail Nanjiani) and Pam (Elizabeth Banks) are parents to ducklings Dax (Caspar Jennings)… Read More 4K Ultra HD Review: Migration (Collector’s Edition)
By John Corrado Today, GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (of which I am a member) has announced the winners of their 15th annual Dorian Film Awards, voted on by the critics group’s over five hundred members. Andrew Haigh’s excellent queer drama All of Us Strangers took home the top awards for Film of… Read More Winners for the 15th Dorian Film Awards from GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics
By John Corrado New releases for the week of February 23rd, 2024. Theatrical Releases: Seagrass (Limited Release): Canadian filmmaker Meredith Hama-Brown’s feature directorial debut Seagrass is a patient, well-acted character drama that captures the slow deterioration of a biracial family unit. Set during a family retreat on the Pacific coast, the film features fine performances… Read More New This Week (02/23/2024): Seagrass, Io Capitano, Drive-Away Dolls, & More!
By John Corrado The feature directorial debut of Canadian filmmaker Meredith Hama-Brown, Seagrass is a patient character drama that captures the slow deterioration of a biracial family unit. Judith (Ally Maki) is a Japanese-Canadian woman who is experiencing difficulties in her marriage to non-Asian husband Steve (Luke Roberts). These challenges are amplified by Judith’s mother… Read More Movie Review: Seagrass
By John Corrado New releases for the week of February 14th and 16th, 2024. Theatrical Releases: The Taste of Things (Limited Release): Trần Anh Hùng was awarded the Best Director prize at Cannes for this French drama, and it’s easy to see why. This is a piece of high-class “food porn” mixed with a swooning,… Read More New This Week (02/16/2024): The Taste of Things, Bob Marley: One Love, Madame Web, & More!
By John Corrado The Taste of Things, the latest work from French-Vietnamese filmmaker Trần Anh Hùng who was awarded the Best Director prize at Cannes for his work, is a piece of high-class “food porn” mixed with a swooning, bittersweet culinary romance. In the grand tradition of other “foodie” films, The Taste of Things offers many beautifully… Read More Review: The Taste of Things
By John Corrado The 1984 film Footloose is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and Paramount is honouring the occasion by releasing it for the first time on 4K Ultra HD this week. Kevin Bacon stars as Ren McCormack, the rebel kid from Chicago who moves to the small town of Bomont, where loud music… Read More 4K Ultra HD Review: Footloose: 40th Anniversary Edition
By John Corrado New releases for the week of February 9th, 2024. Theatrical Releases: Perfect Days (Limited Release): Wim Wenders’s masterful Tokyo-set character drama, which is nominated for Best International Feature at the Oscars, is finally arriving in theatres after bowing at Cannes last year. I caught this one during TIFF, and it’s a meditative,… Read More New This Week (02/09/2024): Perfect Days, How to Have Sex, The Promised Land, & More!
By John Corrado The Promised Land is a historical drama set in Denmark in the mid-1700s, with director Nikolaj Arcel spinning a near-epic tale out of a humble man trying to carve out his own piece of the land while going up against an arrogant nobleman. The protagonist is Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen), who… Read More Review: The Promised Land
By John Corrado British filmmaker Molly Manning Walker’s directorial debut How to Have Sex, which won the Un Certain Regard prize at last year’s Cannes, is an often vibrant mix of party movie and subtle social commentary on the post-#MeToo generation. Walker’s film centres around Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce), Em (Enva Lewis) and Skye (Lara Peake), three… Read More Review: How to Have Sex
By John Corrado Fran (Daisy Ridley) is an office worker in Oregon who thinks a lot about dying. She sits in a daze at her cubicle, imagining her dead body decaying in the woods or being hung from the crane outside her window. Fran’s morbid daydreams provide the basis for the title of director Rachel… Read More Review: Sometimes I Think About Dying
By John Corrado Today, critics group GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (of which I am a member) announced the nominations for their 15th annual Dorian Film Awards, voted on by the group’s over five hundred members. Leading the pack is Andrew Haigh’s tender queer drama All of Us Strangers with a total nine… Read More Nominations for the 15th Dorian Film Awards from GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics
By John Corrado New releases for the week of February 2nd, 2024. Theatrical Releases: Argylle (Wide Release): Who is the real Agent Argylle? That’s the question asked in the marketing for this new spy movie from director Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, Kingsman), adapted from author Elly Conway’s book. It features a star-studded cast that includes Bryce… Read More New This Week (02/02/2024): Argylle, Fitting In, & More!
The Joy of Movies 