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!!
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) The title of 10 Cloverfield Lane is the first bit of deception that this crafty and often surprisingly inventive thriller has to offer. It leads us to believe that the film will be a direct sequel to Cloverfield. While it does share a few strands of DNA with… Read More Review: 10 Cloverfield Lane
By John Corrado Although Toronto has too many film festivals to reasonably count, one of the quickest rising of them is the Canadian Film Fest, a celebration of independent homegrown cinema that I’ve started looking forward to every March. Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, the festival kicks off tonight with How to Plan An Orgy in… Read More Previewing the 2016 Canadian Film Fest
By John Corrado A masterpiece of the Italian neorealist movement, Vittorio De Sica’s 1948 classic Bicycle Thieves is being released on the Criterion Collection this week, in a beautifully restored Blu-ray edition. When the bicycle he needs for work is stolen on the first day of his coveted new job, Antonio (Lamberto Maggiorani) sets out with his… Read More Criterion Review: Bicycle Thieves
By John Corrado ★★½ (out of 4) Based on a true story, Concussion follows the research of Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith), a Nigerian immigrant and celebrated pathologist in Pittsburgh, who found evidence of severe head trauma in the brains of football players who died prematurely from suicide. But the doctor faced severe pushback from the NFL when he tried… Read More Blu-ray Review: Concussion
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Life Off Grid opens at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema today, tickets and showtimes can be found right here. Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Life Off Grid looks at different people across Canada who have all found ways to live completely or almost entirely off… Read More Bloor Cinema Release: Life Off Grid
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) At the start of About Scout, a coming of age dramedy that treads a well worn but always enjoyable path, we are introduced to our two main characters over a montage that cuts back and forth between them to show the state of their lives. Scout (India Ennega) is a… Read More Review: About Scout
By John Corrado ★★ (out of 4) Today, Paramount is releasing the family comedy Daddy’s Home on Blu-ray. Brad Whitaker (Will Ferrell) is happily married to Sara (Linda Cardellini), and is a doting stepdad to her two little kids (Owen Vaccaro and Scarlett Estevez). But when their biological dad Dusty Mayron (Mark Wahlberg) shows up, their household… Read More Blu-ray Review: Daddy’s Home
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