By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) The characters in Canadian director Albert Shin’s South Korean drama In Her Place are nameless, and the majority of the story takes place at a rural farmhouse, but the complex situations at the centre of the story are simply compelling to watch unfold. Although the release is flying… Read More Review: In Her Place
By John Corrado ★½ (out of 4) Director Matthew Vaughn clearly aspires to reach the level of greats like Edgar Wright and Quentin Tarantino with Kingsman: The Secret Service. But instead, the filmmaker has firmly planted himself as just another wannabe, delivering an awkward mix of silly spy spoof and sadistic violence, with a sexist… Read More Review: Kingsman: The Secret Service
By John Corrado Sony Pictures is releasing Predestination on Blu-ray today, a hidden gem from last year’s festival circuit, that demands and deserves your attention. The film follows a Temporal Agent (Ethan Hawke) who has the ability to travel through time, and is on his final mission to stop a devastating bombing before it occurs.… Read More Blu-ray Release: Predestination
By John Corrado Today, Elevation Pictures is releasing the great Nightcrawler on Blu-ray. Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a small time thief who discovers the competitive world of freelance crime journalism, filming various emergencies and selling his unflinching footage to a local TV station. There he meets Nina (Rene Russo), a cutthroat news director equally willing… Read More Blu-ray Release: Nightcrawler
By John Corrado Today, Disney is releasing Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day on Blu-ray. Feeling like nobody understands his rotten luck, young Alexander (Ed Oxenbould) wishes that his family would know what it’s like to have a truly bad day, and that’s exactly what his parents (Steve Carell and Jennifer… Read More Blu-ray Release: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
By John Corrado Disney is releasing their delightful 1961 animated classic 101 Dalmatians for the first time on Blu-ray today as part of the Diamond Edition series, and it’s a must have for fans of the film. When their puppies are dognapped by “devil woman” Cruella De Vil (Betty Lou Gerson), dalmatians Pongo (Rod Taylor)… Read More Blu-ray Release: 101 Dalmatians
Jupiter Ascending – A Warner Bros. Release http://www.jupiterascending.com Release Date: February 6th, 2015 Rated PG for violence and some scary scenes Running Time: 127 minutes Andy Wachowski (director) Lana Wachowski (director) Andy Wachowski (writer) Lana Wachowski (writer) Michael Giacchino (music) Mila Kunis as Jupiter Jones Channing Tatum as Caine Wise Sean Bean as Stinger Apini… Read More Three Views: Jupiter Ascending
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) After winning the Audience Award at Hot Docs last year, The Backward Class is finally opening at the Bloor Cinema today, and will be playing there until February 16th. Tickets and showtimes can be found right here. This heartfelt and highly recommended documentary follows the fifteen original students at Shanti… Read More Bloor Cinema Release: The Backward Class
Today at noon EST, the International Film Music Critics Association, of which I am a member, announced its list of nominees for excellence in film scoring in 2014. Leading the pack this year with seven nominations is James Newton Howard for Score of the Year, Composer of the Year, Best Action/Adventure/Thriller score, and Best Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Horror… Read More 11th Annual IFMCA Award Nominees Announced Today
By John Corrado Today, Disney is releasing three Studio Ghibli films for the first time on Blu-ray, including Porco Rosso, Pom Poko and Tales from Earthsea. Following the release of The Wind Rises, Princess Mononoke and Kiki’s Delivery Service back in November, this is another fine chance for fans of the Japanese animation studio to round out… Read More Blu-ray Release: Porco Rosso, Pom Poko and Tales from Earthsea
Paddington – An eOne Films Release http://www.paddington.com/gb/the-movie/ Release Date: January 16th, 2015 Rated G for mild action and rude humour Running Time: 95 minutes Paul King (director) Paul King (writer) Based on the books by Michael Bond Ben Whishaw as Paddington (voice) Hugh Bonneville as Henry Brown Sally Hawkins as Mary Brown Madeleine Harris as… Read More Five Views: Paddington
By John Corrado ★★½ (out of 4) Named for the dangerously high crime rate in New York City in 1981, the title of A Most Violent Year is somewhat misleading, suggesting the sort of thriller that this story of shady business deals never really becomes. To be sure, this is an interesting exercise in slow… Read More Review: A Most Violent Year
By John Corrado The Great Digital Film Festival is returning to Cineplex theatres tomorrow, and the annual celebration of fan favourites boasts a promising lineup of past blockbusters and genre classics, that will be playing at select locations over the next week. There are a lot of highlights this year. The 2015 edition is notable… Read More The 2015 Great Digital Film Festival
By John Corrado Today, Sony Pictures is releasing writer-director David Ayer’s Fury on DVD. The film takes place in the final weeks of World War II, with the tough Don “Wardaddy” Collier (Brad Pitt) and the determined crew of his Sherman tank, including shy new recruit Norman Ellison (Logan Lerman), fighting their way through the… Read More DVD Release: Fury
By John Corrado Two weeks ago, 20th Century Fox released Gone Girl on Blu-ray. When his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) goes missing on their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) is painted as the prime suspect, with her disappearance becoming the point of widespread media fixation. You can read my full review right here.… Read More Blu-ray Release: Gone Girl
By John Corrado I heard the usual conversations about the proverbial “death of cinema” throughout 2014. But there were many movies released last year that provided the most compelling arguments you can make as to why this simply isn’t true. There were obviously some duds and commercial cash grabs, a selection of which qualify as the… Read More The Best Movies of 2014
By John Corrado I saw numerous documentaries in 2014, and there were a lot of great ones. Because of this, it was quite a challenge to narrow down this list, and ensuing selection of honourable mentions. But the ten documentaries I have finally chosen are an eclectic selection of what I consider to be the best… Read More The Best Documentaries of 2014
By John Corrado Although I mainly write about movies, I’m a writer first and foremost, and much of my work is done with headphones on and music playing in the background. And because I spend so much time writing, I’m constantly listening to music, both old and new. These are my picks for the best… Read More The Best Albums of 2014
By John Corrado ★½ (out of 4) Audiences below a certain age might like the colours and sounds of Strange Magic. But those above a certain age will just feel nostalgic for a time when the name of George Lucas, who executive produced and co-wrote this forgettable and thoroughly mediocre animated fantasy, was actually reason… Read More Review: Strange Magic
By John Corrado After premiering at Sundance last year, Paramount is releasing Rudderless on DVD today. When his son (Miles Hezier) dies in a school shooting, Sam (Billy Crudup) is left depressed, until he discovers his son’s old demo tapes and starts working through his grief by performing the songs at the local bar. There… Read More DVD Release: Rudderless
The Joy of Movies 