Today, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is releasing the World War II film Red Tails on Blu-ray & DVD. Produced by George Lucas, the film generally overcomes a clichéd script with enough well staged battle sequences to make it worth checking out in high definition. We reviewed Red Tails when it opened in theatres on… Read More DVD/Blu-ray Release: Red Tails
This Means War – A 20th Century Fox Release http://www.thismeanswarmovie.com DVD Release Date: May 22nd, 2012 Rated 14A for violence, sexual content and some language Running time: 96 minutes McG (dir.) Timothy Dowling (screenplay and story) Simon Kinberg (screenplay) Marcus Gautesen (story) Christophe Beck (music) Reese Witherspoon as Lauren Chris Pine as FDR Foster Tom Hardy… Read More DVD Review: This Means War
By John C. We aren’t even halfway through the year, and the world has already lost far too many important names in the entertainment industry. Although some of these people weren’t directly involved in filmmaking, the mark that they left on the world of movies will continue to be felt for a long time. Pop… Read More Those Who Have Died will Live on Through Movies and Music
The Dictator – A Paramount Pictures’ Release http://www.republicofwadiya.com/ Release Date: May 16th, 2012 Rated 14A for coarse language, sexual content and crude content Running time: 83 minutes Larry Charles (dir.) Sacha Baron Cohen (screenplay) Alec Berg (screenplay) David Mandel (screenplay) Jeff Schaffer (screenplay) Erran Baron Cohen (music) Sacha Baron Cohen as Aladeen/Efawadh Anna Faris as… Read More Movie Review: The Dictator
The visionary 1999 classic Being John Malkovich is being released on Blu-ray & DVD today, as part of the prestigious Criterion Collection. Starring John Cusack as a struggling puppeteer who finds a portal that literally takes him into the mind of actor John Malkovich, the strikingly original film was deservingly nominated for three Academy Awards… Read More Criterion Release: Being John Malkovich
Today, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is releasing the found footage film Chronicle on Blu-ray & DVD. Directed by Josh Trank and led by a good cast, this is an interesting little science fiction film that mixes in elements of horror and is well worth a look. We reviewed Chronicle when it opened in theatres… Read More DVD/Blu-ray Release: Chronicle
By John C. We are only partway through 2012, and it’s already shaping up to be an interesting year at the movies. Box office records have been broken, and there have been several films that I just know will be vying for spots on my best list come the end of the year. There have… Read More Opposites Attract: The Best Movies of the Year, So Far
Dark Shadows – A Warner Bros. Pictures’ Release http://darkshadowsmovie.warnerbros.com/index.html Release Date: May 11th, 2012 Rated 14A for graphic violence and substance abuse Running time: 113 minutes Tim Burton (dir.) Seth Grahame-Smith (screenplay and story) John August (story) Based on the television series created by Dan Curtis Danny Elfman (music) Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins Michelle… Read More Movie Review: Dark Shadows
By John C. After the lead up of five blockbuster films and years of anticipation amongst Marvel fans, The Avengers opened to the tune of $207.4 million, literally smashing first weekend box office records both here and across the border. Add in another $447.4 million from international sales, and you get a bona fide success… Read More Audiences Assemble in a Big Way for “The Avengers”
By John C. The 19th annual Hot Docs Film Festival came to a close over the weekend, with the visually stunning Chasing Ice being chosen as the People’s Choice and The Imposter taking home the Filmmakers Award. Between the newly renovated Bloor Hot Docs Cinema and audiences of over 165,000 people, the festival broke all… Read More Hot Docs 2012: Award Winners and Personal Favourites
The Avengers – A Walt Disney Pictures’ Release http://avengers.marvel.com Release Date: May 4th, 2012 Rated PG for violence and language Running time: 142 minutes Joss Whedon (dir.) Joss Whedon (screenplay and story) Zak Penn (story) Alan Silvestri (music) Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America Mark Ruffalo as Bruce… Read More Movie Review: The Avengers
Last year DK Publishing ran an event celebrating reading, and raising money for literacy programs, in honour of May the 4th, an unofficial day to celebrate all things Star Wars. Again this year, the event is running and DK has partnered with Indigo and Chapters bookstores in Canada to bring the event to you. See here… Read More Book Review: The LEGO Star Wars Character Encyclopedia
By John C. When the 19th annual Hot Docs Film Festival opened last Thursday, I shared my recommendations for Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, Finding North, The Queen of Versailles, Indie Game: The Movie and Detropia. On Tuesday, I published capsule reviews of Big Easy Express, Ping Pong, Ballroom Dancer, The Frog Princes and Only the… Read More Hot Docs 2012: Five Capsule Reviews, including “Radioman”
By John C. The 19th annual Hot Docs Film Festival is going strong in Toronto until next Sunday. When the festival opened last Thursday, I published capsule reviews for Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, Finding North, The Queen of Versailles, Indie Game: The Movie and Detropia. Now that we are partway through the festival, here are… Read More Hot Docs 2012: Five Capsule Reviews, including “Only the Young”
Today, Paramount Home Entertainment is releasing the 1995 classic Clueless for the first time on Blu-ray. Cher (Alicia Silverstone) is a spoiled high schooler who has it all, only doing stuff for others to make herself feel good. But her attitude is about to get a makeover under the influence of Josh (Paul Rudd), her… Read More Blu-ray Release: Clueless
The Canadian premiere of The Avengers was held at Toronto’s Scotiabank Theatre this evening, with the always cool Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk) and Vancouver’s own Cobie Smulders (Agent Maria Hill) in attendance. We were invited by Disney to screen the awesome blockbuster and managed to take several pictures as the stars walked the red carpet,… Read More Canadian Premiere of “The Avengers”
By John C. What do you get when you put Jason Segel with Emily Blunt together? You get The Five-Year Engagement, an immensely likeable romantic comedy that doesn’t mind shaking up the genre with raunchy humour and scenes of touching drama. Even though the film failed to light up the box office over the weekend,… Read More Jason Segel and Emily Blunt are Easy to Love in “The Five-Year Engagement”
The Pirates! Band of Misfits – A Sony Pictures’ Release http://thepirates-movie.com/ Release Date: April 27th, 2012 Rated PG for some scary scenes and cartoon action Running time: 88 minutes Peter Lord (dir.) Jeff Newitt (dir.) Gideon Defoe (screenplay) Theodore Shapiro (music) Hugh Grant as The Pirate Captain (voice) Martin Freeman as The Pirate with a Scarf… Read More Movie Review: The Pirates! Band of Misfits
By John C. The 19th annual Hot Docs Film Festival starts tonight, running from April 26th until May 6th at eleven venues around Toronto, including the newly renovated Bloor Cinema. Below are my thoughts on five good documentaries that I’ve already had the chance to preview, including Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, which screens this evening… Read More Hot Docs 2012: Five Capsule Reviews, including “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry”
By John C. From the delayed distribution to the almost deafening buzz that built up in the few months before its actual release, The Cabin in the Woods is a puzzle of a movie that keeps turning in on itself right from the opening scene. Just like the ingenious poster, this is a visually captivating… Read More “The Cabin in the Woods” is a Puzzle From Beginning to End
The Joy of Movies 