#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 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

September 9, 2016October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

#TIFF16 Reviews: India in a Day, Moonlight, American Honey, The Salesman and Mean Dreams

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

September 8, 2016October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Blu-ray Review: A Boy Named Charlie Brown and Snoopy, Come Home

By John Corrado Released in 1969, A Boy Named Charlie Brown marked the big screen debut of Charles Schulz’s beloved comic strip characters. After being humiliated for having his kites get destroyed by the “kite-eating tree,” and experiencing a brutal loss for his team on the baseball diamond, Charlie Brown finds himself competing in a school… Read More Blu-ray Review: A Boy Named Charlie Brown and Snoopy, Come Home

September 7, 2016October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

DVD Review: The Meddler

By John Corrado After the death of her husband, Marnie (Susan Sarandon) moves to Los Angeles to be closer to her daughter Lori (Rose Byrne), a screenwriter who is trying to live her own life. When Lori gets overwhelmed by her mother’s constant attention, Marnie takes to helping others, and falls in love with a… Read More DVD Review: The Meddler

September 6, 2016October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

DVD Review: Money Monster

By John Corrado ★★½ (out of 4) Lee Gates (George Clooney) is the host of a tacky financial advice show, but when the stock tanks on a company that he encouraged his viewers to invest in, he is taken hostage live on air by Kyle Budwell (Jack O’Connell), a young man who has been hurt by the… Read More DVD Review: Money Monster

September 6, 2016October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Three Views: The Light Between Oceans

The Light Between Oceans Review By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Following his gritty breakup drama Blue Valentine, and the enthralling but vastly underrated crime saga The Place Beyond the Pines, The Light Between Oceans is an interesting film in terms of young director Derek Cianfrance’s filmography. An adaptation of M.L. Stedman’s bestselling novel, The… Read More Three Views: The Light Between Oceans

September 2, 2016October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Blu-ray Review: The Jungle Book

By John Corrado One of the best cases yet for Disney’s choice to give live action upgrades to their library of animated classics, The Jungle Book uses breathtaking visual effects to retell Rudyard Kipling’s story of man cub Mowgli (Neel Sethi), who is raised by animals in the jungle. This is not only a stunning technical achievement,… Read More Blu-ray Review: The Jungle Book

August 30, 2016October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Review: A Tale of Love and Darkness

By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) An accomplished feature directorial debut for Natalie Portman, A Tale of Love and Darkness is a beautifully crafted adaptation of acclaimed Israeli author Amos Oz’s autobiography of the same name, that provides a way for the Oscar-winning actress to explore her own Jewish heritage. The film follows Amos (Amir… Read More Review: A Tale of Love and Darkness

August 26, 2016October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

DVD Review: Maggie’s Plan

By John Corrado Maggie (Greta Gerwig) is single but wants to have a baby, and is all set to go through with artificial insemination, when she meets the attractive professor John Harding (Ethan Hawke). Although John is married to the icy Georgette (Julianne Moore), Maggie becomes captivated by him, and the two embark on an affair.… Read More DVD Review: Maggie’s Plan

August 23, 2016October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

DVD Review: Dark Horse

By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Despite horse racing mainly being known as a rich elitist sport, the people in a small, working class mining town in Wales had the dream of raising their own racehorse. So they pooled their resources together and bred themselves a colt, who came to be known as Dream of… Read More DVD Review: Dark Horse

August 23, 2016October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Review: Unlocking the Cage

By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Robert Wise is an accomplished lawyer who has dedicated his practise to protecting non-human rights, having spent over thirty years defending animals in court who can’t physically speak for themselves. And now he is the subject of the thought provoking documentary Unlocking the Cage. Legendary documentary filmmakers Chris Hegedus… Read More Review: Unlocking the Cage

August 19, 2016October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Blu-ray Review: The Angry Birds Movie

By John Corrado ★★½ (out of 4) Adapting the popular game to the screen, The Angry Birds Movie centres on Red (Jason Sudeikas), an ornery avian who lives on an island where everyone is supposed to be happy, and is sentenced to anger management classes after having a tantrum. There, Red meets the hyperactive Chuck (Josh Gad) and the explosive… Read More Blu-ray Review: The Angry Birds Movie

August 16, 2016October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

DVD Review: Almost Holy

By John Corrado ★★½ (out of 4) Gennadiy Mokhneneko is a pastor who roams the poverty-stricken streets of Ukraine at night, rescuing children from drug addictions and abuse, using whatever force necessary to bring them to his shelter, and not above vigilante justice to rip them from the grips of crime. Directed by Steve Hoover, who also gave… Read More DVD Review: Almost Holy

August 16, 2016October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Three Views: Pete’s Dragon

Pete’s Dragon Review By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) An update of the 1977 Disney film, Pete’s Dragon is a remake pretty much in name only, which in this case turns out to be a good thing. Taking versions of the original’s two main characters and forging a new path for them, this is… Read More Three Views: Pete’s Dragon

August 12, 2016October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Review: Zoom

By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Blending animation and live action across a mix of genres and styles, Zoom weaves together the interconnecting stories of three different artists, to offer a film that’s both entertaining and totally unique. The live action scenes focus on an aspiring comic book artist (Allison Pill) who works in… Read More Review: Zoom

August 10, 2016October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Review: Little Men

By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Following the moving old age romance Love is Strange, director Ira Sachs returns with Little Men, another beautifully observed character study set against the backdrop of New York City, only this time focused on adolescents instead of seniors. The film follows Jake (Theo Taplitz), a sensitive kid who… Read More Review: Little Men

August 5, 2016October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Review: Indignation

By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) The year is 1951, and Marcus Mesner (Logan Lerman) works at his family’s butcher shop in New Jersey. At the beginning of Indignation, he is going away to a prestigious college in Ohio, partially to avoid being drafted into the ongoing Korean War, which has claimed the lives of many… Read More Review: Indignation

August 5, 2016October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

DVD Review: Key and Peele: The Complete Series

By John Corrado Running for five seasons on Comedy Central from 2012 to 2015, Key and Peele showcases the combined efforts of comedic duo Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, with each episode mixing footage from their standup routine in front of a live audience and filmed sketches that star them in a variety of different… Read More DVD Review: Key and Peele: The Complete Series

August 3, 2016October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

DVD Review: The Bronze

By John Corrado ★½ (out of 4) After winning a bronze medal in gymnastics at the 2004 Olympics, and being forced to retire due to an injury shortly after, Hope Ann Greggory (Melissa Rauch) is washed up and mooching off her doting father (Gary Cole) in Ohio, while still taking full advantage of her “hometown hero” status.… Read More DVD Review: The Bronze

August 2, 2016October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

DVD Review: Mother’s Day

By John Corrado ★ (out of 4) The final film from late director Garry Marshall, Mother’s Day follows in the footsteps of his earlier movies Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve to offer another anthology comedy, this time centred around the second Sunday in May. Like the first two films, Mother’s Day follows many different archetypes leading… Read More DVD Review: Mother’s Day

August 2, 2016October 1, 2021 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment