By John C. Every year for Halloween, entertainment writers always talk about their favourite scary movies.  This year I decided to do things a little differently and use the opportunity to discuss a selection of the work from a specific director.  The director in question is Tim Burton.  Not his entire filmography, just a handful… Read More From “Beetlejuice” to “Corpse Bride,” it Wouldn’t be Halloween Without Tim Burton

By John C. Every year around this time, one classic film seems to emerge into the public spotlight as the perfect title to watch for October 31st. Even though it isn’t celebrating any sort of anniversary, this year that film is Ivan Reitman’s seminal 1984 classic, Ghostbusters.  Next Monday, it will be back in selected… Read More Who You Gonna Call? Ghostbusters!

By John C. Since it premiered at Cannes last May, Drive is a film that has many people talking.  The majority of critics, myself included, found much to admire about the stylized arthouse thriller.  But many audiences have been reacting in a completely different way, blaming false advertising and unrealistic expectations for their bad experiences… Read More If Marketing Misleads, Should You Sue the Distributor?

By John C. When we reviewed 50/50 this past Friday, we were all deeply moved by the film and widely considered it one of the best of the year.  After a rousing premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival where it received a thunderous standing ovation, the film has been praised by both critics and audiences… Read More Can “50/50” Beat the Odds for Best Picture?

By John C. From last year’s Oscar-winning The Fighter to next month’s Real Steel where Hugh Jackman plays a washed up boxer who turns to the underground world of teaching robots how to fight, movies about boxing or mixed martial arts have been making a bit of a resurgence as of late.  So in honour… Read More Fighting at the Movies

By John C. The summer of 2011 has come to a close.  In many ways, the movies seen over the past few months represented a series of mixed emotions.  Both in terms of box office and critical reactions, there were a number of failures, many of which critics will inevitably dwell upon to entirely dismiss… Read More Summer is Remembered for Superheros, Sequels and Several Great Movies

By John C. Fan Expo Canada is now on at the South building of Toronto’s Metro Convention Centre, from today (August 25th) until Sunday (August 28th).  There are many awesome things to see and free swag at the various exhibits, especially those put on by the distributors to advertise their upcoming films.  But those going… Read More Fan Expo 2011: Coverage of “Real Steel”

By John C. Over the past several years, Paul Rudd has made a name for himself as a memorable addition to the cast of numerous ensemble comedies.  You’ve likely seen one of his films and he’s becoming more well-known all the time, quickly emerging as one of my favourite modern comedic actors.  But so far… Read More Paul Rudd is a Comedic Actor who has Audiences Saying “I Love You, Man”

By John C. At the end of July, the Smithsonian Magazine published an article citing the results of ongoing research studying which movies are most likely to make audiences cry.  These studies have been making the rounds over the last few weeks, and are worth revisiting now in honour of the endlessly moving drama The… Read More Scientists Research Crying at the Movies

By John C. When people ask me which directors have provided the most inspiration to me over the years as a writer and film critic, some very diverse people are sure to be the topic of discussion.  The names of classic directors as well as several more current and even independent artists would surely pop up throughout… Read More Remembering John Hughes and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”

By John C. Comic books telling the stories of superheroes saving the world have been providing entertainment for many years, and this summer will be remembered for giving several of these heroic characters their rightful time to shine on the big screen.  Four of this year’s big tent pole releases have been based on characters… Read More The Summer of Superheroes

By John C. Warner Bros. Pictures received a bona fide box office hit over the weekend with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.  The outstanding final film in the series beat out The Dark Knight for the biggest domestic opening weekend of all time, bringing in an estimated $168 million.  Coupled with a… Read More Warner Bros. Struck Gold with Harry Potter

By John C. What started as merely an idea for a story and morphed into a franchise that is estimated to be worth over $6 billion, will come to a close this Friday with the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.  After first imagining the magical world in 1990, British author… Read More Harry Potter and the Conclusion of a Beloved Franchise

By John C. When I wrote about 3D in the midst of last summer, my feelings were often mixed but in certain instances leaned towards the positive.  Nearly a year later, my feelings remain pretty much the same.  Over the last few months, I have seen films presented in the third dimension that impress as… Read More 3D at the Movies: The Future, or Just a Fad?

By John C. No matter what you think of the film, history was made for Pixar with Cars 2.  Last week, it became the first of their stellar films to receive a “Rotten” rating on the popular review-aggregating website, Rotten Tomatoes.  Coming in at a depressing 33%, critics put the film in the same low league… Read More “Rotten” Reviews don’t make “Cars 2” a Pixar Failure