By John Corrado Philip Seymour Hoffman was an actor who embodied countless unforgettable characters in a variety of different films over the years. Everything about him was iconic, from his name to his naturalistic screen presence, which included a genuine gift for portraying ordinary guys who were often plagued by anxiety, a role that he… Read More Remembering the Great Performances of Philip Seymour Hoffman
By John Corrado ★★ (out of 4) The title of That Awkward Moment could be used to describe the film itself, a romantic comedy that provides several scenes that feel awkward, a word I’m using with both negative and mildly positive connotations. The aptly titled movie opens tomorrow, courtesy of VVS Films. The film opens… Read More Review: That Awkward Moment
By John Corrado Although things started slowly, 2013 revealed itself to be a banner year for cinema throughout the fall and winter, with numerous crowning achievements that will be talked about long after this awards season is finally over. But first my personal choices for the best movies of last year. Because 2013 was just… Read More The Best Movies of 2013
By John Corrado Although we are already several weeks into 2014, the time has finally come to share my thoughts on the best documentaries of 2013, which was an exceptional year for nonfiction filmmaking. I saw so many great films in 2013, and there were a lot of options of what to include on this… Read More The Best Documentaries of 2013
By John Corrado Sutter Keely (Miles Teller) lives his life in the moment, afraid to acknowledge his past and terrified of moving forward into the future. He’s stuck and drifting through his high school existence, aided by alcohol and craving the attention that comes from being the life of party, hence the title The Spectacular… Read More Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley Both Shine in “The Spectacular Now”
By John Corrado Do you remember a couple of years ago when the Golden Globes felt like a joke, nominating films based on star power and becoming a cynical mockery of the entertainment industry at the hands of three time host Ricky Gervais? Well, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association changed things for the better last… Read More The 71st Golden Globes Did Things Right
By John Corrado ★★★★ (out of 4) During the opening scene of Inside Llewyn Davis, we watch as the struggling folk singer (Oscar Isaac) performs “Hang Me, Oh Hang Me” in front of a crowd. The audience is allowed to experience the entirety of this melancholy song, and what we witness is someone who is… Read More Review: Inside Llewyn Davis
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) The characters in The Wolf of Wall Street behave like animals, beating their chests and grunting, freely having sex whenever and wherever they can, often under the influence of various drugs. This is a film that is filled to the brim with content, but I couldn’t think of… Read More Review: The Wolf of Wall Street
By John Corrado This might just be the strangest analogy for the movies of 2013 that you are going to hear, but several times throughout the year I was reminded of an unforgettable scene in Disney’s 2002 animated gem Lilo & Stitch. The scene in question comes when the adorable little alien sits alone in… Read More Drifting Through the Movies of 2013
By John Corrado Please note that this article was supposed to go up yesterday in my usual Monday slot, but due to the recent ice storm and power outages in Toronto, I was unable to publish until now. But at least it’s up in time for Christmas Eve… Has it really been ten years since… Read More Celebrating Ten Years of the Christmas Classics “Elf” and “Love Actually”
By John Corrado The opening scene of Nebraska is a perfectly framed long shot that shows us Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) walking towards the screen, as the memorable score by Mark Orton plays in the background and cars pass him on the road, before a police officer pulls over. When his son David (Will Forte)… Read More Thoughts on Alexander Payne’s Entertaining and Bittersweet “Nebraska”
By John Corrado I have been looking forward to the release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug since the credits rolled on An Unexpected Journey last year, and this solidly built sequel lives up to the promise of that fantastic adventure. Director Peter Jackson’s second instalment in his blockbuster adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkein’s beloved… Read More “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” is a Solid Continuation of the Journey
By John Corrado “The struggle is my life. I will continue fighting for freedom until the end of my days.” – Nelson Mandela. I had just finished watching a movie on Thursday evening, when I went on the internet to find the news that Nelson Mandela had passed away at the age of 95. Like… Read More “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” is a Timely Biopic of Nelson Mandela
By John Corrado A man is hanging by a tree, the soft mud on the ground beneath his feet the only thing stopping his weight from tightening the rope around his neck. We see other plantation workers going about their business in the background, doing their best to ignore one of their own, lest they… Read More Remembering the Powerful Performances of Steve McQueen’s “12 Years a Slave”
It’s Thanksgiving Day across the border, and we would like to take a moment to offer our best wishes to all of our readers who are celebrating the day. We hope you all have a great time over the holidays. With Disney’s joyous and heartfelt animated triumph Frozen and the feel good musical Black Nativity… Read More Happy Thanksgiving!
By John Corrado When animation enthusiasts talk about the Disney Renaissance, they are referring to the period in history when the studio gave us such great films as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Now Frozen has come along, a joyous and heartfelt animated… Read More Disney’s “Frozen” is a Joyous and Heartfelt Animated Triumph
By John Corrado As Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) deliver a victory speech in District 11, they give their thanks to the fallen Tributes. An elderly man in the crowd whistles those haunting four notes of the Mockingjay call, and raises his hand in the air to give them the iconic… Read More “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” is an Excellent Second Chapter
By John Corrado Robert Redford delivers a mesmerizing performance in All is Lost, a haunting and beautifully filmed work that provides a unique moviegoing experience, which has been gaining buzz since first premiering at Cannes. The film opened back on October 18th and is still playing in limited release. When we first meet Our Man… Read More Robert Redford is Mesmerizing in the Haunting “All is Lost”
By John Corrado Marcus (Keith Stanfield) sits on the edge of his bed at the group home where he has lived for several years, as the kind social worker Mason (John Gallagher Jr.) sits down beside him and starts to play a simple beat on the drum. Marcus starts to rap the words he has… Read More The Believable “Short Term 12” Features Beautiful Performances
By John Corrado It’s hard to believe that Schindler’s List is turning twenty this year, because in some ways Steven Spielberg’s masterful 1993 opus on the Holocaust holds up so well that the film feels like it could be a part of this year’s awards season conversation. But the haunting black and white cinematography gives… Read More Remembering Twenty Years of Steven Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List”
The Joy of Movies 