By John Corrado ** (out of 4) The car chases in Need for Speed are often cool, and pretty much anyone who ever had fun spinning Hot Wheels cars around a plastic racetrack as a kid is sure to get some enjoyment out of watching these extended sequences. Now if only even half as much… Read More Review: Need for Speed
By John Corrado So there you have it. Two of the best movies of 2013 were honoured last night, with Gravity winning a total of seven Oscars including Best Director for Alfonso Cuarón and 12 Years a Slave taking Best Picture, a pair of powerful films that have stuck with me since first seeing them… Read More “12 Years a Slave” Takes Top Honours and “Gravity” Wins Big at the 86th Oscars
By John Corrado No matter how things play out at the 86th Oscars, I have made no secret of my love for all nine films in the running for Best Picture this year. That’s not to say there weren’t other ones I would have loved to see included, but 2013 was such a strong year… Read More Reviewing the Best Picture Nominees
By John Corrado I think the entire entertainment industry will breathe a sigh of relief come next Sunday night after the Oscars are finally announced, the last footnote for the banner year of movies that was 2013. But I’m not complaining, because this has been one of the most exciting awards seasons in recent memory,… Read More Some Final Thoughts Before the 86th Oscars
By John Corrado *** (out of 4) A few days before The Wind Rises premiered at TIFF, legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki announced that the film would be his last achievement as a director before retiring, which is unfortunate for a variety of reasons. This is a good film from a great filmmaker, an animated biopic with… Read More Review: The Wind Rises
By John Corrado For my Monday column this week, I’ve decided to share two videos that speak for themselves. Although the subjects couldn’t be more different, the first an older sportscaster from Texas and the second a young Canadian actress, they offer powerful messages of equality that quickly went viral and are both absolutely worth… Read More Celebrating Dale Hansen and Ellen Page
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) Among my highlights of last year’s TIFF was attending a screening of Labor Day on the final Saturday of the festival. Director Jason Reitman made a surprise appearance for the final showing of his latest at the Ryerson Theatre, dedicating the screening to late film critic Roger Ebert… Read More Review: Labor Day
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
