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
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
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
By John Corrado ★★★★ (out of 4) Walt Disney’s motto was that for every laugh there should be a tear, so it’s only fitting that Life, Animated, a documentary about the profound affects the studio’s animated classics have had on a young autistic man, would offer plenty of both emotions. This is the story of Owen… Read More Review: Life, Animated
By John Corrado ★★★★ (out of 4) I have always been fascinated by time travel, both the way it is used in movies and other stories, as well as the actual possibilities of being able to move along the space-time continuum. I have also always loved building models and collecting movie memorabilia, to remind me of… Read More Review: How to Build a Time Machine
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Although filmed under the close watch of officials, and featuring a script written by the North Korean government, who clearly intended the project to be self-serving propaganda, Under the Sun actually becomes a fascinating exploration of censorship. Gaining permission to tell the story of a young family as their daughter Zin-mi prepares… Read More Review: Under the Sun
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) I have never been to the New Beverly Cinema, a repertory theatre in Los Angeles that thrives on showing double bills of classic films on 35mm prints. But I would love to go there after seeing Out of Print, an enjoyable documentary that provides a sweet ode to the importance of the… Read More Review: Out of Print
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) From his impassioned hubris to his pun-ready name, you would be hard pressed to find a fictional political figure as fascinating and conflicted as Anthony Weiner, the popular and married Democratic congressman who was forced to resign amidst a sexting scandal, and saw his chance for a comeback… Read More Review: Weiner
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) “I have a great deal of trouble imagining myself as an old lady,” Leslie Caron says at the start of Larry Weinstein’s documentary portrait Leslie Caron: The Reluctant Star, and at 85 years old, the veteran actress appears as alive as ever. Being interviewed at her home and at some… Read More Review: Leslie Caron: The Reluctant Star
By John Corrado ★★★★ (out of 4) When New Zealand pop culture reporter David Ferrier found bizarre videos online of a sport called Competitive Endurance Tickling, where half-naked young guys are paid to be tied up and tickled by other men, he reached out for an interview with the company behind it. But he never could… Read More Review: Tickled
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) Brian De Palma sits in front of a fireplace in a medium closeup, discussing his filmmaking career, as clips from his films and other influences are interspersed between. This is the simple visual conceit behind De Palma, an extremely engaging documentary portrait that allows the director to talk candidly… Read More Review: De Palma
By John Corrado ★★★★ (out of 4) Watching Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made gave me the same feeling I had seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark for the first time as a kid. And that’s no small praise of this genuine crowdpleaser that is finally being released after playing at last year’s Hot Docs, and… Read More Review: Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made
By John Corrado ★★★★ (out of 4) A haunting and visually stunning cinematic tone poem, and winner of the Hot Docs Best Canadian Feature award, Konelīne: Our Land Beautiful is a gorgeously captured documentary that offers a powerful and moving hymn to living in harmony with the land. Director Nettie Wild doesn’t confine the film to a single narrative arc,… Read More Bloor Cinema Release: Konelīne: Our Land Beautiful
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Playing almost like an American blues version of Buena Vista Social Club, I Am The Blues allows us to hang out in the classic juke joints, church halls and front porches in Mississippi that are home to aging musicians including Bobby Rush, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes and Barbara Lynn. They are part of the last… Read More Bloor Cinema Release: I Am The Blues
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) After graduating from film school in 1985, Will Allen joined the Bhuddafield cult, an experience that took up over two decades of his life, as he made short films for the cult and became their documentarian. Starting in California, Bhuddafield was a secret community of young spiritualists who were all looking for answers… Read More Bloor Cinema Release: Holy Hell
By John Corrado ★★½ (out of 4) Following a group of aging burlesque performers, who still retain their sex-positive attitudes even as seniors, League of Exotique Dancers, the recent opening night film at Hot Docs, provides a fun alternative history of the women’s rights movement. Although using their bodies and mostly performing for men, these dancers all… Read More Bloor Cinema Release: League of Exotique Dancers
By John Corrado Hot Docs has come to a close, but before we officially wrap things up until next year, below are my thoughts on the final few films that I had the chance to see. I have also included links to my previous sets of reviews at the bottom of this post, so that you can look… Read More #HotDocs16: Final Batch of Reviews
By John Corrado We have now reached the final weekend of Hot Docs, and below are my thoughts on some more films that I had the chance to see over the last few days. Please come back on Monday for my final batch of reviews, and you can find more info on any remaining showtimes through the links… Read More #HotDocs16: Fourth Batch of Reviews
By John Corrado Although we are coming up to the final weekend of Hot Docs, there are still plenty of films left to screen. Below are my thoughts on eight more that I saw this week, including several standouts and fascinating conversation starters. Please come back for more reviews over the weekend, and you can find info… Read More #HotDocs16: Third Batch of Reviews
By John Corrado The first weekend of Hot Docs has just come to a close, and below are my thoughts on nine films that I had the chance to see over the last three days. Please come back for more reviews throughout the rest of the festival, and you can find info on tickets and showtimes through the links in the… Read More #HotDocs16: Second Batch of Reviews
The Joy of Movies 