By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Directed by Kim Nguyen, and featuring breathtaking images shot on location in Nunavut, Two Lovers and a Bear is a hypnotic and transportive psychological drama, that balances its elements of magical realism with genuine human emotion. The two lovers of the title are Lucy (Tatiana Maslaney) and Roman (Dane DeHaan), a young couple… Read More Review: Two Lovers and a Bear
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Recounting the events of a landmark court case in the 1990s that literally saw the the Holocaust being put on trial, Denial is an engaging and well acted drama that presents a lot of interesting ideas about the dangers of revisionist history. The case involves Deborah Lipstadt (Rachel Weisz), a Jewish… Read More Review: Denial
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Following his found footage high school shooting knockout The Dirties, Operation Avalanche is a space age conspiracy caper that finds low budget Toronto filmmaker Matt Johnson playing around on an even larger canvas. This time around, Matt Johnson and his previous co-star Owen Williams portray a pair of young CIA agents who pose as a… Read More Review: Operation Avalanche
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Dramatizing the events of April 20th, 2010, when an offshore oil drilling rig owned by British Petroleum exploded off the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in the worst oil spill in United States history, Deepwater Horizon is a piece of sturdy blockbuster filmmaking. The first half of the film sets… Read More Review: Deepwater Horizon
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) A remake of the classic 1960 western, which was itself a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, The Magnificent Seven is a new take on a well-worn tale from director Antoine Fuqua, that feels fresh and entertaining thanks to its kick-ass and refreshingly diverse cast. After her husband… Read More Review: The Magnificent Seven
Queen of Katwe Review By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Produced by Disney under their based on a true story banner, Queen of Katwe follows Phiona Mutesi (Madine Nalwanga), a girl living in the slums of Uganda with her mother (Lupita Nyong’o) and siblings. When Phiona is taken under the wing of kind coach… Read More Three Views: Queen of Katwe
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) It’s an almost gargantuan task to try and encapsulate the story of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden into a single film, but Oliver Stone proves himself up to the challenge with Snowden. The filmmaker’s best and most politically charged film in years, this is an engaging and provocative dramatic thriller… Read More Review: Snowden
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
By John Corrado ★★★★ (out of 4) Who knew that a movie about the friendship between a depressed man stranded in the wilderness and a farting corpse would be one of the best movies of the year, and yet here we are. Swiss Army Man is such a weird, strangely beautiful and surprisingly profound film,… Read More Review: Swiss Army Man
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) When I finally went to see this modern version of Ghostbusters last night, having waited a bit to try and get away from some of the high-pitched negativity surrounding the film, I was determined to form my own opinion. Which is exactly what I did. And for a big… Read More Review: Ghostbusters
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) A starkly surreal dark comedy packed with eerily relevant social metaphors, The Lobster imagines a dystopic near-future society where single people are sent to a strangely clinical hotel where they are given forty five days to choose a partner. And if they do not meet this deadline, they are… Read More Review: The Lobster
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
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