Hidden Figures Review By John Corrado ★★★★ (out of 4) A crowbar smashes into the sign for a “colored” washroom, tearing it from the wall. A piece of chalk passes from a white man’s hand to a black woman at a classified NASA briefing, where there was previously no protocol for women attending, let alone people… Read More Three Views: Hidden Figures
Fences Review By John Corrado ★★★★ (out of 4) Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington) is a man who is almost always talking, filled with stories and sharing his opinions on just about everything. When Fences opens, we find him already in the middle of a conversation with his coworker Bono (Stephen McKinley Henderson), as they both cling to… Read More Three Views: Fences
By Erin Corrado As part of Canada’s Top 10, the Student Shorts Programme plays today at 1pm at TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto. Filmmakers will be in attendance, and the Student Short Film Prizes will be announced following the screening. Each film was made as part of a university program by students, and while there… Read More Review: Canada’s Top Ten Student Shorts Programme
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) The first thing we see gracing the screen in La La Land, the new throwback to old musicals that is good but not quite as good as you’ve heard, is a nicely retro logo for Summit Entertainment, presented on a black and white screen in Academy aspect ratio. The screen pulls out to announce… Read More Review: La La Land
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) “Maybe I’m a feminist,” teenage protagonist Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann) tells his mother Dorothea (Annette Bening) partway through 20th Century Women, and there is perhaps no better statement to sum up what makes this film so special. This is the story of a boy essentially being raised by the woman… Read More Review: 20th Century Women
By John Corrado ★★★★ (out of 4) With undertones of an Amblin production from the 1980s, A Monster Calls is the rarest of things nowadays. It’s a family film that is as much for older kids as it is for adults, and is unafraid of going dark and exploring sensitive themes involving the death of… Read More Review: A Monster Calls
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Following their mega hit The Secret Life of Pets this summer, Illumination has delivered another animated winner with Sing, a fun and often joyful pop musical that is enlivened by its colourful visuals and likeable characters. Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) is a theatre-loving koala who is struggling to… Read More Review: Sing
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Review By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) Recounting the events of the rebellion hinted at in the opening crawl of the original 1977 film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a prequel that actually works. Directed by Gareth Edwards, the film expands upon the mythology of the series in… Read More Three Views: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Review By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) Expanding upon the world she created in the Harry Potter series, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is the first film for which author J.K. Rowling wrote the screenplay, and it serves as a welcome return to the wizarding… Read More Three Views: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) Based on the true story of Saroo Brierly’s journey to reconnect with his birth family after getting lost on the crowded streets of India over twenty years earlier, Lion is a moving and inspiring drama. The first half of the film follows Saroo as a young boy (Sunny Pawar), who gets… Read More Review: Lion
By John Corrado ★★★★ (out of 4) Directed by Pablo Larraín in his English language debut, Jackie largely eschews the typical biopic formula to offer a complex and nuanced portrait of Jacqueline Kennedy, exploring how she meticulously managed her place in the public spotlight, both as First Lady and sudden widow. The narrative is centred… Read More Review: Jackie
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) During World War II, Japan forced thousands of young women from around Asia into sexual slavery. Referred to as “comfort women,” and now more affectionately called the grandmothers, many of the aging victims have spent years protesting and demanding the government to issue a formal apology for their abuse,… Read More Review: The Apology
By John Corrado ★★★★ (out of 4) Directed by Kenneth Lonergan, only his third film in sixteen years following You Can Count On Me and Margaret, Manchester By The Sea is a masterful and beautifully written look at how grief affects different people, anchored by outstanding performances and an impressive handling of tone. Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is a… Read More Review: Manchester By The Sea
Moana Review By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) Directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, who helped usher in the fabled Disney Renaissance with such classics like The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, Moana is a solid entry into the studio’s oeuvre that continues their current hot streak. Taking place in the South Pacific, the story… Read More Three Views: Moana
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Emulating the spirit of 1980s high school classics from John Hughes and Cameron Crowe, with a screenplay by writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig that instantly cements her as a fresh new voice, The Edge of Seventeen is a modern teen film that is funny, smart and heartfelt. Nadine (Hailee… Read More Review: The Edge of Seventeen
By John Corrado ★★½ (out of 4) Based on an incredible true comeback story, Bleed for This recounts the career of boxer Vinny Pazienza (Miles Teller), a world class champion from Rhode Island who is riding high after a win, but suffers a major setback when he breaks his neck in a car crash. Vinny… Read More Review: Bleed for This
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) After twelve egg-shaped alien spaceships land around the world, linguistics professor Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is recruited by the military to try and communicate with the otherworldly visitors in Montana. Teaming up with Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker) and theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), Louise takes a methodical approach… Read More Review: Arrival
Doctor Strange Review By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Just when it was starting to feel like the Marvel Cinematic Universe might be at risk of only delivering bloated ensemble sequels like Avengers: Age of Ultron and Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange has arrived in the nick of time to breath some new life into the… Read More Three Views: Doctor Strange
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) Beginning and ending with scenes of Inuit people hunting seals, Angry Inuk packs a compelling argument between these bookending sequences that gracefully challenges those who protest the seal hunt. The winner of the Audience Award at Hot Docs, this is documentary filmmaking at its most important and provocative. Directed by Alethea… Read More Review: Angry Inuk
By John Corrado ★★★★ (out of 4) The story of a young black man and how his life changes from childhood to adulthood as he comes to terms with being gay, Moonlight is a heartbreaking and vital work of art, that has a profound lasting impact. The film opens with our protagonist Chiron as an extremely… Read More Review: Moonlight
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