By John Corrado ★★½ (out of 4) An immigrant from pre-war Yugoslavia, Jasmin (Jasmin Geljo) is a struggling actor in Toronto, who finds himself typecast to read for criminals in his auditions, and works as a construction worker to support his wife (Ma-Anne Dionisio) and son (Filip Geljo). There are a lot of static shots and long… Read More Review: The Waiting Room
By John Corrado ★ (out of 4) Although Lolo, the worst movie I saw at TIFF last year, sets itself up as a romantic comedy, this disappointing latest from writer-director-star Julie Delpy is too broad in its comedy, and further letdown by a misjudged undercurrent of creepiness. When divorced single mother and socialite Violette (Julie Delpy) has a… Read More Review: Lolo
Alice Through the Looking Glass Review By John Corrado ★½ (out of 4) Here’s a conundrum for you. Alice Through the Looking Glass is a film that expects us to care about things, without giving us any real reasons to actually care about them. This is a film that is often so bafflingly undercooked in terms of… Read More Three Views: Alice Through the Looking Glass
By John Corrado ★★★★ (out of 4) It’s only fitting that Shane Black, who breathed new life into the buddy cop genre with his screenplay for Lethal Weapon in 1987, a film that mixed action and dark humour to launch a successful franchise, is now reviving this same genre with The Nice Guys. Following his underrated directorial… Read More Review: The Nice Guys
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) When Cassie Cranston (Jewel Staite) returns to the prudish small town of Beaver’s Ridge for her mother’s funeral, years after an embarrassing incident as a teenager had her labelled the “town slut” and led to a career as a sex columnist, the eccentric locals convince her to plan an orgy.… Read More Review: How to Plan An Orgy in a Small Town
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Still reeling from his sister’s suicide, Shane (Andrew Martin) dreams of finally getting away from his small Native community in Northern Ontario, and going to university in Toronto with his secret boyfriend David (Harley Legarde-Beacham). But his depressed mother (Jennifer Podemski), dwindling money and being forced to hide his… Read More Review: Fire Song
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) A master of finding intersecting lines between comedy and drama, writer-director Lorene Scafaria has crafted a touching and yet still often laugh out loud funny film in The Meddler, using feel good humour to sensitively explore the different ways people grieve. This is the sort of film you can see… Read More Review: The Meddler
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) Eugene (Dylan Harman) is a young man with Down Syndrome, who still believes in the power of rainbows to deliver gold. Living in Toronto and riddled by extreme poverty, he practically has to take care of himself alongside his terminally ill mother. Eugene sets out to find the proverbial… Read More Review: The Rainbow Kid
Captain America: Civil War Review By John Corrado ★★½ (out of 4) The latest superhero teamup, a concept that has grown less novel since the first Avengers four years ago, Captain America: Civil War packs a lot of stuff into its 146 minute running time. To be sure, there are things here that do work, but after a certain point… Read More Three Views: Captain America: Civil War
By John Corrado ★★★★ (out of 4) The feeling of watching Sing Street, the latest and for me greatest music-themed drama from director John Carney, is best described partway through the film. The moment comes when the troubled aspiring model Raphina (Lucy Boynton) talks to our lovestruck teenaged protagonist Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) about learning how… Read More Review: Sing Street
By John Corrado ★★ (out of 4) Beginning with a frantic 911 call over the opening credits, Body starts off on a solid and intriguing note, introducing us to its trio of young female characters over a Scrabble game. Their banter has a natural, mumblecore quality to it, with the added dread of knowing that something bad… Read More Review: Body
The Jungle Book Review By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) The experience of watching The Jungle Book is so absorbing and compelling on a purely visual level, that we almost immediately forget that what we are seeing, save for human lead Neel Sethi, has been created almost entirely through the magic of special effects. The… Read More Three Views: The Jungle Book
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) Martine Stonehouse is a celebrated transgender activist living on the autism spectrum in Toronto, who is struggling to complete her gender confirmation surgery before marrying her longtime partner John Gelman, a straight man who is also on the autism spectrum, and wants to have a partner with female genitalia. Because of… Read More Review: Transfixed
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) Directed by Wiebke Von Carolsfeld, The Saver is a gritty and emotionally affective Canadian drama that captures the all too common realities of living in poverty, especially for Native youth who are often ignored within the system. The film follows Fern (Imajyn Cardinal), a 16-year-old who is left desperate and alone after the… Read More Review: The Saver
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) The feature debut of Director X, who is perhaps better known for music videos like Hotline Bling, Across the Line is a well made and often stylish examination of poverty and racism at a small town high school. Partially inspired by real racial tensions in North Preston, Nova Scotia… Read More Review: Across the Line
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) “Growing up isn’t the problem, forgetting is.” Although not a direct quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s original book, this message perfectly encapsulates the enduring resonance of his story and is one of the most poignant lines of dialogue that has been added to The Little Prince. Directed by Mark Osborne, this… Read More Review: The Little Prince
By John Corrado ★★★★ (out of 4) A Canadian coming of age drama shot in and around Thunder Bay, Sleeping Giant is a small film that leaves a big impact in its searing exploration of the long buried feelings that are awoken in the throes of youth. Already landing a spot on my top ten list… Read More Review: Sleeping Giant
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) The latest showcase for a powerhouse performance from Jake Gyllenhaal, Demolition is a gripping character study of a man who quite literally has to tear every little thing in his life apart, so that he can start to piece it all back together again. Last year’s opening night film at… Read More Review: Demolition
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) It always feels good to find a Canadian film that takes some of the most recognizable tropes of homegrown cinema, including a dark sense of humour and scenic shots of our country’s many beautiful landscapes, and uses them in service of telling a story that still feels unique… Read More Review: Borealis
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Just four films into his career, all of which have featured Michael Shannon in one form or another, Jeff Nichols has proven himself to be one of our most promising filmmakers, a visual storyteller with a genuine eye for crafting unique character studies. With his debut feature, Shotgun Stories, he… Read More Review: Midnight Special
The Joy of Movies 