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 ★★★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 ★★ (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 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 ★★★★ (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 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

By John Corrado A man is hanging by a tree, the soft mud on the ground beneath his feet the only thing stopping his weight from tightening the rope around his neck.  We see other plantation workers going about their business in the background, doing their best to ignore one of their own, lest they… Read More Remembering the Powerful Performances of Steve McQueen’s “12 Years a Slave”