By John Corrado When animation enthusiasts talk about the Disney Renaissance, they are referring to the period in history when the studio gave us such great films as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Now Frozen has come along, a joyous and heartfelt animated… Read More Disney’s “Frozen” is a Joyous and Heartfelt Animated Triumph
By John Corrado As Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) deliver a victory speech in District 11, they give their thanks to the fallen Tributes. An elderly man in the crowd whistles those haunting four notes of the Mockingjay call, and raises his hand in the air to give them the iconic… Read More “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” is an Excellent Second Chapter
Delivery Man – A Touchstone Pictures Release https://www.facebook.com/DeliveryManMovie Release Date: November 22nd, 2013 Rated PG for mature themes and language Running time: 103 minutes Ken Scott (dir.) Ken Scott (screenplay) Jon Brion (music) Vince Vaughn as David Chris Pratt as Brett Cobie Smulders as Emma Andrzej Blumenfeld as Mikolaj Simon Delaney as Victor Bobby Moynihan… Read More Movie Review: Delivery Man
By John Corrado Robert Redford delivers a mesmerizing performance in All is Lost, a haunting and beautifully filmed work that provides a unique moviegoing experience, which has been gaining buzz since first premiering at Cannes. The film opened back on October 18th and is still playing in limited release. When we first meet Our Man… Read More Robert Redford is Mesmerizing in the Haunting “All is Lost”
By John Corrado Marcus (Keith Stanfield) sits on the edge of his bed at the group home where he has lived for several years, as the kind social worker Mason (John Gallagher Jr.) sits down beside him and starts to play a simple beat on the drum. Marcus starts to rap the words he has… Read More The Believable “Short Term 12” Features Beautiful Performances
When Jews Were Funny – A KinoSmith Release http://whenjewswerefunny.com Release Date: November 15th, 2013 Rated PG for language Running time: 90 minutes Alan Zweig (dir.) Alan Zweig (writer) Michael Zweig (music) Shecky Greene as Himself Howie Mandel as Himself Shelley Berman as Himself Norm Crosby as Himself Jack Carter as Himself David Steinberg as Himself… Read More Movie Review: When Jews Were Funny
Thor: The Dark World – A Walt Disney Release http://marvel.com/thor Release Date: November 8th, 2013 Rated PG for violence Running time: 112 minutes Alan Taylor (dir.) Christopher L. Yost (screenplay) Christopher Markus (screenplay) Stephen McFeely (screenplay) Brian Tyler (music) Chris Hemsworth as Thor Natalie Portman as Jane Foster Tom Hiddleston as Loki Anthony Hopkins as… Read More Movie Review: Thor: The Dark World
By John Corrado A passionate look at the AIDS crisis and how one man played the corrupt system to help save lives, Dallas Buyers Club is carried by a remarkable performance from Matthew McConaughey that could easily lead the charge to Oscar night. The film opens today in limited release. After missing the world premiere… Read More Matthew McConaughey is Remarkable in “Dallas Buyers Club”
By John Corrado As we approach Halloween, many people have been counting the days by revisiting classics of the horror genre, and James Wan’s artfully crafted and terrifically terrifying The Conjuring already deserves a place alongside them. The film opened in theatres back on July 19th, grossing over $300 million at the worldwide box office,… Read More James Wan’s “The Conjuring” is a Modern Horror Classic
The Fifth Estate – A Touchstone Pictures Release https://www.facebook.com/TheFifthEstateMovie Release Date: October 18th, 2013 Rated 14A for coarse language and a scene of graphic violence Running time: 128 minutes Bill Condon (dir.) Josh Singer (screenplay) Based on the books Inside WikiLeaks by Daniel Berg, and WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange’s War on Secrecy by David Leigh… Read More Movie Review: The Fifth Estate
Captain Phillips – A Sony Pictures Release http://www.captainphillipsmovie.com/site/ Release Date: October 11th, 2013 Rated 14A for violence and disturbing content Running time: 134 minutes Paul Greengrass (dir.) Billy Ray (screenplay) Based on the book A Captain’s Duty by Richard Phillips Henry Jackman (music) Tom Hanks as Captain Richard Phillips Barkhad Abdi as Muse Barkhad Abdirahman… Read More Movie Review: Captain Phillips
Gravity – A Warner Bros. Release http://gravitymovie.warnerbros.com Release Date: October 4th, 2013 Rated PG for intense sequences, mature themes and language Running time: 91 minutes Alfonso Cuarón (dir.) Alfonso Cuarón (writer) Jonás Cuarón (writer) Steven Price (music) Sandra Bullock as Ryan Stone George Clooney as Matt Kowalski Ed Harris as Mission Control (voice) Phaldut Sharma… Read More Movie Review: Gravity
By John Corrado Joseph Gordon-Levitt is one of the most likeable young actors currently working, having already proven himself in multiple different roles. With Don Jon, he proves that he is equally capable as both a writer and director, delivering a solid debut feature that premiered at TIFF and I already look forward to watching… Read More “Don Jon” and “Enough Said” Both Deliver Smart Takes on Romance
Rush – An eOne Films’ Release http://www.rushmovie.com/intl/ca-en/ Release Date: September 27th, 2013 Rated 14A for coarse language, sexual content and disturbing content Running time: 123 minutes Ron Howard (dir.) Peter Morgan (screenplay) Hans Zimmer (music) Chris Hemsworth as James Hunt Daniel Brühl as Niki Lauda Olivia Wilde as Suzy Miller Alexandra Maria Lara as Marlene… Read More Movie Review: Rush
By John Corrado After premiering at TIFF and being voted the second runner up for the coveted BlackBerry People’s Choice Award at the festival, Prisoners opened in first place at the box office over the weekend with a respectable $21.4 million. Receiving a passionate response in many circles and provoking a stirring conversation, this is… Read More Denis Villeneuve’s “Prisoners” is a Tense Thriller Guided By Strong Performances
Good Ol’ Freda – A KinoSmith Release http://www.goodolfreda.com Release Date: September 20th, 2013 @ Bloor Hot Docs Cinema Rated STC Running time: 86 minutes Ryan White (dir.) Jessica Lawson (writer) Ryan White (writer) Paul Koch (music) Freda Kelly as Herself George Harrison as Himself (archive footage) John Lennon as Himself (archive footage) Paul McCartney as… Read More Movie Review: Good Ol’ Freda
Our Nixon – A Films We Like Release http://www.ournixon.com Release Date: August 30th, 2013 @ Bloor Hot Docs Cinema Rated PG for mature themes and language Running time: 85 minutes Penny Lane (dir.) Brian L. Frye (dir.) Hrishikesh Hirway (music) Dwight Chapin as Himself John Ehrlichman as Himself (archive footage) H.R. Haldeman as Himself (archive… Read More Movie Review: Our Nixon
By John Corrado The statement that “Edgar Wright is brilliant” would be enough to sum up my feelings on The World’s End, the director’s latest and unofficial closer to his excellent Cornetto trilogy that started with Shaun of the Dead in 2004 and Hot Fuzz in 2007. The film opened in fourth place at the… Read More Edgar Wright’s “The World’s End” is a Triumphant Mix of Genres
Lee Daniels’ The Butler – An eOne Films’ Release http://weinsteinco.com/sites/leedanielsthebutler/ Release Date: August 16th, 2013 Rated 14A for language and disturbing content Running time: 132 minutes Lee Daniels (dir.) Danny Strong (writer) Based on an article by Wil Haygood Rodrigo Leão (music) Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines Oprah Winfrey as Gloria Gaines David Oyelowo as… Read More Movie Review: Lee Daniels’ The Butler
By John Corrado Earning rave reviews from many critics after playing at Sundance back in January, Prince Avalanche is finely reaching a wider audience and the buzz surrounding the excellent performances of Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch is absolutely deserved. Already enjoying a limited run across the border, Prince Avalanche opens in Toronto at Cineplex… Read More The Quietly Affecting “Prince Avalanche” is Carried by Excellent Performances
The Joy of Movies 