By John Corrado Abel Tesfaye (aka The Weeknd) is undoubtedly a Canadian success story, rising from Scarborough to become one of the biggest pop stars on the planet. Tesfaye, who branched out into acting on the HBO series The Idol, now stars as a version of himself in Hurry Up Tomorrow, which serves as a… Read More Movie Review: Hurry Up Tomorrow
By John Corrado Elton John: Never Too Late, the new music documentary that premiered at TIFF and is now being released on Disney Plus, follows the British rockstar on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. Co-directed by R.J. Cutler and David Furnish, the film counts down to his final concert in North America at Dodger… Read More Movie Review: Elton John: Never Too Late (Disney+)
By John Corrado Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band is the latest Springsteen documentary from director Thom Zimny, and it’s an electrifying mix of concert doc and intimate snapshot of The Boss on tour. Where as Zimny’s recent portraits Western Stars and Letter to You focused on those specific albums, Road Diary expands its scope to his current world… Read More Movie Review: Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band (Disney+)
By John Corrado In their documentary The Beach Boys, co-directors Frank Marshall (The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart) and Thom Zimney (Western Stars, Springsteen on Broadway) team up to offer a polished look at the history of the California surf rock band The Beach Boys. Made up of brothers Brian, Dennis… Read More Movie Review: The Beach Boys (Disney+)
By John Corrado ★★★★ (out of 4) Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour is already one of the biggest selling concert tours of all time, a massive juggernaut that has generated billions of dollars in profits, providing a boost to local economies wherever she goes. The success of this tour one hundred percent speaks to the cultural… Read More Review: Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) The 2023 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 7th to 17th, more information on tickets and showtimes can be found right here. Flora and Son is another incredibly enjoyable music film from Irish writer-director John Carney, building out his oeuvre from the power trio of Once, Begin Again… Read More #TIFF23 Review: Flora and Son (Gala Presentations)
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) The title of Dreamin’ Wild, the new music drama from writer-director Bill Pohlad, comes from the name of an album first recorded by teenage brothers Donnie and Joe Emerson on their rural Washington farm in the late 1970s. The album flew under the radar, before finding unexpected success… Read More Review: Dreamin’ Wild
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) In the summer of 2020, after having to cancel their tour due to COVID, the Canadian indie rock band July Talk decided to do a concert at the Stardust Drive-In in Sharon, Ontario. But this came with its own unique set of challenges, including figuring out the logistics… Read More Review: July Talk: Love Lives Here
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) Directed by documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?), Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, with Dave Letterman is a very enjoyable mix of music documentary, concert film, and docu-special that finds Letterman interviewing U2’s lead singer Bono and guitarist… Read More Review: Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, with Dave Letterman (Disney+)
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Billie Eilish is one of the biggest pop stars on the planet at the moment, and now she has her own concert film in the form of Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles. Premiering on Disney+ today, the film serves as a companion piece to… Read More Disney+ Review: Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) Directed by Spike Lee, David Byrne’s American Utopia is a film version of the Broadway show that the former frontman for the band Talking Heads staged in 2019 at the Hudson Theatre in New York. It was the opening night film at TIFF eleven days ago, and watching… Read More #TIFF20 Review: David Byrne’s American Utopia (Gala Presentations)
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) Bruce Springsteen’s latest album, Western Stars, which was released earlier this year, is an introspective, often bittersweet concept album of sorts that tells the story of a fading Western movie star, and finds the iconic American rocker branching out to country music and performing with a thirty piece… Read More Review: Western Stars
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Directed by Toronto’s own Daniel Roher, Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band is an engaging and emotional look at Robertson’s own life and career as lead guitarist and main songwriter for The Band, as well as the rise and fall of the group itself. The film… Read More Review: Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind, a documentary about the beloved Canadian folk musician co-directed by Joan Tosoni and Martha Kehoe, opens with Lightfoot watching old footage of himself performing his classic song “For Loving You,” and commenting on how he wishes he hadn’t written something… Read More Review: Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) There are some films where the very existence of them and the fact that they are even being released at all is cause for celebration, and the concert documentary Amazing Grace is one of those films. Shot over two nights in January of 1972, the film documents the… Read More Review: Amazing Grace
By John Corrado ★★★★ (out of 4) I watched The Tragically Hip’s final concert in a movie theatre that was showing it live last summer. I couldn’t be in Kingston that night but, like a third of all Canadians, I was glued to that screen for every single song. I was thankful for the chance… Read More Review: Long Time Running
The International Film Music Critics Association nominations were released this morning for excellence in film scoring in 2015. Leading with four nominations each are veteran John Williams for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Ennio Morricone for The Hateful Eight. Close behind with three noms each are Michael Giacchio for Inside Out, Jupiter Ascending, and… Read More 12th Annual IFMCA Award Nominees Announced Today
At noon EST today, the International Film Music Critics Association announced its winners for musical scoring in 2014. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners! Taking home the award for Film Score of the Year is composer Hans Zimmer for Interstellar. This is his nineteenth nomination and third win since the awards started in 2004. … Read More Winners of 11th Annual IFMCA Awards Announced Today
Today at noon EST, the International Film Music Critics Association, of which I am a member, announced its list of nominees for excellence in film scoring in 2014. Leading the pack this year with seven nominations is James Newton Howard for Score of the Year, Composer of the Year, Best Action/Adventure/Thriller score, and Best Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Horror… Read More 11th Annual IFMCA Award Nominees Announced Today
By John Corrado Although I mainly write about movies, I’m a writer first and foremost, and much of my work is done with headphones on and music playing in the background. And because I spend so much time writing, I’m constantly listening to music, both old and new. These are my picks for the best… Read More The Best Albums of 2014
The Joy of Movies 