By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) After winning the Audience Award at Hot Docs last year, The Backward Class is finally opening at the Bloor Cinema today, and will be playing there until February 16th. Tickets and showtimes can be found right here. This heartfelt and highly recommended documentary follows the fifteen original students at Shanti… Read More Bloor Cinema Release: The Backward Class
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 Today, Disney is releasing three Studio Ghibli films for the first time on Blu-ray, including Porco Rosso, Pom Poko and Tales from Earthsea. Following the release of The Wind Rises, Princess Mononoke and Kiki’s Delivery Service back in November, this is another fine chance for fans of the Japanese animation studio to round out… Read More Blu-ray Release: Porco Rosso, Pom Poko and Tales from Earthsea
Paddington – An eOne Films Release http://www.paddington.com/gb/the-movie/ Release Date: January 16th, 2015 Rated G for mild action and rude humour Running Time: 95 minutes Paul King (director) Paul King (writer) Based on the books by Michael Bond Ben Whishaw as Paddington (voice) Hugh Bonneville as Henry Brown Sally Hawkins as Mary Brown Madeleine Harris as… Read More Five Views: Paddington
By John Corrado ★★½ (out of 4) Named for the dangerously high crime rate in New York City in 1981, the title of A Most Violent Year is somewhat misleading, suggesting the sort of thriller that this story of shady business deals never really becomes. To be sure, this is an interesting exercise in slow… Read More Review: A Most Violent Year
By John Corrado The Great Digital Film Festival is returning to Cineplex theatres tomorrow, and the annual celebration of fan favourites boasts a promising lineup of past blockbusters and genre classics, that will be playing at select locations over the next week. There are a lot of highlights this year. The 2015 edition is notable… Read More The 2015 Great Digital Film Festival
By John Corrado Today, Sony Pictures is releasing writer-director David Ayer’s Fury on DVD. The film takes place in the final weeks of World War II, with the tough Don “Wardaddy” Collier (Brad Pitt) and the determined crew of his Sherman tank, including shy new recruit Norman Ellison (Logan Lerman), fighting their way through the… Read More DVD Release: Fury
By John Corrado Two weeks ago, 20th Century Fox released Gone Girl on Blu-ray. When his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) goes missing on their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) is painted as the prime suspect, with her disappearance becoming the point of widespread media fixation. You can read my full review right here.… Read More Blu-ray Release: Gone Girl
By John Corrado I heard the usual conversations about the proverbial “death of cinema” throughout 2014. But there were many movies released last year that provided the most compelling arguments you can make as to why this simply isn’t true. There were obviously some duds and commercial cash grabs, a selection of which qualify as the… Read More The Best Movies of 2014
By John Corrado I saw numerous documentaries in 2014, and there were a lot of great ones. Because of this, it was quite a challenge to narrow down this list, and ensuing selection of honourable mentions. But the ten documentaries I have finally chosen are an eclectic selection of what I consider to be the best… Read More The Best Documentaries of 2014
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
By John Corrado ★½ (out of 4) Audiences below a certain age might like the colours and sounds of Strange Magic. But those above a certain age will just feel nostalgic for a time when the name of George Lucas, who executive produced and co-wrote this forgettable and thoroughly mediocre animated fantasy, was actually reason… Read More Review: Strange Magic
By John Corrado After premiering at Sundance last year, Paramount is releasing Rudderless on DVD today. When his son (Miles Hezier) dies in a school shooting, Sam (Billy Crudup) is left depressed, until he discovers his son’s old demo tapes and starts working through his grief by performing the songs at the local bar. There… Read More DVD Release: Rudderless
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) With memorable performances from Christoph Waltz and Amy Adams, who won a Golden Globe for her role, Big Eyes is Tim Burton’s best live action film in years, a richly designed and appropriately offbeat period piece with themes that still feel just as important. The film recounts the… Read More Review: Big Eyes
By John Corrado ★★★½ (out of 4) Marion Cotillard received a surprise Oscar nomination for her role in Two Days, One Night, and she deserves the Best Actress recognition, delivering an absolutely incredible performance in this excellent latest from master filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. Sandra (Marion Cotillard) is a young working class mother in… Read More Review: Two Days, One Night
American Sniper – A Warner Bros. Release http://www.americansnipermovie.com Release Date: January 16th, 2015 Rated 14A for coarse language, disturbing content and graphic violence Running Time: 132 minutes Clint Eastwood (director) Jason Hall (writer) Based on the book by Chris Kyle, with Jim DeFelice and Scott McEwen Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle Sienna Miller as Taya… Read More Three Views: American Sniper
By John Corrado Fresh off receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature, the excellent Last Days in Vietnam is opening at the Bloor Cinema this evening, and will be playing there until January 29th. Tickets and showtimes are right here. After the resignation of President Nixon, the North Vietnamese Army was gaining ground in Saigon, as… Read More Bloor Cinema Release: Last Days in Vietnam
By John Corrado With Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel leading the charge and amassing nine each, the 87th Oscar nominations were unveiled this morning. As usual, the list was rounded out by a mix of deserving frontrunners, along with some good surprises and a few unfortunate snubs, evoking passionate responses across Twitter. The eight… Read More Thoughts on the 87th Oscar Nominations
Sony Pictures Classics is releasing Love is Strange on Blu-ray today, a small gem that deserves more attention. When Ben (John Lithgow) and George (Alfred Molina) finally get married after nearly four decades together, George is fired from his teaching job, forcing them to sell their Manhattan apartment and stay separately with their respective family and… Read More Blu-ray Release: Love is Strange
Today, Paramount is releasing Men, Women & Children on Blu-ray, one of the best films from last year’s TIFF. Directed by Jason Reitman, the haunting drama seamlessly weaves together the relationships of numerous teenagers and their parents, including the moving friendship that develops between high school outsiders Tim (Ansel Elgort) and Brandy (Kaitlyn Dever), whose… Read More Blu-ray Release: Men, Women & Children
The Joy of Movies 