By John Corrado The 21st edition of Hot Docs officially kicked off last night in Toronto, and the nonfiction film festival will be going strong until May 4th. This is my second set of capsule reviews, with lots more to come over the next ten days. Yesterday I shared my thoughts on five standouts, including… Read More #HotDocs14: Second Batch of Reviews
By John Corrado The 21st edition of Hot Docs launches tonight with the Canadian premiere of The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz. The festival will be going strong over the next eleven days in Toronto, screening precisely 197 nonfiction films from 43 different countries. I have been busy screening films over the… Read More #HotDocs14: First Batch of Reviews
Bears – A Disneynature Release http://nature.disney.com/bears Release Date: April 18th, 2014 Rated G Running time: 77 minutes Alastair Fothergill (dir.) Keith Scholey (dir.) George Fenton (music) John C. Reilly as Narrator (voice) ©Disneynature. All Rights Reserved. Sky and her two cubs Amber and Scout in Disneynature’s Bears. Our reviews below: ___________________________________________________________________________ Bears Review By John Corrado ***… Read More Five Views: Bears
Today, Level Film released the charming A Birder’s Guide to Everything on DVD. When young birder David Portnoy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) spots what could be an extinct Labrador Duck, he takes a road trip with his buddies Timmy (Alex Wolff) and Peter (Michael Chen), along with their photographer classmate Ellen (Katie Chang), to try and prove… Read More DVD Release: A Birder’s Guide to Everything
By John Corrado A standout from last year’s Hot Docs and the winner of Best Canadian Feature at the festival, Jason DaSilva’s powerful and inspiring documentary When I Walk is screening tonight at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. The film starts at 7:00 PM, followed by a Skype Q&A with the filmmaker. Jason DaSilva was… Read More Bloor Cinema Release: When I Walk
Rio 2 – A 20th Century Fox Release http://www.riomovies.com Release Date: April 11th, 2014 Rated G for cartoon action Running time: 101 minutes Carlos Saldanha (dir.) Jenny Bicks (screenplay) Yoni Brenner (screenplay) Carlos Kotkin (screenplay) John Powell (music) Jesse Eisenberg as Blu (voice) Anne Hathaway as Jewel (voice) Bruno Mars as Roberto (voice) Andy Garcia as… Read More Five Views: Rio 2
Today, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is releasing The Secret Life of Walter Mitty on Blu-ray & DVD. Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) lives his life daydreaming, imagining elaborate fantasies involving his charming coworker Cheryl Melhoff (Kristen Wiig). But when his job at Life Magazine is threatened, he goes on a real adventure to track down the… Read More Blu-ray Release: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
The Toronto Screenwriting Conference is an annual two-day event held in the early Spring that brings together professional writers with aspiring screenwriters looking to break into or expand their skills in film, TV, and video game writing. I’ve attended the conference the last three years, and it is always fresh and interesting. This year… Read More Interview: Michael Arndt, writer of Little Miss Sunshine, Toy Story 3
After premiering at Hot Docs nearly a year ago, Mistaken for Strangers is finally opening this weekend in Toronto. The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema will be hosting a special screening tonight at 6:30 PM, which will be preceded by an introduction from The National. You can find tickets right here, and below are our reviews… Read More Five Views: Mistaken for Strangers
Last week, Remstar Films released the Canadian documentary Takedown: The DNA of GSP on DVD & Blu-ray. Directed by Peter Svatek and Kristian Manchester, the film follows mixed martial artist Georges St-Pierre from his humble upbringing in Québec City, to his reigning title as the UFC welterweight world champion. Most recently, Georges St-Pierre had a… Read More DVD Release: Takedown: The DNA of GSP
Captain America: The Winter Soldier – A Walt Disney Release http://marvel.com/captainamerica Release Date: April 4th, 2014 Rated PG for intense sequences of violence Running time: 136 minutes Anthony Russo (dir.) Joe Russo (dir.) Christopher Markus (screenplay) Stephen McFeely (screenplay) Henry Jackman (music) Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury Scarlett Johansson… Read More Five Views: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Today, Paramount is releasing Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues on Blu-ray, featuring three different cuts of the hit comedy sequel that opened last December. After losing his job, Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) is hired by a 24 hour news station that is set to revolutionize TV in the 1980s, reuniting him with his old team… Read More Blu-ray Release: Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Last week, Sony Pictures Classics released The Past on Blu-ray. When the kind Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa) returns from Iran to finalize the divorce from his wife Marie (Bérénice Bejo) in France, he finds her living with Samir (Tahar Rahim) and his young son (Elyes Aguis), who’s mother is in a coma, a tragedy that has a… Read More Blu-ray Release: The Past
By John Corrado *** (out of 4) It’s never an easy task to adapt a beloved story, let alone one of the most famous tales of all time, one that has been told for centuries all over the world and has become a cornerstone of multiple religions including Judaism and Christianity. But director Darren Aronofsky… Read More Review: Noah
Released Dec. 3rd, 2013 Page count: 168 pages Size: 11.29″ x 9.37″ The Art of Frozen By Charles Solomon Foreword by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee Preface by John Lasseter Published by Chronicle Books Distributed by Raincoast (Canada http://www.raincoast.com/ http://www.chroniclebooks.com/ _______________________________________________ The Art of Frozen Book Review by Erin V. Under the dustjacket of The… Read More Book Review: The Art of Frozen
Released Oct. 2nd, 2013 Page count: 64 pages Size: 10″ x 7.6″ Disney’s Frozen – The Essential Guide Published by Dorling Kindersley Written by Barbara Bazaldua http://www.dk.com/ ____________________________________________ Frozen: The Essential Guide Review by Erin V. In Frozen – The Essential Guide, we get a brief introduction to all the main characters, sets, and… Read More Book Review: Frozen – The Essential Guide
Today, Paramount is releasing The Wolf of Wall Street on Blu-ray & DVD. After Black Monday costs him his job, Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes into the business of unloading penny stocks. Founded with business partner Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill), their company quickly rises in the financial world as their employees become rich on generous… Read More Blu-ray Release: The Wolf of Wall Street
Touchstone Pictures is releasing Delivery Man on Blu-ray & DVD today, a likeable dramedy that is fronted by a charming performance from the perfectly cast Vince Vaughn, and deserves to find a bigger audience. We all reviewed Delivery Man when the film first opened back on November 22nd, and our overall consensus was: “A faithful… Read More Blu-ray Release: Delivery Man
Today, the acclaimed Italian film The Great Beauty is being released on Blu-ray & DVD through the Criterion Collection. After celebrating his 65th birthday, wealthy journalist Jep Gambardella (Toni Servillo) comes to question the meaning of the affluent life he has built for himself in Rome, having gained fame after publishing his only novel as… Read More Criterion Release: The Great Beauty
Last week, the classic 1991 documentary A Brief History of Time was released on Blu-ray & DVD as part of the Criterion Collection. Based on his bestselling 1988 book of the same name, the film focuses on the life of brilliant astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, shedding light on the debilitating motor neurone disease that has left… Read More Criterion Release: A Brief History of Time
The Joy of Movies 