By John Corrado Do you know how hard it is to be yourself? That’s the quippy answer that George Clooney’s movie star character Jay Kelly, the titular protagonist of director Noah Baumbach’s latest film, gives when someone asks him what it feels like to be accused by critics of always playing himself. Of course, Clooney… Read More Movie Review: Jay Kelly
By John Corrado Actor Michael Angarano directs and stars in Sacramento, a dramedy about masculinity and fatherhood that hits a lot of the expected beats, but still has enough of a scrappy charm to it. Angarano stars as Rickey, an immature man-child in LA who has recently lost his father, when he comes crashing back… Read More Movie Review: Sacramento
By John Corrado Director James Griffiths’ entirely enjoyable dramedy The Ballad of Wallis Island opens with musician Herb McGwyer (Tom Basden) arriving on the remote Wallis Island to play what he believes is an intimate solo gig. Herb is formerly one half of the fictional folk music duo McGwyer & Mortimer, and has been brought… Read More Movie Review: The Ballad of Wallis Island
By John Corrado In her feature debut, the crowd-pleasing dramedy Bob Trevino Likes It, writer-director Tracie Laymon crafts a surprisingly tender portrait of an unlikely friendship, drawn from her own life. Lily Trevino (Barbie Ferreira) is a bubbly but insecure young woman who has a strained relationship with her self-absorbed father Robert (French Stewart). When… Read More Movie Review: Bob Trevino Likes It
By John Corrado In A Real Pain, his sophomore feature as writer and director, actor Jesse Eisenberg crafts a sensitive, richly textured character study of two cousins reuniting for a Holocaust tour in Poland. This unlikely premise paves the way for a dramedy that takes the bones of a mismatched buddy comedy, as Eisenberg graciously shares… Read More Movie Review: A Real Pain
By John Corrado The film Goodrich opens with protagonist Andy Goodrich (Michael Keaton) being awoken by a phone call from his younger wife Naomi (Laura Benanti), who tells him that she has just checked herself into a rehab facility for the next ninety days. Unbeknownst to Andy, Naomi was dealing with a prescription pill addiction,… Read More Movie Review: Goodrich
By John Corrado The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 5th to 15th, more information on tickets and showtimes can be found right here. Nutcrackers, the opening night film of this year’s TIFF, finds director David Gordon Green sort of returning to his more indie movie roots, following his forays into horror franchise filmmaking… Read More #TIFF24 Review: Nutcrackers (Gala Presentations)
By John Corrado Between the Temples, the latest work from director and co-writer Nathan Silver, is a sort of indie screwball comedy that reinvents that old trope of finding yourself through an unconventional relationship. The two figures at the centre of it are Ben Gottlieb (Jason Schwarzman), a cantor at his synagogue who has found… Read More Movie Review: Between the Temples
By John Corrado The title of director Hannah Pearl Utt’s (Before You Know It) sophomore feature Cora Bora refers to the affectionate nickname given to Cora (Megan Stalter), a millennial musician struggling to make it in Los Angeles. Following the breakdown of her moderately successful band, Cora is now trying to strike a solo record… Read More Movie Review: Cora Bora
By John Corrado Writer-director Josh Margolin’s Thelma is being pitched as a senior citizen’s action comedy. But the indie character dramedy really functions as a wonderful leading showcase for elderly actress June Squibb, whose star has really risen over the past decade as a scene-stealing supporting player. Squibb stars as the titular Thelma, a feisty… Read More Movie Review: Thelma
By John Corrado Ezra is the name of the 11-year-old son that standup comedian Max Brandel (Bobby Cannavale) shares with his ex-wife Jenna (Rose Byrne), with disagreements around how to parent him driving a wedge between them. Ezra (William A. Fitzgerald) is autistic; he’s a bright kid who often “movie talks” (using dialogue from movies… Read More Movie Review: Ezra
By John Corrado Please note that this is a review of the Blu-ray release of A Man Called Otto. For my full thoughts on the film itself, you can read my original review right here. A Man Called Otto, director Marc Forster’s very enjoyable remake of the 2015 Swedish film A Man Called Ove, is… Read More Blu-ray Review: A Man Called Otto
By John Corrado ★★★ (out of 4) Tom Hanks stars in A Man Called Otto as Otto Anderson, an old grouch who we first meet buying a hook and exactly five feet of rope from a hardware store. An English-language remake of the 2015 Swedish film A Man Called Ove, which was itself based on… Read More Review: A Man Called Otto
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