Movie Review: Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band (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+)

October 24, 2024May 11, 2025 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Blu-ray Review: Twisters (Collector’s Edition)

By John Corrado Please note that this is a review of the Blu-ray release of Twisters. For my full thoughts on the film itself, you can read my theatrical review right here. Twisters, the legacy sequel to the 1996 blockbuster Twister, is getting a physical media release this week, following its run in theatres over… Read More Blu-ray Review: Twisters (Collector’s Edition)

October 22, 2024May 11, 2025 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Movie Review: Goodrich

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

October 17, 2024May 11, 2025 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Movie Review: Smile 2

By John Corrado The 2022 horror movie Smile rode the wave of a concept ready-made for viral marketing campaigns to become a hit at the box office. Add in the fact that the film’s premise basically allowed for near-endless follow-ups, and a sequel was an inevitable case of not if, but when. Writer-director Parker Finn (who expanded… Read More Movie Review: Smile 2

October 16, 2024May 11, 2025 thejoyofmovies.ca1 Comment

Movie Review: The Apprentice

By John Corrado The choice to make a Donald Trump biopic at this point in time, when the man himself is already so ubiquitous and overexposed in our media landscape, is both an obvious and somewhat curious one. In our polarized age, the mere presence of a film like this raises questions about what audience… Read More Movie Review: The Apprentice

October 10, 2024May 11, 2025 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Movie Review: Joker: Folie à Deux

By John Corrado How the heck do you even begin to approach making a sequel to the 2019 smash hit Joker? You know, the R-rated comic book villain origin story from the director of Old School and The Hangover, that was inspired by the films of Martin Scorsese, somehow won the Golden Lion at Venice,… Read More Movie Review: Joker: Folie à Deux

October 6, 2024May 11, 2025 thejoyofmovies.ca1 Comment

Movie Review: The Outrun

By John Corrado Saoirse Ronan takes on the role of a young alcoholic in The Outrun. It’s a role that allows the actress to deliver an incredible performance showcasing her full depth and range, as the drama depicts the addiction and recovery process as an ongoing journey. It’s based on author Amy Liptrot’s memoir of the… Read More Movie Review: The Outrun

October 3, 2024May 11, 2025 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Movie Review: Lee

By John Corrado The movie Lee is a biopic of photojournalist Elizabeth “Lee” Miller (played by Kate Winslet), who worked as a photographer for Vogue magazine during World War II. The film serves as the feature directorial debut of cinematographer Ellen Kuras (who first worked with Winslet on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), and… Read More Movie Review: Lee

September 27, 2024September 27, 2024 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Movie Review: Seeking Mavis Bacon

By John Corrado In her debut feature documentary Seeking Mavis Beacon, director Jazmin Jones tries to find the elusive model that became the face of the ubiquitous computer program Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. If you are of a certain age, the educational game is likely responsible for teaching you computer skills. Though Mavis Beacon herself… Read More Movie Review: Seeking Mavis Bacon

September 26, 2024 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

4K Ultra HD Review: Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1

By John Corrado Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is the first in what the actor and filmmaker intends to be a four part saga chronicling America in the 1860s. And it’s hard not to admire Costner for betting everything on crafting this largely self-financed Western saga. The film finds Costner returning… Read More 4K Ultra HD Review: Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1

September 25, 2024September 26, 2024 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Blu-ray Review: Despicable Me 4 (Collector’s Edition)

By John Corrado The latest film in Illumination’s blockbuster animated franchise that began in 2010, Despicable Me 4 is largely about offering more of the same, which in this case can mostly be seen as a good thing. By now, Illumination has this series down to a formula. But Despicable Me 4 still manages to… Read More Blu-ray Review: Despicable Me 4 (Collector’s Edition)

September 24, 2024November 21, 2024 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

Movie Review: Transformers One

By John Corrado Transformers One is technically the latest entry in the blockbuster franchise based on the Hasbro toys, but sets itself apart by being both a prequel and the first fully animated film since 1986’s The Transformers: The Movie. And it’s a decent animated film that easily ranks as one of the better entries… Read More Movie Review: Transformers One

September 20, 2024September 19, 2024 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

#TIFF24 Review: Sunshine (Centrepiece)

By John Corrado The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 5th to 15th, more information can be found right here. In her new film Sunshine, Filipina writer-director Antoinette Jadaone crafts a gritty and grounded teenage drama, that offers an interesting glimpse at life in the Philippines from a perspective that I hadn’t really seen… Read More #TIFF24 Review: Sunshine (Centrepiece)

September 18, 2024 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

#TIFF24 Review: Sketch (Special Presentations)

By John Corrado The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 5th to 15th, more information can be found right here. Written and directed by visual effects artist Seth Worley in his feature directorial debut, Sketch is a nice surprise. It’s a decent and charming live action family film about a girl whose angry drawings… Read More #TIFF24 Review: Sketch (Special Presentations)

September 18, 2024September 18, 2024 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

#TIFF24 Review: The Penguin Lessons (Gala Presentations)

By John Corrado The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 5th to 15th, more information can be found right here. In The Penguin Lessons, director Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty, Military Wives) crafts a charming, based-on-a-true-story crowdpleaser that balances the sweet friendship between Steve Coogan and a penguin with Argentinian political drama. It’s a… Read More #TIFF24 Review: The Penguin Lessons (Gala Presentations)

September 17, 2024 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

#TIFF24 Review: Oh, Canada (Gala Presentations)

By John Corrado The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 5th to 15th, more information can be found right here. The latest film from Paul Schrader, Oh, Canada focuses on the legacy of a documentary filmmaker who dodged the draft, and how his choice to flee to Canada to avoid serving in the Vietnam… Read More #TIFF24 Review: Oh, Canada (Gala Presentations)

September 17, 2024 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

#TIFF24 Review: Flow (Centrepiece)

By John Corrado The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 5th to 15th, more information can be found right here. In his second animated feature Flow, following his 2019 debut Away, Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis captures the wordless saga of a group of animals trying to survive a flood on their island. The creatures… Read More #TIFF24 Review: Flow (Centrepiece)

September 17, 2024 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

#TIFF24 Review: The Shadow Strays (Midnight Madness)

By John Corrado The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 5th to 15th, more information can be found right here. The latest film from Indonesian action filmmaker Timo Tjahjanto (Headshot, The Night Comes for Us), The Shadow Strays is a totally insane and highly stylized action flick. Right from the opening sequence laying waste… Read More #TIFF24 Review: The Shadow Strays (Midnight Madness)

September 16, 2024September 16, 2024 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

#TIFF24 Review: It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This (Midnight Madness)

By John Corrado The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 5th to 15th, more information can be found right here. Director Nick Toti’s It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This is a found footage horror movie that definitely works best as a midnight experience shared with an audience. The filmmaker has stated that… Read More #TIFF24 Review: It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This (Midnight Madness)

September 16, 2024September 16, 2024 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment

#TIFF24 Review: Ick (Midnight Madness)

By John Corrado The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 5th to 15th, more information can be found right here. Former music video director Joseph Kahn follows up his raucous 2017 battle rap satire Bodied with Ick; a sci-fi horror comedy that serves as homage to stereotypical early-2000s high school movies, starring Brandon… Read More #TIFF24 Review: Ick (Midnight Madness)

September 16, 2024September 16, 2024 thejoyofmovies.caLeave a comment