By John Corrado The attention-grabbing title of director Todd Rohal’s perverted and profane X-rated satire Fuck My Son!, with its full expletive and exclamation point, is what will bring many into the theatre, seeking the next midnight staple. But the absurd title can only push it so far, and it stops being that funny early… Read More #TIFF50 Review: Fuck My Son! (Midnight Madness)

By John Corrado The setup for Normal, the latest film from director and auteur of ultra-violence Ben Wheatley, involves a lot of “Chekov’s gun” (or, perhaps, Chekov’s explosives); that being the rule that a gun shown in the first act must go off by the third. As much as the first half of this ninety… Read More #TIFF50 Review: Normal (Midnight Madness)

By John Corrado Nouvelle Vague is American director Richard Linklater’s playful look at the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s groundbreaking 1959 film Breathless, done in the spirit of a French New Wave film. A Texas filmmaker shooting in France, in the French language no less, might seem like a stretch. But the indie auteur attitudes of… Read More #TIFF50 Review: Nouvelle Vague (Special Presentations)

By John Corrado Richard Linklater’s wistful period piece Blue Moon finds the filmmaker back in Me and Orson Welles mode, delivering a series of beautifully written and performed scenes in his portrait of former creative partners Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke) and Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott). The year is 1943, and the setting is Sardi’s, the… Read More #TIFF50 Review: Blue Moon (Centrepiece)

By John Corrado I Swear is an enjoyable biographical drama based on the life story of John Davidson, a man living with Tourette’s syndrome, who became an early pioneer in helping bring awareness to the neurological disorder. The film opens with John (played by Robert Aramayo) receiving an award from the Queen in recognition of… Read More #TIFF50 Review: I Swear (Centrepiece)

By John Corrado In his film Bad Apples, Swedish director Jonatan Etzler fully commits to a tricky tonal tightrope walk between drama, thriller, darkest of dark comedies, and barn-burner of a satire. It will polarize viewers, but is also completely engaging if you are able to get on its wavelength. Saoirse Ronan stars in the… Read More #TIFF50 Review: Bad Apples (Special Presentations)

By John Corrado Christy is Australian director David Michôd’s gruelling sports biopic of boxer Christy Martin, a pioneer in the sport of female boxing. Michôd doesn’t fully escape the expected biopic beats. But his film is an emotionally charged one, built around two very strong performances from Sydney Sweeney, who is excellent as Christy, and… Read More #TIFF50 Review: Christy (Special Presentstions)