Influence, written and directed by Montreal-based documentary filmmakers Diana Neille and Richard Poplak, sets forth a captivating portrayal of Lord Tim Bell, the British advertising executive who co-founded the public relations firm, Bell Pottinger, and helped to put Margaret Thatcher into 10 Downing Street. Influence does not get lost in the[Read More…]
Film and TV
When this is all over, let’s go to the movies
“We have corn!” said Ethan Everly, U3 Mechanical Engineering and president of Peel Street Cinema as he listed some of the allures of the group’s live movie screenings. Popcorn is just one element of a movie theatre’s ambience. Of course, it can be made in the comfort of an apartment,[Read More…]
Pop rhetoric: Reconciling the remake and reboot
Leave it to Hollywood to monetize the concept of history repeating itself. Film remakes and reboots are here to stay, whether you like it or not. They are profitable, and studios will continue to make them until they no longer make money. To dismiss remakes as formulaic money-grabs that have[Read More…]
‘Miss Americana’ is a shallow depiction of stardom
Taylor Swift—renowned singer-songwriter, multi-millionaire, 35-time Grammy award nominee, 10-time Grammy award winner, one-time Kendrick Lamar collaborator, two-time Kanye clasher, and attempted Pennsylvania political reformer—sits on her couch in tears because her then-recent album, Reputation, was not nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys. This devastating moment occurs about[Read More…]
‘The Circle’ offers an innovative twist on the reality TV drama
In the age of daytime cable television, reality shows permeated every network: Food Network had MasterChef, MTV had Jersey Shore, TLC had Dance Moms, and the list went on with every change of the channel. While the genre has dominated television since the turn of the millenium, it is quickly[Read More…]
Where do I begin? The Sandman Cometh
In the middle of the 2006 film Click, audiences realized just how fascinated Adam Sandler is with the comedy of bodily functions: From farting to vomiting, he’s joked about it all. But in Click, he reassures his parents his ‘schmekel’—in a nod to Sandler’s Jewish heritage, he uses Yiddish slang[Read More…]
Docuseries ‘Chile in Revolt’ presents the human narratives of civil resistance
The banging of pots, pans, and wooden kitchen spoons together might not seem like a particularly defiant or political image. Yet for Chileans, this action—known as cacerolazo—has been emblematic of decades of struggle and civil resistance against oppressive regimes in the country. It is also the thread that brings together[Read More…]
Pop Dialectic: Is Tanner Zipchen a Canadian movie legend or failure?
Last week, long-time Cineplex pre-show host Tanner Zipchen announced on his personal Twitter account that he had been let go from his position. UK-based media conglomerate Cineworld had just acquired Cineplex, and a change in the Canadian market had been expected. Yet, Zipchen’s legacy remains divisive. The McGill Tribune debates whether[Read More…]
‘1917’ excels in its experimental approach to cinematography
Grim, realistic, elaborate, astounding, and thrilling. These five adjectives are what makes Sam Mendes’ 1917 a truly great film. Exploring the harms and horrors of war, 1917 redefines the military genre not as a measly backdrop for an entertaining action movie, but as a recognition of the ultimate sacrifice paid by soldiers.[Read More…]
Don’t let its charm fool you; “Bad Boys for Life” is a bad movie
To analyse Bad Boys For Life on its own terms, as most other critics seem to be doing, would be a disservice to the canon of good-to-great Hollywood films that have been and are being made. Sure, as a buddy-cop movie filled to the brim with gun-fights and corny jokes, the[Read More…]
