In 2003, a man created a film that came to be known as the best worst movie of all time: The Room, written and directed by Tommy Wiseau, who also stars. Despite its lackluster premiere and absence of a theatrical release, it has garnered a cult following complete with midnight[Read More…]
Film and TV
Phantom Thread finds hilarity in toxicity
Don’t be deceived by its trailers: Phantom Thread, the new Paul Thomas Anderson (Inherent Vice, Boogie Nights) film, is possibly the funniest thing he’s made yet. It’s also one of the most impeccably-crafted movies of 2017. Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Reynolds Woodcock in what he claims will be his last[Read More…]
Thirty years of queer art and activism at image+nation
Thirty years ago, Canada’s first LGBTQ film festival held its inaugural screening. Today, the image+nation festival continues to share queer cinema with Montreal’s wider community, supporting the producers and artists who create these spellbinding stories. Bringing all of this together is no easy task. Programming director Katharine Setzer and her[Read More…]
Short guides to active viewership and listening
Active Viewership Throw your cellphone, food, and “friend” out the window Rather than splitting your time between different distractions, do one thing at a time! Ask “Why?” Take for granted that filmmakers know what they are doing, and that all things happen for a reason. Questioning every artistic decision will[Read More…]
Cielo: Alison McAlpine’s conversation with the sky
Among the 142 films featured at the latest Montréal International Documentary Festival (Nov. 9 – 19), one of the most memorable was Cielo, the first feature film by Canadian director Alison McAlpine. Set in the Chilean Atacama Desert, Cielo is an exploration of the night sky’s hold over the people who[Read More…]
The Killing of a Sacred Deer brings original formal approach to derivative subject matter
The Killing of a Sacred Deer opens with Schubert’s grandiose “Stabat Mater” playing over an extreme close-up of a human heart mid-operation, followed by a conversation between two surgeons about wristwatch straps. Within minutes, director Yorgos Lanthimos sets the tone for the film: Darkly eccentric, fearlessly macabre, and meticulously choreographed. However,[Read More…]
‘Stranger Things 2’ is as imaginative and heart-wrenching as its predecessor
Stranger Things (2016), one of the most critically- and commercially-successful Netflix Original shows, has returned for its second season. Considering the incredibly high bar set by the first season, it is nothing short of remarkable that Stranger Things 2 is able to match it. Stranger Things 2 takes place in 1984, one year[Read More…]
Rap loses its rockstar
On the night of Nov. 15, Gustav Åhr, known by his stage name Lil Peep, was found dead inside his tour bus outside of a venue in Tucson, Arizona. He was set to perform in the second to last stop on his Come Over When You’re Sober tour, a 68-day tour[Read More…]
Lady Bird forgoes condescending tropes for character empowerment
Lady Bird is Greta Gerwig’s solo debut as writer and director, but the film is crafted so adeptly you’d think it was helmed by a filmmaker in her prime. Saoirse Ronan stars as Christine (Lady Bird) McPherson, a quirky senior at a Sacramento Catholic school in 2003 who identifies as living[Read More…]
‘The Florida Project’ finds grace in the kitschy margins of America’s Sunshine State
In his previous film, Tangerine (2015), director Sean Baker generated instant buzz by using an iPhone 5S to capture the intimate stories of transgender sex workers. It is a loud and frantic work, but through the grounded perspective of a phone camera, the under-represented voices on screen become undeniable. His[Read More…]
