This past October marked the 46th iteration of Montreal’s annual Festival du Nouveau Cinéma (FNC). Decades into its existence, the festival is continuing to grow; this year, FNC managed to secure the premiere of big name films, most notably Blade Runner 2049. The McGill Tribune looks at what succeeded, and[Read More…]
Film and TV
‘Beach Rats’’ queer drama juxtaposes emotional intimacy with dubstep
With a hypnotizing mix of neon lights and electronic music, Eliza Hittman’s Beach Rats presents viewers with the gritty, day-to-day life of her hometown Brooklyn. Cinematographer Hélène Louvart’s muted cinematography and Hittman’s artistic direction–which earned her the Best Director prize at Sundance 2017–make Beach Rats a stunning visual experience, but fail to[Read More…]
‘How to Talk to Girls at Parties’ genre mashup loses the plot
The hunt for a wild party is a timeless, often fruitless adventure many teenagers embark on, but when well-meaning gawky teen punk Enn (Alex Sharp) stumbles on a house party hosted by aliens in latex, a surreal mess ensues. There, he meets his delicately awkward love interest Zan (Elle Fanning),[Read More…]
Bleak, Bizarre, and Riveting—Bojack Horseman returns to Netflix for Season 4
The saddest satire of celebrity culture currently available on streaming platforms, Bojack Horseman returned to Netflix with its newest season last month. Known for its unique take on celebrity culture and unromanticized portrayal of mental illness, the animated show follows alcoholic horse-man Bojack Horseman (Will Arnett), the aged star of a[Read More…]
Flashback: ‘Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story’ is mandatory viewing for McGill students, administrators alike
Mental health issues, and eating disorders in particular—being consistently gendered feminine—are exacerbated, downplayed, and ignored by patriarchal institutions. Frustration on the part of the victimized is understandable, and art can justifiably be deemed escapist in essence. Conversely, I present to you: Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987), a movie that refuses[Read More…]
‘Blade Runner 2049’ sets a new standard for Hollywood sequels
For decades, it seemed like a Blade Runner (1982) sequel was doomed to be an artistic failure. Arguably Ridley Scott’s magnum opus, the cyberpunk cult classic lives on in major part because of its absolute disinterest in offering clear answers to the questions it raises. The prospect of a follow-up threatened[Read More…]
Dual documentary screening looks back on Standing Rock protests
Cinema Politica is a series of politically-conscious documentary screenings, taking place in movie theaters across Canada and the world. The latest edition took place at Concordia on Oct. 2, showing a documentary about the 2016 protests at Standing Rock directed by Michelle Latimer, herself a Concordia graduate. The two-part documentary, featuring[Read More…]
‘Neo Yokio’’s deadpan elegance may prove inaccessible to Netflix viewers
We’ve been living in the supposed “Golden Age of TV” for the better part of two decades. In a time where blockbuster series are generated from obscure Netflix viewer preference data and showrunners regularly do away with the limitations of genre conventions, perhaps the emergence of a show like Neo[Read More…]
‘Professor Marston and the Wonder Women’ empowers its leads
Wonder Woman, one of the most prolific female superheros, only recently entered the Hollywood spotlight, from the smash hit Wonder Woman (2017), to her allegedly expanded role in the upcoming film Justice League (2017). Created in 1941, the character’s incredible origins, however, remained largely unknown. Written and directed by Angela[Read More…]
‘Resurrecting Hassan’ offers no easy answers
On Sept. 22, Cinema du Parc opened showings for Resurrecting Hassan, a documentary of local interest. Directed by Chilean-Canadian filmmaker Carlo Guillermo Proto, Resurrecting Hassan tells the story of a Montreal family coping with the loss of a child. Unflinching and quietly compassionate, Proto’s film is an examination of grief,[Read More…]
