Pablo Larraín’s Neruda is an impeccably crafted film, blurring fact and fiction to create something more engaging. The film is much more than a standard biopic of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (Luis Gnecco). After the Second World War, Neruda—already an icon for his politically charged poetry advancing workers rights throughout[Read More…]
Film and TV
Flashback: Trainspotting exposed the underbelly of ‘90s Edinburgh
“Sometimes I think people just become junkies because they subconsciously crave ay wee bit ay silence,” is the phrase that best describes Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting (1993)—the novel that inspired the opiate-ridden 1996 movie of the same name. With the release of its sequel T2 Trainspotting on Feb. 21, Director Danny[Read More…]
Pop Dialectic: Film Reboots
End the Reboot Hollywood and content creators of all kinds have always been influenced by those that have come before them. Some of the greatest films of all time are based on previous works: The Godfather, To Kill a Mockingbird, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest to name a[Read More…]
Metafiction and Bees: Joketown 16 throws the kitchen sink at comedy
In a city where everyone has a friend who dabbles in comedy, it’s sometimes hard to tell the contenders from the pretenders. But as the 16th iteration of Joketown proved on Jan. 28, sometimes the best way to separate the wheat from the chaff is pure, unadulterated competition. As part[Read More…]
“20th Century Women” presents dimensional characters in a realistic world
On Jan. 20, the eve of the Women’s March on Washington, production house A24 made a quiet announcement. The producer of some of the most notable films of the past few years—Spring Breakers, Moonlight, Under The Skin—declared that all of the opening weekend earnings of its newest film, 20th Century[Read More…]
Oscars snub some of the year’s best films
Silence Based on the 1966 Japanese novel of the same name, Silence follows two Jesuit missionaries who are sent to Japan with two missions. The first is to find Father Ferreira (Liam Neeson), a priest who is believed to have committed apostasy. Second, to continue Ferreira’s work developing small Christian[Read More…]
“Jackie” delivers a haunting biopic of an enigmatic icon
Pablo Larrain’s Jackie is first and foremost concerned with history. This is not to say that the film’s objective is a mere chronological depiction of historical events. Rather, contrary to more conventional biopics, Jackie is concerned with the conscious role of individuals in creating history—which in the case of Jacqueline[Read More…]
Hollywood awards itself
When the Golden Globes kickstarted the awards show season on Jan. 8, the normally easy-going ceremony was set with an unusually tense energy. Award shows are a time for the entertainment industry to pat itself on the back for its accomplishments in film and television. This year, celebrities went even[Read More…]
Remembering Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher, actress, performer, and writer, died on Dec. 27 of this past year from complications following a heart attack. She was 60 years old. Fisher’s unique charm touched all aspects of her career. As a writer and performer, she spoke with candour and humour about the peculiarities of growing[Read More…]
Best Film and Television of 2016
Compiled by our staff editors and writers, here is the best film and television of 2016. Best Films of 2016 1. Moonlight Barry Jenkins pieces together a deeply moving investigation of masculinity, class, and race in this fictional biopic. Compelling visuals, and tense dialogue come together in heartbreaking performances to give this[Read More…]
