Following in the tradition of ambitious “American ________” titled films (i.e. Psycho, Graffiti, Beauty, Sniper, Hustle), American Honey seeks to encapsulate its moment in history. Thankfully, director Andrea Arnold’s vision of a romantic road trip delivers everything it promises in one of the grandest statements of the fall movie season. [Read More…]
Film and TV
Where do I begin?: Rocky Horror
The last time I was in a movie theatre, I wore a dark red negligee, bright red lipstick, and a second-hand sequined blazer that, judging from its shoulder pads, probably once belonged to a Las Vegas business woman in 1987. This was my fourth time attending a Rocky Horror shadow[Read More…]
Amanda Knox: faux femme fatale
Following the success of true crime series Making a Murderer, Netflix released its documentary Amanda Knox on Sept. 30. The film recounts the arrest and acquittal of American exchange student Amanda Knox and her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecitio in the murder of her British roommate, Meredith Kercher. Directors Rod Blackhurst[Read More…]
Two Lovers and a Bear portrays explosive love affair against icy landscape
Writer-director Kim Nguyen has never been conservative in his creative choices. The Montreal-born, Concordia graduate’s recent films have taken him to shooting locations in Tunisia (La Cité) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (War Witch). Historical drama, horror, and magic realism are just a few of the genres Nguyen[Read More…]
T.V. Review: Creator Donald Glover expertly navigates comedy and drama in Atlanta
In an era where there is more television available to us than we could ever consume, the medium of T.V. is undergoing a change—and hopefully one for the better. FX President John Landgraf stated last year that we are living in a period of “peak TV” in the West. Given[Read More…]
Sketching on pins and needles
Walking into The Whole and its Parts (in French, Le Tout et la Partie) is entering Michèle Lemieux’s grayscale dream world of sketches and animations. Earlier this year, her film, Here and The Great Elsewhere (2012), was shown at the Canadian Culture Centre in Paris. Her exhibit, now at the Université de Québec à[Read More…]
Pop Rhetoric: Harry Potter and the burden of diversity
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has been in the news regularly for her steadfast refusal to let her series fade from public consciousness. These efforts range from small pieces uploaded to the website, pottermore.com, to the addition of an entirely new instalment in the form of a play script. In the[Read More…]
Pop Rhetoric: The small screen reaches a wider audience
Television has long been regarded as film’s more annoying, less accomplished younger sibling. Sound bytes like 'made for T.V. movie' and 'multi-camera sitcom' continue to haunt audiences’ psyches, evoking nightmares of outrageous laugh tracks and over-dramatic soap opera acting. For decades, critics considered film the real art form—a medium that actually allowed[Read More…]
Toronto International Film Festival 2016 Roundup
After months of waiting, it’s finally here—the holiest of weeks for Canadian film buffs—the Toronto International Film Festival (or TIFF, as it’s colloquially known). From September 8th to the 18th, Toronto is transformed into a mecca for moviegoers and celebrity sightings. Out of the many films premiering, here is a[Read More…]
Stranger Things and The Americans: The Cold War on TV
With its 1980s pop culture nostalgia, Netflix’s Stranger Things feels comforting and familiar, yet unlike anything else on television. Stranger Things is based on a simple premise: One night after riding his bike home a kid named Will Byers goes missing from Hawkins, Indiana, a small midwestern town. Strongly influenced[Read More…]
