The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run Upholds Inherent Lunacy of Beloved Series
Review, PreviewSpongeBob SquarePants, Sponge on the Run, Tim Hill, Keanu Reeves, Akwafina, Animated film, adaptation, Kid's Movies, Comedy, Canada only, Tom Kenny, Stephen Hillenburg, tribute
Valley of the Gods: Lush Film from Polish Director Majewski Earns Amazement, Not Admiration.
Unhinged: Russell Crowe Road-Rage Drama Brings the Horror if Not the Plausibility
Review, PreviewUnhinged, Derrick Borte, Russell Crowe, Caren Pistorious, Road rage, Road Warrior, Gabriel Bateman, thriller, suspense, horror, Carl Ellsworth
Things I Do for Money: Kooky Canuck Family Crime Drama Saved by Blissful Music
Preview, ReviewThings I Do for Money, Warren Sonoda, Gary Nolan, Theodor Aoki, Maximillian Aoki, Colette Zacca, Canadian film, Independent films, Hamilton Ontario, Family drama, crime drama, Cello, Brothers
The Personal History of David Copperfield: Armando Iannucci sets aside savage cynicism, for warm mockery that amounts to homage
Review, PreviewJim SlotekThe Personal History of David Copperfield, TIFF 2019, Armando Iannucci, Dev Patel, Tilda Swinton, Hugh Laurie, Peter Capaldi, Dickens, Literary adaptation, Whimsical, Comedy, Dramedy, Rosalind Eleazar, Benedict Wong
Black Water: Abyss Shows That Even Killer Alligators Can Be… Kind of Meh
Review, PreviewBlack Water: Abyss, Andrew Traucki, Killer alligators, Horror movies, Jessica McNamee, Luke Mitchell, Australian, Black Water, The Meg
Ash: Middling Fact-Based Drama Set Amid Wildfire Seeks Compassion, Earns Fatigue
Peninsula: Sequel to the South Korean zombie hit Train to Busan gives you more of everything, except originality
The Secret Garden: Dreamlike and luminous take on the classic children's tale is a visual feast
By Karen Gordon
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ReviewJim SlotekThe Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Dixie Egerickx, Colin Firth, Misselthwaite Manor, Julie Walters, Amir Wilson, Jack Thorne, Marc Munden, Children's stories with dark undertones
The Burnt Orange Heresy: Mick Jagger and Donald Sutherland Propel Lofty Crime Drama
ReviewThe Burnt Orange Heresy, Giuseppe Capotondi, TIFF 2019, Mick Jagger, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Debicki, Claes Bang, Crime drama, Charles Willeford, Art fraud, Scott B. Smith
Spinster and I Used to Go Here: Smart Female Dramedies Boost the Rom-Com Game
ReviewSpinster, I Used to Go Here, Kris Rey, Gillian Jacobs, Chelsea Peretti, Fe, female relationships, rom-com, Andrea Dorfman, Jemaine Clement, Comedy, Nadia Tonen
Red Penguins: The absurdist little-known story of how the Russian mob not-so-warmly greeted NHL investors
ReviewJim SlotekRussian hockey, Pre-Putin Russia, Red Penguins, Gabe Polsky, Red Army, Michael J. Fox, Mario Lemieux, Howard Baldwin, Viktor Tikhonov, Alexander Osadchy, Russian mob
The Great Green Wall: A drive-by tour of bio-resistance to the Sahara, with African music stars a'plenty
ReviewJim SlotekThe Great Green Wall, African desertification, Sahara, Environmental issues, Documentaries, Boko Haram, Music for humanitarian causes, Inna Modja, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, Biz Stone, Songhoy Blues, Betty G, Ethiopia
Working Man: Poignant, Low-Key Drama the Proverbial Diamond in the Rough
Random Acts of Violence: Jay Baruchel’s Long-Lead Slasher/Horror Flick Doesn’t Quite Kill
ReviewJay Baruchel, Random Acts of Violence, Jordana Brewster, Jesse Williams, slasher flick, horror, comic book, Canadian film, Jesse Chabot, Goon
Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful - a snapshot of maybe-misogynist, provocative fashion photography
By Karen Gordon
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ReviewJim SlotekHelmut Newton, Documentary, Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful, Vogue magazine, Anna Wintour, Provocative fashion photography, Gero von Boehm, Alice Springs, Leni Riefenshtal, Jean-Marie Le Pen, Grace Jones, Nadja Auerman, Charlotte Rampling, Claudia Schiffer, Hanna Schygulla, Isabella Rossellini, Susan Sontag, Misogyny in fashion
Life Is Easy: Freaky Friday Premise Gets Daring New Spin in Brash Kiwi Series
Preview, ReviewLife Is Esay, Cole Jenkins, New Zealand, Comedy, Series, LGBTQ, Freaky Friday, Queer as Folk, Gay Film, Gender issues
Enter the Fat Dragon: Ill-Advised Remake of Spoof Comedy Wastes Its Bankable Lead
ReviewEnter the Fat Dragon, Kung-fu, Kenji Tanigaki, Wong Jing, Donnie Yen, Teresa Mo, Niki Chow, Bruce Lee, Spoof, martial arts, remake
White Riot: Doc Chronicles Vintage, Punk-Fuelled (And Oh So Timely) Anti-Racism Crusade
ReviewWhite Riot, documentary, Music documentaries, Rubika Shah, Punk rock, The Clash, Tom Robinson, Steel Pulse, The Selecter, Anti-racism, Rock Against Racism
The Truth: Director Kore-eda Hirokazu’s Nod to French Cinema Propels Ace Family Drama
ReviewThe Truth, Kore-eda Hirokazu, Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche, Ethan Hawke, Clementine Grenier, Manon Clavel, French cinema, Family drama, Film within a film, TIFF 2018
