Competing for the Cheval Noir Award at the Fantasia International Film Festival, Ricky Ko’s Out of the Shadow has all the right ingredients for a fun time at the movies: a coming-of-age tale for a teenaged protagonist who learns to trust herself through fighting, intricately staged and choreographed Karate battles, and religious symbolism that will guide the journey each protagonist will
Read MoreWith the Fantasia International Festival well underway, there are plenty of movies to still enjoy and appreciate in the Hall and J.A. de Sève auditoriums at Concordia University. A movie that sounded interesting on paper to me was Hiroshi Shoji’s Tatsumi, a mob drama that centers on its titular character (Yuya Endo) seeking revenge on the people who murdered his ex-girlfriend,
Read MoreThe first thing that usually jolts the first-time Fantasia International Film Festival visitors are the elusive meows that are heard in front of every screening after the head technician says, “Et maintenant…que le film commence!” (“And now… may the film begin!”). As he dims the lights of the Hall Auditorium, the audience begins to meow and sometimes make even weirder cat
Read MoreI was just four years old when the original Twister came out, and yet I can remember the buzz around the disaster film like it was yesterday. Written by Michael Crichton, author of Jurassic Park, and Anne-Marie Martin, the Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton-led film was the second highest-grossing film in 1996 and received Academy Award nominations for Best Visual Effects
Read MoreTwisters is not the typical sequel or legacy sequel. Since 2015, every studio has tried to capture the same nostalgic feeling of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The formula usually starts with duplicating the same movie almost beat for beat, but differently, in hopes the audience will not realize they’re just watching the same movie over again. Twisters, for the most
Read MoreIt’s been a long time coming (thirty years, to be exact), but a new Beverly Hills Cop movie has finally graced our screens. Unfortunately, audiences won’t get a chance to reunite with Eddie Murphy‘s Axel Foley on the big screen, as Netflix would instead prefer to bring this $150 million megablockbuster straight into our living rooms. Of course, they were the
Read MoreBruce Willis is a name synonymous with Hollywood blockbusters and almost every genre of projects you can think of. Yet, for many, accessing the full spectrum of his cinematic achievements can be as challenging. Thankfully, Sean O’Connell’s new biography, focused on Bruce Willis and his acting past, offers a comprehensive and engaging journey through the star’s illustrious career. From his early
Read MoreIn the first scene of Bad Boys: Ride or Die, it doesn’t take long for directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah to pull out camera tricks that will ultimately serve the film’s aesthetic during its action-heavy last hour. Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) stops to get a ginger ale at a corner shop and stumbles upon hot dogs (yes, “are those
Read MoreWhile watching Furiosa; A Mad Max Saga, just remember this is from the same director who made Happy Feet. It’s a fascinating memory to reflect upon that the filmmaker who brought us singing and dancing penguins is also responsible for the nightmarish, brutal landscape surrounding Mad Max. And well, there’s nothing “Happy” about George Miller’s return to the Wasteland of absolute anarchy. The
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