Bird Box is the type of apocalyptic horror thriller that has positively nothing stimulating or original to say, despite expert direction and an astoundingly overqualified cast doing everything in their power to wrestle something this tiresome and done to death into respectability.
An ambitious, abrasive, overwhelming, and sprawling look at the dubious link between tragedy and popular culture, writer-director Brady Corbet’s Vox Lux is bound to be looked back on as one of the most fruitful, but divisive films of the year.
Digitally remastered and enjoying a renewed and frightening sense of relevancy, the 1982 documentary The Atomic Cafe initially saw release just as cold war tensions between the United States and Russia were reaching a terrifying fever pitch.
As visually dazzling and inspired as it is refreshingly offbeat and silly, Aquaman effortlessly entertains if you’re able to get on board with its particular blend of genteel corniness and old school blockbuster swagger.
A harrowing and unflinching examination of the ways religious extremism can take root across generations, filmmaker Talal Derki’s documentary Of Fathers and Sons will inspire plenty of debate in those who view it, both in terms of substance and execution.
A joyous and somewhat purposefully frivolous reworking and ever-so-slight updating of a Disney classic, Mary Poppins Returns will reignite warm feelings in the hearts of those who adored and sung along with its iconic (but equally overlong and wonky) 1964 predecessor.
Scrooged is one of the best Christmas movies ever made, and it works so well because, next to Bill Murray’s eccentric, off the wall Frank Cross, there’s Karen Allen’s balanced, charming, and hopeful Claire Phillips.
Although Steven Spielberg is the undisputed king of blockbuster filmmaking, he’s never been the recipient of a TIFF Cinematheque retrospective until now, and there might not be a better time to spend an entire day taking in some some of his most celebrated, successful, and beloved works on the big screen than over the holidays.
A moving look at the generous and tireless Canadian men and women who tried to turn some of the darkest days in world history into something a bit more comforting and life affirming, the documentary You Are Here: A Come From Away Story gives the people of Gander and surrounding Newfoundland communities a proper, intelligent, and thoughtful tribute.
A remarkable technical and archival achievement arriving just in time for the Centenary of World War I, Peter Jackson’s harrowing and impeccably realized documentary They Shall Not Grow Old brings viewers closer to the horrific and historic front lines of battle than any film before it.
