A clever, twisty, and consistently exciting bit of high concept sci-fi, the Canadian thriller Freaks takes great pleasure in never giving audiences what they expect, but instead giving them what they never knew they needed.
Emile Hirsch
Somewhere between an above average re-run of C.S.I. and a somewhat forgettable Tales from the Crypt entry lies The Autopsy of Jane Doe, a standard, but well executed chiller that casts Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch as father and son coroners pondering over an exceptionally spooky and troublesome corpse.
The rainy days of spring are here, and since it’s a very quiet week for new releases, I thought it was a fine opportunity to count down ten of my favorite rainy day movies. Which may make you wonder–what makes a great rainy day movie? If you ask me, it all comes down to rewatchability, brilliant casting, great writing, and off-the-wall stories.
Don’t let that big, effects-driven action film steal your spending money this weekend, it’s nothing compared to what I have to call one of the year’s most original films. Son of Rambow falls into the quirky category that often gets far too little attention, despite having an original story to tell. Other new films include Speed Racer with its slow plot, the Hollywood comedy What Happens In Vegas, and a true Canadian drama, The Stone Angel.
There are too many films where the word “inspired by a true story” seems all too forced, but this week Sean Penn‘s Into the Wild provides an all-too-real glimpse into the short but incredible life of Chris McCandless. For the film I’m Not There, Bob Dylan fans can get an intimate, and strange re-imagining of the singer’s life, through six different actors. Plus, 101 Dalmations arrives out of Disney’s vault, Things We Lost in the Fire explores life after a husband’s death, and a magic toy shop has a mind of its own in Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium.
Writer and director Sean Penn returns to the Toronto International Film Festival for the Canadian debut of Into The Wild.