Few filmmakers are capable of making a work that feels simultaneously laid back and stressful at the same time, but Showing Up is further proof as to why Kelly Reichardt is one of those rare artists.
Michelle Williams
Although it probably works best if you haven’t seen the original movie its based on, After the Wedding remains a well told story of privilege, charity, and suppressed feelings.
Marred by a clear, obvious, and marked series of poor decisions throughout the filmmaking process, the standalone, antiheroic Venom movie will disappoint fans of one of Spider-Man’s greatest nemeses to no end, and will leave casual observers of comic book films half-heartedly shrugging in apathy.
Based on a true story that’s wildly stranger than any fiction, Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World is a riveting, thoughtful, expertly performed thriller that almost never made it to the screen this year.
The Greatest Showman, this holiday season’s token blockbuster musical, is a top to bottom mess of a film that can’t decide if it wants to be a biopic, a romance, completely made up hooey, or a bunch of music videos for modern styled pop songs that all sound exactly the same strung end to end
It has taken an egregiously long time for Kelly Reichardt’s resplendent, slow cinema, humanist masterpiece Certain Women to make its way back to a Canadian theatre. Certain Women, which last played in Toronto this past September at TIFF, received a theatrical release and well warranted critical acclaim in the U.S. last fall. In Canada, it was quietly, inconspicuously, and unceremoniously released to VOD over the winter. It’s a film that has technically been available to Canadian viewers for quite some time now, but a highly belated theatrical release at TIFF Bell Lightbox this week allows people to see the film in its best possible presentation. It’s a must see in any medium, and one of Reichardt’s best efforts. Even if you don’t live in Toronto, seek this film out.
With only three features under his belt as a director, Kenneth Lonergan has already amassed quite the reputable resume as a screenwriter, playwright, and filmmaker, one that continues to grow this month with the release of the already critically lauded Manchester by the Sea, which debuted to thunderous acclaim and Oscar buzz upon its debut at Sundance earlier this year. We caught up with him at TIFF earlier this fall to talk about his latest effort.
Awards season is well under way as the 69th Golden Globe Awards welcomed Hollywood’s top hotshots and A-listers to join together in some collective fist pumping to celebrate the last year in film and television.
New releases on Blu-ray and DVD this week include: director Ivan Reitman’s romantic comedy, No Strings Attached, starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher; the intense drama, Blue Valentine, featuring Michelle Williams’ Oscar-nominated performance opposite Ryan Gosling; plus a look at Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, and the 25th anniversary release of Legend on Blu-ray.
Coming out today on DVD and Blu-ray: Leonardo DiCaprio stars in the crime-thriller, Shutter Island; John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers get into some trouble in From Paris With Love; plus the re-release of the far-out sci-fi series, Lexx, season one on DVD.