'Arctic' Won't Soothe Winter Anxiety, but We Can Keep Mads Mikkelsen Company Directed by Joe Penna

Published Feb 20, 2019

A February Canadian release for a movie like Arctic has potential for risks and rewards. As audiences here are struggling with temperatures...

'Serenity' Offers Noir on the Water but Lacks Clarity Directed by Steven Knight

Published Jan 24, 2019

Screenwriter-by-trade Steven Knight's last film as director, Locke, is almost all talk, literally. Tom Hardy spends the entire film in his c...

CUFF Docs Review: 'People's Republic of Desire' Exposes the Dark Side of Chinese Social Media Directed by Hao Wu

Published Nov 28, 2018

Obsolescence is the threat looming over every streaming host in People's Republic of Desire, the same that hangs over many content producers...

CUFF Docs Review: 'Rodents of Unusual Size' Offers the Pro and Anti Giant Rat Perspective Directed by Quinn Costello, Chris Metzler and Jeff Springer

Published Nov 28, 2018

Nutria are immediately memorable if you get a look at their faces. The rodent's size is noteworthy — about the size of a beaver. The thing,...

'Science Fair' Sees the Future Through Young Minds Directed by Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster

Published Oct 29, 2018

Science Fair, the new documentary produced by National Geographic, doesn't start with a hypothesis, but with an assertion. The filmmakers se...

'Transformer' Chronicles Power Lifter's Complex Gender Transition Directed by Michael Del Monte

Published Oct 19, 2018

From its opening shot, Transformer says it's a documentary about transitioning. Janae Marie Kroczaleski is undressing, getting ready for sur...

TIFF Review: 'Saf' Offers a Brave, Universal Look at Gentrification Directed by Ali Vatansever

Published Sep 10, 2018

Saf takes one couple's story and uses it to explore the dynamics of modern-day Turkey, where gentrification is changing the urban landscape,...

TIFF Review: 'Before the Frost' Sees Winter Coming for 19th Century Danish Farmers Directed by Michael Noer

Published Sep 08, 2018

Before the Frost, the TIFF-selected film from the filmmaker behind the recent Papillon remake, finds a place and time when where you're seat...

'Breath' Review: Exploring Macho Aussie Surf Culture Directed by Simon Baker

Published Aug 20, 2018

Author Tim Winton is an officially named National Living Treasure of Australia; starting in the 1990s, Winton's books gained renown, earning...

Three Identical Strangers Directed by Tim Wardle

Published Jul 10, 2018

A quote from one of the subjects comes early on, and the sentiment recurs throughout: "When I tell people the story, they don't believe it."...

Leave No Trace Directed by Debra Granik

Published Jul 03, 2018

Leave No Trace isn't alone in finding stark contrast between the peacefulness of nature and the noisy throb of the city. Opening in a forest...

On Chesil Beach Directed by Dominic Cooke

Published May 25, 2018

Certain films with layered timelines can suggest that you're always at risk of getting lost in your memories during small tasks. You could b...

Vampire Clay Directed by Sôichi Umezawa

Published Apr 19, 2018

Vampire Clay introduces a monster peculiar enough to carry the movie on his own; in some ways, he could be an odd version of Terminator 2: J...

Pin Cushion Directed by Deborah Haywood

Published Apr 19, 2018

Deborah Haywood's Pin Cushion moves between gauzy fantasy and harsh reality, even as the stark real world doesn't always feel recognizably r...

Personal Shopper Directed by Olivier Assayas

Published Mar 20, 2017

At the heart of Personal Shopper is a ghost story, though long stretches pass without anything you could interpret as supernatural.   Kris...

Window Horses (The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming) Directed by Ann Marie Fleming

Published Mar 08, 2017

A stick figure lead has been a staple in Ann Marie Fleming's animated films for some time. It's not that she's incapable of more detail; it'...

Gold Directed by Stephen Gaghan

Published Jan 25, 2017

In 1981, a man stands at a window in his office, one showing a huge expanse of blue Nevada sky. He pours himself a drink and looks out, sayi...

Unless Directed by Alan Gilsenan

Published Oct 26, 2016

The fear of a parent forced to watch a child make their own way in the world animates Unless, the new film based on a Carol Shields novel an...

The People Vs. Fritz Bauer Directed by Lars Kraume

Published Oct 21, 2016

The figure of German judge and prosecutor Fritz Bauer had a symbolic significance to his contemporary Germany, that of the 1950s. The countr...

Jasper Redd Jazz Talk

Published Sep 16, 2016

The name of Jasper Redd's 2014 special, Jazz Talk, becomes literal in its final ten minutes. A trio starts playing behind a curtain in the F...