By Nick Maylor “If I’m going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!” – The Joker (From Alan Moore’s Batman: The Killing Joke) The Joker was created by Jerry Robinson, Bob Kane and Bill Finger. While credit for the Joker’s creation is disputed, as is the case with Batman himself, Bill…
By Nick Maylor Two of Al Pacino’s most famous characters are icons of organized crime. Pacino’s fame exploded after the release of The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974) cemented Michael Corleone as America’s quintessential cinematic crime-lord, the ultimate representation of the dark side of the American dream, and how absolute power corrupts absolutely.…
By Nick Maylor Charles Chaplin was a Master of Physical comedy. Countless hours of footage of him in character as “The Tramp” serve as testimony to the notion that he was perhaps the greatest slapstick performer in history. Chaplin was also a writer, director, producer and composer for much of his famous works. In his first…
By Nick Maylor (***) A good movie featuring a brilliant performance by Rene Zellweger in the title role, Judy is a lavish character study that never stops being interesting due to Zellweger’s utterly captivating performance. The film is based on the West End and Broadway play End of the Rainbow by Peter Quilter and portrays…
By Nick Maylor (***) Netflix has been flexing its muscle here at TIFF with several films and they deliver a satisfying comedic drama here that features large backdrops and themes, but is mainly anchored by its two lead actors who share a remarkable chemistry that is endlessly watchable The film stars Anthony Hopkins as Joseph…
By Nick Maylor (***) I’m not a car guy. Some folks love them the way I love guitars, obsessing on the automobile’s history, evolution and innovation. I dig flashy cars in movies but there’s only one car I’ve ever really cared; the Batmobile (which is, ironically, an unlimited number of different cars). However, I am…
By Nick Maylor (***1/2) Todd Phillips’ R-Rated film starring Joaquin Phoenix is without question, an impressive piece of filmmaking. It features a brilliant performance by Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, a mentally distressed loner living with his mother in 1980s Gotham City who, through a series of unfortunate and troubling circumstances, transforms himself into a familiar…
By Nick Maylor (***) Eddie Murphy has been wanting to make a movie about the life of Rudy Ray Moore for close to ten years now. Moore famously created the character of Dolemite, star of several Blaxploitation films. The film chronicles Rudy Ray Moore, an over-the-hill musician and comedian who creates the character of Dolemite…
TIFF Review: SEBERG By Nick Maylor (***) This film based on the life of Jean Seberg stars Kristen Stewart as the actress who became a target of the FBI’s surveillance program COINTELPRO is an effective thriller that shows the ugly side of government overreach when it comes to perceived threats. Stewart gives a fine performance…
By Nick Maylor (***) As a product of my generation, I have to admit that my only real knowledge of Helen Reddy’s song and anthem “I Am Woman” for most of my life came from this. Unlike many musician biopics like Ray (2005), Walk the Line (2006) and Rocketman (2019), I Am Woman features the…