By John H. Foote (****) In theatres Is this Ridley Scott’s year? With two major films coming out over the coming months, placing him right in the middle of awards season, the gifted director might finally win his Oscar for Best Director. Rumblings have started in the trade papers about him being “due”. I always…
By Marie-Renee Goulet I never much cared for chick flicks. Romantic movies are pernicious. Almost all present an utterly unrealistic set of circumstances that create unattainable expectations by the consumers. The large majority of these movies unfold in a way that would never in a million years happen in real life. However, I sometimes indulge…
By John H. Foote My father introduced me to the original King Kong (1933) when I was a child, and I have been hooked ever since. That classic film has garnered admiration and praise since its release, stirring audiences with its fantastical story of a giant ape smitten by a woman whom he protects from…
By John H. Foote (***) Billy Crystal was never much of an actor. But as Mitch in City Slickers (1991), the sad-eyed father and husband, he was truly brilliant. When his wife tells him to go on a cattle drive with his buddies, that she does not want him in Florida with her, he is…
By Marie-Renee Goulet (****) Streaming on Crave “How much have you paid for your Facebook account?” If you use a service, and it is free, you are the product. Monica Lewinsky was “patient zero” for online harassment. Imagine being the first-ever person that the entire world could freely harass, call names and be completely defenseless…
By John H. Foote (**) In theatres and to be streamed on HBO If a group of graduating film students were tasked with watching HBO’s The Sopranos over the course of six weeks, seeing various episodes more than once, and then had to write a prequel, I am positive they could come up with something…
By John H. Foote (**) The last performance John Wayne gave was as a tired, cancer ridden gunfighter in The Shootist (1976), one of the finest he ever gave and he should have been nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actor. If there was a way to retire in glory for the Duke, this…
By John H. Foote (***) In 2016, Pablo Larraín brought his film Jackie to TIFF, a haunting film about Jackie Kennedy in the moments, hours, days and weeks after the assassination of her husband, President John F. Kennedy. Portraying Jackie in the year’s greatest performance was Natalie Portman. She masterfully captured that whispery voice, that shell-shocked…
By Alan Hurst I love Melissa McCarthy. I think she’s one of the most inventive comedic actresses on the planet and she’s also a very fine dramatic actress. She won me over in a big way with Bridesmaids (2011), The Heat (2013), Spy (2015), Can You Ever Forgive Me (2018), and in the first few…
By John H. Foote (***) Barry Levinson was at his peak in the 80s and early 90s, directing box office hit and critically acclaimed films such as Diner (1982), The Natural (1984), Young Sherlock Holmes (1985), Tin Men (1987), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), his Oscar-winning Best Picture Rain Man (1988), which also won him the…