TD Rideout

TIFF ’23: The Burial

I think every actor wants to do a courtroom drama, to voice their objections, to thunder at a witness during cross-examination, to let that look play across their face that suggests they may have just found a way to win the case. Then, when you throw in the fact that the case you’re bringing to…

TIFF ’23: Poolman

Chris Pine stars, directs and co-wrote Poolman, a sun-baked film noir that never quite finds its tone in spite of its best efforts, and feels like the love child of Chinatown and The Big Lewbowski. A pastiche of the eccentricities and lifestyles of LA, Pine populates his film with characters you could only find in…

Batman (1967) – King Tut’s Coup, and Batman’s Waterloo

King Tut (Victor Buono) is back after getting a bump on the head bringing back his royal Egyptian personality. And amongst his gang? Star Trek’s Grace Lee Whitney! This two-parter was written by Stanley Ralph Ross from a story by Leo and Pauline Townsend. The first episode, King Tut’s Coup, debuted on 8 March, 1967….

TIFF’23: Knox Goes Away

I’ve said it before, and I know I’ll say it again. I love a good noir, and Knox Goes Away directed by and starring, Micheal Keaton may be one of my new favourites. making fantastic use of his framing, lighting, score and production, Knox Goes Away, despite its modern trappings, feels like a throwback to…

TIFF ’23: Next Goal Wins

Michael Fassbender stars in Taika Waititi’s feel-good sports film, Next Goal Wins, which takes its inspiration from real events. It tells the story of the American Samoa soccer team that in 2002 lost to Australia 31 to 0, and had never scored a single goal since the team was created. They are a bottom of…

Judgment Night (1993) – Stephen Hopkins

Stephen Hopkins turns out perfectly enjoyable films and 1993’s Judgment Night is one of them. Featuring a bombastic score (which sometimes feels out of place) by Alan Silvestri, this action thriller was in need of a rewatch – I hadn’t seen this one since it was released on VHS! The film stars Emilio Estevez, Denis…

TIFF ’23: The Holdovers

Director Alexander Payne reunites with his Sideways star, Paul Giamatti in this earnest and laugh-out-loud dramedy that takes us back to the winter of 1970 and Barton, a boy’s prep school where Paul Hunham (Giamatti) teaches Ancient Civilizations and often finds himself clashing with not only his fellow teachers but his students as well, particularly…

TIFF ’23: Lee

Before this morning, I had a broad, very generalized knowledge of who Lee Miller was. Now, thanks to this fantastic biopic directed by Ellen Kuras, based on The Lives of Lee Miller by Anthony Penrose and a powerhouse performance (would we expect anything less?) from Kate Winslet as Lee I find my imagination fired, and…

K-19: The Widowmaker (2002) – Kathyrn Bigelow

K-19 feels like an underrated Kathryn Bigelow film. She once again dives into the pressures of the armed services and war and she has a fantastic cast including Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson, and Peter Sarsgaard. Set at the height of the Cold War in 1961, when Mutually Assured Destruction seemed to be moments away from…

TIFF ’23: Chuck Chuck Baby

Chuck Chuck Bay is an ebullient experience. A delightful film about love, life, loss and music which brushes against deeper and heavier themes of community, hurt and acceptance but never loses track of the joy of falling in love and how every song seems to be about you. While not quite a jukebox musical, the…