With an opening, and an ending that reminds us that how we see stories is all perspective, The Wonder explores the line between fact and faith, science and religion. Based on the book by Emma Donoghue, The Wonder is beguiling, introspective, and moody. In the mid-19th century, an English nurse, Lib Wright (Florence Pugh) who…
Mission: Impossible (1973) – The Question, and The Fountain
The IMF get back to spycraft this week with The Question. Written by Stephen Kandel it first aired on 19 January, 1973. When a foreign assassin, Nicholas Varsi (holy crap, it’s Gary Lockwood!) defects, the IMF is unsure if he’s legit or a mole, so they are tasked with kidnapping him from his safe house,…
Heat 2 (2022) – Michael Mann & Meg Gardiner
Iconic Holywood writer/director Michael Mann pairs up with acclaimed novelist Meg Gardiner to revisit and expand on the world of cop Vincent Hanna, thieves Neil McCauley and Chris Shiherlis and the pursuit of their goals before and after the events portrayed in the 1995 film. Coiled like a spring, this crime thriller ratchets up the…
Tiff ’22: The Banshees of Inisherin
A canticle of attrition laced with verses of humour and pathos, The Banshees of Inisherin from writer-director Martin McDonagh is a perfect composition. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson star as Padraic and Colm. They’ve been drinking mates for years until in April of 1923, Colm decides he doesn’t want to be friends with Padraic anymore….
TIFF ’22: Pearl
Ti West and Mia Goth shot X, and its prequel film, Pearl back to back. In both Mia plays Pearl. In X she’s a psychotic octogenarian, but in Pearl, we get to see her as she was, when she too dreamed of getting off the farm and chasing dreams of fame to become a star….
Fringe (2011) – The Last Sam Weiss, and The Day We Died
While Peter (Joshua Jackson) remains in a coma, watched over by Walter (John Noble) and Astrid (Jasika Nicole), the strange destructive events continue and Olivia (Anna Torv) teams up with Sam Weiss (Kevin Corrigan) to find a way to outsmart the Device and allow Peter to stop it. Written by Monica Owusu-Breen and Alison Schapker…
TIFF ’22: Glass Onion – A Knives Out Mystery
Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig return in a second Knives Out film, and Craig, along with everyone else involved in the production seems to be having the time of their life. Craig’s detective, Benoit Blanc, finds himself caught up in a whole new mystery this time around, and while there is a tonal shift from…
TIFF ’22: Good Night Oppy
I love documentaries about space exploration, the sense of discovery, wonder and hope that permeates them, and humanity when we set our sights on a goal. Director Ryan White understands those feelings and shares them, and guides us on a fantastic journey to the planet Mars. In 2003, two rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, were launched…
TIFF ’22: Empire of Light
Writer/director Sam Mendes’ Empire of Light is a beautiful and emotional achievement, celebrating the beauty of cinema while allowing its star, Olivia Colman to deliver a powerful, layered and nuanced performance as Hillary. She’s a woman of a certain age who suffers from a mental illness, which she has to contend with in her day-to-day…
Gerald’s Game (2017) – Mike Flanagan
Mike Flanagan delivered his first Stephen King adaptation with Gerald’s Game, and it’s a fantastic nerve-shredding examination of self, secrets, and survival. Jessie (Carla Gugino) and Gerald (Bruce Greenwood) head to their remote lake house to work on their relationship, after years of marriage things have gotten a little tired and stale, and they plan…
The Mind Reels 