I was very fortunate to chat with Ben Mauro when he appeared at Toronto’s Fan Expo. And I have just finished the first installment in his Huxley saga. Filled with world-building and fantastic art, Mauro takes some familiar science fiction tropes, and incorporates them in a new way. The trade paperback is composed of the…
TIFF 25: The Wizard of the Kremlin dir. Olivier Assayas
Director Olivier Assayas with novelist Emmanuel Carrere adapted Giuliano da Empoli’s novel that shows the machinations of political evil at work. While a work of fiction, it does tie in with actual events, and the lead character, Vadim Baranov, played by Paul Dano, seems to be more than a little similar to Vladislav Surkov. Dano…
TIFF 25: The Eyes of Ghana dir. Ben Proudfoot
Oscar winner filmmaker Ben Proudfoot turns the objective eye of the camera on the powerful story of Chris Hesse. A man of the cloth, Hesse was once a filmmaker and cinematographer in his home country of Ghana. He was with Ghana’s first president, Kwarme Nkrumah, from his inauguration to the coup that removed him from…
TIFF 25: John Candy – I Like Me dir. Colin Hanks
Hockey. Maple Syrup. The Hip. The Sky Dome. John Candy. Quintessentially Canadian. Friendly, polite, beloved. Candy has left an indelible mark on film and our hearts. And Colin Hanks delivers a beautifully poignant and insightful look into the man. Aided by hi family and SCTV alumni, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Bill Murray and Dan Akryoyd,…
Clerks (1994) – Kevin Smith
I remember when Clerks came to VHS. I was working at a video store and it resonated with everyone of us. It was like someone had taken our lives and put it on the screen. We as a crew identified so much with the film that we’d printed up labels with our names on it…
TIFF 25: Eagles of the Republic dir. Tarek Salih
Fares Fares plays the Pharaoh of the Screen, George Fahmy. He is Egypt’s most popular actor, but he finds himself maneuvered into making a propaganda film for the country’s government. Soon, he finds himself enmeshed in political intrigue, all conducted under the watchful eye of the secretive and menacing, Dr. Mansour (Amr Waked). Despite disliking…
TIFF 25: Whistle dir. Christopher Nelius
Whistle is a light-hearted documentary from Christopher Nelius filled with delightfully eccentric characters. It takes behind the scenes of the Masters of Musical Whistling competition. An event that draws people from around the globe to a three day showdown of talent. Each day has a different category, Classical, With the Band and Self Accompaniment, and…
TIFF 25: Orwell – 2+2=5 dir. Raoul Peck
Damian Lewis narrates text by George Orwell, as director Raoul Peck profoundly demonstrates that we as a society, and a planet, are living smack dab in the middle of Orwell’s 1984. Intercutting with the various adaptations of 1984 and Animal Farm, Peck includes documentary and news footage charting the new rise of fascism, authoritarianism, and…
TIFF25: Sentimental Value dir. Joachim Trier
Sentimental Value was recommended by my classmate Betsy, who got a look at it last week at the Telluride Film Festival. She told me to run, don’t walk to see this one. So I changed my viewing schedule for the first day of the festival to start with this. And wow. A beautiful and poignant…
Stargate: Atlantis (2006) – The Tower, and The Long Goodbye
Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) and his team travel to an agrarian world whose ruler resides in a tower, which looks like the central spire of Atlantis, and protects them from the Wraith, in return for their service, of course. The Tower was written by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie and it debuted on 3 February, 2006….
The Mind Reels 