The Messenger is a beautiful, thought-provoking film which takes a look at the rapidly-depleting global population of songbirds, and what that likely means not only to the planet, but to our survival as a species, as well. Director Su Rynard deftly takes us all over the world, speaking with various birders and ornithologists about bird…
Hot Docs 2015: Monty Python – The Meaning of Live – Roger Graf & James Rogan
I came to the Monty Python phenomena in the late 80s, early 90s during my uni days, which is sad as they’d been around since 69, and had basically not done anything together in a long time at that point. But immediately afterwards I was a devout fan, my favorite member of the troupe…
Hot Docs 2015: Possessed by Djinn – Dalia Al Kury
Hot Docs is well underway, and today, I got a look at this intriguing offering, Possessed by Djinn, which screens at the ROM Theatre today at 6:00. Director Al Kury takes us inside the dark superstitious corners of the Islamic faith, that no one seems to talk about, but innumerable people believe. One could…
The Greatest American Hero (1981) – Saturday Night on Sunset Boulevard and Reseda Rose
Alright kiddies, here’s the scenario; Bill (Robert Culp), Ralph (William Katt) and Pam (Connie Sellecca) have even more fun this week. Cannell scripted Saturday Night on Sunset Boulevard, which aired on 8 April, 1981. Ralph and Bill find themselves mixed up in an international mess, when a married couple, Theresa (Alexa Hamilton), an Italian…
Hot Docs 2015: Deep Web – Alex Winter
Planetary may have been the most important film at the festival in terms of our species and its relation with our tender planet, but Alex Winter’s documentary, Deep Web, brings to the screen the topical, and argumentative subject of internet privacy. The digital frontier is turning into the latest battleground, a wild west shootout,…
Hot Docs 2015: Journey with Prabhat – Samarth Dixit & Jessica Sadana
Film preservation, and cinematic history are a huge part of Western culture, as we restore, and catalogue our seemingly endless collection of films, so I was rather interested to see how things played out in other countries. Prabhat Studios was a big and well-recognized Indian studio when talkies came along. After that, though it fell…
Hot Docs 2015: Welcome to Leith – Michael Beach Nichols & Chrisopher K. Walker
It will be interesting if this review doesn’t become a tirade, as I’ve never understood racism, and think that those who go around spouting it, are all manner of moronic. So, I settled in to be as objective and open-minded as I could, which proved to be not very. The first time Craig Cobb, and…
The Time Machine (2002) – Simon Wells
My foray into the Sci-Fi Chronicles book continues as we cath up now with the cinematic work inspired by the works of HG Wells. I’ve previously reviewed two of the titles recommended in the book, the 60s version of The Time Machine, and the Nicholas Meyer thriller Time After Time. So it was time…
Hot Docs 2015: Attacking the Devil – Harold Evans and the Last Nazi War Crime – Jacqui Morris & David Morris
Yesterday, I discovered a new hero. His name is Harold Evans. I love films about newspapers, and when they introduce me to people I should have heard of and haven’t and when they are wrapped up in amazing stories that deals with objective journalism , working to get the truth out, and working for justice…
Hot Docs 2015: Planetary – Guy Reid
Yesterday morning, I sat down and watched perhaps the singularly most important film that is screening at Hot Docs this year, and if you’re not in Toronto, you can track down this film online, as it was released internationally on Earth Day. Over the past century, man has advanced and for the first time,…
