Kuffs was tailor-made for Christian Slater. Writer/director Bruce A. Evans alongside Raynold Gideon wrote the script with Slater in mind, and he plays the role perfectly in this action-comedy with constant fourth wall breaks. It’s like if Ferris Bueller became a cop. George Kuffs (Slater) is 21 and can’t figure his life out. He ditches…
Tag: audience
R.I.P.D. (2013) – Robert Schwentke
I wanted to see this movie when it first came out, but after it got a drubbing by the critics and the viewers I stayed away from it. Despite the casting of Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds, this one didn’t hit with the audiences. But I finally gave in, and checked it out. And honestly…
TIFF ‘ 23: Mr. Dressup – The Magic of Make-Believe
I’m not crying. You’re crying! Is there anything more Canadian to children who grew up in the 70s/80s/and early90s than Mr. Dressup? I can’t remember a time in my own life when I didn’t know about him, Casey, Finnegan and the Tickle Trunk. In fact I’m sure that at some point I had a stuffed…
Barbarian (2022) – Zach Cregger
Wow. Writer/director Zach Cregger blew me away with this one, completely subverting my expectations while playing with the traditional horror rules in this fantastic thriller of a film. From his framing to camera movement to casting to the way he doles out the story, Cregger plays with an increasingly film-savvy and educated horror audience and…
TIFF: Musicals! The Movies That Moved Us – Singin’ In The Rain (1952)
When the musical made the leap from stage to screen, it opened everything up, not just in terms of accessibility for the viewing audience, but the scope of the storytelling canvas – things were no longer confined to a stage, the settings, the choreography, the characters could live in a whole new way. Cameras could…
Hard Boiled (1992) – John Woo
The Directory, filling out the last section of DK Canada’s marvellous The Movie Book, brings me a 90s action classic. One that set the standard for Honk Kong cinema, and found fans all over the world with its style of balletic violence, beautifully crafted shots, and fantastic set pieces. Not to mention, the exemplary Chow…
The Red Shoes (1948) – Micheal Powell and Emeric Pressburger
The Directory in DK Canada’s The Movie Book continues to introduce me to classic films I haven’t seen, and today they introduced me to the Oscar winning film, The Red Shoes. Taking home awards from the Academy for Art & Set Direction as well as Best Music, the story follows the life and career of…
Gertie the Dinosaur (1915) – Winsor McCay
I move into another chapter in DK Canada’s immensely enjoyable Monsters in the Movies book from director John Landis. I leave behind Myths, Legends and Fairy Tales and move on to Dragons & Dinosaurs. And first up is one of the earliest examples of animation, Gertie the Dinosaur. This silent short film was originally created…
Avengers: Endgame (2019) – Blu-Ray Review
The newly crowned biggest movie of all time comes home on DVD and blu-ray from Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Pictures; Avengers: Endgame, the twenty-second installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) blazes across home theaters with all the action, emotion, and iconic moments that wowed movie and comic book lovers in April of this…
Toronto After Dark 2018
It’s that time of year again, and it seems Toronto always knows what to get me for my birthday – a film festival. Specifically the Toronto After Dark film festival. Running October 11th through to the 19th the genre festival features films from around the globe that highlight horror, action and science fiction films that…
The Mind Reels 