Guillermo del Toro served as executive producer on Andy Muschietti’s Mama an interesting take on a ghost story that also explores the roles of parents, specifically mothers, while fostering some interesting and enjoyable scares with some pretty solid special effects. Sisters Victoria (Megan Charpentier) and Lilly (Isabelle Nelisse) were thought lost when their father took…
Tag: Jessica Chastain
Crimson Peak (2015) – Guillermo del Toro
The first time I watched del Toro’s gothic tale I didn’t pay attention as much as I should and consequently, I grew bored with it. The advertising had made it look more akin to a horror film which is what I thought I wanted. I wasn’t prepared for the onslaught of lurid colors, and what…
TIFF 2021: The Eyes of Tammy Faye dir. Michael Showalter
Jessica Chastain harnesses an effervescent, electrical whirlwind in her transformative, new career best role of Tammy Faye Bakker. Bringing to life the eccentricities, the faith, and the person behind those permanently made up features. Using the documentary film of the same name as its launching point, Showalter’s film, laced with humour, and drama guides us…
It: Chapter Two (2019) – Blu-Ray Review
Let’s get this out of the way first. No matter what Andy Muschietti had done for the second chapter of the It story there would have been no way to top the first instalment that was the perfect blend of creepy and nostalgia. And of course, there’s the plague of a Stephen King ending, something…
Zero Dark Thirty (2012) – Kathyrn Bigelow
The multi-Oscar nominated Zero Dark Thirty (out of six nominations, it only took home Best Sound Editing) is the next title on the What Else to Watch list following my screening of The Battle of Algiers for DK Canada’s highly enjoyable The Movie Book. Kathryn Bigelow puts Jessica Chastain front and center as Maya, in…
The Martian (2015) – Ridley Scott
A fantastic book, a top-notch actor, and one of the best technical directors working, what wasn’t to like about The Martian? Clocking in at 141 minutes, my only real issue with the film was that despite the fact that it gave you the number of sols Mark Watney (Matt Damon) spent alone on Mars…
Interstellar (2014) – Christopher Nolan
Sure, it took me a while to get to this one, but it’s been a big month, and for me this is worth the wait. With recognizable influences from 2001: A Space Odyssey (the return of silence to space, and walking, talking robots that resemble the iconic Monolith) and Contact (not the least of…
Mama – Andres Muschietti
Usually, early in the new year, the films that come out are…well…fairly crappy. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule. Silence of the Lambs, for example, is one of my top ten favourite movies of all time, and it was so good it held on all year to be showered with accolades during…
The Mind Reels 