My first documentary of this year’s TIFF was the joyous celebration that is Summer Qamp. The film crew led by director Jennifer Markowitz heads to Camp fYrefly located in, of all places, Alberta. A week-long summer camp for queer, non-binary and trans teens, fYrefly is a safe space for everyone who goes there and allows…
Tag: joy
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) – Jon Watts
Tom Holland’s appearance as Spider-Man in the MCU entry Captain America: Civil War introduced the new webhead to millions of immediate fans. Combining a youthful exuberance, and actual nerd cred, Holland’s Peter Parker rings true to the comics, even as this incarnation introduces unique spins on familiar characters like Aunt May played this time around…
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) – Dan Kwan, and Daniel Scheinert
An epic and hilarious story with an intimate tale of family and love at its heart. I couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed Everything Everywhere All at Once. I knew I would, but I was completely swept up in the tale, it’s toying with the multi-verse, and letting Michelle Yeoh show off all of her…
The BFG (2016) – Steven Spielberg
This one seemed like a surefire winner, you’ve got Spielberg working from a script by Melissa Matheson who wrote E.T. The story is adapted from Roald Dahl’s story, and Mark Rylance brings The Big Friendly Giant to life. But no matter how good, the computer-generated images were, combining the computer characters with live-action ones, specifically,…
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) – John Hughes
My journey through some classic John Hughes continues with this 1986 classic that, like so many of his films, came along at just the right time for me. Matthew Broderick is the titular Ferris Bueller, and despite already hitting his quota of sick days for the year, he’s taking a day off to show his…
TIFF 2021: Violet dir. Justine Bateman
With her feature debut, writer/director Justine Bateman delivers an oppressive but ultimately rewarding emotional powerhouse that brings the everyday inner monologue and life struggle that each of us experience to the screen. In this case, it’s Olivia Munn’s Violet, a film producer, who has for too long sacrificed her own wellness, and life to the…
In the Heights (2021) – 4K Review
Musicals, when done right, can be a powerful thing, and Warner Brothers 4K release of In the Heights isn’t just a musical done right, it is joy captured on film, and the images and sound practically pop off the screen in crystal clear celebration. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the music and lyrics for this beautiful film,…
Jungle Cruise (2021) – Jaume Collet-Serra
Disney’s latest film, is definitely an E-ticket ride to joy! Owing as much to the 1999 update of The Mummy and 1951’s The African Queen as it does the adventure serials of yesteryear, not to mention the ride that preceded it to the theatre, The Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise is a capital ‘S’…
My Fair Lady (1964) – 4K Review
A high definition upgrade can be a revelation, and if the film is a classic, it can not only revitalize the film (not to mention save it from further degradation), it can make it look better than it ever has. That is the verdict on Paramount Picture’s release of the 1964 Rex Harrison, Audrey Hepburn…
Rivers of London (2011) – Ben Aaronovitch
Rivers of London, originally released as Midnight Riot before it was retitled to launch the continuing series of novels it spawned, was a wonderful surprise and a complete joy to read, and a fantastic introduction into the genre of urban fantasy. PC Peter Grant is afraid he’s going to end up doing administrative duty once…
The Mind Reels 