The Final Girls is a delightfully meta-horror comedy with an emotional heart thanks to the performances of Taissa Farmiga and Malin Akerman. Farmiga is Max Cartwright, the daughter of Alexandra (Akerman) who has always wanted to be a movie star, but keeps getting recalled for her one big role, in an 80s cult classic slasher…
Tag: mother
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) – Bob Perischetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman
Marvel and Sony’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse delivered a brilliant, funny, engaging, and arguably one of the best onscreen Spider-Man we’ve seen yet, and it’s animation style is fantastic. It marries a number of animation styles and literally brings the comic book to life. When Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) has a life-altering encounter with Spider-Man…
Family Ties (1985) – Remembrances of Things Past
Season three of Family Ties ended with an hour-long episode that was broadcast on 28 March, 1985 and was written by series creator Gary David Goldberg and Alan Uger. Steven (Michael Gross) gathers the family up to head to his family home to help his mother, May (Anne Seymour) sell the house. It also forces…
I Like Movies (2022) – Chandler Levack
I regret that I missed this one at TIFF, but now that it’s on Netflix it’s going to be able to reach a wider audience. And any film fan who grew up during the 80s and 90s will no doubt recognize parts of themselves in the film’s lead, cinephile Lawrence Kweller (Isiah Lehtinen). Lawrence is…
Invaders From Mars (1986) – Tobe Hooper
I remember when Invaders From Mars came out in 1986. I knew it was a remake, having read about it in Starlog magazine, and while I didn’t recognize the names of those involved as I grew they would become very familiar to me. What I remember most is reading the novelization when I grabbed it…
The Lives of Lee Miller (1985) – Anthony Penrose
As I mentioned in my review of the film, Lee, I was gobsmacked to learn the story of Lee Miller, specifically her work as a war correspondent during World War II. How had I never heard of her? As I came out of the screening I put The Lives of Lee Miller on hold at…
The Flash (2023) – Andy Muschietti
Yes, some of the special effects are terrible, and yes, the film seems to be played more for laughs than telling a dramatic and serious story, and the cameos, such as they are, seem a little wasted, and Ezra Miller can come across as severely unlikeable but having waited a few months since the film’s…
TIFF ’23: The Boy and the Heron
If anyone has ever said that animation isn’t an art form, they’ve never seen a Hayao Miyazaki film. Beloved by fans and critics alike, his films take viewers on journeys through strange lands populated with unusual characters and they always have an emotional core that connects to the audience. And you know you’re watching it…
TIFF ’23: Flora and Son
John Carney, who has delivered great musically-themed films like Once, Begin Again and Sing Street has the International Premiere of his latest film, Flora and Son at TIFF this year. Apple Films has its distribution and will be carrying it on Apple+ as of 29 September. So if you miss it at the Festival, be…
TIFF ’23: Riddle of Fire
I started my TIFF experience this year with a title that will be featured at this year’s Midnight Madness, the popular venue that explores unique genre titles. Riddle of Fire definitely falls into that category, in conversations with other critics I ended up describing this film in the following manner: it was as if someone…
The Mind Reels 