TIFF ’23: Next Goal Wins

Michael Fassbender stars in Taika Waititi’s feel-good sports film, Next Goal Wins, which takes its inspiration from real events. It tells the story of the American Samoa soccer team that in 2002 lost to Australia 31 to 0, and had never scored a single goal since the team was created. They are a bottom of…

Against All Odds (1984) – Taylor Hackford

Jeff Bridges, Rachel Ward and James Woods star in this noir-esque film that fumbles visually, as far as I’m concerned. Everyone knows the hit song by Phil Collins that came out of this film, and honestly, when it’s used over the end credits that shows a crying and struggling to smile Ward, it’s got a…

Smile of the Wolf (2018) -Tim Leach

Getting its Canadian release this month from Anansi Press, Smile of the Wolf by Tim Leach is a powerful Icelandic tale set against a backdrop of ice and revenge, where honor is the only law. Kjaran is a poet, and spends winters in the homes of those who would take him and hear his songs…

Predators (2010) – Nimrod Antal

Predators takes us back to the jungle with a varied cast as I continue my adventures with the dangerous alien in my journey through the Sci-Fi Chronicles book. Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, Danny Trejo, Alice Braga, and Topher Grace are among an elite group of killers who are abducted and dropped into a jungle. As…