Yearly Archives: 2014

Snowpiercer review

Directed by Joon-ho Bong, written by Bong and Kelly Masterson, based on the graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand, and Jean-Marc Rochette In the sea of summer releases—many loud, over-budgeted and over-marketed—it's sometimes easy to miss a gem that only gets shown in a few cinemas in North America before settling into…Read More

Obvious Child review

Directed by Gillian Robespierre, Written by Robespierre, Karen Maine, and Elizabeth Holm, based on a short film by Robespierre, Maine, and Anna Bean I can't tell you how great it is to see a film like this with characters who speak like people I know, about the politics and reality of modern life for women…Read More

In Cinemas. July 18, 2014

Hello, everyone. This is In Cinemas, what I hope will be a semi-regular series where I'll inform readers in Halifax—and beyond—what's playing on local screens, what is recommended, and what you'd best avoid, all in one handy (and brief) blog post. So, with brevity in mind, here we go. Opening Disney continues to diminish Pixar's rep…Read More

Begin Again review

Written and directed by John Carney Eight years ago, Irish filmmaker and musician Carney directed a wonderful little film called Once, about a longtime busker who takes a young pianist under his wing. It was a shot-on-a-shoestring delight, and the song that brought them together went on to win an Oscar.  Carney made another little-seen Irish movie,…Read More

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes review

Directed by Matt Reeves, Written by Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, from a novel by Pierre Boulle I enjoyed Rise of the Planet of the Apes, released back in 2011. It seemed an unlikely prequel to a 43-year-old film, but as a slab of b-movie entertainment I thought it worked. My biggest beef with…Read More

The Movie Star Roster 2014

Jack Nicholson once said, and I'm paraphrasing, here, that anyone who gets to be a lead in a Hollywood movie has something special. Why? Because too many people want it. If the star didn't have some of that magic pixie dust that appeals to audiences, someone else would have gotten the gig. That shit doesn't…Read More

My Problem with Forrest Gump

I hated this movie. When Forrest Gump came out 20 years ago this weekend, I was really annoyed by it. I saw it in Ottawa, and I remember exiting the cinema just cheesed off. I wasn't even sure what it was that bothered me so much, just the distinct feeling I'd been proselytized to. Next…Read More

How To Train Your Dragon 2 review

Directed by Don DeBlois, adapted by DeBlois from a book series by Cressida Cowell Steering clear of all things Transformers this week—does anyone really need another one of these Michael Bay monstrosities?—I decided to catch a friendlier looking sequel. I do have to say, there's something kind of shameless when a sequel comes out with…Read More

40 Years of Chinatown

Roman Polanski's Chinatown turns 40 today. It opened in cinemas June 20, 1974. I never cease to find the movie astonishing in it's acting, sense of place, and most of all, screenplay. The narrative locomotion, how it starts slowly, dropping clues to the mystery of personal and municipal malfeasance, then speeds up in the final…Read More