Suffragette review — Muddy drama mutes powerful story

November 19, 2015 flawintheiris

Directed by Sarah Gavron | Written by Abi Morgan | 106 min Suffragette is a powerful story weakly told. A look back at the women's rights movement in pre-Great War London has all the makings of compelling historical drama—a talented cast and well-chosen locations being two of its assets—but is scuppered by technical issues, a too-predictable…Read More

Carbon Arc Reviews: The Second Mother, When Marnie Was There, Phoenix, The Wolfpack, A Poem Is A Naked Person, The New Girlfriend, Tangerine, Court, Dough, Jimmy’s Hall, The Russian Woodpecker

November 16, 2015 flawintheiris

This fall I've been part of the talented crew who program films and help out at Carbon Arc screenings taking place at the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History. Here are my thoughts on each of the films we screened. (Carbon Arc Cinema returns in the first week of February, 2016.) The Second Mother Written…Read More

In Cinemas: Friday, November 13, 2015 — Carbon Arc update, The Atlantic Jewish Film Festival, Suffragette, The 33, Love The Coopers, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo

November 13, 2015 flawintheiris

This week I decided to go see Room again, having loved it when I saw it at the AFF. It was just as moving a second time, but I have to say, watching it at Oxford was a bit of a disappointment. The picture was much darker than it was the first time at Park…Read More

Spectre review — So Big, So Beautiful, But a Bit Blah

November 7, 2015 flawintheiris

Directed by Sam Mendes | Written by John Logan, Neil Purvis, Robert Wade, Jez Butterworth, from a story by Logan, Purvis and Wade, based on the Ian Fleming character | 148 min "Bond is back... and this time, it's personal!" This could have been the cheekily lame tagline for each of the four Daniel Craig…Read More

In Cinemas: Friday, November 6, 2015 — Spectre, Room, The Peanuts Movie, Miss You Already, Devour Food Film Fest, and this week at Carbon Arc…

November 6, 2015 flawintheiris

If you're looking for something different in your film diet, check out what's on offer at the independent cinema Carbon Arc (where I do some programming) this weekend. We're showing sharp indie pictures both Friday and Saturday night: Sundance darling Tangerine (Friday at 7pm, Saturday at 9pm), and Court (Friday at 9pm, Saturday at 7pm), an Indian legal drama that won awards…Read More

Spectre is coming…

November 4, 2015 flawintheiris

On Friday the new James Bond 007 movie opens in cinemas. Having enjoyed the adventures of the suave, ruthless British spy since I was knee-high to Nick Nack, the arrival of a new one brings a cinematic thrill unlike any other. My excitement over a new 007, stoked by the positive notices from the UK…Read More

Our Brand Is Crisis review — Confused Message Sinks Comedy

November 3, 2015 flawintheiris

Directed by David Gordon Green | Written by Peter Straughan from a documentary by Rachel Boynton | 107 min. Neither fish nor fowl, as they say, this is a political dramedy that features both Sandra Bullock vomiting into a wastepaper basket and discussions of how politics can eat away the soul. This struggle to sustain…Read More

In Cinemas: Friday, October 30, 2015 — Burnt, Our Brand Is Crisis, Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse, Truth, Jem And The Holograms, The New Girlfriend…

October 29, 2015 flawintheiris

Though it's not earning a lot of love from other critics, I really enjoyed the new Bradley Cooper foodie movie Burnt. For me, it has the right combination of performances, script, pacing, and location: London in the summer. My full review is here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1G5E5Eo1wo Our Brand Is Crisis is a political dramedy with Sandra Bullock…Read More

Burnt review — There’s Sizzle in this Steak

October 28, 2015 flawintheiris

Directed by John Wells | Written by Steven Knight, from a story by Michael Kalesniko | 100 min There was a time when Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper) was a hotshot chef in a high end Paris restaurant, but he lost it all to his attitude and addictions. After more than two years of detox and…Read More

Wacken 3D review — Complete Metal-ness

October 27, 2015 flawintheiris

Written and directed by Norbert Heitker | 95 min "There are many crazy people, but it's also the most peaceful place in the world," says a fan from Taiwan. "It's four days of complete metal-ness," declares Henry Rollins. On Thursday night Cineplex is screening the part-concert movie part-anthropological study Wacken 3D: Louder Than Hell, about the…Read More