#TIFF2020 Review — Enemies of the State

September 11, 2020 flawintheiris

Directed by Sonia Kennebeck | 103 min A true-crime documentary in the vein of Andrew Jarecki's Capturing The Friedmans, Kennebeck (produced by Errol Morris) deftly and deliberately lays out the case for and against one Matt DeHart. He's a young man from a military-serving, god-fearing Indiana family who early on took an interest in computers…Read More

The Broken Hearts Gallery review — Gen-Y romcom FTW

September 10, 2020 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Natalie Krinsky | 108 min | Netflix This film is a hens tooth — a brand new romantic comedy released in cinemas when most, if not all, its fellow genre examples have set up shop on Netflix and other streaming services. That it's getting a big-screen release might be a testament…Read More

LENS ME YOUR EARS is back!

September 8, 2020 flawintheiris

Following a late summer hiatus, Stephen Cooke and I have returned to the remote computer crucible to talk about movies. The forthcoming episode, expected Tuesday, will be about Tenet and the films of Christopher Nolan. Coming up next, around September 22, will be a chat about recent and upcoming film festivals. I want to say…Read More

The Personal History of David Copperfield review — A joyful adaptation of a classic novel

September 7, 2020 flawintheiris

Directed by Armando Iannucci | Written by Iannucci and Simon Blackwell, adapting the book by Charles Dickens | 119 min | Crave Plus Words I've used to describe Iannucci's work on films like In The Loop, and The Death of Stalin include "biting" and "hilarious," and I'd carry forward that kind of language for his…Read More

Film Festival Season begins

September 6, 2020 flawintheiris

Well, at least around here it does. And when I say around here, I mean both in Nova Scotia and across the country. For reasons that should be obvious to everyone, film festivals this year have had to reinvent how they bring films to audiences. Cannes didn't happen, but they did share the list of…Read More

The New Mutants review — X-Men spin-off better than the buzz

September 2, 2020 flawintheiris

Directed by Josh Boone | Written by Boone and Knate Lee, based on the Marvel Comics by Chris Claremont, Bob McLeod, and Bill Sienkiewicz | 94 min I can't remember the last summer superhero movie to arrive with so little positive hype. The New Mutants was originally to have debuted in cinemas in April 2018,…Read More

The Burnt Orange Heresy review — Thriller paints secret delights

September 1, 2020 flawintheiris

Directed by Giuseppe Capotondi | Written by Scott B Smith based on the novel by Charles Willeford | 99 min | On Demand and Crave Plus Here's something that will give you an idea of my cinematic dietary preferences: I'll solidly recommend a flawed European thriller with more than a little Hitchcock and Highsmith in…Read More

Bill and Ted Face The Music review — It’s a non, non, non, non, non heinous sequel

August 31, 2020 flawintheiris

Directed by Dean Parisot | Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon | 91 min | On Demand and Netflix Back in 2012 I found myself in Los Angeles for work. I visited the Universal Studios Theme Park, and amongst the Simpsons and Jaws rides was a Bill & Ted ride, which in 2012 seemed if not…Read More

Tenet review — Nolan’s time-travel spy thriller almost too complex

August 27, 2020 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Christopher Nolan | 150 min | Netflix Christopher Nolan's enormous, brilliant movies are never less than ambitious, and the best of them find a balance between the kinetic, the cerebral, and the passionate — I'm thinking of Memento, Inception, Interstellar, and Dunkirk, even his Dark Knight trilogy. His newest blockbuster nails…Read More

Stage Mother review — Drag dramedy turns Halifax into San Francisco

August 26, 2020 flawintheiris

Directed by Thom Fitzgerald | Written by Brad Hennig | 93 min | On Demand and In Cinemas In 2020 it's fair to call Thom Fitzgerald a Nova Scotia filmmaking legend. It was 23 years ago his debut, The Hanging Garden, was an international sensation. In the years since he's carved out a career as…Read More