Category Archives: Commentary

Staring the end of 2011 movie glut square in the face

December 18, 2011 flawintheiris

This qualifies as a nice problem to have: Too many movies to see in the next few weeks. I don't do this professionally so it takes time and funds, but oh, what a joy to schedule screenings through my holiday plans. It's like a film festival of Oscar bait and big-budget entertainments, plus I need…Read More

10 Great Christopher Walken roles

November 22, 2011 flawintheiris

image by Martin Schoeller Christopher Walken is one of those actors who in his older age is defined by his oddness, by all the people who do impressions of him. Kevin Spacey, Kevin Pollack and Jay Mohr have gotten a lot of mileage on impersonating the guy. Just head over to YouTube if you don't…Read More

Thoughts on An Evening With Kevin Smith in Halifax

November 8, 2011 flawintheiris

First off, he's nowhere near as fat as some airlines would lead one to believe.I mean, seriously. The size of some people they squeeze into those seats, and they had a problem with Smith? He was no bigger than your average Nova Scotian man, many of whom are his fans. He has a lot of…Read More

12 movies in 12 weeks

October 10, 2011 flawintheiris

Three months of 2011 left, and I choose my most anticipated dozen Hollywood movies. My list: The Descendants, The Iron Lady, We Bought A Zoo, Hugo, Young Adult, My Week With Marilyn, A Dangerous Method, The Rum Diary, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Adventures of Tintin, The Muppets. Click…Read More

A year of Flaw in the Iris

September 4, 2011 flawintheiris

Just before Labour Day 2010 I decided it was time to start talking about movies again, but for fun. That is to say, I write about movies professionally, but I used to have a weekly radio show where I'd discuss them. After four years of that I called it quits in September 2009, but I…Read More

Rise of the Planet of the Apes and my problem with CGI

August 7, 2011 flawintheiris

Hello faithful reader! I went to Rise of the Planet of the Apes on Friday evening, and my capsule review is on The Coast site. Go check it out and then come back here. Have you done that? Cool. You'll see that I liked the movie—for the most part—as an engaging summer b-movie romp reigniting…Read More

Sidney Lumet 1924-2011 and a few thoughts about changing cinema

April 12, 2011 flawintheiris

My favourite Sidney Lumet films include the little-seen Nick Nolte cop drama Q&A and the Oscar-winning Network. I always liked how unfussy he was a storyteller. He chose his cast very well and never let superfluous style get in the way of the script.I found this list of his 10 best films. I don't know…Read More

I got a job as a Film Editor

March 24, 2011 flawintheiris

Just a quick note to regular readers of Flaw in the Iris: I've taken on the job of Film Editor atThe Coast, the weekly newspaper that already employs me as Special Issues Editor. If you've not visited The Coast online, especially the film section, you can here. You'll find my feature writing and reviewing all…Read More

“10 films that seemed better when I was a kid”

March 23, 2011 flawintheiris

Here's something I wrestle with all the time, movies I saw repeatedly as a child that left indelible marks on my psyche, but are less impressive as viewed by my adult eyes. I have a few of these myself, which maybe I'll share some time. For now, check out this interesting piece from The Den of…Read More

More thoughts (inspired by The Social Network)

February 5, 2011 flawintheiris

Friday night brought conversation with friends, ginger beef and fried rice, and a revisiting (for me, anyway) of The Social Network. I was reminded of the cleverness of the script, filled with such great use of language, witty put-downs and flashes of information delivered at a speed that would choke 100MB broadband.I was also reminded…Read More