Category Archives: Film Festivals

#FIN2019 Day Seven — Mystify: Michael Hutchence, Searching for God in India

September 19, 2019 flawintheiris

On this last day of FIN Atlantic International Film Festival, I'm taking stock: what have I seen and what have I missed. You can check out all my reviews here! (Thanks, Kate!) After seeing a couple more films on Thursday I'll offer my favourites in tomorrow's post, but I can say now what's really stood…Read More

#FIN2019 Day Six — Hugh Hefner’s After Dark: Speaking Out In America, Grâce à Dieu reviews

September 18, 2019 flawintheiris

Hugh Hefner's After Dark: Speaking Out In America A look back at the Playboy founder's ventures into television in the 1950s and 1960s, with an assembly of footage from his variety/talk shows Playboy's Penthouse and Playboy After Dark, shows that challenged American television audiences for a couple seasons about a decade apart. According to Brigitte…Read More

#FIN2019 Day Five — Sometimes Always Never review

September 17, 2019 flawintheiris

Sometimes Always Never Years from now, we'll look back on the work of Bill Nighy and recognize him a unique performer whose work is a gift (if we don't do that already). Sometimes Always Never finds him in excellent form in a genuinely odd comedy-drama, written by frequent Michael Winterbottom collaborator, Frank Cottrell Boyce, and deeply…Read More

#FIN2019 Day Four — the Script Pitch, Varda By Agnes, Linda Ronstadt: The Sound Of My Voice reviews

September 16, 2019 flawintheiris

A little unnerving to drop by the the Script Pitch on Sunday afternoon, the end result of the 2019 FIN Script Development Program, where one year ago I stepped up with"professor" Michael Melski and "class," sweating bullets, and pitched the supernatural adventure Demon to a panel of industry experts. I could feel the tension deep…Read More

#FIN2019 Day Three — Arab Blues, Parasite reviews

September 15, 2019 flawintheiris

Arab Blues (Un Divan a Tunis) A tart surprise, biting into this satiric comedy, one that made me wonder what the Tunisian authorities thought of it. I gather the film was largely financed in France. Selma (Golshifteh Farahani of Paterson and Rosewater) was born in Tunisia but raised in Paris. Now a psychotherapist, she comes…Read More

A few, brief words about shorts at #FIN2019

September 14, 2019 flawintheiris

It takes a special gift to get a short film right, and they can be an important building block to a career as a filmmaker. Here in Atlantic Canada that kind of professional future can often feel like it's beyond reach, but one of the great things FIN Atlantic Film Festival does is bring together…Read More

Opening Night and Day Two #FIN2019 — Portrait Of A Lady On Fire review

September 14, 2019 flawintheiris

Having seen the opening night film, Murmur, on a screener in advance—and you can find my review of it here—I indulged in a semi-transgressive act and on Thursday evening instead went to see Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Fleabag one-woman show broadcast on the Cineplex Event Screen from London. It was an astonishing and hilarious performance, and fascinating…Read More

FIN Atlantic International Film Festival 2019 PREVIEW

September 12, 2019 flawintheiris

As we all brush ourselves off from Dorian, it's a good time to remind ourselves of what's really useful about electricity. We can use it to watch film, and for Halifax film lovers, this time of year is all about FIN Atlantic International Film Festival. On this post please find a few advance reviews of…Read More

The White Crow review — Nureyev biopic achieves rare grace

May 24, 2019 flawintheiris

Directed by Ralph Fiennes | Written by David Hare, adapting a biography by Julie Kavanagh | 132 min | Crave Plus and Hoopla What a challenge this must've been, to find the actor who could dance anything like Rudolf Nureyev, but also provide the dramatic chops to believably convey his haughty, charismatic persona. Full marks,…Read More

An Audience of Chairs review — Mental illness drama earns its tears

March 21, 2019 flawintheiris

Directed by Deanne Foley | Written by Rosemary House from the Joan Clark novel | 93 min Deanne Foley’s new drama is an honest and sometimes frightening portrait of a woman’s struggle with mental illness, which first screened at FIN Atlantic Film Festival in September. Maura (Carolina Bartczak) is a concert pianist who spends the…Read More