Category Archives: Comedy

Atlantic Film Festival 2014: Day Six, with Muppets, teen movies, and Steve Carell

September 17, 2014 flawintheiris

I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story was programmed twice at this year's AFF. I saw the second screening on Tuesday morning as part of the Viewfinders program. Interestingly, the audience was almost entirely adults, some with touches of silver in their hair. Is this evidence that we are, in fact, in the Age…Read More

Atlantic Film Festival 2014: Day Five—Shorts, Turkey, Paris, and the 1984 Miners’ Strike

September 16, 2014 flawintheiris

I'm a little confused by the many programs of Atlantic Shorts. In previous editions of the AFF, the Atlantic Shorts were separated from the general Shorts and the International Shorts, all of which were separated from the Animation programs. Seems like they've all been gathered together as Atlantic Shorts, despite the fact that, say, Father,…Read More

Watching Robin Williams

August 17, 2014 flawintheiris

I figured I'd wait a few days before offering any kind of tribute to Robin Williams. Give the news a chance sink in. It seems to me a universal tragedy; someone so talented, so adored, would feel so despondent as to end his life. Depression doesn't discriminate. Of the more moving remembrances to the Oscar-winning actor…Read More

Obvious Child review

July 20, 2014 flawintheiris

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

My Problem with Forrest Gump

July 4, 2014 flawintheiris

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

A Cult of One: Every Which Way But Loose and Any Which Way You Can

June 16, 2014 flawintheiris

My passion for movies comes from childhood. I watched a lot of movies with my parents, who didn't do much to shield me from all those grown-up movies of the 1970s they liked to watch. Ratings to protect innocent, impressionable kids from the very adult themes of American cinema at the time wasn't much of…Read More

Chef review

June 12, 2014 flawintheiris

Written and directed by Jon Favreau It's tempting to analogize the story of Chef with Favreau's career as an actor and director. Favreau came to prominence as the writer and star of the late-90s indie Swingers, with his buddy Vince Vaughn (they paired again in Made), which he parlayed into acting and directing gigs. He…Read More

Fading Gigolo review

June 4, 2014 flawintheiris

Written and directed by John Turturro Murray (Woody Allen) is a New York bookseller. His buddy, Fioravante (Turturro), is a florist. Things are a little slow in both of their businesses, so Murray hatches a plan to pimp his chum out to dissatisfied, wealthy women, including Dr Parker (Sharon Stone) and her libidinous BFF Selima (Sofia…Read More

The Grand Seduction review

May 30, 2014 flawintheiris

Directed by Don McKellar, written by Michael Dowse and Ken Scott. I saw this movie when it opened the 2013 Atlantic Film Festival. It was much beloved by the audience, and it's easy to understand why. The movie is a charming, slightly sassy tale of good people living in a Newfoundland fishing village who are…Read More

Dom Hemingway review

May 2, 2014 flawintheiris

Written and directed by Richard Shepard I had to take a look at Shepard's IMDB page to remind myself what else he's done, and the title that jumped out at me was The Matador. It had a plum role for Pierce Brosnan as a hit man, which served as a nice reinvention immediately following his stint…Read More