Category Archives: Canadian

The Atlantic Film Festival 2012: The End of Time (I was wishing for it) and Monday

September 17, 2012 flawintheiris

The experience of watching The End of Time was encapsulated by a local filmmaker and fellow audience member upon exiting the Park Lane: It was like sitting next to someone at a party who first engages you in conversation but then rants and rambles all over the place, occasionally making sense but mostly boring you…Read More

The Atlantic Film Festival 2012: Inch’Allah, Evelyne Brochu, et cetera

September 16, 2012 flawintheiris

The past couple of years that I've been attending the Village Sound Party, hosted by Jason MacIsaac and his colleagues, have been very good times. Their studio space and backyard crammed with film and music people, a live band or two along with flowing beverages and plates full of sushi make for a seriously convivial…Read More

The Atlantic Film Festival 2012: Holy Motors, Saturday night

September 15, 2012 flawintheiris

"Was so discombobulated after Holy Motors I couldn't continue on to Chained," tweeted one of my fellow audience members at the Oxford showing last night.I know how she felt.Holy Motors is the new film from French director Leos Carax, and its damn hard to summarize. We start with black and white vintage stock footage of…Read More

The Atlantic Film Festival 2012: Parties and premieres, The Disappeared review

September 14, 2012 flawintheiris

The AFF opening night party is always a blast—even when the heat makes for a human stew, as it did at last year's venue. Last night's edition did not disappoint. Big kudos to the organizers who had the food and free cocktails—champagne followed by rye and ginger—running all evening. The site, the cavernous Cunard Centre,…Read More

Atlantic Film Festival 2012: Here we go

September 13, 2012 flawintheiris

It's "Christmas for Carsten," as a friend of mine called it. I've been attending and/or writing about The Atlantic Film Festival since 2003. Invariably I see at least one film that blows me away, something I wouldn't have seen otherwise at the local multiplex monopoly.For those who don't know, the AFF is an annual event,…Read More

The Raven, Detention and Sleeping Beauty reviews

April 27, 2012 flawintheiris

Hello, dear reader. I've been a bit absent from the blog this past fortnight due to personal and professional changes, which I will explain soon. This said, I have still found time to see some movies and review them for The Coast. Please click here for my review of the John Cusack gothic thriller The…Read More

The Genies, Café de Flore and Monsieur Lazhar

March 9, 2012 flawintheiris

It's a Thursday night in March, and I was watching the Genies earlier this evening. For those of you reading this from outside Canada—hell, for a lot of Canadians, too—let me tell you what that is: It's the award show for Canadian film.This year was the 32nd edition of the show. The televised portion runs…Read More

Goon review and Jay Baruchel interview

February 23, 2012 flawintheiris

In this week's Coast I spoke with writer/producer/actor Jay Baruchel and director Michael Dowse about Goon, their new Canadian hockey movie. I really enjoyed it, almost despite myself. Never a big fan of Seann William Scott, I'm coming around. Click here to read the story. I also reviewed the movie here.Read More

A Dangerous Method review

January 15, 2012 flawintheiris

Directed by David Cronenberg Written by Christopher Hampton, from his play A Talking Cure, which was adapted from the book A Most Dangerous Method by John Kerr. I have really been enjoying the Viggo Mortensen era of David Cronenberg's work. Mortensen has starred in the past three Cronenbergs, A History of Violence, Eastern Promises and…Read More

The Atlantic Film Festival wraps

September 25, 2011 flawintheiris

I'm here to tell you I survived another year. I flagged a little in the middle but came through strong in the homestretch.It was a great fest, and I think a popular one, with a bunch of sold-out screenings. The audience award went to Thom Fitzgerald's Cloudburst and there were five screenings of Roller Town.…Read More