Category Archives: International

#AIFF2017 Finale and Wrap-Up: Call Me By Your Name, The Florida Project

September 22, 2017 flawintheiris

Thursday night's films were number 23 and 24 for me at this year's Atlantic International Film Festival, not counting the shorts program. I've seen a collection of strong Canadian and independent American films and some of the year's best international fare, and somehow managed not to get sick, though it was a little touch and…Read More

#AIFF2017 Day 6: Loving Vincent, How To Talk To Girls At Parties

September 20, 2017 flawintheiris

Loving Vincent An animated film that boasts (in its opening crawl) 100 artists hand-painted the thing. I'm not sure what the point is knowing that up front unless to direct viewers to the visuals rather than the somewhat less impressive script. Loving Vincent uses a mix of actors on sets, rotoscopic animation, and CGI to create…Read More

#AIFF2017 Day 5: Lucky, Small Town Crime, and God’s Own Country

September 19, 2017 flawintheiris

Lucky The death of Harry Dean Stanton barely 72 hours ago made Monday afternoon's screening of his final starring role that much more poignant, and even more so because the film is an old man's rumination on life and his own mortality. It reminded me a little of Paterson, without the poetry or twin iconography,…Read More

#AIFF2017 Day 4: Reel East Coast Shorts Gala, A Fantastic Woman

September 18, 2017 flawintheiris

The collection of regional films at this year's Reel East Coast Shorts Gala was pleasantly solid, a good range of genre pieces, drama, and documentary. Standouts for me: Kevin A. Fraser's Invading Giants, about people in Newfoundland who love icebergs. The drone cinematography is breathtaking. The whole thing could've been about the French graduate student…Read More

#AIFF2017 Day 3: The Square, Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool, Sweet Virginia

September 17, 2017 flawintheiris

I tend to be impressed by film doing a single thing well and managing to do that one good thing through its running time. Ruben Östlund's Palme d'or-winning The Square manages to be good at doing many things simultaneously, to the point where it's hard to collect all those things in your head at once. I…Read More

New On Canadian Netflix: June/July 2017

July 24, 2017 flawintheiris

Here are a cross-section of a number of mildly-to- solidly recommended films recently made available on Canadian Netflix. (You can click on the movie titles to read my original reviews where I’ve written them in the past.) *One note: In May I recommended Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, a film when I first saw it back…Read More

New episode of LENS ME YOUR EARS is up!

July 5, 2017 flawintheiris

In recognition of yesterday's celebration of independence by our friends to the south, a new episode of my film podcast (co-hosted by Stephen Cooke), Lens Me Your Ears, is now available. It's #036, entitled "Make America Great," and you can find it on iTunes and on Stitcher. There's no need to worry, this podcast is…Read More

New on Canadian Netflix: May 2017

May 26, 2017 flawintheiris

Here’s a cross-section of a number of mildly-to- solidly recommended films recently made available on Canadian Netflix. (You can click on the movie titles to read my original reviews where I’ve written them in the past.) For me, Netflix is a go-to to revisit movies I’ve already seen or to give the odd TV series a…Read More

New on Canadian Netflix: April 2017

April 24, 2017 flawintheiris

Here's a cross-section of a number of mildly-to- solidly recommended films recently made available on Canadian Netflix. (You can click on the movie titles to read my original reviews where I've written them in the past.) For me, Netflix is a go-to usually to watch films I’ve already seen or to give the odd TV…Read More

T2: Trainspotting review — Choose Life, Choose Middle Age

April 4, 2017 flawintheiris

Directed by Danny Boyle | Written by John Hodge, adapting the novel Porno by Irvine Welsh | 117 min The late-coming sequel is a dicey proposition, but if you're gonna do it, it's nice to see the old gang get together—many of the original creative team in front and behind the camera from the 1996 film…Read More