Matthew Simpson

Pop Culture Writer & Podcaster

Reviews

  • VIFF 2014: Foxcatcher | Awesome Friday!

    VIFF 2014: Foxcatcher | Awesome Friday!

    It’s when he doesn’t speak that is most effective, though, in the pauses between lines or the scenes where he barely speaks at all, Carell brings something else to the character, and we’re able to see from his first scene that there’s something not quite right there, something broken, angry, and malevolent. The reasons…

  • VIFF 2014: Black Fly | Awesome Friday!

    VIFF 2014: Black Fly | Awesome Friday!

    The film does have some issues for me, the main one being a few things were pretty predictable, but these are very much overshadowed by the performances, particularly that of Matthew MacCaull as Noel. He disappears into the character and is genuinely menacing, especially in scenes where he’s just sharing a beer with someone…

  • VIFF 2014: Pulp: a Film About Life, Death & Supermarkets | Awesome Friday!

    VIFF 2014: Pulp: a Film About Life, Death & Supermarkets | Awesome Friday!

    Pulp: a Film About Life, Death & Supermarkets is an easy film to recommend. If you’re a fan of the band, then you should definitely want to check out the story of the band’s final concert –played in their hometown of Sheffield– and if you’re not a fan of the band, then you should check…

  • VIFF 2014: Miss and the Doctors | Awesome Friday!

    VIFF 2014: Miss and the Doctors | Awesome Friday!

    As the story starts, two brothers, both doctors, run a practice together in Paris. They’re both so devoted to their work that they’ve both remained bachelors. Enter Judith, a beautiful young mother they meet due to her daughter needing a house call, and they both fall in love. Each of the brothers is given…

  • VIFF 2014: Maps to the Stars | Awesome Friday!

    VIFF 2014: Maps to the Stars | Awesome Friday!

    Strangely, it feels like there could have been a legitimately great film here. If it has just been the story of Havana Segrand going insane working on a remake of her mother’s film, or if it has just been the story of a young girl with a troubled past trying to reconnect with her…

  • VIFF 2014: 1987 | Awesome Friday!

    VIFF 2014: 1987 | Awesome Friday!

    It’s a funny movie, but as with many comedies, the laughs slow down considerably when the third act rolls around and needs to teach us something. That’s not a bad thing per se, but there’s not that much it’s going to teach you if you’ve seen other teen comedies. The nice thing is that…

  • VIFF 2014: Mr Turner | Awesome Friday!

    VIFF 2014: Mr Turner | Awesome Friday!

    I’ve said before that one of the things I love about movies is those few occasions when I get to witness one of the great performances of our time, when an actor disappears into a role completely, and I can forget even the most familiar of faces as belonging to an actor I’ve seen…

  • Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters | Awesome Friday!

    Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters | Awesome Friday!

    Previous fairy tale re-imaginings I’ve seen that try to make sure you know they’re serious films end up boring. This movie doesn’t want you to be anything other than entertained, so the plot is kept to a minimum and the action to a maximum, and despite its predictability, it works. When things are revealed,…

  • Les Misérables, Argo, and Silver Linings Playbook | Awesome Friday!

    Les Misérables, Argo, and Silver Linings Playbook | Awesome Friday!

    Because I’m on vacation though I have seen a boatload of movies and thought I’d briefly talk about some of the ones I have seen, specifically the three I watched which are nominated for best picture at this year’s Oscars. Link: https://awesomefriday.ca/2013/01/quick-thoughts-on-les-miserables-argo-and-silver-linings-playbook/

  • Zero Dark Thirty | Awesome Friday!

    Zero Dark Thirty | Awesome Friday!

    Everything in this film is utterly compelling. When we finally get to the final act of the raid on bin Laden’s compound by Navy Seals, the idea that realistic military tactics and execution thereof aren’t filmable in a meaningful way is shown to be false. In fact, any time anyone says this to you…