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Interview: Wyatt Rockefeller on his film “Settlers” | Awesome Friday!
Settlers, the new Sci-Fi western set on Mars, is available on-demand starting today. I had the chance to speak with director Wyatt Rockefeller about his inspirations for the film, the themes it portrays, and the best movie robot of the year. Full Interview at Awesome Friday: https://awesomefriday.ca/2021/07/interview-wyatt-rockefeller/
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Let’s Talk About the End of Loki | Awesome Friday!
Loki, Marvel’s latest Disney+ television series, ended last night with several surprises, but perhaps the most surprising thing is that it was a season finale –cliffhanger and all– rather than the end of a self-contained series. There are a few big revelations, so let’s talk about them, what they might mean, and a few thoughts I have on where things might go. Link: https://awesomefriday.ca/2021/07/lets-talk-about-the-end-of-loki/
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The Films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Ranked, Black Widow Edition | Awesome Friday!
Well, here’s a thing that I haven’t done in quite a while. The last time I wrote out a full ranking of the films in the MCU there were only 14 entries in the franchise. Only. Now, there are 24, plus the three limited series on Disney+, and if that doesn’t sound like a lot? There are ten movies and ten series on deck in the next two years. If you had any doubts about the Marvel money train slowing down? Think again! For the purposes of this list I am only looking at the films, and thinking back on how they all…
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2021 Tribeca Film Festival Most Anticipated Movies | ForReel
Tribeca Film Festival beings June 9th and goes until June 20th. So, we gathered some familiar voices to discuss what we’re looking forward to. In this episode ahead of Tribeca 2021, Taylor Beaumont and myself are joined by friends and fellow virtual festival attendees Taylor Baker from Drink In The Movies in Seattle and Matthew Simpson from Awesome Friday in Vancouver, BC to share what feature films we’re most excited about and talk a little bit about what we expect from this year’s festival. Episode Homepage: https://thisisforreel.com/home/forreel-crew-cameos-ep-5-tribeca-talk/curtain-raiser-discussion
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Army of the Dead | ForReel
Matthew Simpson from Awesome Friday joins Thomas Stoneham-Judge and Tim Nagle to discuss Zack Snyder’s new heist zombie film ARMY OF THE DEAD, now streaming on Netflix. Episode Homepage: https://thisisforreel.com/home/forreel-crew-cameos-ep-4-army-of-the-dead-talk-with-matthew-simpson
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Interview: Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli on their film ‘Violation’ | Awesome Friday!
Violation is the first feature film by Canadian filmmakers Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli. A take on the rape-revenge genre, it is a tense and uncomfortable film, but in the best way possible. I had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with the pair via Zoom during the Victoria Film Festival. Needless to say that this interview contains spoilers for Violation. You can read my original review of the film here. Full Interview at Awesome Friday: https://awesomefriday.ca/2021/02/vff-interview-madeleine-sims-fewer-and-dusty-mancinelli-on-their-film-violation/
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The Best Films & Performers of 2020 | Awesome Friday!
2020 has been a hell of a year. With theatres ending up being an unsafe place to be during an ongoing worldwide pandemic you’d think it would be a harder year for film, but looking back it’s clear that this year has been an as vibrant and diverse year for film as any other. Of course, the difference is that without theatres, there have been far fewer blockbusters and far more indie and middle-tier films. The impact on my film diary for the year has been an interesting one, with bigger budget films losing the endorphin high of the theatrical…
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Interview: Amelia Moses on her film “Bloodthirsty” | Awesome Friday!
Amelia Moses has had a breakout year, with not one but two feature film releases: Bleed With Me, a psychological horror film which screened at Fantasia Festival this past summer, and now Bloodthirsty, a werewolf movie with more than a few twists and turns. Both films are screening as part of the 2020 Blood in the Snow Festival. I was able to sit down with Amelia on Zoom for the second time to talk about her new film. Full Interview at Awesome Friday: https://awesomefriday.ca/2020/11/blood-in-the-snow-inteview-amelia-moses-on-her-film-bloodthirsty/
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All 93 Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror Segments, Ranked | Awesome Friday!
The Simpson’s annual Treehouse of Horror Halloween Special had its 31st edition this year, one year shy of the 32 years that the series has been running. It has produced some of the best episodes of the entire series and, over the years, let the writers and performers explore stories that they couldn’t get away with during the regular season. As any child of the 90s, I watched many of these episodes as a child but gave up sometime around the end of the so-called “golden age” of the series. This year I am stuck indoors, though, and 29 of…
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VIFF 2020: Festival Favourites | ForReel
The Vancouver International Film Festival has come to a close, so I hopped on Zoom to talk with two friends and fellow film festival attendees, Matthew Simpson from Awesome Friday and Leanne Mclaren from 103.5 QMFM. We discuss our top 3 favorite films each of them saw during the festival, as well as some honorable mentions. And as BC locals, Leanne and Matt also weigh in on their experience with VIFF Connect, VIFF’s new platform for digitally streaming movies. Video via ThisIsForReel.com: https://thisisforreel.com/home/2020/10/8/viff-2020-wrap-up Be sure to follow the other fine folks in this video:
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VIFF 2020 Interview: Curtis Woloschuk, VIFF Associate Director of Programming, on the changes and challenges of hosting a festival during a pandemic | Awesome Friday!
There’s no denying that 2020 has been an abnormal year for film, and film festivals are by no means exempt from that. I sat down with Curtis Woloschuk, associate director if programming for the Vancouver International Film Festival, to talk about this years festival moving online and other challenges of hosting a festival during a pandemic. Full Interview at Awesome Friday: https://awesomefriday.ca/2020/10/viff-interview-curtis-woloschuk-viff-associate-director-of-programming-on-the-changes-and-challenges-of-hosting-a-festival-in-a-pandemic/
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VIFF 2020 Interview: Cheryl Foggo on her film ‘John Ware Reclaimed’ | Awesome Friday!
ohn Ware Reclaimed is a look at one of the least told types of stories in Canada, that of black history. John Ware himself is a locally famous figure and telling his story has been a lifelong interest of Canadian historian and writer Cheryl Foggo, who wrote and directed the film. I have already watched and reviewed it, and spoiler alert: it’s good. I was able to sit down with her over Zoom this week to speak about the film, Black Canadian history, and the stories that get told. Full Interview at Awesome Friday: https://awesomefriday.ca/2020/09/viff-interview-cheryl-foggo-on-her-film-john-ware-reclaimed/
I am a Rotten Tomatoes-approved, freelance film & television critic and podcast host from Vancouver, Canada! I am a co-founder of the Cascadia Film & Television Critics Association and a voting member of the International Film Society Critics, Pandora International Critics, and the Online Film & Television Association.
I maintain bylines at Exclaim!, Awesome Friday!, That Shelf, ForReel, Movies We Texted About, KeithLovesMovies, and I can be heard regularly on the Contra Zoom Podcast and The LAMBCast.
