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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 asking him questions. Link: https://awesomefriday.ca/2014/10/viff-review-black-fly/
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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 out the story of a band winding down, getting ready to stop playing, and wanting on last great night of rock and roll before they go. Link: https://awesomefriday.ca/2014/10/viff-review-pulp/
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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 enough screen time with Judith to make their feelings believable, and Louise Bourgoin is pretty effortless in her role, being confident and vulnerable due to her character’s circumstances. Link: https://awesomefriday.ca/2014/10/viff-review-miss-and-the-doctors/
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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 estranged family, or if it had just been the story of an actor/writer/limo driver trying to make it in LA and being corrupted by the broken people around him, then the film may have had some focus and been more compelling. It’s that last one that…
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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 there is something in here that basically everyone guy who was 17 at one point can relate to. Trogi is endearing despite basically being a fuck up, and his friends provide some nice laughs also. Link: https://awesomefriday.ca/2014/09/viff-review-1987/
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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 before and instead see the character that they are playing. This doesn’t happen quite as often as you might think, but it happened today when I saw Mr. Turner, in which Timothy Spall played famed British painter J.M.W. Turner. Link: https://awesomefriday.ca/2014/10/viff-review-mr-turner/
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The Best Films of 2013 | Awesome Friday!
2013 was a good year for the movies. It had its ups and downs, but in the end there was a pretty good crop of films and more than a few great ones. I’ve already revisited the films I was most looking forward to, and now it is time to look at the films I liked best. Link: https://awesomefriday.ca/2014/01/matts-2013-the-best-list/
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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, you’re not going to be surprised, but you’ll probably be too busy enjoying a well-staged fight, some well-executed gore, or a zingy one-liner to care. Link: https://awesomefriday.ca/2013/01/review-hansel-gretel-witch-hunters/
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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/
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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 from now on, tell them to watch Zero Dark Thirty. Link: https://awesomefriday.ca/2013/01/review-zero-dark-thirty/
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On Frame Rates | Awesome Friday!
There are two noticeable side effects of HFR. The first is that things seem to move faster. This is because your brain isn’t filling in so many gaps like I mentioned above, but honestly, this one goes away quickly. It took me maybe 10 minutes to get used to how things appeared in HFR, but once I was, I felt like I was seeing a movie for the first time. Link: https://awesomefriday.ca/2013/01/on-frame-rates/
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.
