Review: Reese Witherspoon’s tasteful performance in Wild (with video)
Cheryl Strayed rendered nothing less than her soul in her bestselling memoir, Wild, an account of her arduous thousand-mile journey along the Pacific Crest trail. So it’s only appropriate that director...
View ArticleMovie review: The Babadook terrifying, even in daytime
The Babadook 3 1/2 stars out of 5 Starring: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall, Tim Purcell Directed by: Jennifer Kent Running time: 93 minutes It takes guts to walk around in the dark, but...
View ArticleMovie review: The Battle of the Five Armies brings fiery closure to The...
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies 3.5 stars out of 5 Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Luke Evans...
View ArticleMovie review: Into the Woods all about the singing (with video)
Into the Woods 3.5 stars out of 5 Starring: Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Johnny Depp, Chris Pine, Christine Baranski, Lucy Punch Directed by: Rob Marshall Running time: 124 minutes Lost in...
View ArticleMovie review: Mr. Turner a portrait of the artist by an artist (with video)
Mr. Turner 4 stars out of 5 Starring: Timothy Spall, Paul Jesson, Marion Bailey, Ruth Sheen, Dorothy Atkinson, Martin Savage Directed by: Mike Leigh Running time: 150 minutes There is no “ah-ha!”...
View ArticleDVD releases for Dec. 23: Pride, The Trip to Italy and more (with video)
ANARCHY IN THE U.K. Pride: 3.5 stars out of 5 Don your gay apparel with pride, even if the ensemble includes acid wash jeans, geometric leather jackets and leg warmers because this real life story is...
View Article2014 marked the year social media got its close-up (with video)
It was official the moment Ellen Degeneres pulled out her cellphone and — with a little help from Bradley Cooper — snapped the “billion-dollar” selfie at the 2014 Oscar ceremony: Social media was on...
View ArticleMovie review: The Gambler pays off with Mark Wahlberg (with video)
The Gambler 3.5 stars out of 5 Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Jessica Lange, Brie Larson, John Goodman, Michael Kenneth Williams Directed by: Rupert Wyatt Running time: 111 minutes Why do we like bad boys so...
View ArticleOscar Watch 2014: Boyhood, Birdman, Cake and more (with video)
The nominations will be read aloud Jan. 15, but before the names of this year’s lucky Oscar contenders hit the airwaves and ricochet around the coffee wagon, you may want to get acquainted with this...
View ArticleMovie review: Inherent Vice feels like Lebowski light (with video)
Inherent Vice 3 stars out of 5 Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Jena Malone, Benicio Del Toro, Martin Short, Eric Roberts, Owen Wilson Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson Running time: 148 minutes...
View ArticleMovie review: Two Days, One Night gives praise for human spirit
Two Days, One Night (Deux jours, une nuit) Four stars out of five Starring: Marion Cotillard, Fabrizio Rongione, Catherine Salée Directed by: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne Running time: 95 minutes...
View ArticleBenicio Del Toro brings Pablo Escobar back to life, and death
He hit his highest highs back in the 1980s when Forbes Magazine ranked him one of the 10 richest men in the world, but Pablo Escobar was always more than just another drug lord with a machine gun and a...
View ArticleMovie review: Paddington stuffed with cuteness, good causes (with video)
Paddington 3.5 stars out of 5 Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Waters, Nicole Kidman and the voice of Ben Whishaw Directed by: Paul King Running time: 95 minutes Though there is no...
View ArticleMovie review: Blackhat crashes into cliché (with video)
Blackhat 2.5 stars out of 5 Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Viola Davis, Leehom Wang, Wei Tang, William Mapother Directed by: Michael Mann Running time: 133 minutes When the fire alarm rang and the house...
View ArticleDVD releases for Jan. 20: Johansson’s Lucy, Gandolfini’s farewell (and more)
MARQUEE SMARTS Lucy: Three stars out of five – Scarlett Johansson proves she’s got more moves than Jagger in this decidedly cerebral action movie from French master Luc Besson. Picking up themes that...
View ArticleMovie review: Mommy vibrates with suspense and empathy (with video)
Mommy Four stars out of five Starring: Anne Dorval, Antoine-Olivier Pilon, Suzanne Clement, Patrick Huard Directed by: Xavier Dolan Running time: 139 minutes If they handed out a prize for Oedipal...
View ArticleMovie review: Cake delights with Jennifer Aniston in nasty role (with video)
Cake 3.5 stars out of 5 Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Adriana Barraza, Anna Kendrick, Sam Worthington, William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman Directed by: Daniel Barnz Running time: 102 minutes So Jennifer...
View ArticleSundance: Russian Woodpecker, Chuck Norris vs. Communism debut
PARK CITY, UTAH — As the political temperature of East-West relations continues to drop, two new documentaries at the Sundance Film Festival shine a klieg light on the old Cold War, revealing...
View ArticleSundance: Top 10 films include Dope, Z for Zachariah (with video)
PARK CITY, Utah — The branded lounges have been boxed up and the human crush on Main Street is now manageable. But the buzz will hum throughout the year for a handful of films that were good enough,...
View ArticleCanada is king of the New Frontier at Sundance Film Festival
PARK CITY, UTAH — The words “technology” and “empathy” aren’t generally strung together in a positive context, but some key pieces of programming at this year’s Sundance Film Festival suggest that...
View ArticleReview: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) soars (video)
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) 4.5 stars out of 5 Starring: Michael Keaton, Naomi Watts, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis Directed by: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Running...
View ArticleMovie review: Whiplash is Hollywood hooey at its best (with video)
Whiplash 3 1/2 stars out of 5 Starring: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons Directed by: Damien Chazelle Running time: 106 minutes I won’t build it up too much, otherwise you’ll be disappointed — because, while...
View ArticleNikolaj Coster-Waldau a self-deprecating sex symbol
He’s not worried about being seen as simple beefcake. “I’m getting old,” he says with a laugh, which only makes Nikolaj Coster-Waldau that much sexier. The Danish actor who landed on the scene in...
View ArticleMovie review: John Wick burns with dark intensity (with video)
John Wick 3 stars out of 5 Starring: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe, Adrianne Palicki Directed by: David Leitch, Chad Stahelski Running time: 101 minutes Were executioners...
View ArticleDVD releases for Oct. 21: Obvious Child, Sex Tape, and Pee-wee’s Playhouse...
Reubenesque images Pee-wee’s Playhouse: The Complete Series — Four stars out of five — Pee-wee is never a dirty word for Paul Reubens fans. And this complete boxed set of Pee-wee’s Playhouse proves...
View ArticleDVD releases for Oct. 28: Begin Again, Life of Crime and more
SINGING KNIGHTLEY Begin Again: Three stars out of five — Director John Carney (Once) has delivered a sticky, frequently cloying and inauthentic romance. What’s irritating about Begin Again — besides...
View ArticleJulianne Moore discusses her new film Maps to the Stars (with video)
TORONTO — She was the kid with multiple highlighters and the colour-coded, three-ring binder. She even used that little ruler in her geometry set to underline important things, and frequently applied...
View ArticleDavid Cronenberg on the evils of test screenings and movie stars (with video)
He’s been called Canada’s king of horror, but David Cronenberg’s creative career is a mutant creature that keeps evolving. In Maps to the Stars, the Toronto-based director, writer and newly published...
View ArticleJake Paltrow says Young Ones inspired by talks with his director dad
Jake Paltrow could be called ‘traditional’ — but the young director could just as easily be deemed ‘experimental.’ It’s a weird truth, but it’s one Gwyneth’s little brother wears rather well. Paltrow...
View ArticleMovie review: Maps to the Stars doomed yet entertaining (with video)
Maps to the Stars 3.5 out of 5 Starring: Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska, John Cusack, Sarah Gadon, Robert Pattinson, Evan Bird, Olivia Williams Directed by: David Cronenberg Running time: 111 minutes...
View ArticleMovie review: Nightcrawler digs up wormy side of American Dream (with video)
Nightcrawler Four stars out of five Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Bill Paxton, Rick Garcia Directed by: Dan Gilroy Running time: 117 minutes Perhaps the only thing more disturbing than Jake...
View ArticleFlea: Jazz saved life, but rock ’n’ roll got him laid
With Glenn Close, Elle Fanning, Flea and John Hawkes on the marquee, Low Down boasts one of the biggest casts of the year. But this feature directing debut from documentary cinematographer Jeff Preiss...
View ArticleDVD releases for Nov. 4: Maleficent, Sopranos and more (with video)
A VILLAINESS REVISED Maleficent: 3.5 out of 5 – Though the script is a little thin and the direction a little limp, Angelina Jolie has more than enough screen presence to keep us spellbound for the...
View ArticleMovie review: Interstellar a journey into deeper space (with video)
Interstellar 4 stars out of 5 Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Mackenzie Foy, Michael Caine, Casey Affleck Directed by: Christopher Nolan Running time: 169 minutes Some...
View ArticleDVD releases for Nov. 11: Dragons and foul-mouthed Tammy (with video)
Astrid, voiced by America Ferrera, in How to Train Your Dragon 2. FIRE BREATHING FUN: How to Train Your Dragon 2: 4 stars out of 5 They may be as real as a unicorn, but dragons clearly evoke a part of...
View ArticleMovie review: Low Down a edgy portrait of Joe Albany (with video)
Low Down 3.5 stars out of five Starring: John Hawkes, Glenn Close, Elle Fanning, Flea, Lena Headey Directed by: Jeff Preiss Running time: 114 minutes The age of celluloid is all but over, but...
View ArticleEddie Redmayne lauds Hawking for overcoming obstacles (with video)
TORONTO — He was just named Variety’s No. 1 pony for this year’s best actor race, so Eddie Redmayne clearly wasn’t expecting a cheeky challenge about the character he portrayed in The Theory of...
View ArticleMovie review: The Theory of Everything, when love goes supernova (with video)
The Theory of Everything 4 stars out of 5 Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones Directed by: James Marsh Running time: 123 minutes There are no significant revelations, but maybe that’s the beauty...
View ArticleFelicity Jones relished playing wife in Stephen Hawking biopic (with video)
TORONTO — Felicity Jones would rather be on Hampstead Heath, walking a dog, than sitting in this sterile hotel room surrounded by publicists juggling cellphones, but she’s a proverbial trooper for not...
View ArticleHoliday Preview 2014: Hunger Games Hobbit and more (with video)
For moviegoers, the holidays mark the peak of the release schedule, when all the Oscar hopefuls are packaged in tinfoil and wrapped with a bow. A walk through the multiplex is like being a kid in a...
View ArticleDVD releases for Nov. 18: 22 Jump Street and The Wind Rises (with video)
OVER THE TOP HILL AND TATUM: 22 Jump Street: Three stars out of five — Though the idea of a sequel to a mediocre spoof comedy doesn’t sound appealing, 22 Jump Street will kick you to the curb of...
View ArticleWeb Junkie filmmakers dissect Internet addiction
It only takes five minutes for filmmakers Hilla Medalia and Shosh Shlam to start disagreeing. Though the two Israeli filmmakers worked together on the new documentary Web Junkie, there’s still a deep...
View ArticleMovie review: The Homesman is the most unromantic movie ever (with video)
The Homesman 3.5 stars out of 5 Starring: Hilary Swank, Tommy Lee Jones, John Lithgow, Miranda Otto, Grace Gummer, Sonja Richter, Tim Blake Nelson Directed by: Tommy Lee Jones Running time: 122 minutes...
View ArticleMovie review: Force Majeure has cool Scandinavian sensibility
Force Majeure (Turist) 4 stars out of 5 Starring: Lisa Loven Kongsli, Johannes Kuhnke, Vincent Wettergren Directed by: Ruben Ostlund Running time: 118 minutes In Swedish with English subtitles You...
View ArticleDVD releases for Nov. 25: Expendables 3, November Man and more (with video)
MARQUEE MACHISMO The Expendables 3: Three stars out of five Time to take out your pistol and grease it up, because that’s what the muscle-bound men in these movies do best: Cock the hammer and pull...
View ArticleMovie review: Heartbeat a quirky yet emotional celebration
Heartbeat 3 stars out of 5 Starring: Tanya Davis, Stewart Legere, Stephanie Clattenburg Directed by: Andrea Dorfman Running time: 96 minutes There is great comfort in watching singer-songwriter Tanya...
View ArticleMovie review: Foxcatcher wrestles with success (with video)
Foxcatcher 4 stars out of 5 Starring: Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Steve Carell, Vanessa Redgrave Directed by: Bennett Miller Running time: 134 minutes “You can call me Eagle, or Golden Eagle,” says...
View ArticleDVD Releases, Dec. 2: Wise apes and evolutionary science offer unnatural...
WISE APES: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: 4 stars out of 5 The best scene in the movie is brief, violent and disturbing, yet strangely funny: A virally mutated chimpanzee does a little monkey dance...
View ArticleDVD releases for Feb. 3: John Wick, Dracula Untold and more (with video)
MARQUEE ACTION John Wick: 3 out of 5 stars Keanu Reeves stars as a hit man forced out of retirement when a random act of violence leaves him grieving and vengeful. Though really nothing more than a...
View ArticleTIFF: Canadian films shine in spotlight (with video)
Albert DeSantis At the Toronto International Film Festival, the spotlight may be on splashy international films like the Johnny Depp-led Black Mass or Ridley Scott’s sci-fi epic The Martian, but there...
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