Tag Archives: Film

‘Doob: No Bed of Roses’ Film Review for Vue Weekly

Film-Doob-Mar1-1140x599-1

I tackled a film review of Doob: No Bed of Roses for Vue Weekly this week. I thought it was a great, probing film

Bangladeshi director Mostofa Sarwar Farooki’s latest lodges a chisel into a rock labelled “unfaithful love.” And during 85 minutes of film, he gently hews away until there’s nothing left.

No Bed of Roses (Doob) trains a plodding lens on infidelity—a subject that’s often only struck with comedic and glancing blows in western cinema—and places us within some of the most uncomfortable moments of a fracturing family in a present-day Bangladesh city. Muted greys and whites hang over each frame, draping an impossible-to-shake malaise over each character’s conversations during some of the lowest points in their lives. Read more

Serendipitously, Doob: No Bed of Roses hits on several things I’ve recently been thinking about and studying in fiction and reality (infidelity, global media systems, interpersonal pressures), so I was thrilled to tackle this review. The film runs at The Princess Theatre this Saturday and Sunday.

Mary and the Witch’s Flower review: A magical debut flight for Studio Ponoc

31a76d08c0aefb6fb161720ee8bed640
It’s easy to get excited about an animated feature when you hear its coming from some of the creators behind Studio Ghibli’s greatest works, and in almost all respects, Mary and the Witch’s Flower (Mary to Majo no Hana) meets expectations.

Continue reading →

Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour Preview for Vue Weekly

Larry Shiu, Cascade Mountain, Banff National Park

Last week I previewed the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour for Vue Weekly. The Edmonton stop of the tour brought documentaries from around the world to a new venue.

Tales of skiers, spelunkers, kayakers and more will hit the big screen in the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour this week. And for the Edmonton leg of this year’s tour, that screen will be in Garneau Theatre.

The main Banff Mountain Film Festival, which began in 1976 under what is now the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, screens international submissions every fall. Following the initial screening, the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour shares them with more than 550 communities around the globe. Read more

Track ‘N Trail hosts the festival every year, and it was enlightening to hear about the variety of films they selected this year. The screenings appealed to more than just people who love the outdoors; there was a distinct human interest bent this year too.

NorthwestFest Nonfiction Film Festival Preview for Vue Weekly

No-Roads-In.jpg

Photo by Michael di Benedetto

I previewed Edmonton’s NorthwestFest for Vue Weekly today. The value-added experiences on the festival’s schedule feel like the beginning of something special.

This may only be the second year NorthwestFest is sporting its new name, but as Canada’s longest running nonfiction film festival, its history goes back decades.

Formerly the Global Visions Film Festival, the new moniker NorthwestFest International Documentary and Media Arts Festival has far more heft, as does the festival itself. What was once a three-day event is now a 10-day smorgasbord of variety designed to entice a wider audience, festival director Guy Lavallee says.

“We realized that to really have more of an international festival flavour, you need to be more than three days long,” he says. Read more

The fest opens tonight, and with live podcasts recordings and interactive VR films planned in addition to the traditional films, it should be a lot of fun. You can check the schedule, snag tickets, bundles, and passes, and review award nominations on NorthwestFest website.

Makoto Shinkai’s ‘Your Name’ Animated Film Review for Enthuse.ca

Your Name

Over on Enthuse.ca, I’ve got a review of Makoto Shinkai’s latest film, Your Name.

Your Name deserves the historic commercial success it’s enjoying — It takes the strongest points from director Makoto Shinkai’s earlier films and focuses them into a palatable, coherent experience that’s filled with human emotion.

High school students Taki (Ryunosuke Kamiki) and Mitsuha (Mone Kamishiraishi) mysteriously find themselves swapping bodies with each other, despite living in different parts of Japan and having never met. Read more

I’m having a lot of fun working with the Enthuse.ca team this week. You can anticipate a podcast talking more about the film, a series review of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, and a recap of four of the best anime to watch from winter 2017.