I'm from Victoria BC and love watching films from all corners of the world. I'm fascinated by interpreting films and connecting with other film lovers. I love sharp, clever dialogue (QT), beautifully shot films (The Thin Red Line) and a filmmaker who trusts the audience to put it all together and leave room for discussion (PTA).
The film opens with an uncomfortable sex scene that leads to a breakup. Nick (Peter Benson) describes the scene to his cookie cutter bro friends; his ex’s definition of a threesome is for Nick to watch her have sex with another man. The next day Nick meets his gorgeous new boss, Jackie (Julia Benson). Jackie has been brought in as a consultant to downsize his company. Nick thinks…
ABCs of Death 2 promises 26 short films, each delivering a different method or theme surrounding death. Some shorts are light, some play like a cautionary tale and others deliver a strong, sometimes heavy handed message through the voice of the filmmaker. Overall the sequel offers a more focused approach when compared to its predecessor. ABCs of Death was all over the…
The Vancouver Asahi was a Japanese baseball team based out of Vancouver in the 1930s. The team faced adversity in the form of: physical size, skill, racism and poverty. The source of hate in this film comes in the form of Caucasian Canadian males: double their size, earning double wages and living a better life. The audience is reminded of these facts over and over again…
Wild follows the journey of Cheryl Strayed (Reece Witherspoon) as she tackles the Pacific Crest Trail. Like other films of this nature, Cheryl carries mental baggage while she battles her inner demons. Plot elements include: Bobbi (Laura Dern), Cheryl’s mother, and Cheryl’s failed marriage to name a few …
Black Fly is a gritty crime thriller set on a small island in British Columbia, Canada. Jake Henson (Dakota Daulby) retreats to the island to lie low with his estranged brother Noel Henson (Matthew MacCaull). The film is loosely based on real events that took place on the East coast of Canada. Paula (Christie Burke) lives with her boyfriend Noel and there is tension between the two. The…
The foundation of The Tribe will intimidate and shock audiences. The film is shot with an all-deaf cast with no acting experience and there are no subtitles to tell you what they’re saying. Accept the premise and the content as a challenge to enhance your love of cinema. It would be reckless to dismiss this as a gimmick. The Tribe works because of the skillful direction of Miroslav…
Kung Fu Elliot is about a man with illusions of grandeur. He tells the camera that he’s going to be Canada’s first action star. Perhaps he isn’t familiar with Keanu Reeves or Ryan Reynolds, both Canadian actors that have starred in high profile action films. The subject is Elliot Scott, a man who boasts throughout the film that he’s a Canadian martial arts champion. He tells…
John Wick is a refreshing take on a familiar story. The film opens with a broken John Wick (Keanu Reeves) after the loss of his wife due to illness. To help him cope with his loss, her final gift is a puppy to keep him company. The opening fifteen minutes are largely unspoken. The audience learns that Wick is a cold man with little regard for the dog at first. He drives a kickass ’69 Ford…
September 18-25 marks the 10th anniversary of Fantastic Fest. This year’s opening night film is Tusk. To mark the occasion we attended the red carpet event, took photos and spoke with Tim League (Fantastic Fest Co-Founder, CEO of Alamo Drafthouse) and Kevin Smith (Director of Tusk). The energy could be felt in the air. Both men have a lot to say, it was an honor to have a chat…
From the production team that brought us Monster Brawl (2011) comes a claustrophobic, survival horror film that pulls no punches. A town’s water supply becomes contaminated and must be evacuated. The title of the film is self-explanatory. The film opens with a nasty sequence that will surely have audiences squirming in their seats …