Writer-director Luis De Filippis marks her feature directorial debut with a different kind of trans-led film, Something You Said Last Night. The film marks the on-screen debut for Carmen Madonia. She worked with an acting coach for a year and a half heading into production. Her work paid off because you could never tell that this was her first feature role. The mid-twentysomething Ren (Carmen Madonia) joins her family on vacation to a beach resort…
"Something You Said Last Night – Toronto 2022"
Butcher’s Crossing is a low-key Western that follows a Harvard University dropout as he seeks a new adventure hunting buffalo. Will Andrews (Fred Hechinger) is probably the last person you would expect to find hunting buffalo. But sure enough, he’s dropped out of college and looking for a new adventure to take on. A trip west to Kansas in 1874 sees him run into Miller (Nicolas Cage) and join his team of buffalo hunters, for…
"Butcher’s Crossing – Toronto 2022"
Chandler Levack’s feature directorial debut, I Like Movies, is a beautifully made coming-of-age video store dramedy set in 2002-03. Remember video stores? You know, the place where you went before the likes of Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, etc. I feel old by referring to this film as a period piece but it certainly is. I Like Movies is a film that is made by a cinephile for cinephiles. It isn’t just the care that writer/director…
"I Like Movies – Toronto 2022"
A reluctant aunt has no choice but to take in her orphaned Indigenous niece in ROSIE, a moving tale set during Montréal in the 1980s. Frédérique (Mélanie Bray), aka Fred, takes in Rosie (Keris Hope Hill) after the death of her adoptive sister. This film is set in 1984 but it also speaks to a broken system. Fred is in no position to take in a child. She has no job and is on the…
"ROSIE- Toronto 2022"
Filmmaker Sophie Kargman’s Susie Searches is an expansion of her 2020 short film and the comic thriller is a solid feature debut. I love a good thriller but there’s something about Susie Searches that makes it stand apart from other films. At first glance, this looks like a regular ol’ whodunit. But as we dive in and learn more, it becomes something completely different. You see, most films, let alone TV series, would not do…
"Susie Searches – Toronto 2022"
Patrick and the Whale features stunning cinematography as Patrick Dykstra takes us under the seas to explore these majestic creatures. Filming underwater is no easy feat. Add animals into the mix and there’s no telling what you’ll get. This is what blows me away in watching a film like Patrick and the Whale. You’re just sitting there and taking in all this beautiful footage. Even though the film runs just over an hour, all you…
"Patrick and the Whale – Toronto 2022"
Reboot, created by Emmy-winning comedy writer Steven Levitan, is a genius comedy satire that speaks to the differences in generations. While reboots are all the rage, it was only a matter of time before we saw a satire of reboots on television. That’s not to say such a satire hasn’t been done on feature film before–see Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. Creator Steven Levitan takes a sitcom in the vein of Step by Step and…
"Reboot: A Genius Hulu Satire From Steven Levitan"
The Inspection is not easy to watch but this is a cathartic piece of filmmaking for filmmaker Elegance Bratton by sharing his story. Elegance Bratton’s narrative debut takes viewers back in time to 2005. A time when military policy dictated “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Say what you will about how homophobic the policy was but it’s either join the military or live on the streets when one is kicked out of their home for being…
"The Inspection – Toronto 2022"
About Fate isn’t anything new for the genre but it’s still a cute New Year’s rom-com starring Emma Roberts and Thomas Mann. Margot Hayes (Emma Roberts) and Griffin Reed (Thomas Mann) thought that they would be spending New Year’s Eve by celebrating an engagement…to different people. That’s right. They were never ever meant to be together. And yet, perhaps it is their destiny. Margot expects that Kip Prescott (Lewis Tan) will propose to her and…
"About Fate Is A Cute New Year’s Rom-Com"
Clerks III might be known as Kevin Smith’s heart attack movie but this is one of those films that hits all of the emotional feelings. By the time my review runs, it will have been one month since Lionsgate sent the press screeners for review. One month in which I couldn’t tell anyone about how this is one of those “I’m not crying, you’re crying” films. And yes, this even includes not tweeting my feelings…
"Clerks III Hits All The Emotional Feelings"