Fantasia 2018: Number 37 (Nommer 37)

The comparisons to Rear Window are there but writer-director Nosipho Dumisa makes Number 37 her own. Randal Hendricks (Irshaad Ally) just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.  He found himself in a wheelchair after a deal went terribly wrong.  While he’s stuck in his Cape Town apartment, this film is not the Alfred Hitchcock classic.  While it is an homage, the plot is tremendously different and you don’t have the legendary…

"Fantasia 2018: Number 37 (Nommer 37)"

Night Comes On: A Solid First Feature

Actress Jordana Spiro makes her feature directorial debut with the captivating Night Comes On, a heart-wrenching story that follows a young woman as she seeks to get her life back on track.  It’s a solid first feature film for Spiro and helps shine a light on a segment of the country that needs to be represented in more films and in leading roles nonetheless.  It’s not only the representation factor but also the stories of…

"Night Comes On: A Solid First Feature"

The Captain (Der Hauptmann)

The Captain (Der Hauptmann) is based on the true story of Willi Herold.  Some of the film has been dramatized but it’s so crazy that you honestly can’t believe it really happened. Willi Herold (Max Hubacher) was a deserter of the German Army with some two weeks left to go during World War 2.  It’s only after he comes across a car containing the luggage of a Luftwaffe captain that he decides to impersonate one.  If you think…

"The Captain (Der Hauptmann)"

Kimberly Reed talks Dark Money

Documentary filmmaker Kimberly Reed took some time out of her schedule last week to discuss her thrilling political documentary, Dark Money, with Solzy at the Movies. Thanks for joining us and congrats on the release of Dark Money. Kimberly Reed:  Thank you. What was the reception like when the film premiered at Sundance? Kimberly Reed:  Sundance premieres are great because typically you have a lot of subjects from the film there.  We were fortunate to…

"Kimberly Reed talks Dark Money"

Long Time Coming: A 1955 Baseball Story

Long Time Coming: A 1955 Baseball Story tells the long-overdue story of the first all-white vs. all-black Little League baseball game in the Deep South. The game took place about eight years after Jackie Robinson integrated Major League Baseball in 1947.  The Civil Rights movement had started a year before this playoff game took place.  When you’re a kid and into baseball, that’s all you want to do.  It really doesn’t matter who you’re playing…

"Long Time Coming: A 1955 Baseball Story"

Puzzle: A Character Study in a Period-esque Drama

Kelly Macdonald delivers a strong performance as all the pieces fit nicely into Puzzle. Puzzle plays out like a period drama except for one minor detail: smartphones.  Oren Moverman and Polly Mann’s screenplay, based on 2009’s Argentine film Rompecabezas, manages to give us a sharp character study of a middle-aged woman. Agnes (Kelly Macdonald) is in her early 40s.  She’s not a woman who tends to leave her community.  She isn’t fully reclusive but when she does leave the…

"Puzzle: A Character Study in a Period-esque Drama"

Fantasia 2018: Bodied

Joseph Kahn’s Bodied, holding its Quebec premiere during Fantasia 2018, is a satire that takes us inside the underground culture of battle rap. Adam Merkin (Calum Worthy) finds himself deeply embedded into the world of battle rapping while researching for a thesis paper.  This only happens after a chance encounter with Behn Grymm (Jackie Long).  Unfortunately for him, this takes a toll on his own personal relationships. This includes his tenured father (Anthony Michael Hall)…

"Fantasia 2018: Bodied"

TIFF 2018: First Wave of Titles Announced

The first wave of titles were unveiled this morning ahead of the 43rd Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), running September 6-16. Piers Handling, CEO and Director of TIFF, and Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of TIFF, unveiled the first round of titles premiering in the Gala and Special Presentation programming of the 43rd Toronto International Film Festival. All in all, there were 17 Galas and 30 Special Presentations in the first announcement.  This includes 21 World Premieres,…

"TIFF 2018: First Wave of Titles Announced"

Saving Private Ryan: 20 Years Later

Steven Spielberg’s war film, Saving Private Ryan, not only redefined the genre for war movies but the film holds up on the 20th anniversary. Twenty years after seeing the film in theaters in 1998, the World War 2 drama features the most intense opening in cinematic history.  Following a bookend featuring the older James Ryan (Harrison Young), the opening runs close to a half hour alone.  Spielberg manages to recreate the Normandy Invasion of June…

"Saving Private Ryan: 20 Years Later"

Mission: Impossible – Fallout Raises the Bar

Tom Cruise shows that there are no signs of stopping or slowing down with the newest MI entry, Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Following a nightmarish dream involving Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and Julia Meade-Hunt (Michelle Monaghan), reality catches up to the IMF agent.  With Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) captured, there have been unintended consequences.  The latest being The Apostles forming from The Syndicate’s remnants.  The other being the mysterious John Lark.  Who is he and…

"Mission: Impossible – Fallout Raises the Bar"