TIFF 2018: Carmine Street Guitars

Carmine Street Guitars follows custom guitar-maker Rick Kelly and apprentice Cindy Hulej for a week in this Greenwich Village-set documentary. Kelly and Hulej have been building custom-made guitars by hand out of wood taken from New York buildings.  Not just any New York buildings mind you but historic ones.  To give you an idea of what Kelly means to the music industry, his clientele includes musicians like Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, and more.  Kelly is…

"TIFF 2018: Carmine Street Guitars"

TIFF 2018: Widows

A trio of recently widowed women in the city of Chicago follow in their husbands’ footsteps by coming together in Widows. The film has a few things going for it.  It’s not just tackling the women coming together and forming a heist of their own a la Ocean’s Eight but there’s also some political commentary.  The political commentary comes by way of how traditional Chicago politics are run.  We see this in how the Mulligan family…

"TIFF 2018: Widows"

TIFF 2018: Ben is Back

Ben is Back delivers with a strong focus on a family as they welcome back their drug-addicted son home for the holidays. There’s a strong emotional reaction to be had as one watches Holly Burns (Julia Roberts) as her eldest son, Ben (Lucas Hedges) comes home for the holidays.  As much as she hopes for the best as he makes a surprise appearance, she requires some pre-conditions for his return.  Even if it’s just for…

"TIFF 2018: Ben is Back"

TIFF 2018: Alison Snowden and David Fine talk Animal Behaviour

The Oscar-winning pair of Alison Snowden and David Fine took time to talk to Solzy at the Movies about their newest theatrical short film, Animal Behaviour. Congrats on Animal Behaviour being selected for TIFF!  How much of an honor is it to hold the North American premiere of the short film at the festival? David Fine:  Well, it’s a huge honour.  TIFF is one of the most prestigious film festivals and they don’t accept many animated shorts,…

"TIFF 2018: Alison Snowden and David Fine talk Animal Behaviour"

TIFF 2018: Freaks – A Psychological Thriller

Freaks gets off an running thanks to a grounded story and standout performance from newcomer Lexy Kolker. Seven-year-old Chloe (Lexy Kolker) is ordered by her dad, Henry (Emile Hirsch) to remain locked in their decrepit home.  Her dad thinks he is doing what’s best for her.  The reality couldn’t be further from the truth.  She’s not allowed outside.  As for her dad, we don’t really know what’s going on with him.  He tells Chloe that…

"TIFF 2018: Freaks – A Psychological Thriller"

TIFF 2018: Float Like A Butterfly

Paying homage to The Greatest, Float Like A Butterfly is grounded through the relationship between a father and daughter living in a rural area in Ireland. At first glance, the Irish drama looks like it could be just another sports movie.  Michael (Dara Devaney) is raising his daughter, Frances (Hazel Doupe as an adolescent), to be a fighter at a young age.  Things changed when he arrested and sent away to prison for a good…

"TIFF 2018: Float Like A Butterfly"

TIFF 2018: Beautiful Boy – A Wonderfully Acted Film

Beautiful Boy is a wonderfully acted film showing that Timothée Chalomet’s Oscar-nominated performance from last year was not a fluke. As wonderfully acted as the Felix van Groeningen film may be, the story of father-and-son, David (Steve Carell) and Nic Sheff (Timothée Chalamet), is such a sad one.  When we first meet David, he’s in some sort of office looking to learn more about crystal meth.  This is because his son, Nick, is an alcoholic and…

"TIFF 2018: Beautiful Boy – A Wonderfully Acted Film"

TIFF 2018: A Star Is Born – A Home Run

Bradley Cooper’s feature directorial debut, A Star Is Born, knocks it out of the park thanks to a stellar performance from Lady Gaga. Following a performance, country rock star Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) hits up whatever establishment he can find for alcohol.  It just so happens that he lands up one bar’s drag performance night.  A former employee, Ally (Lady Gaga) just happens to grace the stage that night.  When Jackson sees her perform, he…

"TIFF 2018: A Star Is Born – A Home Run"

TIFF 2018: Searching for Ingmar Bergman

The late Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman’s 100th birthday is celebrated with a new documentary, Searching for Ingmar Bergman. In honor of what would be the Oscar nominee’s centennial birthday, director Margarethe von Trotta speaks with family members, Bergman’s actors, and Swedish filmmakers on the rise.  In doing so, we get a better idea of who Bergman was as a person and why he made the films he did.  What von Trotta seeks to examine are those…

"TIFF 2018: Searching for Ingmar Bergman"

TIFF 2018: Rosie

Rosie takes us through 36 hours of a couple and their children upon becoming homeless and learning how to survive without losing their dignity. The film starts as Rosie Davis (Sarah Greene) and partner John Paul (Moe Dunford) find themselves in a tricky situation.  Kicked out of their home with nowhere to go, Rosie has a list of numbers provided by the Social Welfare Housing list.  All she wants is to find a place for her…

"TIFF 2018: Rosie"