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BlackBerry 2023
Matt Johnson and his team have proved again their ability to bring hype to a Canadian film that is... distinctly Canadian!
Blackberry was wonderful. It could appear on the surface like a by-the-numbers "corporate downfall thriller", but you can see them nodding to the genre every so often in a way that feels like a loving parody (I think this is displayed most effectively in Jay Baruchel's heinous wig). The film balanced its comedy/parody with some pretty hard-hitting emotional beats.…
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The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover 1989
Such an exquisite movie! I was not expecting this to be as gratuitous as it was, but wow this film revels in its violence. The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover takes place almost entirely on a stage - and every single facet of set is meticulously crafted - it actually reminded me a lot of Julie Taymor's Titus with its deconstructed sets and ahistorical-ness (...and the sheer creativity of the gore). The costumes, designed by Jean Paul Gautier,…
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Spencer 2021
There needs to be a 50+ year grace period between when someone tragically dies, and when you can create fan fiction about their life. Spencer is an Aronofsky-esque take on a particularly tumultuous time in Princess Diana's short life. And while the score, cinematography, and supporting actors all deserve praise, they could not save this movie. I came away from this thinking: what a self-congratulatory, pretentious piece of filmmaking. I don't often throw the word "pretentious" around when it comes…
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Women Talking 2022
CW: Sexual Assault
There's something about media which makes a point about being overtly feminist that compels us Gen Z/young Millennials to do an instant eyeroll. Feeling that these sentiments are pandering. Outdated even. A "post-Me Too fatigue" that elicits instant cynicism. I did this eyeroll when I first glanced at the posters for Women Talking.
Then I watched the film, and that compulsion was extinguished almost immediately. Women Talking tells the story of a colony of Mennonite women, from…
