X-Men: Apocalypse, Now and Then
Movie review: X-Men: Apocalypse
Director Bryan Singer brings the comic book franchise to the brink as he sends us back to the 1980s, when the powerful mutants were forced to pick sides
Whit Stillman loves powerful women
Interview: Whit Stillman on Love & Friendship
The American filmmaker creates a fine comic weave using Jane Austen's material, Kate Beckinsale's sharp talents and his unique sense and sensibility for social satire
By Katherine Monk
“I really enjoy dominant, manipulative women. I find them very entertaining,” says Whit Stillman, his tone so matter-of-fact, it almost makes you laugh.
Then again, that’s his charm. The director of Metropolitan, Barcelona and The Last Days of Disco built a reputation as a cunning social satirist in the ‘90s for plucking the veil off human vanity to show us the pimples of truth. He also showed a preference for using powerful, insightful and somewhat self-absorbed females as the dainty hand behind his narrative tatting.
It’s the reason why his latest endeavor, Love & Friendship, feels like such a natural stitch in Stillman’s oeuvre: It’s based on the work of Jane Austen, the godmother of social satire, a pioneer of female ...
Xavier the Great crushes Cannes skeptics
News: Xavier Dolan wins Grand Prix, Ecumenical Prize at Cannes 2016
Quebec's golden boy picks up second-highest honour at Cannes, but his quest for the coveted golden palm continues, as does his battle with critics
By Katherine Monk
He didn’t win the Palme D’Or, but Xavier Dolan’s double win at this year’s Cannes Film Festival marks the best performance by a Canadian on the Croisette since Atom Egoyan scored a triple with The Sweet Hereafter back in 1997.
Dolan won the Grand Prix and the Ecumenical Prize for his latest film Juste la fin du mode (It’s Only the End of the World), a drama that follows a writer with a terminal illness on his final journey home. Based on the stage play by the late Jean-Luc Lagarce, It’s Only the End of the World is Dolan’s sixth feature, and fifth title to be invited to France’s red carpet extravaganza.
“Dolan’s two latest awards at Cannes are renewed recognition of his immense talent, of course, but also of the determined ...
High-Rise makes you feel the fall
Movie review: High-Rise
Ben Wheatley's adaptation of J.G. Ballard's 1975 novel about high-rise living takes social metaphor to vertiginous heights
Angry Birds flaps hard and flies
Movie review: Angry Birds
The film adaptation of the "stupid game" features an all-star voice cast hurled through a surreal landscape, capturing the essence of modern times as flightless birds struggle to save their eggs from greedy pigs
Is it too late to say sorry for Komagata Maru?
News: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologizes for racism
Though many know the outline of an ugly chapter in Canadian history, the truth of the Komagata Maru is both an indictment of institutional prejudice, and a testament to the strength and pride of the passengers aboard the infamous vessel
By Rod Mickleburgh
At long last, a formal apology is being delivered in the House of Commons for Canada’s racist behaviour in its shameful treatment of Sikh passengers aboard the Komagata Maru who had the effrontery to seek immigration to the West Coast more than a hundred years ago. Not only were they denied entry, they were subjected to two months of exceptionally inhumane treatment by unflinching immigration officers. While many now know the basics of the ill-fated voyage, the story has many elements that are less well known. To fill in the gaps, we can look to Hugh Johnston and his definitive book, The Voyage of the Komagata Maru.
Just days before the outbreak of World War ...
The Man Who Knew Infinity goes beyond cliché
Movie review: The Man Who Knew Infinity
A paint-by-numbers picture of genius still finds a lot of soul thanks to the determined presence of Dev Patel and the timeless talents of Jeremy Irons
Big Time, Small Talk, Woodstock
Book Review: Small Town Talk
Barney Hoskyns is the leading chronicler of the Woodstock generation and he explores the lasting legacy of a mindset birthed in mud-covered love in his new book, Small Town Talk
Ben Wheatley’s attack of social vertigo
Interview with Ben Wheatley
The Down Terrace director climbs to new cinematic heights in High-Rise, an adaptation of J.G. Ballard's book about class wars unfolding in a concrete tower - and we haven't even mentioned the stuff with Scorsese
By Katherine Monk
VANCOUVER – “If I had to draw something right now, I would draw a cross face. I can draw them quite well,” says film director Ben Wheatley, revealing a secret talent – and maybe, just a hint of repressed hostility.
It’s hard to read his face. Half-covered in facial hair and wearing a look of unmistakable fatigue, the director of Sightseers, Down Terrace, A Field in England, the new feature High-Rise and a forthcoming Martin Scorsese-produced thriller called Free Fire
looks like a prisoner who just sat down in the warden’s office: Present, honest, but not altogether enthusiastic.
This is something he has to do. When you make a movie with a studio, they expect you to hit the road and talk about ...