Frozen memories of Finland warm a chilled soul
Travel: Finding A Sense of Faith in Finland
So far, so bad... The New Year's promise of a fresh start turns sour, forcing an old scribe to seek spiritual sustenance from the past via memories of a visit to Scandinavia.
By Rod Mickleburgh
Well, here we are in yet another decade, And, like much of the previous 10 years, with a few exceptions, so far so bad. As the outside world turns increasingly partisan and dark, I found myself seeking some spiritual sustenance from the past. I fastened on a similar passing of time 30 years ago: the last days of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s, a decade which proved pivotal in my life and career in a way I never thought possible. My reflections were likely heightened by the fact that it all took place in the country where my mother was born, Finland.
I was lucky enough to be living in Paris that year, so it had seemed only natural to spend Christmas and New Year’s revisiting my ancestral roots. It was wonderful. Sparkling snow ...
Dolittle could have done a lot more
Movie review: Dolittle
Robert Downey Jr. dons Victorian garb and a Welsh accent for his turn as a dotty vet with a particular gift in this grim take on a kid-lit classic that lacks authenticity, despite the realistic creatures.
Bad Boys for Life suffers from ED – excitement deficiency
Movie Review: Bad Boys for Life
Bad Boys proved movie formula could transcend all demographic boundaries while establishing the career of Michael Bay, but a quarter century hence, not even the combined charisma of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence can salvage the bore and gore of a tired reboot.
Jay Stone’s Top 10 movies of 2019
(Along with one honourable mention and one movie that every one else loved conspicuous by its absence)
By Jay Stone
Here are my favourite movies of 2019, in alphabetical order:
Honeyland: An amazing documentary, filmed in Macedonia, about a female beekeeper who lives with her ailing mother in rocky isolation, and harvests honey in a way compatible with her deep understanding of the life of bees. This hard-scrabble harmony is disrupted by a family of raucous nomads who move next door. The result is a galvanizing drama about society, greed, culture and, well, bees.
Gloria Bell: Sebastián Lelio’s remake of his own 2013 Spanish-language movie Gloria stars Julianne Moore as a divorcee who assuages her loneliness at dance clubs, and John Turturro as the constricted man who falls for her. The final scene, with the magnificent Moore dancing to the titular disco hit, is one of the great cinematic shouts of joy of the year.
Jojo Rabbit: New ...
Knives Out hides a pointed satire beneath cloak of mystery
Movie review: Knives Out
The director behind Brick, Looper and the Last Jedi plays a clever trick on Agatha Christie cliché by framing a murder mystery as morality play that examines the corpse of the patriarchy, and the idea of inherited privilege.
Chris Buck was on the verge of quitting, then he won an Oscar
Interview with Chris Buck, co-diretor of Frozen
The Kansas-born director was finishing Frozen when tragedy struck in 2013. "I was ready to kind of say: Cartoons are a joke. Why am I doing this?” Yet, in persevering he found purpose, and a deep belief he was put on this planet for a reason: “to bring hope and inspiration.”
Review: Ford v Ferrari restores Le Mans lore
Movie review: Ford v Ferrari
Director James Mangold creates a powerful dramatic engine with Christian Bale and Matt Damon as twin pistons in a turbo-diesel, bringing a dependable, constant chug of power that just keeps combusting in the analog-inspired Ford v Ferrari.
Review: Midway torpedoes MAGA hat hate
Movie review: Midway
Roland Emmerich shows uncharacteristic restraint in his ode to the Battle of Midway, an against-all-odds story of courage and bravery that truly made America “great."
