The Goldfinch fails to adapt but Donna Tartt’s DNA survives
Movies: #TIFF19 - The Goldfinch
The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about survival divided audiences in print form as it fragmented in the final act. John Crowley’s visually satisfying, but dramatically disappointing, movie version falls prey to the same problems in its bid to fit too much into the frame.
Hustlers strips systemic sexism down to the boner
#TIFF19: Hustlers Movie Review
A team of smart pole dancers fleeced the wolves of Wall Street by exploiting their natural resources, but this female revenge story based on a New York magazine piece doesn’t grab at easy conclusions. Director Lorene Scafaria teases out the hard reality of gender inequality, one lap dance at a time.
Review: The Kitchen is a woman’s place, indeed
Movie Review: The Kitchen
Part revenge-quest, part sisterhood of the travelling pants with pistols, The Kitchen has so many male constructs sewn into its inseam, first-time director Andrea Berloff doesn’t have a lot of room to move. It’s a man’s cut, yet but makes it comfortable by wearing it all a size too large, boyfriend style, writes critic Katherine Monk.
Shelagh McLeod wants to put seniors on the moon
Interview: Shelagh McLeod on Astronaut
If voyaging to space is the ultimate metaphor for human progress, Shelagh McLeod thinks it should be a little more inclusive. That’s why she wrote and directed Astronaut, her feature debut starring Richard Dreyfuss as an aging engineer with big dreams of going to the stars.
Spider-Man Far From Home — with excess baggage
Movie Review: Spider-Man Far From Home
The web-slinger gets sticky in a whole new set of places in a so-so sequel that finds a sweet spot in the unspoken codes of masculinity, and what it means to be Spider-Man and awkward teen, Peter Parker, simultaneously.
The Dead Don’t Die Doesn’t End Well
Movie review: The Dead Don’t Die
Jim Jarmusch’s send-up of horror tropes feels like a basic lesson in what zombie movies symbolize — a cultural descent into empty consumerism and brain-devouring distractions -- but little more.
Secret Life of Pets 2 regurgitates comic hairballs
Movie review: The Secret Life of Pets 2
Like its predecessor, The Secret Life of Pets 2 proves the people at Illumination Animation pay attention to animal behaviour. So if this collection feels more like a random string of events pulled from strange places, we can find a way to forgive the mess, and love it anyway.
Aladdin’s magic remains, but we could always wish for more
Movie Review: Aladdin
Director Guy Ritchie brings the animated classic to life with a greasy edge, some updated songs and a knack for action. He even succeeds at turning the magic carpet into a tightly-knotted character that steals every scene with its manta like moves and sassy tassels. It’s only when the movie stands still long enough that we start to notice a strange lack of dramatic tension.