Movie review: Wonka offers golden ticket to pure happiness
Movie review: Wonka
Paul King, the director behind the warm and fuzzy Paddington movies, stretches a strong arm into the cauldron of modern chaos and pulls out a sweet, magical treat of a movie that affirms the power of a pure heart.
Movie review: Cyrano may leave everyone unrequited
Movie review: Cyrano
Joe Wright's take on Edmond Rostand's classic tale of courting makes a bold move that hits a bad note, despite an inspired performance from Peter Dinklage in the title role of a man who struggles with his physical appearance.
The Promise not worth keeping
#TIFF16: Critic's Dispatches
A bad old-fashioned historical drama about the Armenian genocide revisits final days of Ottoman Empire while La La Land and few gin and gingers quench artistic thirst
By Jay Stone
TORONTO — They threw a party last night at the Toronto International Film Festival where they served a delicious drink made of gin and ginger ale, and you could have as many as you want.
When I regained consciousness, it was time for The Promise, a bad old-fashioned historical drama in which the troubles of three little people — in this case, an Armenian apothecary (Oscar Isaac), a comely dance teacher (Charlotte Le Bon) and an American journalist (Christian Bale) — don’t amount to a hill of beans when they’re cast across the vast and clichéd canvas of tragedy during the First World War. Fusillades of exposition fly across the screen, capturing our doomed heroes in a crossfire of clunky dialogue, tired movie tropes, and earnest over-acting. Pass the gin and ...
