Avengers Assemble !

Normally I like to spotlight lesser known films, but the new Avengers movie seems to have smashed opening weekend box office records.  And it totally deserves the success.  The film is a completely engaging action flick while remaining a good drama looking at human qualities and character.  Bringing together characters who have had their own [...]

“Bully” Review

I finally got arouind to seeing Bully, the Lee Hirsch film about children being bullied in American schools. I simply do not comprehend anyone feeling that this film deserves an “R” rating, as it was given in the States, and commend the more mature response that it received in Canada.  The amount of bad language [...]

The KONY Question

What is it about Joseph Kony that makes him impervious to public opinion in the Western World? Last weekend’s “Cover the Night” campaign fizzled.  An attempt to show how social media could mobilize support for a cause only demonstrated the apathy that seems to be epidemic in our society.  Was it the fact that the [...]

ENDER’S GAME MOVIE

A few posts back I got excited about a Monkey Wrench Gang film.  Now I’ve stumbled on up to date information about an Ender’s Game movie, which has been kicked around for nearly a decade.  Ender’s Game is a novel by Orson Scott Card which won both the Nebula and Hugo awards for best SciFi [...]

THE CABIN IN THE WOODS

Interestingly (for me at least) I’ve got this string of blog entries coming up which all have to do with new stuff from some of my favorite artists. The first is Joss Whedon, who you may or may not remember as the creator and chief writer for Buffy The Vampire Slayer.  People who know me [...]

The Monkey Wrench Gang

Oh, I guess it doesn’t take much to make my day, but I was absolutely ecstatic when I stumbled on the fact the The Monkey Wrench Gang is being made into a movie with a 2013 release date.  Finally, a reason to hope that the world doesn’t end at the end of this year. The [...]

Bully

The difference between the American and Canadian ratings for the movie Bully is a strong indicator of what sets the two countries and cultures apart. In the U.S. countless young people are bullied every year for a variety of reasons.  Not all of them have to do with sexual orientation, but sometimes it is the [...]

The Hunger Games

So, where does this appeal for The Hunger Games originate?  Does it come from a cynicism of reality TV?  Does it stem from apocalyptic visions of the future.  Or does it arise from a skepticism surrounding how adults manipulate youth?  I think you could make an argument for any one of these being a significant [...]

Monsieur Lazhar – Movie Review

Monsieur Lazhar was Canada’s Oscar bid for best foreign film, as it is in French with subtitles.  It is both deep and light, dealing with the suicide of an elementary teacher in her classroom and the arrival of a supply teacher who is an Algerian refugee with his own shadows.  It has a variety of [...]

Chronicle : Film Review

Well I’ve gotten around to the first on my list of movies to see, and hope to catch the other two this Tuesday. Chronicle is a scifi film that shows what happens when you give a bunch of ordinary high school kids the power of telekinesis.  Three boys descend into a mysterious hole and encounter [...]

A few words about movies.

I’m always looking for new, unusual movies, often having to take the trek downtown to watch the ones that are only playing at a few venues.  Here are the films on which I currently have my sights. Chronicle is one of those films that viewers either loved or hated, according to the reviews at CinemaClock, [...]

“We Need To Talk About Kevin” Movie Review

We Need To Talk About Kevin is a film steeped in depression, dark suspense and malevolence, in the same vein as The Road and Melancholia.  Its intensity is guaranteed to play on the darker side of your mind, causing you to leave the movie in a state of despair.  It’s probably not a good date [...]