Hot Docs 2014: Domino Effect (Dork Shelf)
Originally Published at Dork Shelf
Abkhazia is a mainly unrecognized state on the Black Sea that has claimed independence from Georgia. What used to be a frolicking beach getaway for lucky Soviets now sits in post-Communist ruin. But for Abkhazian Sports Minister Rafael everything appears to be turning around. His new young wife, Russian opera singer Natasha, gives up her home and custody of her daughter to take a chance on a new life in the country. But when the fiercely traditional locals don’t take to Natasha at all, and aren’t afraid to show it, their relationship starts to crack like the old buildings that surround them.
Domino Effect features a very static camera that doesn’t get involved with the proceedings for most of the film, something that sadly adds to its fiercely methodical pacing, making it feel much longer than its 75 minute run time. Rafael seems oblivious to the observations and conclusions of his wife, stuck in old world customs that show the vast chasm of difference between the couple. Natasha does have an epic encounter in a kitchen with a local woman after a traditional custom not being observed comes crashing down hard on her. (more…)
Hot Docs 2014: Before the Last Curtain Falls (Dork Shelf)
Originally Published at Dork Shelf
When the Belgian stage production Gardenia opened in 2010 it was a massive success: playing over 200 shows in 25 countries. The show is as much a performance art piece as it is cabaret, starring older gay and trans performers. The film follows the cast through their final performance and beyond, as they attempt to adapt and reintegrate themselves back into regular society after their final heart wrenching performance at home in Ghent.
Director Thomas Wallner has shot a gorgeous documentary (the performance pieces look outstanding), but the film seems to lack forward momentum throughout. The focus is more on performance than storytelling. These performers have led interesting lives, so the filmmakers’ choice to show us the troupe as a whole outside of the show instead of focusing on some of their stories dilutes the overall impact and leads to a very superficial account. (more…)
Hot Docs 2014: The Basement Satellite (Dork Shelf)
Originally Published at Dork Shelf
South Korean artist Hojun Song is determined to build the first civilian launched satellite. To accomplish this Hojun establishes the his own organization to fund the program. Sadly though, the only fundraising effort he undertakes is an ill-fated attempt to sell 10,000 T-Shirts with minimal advertising. The inexperienced Song then spends five years testing, tweaking, drawing up diagrams and soldering circuit boards trying to make his dream a reality.
While our protagonist is a fascinating character, driven and determined to build this satellite despite having no idea what he is doing, this a dense film. It follows the everyday carrying on of the project in all its banality, with brief interludes to talk about the botched fundraiser. The days continue to tick away until he needs to deliver the satellite (sometimes literally on screen) and he and his rag tag crew continue to crack under the pressure to deliver.
Of course nothing gets done ahead of time and he’s left scrambling to accomplish anything at all. It’s the full court press of this frantic construction in the third act, the very last days before the deadline that works best. But at an almost 2 hour run time, it’s a taxing journey just to get there.
Till Next Time
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Contest!! Win tickets to ‘Frank’ at CMW in Toronto!
Its contest time here again at the FIX and here is one of 3 contests for passes to films playing at the upcoming 32nd edition of Canadian Music Week. This marks the 4th year that the festival has included films about music and the CMW programming team have delivered one of the most anticipated lineups of a festival so far this year.
With films focusing on Fela Kuti, Elliot Smith and Johnny Thunders mixed with fictional tales like the TIFF breakout “We Are the Best”, Michael Fassbender oddity “Frank” and the Jimi Hnedrix biopic “Jimi: All is by My Side” starring Outkast’s Andre Benjamin, CMW’s lineup has something to interest everybody. All films will play at the Royal Cinema.
Contest!! Win tickets to ‘Heaven Adores You’ at CMW in Toronto!
Its contest time here again at the FIX and here is one of 3 contests for passes to films playing at the upcoming 32nd edition of Canadian Music Week. This marks the 4th year that the festival has included films about music and the CMW programming team have delivered one of the most anticipated lineups of a festival so far this year.
With films focusing on Fela Kuti, Elliot Smith and Johnny Thunders mixed with fictional tales like the TIFF breakout “We Are the Best”, Michael Fassbender oddity “Frank” and the Jimi Hnedrix biopic “Jimi: All is by My Side” starring Outkast’s Andre Benjamin, CMW’s lineup has something to interest everybody. All films will play at the Royal Cinema.
Contest!! Win tickets to ‘Finding Fela’ at CMW in Toronto!
Its contest time here again at the FIX and here is one of 3 contests for passes to films playing at the upcoming 32nd edition of Canadian Music Week. This marks the 4th year that the festival has included films about music and the CMW programming team have delivered one of the most anticipated lineups of a festival so far this year. With films focusing on Fela Kuti, Elliot Smith and Johnny Thunders mixed with fictional tales like the TIFF breakout “We Are the Best”, Michael Fassbender oddity “Frank” and the Jimi Hnedrix biopic “Jimi: All is by My Side” starring Outkast’s Andre Benjamin, CMW’s lineup has something to interest everybody. All films will play at the Royal Cinema.
‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ does just enough right to outweigh its overstuffed script
The follow up to director Mark Webb’s reboot to the Spider-Man franchise slings itself into North American theaters this week after already amassing a hearty amount of box office cash overseas. In this outing of the masked web slinger, Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) has settled into the life of a hero, with all the trappings of fame and glory that can cloud anyone’s judgement included, and despite the warning from the final moments of the first film, is still spending time with Gwen (Emma Stone). But soon new villains emerge to challenge Peter, the emergence of Electro (Jamie Foxx) and his old friend Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan),and they all have seem to connect to Peter’s past and the ominous conglomerate known as Oscorp.
This outing of “The Amazing Spider-Man” is definitely a step up from the previous Mark Webb incarnation, the effects work is crisper and the ‘go pro video’ style incorporate d into the web slinging does a lot to make it feel more realistic, but the film suffers from an overstuffed script that was clearly influenced by the studio. Garfield is still very solid in the role of Peter and Emma Stone is perfect as Gwen, while DeHaan is a very welcome addition as the deluded and angry Harry. Jamie Foxx suffers through his turn as Electro though as the script and design of the effects does him no favors. Electro sports a poorly conceived look that never comes across as menacing, more like a goofy lower budget version of the Watchmen’s Dr Manhattan, and as Electro disappears from the film for long stretches he is not missed.
Essential Viewing Hot Docs 2014: Songs for Alexis
Ryan is a very talented 18-year-old transgender (having just finished the main stage of his surgeries) male musician who rarely lets his acoustic guitar slip from his side. After meeting his 16-year-old girlfriend Alexis at a summer camp they both attended the year before, the pair is now virtually inseparable and they have fallen madly in love. But when Alexis’ father discovers the existence of their relationship, especially the gender status of Ryan, the pair is thrust headlong into the harsher realities of the adult world. Alexis is soon faced with the daunting task of choosing between her family and the man she loves. (more…)
Contest!!! Win a copy of ‘Confession of Murder’ on Bluray
Well its contest time again here at the Fix and this time we have a mysterious Korean action thriller Confession of Murder! The twisted tale of murder and revenge hits store shelves this Tuesday, April 15th, and thanks to the amazing folks at Well Go USA we have 3 Blu-ray copies to give away!
Writer/Director JUNG Byung-gil (Action Boys) unleashes endless action and suspense when CONFESSION OF MURDER debuts on Blu-ray™ and DVD April 15th from Well Go USA Entertainment. Detective Choi is a broken man, a tough guy cop whose lasting legacy is to be the one who almost captured a vicious serial killer ten years earlier. His failure left him physically and mentally scarred while the killer was left to walk free. When the statute of limitations on the case runs out, a book is released by an author who claims to be the killer. The book sparks a media frenzy, with Choi and the families of the dead left to watch impotently as the killer becomes a media celebrity. But the fact that the law can’t touch him doesn’t mean Choi and the others can’t … JUNG Jae-Young (Public Enemy 3, Battle Ground 625) as the Detective and PARK Si-Hoo (Haru: An Unforgettable Day in Korea) as the author headline the cast. Bonus materials include a behind-the-scenes featurette and interviews with the cast and crew.
Catch ‘Mistaken for Strangers’ before it leaves town
It’s 2010 and indie rock band The National is set to embark on their largest international tour to date. Enter lead singer ’s younger brother Tom, a wannabe horror filmmaker with aspirations to make a documentary film about the band. Starting out with large ambition and grand ideas, and starting with Matt’s full support, it’s not long before Tom’s tour roadie position is hanging by a thread due to his constant by slacking off on the job, getting drunk and overall lack of ability. What starts out as a candid music doc ends up going in a completely different direction, delivering an earnest, behind-the-scenes look at Tom’s endeavours and subsequent departure, but the question becomes will Tom be able to salvage his film?
Mistaken for Strangers may be one of the best stories about brothers captured on film. Tom may not have started out wanting to include himself into the film, but eventually his own antics and screw ups became too difficult for the director to ignore and he discovered the real film within his footage. This discovery also plays out over the course of the film’s last act, a rare glimpse into what goes into developing a film beyond the filming stages.
Marvel delivers one of their best yet with the new Captain America
After the cataclysmic events in New York that occurred in “The Avengers” we find Steve Rogers, aka Captain America (Chris Evans), living a relatively quiet life in Washington, D.C. Cap is still working with Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) and S.H.I.E.L.D. but is quickly becoming very disillusioned at the politics behind doing so. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes a central figure in unravelling a web of lies, deceit and intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk that leaves the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) as the only S.H.E.I.L.D. ally he can trust. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow must enlist the help of a new hero, the Falcon (Anthony Mackie) to help take down a menacing force that is much grander in scope than even Cap could have predicted.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is easily one of the best films that the current Marvel universe has produced. With ramifications and repercussions that will play out over many Marvel movies to come, Winter Soldier features a brilliant script that incorporates many nods towards the comic crowd while remaining easily accessible to regular audiences as well. The film takes a more espionage/thriller slant this time around, but with some extremely successful and impressive fight sequences, think “Manchurian Candidate” meets “The Raid”. This time around Cap’s fighting style has emerged as a fusion of MMA and Parkour that is highly effective and dangerous looking at the same time. This is a particularly more lethal looking Captain America this time around, which is reflective of Cap living in the modern world and perhaps hanging/working around Black Widow more often.
‘Homefront’ plays better on home screens
Phil Broker (Jason Statham) is a former undercover DEA agent who gives up his badge and the lifestyles after his action against a biker gang went horribly wrong and it cost the life of his boss’ son. A recent widow who is left with a 9 year old daughter Maddy, Broker decides to retire to a small town to get away from everything. After his daughter fights off a boy who was bullying her at school, Broker finds himself caught as this sets in motion a round of events that end in his direct confrontation with the local Meth drug lord Gator (James Franco). Broker has a mission in his mind to protect his daughter and even with is past coming back to haunt him he remains determined to keep his daughter safe.
Written by Sylvester Stallone as a vehicle for himself, the film ended up staring his Expendables co-star when he decided he might not be the best fit for the role anymore. Homefront has some very solid action set pieces and features decent performances from its leads Statham and a kind of slumming Franco and packs the background with familiar faces. Kate Bosworth puts in some solid work as Gator’s sister; the mother of the bully Maddy defends herself against, as does Winona Ryder as a junkie/love interest that helps Gator. Clancy Brown, Omar Benson Miller, Frank Grillo and Rachelle Lefevre all show up in supporting turns as well.
Endless Love brings nothing sustainable to the screen
New in theaters is the remake of the 1981 Franco Zeffirelli film of the same name, Endless Love. The biggest claim to fame of the original film starring a very young Brooke Shields was the Oscar nominated song it inspired from Lionel Richie. This time around the story revolves around privileged Jade Butterfield (Gabriella Wilde) and charismatic David Elliot (Alex Pettyfer) whose instant desire sparks a love affair made only more reckless by her father (Bruce Greenwood), who tries to keep them apart.
The first 20 or so minutes of Endless Love are very promising and frankly surprising. The chemistry between Pettyfer and Wilde is evident from the very start and Wilde connects with the audience right away. Dayo Okeniyi has a few fun moments as David’s buddy Mace and Rhys Wakefield steals the entire affair as Jade’s brother Keith, the only truly funny character in the film (more…)
House of Lies delivers Season 2 on DVD
Marty Kaan (Don Cheadle) and the Pod return for a new season of mischief, mergers and mayhem in the second season of Showtime’s House of Lies, now available on DVD. After the devastation of the sexual harassment scandal at the end of season one, Galweather Stern re-emerges under the leadership of new interim CEO Julianne Hofschrager (Bess Armstrong). The Pod goes through entanglements of its own as Jeannie (Kristen Bell) and Marty struggle to remember the details of their drunken hookup, Clyde (Ben Schwartz) struggles to retain his freewheeling ways and Doug (Josh Lawson) finally finds a girl to settle down with. On the homefront, Marty has to cope with the loss of his son Roscoe (Donis Leonard Jr.) as he moves in with his mother, Marty’s Ex Monica (Dawn Olivieri) and the strain that puts on the relationship with his own father (Glynn Turman).
Along for the ride this season are guest stars Nia Long as an old flame/rival of Marty’s, Adam Brody emerges as a suitor for Jeannie and Jenny Slate takes on the role of Doug’s better half Sarah. They have the unenviable task of cracking one of the best ensemble casts on television right now, (more…)
‘Muppets Most Wanted’ fails to deliver on its name
Disney’s “Muppets Most Wanted” sees the entire Muppets gang embarking on a global tour, selling out grand theaters in some of Europe’s most exciting destinations, including Berlin, Madrid, Dublin and London. But mayhem follows the Muppets as they find themselves unwittingly entangled in an international crime caper. This nefarious plot is headed by Constantine—the World’s Number One Criminal and a dead ringer for Kermit—and his dastardly sidekick Dominic, aka Number Two, portrayed by Ricky Gervais. Meanwhile, Kermit is detained behind bars by Nadya, a feisty prison guard played by Tina Fey, and Ty Burrell tracks all the shenanigans as Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon.
Back in 2011, Jason Segel teamed up with writer Nicolas Stoller, songwriter Bret McKenzie and director James Bobin to reintroduce the Muppets to a new generation, while showing audiences who grew up on them exactly why they loved them as much as they had as children. The sequel brings back everyone minus Segel, which sadly leaves Muppets Most Wanted without a heart to its story, reducing the follow up to the equivalent of a rudderless ship. Without a viable human aspect to relate to this time around we are left with the random ramblings of the Muppets themselves, and while some of the gags work, others fall very flat.
Contest!!! Win a copy of ‘Wrath of Varja’ on Bluray from Well Go USA
Well its contest time again here at the Fix and this time we have a new fantasy/action/horror hybrid The Wrath of Varja! The Shaolin/cult action set piece hits store shelves this Tuesday, March 18th, and thanks to the amazing folks at Well Go USA we have 3 Blu-ray copies to give away!
Former Shaolin monk and martial arts action star Xing Yu (Shaolin, Ip Man) is Vajra, a child kidnapped and trained as an assassin during WWII in the martial arts extravaganza THE WRATH OF VAJRA, debuting on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital March 18th from Well Go USA Entertainment. After Xing Yu escapes, he begins a quest to protect the innocent and destroy those responsible for making him a living weapon. The cast also includes Steve Yoo (Man of Tai Chi), Poppin Hyun-Joon (Fly, Daddy, Fly), Jiang Baocheng (Legendary Assassin) and newcomer Ya Mei. Bonus materials include a behind-the-scenes “Making-of” featurette. (more…)
TIFF Next Wave 2014
Starting last night at the TIFF Bell Lightbox is one of TIFF’s biggest offshoot festivals, the youth-programmed and driven TIFF Next Wave festival. The festival itself is steered by the TIFF Next Wave Committee, a voluntary advisory team made up of 12 youth dedicated to bringing quality film programming and film-related events to young cinephiles across the city. The festival aims to empower and inspire youth to make films and come together to watch movies on the big screen. This year’s lineup features Canadian and international films that explore a variety of cultures and topics that are universal for anybody (not only teens), no matter who they are or where they come from. (more…)
Contest!!! Win a copy of Commitment on Bluray from Well Go USA
Well its contest time again here at the Fix and this time we have a K-Pop Superstar in the sizzling Korean spy thriller Commitment! The Korean spy/actioner hits store shelves this Tuesday, March 11th, and thanks to the amazing folks at Well Go USA we have 3 Blu-ray copies to give away!
Korean Rap/Pop Superstar CHOI Seung-hyun (aka T.O.P of the K-pop boy band Big Bang) plays the son of a North Korean spy who decides to follow in his father’s footsteps in order to protect his little sister in the action-packed spy thriller COMMITMENT, debuting on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital March 18th from Well Go USA Entertainment. While attending high school in South Korea, he rescues a girl (KIM Yoo-jeong) when she is attacked. South Korean Intelligence soon discovers the plot and begins closing in on him, while his own government sends a vicious assassin to eliminate him. Directed by PARK Hong-soo, the cast also includes HAN Ye-ri (Dear Dolphin, South Bound), JEONG Ho-bin (Shadowless Sword), and JO Sung Ha (Pluto, The Yellow Sea). Bonus materials include a behind-the-scenes “Making-of” featurette. (more…)
CONTEST!! Win a copy of FISTS OF LEGEND from Well Go USA
Well its contest time again here at the Fix and this time we have a MMA extravaganza up for grabs! Korean actioner Fists Of Legend hit store shelves this past Tuesday, February 18th, and thanks to the amazing folks at Well Go USA we have 3 Blu-ray copies to give away!
FISTS OF LEGEND is a mixed martial arts reality TV show that recruits forgotten street fighting legends to a bloody battle against each other. Deok-kyu, Sang-hoon and Jae-suk were blockheaded high school friends who mainly used their fists to get what they wanted. An unfortunate incident tears their friendship apart and causes them to go their separate ways. Their lives collide once again after 25 years when the producers of FISTS OF LEGEND invite them to the biggest fight of their lifetime and a chance to win a $200,000 prize. The gruesome fighting competition unexpectedly forces the three men to reconcile their broken friendship from the past and encounter true victory. Be prepared to journey through the action-packed and unforgettable story of friendship in FISTS OF LEGEND. The film has a running time of 155 minutes with more than 40 minutes of bonus materials that include a “making of” featurette, footage of the world premiere, behind-the-scenes at the poster photo shoot and more.
‘Parkland’ misses the mark on DVD
Dallas. November 22, 1963. 12:38pm. Wounded President John F. Kennedy is rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where a frantic trauma team struggles in vain to save him. Precisely forty-eight hours later, the same personnel would attend to the President’s mortally wounded assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald. Adapting Vincent Bugliosi’s acclaimed non-fiction book Four Days in November, first-time writer-director Peter Landesman gathers a star-studded cast (including Zac Efron, Paul Giamatti, and Academy Award-winners Billy Bob Thornton and Marcia Gay Harden) to deliver an ensemble based procedural drawn from the accounts of the medical staff, investigators, and the ordinary citizens who witnessed the world-changing events first-hand.
Now in stores on DVD, audiences will not find anything new or integral to the JFK Assassination in Parkland, this is not that film. Instead it remains content to merely play out and display the actions of the bystanders of that act. Parkland does manage to present better on the home screen though as the benefits of home viewing, being able to step away easily and pause when required, greatly helps the watchability of a film that felt dull and overlong in theaters. Not everything works though as the film features a story thread involving the secret service agent who originally interview Oswald months before that either needs to be more fleshed out or excised all together as it remains very underdeveloped and awkward. This is a straight procedural in every sense of the word, there is little character history or backstory that is explored, just the events of the 4 days are displayed.
Paul Verhoeven spills ‘Flesh + Blood’ at the Lightbox
Starting this past Friday, January 24th 2014, and running until April 4th, the TIFF Bell Lightbox is launching another major retrospective series, this time chronicling the career of prolific Dutch directorPaul Verhoeven, entitled Flesh + Blood: The Films of Paul Verhoeven. After making a string of brilliant and bloody films in the Netherlands that had him proclaimed a national hero, Verhoeven was slammed back down to earth with the critical backlash that erupted from his motocross epic Spetters, which ended up with him packing his bags for Hollywood. Verhoeven would soon become the master of action packed excess with such films as Robocop, Total Recall, and the sexually charged thrillerBasic Instinct. But soon the critical backlash would rear its head in Hollywood as well, sending Verhoeven back to his homeland. (more…)
‘Don Jon’ is a offer you can’t refuse on DVD
Jon Martello Jr. (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a New Jersey bartender and womanizer. Yet, in spite of his ability to land sexual partners, Jon has a dirty secret: he’s hopelessly hooked on internet porn. For him, no real life bedmate, no matter how gorgeous or skilled, can compare to the endless parade of images he finds on the web. Even after what would seem an exhausting session in the sack, Jon still feels the call of his laptop. Jon’s routine seems fixed for life until he meets Barbara Sugarman (Scarlett Johansson). She’s a sassy Jersey girl who proves a rare challenge to his powers of seduction. But can he reveal to her his awkward addiction?
For his feature length directorial debut, ‘Don Jon’, Gordon-Levitt assembled an enviable cast, donned a wife beater and accent, and completely immersed himself in the character of Jon Martello Jr. The character is a drastic step away from anything else Gordon-Levitt has played, and he does a good job too, but the real shinning start here is Johansson. Playing a shallow bombshell that sees Jon as a ‘tool’ to manipulate, Johansson’s demanding Barbara is a departure from many of Johansson’s previous roles, a self-aware sexpot that uses every inch of her body to gain her advantage. Johansson delivers whenever she is onscreen, and unsurprisingly she helped a lot with Gordon-Levitt’s development of the Barbara Sugerman character. Upon a second viewing at home, Julianne Moore’s roles grows in impact and influence as it’s a real and assured performance that anchors the last third of the film.
‘The Story of Children and Film’ at the Bloor Cinema
A Story of Children and Film is a documentary by Mark Cousins which explores the history of cinema and the roles that child actors have had in it. The film uses an interesting approach that utilizes a magnitude of different movies dating back to the earliest era and cinema and reaching all the way across different parts of the world. Cousins also intercut footage he took of niece and nephew and contrasts it to the films he’s talking about creating the actual narrative of the documentary. Aside from the footage that he took, and a few brief shots at the end of the piece, a majority of the film is footage from other movies with Cousins narration.
The topic that the A Story of Children and Film explores is not a commonly covered one, so Cousins does a good job at breaking new ground and exploring the various aspects of it. However, the films biggest downfall is its narration which is done by the director himself. Some filmmakers can pull off narrating their own films, however Cousins done so in the most monotone way imaginable. It can only be assumed that this is done intentionally with an attempt to speak in a somewhat poetic way; however it can often feel dry and boring at times. The footage really is the essential attention grabber in the documentary, and it becomes really interesting to see how the earliest pieces of cinema have had an ever growing influence on the most modern films released. Cousins goes on to point out that cinema is one of the newest art forms and that it is almost a child itself, something not often thought about considering how young of an art form film really is. Instead of simply narrating the entire piece, real life footage of family members was used to flow from topic to topic, thus removing the choppiness that a documentary like this could have easily fallen victim to.
Godard Forever starts at the TIFF Bell Lightbox
Godard Forever Part One
Starting January 23rd and running til February 13th at the TIFF Bell Lightbox is the first part of a widely encompassing retrospective into the films of one of the French Wave pioneers and most beloved filmmakers Jean-Luc Godard entitled Godard Forever. The series will conclude with its second part in the fall program, but this first part covers the works of Godard from 1954-1967. The retrospective is highlighted by the rare, archival, and newly minted prints that fill the lineup.
The series starts with Godard’s iconic debut Breathless starring Jean Seberg and Jean-Paul Belmondo. Belmondo curls and slithers across the screen like a viper ready to pounce where Seberg may be film’s first incarnation of the now popular ‘manic pixie dreamgirl’ character with her short cropped hair and infectious charisma and sex appeal, wrapped up in an unassuming package. (more…)
MOVIE JUNKIE TO'S Entertainment Fix 