Alex Winter uploads his thoughts on ‘Downloaded’ (Interview)
Alex Winter uploads his thoughts on ‘Downloaded’
With his new documentary “Downloaded” having it’s Hot Docs debut tonight, Alex Winter has finally graduated from being Bill from “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” into a seriously talented documentarian with a sharp eye for story and humor. The film is a rousing crowd pleaser and one of the most sought after tickets from this year’s fest. I got to sit down with Mr. Winter for a brief Q&A about the film.
Movie Junkie TO (MJ) -Thanks for taking some timeout to speak with me today Alex. I got to see the film the other day and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the film. I was working in a music store when the Napster thing exploded so I had a very personal relationship to what I was seeing. What was your introduction to the story and how did you get involved in telling this story? (more…)
Napster is dissected in the new Doc ‘Downloaded’
Downloaded
Director: Alex Winter
In 1998, teenage hacker Shawn Fanning cracked the code that enabled peer-to-peer file sharing online. In 1999, he partnered with his friend and fellow teen Sean Parker (later of Facebook fame) to launch a little service known as Napster. The music-sharing website transformed not only the music industry, but technology as a whole. It sparked a revolution and became the touchstone of a new, digital generation. Filmmaker Alex Winter is granted near unlimited access to Fanning and his collaborators, as well as to a roster of famous musicians including (more…)
Hot Docs 2013: Mini Reviews Part 1
The time has finally arrived and Toronto yet again will bask in the documentary glow that the Hot Docs Film Festival radiates every year. This year will mark the 20th edition of the now legendary festival and features a very strong line up, perhaps one of the strongest of all of it’s editions. Here’s reviews of 4 of the festival’s films, with more to come.
The coverage on Examiner for Hot Docs 2103 (more…)
Hot Docs 2013 – Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer is a must see
Meet Pussy Riot, the feminist punk collective that’s openly challenging the Russian Orthodox Church and President Vladimir Putin. They became infamous for invading the altar of St. Christ Church in Moscow and shocking worshipers with a raunchy song about a sexual coupling between Putin and the church. Three members of the collective were sentenced to three years in a penal colony. Such harsh punishment for a little disorderly conduct served as a clear demonstration of the church’s influence on the state and the state’s influence on the judiciary and brought Pussy Riot global attention.
Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer
Directed by Maxim Pozdorovkin and Mike Lerner
Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer may turn out to be the most vital film playing this year at Hot Docs. The film is paced brilliantly (more…)
Hot Docs 2013: Dayani Cristal and Muscle Shoals
Hot Docs is upon us again! The 2013 edition marks the 20th edition and it looks to be one of the strongest lineups ever. Here is a couple of the films playing over the 11 days of the festival.
‘Deadball’ rounds all the bases on DVD and Blu-ray
New to Blu-ray and DVD from Well Go USAEntertainment and Sushi Typhoon studios is director Yudai Yamaguchi’s follow up to his 2003 cult hit “Battlefield Baseball”, Deadball. The further blood drenched misadventures of juvenile delinquent Jubeh, played again by Tak Sakaguchi, play as a higher budgeted remake of the first film, with a different opponent this time around, and features some of the more ingenious tongue in cheek sequences in the Sushi Typhoon history. So how does this trip to the baseball diamond compare to other Sushi Typhoon outing s?
Deadball
Starring: Tak Sakaguchi, Mari Hoshino, Miho Ninagawa, Takamasa Suga
Written by KeitaTokaji
Directed Yudai Yamaguchi
Baseball prodigy Jubeh Yakyu (Sakaguchi) is the most feared and dangerous juvenile delinquent in all of Japan. After accidentally causing the death of his father with a super-powered, deadly fireball pitch, (more…)
‘Luv’ packs some heart in a familiar story
New to DVD from Indomina Releasing is the acclaimed sophomore drama from director Sheldon Candis that impressed many at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, Luv. The film stars a stellar cast of African American actors in this unique coming of story. Centered by a strong performance from 12 year old Rainey Jr will Luv deliver enough to warrant a purchase?
Luv
Starring: Common, Michael Rainey Jr,Danny Glover, Dennis Haysbert, Danny Glover, Charles S Dutton, Lonette McKee, Michael Kenneth Williams and Megan Good
Written by Justin Wilson and Sheldon Candis
Directed by Sheldon Candis
‘Wrong’ rolls into the Lightbox from ‘Rubber’ director Quentin Dupieux
Starting an exclusive run at the TIFF Bell Lightbox this weekend, infamous director and musician Quentin Dupieux, aka Mr Oizo, the director of the movie about a car tire on a killing spree ‘Rubber’, is back with his newest absurdist comedy ‘Wrong’. With Rubber being an extremely divisive film, and Dupieux’s penchant for the bizarre, Wrong is sure to not just be simple a story of a man trying to find his lost dog, but among the other distractions and flights of fancy from Dupieux it also is simply that story. But will the director’s latest opus be worthy of a trip down to the Lightbox for the experience?
Wrong
Starring Jack Plotnick, Eric Judor, Alexis Dziena, William Fichtner, Steve Little and Regan Burns
Written and Directed by Quentin Dupieux
Terrence Malick returns and takes us ‘To The Wonder’
Starting at the Varsity Cineplex Odeon this week is the latest from prolific and polarizing filmmaker Terrence Malick, To The Wonder. After decades where Malick was silent and not producing film his recent efforts have come in bunches with To The Wonder and Tree of Life only a year apart and Malick currently working on 3 projects all due by end of year 2014. To The Wonder has Malick pondering love and faith, and the loss of both of them.
To The Wonder
Starring: Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel McAdams, Javier Bardem
Written and Directed by Terrence Malick
‘Oblivion’ feels very familiar, but looks stunning
Starring: Tom Cruise, Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko, Zoe Bell, Melissa Leo andMorgan Freeman
Written by Joseph Kosinski, Karl Gajdusek and Michael Arndt
Directed by Joseph Kosinski
New in theaters this week is the new Science Fiction action/thriller from the director ofTron: Legacy starring Tom Cruise, Oblivion. The first of many apocalyptic earth films to be unleashed in theaters this year, this summer’s After Earth and fall’s Snowpiercer still to come; Oblivion is a beautiful looking epic that despite a small cast is very grand in scale. The question is will the film be original enough to outshine its competition?
2077: Jack Harper (Cruise) serves as a security repairmen stationed on an evacuated Earth with his partner Victoria (Riseborough) (more…)
Toronto Jewish Film Festival: Mini Reviews
Starting April 11th on screens across Toronto is the 21 edition of the Toronto Jewish Film Festival (TJFF). The prestigious festival has been bringing the best and most diverse of Jewish cinema to the city for more than 2 decades and this year’s crop looks to do the same with gripping documentaries and inventive horror films marking the reviews over the next pages.
For more information about the festival, additional films playing and showtime/ticket (more…)
‘The Place Beyond the Pines’ falls short of the mark
“Blue Valentine” director Derek Cianfrance returns, with his lead actor from Valentine Ryan Gosling in tow, to brings us his vision of an epic crime saga that spans a generation with the much hyped film that debuted at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, The Place Beyond the Pines. Also bringing along Bradley Cooper and rising star Dane DeHaan this time around, director Cianfrance is attempting a much larger in scope and scale story with Place Beyond the Pines, but will the film have more intention and purpose behind the script, or be more about observation and character like Blue Valentine?
The Place Beyond the Pines
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Rose Byrne, Dane DeHaan, Emory Cohen, Ben Mendelsohn, Ray Liotta, Bruce Greenwood and Harris Yulin
Written by Derek Cianfrance, Ben Coccio and Darius Marder
Directed by Derek Cianfrance
‘Tormented 3D’ marks a return to form for Takashi Shimizu
Back in 2002, in the middle of the boom of the Japanese Horror (J-Horror for short) craze in North America that arrived after the release of “The Ring” remake, director Takashi Shimizureleased his blockbuster smash Ju-on: The Grudge. For a while Shimizu was on top of the genre with the Ju-on sequel and the American remakes that he directed himself. But ever since the lackluster results of the Grudge 2 American sequel, Shimizu has failed to recapture the acclaim he once had in North American with a string of disappointing films that have not connected with audiences. New to Blu-ray from Well Go USA Entertainment, Tormented aims to mark a return to form for Shimizu and re-establish his name as a leader in the genre.
Tormented 3D Blu-ray Review
Starring: Hikari Mitsushima, Takeru Shibuya, Tamaki Ogawa, Teruyuki Kagawa and Nao Ohmori
Written by Sôtarô Hayashi, Daisuke Hosaka and Takashi Shimizu
Directed by Takashi Shimizu
Daigo (Shibuya) doesn’t speak anymore, not since he killed that rabbit on the playground at school. (more…)
‘Hit N’ Strum’ is a swing and a miss
New in Toronto theaters this week, at the Cineplex Yonge & Dundas Cinemas, is the directorial debut from veteran Hollywood stuntman Kirk Caouette, Hit N’ Strum. The film, also written and starring Caouette, takes place on his native Canadian streets of Vancouver and features music expressly written and performed by Cauoette himself. After a successful run in Vancouver, Hit N’ Strum makes it Toronto theatrical debut looking to charm TO viewers as well.
Hit N’ Strum
Starring: Michelle Harrison, Kirk Caouette and Paul McGillion
Written and directed by Kirk Caouette
Worlds collide when Stephanie (Harrison) takes a wrong turn and runs down Mike (Caouette), a scruffy homeless street busker in Vancouver’s gritty Downtown Eastside. As Mike gets to his feet, Stephanie panics and speeds away from the scene. (more…)
Director Shane Carruth returns with ‘Upstream Color’
Indie darling filmmaker Shane Carruth finally delivers his long awaited follow up to 2004’s surprise hit “Primer”, as the film starts an exclusive run at the Tiff Bell Lightbox April 12, Upstream Color. Upstream is a bolder and larger in scope. A more diverse effort from Carruth that will challenge even the most patient audience with its abstract metaphors and nonlinear story telling that is never broken down and explained for the viewer. This is the type of film that will have audiences in discussion for hours and days after, and will either be loved or vilified in the process.
Upstream Color
Starring: Amy Seimetz, Shane Carruth, Andrew Sensenig, Thiago Martins
Written and Directed by Shane Carruth
Danny Boyle manages to get us in a ‘Trance’, but just barely
Trance Review
Starring: James McAvoy, Vincent Cassel, Rosario Dawson
Written by Joe Ahearne, John Hodge
Directed by Danny Boyle
Director Danny Boyle takes a step back into the realm of the psychological crime thriller for the first time since his debut film “Shallow Grave” with his newest film set in the world of art crime, Trance. The film is the feature adaptation of writer Joe Ahearne’s television film from 2001 of the same name, with frequent Boyle writing collaborator Hodge helping out with script of this version of the story. With a stellar trio leading the film the only question that remains is how effective it is?
Simon (McAvoy) is a fine art auctioneer who gets mixed up with a gang led by Franck (more…)
‘Jurassic Park 3D’ brings the extinct back to the cineplex
Jurassic Park 3D Review
Starring: Sam Neil, Laura Dern, Richard Attenborough, Jeff Goldblum, Ariana Richards, Joseph Mazzello, Bob Peck, Martin Ferrero, BD Wong, Wayne Knight and Samuel L. Jackson
Written by David Koepp and Michael Crichton based on Crichton’s novel.
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Back in theaters 20 years after its initial release, and yes that statement may make you feel really old, is the landmark summer blockbuster from Steven Spielberg that changed how movie theaters were equipped for sound and racked up major box office dollars, Jurassic Park. Being retro fitted for 3D for this reissue, Jurassic Park still remains the most realistic film to depict dinosaurs on screen but the question is how does the 3D transfer effect the film’s visuals and does it add anything to the experience.
In case you need a refresher, Jurassic Park is the story of paleontologists Dr. Alan Grant (Neil) and Dr. Ellie Sattler (Dern), who along with ‘Chaotician’ (more…)
The best movies you never saw: ‘Ghost Graduation’
Don’t worry if you are puzzled and scratching your head after reading the headline, most people in the general public outside of its native Spain have not heard of Ghost Graduation. This delightful comedy comes across as a blend of “Ghostbusters”, “ParaNorman” and “The Breakfast Club” and has charmed audiences worldwide. A hit at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, the programmers of TIFF brought the film back this year as part of the TIFF Next Wave festival back in February as well. So what is it about this film that has people raving?
Ghost Graduation (Promoción Fantasma)
Starring: Raúl Arévalo, Alexandra Jiménez, Javier Bódalo, Anna Castillo, Andrea Duro, Alex Maruny, Jaime Olias, Carlos Areces, Aura Garrido and Silvia Abril
Written by Cristóbal Garrido and Adolfo Valor
Directed by Javier Ruiz Caldera
The introverted Modesto (Arévalo) is an unsuccessful high school teacher who from an early age has been able to see ghosts. But (more…)
‘Ginger and Rosa’ arrive in Toronto this week for a limited engagement
New in theaters this week from Union Pictures is the newest film from acclaimed writer/director Sally Potter about coming of age in turbulent 1960’s London England, “Ginger and Rosa”. The film starts an exclusive engagement at the Varsity cinemas this week and hits Vancouver and Montreal next week. So with its limited engagements in Canada, is Ginger and Rosa worth seeking out?
Ginger and Rosa
Starring Elle Fanning, Alice Englert,Alessandro Nivola, Christina Hendricks, Timothy Spall, Oliver Platt and Annette Bening
Written and Directed by Sally Potter
It’s London 1962. Two teenage girls Ginger (Fanning) and Rosa (Englert) are inseparable friends; in fact the two have been linked together since they day they were both born, but the growing threat of nuclear war casts a shadow over their lives. Both rebel against their mothers: Rosa’s single mum, Anoushka (more…)
‘Bangkok Revenge’ fails to pack a punch on DVD
New this week from Well Go USA is the French/Thai co-production that marks the feature film directorial debut of actor Jean-Marc Minéo, Bangkok Revenge. Originally released under the title “Rebirth”, the film features actor/stuntman John Foo, star of the 2010 live action “Tekken” film, as a one man destruction force fighting his way through Thailand. The big question is how does Bangkok Revenge stack up against the plethora of action films coming out of Thailand and other Asian countries?
Bangkok Revenge DVD Review
Starring: John Foo, Caroline Ducey and Michael Cohen
Written and Directed by Jean-Marc Minéo
A young boy left for dead by the assassins who killed his parents is taken under the wing of a martial-arts master and shaped into a lethal killing machine with an insatiable appetite for revenge. As a ten-year-old child, Manit (Foo) saw his parents murdered in cold blood. When the killers were finished, they put a gun to his head, and pulled the trigger. Incredibly, Manit survived, though the bullet in his brain left him devoid of all emotion. Subsequently adopted by a kindly martial-arts master, Manit trained tirelessly for the next 20 years, always knowing that the day would come when he would bring his parent’s killers to justice. When the time comes to embrace his destiny, Manit embarks on a violent quest for vengeance that brings the entire Bangkok underworld crumbling down. (more…)
‘Parental Guidance’ needs a time out on Blu-ray
New to DVD and Blu-ray from Fox Home Entertainment is the newest comedy from the director of “The Game Plan” and “She’s the Man” Andy Fickman, Parental Guidance. The film stars Billy Crystal and Bette Midler as grandparents put into action as babysitters for the grandkids they barely know and clashing with the parenting decisions and direction of their daughter and her husband. The film is aimed at same crowd who enjoyed the “Meet the Parents” series, but does it pack as much laughs as the first “Meet the Parents” had?
Parental Guidance Blu-ray
Starring: Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Marisa Tomei, Tom Everett Scott, Bailee Madison, Joshua Rush and Kyle Harrison Breitkopf
Written by Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse
Directed by Andy Fickman
Old-school grandparents Artie (Crystal) and Diane (Midler) get more than they bargained for when they get stuck babysitting their type-A daughter Alice’s (Tomei) three overprotected kids. But things go from hectic to hysterical when Artie and Dianne realize the kids are running the house with newfangled technology, created by the family patriarch Phil (Scott), that they have no idea how to use . To make matter worse Artie has lost his decades old job in favor of a newer and younger replacement. But playing by his rules, which include sugary snacks, old fashioned games and tough love, Artie manages to outsmart the kids and he and Diane endear themselves to the children they long to spend more time with. (more…)
‘Lincoln’ aims to talk his way into your Blu-ray collection
New on Blu-ray from Disney Home Entertainment is the Oscar wining biopic from Steven Spielberg about Abraham Lincoln’s fight to abolish slavery with the 13th amendment to the constitution while also trying to bring about then end of the long and very bloody civil war dividing the country, Lincoln. The film features an all-star cast both behind and in front of the camera that had writer Doris Kearns Goodwin on set as an adviser and the production using many real locations to replicate the events as factually as possible. So how does the historic epic translate to the small screen?
Lincoln Blu-ray
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, David Spader, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Hal Holbrook, John Hawkes, Jackie Earle Hailey, Bruce McGill, Lee Pace, Tim Blake Nelson and Jared Harris
Written by Tony Kushner based on the novel by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Lincoln (Day-Lewis) tarts as the Civil War continues to rage. Struggling with continuing carnage on the battlefield, Lincoln is fighting another great battle with many inside his own cabinet on the decision to emancipate the slaves. But the promise of an impending peace threatens the amendment from going to vote so Lincoln must make some tough decisions. His wife Mary (Field) is still grieving the loss of their son years before and fears her other ambitious son Robert’s (Gordon-Levitt) determination to enlist will cost him his life as well. The film follows Lincoln through to his ill-fated trip to the theater. (more…)
The ‘Spring Breakers’ want you in theaters this weekend
New in theaters across Canada this week from VVS Films is the tantalizing and titillating new film from “Kids” scribe Harmony Korine, the heavily buzzed about “Spring Breakers”. Starring a pair of former Disney child stars, a ‘Pretty Little Liar’ and Harmony’s own wife as bikini-clad bandits who desperately want to leave behind their humdrum college lives for sun, drugs and the allure of Spring Break. Korine has long searched for the right follow up to his landmark film “Kids” but has not quite achieved it yet. Will Spring Breakers prove to be it?
Spring Breakers
Starring Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine, Selena Gomez, Gucci Mane and James Franco
Written and Directed by Harmony Korine
Four sexy college girls, Faith (Gomez) Candy (Hudgens) Brit (Benson) and Cotty (Korine), plan to fund their spring break getaway by burglarizing a popular fast food shack. But that’s only the beginning. At a motel room rager, fun reaches its legal limit and the girls are arrested and taken to jail. Hungover and clad only in bikinis, the girls appear before a judge but are bailed out unexpectedly by Alien (Franco) An infamous local thug and rapper, Alien takes them under his wing and leads them on the wildest Spring Break trip in history. Rough on the outside but with a soft spot inside, Alien wins over the hearts of the young Spring Breakers, and leads them on a Spring Break they never could have imagined. (more…)
The ‘Shadow People’ aim to creep you out on Blu-ray
New to Blu-ray and DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment is the based on true events horror thriller Shadow People. The film stars the current co-star of AMC’s smash television show The Walking Dead, Dallas Roberts, the film is perfectly timed to capitalize on the show’s third season final episodes. But does this horror/thriller pack the goods?
Shadow People Blu-ray
Starring: Dallas Roberts, Alison Eastwood, Anne Dudek, Mattie Liptak, Christopher Berry and Mariah Bonner
Written and Directed by Matthew Arnold
Shadow People is about a small town radio personality named Charlie Crowe (Roberts) who unravels a conspiracy about encounters with mysterious beings. These ‘Shadow People’ were the cause of hundreds of unexplained deaths. He encounters CDC Epidemic Intelligence Agent Sophie Lancombe (more…)
MOVIE JUNKIE TO'S Entertainment Fix 