From the category archives:

FILM

Dystopia

Detropia, dir Rachel Gray and Heidi Ewing

by Adam Bemma
09.05.2012

Detroit, Michigan, lends a dystopian rather than a utopian view of America. The American dream envisioned by the U.S. ‘Big Three’ automotive companies (GM, Ford, and Chrysler) back in the 1940-50s gave birth to the middle class, but has since done everything in their power to erode it.

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FILM

Just Breathe

Rover interview: Oksana Cueva speaks with Guy Nattiv, director of The Flood, AMC Forum beginning May 4th

by Oksana Cueva
04.05.2012

Nearly four hundred eager spectators gathered on April 30th for the second screening of The Flood (Mabul), acclaimed picture by celebrated director Guy Nattiv, as part of Israel Film Festival’s 8th consecutive year. The film—a story about a family leading parallel lives where the main character Yoni struggles with lack of growth, his autistic brother’s presence, and being bullied at school—was emotional for many.

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FILM

Strength of Spirit

Three films delve into the human psyche at the Montreal Israel Film Festival

by Shawn Stenhouse
29.04.2012

The Montreal Israel Film Festival is back for its 8th installment and boasts yet another impressive collection of films. This year’s edition, which runs from April 29th to May 7th, covers a diverse array of genres and styles. According to festival organizer Eran Bester, “There is no better place to see these cinematic offerings than [...]

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FILM

Too Good To Be True

Guy Sprung hits the big screen

by Patrick Charron
28.04.2012

Voyeurism is a big part of film’s allure. Sitting in the dark watching others experience drama, adventure and revelation from the anonymity of a comfortable seat offers rare moments of mediation in a world of rapidly disappearing privacy. The effect is heightened when we perceive to be witnessing “reality.” Such is the power of the documentary and the creative liberties borrowed by the ensuing mockumentary and found-footage genres.

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BOOKS

Queer as Film

Word is Out: A Queer Film Classic, by Greg Youmans, Arsenal Pulp Press

by Greg Youmans
16.04.2012

I just completed a book all about the groundbreaking 1977 gay and lesbian documentary film, Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives. The film more than warrants a book-length study. I should know because I still haven’t exhausted all the things I want to say about it. Although Word Is Out was not [...]

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FILM

Stoner vs. Stickler

Two oddball brothers make for one unexpectedly moving film in Jeff Who Lives at Home

by Shawn Stenhouse
03.04.2012

Ah, the Hollywood advertising machine, you never cease to amaze. This movie’s not marketable you say? Well then, dress it up as something completely different. Or give away the entire plot in the trailer. Either way, the customer leaves the theatre unhappy and the producers get their money, so why should they care?

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FILM

Prizes and Pioneers

Reviewing two FIFA films that put the "art" back in architecture

by Oksana Cueva
29.03.2012

This past weekend, FIFA’s 30th Anniversary edition came to a close, with the festival’s Grand Prize awarded to the film Opalka – One Life, One Oeuvre. To the surprise of no one, Bone Wind Fire won in the category of Best Canadian Film for its vivid representations of Georgia O’Keffe, Frida Kahlo and Emily Carr…though [...]

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FILM

So Much To See

A run-down of FIFA’s Canadian competition films and free events

by Oksana Cueva
19.03.2012

Attention arts enthusiasts: the ‘I couldn’t find a babysitter’ excuse won’t hold water. This week, FIFA is unleashing a program of must-see films that promises to satisfy your eagerness for virtually every art denomination: architecture, animation, sculpture, dance, theater, painting, literature, and the list goes on. With only six days left, though, definitely make a [...]

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FILM

Camera Rolling

Picture Start, dir Harry Killas, at the FIFA Sunday 18 March

by Oksana Cueva
17.03.2012

In Picture Start, Harry Killas, Canadian director and producer, portrays an extraordinarily talented trio. The so called Vancouver School – Jeff Wall, Rodney Graham and Ian Wallace – are doubtless the biggest artists Canada produced in recent years and pioneers of conceptualism.

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FILM

Complicated Real Estate

Talking with Eisha Marjara, director of House For Sale, screening at the AmerAsia Film Festival, March 11

by Matthew Hays
08.03.2012

“I’ve always been fascinated by the femme fatale archetype in cinema,” says Eisha Marjara, as she sits down to chat about her latest film, House for Sale. The short, which stars Montreal-based trans actor Atif Siddiqi, tells a complex story about a woman showing a gay man (Siddiqi) the house she wishes to sell, not realizing he’s had an on-again, off-again affair with her husband.

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FILM

Assorted Overseas Offerings

A look at this year’s AmérAsia Film Festival

by James Gartler
03.03.2012

Who knew the first two weekends in March could make for such a wild ride? For the third year running, the AmérAsia Film Festival is continuing its mission of taking audiences on a journey through the world of Asian cinema, and this year’s program offers several memorable trips sure to stay with you long after [...]

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FILM

Fantasy Falls Short

Reviewing Studio Ghibli's latest animated oeuvre

by Shawn Stenhouse
29.02.2012

The Secret World of Arrietty delivers almost everything audiences have come to expect from Japan’s famed Studio Ghibli; a heart-warming coming-of-age tale with gorgeous animation and a superb score…yet it lacks that certain quality so unique to Ghibli films: the inimitable and imaginative storyline.

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FILM

Danse Macabre

A look at Pina - a dance film/eulogy best avoided by those confounded by contemporary convulsing

by Sarah Fletcher
07.02.2012

Perhaps I should have smoked a joint before this one. Alas, I exited this 3D experimental dance film clouded in sober confusion. What in hell was up with the hippo, and why did the lovely dancer in silk fondle him with such graceful abandon? She’s way out of his league, though he doesn’t seem to [...]

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FILM

Road to Nowhere

Chris Paine's documentary spins its wheels detailing the Revenge of the Electric Car

by James Gartler
28.01.2012

There was once a time when oil companies, politicians and car manufacturers wanted any notion of a mainstream electric vehicle dead and buried. Director Chris Paine chronicled it in his popular 2006 documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? and is now determined to declare the tides have turned with the release of his latest, Revenge [...]

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FILM

Feel Good, It Ain’t

American Psycho vibes haunt Shame.

by Sarah Fletcher
10.01.2012

A naked man wanders his apartment as a woman’s voice pleads with his answering machine. It’s Steve McQueen’s star sex addict, Brandon Sullivan, painfully indifferent and in dire need of a trim. It’s not his fault he’s emotionally unavailable. Maybe it all started with that untoward blow to the head.

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