The world of a DJ is the world of imagination. Blending sounds to get the right beat, hitting the right pitch, and driving the crowd into a frenzy. As a twentysomething in the early 90s, I lived the life in Toronto’s warehouse scene. A friend who was DJ got me into the best after-hours parties... Continue Reading →
TIFF 2020: Shadow in the Cloud
Roseanne Liang turns the action film into a salute to female soldiers with a touch of horror with Shadow in the Cloud. During World War II at an Aukland airbase, female flight officer Maude (Chloe Grace Moretz) must get on a plane. She has a package that needs to be safely delivered, and she won’t... Continue Reading →
TIFF 2020: Enemies of the State
Questions and conspiracies arise from one young man’s story of persecution in the intriguing documentary Enemies of the State. Matt DeHart was accused of being involved with child pornography in 2010, but his parents felt something else afoot. They thought the FBI was after their son because he was hiding sensitive information uploaded onto his... Continue Reading →
TIFF 2020: The Water Man
Actor David Oyelowo's love for 80s cinema like The Goonies and representation inspired his choice for his feature directorial debut. In The Water Man, he takes us on a heartfelt journey with a boy, legend, and renewed faith in family. Gunner (Lonnie Chavis) is a creative child that his father, Amos (David Oyelowo), doesn’t understand.... Continue Reading →
TIFF 2020: Trickster
If you‘ve lived your life in a bubble with one reality, what happens when the bubble bursts, and the person you trusted the most harbors a big secret? In the new CBC series Trickster, a young man’s life turns upside down once he finds his true origin story. Jared (Joel Oulette) is a decent kid.... Continue Reading →
TIFF 2020: Concrete Cowboy
Cole (Caleb McLaughlin) is a teen who keeps getting into trouble. His mom is fed up with Cole’s behavior, so she packs him in the car, driving from Detroit to Philidelphia to live with his father, Harp (Idris Elba). Harp is a cowboy on Philidelphia’s Fletcher St, known as the home to a long tradition... Continue Reading →
TIFF 2020: Violation
When a woman is subjected to an act of violence, it has to be obvious; otherwise, she will most likely be to blame. There's no room for subtleties, with sympathies reserved for a stranger/victim dynamic. In Violation, Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli's feature debut, sexual violence and familiarity cross the breaking point for one woman... Continue Reading →
TIFF 2020: The Third Day
Folk horror is alive and well. Before Ari Aster's Midsommar in 2019, we also had the buddy trip turned pagan nightmare The Ritual in 2017, The Witch in 2015, and classics like Witch Finder General in 1968, and of course, the 1973 The Wicker Man, among others. Now you can add another sinister village to that... Continue Reading →
The Color Out of Space and Richard Stanley’s Return
It’s been some time since we’ve seen something directed by the infamous Richard Stanley, once slotted to helm the tragic Island of Dr. Moreau, now the subject of a popular and mythical documentary Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau by David Gregory. While he’s been writing screenplays, Color Out... Continue Reading →