Young love often appears in the cinema as tender, idealistic and bittersweet, but it rarely terrifies and goes against the grain. In Bones and All, two young people brought together by their taste for human flesh hit all these notes in the best way possible. Maren (Taylor Russell) is an 18-year-old living with her dad... Continue Reading →
Fantasia 2021: A Different Monster: Black Women and The Monstrous
I was invited to do another presentation for Fantasia 2021! This was something brewing in my head for a while, so I was thrilled to explore Black women in a monstrous role. I wanted to reach back and reveal how Black women are seen in general and apply those perceptions to some of our favourite... Continue Reading →
Tribeca Festival 2021: Shapeless
Conforming oneself to impossible images is a struggle in this world of instant gratification, visual stimulation and filtering our flaws away. They can often trigger deeper psychological and mental health issues. In Shapeless, director Samantha Aldana shows us the monstrous side of body dysmorphia and eating disorders. Ivy (Kelly Murtagh) is a singer in New... Continue Reading →
Cinema Throwback: RAW at the Royal
Growing up is difficult for most. Learning who you are, what influences you, and nurture versus nature all factor in developing as a human being. When family secrets and dysfunction come into play, the “coming of age” process becomes much more complicated. Julia Ducournau’s film Raw takes these factors with a female perspective, creating a... Continue Reading →
Shudder Exclusive: Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl
Shudder consistently offers new and exciting films that surpass all the generic horrors out there. This time, they’ve brought us director and writer A.D. Calvo who takes us back in time to combine a lonely teenage girl, unrequited love, creepy gothic horror, and a retro vibe for his latest film Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl. Adele... Continue Reading →
Fantasia Film Festival 2020: Lucky
A woman’s fight to gain independence is a constant one. In Natasha Kermani’s Lucky, we see a motivational writer struggle to take her own advice within an endless loop fighting an unknown assailant. May (Brea Grant) is a successful self-help author, but her latest book isn’t doing so well. She’s also trying to reconnect with... Continue Reading →
In Plain Sight: She Never Died
As a programmer for The Blood in the Snow Film Festival, I have the privilege of seeing some fantastic films created here in Canada, and I feel even luckier when we acquire them. One such film, She Never Died, screened in 2019 to great acclaim. Directed by Audrey Cummings, it’s not exactly a sequel to... Continue Reading →
Atlantics and the Beauty of Lost Love
Mati Diop’s Atlantics (Atlantique) is a tale of loss, eternal love and a vibrant vision of modern African storytelling very much needed to expose filmgoers to new representations of genre film. In the city of Dakar, Ada (Mame Bineta Sane) is betrothed to the rich and worldly Omar (Babacar Sylla) and she’s not happy. She... Continue Reading →
The Perfection: Dedication and Depravity Scores a 10
If you’re thirsting for an Asian horror-inspired, stylized roller coaster ride with buckets of tension, look no further than Richard Shepard’s The Perfection. Charlotte (Allison Williams, Girls, Get Out) is a musical prodigy. Enrolled in the elite Bachoff Academy where students are hand-picked for their talent, she is destined to become a legendary cellist. Family... Continue Reading →
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