Movies are the interaction of light and shadow. We watch the way the light moves on the screen and perceive it as something real. But are we really seeing what is there? What do we miss seeing? If we don’t notice the details, have we missed the whole picture? In Radiance, from director Naomi Kawase,…
The history books always tell us about what happened… but it doesn’t always tell us the full story. Set in 18th Century France, Chevalier is inspired by the remarkable true story of composer Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges. As the illegitimate sone of a French plantation owner and his African slave, Bologne is abandoned in his youth…
“Nobody surfs the first day. Takes a lifetime.” There are lots of things that take a lifetime. But in Gringa, from directors Marny Eng and E. J. Foerster, change in characters’ lives seems to happen almost overnight. That makes for a film that oversimplifies almost everything and never manages to find any depth. Marge (Jess…
Directed by Darlene Naponse, Stellar is a whimsical love story between She (Elle-Maija Tailfeathers) and He (Braeden Clarke), a young couple who meet in an underground bar in Northern Ontario. As the world bears witness to massive wildfires, flooding and destruction, the two remain safe within the confines of the tavern walls. Even so, while the two…
Love can inspire us, heal us and make us feel valuable. But can it also help us find the strength within us? In One True Loves, Emma (Phillipa Soo) seems to have her life together. Engaged to her best friend Sam (Simu Liu) and thrilled with her job at the family bookstore, she is excited about…
“Have you ever loved a person?” In Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Passion, love is treated more as a concept than an experience. It is a mostly (but not exclusively) cerebral examination of what love is and how it fits into our lives. When Kaho and Tomoya announce they are getting married to their friends, it begins as…
Showing Up is another pristine addition to auteur director Kelly Reichardt’s filmography. Set in Reichardt’s typical setting of rural Oregon, Lizzy (Michelle Williams) prepares to do a potentially career-changing art show. Her journey is a simple one, but nevertheless as poignant as many dramas. Reichardt’s skilled hand leads on a mostly whimsical but still emotionally…
Sometimes, the best way to find out who you are is to… join an unground crime family? Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, Mafia Mamma tells the story of Kristin (Toni Colette), an American mother who is crushed when she discovers that her husband has been cheating on her. Distraught and heartbroken, she travels to Italy to visit her…
If you take matters into your own hands, is it still justice? Written and directed by Daniel Goldhaber, How to Blow Up a Pipeline begins with Xochitl (Ariela Barer) slashing the tires of a nearby SUV in order to send a message. Committed to environmental protection, she believes that it is her responsibility to punish those who…
The stack of 4K Ultra HD films on my desk kept growing, and thanks to spring break (yes, it’s still a thing for adults with kids!), I was able to wade through the extensive list of films that had arrived over the last few weeks. There was a newer classic – Antoine Fuqua’s Training Day,…
