There’s been a great deal of discussion in recent years about the past and ongoing injustices suffered by the indigenous community. As there should be. From suicide epidemics to systemic racism to the alarming number of missing and murdered Aboriginal women to the over-representation of Aboriginal men in Canadian prisons, the challenges of the First […]
Author Archives: Matt
March
21
The Settlers
posted by Matt
Canadian-Israeli filmmaker and NYU Professor of Political Cinema Shimon Dotan brings us a powerful, and occasionally disconcerting, documentary chronicling the daily lives of those living in Jewish settlements along the West Bank. If you don’t know much about the history of the region other than simply “It’s pretty tense over there, isn’t it?”, don’t worry. […]
February
26
My Scientology Movie
posted by Matt
My Scientology Movie is infuriating, terrifying, and bizarre and I’m still coming down from it. This is nowhere near the first documentary on the subject of Scientology, but somehow it’s the first I’ve seen. Director John Dower and presenter Louis Theroux seem realize that they’d better come up with a new spin on the Scientology […]
January
15
Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival: Angry Inuk
posted by Matt
An Inuit community in Canada’s northern territories faces an interesting challenge. How can a culture, that prides itself on a patient and understated expression of anger, make themselves heard when their opponents are famous for a more aggressive approach? Canadian seal hunting has gotten a lot of media attention since the late 1970s thanks to […]
December
11
The Academy of Muses
posted by Matt
Trying to review The Academy of Muses feels a lot like faking my way through an essay question on an exam for which I’ve barely studied. A professor of philology, which apparently is a thing, teaches an advanced course in Barcelona for which we get a front row seat. Professor Pinto’s class seems to offer […]
December
10
Right Now, Wrong Then
posted by Matt
Right Now, Wrong Then is the kind of movie that bores you to tears and then makes you feel like a dummy for it. I hate to write off moves as “boring” or “slow”. I pride myself on my sophisticated tastes and patience with deliberating pacing. The latest feature from Hong Sang-Soo is the kind […]
November
09
Reel Asian 2016: Apocalypse Child
posted by Matt
Apocalypse Child is a wonderful film. Ford (Sid Lucero), like his beachside town of Baler, Philippines, loves to surf. The surfing craze in Baler apparently started after the crew filming part of Apocalypse Now left a surf board behind. Although Ford embraces his local pastime to the point where he wins almost every surfing competition […]
October
29
Cinéfranco 2016: The Scent of Mandarin (L’Odeur de la Mandarine)
posted by Matt
As the first World War rages on, a young widow named Angèle (Georgia Scalliet) takes a job as a homecare nurse for a former cavalry officer Charles (Olivier Gourmet) who has lost a leg in the war. Even though she is initially warned that her new patient is prone to some very bad moods, Angèle’s […]
October
22
ImagineNATIVE 2016: The Sun at Midnight
posted by Matt
My first impression of The Sun at Midnight was a lot like Lia’s (Devery Jacobs) initial reaction to Ft. McPherson. The film opens on a strained conversation between father and sulking daughter about “Why do I have to go stay with Grandma anyway?” As first scenes go, this one is a lot like how Lia […]
October
18
ImagineNATIVE 2016: 7 Minutes
posted by Matt
Marie’s walk home from her campus library is almost exactly 7 minutes. After being aggressively harassed one night, she can no longer help noticing just how vulnerable a young Native woman in Saskatoon can be. Her experience of reporting the incident, to the seemingly uninterested local police, only makes her feel less safe. 7 Minutes, […]
October
17
ImagineNATIVE 2016: Angry Inuk
posted by Matt
An Inuit community in Canada’s northern territories faces an interesting challenge. How can a culture, that prides itself on a patient and understated expression of anger, make themselves heard when their opponents are famous for a more aggressive approach? Canadian seal hunting has gotten a lot of media attention since the late 1970s thanks to […]
September
10
TIFF 2016: Le Ciel Flamand
posted by Matt
When Eline (Esra Vandenbussche) grows up, she wants to be just like her mother. After all, helping people who need hugs can sound like a pretty good job when you just turned six. What Sylvie (Sara Vertongen) isn’t telling her daughter is that she runs a brothel and is doing all she can to shield […]
July
04
The Debt
posted by Matt
When I was tasked with reviewing film about an international financial deal set in Peru, I was worried that I might not be the man for the job. I’ll admit, movies about big business, banks, and financial stuff often go right over my head. Worse still, and I’m not proud of this, I know very […]
June
03
Inside Out 2016: Girls Lost
posted by Matt
After drinking from a mysterious (and apparently magical) plant, three bullied adolescent girls are transformed into boys. First let me address my-and possibly your-initial concern. Writer-director Alexandra-Therese Keining thankfully has no interest in broad comedy and doesn’t waste even a moment of precious screen time with it. No dick jokes or double entendres here. Keining […]
May
30
Inside Out 2016: The Slippers
posted by Matt
I love this movie! I love this movie! I love this movie! How many words is that? Damn. Okay, I’ll elaborate. For anyone who really loves movies- American movies in particular- it’s easy to be almost immediately won over by this documentary about Hollywood nostalgia. Specifically, the legacy of Victor Fleming’s Wizard of Oz and- […]
May
27
Inside Out 2016: The Nest (O Ninho)
posted by Matt
Bruno (Nicolas Vargas), still wearing his military uniform when checking in at a Porto Alegre inn, comes across as a typically polite soldier at first. We soon see that the seemingly disciplined and obedient young man is preoccupied though; and that his mission in this city in the south of Brazil is personal. While searching […]
May
06
The Rainbow Kid
posted by Matt
The less you know going into Kire Paputts’ first feature, the better. I’m tempted to leave it at that as The Rainbow Kid isn’t going to be for everyone. However, I owe it to anyone reading this to at least tell you enough to decide whether or not you’d like to submit yourself to this […]
May
05
Hot Docs 2016: Aim for the Roses
posted by Matt
“It’s going to be a long 102 minutes”. This was my first impression of Aim for the Roses, which makes its world premiere at the Hot Docs Film Festival. John Bolton’s documentary opens on a reenactment of Ken Carter (played by actor Andrew McNee with a yellow jumpsuit and terrible 70s beard) proclaiming his destiny […]
May
02
Hot Docs 2016: Angry Inuk
posted by Matt
An Inuit community in Canada’s northern territories faces an interesting challenge. How can a culture, that prides itself on a patient and understated expression of anger, make themselves heard when their opponents are famous for a more aggressive approach? Canadian seal hunting has gotten a lot of media attention since the late 1970s thanks to […]
May
01
Hot Docs 2016: Gun Runners
posted by Matt
I was a little uncomfortable when I discovered that this documentary about Kenyan warriors had a pun in its title. With armed cattle rustling getting out of hand, the Kenyan government introduced a disarmament program in 2004 to end the violence. Warriors like Julius Arile and Robert Matanda were encouraged to turn over their guns […]
