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TIFF: Forging Her Own Path in ‘Bird’

The home in which a person is raised can have a strong effect on building character. Positive role models and attentive parents may produce a child who is well-behaved and capable, though potentially less used to doing things on their own if too much is done for them. When there isn’t someone who is putting…

The 4:30 Movie: Kevin Smith’s Clunky Coming-of-Age Film

© A Saban Films release. Photo courtesy of Ralph Bavaro. As The 4:30 Movie opens, a teenaged boy is seen trying to arrange a date by calling his female inamorata on a clunky push-button landline. It is the summer of 1986, that antediluvian era before cellphones and social media had become the instruments of choice for…

Trapezium : Japanese Anime Bring Their Earnest and Rather Vulnerable Characters to Life

©Courtesy of Crunchyroll Joining a Japanese pop “idol” group is almost like enlisting in the military. There is constant practice, a rigid chain of command, and a strict code of conduct—but absolutely no boyfriends allowed. Yet, aspiring idols continue to dream of fans’ adulation. Kazumi Takayama would know. The “graduate” of the powerhouse female idol…

TIFF: A Harsh Homecoming for Odysseus in ‘The Return’

Returning home after a long time away with no communication is always uncomfortable. In the age of cell phones and emails, not being in touch feels like a deliberate choice, but in the time of the Trojan War long before the advent of modern technology, failure to send word was considerably more excusable. Literature fans…

TIFF: Couple Dynamics in ‘Millers in Marriage’

Not all relationships are built to last. People can also change over time and want and need different things than they did at first. If everyone involved pays attention and alters their behavior appropriately, everything should work out, but if the effort is only one-way, it may be doomed to fail. Millers in Marriage checks…

‘Speak No Evil’ Video Review: Above the Line vs Below the Line Episode 44

In Universal and Blumhouse’s new horror film, Speak No Evil, two families meet while on vacation in Italy and immediately hit it off, leading to a trip to England’s West country where things begin to get quite dark. Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy play an American couple living in London with their daughter Agnes (Alix…

Dan Da Dan Delivers Crazy Fun and Holds Universal Appeal.

©Courtesy of GKIDS Momo Ayase and her “Okarun” classmate are both simultaneously like Mulder and Scully of The X-Files. He ardently believes in UFO phenomenon, but remains skeptical of ghosts. Conversely, she completely accepts the supernatural, but scoffs at the possibility of extraterrestrial visitors. They will dissuade each other of their disbeliefs, in the most…

Toronto International Film Festival : A Father’s Love in ‘A Missing Part’

The relationship between a parent and a child is something that can be truly influential, whether for good or bad. The absence of that bond, for whatever reason, can be equally damaging. For the child, they may think they have been abandoned but never actually understand the circumstances that prohibited them from having contact, while…

TIFF: Orlando Bloom Pushes Himself to the Edge in ‘The Cut’

Sporting competitions exist for the enjoyment of others but have been linked to many troubling health risks. That hasn’t stopped many events and institutions from continuing to be popular and to attract those who are willing to do whatever it takes to compete and win. Intense physical transformations are often necessary, and there may be…

TIFF: A Confusing Picture of a Man in ‘Oh, Canada’

It’s hard to know how to distinguish fact from fiction, especially when someone else is telling the story. Details tend to play into the believability of a particular tale, and while specifics can make something seem realer, they can also reveal rehearsed inventions that have no basis in truth. Paul Schrader’s latest film Oh, Canada…

Toronto International Film Festival : ‘Can I Get a Witness?’ Envisions a Bold and Fascinating Future

One of the reasons that people fear death is that they don’t know when it’s coming. Not knowing what happens afterward is also important, but the uncertainty of how a final day or moment might be spent without tying up loose ends or properly saying goodbye can be truly terrifying. Can I Get a Witness?…