We’re in an age of mass extinction. For centuries, you might expect one species to go extinct per year, but thanks to human activities, these numbers have increased by orders of magnitude. Director Louie Psihoyos’ Racing Extinction aims to not just manufacture outrage about this fact, but to create a sense of wonder at the natural […]
Essays
The Martian engineers the shit out of surviving on Mars
The Martian would be a great engineering recruitment film — if it ever mentioned the word “engineering.” When Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is faced with the challenges of surviving alone on Mars for four years, including growing his own own food and figuring out a way to communicate with Earth, he concludes he’ll have to “science […]
TIFF15 Review: The outside world is a prison in The Here After
Magnus von Horn’s directorial debut, The Here After, is a sensitive character study of a boy coping with the aftermath of his violent act.
88:88 is a formal and ideological marvel **** 1/2
88:88, an emphatic statement on poverty, debuts an exciting, radical new voice in cinema: Winnipeg-based Isiah Medina. The numbers ‘88:88’ flash across alarm clocks when electricity goes out: The accurate time is replaced by these place holders and time essentially stands still. The central philosophical meaning of 88:88 in the film is one of stasis, and how that stasis caused by poverty subjects people to a minimized life.
TIFF15: The Whispering Star is new, uneven ground for cult director Sion Sono
The Whispering Star marks an intriguing departure from filmmaker Sion Sono’s usual themes of hopelessness and hysteria. Languid, dramatically minimalist, and shot in crisp black and white, the film lacks Sono’s characteristic frenzied emotional pitch. Though its scanty narrative and creeping pace hindered my engagement with the film, The Whispering Star is a well-crafted addition to Sono’s […]
TIFF15: Johnnie To’s Office combines corporate intrigue with musical theatre
Johnnie To borrows from the conventions of theatre, especially in his set design, to craft a satirical corporate musical.