Reviews

A Saw sequel (set between Saw and Saw II) I didn't think I needed!

The story which is a little more personal and directly related to John Kramer took its time to build before getting to the expected carnage.

The "grungy/early 2000's music video" editing style that's a signature element of this series is a little toned down here which is nice - but that's of course subjective, and a matter of preference.

Saw and Saw X make an excellent double bill. The other entries are entertaining but never reach the level of care that these two receive.

A solid entry into the twisted world of Jigsaw. Recommend!

Everything about The Creep in the Walls works - the location/set design, cinematography, wardrobe and tight direction .

The performances of the leads (Emily Cole and Nicole Ruse) tie everything together and elevates the episode. You're sucked into the character's world right from the first scene and you're along for the creepy ride every step of the way!

Jeff Maher's cinematography compliments Cat Hostick's direction beautifully to deliver one stand out horror episode.

Season 1 of Urban Legend has been such a blast and I truly hope there's a follow up season in the future. Highly recommend!

Urban Legends is an extremely entertaining series and The White Dress us one of the strongest episodes of Season 1!

Excellent performances (especially the lead Leslie Durward channeling her inner Sissy Spacek) , anr moody cinematography coupled with strong, assured direction makes this a fun watch that will get under your skin. Many horror moments even though familiar, have been carefully crafted and shot effectively. I really enjoyed the held back, slow burn, classic style.

The vibe of this episode reminded me of Tales From The Crypt (minus the humour) - essentially a morality tale with a somewhat realistic, macabre twist at the end.

Great stuff all around!

Sissy sucks you in from the very first scene and never let's go. Directors Hannah Barlow (who also plays Emma) and Kane Senes create a stylistic world that is absolutely mesmerizing, unsettling and disturbing all at once.

The writing is sharp, cinematography is gorgeous, and the score is bold and a character in itself. The performances are excellent across the board, and the violence is visceral - there're a couple moments that made me, a seasoned horror buff cringe (in a good way)!

Reminded me of The Loved Ones and Bodies! Bodies! Bodies!

A great satire/horror/thriller, and one of my favs of 2022!

Beast is hilarious when it isn't trying to be funny, and cringeworthy when it is. The world's most inept terrorists take over a mall somewhere in Chennai, India but are "outsmarted" by a reluctant off-duty RAW agent... who can basically do everything from take down an entire terrorist network and fly a jet plane single handedly.

Like most Tamil flicks, our protagonist is s superhero, and everyone else are bumbling idiots - some of them very literally so. Tonally, the movie is all over the place, awkwardly sliding from comedy to drama to action with, of course some underdeveloped romance sprinkled in. The tonal displacement isn't unusual for Indian flicks, but director Nelson Dillipkumar doesn't have the skills required to pull it off elegantly.

Above all it's cinematic wrongdoings, Beast's biggest fault is probably it's portrayal of violence - it's presented as cool, and every instance of it is glorified and reveled in.

The one element I genuinely enjoyed is K. Selvaragavan as Altaf Hussein, the calm, wisecracking advisor to the Prime Minister. And the underutilized Pooja Hegde is certainly pleasing to the eye!

A hilariously nonsensical flick that reminded me of some of the garbage that came out of South India in the 80's and 90's. For the record, I grew up watching tamil flicks of the 80's and 90's and there are some great ones.

Every aspect of Etharkkum Thuninthavan feels dated - from the clunky writing, abysmal editing, and jarring tonal shifts. Writer/Director Pandiraj has no idea what subtlety means, and cranks everything up to 11.

The always reliable Suriya does his best with the sloppy material, but nothing can elevate this tamil film from drowning, right from its opening moments.

I'd classify this under another so bad it's good flick: Tamil edition. Avoid or, have a couple drinks with friends and have a great time!

How The Girl in the Photographs was accepted into Midnight Madness at TIFF 2015 is certainly a mystery to me. Poor writing and performances overall, this movie was a chore to sit through. Even the usually excellent Katherine Isabelle is mediocre at best here (granted she doesn't have much screen time). Karl Penn's attempt at comedy was grating and absolutely unfunny. The plot, while having some promise initially drowns in a sea of mess. I have never walked out of a screening before, but The Girl in the Photographs made me come close. I did stay until the end, but it certainly took a lot of will power. It is unfortunate that this would be one of the last projects that Wes Craven's name is attached to (as Executive Producer).

No matter how a movie turns out, I know equal amounts of blood and sweat went into making it, and because of that I try to find at least one positive point to make about any movie. In this case, perhaps the cinematography was the only element that wasn't terrible. Shot by the excellent Dean Cundey (Halloween, Back to the Future, Apollo 13, etc.) the movie looks good with some nice Steadicam work.

Went in with realistic expectations and walked out severely disappointed. Avoid this one.

Checked Southbound out at the Midnight Madness screening at TIFF 2015 and it was a blast. A throwback to the horror-anthology style of the 80's but with a fresh twist on the wraparound. The device in which each segment flows into the next was unique and added a new layer to the experience.

I am a huge fan of horror anthologies in general (VHS, ABC's of Death, Late Night Double Feature, etc.) but occasionally they seem like a collection of shorts thrown together. While there is a charm to those types of anthologies, Southbound is clearly well thought out and designed.

Loved all the segments, with "The Accident" being my favourite. This is a well written, shot, directed and performed feature. Highly recommended.

I haven't seen a single episode of the Trailer Park Boys and went into Swearnet knowing only little about the 3 Canadian goofballs - Robb Wells, John Paul Tremblay and Mike Smith. Coming out of Swearnet, I can confidently say I am a fan! Although in this flick, the boys play "themselves" and not their fictional characters from the TV show, the push-the-envelope humour and brisk pacing of the film showed a lot of heart amongst the consistent comedy. The movie was well-cast overall and although the Tom Green - Carrot Top bit got slightly too much at times, everyone played their parts wonderfully.

Well shot and directed, you're sure in for a good time. A nice way to spend 100 minutes in the cinema.

I'm looking forward to hitting up the Trailer Park Boys TV show next!

Just watched Graphic Sexual Horror at the Hot Docs screening at Bloor Cinema. The film is well put together and documents the topic of discussion in a neutral, non judgmental manner; the way any good documentary should. The subject matter, while graphic and disturbing (yes, the title is very appropriate) is very interesting and thought provoking. It's a great study of human behavior, sex, society and culture. How far is too far? How thin is the line between pornography and art? Is torture alright if it's consensual? If you're looking for a film that will definitely spark discussions, give this a shot. Whether you like it or not, this film will certainly get you thinking.