By Amanda Gilmore

Master follows three Black women at an elite New England university, Ambrose College, built on the site of a Salem-era gallows hill. Gail Bishop (Regina Hall) has just been instated as Master, first-year student Jasmine Moore (Zoe Renee) is trying to find her place, and literature professor Liv Beckman (Amber Gray) attempts to get her tenure. The three women navigate the politics and privilege of the campus and encounter increasingly terrifying manifestations of the school’s haunted past and present.

Writer-Director Mariama Diallo crafts an assured, compelling Feature debut. Like the finest of Psychological Horrors, Master excels in its social critique. It examines the racism and classism on campuses, however, it strives in connecting what happens at Ambrose College to everywhere. Diallo achieves this through her steady direction and precise Script. Additionally, she’s gifted audiences with a fresh take on the genre.

Diallo entwines the past and the present. The past for the history of black students dying in the room to which Jasmine has been assigned, and the present for the racism of the current students and faculty. In doing so, Diallo expertly toys with our minds making us question and guess until the very end. Additionally, she creates a chilling watch from start to finish. With expert use of lighting, sound and production design Diallo creates an eerie atmosphere interpolated with unsettling, frightening moments.

Then there are the powerful performances from this Cast. Hall gives a commanding performance as the Master battling with what she should and shouldn’t do and believe. Upcoming talent Renee gives a captivating performance as a young woman trying to find her place. Then there’s Gray who gives the perfect amount of mystery to Liv, allowing for some psychological aspects of the Script to thrive.

Master will be released on Prime Video March 18, 2022.

Master screens virtually at Sundance:

Premiere: Jan. 21 at 8:30PM EST

Second Screening: Jan. 22 at 10AM EST (available for 24hrs)

By Amanda Gilmore

Its July 2014, Irka (Oxana Cherkashyna) and Tolik (Sergey Shadrin) live in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine near the Russian border. The region was disputed territory in the early days of the Donbas war. As they anxiously anticipate the birth of their first child, the crash of flight MH17 elevates tensions in their village.

This is one of the many films at this year’s Festival that is timely. As each day goes by, we hear more about the escalating tensions on the Ukraine-Russian border. Then comes this film centering on the matter, but set a few years back. Writer-Director Maryna Er Gorbach’s skillful direction allows for demanding takes. We watch as a bomb hits Irka and Tolik’s house, then we take a long pan through the remainder of the home and the damage left behind. This gives the Film a feeling of theatre, a minute-by-minute account of what our characters are living. Making this a film that is relevant and it feels immediate through its artistry.

At the heart of KLONDIKE is its message of resilience in the most extreme circumstances. Gorbach has dedicated the film to women and it’s clear why. Irka is the one character who attempts to stay out of the forbidding tension surrounding her home, however, she’s forced to live within it. She does all this with the added pressure of carrying her first-born child. Cherkashyna is outstanding and captures the tenacity of Ikra. With limited dialogue and long-takes Cherkashyna shines with subtle, restrained actions that speak volumes.

KLONDIKE is heartbreaking film carried by a powerful performance at its center.

KLONDIKE screens virtually at Sundance:

Premiere: Jan. 21 at 2:15PM EST
Second Screening: Jan. 23 at 10AM EST (available for 24hrs)

The resilient SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME reclaims the #1 spot once again at the Box Office with $13.5 million from 3,705 theatres across North America for Sony Pictures, a total run of $720 million thus far.

SCREAM just misses a repeat at the top, bringing-in $11.7 million from 3,666 theates for Paramount Pictures. Over two weekends it has made $50.6 million.

SING 2 gets third with $8.2 million from 3,434 theatres for Universal Pictures, bringing its run to $128.2 million domestically.

REDEEMING LOVE opens in 1,903 theatres for Universal Pictures and debuts in fourth with $4 million. The Romance set against the backdrop of the California Gold Rush, gets 11% on the Tomatometer. It can be seen now where theatres are open in Canada.

In fifth is THE KING’S MAN wit $1.7 million for 20th Century Studios, a run of $31 million. The Film has been slotted for a February 18th release on Disney+.

By Mr. Will Wong

Set in the late ’60s as Chicago is about to witness a major political upheaval sparked by the assassination for Martin Luther King Jr.. CALL JANE tells the story of Joy (Elizabeth Banks), whom after becoming pregnant, faces a life-threatening condition. She decides to get an abortion, but is faced with great obstacles. She is able to find the support of the Jane Collective, an underground group of women who support one another in their fight for women’s rights and safer abortions. We see in Joy’s own abortion how risky the procedure is. Directed by Phyllis Nagy, whom wrote the Screenplay for Carol, the Film takes us back to a time of revolution when women demanded to be heard in their right to make decisions about their own bodies, and took matters into their own hands when they weren’t being heard.

The Film explores the dynamics of Joy’s life at home in her marriage to lawyer husband Will (Chris Messina) and how her growing involvement with the Jane Collective begins to present challenges in their relationship. This at a time when a wife is expected to be home for her family unconditionally. We also see bonds form in the collective among these women united in their values and a key figure in this is charismatic Virginia (Sigourney Weaver). From here, we really see Joy begin to find her greatest purpose as her world expands and mind opens.

Joy is our guide into the era in which the story is set and the secretive nature of the work that the Jane Collective do. In her, we feel and see the obstacles women faced and the weight they bore at the time (and still do), and Banks delivers an engaging, accessible performance in the lead role. This Film should makes a timely statement in the ongoing dialogue about women’s reproductive rights and deserves to be seen.

See CALL JANE at Sundance as follows:

By Amanda Gilmore

This in-depth Documentary examines Sinéad OʼConnorʼs phenomenal rise to worldwide fame and how she used her voice at the height of her stardom, leading to her being exiled from the pop mainstream.

Director Kathryn Ferguson focuses on the years 1987 to 1993, when O’Connor made headlines repeatedly. This spans the years where O’Connor was establishing herself as an artist up to the moment on SNL that changed everything. Ferguson boldly makes this an archival footage Documentary with a new interview with O’Connor. Thus, reminding us of her nonconformist personality and passionate views while allowing us to hear her reflection decades later.

Nothing Compares is O’Connor’s story is told through a contemporary feminist lens. Ferguson draws the parallels between the ’80s and ’90s to today. What emerges is a study of a woman before her time. Today we have pop superstars who freely state their political and social views, and are adored for it. However, in the early ’90s, the world persecuted O’Connor for her’s.

Overall, Nothing Compares is a bold documentary just like its subject. Through this story comes themes of abuse, mental health, misogyny and more. Additionally, it works as a critique of how the views within a society and the media change. These changes are better for today’s world, but they’ve still hindered those of the past.

Nothing Compares screens virtually at Sundance:

Premiere: Jan. 21 at 8PM EST
Second Screening: Jan. 23 at 10AM (available for 24hrs)

By Mr. Will Wong

On July 7, 2017, former Lance Corporal Bryan Brown-Easley (John Boyega) was shot to death after barricading himself inside a bank where he held two bank workers hostage, pretending to carry a bomb. After an honourable discharge from the Marines, he had been struggling to get by and after a payment of $892.34 he was due from the Department of Veteran Affairs was withheld after it was used to pay off a garnishment from a past college loan, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He wasn’t looking to take the bank’s money, he was looking for the money has was due and was willing to risk his life to make a statement.

Directed and written by Abi Damaris Corbin, 892 is a riveting recounting of the events leading to Brown-Easley‘s death, that day almost five years ago. Corbin gives us a sympathetic look at the PTSD, Schizophrenia and Paranoia our fallen hero was going through, resulting in his demise. We also get a sense of what Brown-Easley meant to others around him. We meet his ex-wife, the young daughter he left behind, a bank worker (Nicole Beharie) at his mercy, and an empathetic Chief in Eli Bernard (the late Michael Kenneth Williams in his final role) who also was a former veteran, trying to talk him off the ledge. The Film is tight, suspenseful but most importantly a tragic education about a broken system.

Boyega is unbelievable in this career-defining performance. He is driven, terrifying and at once raw and vulnerable, particularly in scenes with Brown-Easley‘s daughter, Kiah (London Covington) re-align us with a sense of his moral compass. This is sublime work we won’t soon stop talking about and comparisons to a younger Denzel Washington are unavoidable. We cannot wait for the world to witness this.

892 screens at Sundance as follows:

JANUARY 21, 2022 1:30 PM ET

JANUARY 23, 2022 10:00 AM ET

By Amanda Gilmore

Williams (Bill Nighy) is a veteran civil servant and bureaucratic cog in the rebuilding of Britain post-WWII. He spends his days pushing paper and simply existing until he is diagnosed with a terminal illness. With an estimated six-months remaining, Williams goes on a quest to feel what it’s like to live again.

This Film is a British remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru (To Live) and is exquisitely adapted by Nobel and Booker Prize-winning Author Kazuo Ishiguro. Ishiguro’s precisely-crafted Screenplay is set in a postwar London and Director Oliver Hermanus uses the era’s cinematic aesthetic to bring this story to the screen. However, even though Living is set during this period Ishiguro, Hermanus and Nighy make it resonate today.

Nighy brilliantly portrays Williams as a man who stopped living due to the repetitiveness of his life and simply began existing. He’s powerful in quiet moments of contemplation about his remaining days. These moments are contrasted with the vibrant scenes Williams shares with Margaret (Aimee Lou Wood). In her, he sees someone who lives life every day. Lou Wood is a bright and energetic force and commands the screen.

Overall, Living is a touching film about a man staring at death and evaluating what he wants to do for his remaining days. Additionally, it touches on the impact we leave on our family and society. It manages to accomplish this while never becoming overly sentimental. There are times were it drags but it makes up for it with a powerful Cast, an expert screenplay and a directing style that’s unique and innovative.

Living screens virtually at Sundance:
Premiere: Jan. 21 at 2PM EST
Second Screening: Jan. 23 at 10AM EST (available for 24hrs)

By Amanda Gilmore

This riveting Documentary unearths the horrifying truths that followed the uprisings in the 1960s USA. In the aftermath, the US military received increased federal funding which was used to create model towns called “Riotsvilles,” where military and police were trained to respond to domestic civil disorder.

Director Sierra Pettengill uses only archival footage that was shot by the US military or appeared on broadcast television. What starts the documentary is the Johnson administration’s Kerner Commission, which resulted in an increase in federal funding for police. She lets the unsettling footage of the military and police in the Riotsvilles play out. Showing the excessive physical force and tear gas tactics used. In doing so, she effectively uses their footage to show the horrifying extent they went to. 

Additionally, she goes further to expose the media coverage of the protests. Extended takes of media broadcasts are included, proving some of networks bias’. Even when a network, such as PBL, attempts to give a voice to the Black Community they are silenced by institutions. By including the government and media’s own footage, Pettengill exposes how institutional powers work to create a biased narrative and maintain the prejudicial control of a group in society.

Although the Film explores the late ’60s it draws parallels to today. These parallels show that time passes but institutional powers fight to keep things the same. With an eerie score played against the disquieting footage, Pettengill makes RIOTSVILLE, USA a powerful Documentary that may become one of the most terrifying films we’ve seen in a while.

RIOTSVILLE, USA screens virtually at Sundance:

Premiere: Jan. 21 at 2PM EST
Second Screening: Jan. 23 at 10AM EST (available for 24hrs)

By Amanda Gilmore

FRESH is a delicious Horror film that’s perfectly twisted, fun and well — fresh.

Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is sick of online dating. It’s only led to bland, often repulsive dates. So when she runs into the seemingly enchanting Steve (Sebastian Stan) she takes a chance and gives him her number. What she soon finds out is that behind Steve’s charming grin lays a surprising appetite.

Screenwriter Lauryn Kahn has written a knockout Horror about the risks women face in today’s dating world. Imagine the worst thing that could happen…Kahn takes it to the next level. In doing so, she’s also created a film about the commodification of women’s bodies. The entire concept is dark, however, she brilliantly infuses witty Comedy through dialogue and situations. Thus, allowing the audience moments of levity while swallowing down its feminist message.

Director Mimi Cave builds on this Dark Comedy by adding textual layers and killer retro hits. Cave and Cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski work together to bring close-up shots that thrust the audience into Noa’s claustrophobia. Further, when it gets to the intoxicating late-second and Third Act the Cinematography dazzles to its zealous finish.

At the forefront is the magnetic, wicked performances from Edgar-Jones and Stan. They share a strong rapport and are radiant together. Edgar-Jones is a force having to balance between desire, terror and survival. Later in the second half, Noa begins putting on a performance of her own. Therefore, causing the talented Edgar-Jones to play a double act, which she excels at. And Stan uses his natural charisma to create a terrifying psychopath hidden within a charming exterior. He is truly great at playing bad.

FRESH screens virtually at Sundance:

Premiere: Jan. 21 at 1:55AM EST
Second Screening: Jan. 23 at 10AM EST (available for 24hrs)

We are so excited about LILYISTHATYOU! This Toronto-based Singer/Songwriter is making waves and making statements with her sex-positive message. You’ve likely heard of her viral hit FMRN already, followed by her New Year Anthem PARTY 22! And now comes a new Video for her latest, PURITY directed by Leah Lalich. The Track is unapologetic, fun and unforgettable. This definitely isn’t Safe For Work but you’re probably working from home anyway, so whatever! Enjoy!

We need a proper Toronto show already! Cannot wait to hear what’s next!

(Photo/video credit: Warner Music Canada)