#TIFF14: “THE COBBLER”
Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong
Thomas McCarthy has written some fantastic movies such as Win Win, and Up and has brought his newest feature, The Cobbler to TIFF this year. Unfortunately the Movie in the third act falls apart. It only feels like a typical McCarthy heartwarming Film, but then falls into uncharted territory in the Third Act.
The Movie tries to explain the metaphor of “walk a mile in another man’s shoes” as Max (Adam Sandler) discovers upon his shoe repair ...
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#TIFF14: “TEEN LUST”
Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong
Every Film Festival deserves a Movie that relieves of the tension and seriousness of Festival Movies, and delivers outrageous amounts of laughter and joy to no end. These types of Movies are highly recommended as a way to escape the more emotionally-driven Movies. Thankfully, Teen Lust delivers just that and even more as it proves to be the combination of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Superbad. Teen Lust focuses on Neil (Jesse Carere) and his Best ...
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#TIFF14: “ELEPHANT SONG”
Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong
Elephant Song focuses on the disappearance of a Psychiatrist, Lawrence (Colm Feore), and the last patient who saw him leave that day, Michael (Xavier Dolan). Michael is known for his trickery and psychological mind games against the Doctors in his sessions so anything is possible in regards to Lawrence’s disappearance. This is where Dr. Green (Bruce Greenwood) becomes involved as he is asked to see Michael to find-out about any information he can ...
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#TIFF14: “INFINITELY POLAR BEAR”
Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong
For Writer/Director Maya Forbes, the subject of Mental Illness in her Films is very different from what she is used to, however she makes it work beyond expectations in Infinitely Polar Bear. Her ability to capture the realism of such a powerful Disease is spellbinding as she truly captures the hardships experienced by its Victims and their Loved Ones. However, her work alone in crafting a magnificent Script only gets accentuated by an extremely ...
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#TIFF14: “CUT BANK”
Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong
While filming an Audition Tape outside of the titular Cut Bank, Montana, Dwayne (Liam Hemsworth) and Cassandra (Teresa Palmer) inadvertently witness a murder. Dwayne shows the tape to Sheriff Vogel (John Malkovich) and await the next move – which may include a $100,000 reward. But circumstances change quickly, and Dwayne quickly realizes he may be in a little over his head.
Cut Bank has an intriguing set-up, but after a few fun twists and turns, it ...
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#TIFF14: “CUB”
Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong
Sam (Maurice Luijten) is off with his Cub Scout Troupe on a camping trip in the woods. He is a troubled young boy with no friends and an overactive imagination. His Counselors keep telling the group the tale of Kai, a Monster who kills people in the woods. The Boys laugh it off, but Sam believes it to be the truth. And when he encounters a feral masked Child in the woods, the story may actually be more real than imagined.
Clocking in at 85-minutes, ...
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#TIFF14: “RED ARMY”
Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong
From Executive Producer Werner Herzog, this Documentary provides insights on the differences between the Soviets and the Americans in their training regimes. In this heart-wrenching Story, we learn that anyone playing for the Soviet Team was not allowed to live at home, they had to live on a Training Camp. Aside from the mental anguish that would inflict on anyone it was a proven strategy that worked to win games. However, it desecrated the hope ...
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#TIFF14: “GOOD KILL”
Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong
As a Fan of most of Andrew Niccol’s work I can confidently say that Good Kill is a riveting Drama that truly shows the chemistry Niccol and Ethan Hawke possess. The Film focuses on Major Thomas Egan (Ethan Hawke) and his difficulties of being grounded and working as a Drone Pilot who takes down Al-Qaeda through Drones. However when the CIA enlists the help of Egan and his team, Egan’s feelings towards the fight against terror becomes ...
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#REVIEW: “THE IMITATION GAME”
Based on the true story of Mathematician Alan Turing and his ascension as a brilliant student at Cambridge University, to the groundbreaking Intellect who guided a Team to cracking the Enigma Code, a pivotal component in the British Allies prevailing in World War II, The Imitation Game certainly is a Film which will garner much consideration this Awards Season. Norwegian-born Director Morten Tyldum crafts a deeply-engaging journey here for us with an unconventional Hero whom is no stranger ...
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#TIFF14: “MOMMY”
Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong
French-Canadian Filmmaker Xavier Dolan in his quick rise to the Cinematic Elite, has redefined the way people look at Cinema and does so once again in his latest effort, Mommy. At the center of the Film is Diane (Anne Dorval), her Son Steve (Antoine-Olivier Pilon) and their Neighbour Kyla (Suzanne Clément). Diane, struggling to keep it together herself picks Steve up from a Government Institution and this proves to be quite the ...
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