Films That Matter
Matt and Jay’s Excellent Adventure
You know, it is pretty rare to have a critically acclaimed comedy movie coming out of Canada – other than Bon Cop, Bad Cop (as well as its sequel), Starbuck, and perhaps a few others (and that might be a stretch)... somehow, despite all the funny people to come out of the country north of the United States, it just doesn’t happen – perhaps because so much of the talent relocates to either New York or Los Angeles. Well, another rare funny film has to be added to the short list: co-star, co-writer, and director Matt Johnson’s Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (2025). Not at all related to the 90s grunge band Nirvana, the concept is actually based upon a web series that ran between 2007-2009, its tv adaptation which spawned in 2017-2018, only for it now to evolve into its current film form.
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Journalist Takes Shocking Journey
Shock CorridorFebruary 26, 201610 days: that was how long it took to film the 1963 B-movie Shock Corridor. Originally advertized as an exploitation picture (and it does have some of those elements), Samuel Fuller’s film about a journalist who has himself committed to solve a mysterious murder is so much more than its original label.
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Staying Under the Radar
The Scarlet and the BlackFebruary 23, 2016It is generally believed that tv movies are pretty average fare. It is rare that a film released on the tube can transcend this preconceived notion and be considered a great movie, yet this is the case with the excellent 1983 flick The Scarlet and the Black.
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Walkaway, Walkaway. . . “It” Will Follow
It FollowsFebruary 21, 2016It Follows is a surprisingly creative new horror picture that avoids using gore and builds its atmosphere the old-fashioned way, taking the typical sex-crazed teen motif and flipping it upside down to create a novel and interesting picture.
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The Long and Short of It
The Big ShortFebruary 16, 2016Adam McKay, the comedic director best known for films like Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Step Brothers, takes a much more serious turn in the Academy Award Best Picture nominee The Big Short.
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Star Pick with Marcus Ovnell
A Road Less TravelledArlington RoadFebruary 14, 2016As you probably read previously, Marcus Ovnell, the writer/director of the outstanding Swedish dramatic thriller The Break-In, explained that his favourite film of all-time was the 1990's classic Shawshank Redemption. Though he said that this was his clear favourite, he also highlighted a lesser known movie as one that I (and others) should watch – the 1999 thriller Arlington Road.
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A Thrilling ‘Sub’ject
Black SeaFebruary 9, 2016A recent movie that has sadly gone completely under the radar is the 2014 submarine heist thriller Black Sea.
