Films That Matter
Star Pick with Kurt Angle
It was an absolute pleasure to meet and get a quick interview with the great Kurt Angle this past summer in Ottawa. First making a name for himself on the amateur wrestling circuit, it all culminated with a gold medal win (with a broken neck, no less) at the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, Georgia. The ultimate achievement for most amateur athletes, this was not the end for Angle, but only the beginning. Just a mere two years later, he had signed on to the World Wrestling Federation (now the WWE or World Wresting Entertainment), a leap that would soon find him taking professional wrestling by storm. Making his television debut in November of 1999, he was a natural, not only at the wrestling, but also on the mike.
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Vigilante Justice
Gran TorinoHarry BrownMarch 1, 2016I am excited to announce that a new feature has come to Filmizon.com – the ability to do a Dual/Duel movie review. I can think of no better way of putting the new set-up to the test than comparing one of the best films of 2008 – Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino, to a lesser known, but equally strong picture – 2009's Harry Brown, starring Michael Caine.
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Bridge Over Troubled Water
Bridge of SpiesFebruary 28, 2016The Cold War was a truly unique, interesting and scary time when the whole world felt upside down – how else can you describe a worldwide conflict where tensions could not be higher yet bullets and bombs were not being fired. Paranoia, fear and propaganda ruled the day as two very different ideologies, brought forth by two powerhouse nations, fought for the hearts and minds of the world’s populace. It is in this intense setting that Steven Spielberg re-teams with Tom Hanks to make the harrowing, fish-out-of-water story Bridge of Spies.
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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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An Evening to Remember
February 19, 2016On a cold and blistery winter’s night (Friday, February 12th, 2016 to be exact), where drivers were hit with snow squalls, white outs, icy roads and frigid temperatures, more than three hundred people made their way to the seventy-five year old historic Port Theatre in Cornwall, Ontario to attend the first movie premiere the city has ever held. Though some arrived late and others would not make it to the cinema (some having to turn around, while others had to be towed home), most arrived unscathed, gathering to mingle in the lobby as writer, director, producer, editor and actor Marcus Ovnell waited to graciously greet the attendees.
