CANADIAN CLASSICKS: RITUALS
Canadian Classicks is a look at some of the gems and turds from the so-called “tax shelter period,” when the Canadian government introduced new laws in an effort to boost domestic film production. For the first installment of this new column, I revisit what’s considered by many to be a certifiable classic: 1977′s “Rituals.”
Posted on April 20, 2009 by Mariko McDonald
DETROIT METAL CITY
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  Year Released: 2008 MPAA Rating: Unrated Running Time: 104 minutes |
Adapted from the popular cult manga by Kiminori Wakasugi, Toshio Lee’s “Detroit Metal City” is a colourful, campy and very funny ode to following your dreams, even if they don’t turn out the way you’d initially expected…
Posted on November 12, 2008 by Mariko McDonald
REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA
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  Year Released: 2008 MPAA Rating: Unrated Running Time: 98 minutes |
IN LIMITED RELEASE! Only time will tell whether “REPO!” can live up to its cult potential, but the potential is most definitely there…
Posted on November 8, 2008 by Mariko McDonald
SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK
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  Year Released: 2008 MPAA Rating: R Running Time: 124 minutes |
IN LIMITED RELEASE! For a film that is principally about death, the conclusion is surprisingly life-affirming, especially coming from Kaufman…
Posted on October 26, 2008 by Mariko McDonald
UPSTREAM BATTLE
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Year Released: 2008 MPAA Rating: Unrated Running Time: 97 minutes |
At a time when the effects of globalization, the energy crisis and environmental crisis are finally starting to hit home, intelligent, even-handed documentaries like “Upstream Battle” are an essential part of the dialogue…
Posted on October 9, 2008 by Mariko McDonald
BOPPIN’ AT THE GLUE FACTORY
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  Year Released: 2007 MPAA Rating: Unrated Running Time: 0 minutes |
There are character introductions, and then there are character introductions. And our introduction to Eric (Henry Dittman), the lead character of Jeff Orgill’s debut feature “Boppin’ At the Glue Factory,” is definitely one of the more memorable introductions seen in an indie picture…
Posted on August 17, 2008 by Mariko McDonald
EX DRUMMER
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  Year Released: 2007 MPAA Rating: Unrated Running Time: 90 minutes |
2008 FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL FEATURE! Comparisons to Gasper Noe and Michael Haneke are inevitable, but the energy and wholeness of the vision ensure that “Ex Drummer” is entirely its own animal…
Posted on August 7, 2008 by Mariko McDonald
WHO IS KK DOWNEY?
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Year Released: 2007 MPAA Rating: Unrated Running Time: 90 minutes |
2008 DEAD CHANNELS FILM FESTIVAL FEATURE! Sure to be scooping up yet another audience award at a film festival near you, “Who is KK Downey?” is an auspicious debut feature of deeply funny talent…
Posted on July 21, 2008 by Mariko McDonald
THE ECHO
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Year Released: 2008 MPAA Rating: Unrated Running Time: 0 minutes |
For an American horror film, “The Echo” is above average, but as an Asian horror remake it fails to stand-out…
Posted on July 21, 2008 by Mariko McDonald
SPARROW
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Year Released: 2008 MPAA Rating: Unrated Running Time: 87 minutes |
For the time actually spent watching the film, “Sparrow” is as refreshing as a cool glass of lemonade on a hot day…
Posted on July 21, 2008 by Mariko McDonald
LA CRÈME
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Year Released: 2008 MPAA Rating: Unrated Running Time: 0 minutes |
While the film doesn’t exactly mine new ground comedy wise, the simplicity with which the story is told still manages to make it stand out…
Posted on July 21, 2008 by Mariko McDonald
I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW
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Year Released: 2008 MPAA Rating: Unrated Running Time: 70 minutes |
Both subjects seem to really enjoy the attention they get from the camera, but the filmmakers are careful not to exploit them…
Posted on July 21, 2008 by Mariko McDonald
BEFORE THE FALL (TRES DÍAS)
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Year Released: 2008 MPAA Rating: Unrated Running Time: 93 minutes |
2008 AFI FEST FEATURE! With a plot the sounds like a cross between Michael Bay’s “Armageddon” and a Spanish soap opera, F. Javier Gutiérrez’s feature film debut is an interesting, if uneven, twist on the standard end of the world drama…
Posted on July 21, 2008 by Mariko McDonald
MEEKO’S MOVIE NIGHT MASSACRE: “9 SOULS”
Because I’m in a new city, in a new apartment, calling it “Enter the Den of Sin” just didn’t feel right, but I still love movies and sharing them with my friends, so I give you: Meeko’s Movie Night Massacre…
Posted on July 9, 2008 by Mariko McDonald
MEEKO’S MOVIE NIGHT MASSACRE: “INSIDE (À L’INTÉRIEUR)”
Because I’m in a new city, in a new apartment, calling it “Enter the Den of Sin” just didn’t feel right, but I still love movies and sharing them with my friends, so I give you: Meeko’s Movie Night Massacre…
Posted on July 9, 2008 by Mariko McDonald