'Random Acts of Violence' Wades into the Murky Ethics of Using Murder for Entertainment Directed by Jay Baruchel

Published Jul 31, 2020

At one time, the true crime that set me on edge were the paperbacks with a few glossy pages stuck in the middle, showing photos of the kille...

CUFF Review: 'Climate of the Hunter' Feels Like a Stylistic Exercise Directed by Mickey Reece

Published Jun 22, 2020

Climate of the Hunter finds a chill in the air, inside and outside the cabins in which the movie is set. The title recalls The Night of the...

CUFF Review: 'Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets' Is a Drunken Farewell to a Beloved Watering Hole Directed by the Ross Brothers

Published Jun 22, 2020

The people in the room almost need to go through what Bruce is saying word by word. Parts keep getting lost, but eventually, his sentiment i...

Hot Docs Review: 'Hoop Dreams' Filmmaker Examines the Nuances of Chicago Life in 'City So Real' Directed by Steve James

Published Jun 09, 2020

Laquan McDonald, a Black 17-year-old, was shot 16 times while turned away from the Chicago Police Department officer who murdered him in 201...

Hot Docs Review: 'The Painter and the Thief' Turns Crime into Art Directed by Benjamin Ree

Published Jun 08, 2020

Plenty of entertaining documentaries are built from being in the right place at the right time. The Painter and the Thief — a doc filled wit...

Hot Docs Review: 'Mayor' Highlights the Day-to-Day Practicalities of Palestinian Political Life Directed by David Osit

Published Jun 01, 2020

Few documentaries come across discussion of a Christmas tree that's politically fraught. In Mayor, director David Osit's sophomore feature,...

'The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open' Explores Shared Connections and Conflicts Directed by Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn

Published Mar 23, 2020

A specific significance of this film's title, The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, might be lost on me. To pick out the pair of wor...

CUFF Review: 'Los Reyes' Tells a True-Life Shaggy Dog Tale That'll Warm Hearts Directed by Bettina Perut and Iván Osnovikoff

Published Dec 04, 2019

In looking at Los Reyes, a story of a couple of strays, it's tough not to think about the lived conditions of capitalism. People keep moving...

CUFF Review: 'Our Time Machine' Explores Art and Remembrance via Chinese Theatre Directed by S. Leo Chiang and Yang Sun

Published Dec 04, 2019

What makes a work worth remembering? Worth not only being experienced by audiences in its own time and place, but to be talked about after?...

'Varda by Agnès' Is a Fascinating Final Statement From a Film Legend Directed by Agnès Varda

Published Nov 19, 2019

A crowd filters into a room, captured in time lapse, while a director's chair with the name "Agnès" on the back sits empty onstage. Agnès Va...

CUFF Review: 'Where in the Hell Is the Lavender House: The Longmont Potion Castle Story' Gets in the Way of its Prank Call Chronicle Directed by David Hall and Thomas Rotenberg

Published Nov 11, 2019

In one of many fan interviews peppered throughout Where in the Hell Is the Lavender House: The Longmont Potion Castle Story, it's observed t...

CUFF Review: 'Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street' Is an Overdue Look at Homophobia in Horror Directed by Tyler Jensen and Roman Chimienti

Published Nov 11, 2019

A New Nightmare was director Wes Craven's big swing at revitalizing the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. In the seventh film of the series...

TIFF Review: 'Knuckle City' Explores Masculinity From the Boxing Ring Directed by Jahmil X.T. Qubeka

Published Sep 05, 2019

With a rich cinematic history of boxing films to draw from, writer and director Jahmil X.T. Qubeka pulls one of the most on-point references...

'Always Be My Maybe' Is a Rom-Com From a Slightly Different Perspective Directed by Nahnatchka Khan

Published May 30, 2019

The heat coming off of the trailer for Always Be My Maybe was palpable, even if what the preview promised was comfort food. Pairing hit stan...

'All Is True' Gives Branagh a Chance to Play the Bard Himself Directed by Kenneth Branagh

Published May 21, 2019

Without being immersed in certain theatrical scenes, I can't say where a man like Kenneth Branagh ranks among the interpreters of William Sh...

'Arctic' Won't Soothe Winter Anxiety, but We Can Keep Mads Mikkelsen Company Directed by Joe Penna

Published Feb 20, 2019

A February Canadian release for a movie like Arctic has potential for risks and rewards. As audiences here are struggling with temperatures...

'Serenity' Offers Noir on the Water but Lacks Clarity Directed by Steven Knight

Published Jan 24, 2019

Screenwriter-by-trade Steven Knight's last film as director, Locke, is almost all talk, literally. Tom Hardy spends the entire film in his c...

CUFF Docs Review: 'People's Republic of Desire' Exposes the Dark Side of Chinese Social Media Directed by Hao Wu

Published Nov 28, 2018

Obsolescence is the threat looming over every streaming host in People's Republic of Desire, the same that hangs over many content producers...

CUFF Docs Review: 'Rodents of Unusual Size' Offers the Pro and Anti Giant Rat Perspective Directed by Quinn Costello, Chris Metzler and Jeff Springer

Published Nov 28, 2018

Nutria are immediately memorable if you get a look at their faces. The rodent's size is noteworthy — about the size of a beaver. The thing,...

'Science Fair' Sees the Future Through Young Minds Directed by Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster

Published Oct 29, 2018

Science Fair, the new documentary produced by National Geographic, doesn't start with a hypothesis, but with an assertion. The filmmakers se...