As much as I adore my adopted hometown of Toronto, there are times when I wish I lived elsewhere. Usually New York, and usually because of some film-related event. Like right now, when I’m staring at the schedule for the upcoming MOMA To Save and Project film festival. Newly restored versions of NANOOK OF THE NORTH and Frank Capra’s FORBIDDEN on the big screen? A showing of HAXAN: WITCHCRAFT THROUGH…
Movie Reviews: Symbol
SYMBOL (Shinboru): my twitter review for this film pretty much sums it up: “never has one man’s surreal angst been so incredibly funny”. SYMBOL was definitely the weirdest film I saw at TIFF this year, and also the funniest. Funny in that hand-over-mouth,-faintly-embarrassed-to-be-laughing-so-hard-at-this kind of way. If you enjoy those odd Japanese game shows that pop up on Youtube once in a while, SYMBOL is probably for you. The film…
Movie reviews: Valhalla Rising, The Waiting City
Valhalla Rising: I learned a very valuable lesson from VALHALLA RISING; never take your friends to see an art house film, even if said art house film involves a good deal of viking violence. They won’t enjoy it, and their obvious non-enjoyment is going to keep knocking you out of the film as well. VALHALLA RISING is perhaps the most metal film I’ve ever seen; brutal, vicious, desolate and strangely…