This week, we saw more news around Weinstein (who’s shocked?) but it hasn’t all been grim. People within the industry are standing up and making a difference, whether it’s through sharing their stories, breaking ties with The Weinstein Company, or focusing their efforts on better causes. We also have some exciting and heartwarming projects from…
Tom of Finland Is An Intimate Portrait of An Iconic Artist
Tom of Finland Dome Karukoski (director), Aleksi Bardy (screenplay), Lasse Frank (cinematographer), Harri Ylönen (editor) Pekka Strang, Lauri Tilkanen, Jessica Grabowsky, Taisto Oksanen, Seumas Sargent, Jakob Oftebro, Niklas Hogner (cast) February 24, 2017 (Finland), October 13, 2017 (Worldwide) The story of Tom of Finland, both in director Dome Karukoski’s biopic and in the public imagination,…
Alien: Covenant Decenters its Female Protagonist in Favor of a Man
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Alien: Covenant, as well as discussions of rape analogies. Is the Alien franchise a feminist one? It depends on who you ask. If, and how, and why a film is feminist has always been up for debate in film criticism circles. Feminist films are often helmed by women who…
Tragedy Girls is the Sweetly Subversive Slasher Movie We Need
Tragedy Girls Tyler McIntyre (director and writer), Chris Lee Hill (writer), Pawel Pogorzelski (cinematographer), Martin Pensa (editor) Alexandra Shipp, Brianna Hildebrand, Kevin Durand, Craig Robinson (cast) October 20, 2017 (USA) This movie is fucking great. Like *spoiler alert* I really, really love this movie.
Reel Resistance: TIFF’s Newest Programme Explores Filipino Cinema
After 400 years of colonization, dictatorship, and rebellion, resistance has been written into every page of Filipino history. Spanish/American/Japanese occupations have had an impact in ways still being unpacked today, ways that have manifested in the Filipino people’s own governance of the country. This fall, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Bell Lightbox is bringing…
A Silent Voice is a Perfect Film
A Silent Voice (Koe no Katachi) Naoko Yamada (director), Reiko Yoshida (screenplay), Kazuya Takao (cinematographer), Kengo Shigemura (editor) Miyu Irino, Saori Hayami, Aoi Yūki, Kenshō Ono, Yūki Kaneko (voice cast) Adapted from the manga A Silent Voice by Yoshitoki Ōima October 20, 2017 (USA)
Backlight: Further Weinstein Repercussions and Twitter Boycotts
These past two weeks it’s become increasingly clear that Hollywood is run by a handful of rich, disgusting, decrepit old white men; luckily, many in Hollywood are now coming forward to criticize the culture of abuse and harassment. Here’s hoping all these painful conversations will lead to further change in the industry. We also have…
9 Witchy Films To Make Your Hallowe’en Magical
Hallowe’en is a time of year often associated with magic, spirituality, and witchcraft. In many religions and cultures, it’s a time to remember and celebrate the dead. For witches, it signals greater access to (and from!) the spiritual world. For some, the idea of spirits and fairy-folk entering the human world can seem pretty spooky,…
Gerald’s Game Is A Harrowing Survivor’s Story
Gerald’s Game Mike Flanagan (director and editor), Michael Fimognari (cinematography) Adapted from Stephen King’s Gerald’s Game by Mike Flanagan Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Henry Thomas (cast) Released September 24th (Fantastic Fest), September 29th (internet release) Content Warning: Sexual abuse. I went into Gerald’s Game having not read the book (I shouldn’t be allowed to call…
Backlight: Hollywood Is a Hellscape But There’s Still Some Cool Projects to Look Forward To
The New York Times published a major investigative piece this week exposing decades of sexual harassment by Miramax head, Harvey Weinstein. NYT used a combination of named and unnamed sources, internal documents, and legal filings from settled claims to piece together a story of thirty years of using his position to manoeuvre women into uncomfortable…
Battle of the Sexes Casts a Queer Lens on a Standard Biopic
Battle of the Sexes Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris (Directors), Pamela Martin (editor), Linus Sandgren (cinematography), Simon Beaufoy (screenwriter) Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Andrea Riseborough, Natalie Morales, Sarah Silverman, Bill Pullman, Alan Cumming (cast) September 22, 2017 (USA) Billie Jean King was, and is, an extraordinary woman. She was a World Number One in the sport…
The Shape of Water Is a Fairy Tale That’s As Steadfast as It is Strange
The Shape of Water Guillermo del Toro (director and writer), Vanessa Taylor (writer), Dan Laustsen (cinematographer), Sidney Wolinsky (editor) Sally Hawkins, Doug Jones, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins (cast) September 1, 2017 (Toronto International Film Festival 2017), August 31, 2017 (Venice International Film Festival) An invitation lies at the heart of Guillermo del Toro’s newest…