Spotlight: a rare quality Hollywood film that celebrates good investigative journalism and examines the nature of evil and its spread
Tom McCarthy, “Spotlight” (2015) On rare occasions Hollywood can still demonstrate an ability to make
Category: North American Films
Reviews of films made in Canada and United States including all films made by Hollywood.
The Big Short: a crash course into the causes and toxic culture of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis
Adam McKay, “The Big Short” (2015) How do you tell the story behind the sub-prime
The Gold Rush: a fun and clever film of comedy, drama, romance, horror and thriller elements
Charles Chaplin, “The Gold Rush” (1925, revised 1942) In reality, the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush
Truth: fictional drama has some value in showing how censorship works and propaganda is created
James Vanderbilt, “Truth” (2015) An ambitious film for James Vanderbilt’s directorial debut, though he is
The Great Dictator: using comedy and drama, silent film and talking picture to confront fascism
Charles Chaplin, “The Great Dictator” (1940) It’s over-long and the slapstick comedy is laid on
Let Your Life Be A Friction To Stop The Machine: bare-bones film delivers a devastating alternative history of the United States and the West
“Let Your Life Be A Friction To Stop The Machine” (Class War Films, 2012) It’s
The Handmaid’s Tale: a film affected by its own demonstration of how repressive societies suck the life out of whatever they touch
Volker Schlöndorff, “The Handmaid’s Tale” (1990) Based on the dystopian novel by Canadian writer Margaret
Fear and Desire: an uneven debut meditating on the degradation of war
Stanley Kubrick, “Fear and Desire” (1953) Stanley Kubrick’s debut feature film may be an awkward
This Changes Everything: simplistic globe-trotting essay based on faulty premises
Avi Lewis, “This Changes Everything” (2015) Billed as a film about climate change, this documentary
The Seafarers: a preachy recruitment film for trade union membership with unusual historical relevance
Stanley Kubrick, “The Seafarers” (1953) Stanley Kubrick’s first film made in colour turns out to