'Wonder Woman 1984' Overcomes Its Uneven Script with Pure '80s Escapism Directed by Patty Jenkins

Published Dec 21, 2020

The year 1984 had many victories: the first solo transatlantic flight, the first untethered spacewalk, the identification of the AIDS virus,...

'Ammonite' Is a Delicate, Tranquil Romance from Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan Directed by Francis Lee

Published Nov 16, 2020

Ammonite is a type of coiled fossil, small in the centre and spiralling outward. These remains of extinct marine life symbolize the beginnin...

'Proxima' Takes a Celestial Look at Motherhood Directed by Alice Winocour

Published Nov 06, 2020

French director Alice Winocour's Proxima opens with a conversation between a mother and a daughter. For a film that I like to refer to as "E...

'Nocturne' Makes Classic Music Seem Downright Devilish Directed by Zu Quirke

Published Oct 13, 2020

The Italian composer Giuseppe Tartini allegedly once said that he dreamed the devil had appeared to him sitting on the end of his bed. The d...

EIFF Review: 'How to Be a Good Wife' Turns Outdated Gender Stereotypes into a Feel-Good Parody Directed by Martin Provost

Published Oct 05, 2020

Martin Provost's How to Be a Good Wife is a film that embodies "Vive la révolution!" It's not an unfamiliar premise in its critiques gender...

'Eternal Beauty' Proves Normal Is Boring in Its Story of Mental Illness Directed by Craig Roberts

Published Oct 02, 2020

Before sitting down to watch Eternal Beauty, it felt like I hadn't seen Sally Hawkins since her Oscar-nominated turn in The Shape of Water....

The Best (and Worst) Films We Saw at TIFF 2020

Published Sep 21, 2020

The Toronto International Film Festival normally takes over the city with Hollywood premieres, celebrity sightings and massive crowds of fil...

TIFF Review: 'I Care a Lot' Is Heartless and Horrible — in the Best Way Directed by J Blakeson

Published Sep 14, 2020

"Look at you," begins a narration by Rosamund Pike at the opening of I Care a Lot. She tells us we're not good people because there's no suc...

'Summerland' Is the Feel-Good Movie We Need Right Now Directed by Jessica Swale

Published Aug 21, 2020

It's the 1970s. An elderly woman sits at her desk, clacking away on her typewriter. She's a reclusive writer, like many in history, and this...

Netflix's 'Hollywood' Exposes the Darkness of Tinseltown's Golden Age

Published Apr 29, 2020

In 1932, at the age of 24, actress Peg Entwistle climbed a workman's ladder to the top of the Hollywood sign and jumped to her death. This t...

'To the Stars' Makes Us Yearn for Better Modern Queer Films Directed by Martha Stephens

Published Apr 23, 2020

Lesbian narratives have had a strong few years – you could even say a strong decade. While they still pale in comparison to films that focus...

'Endings, Beginnings' Is Like a Humourless Episode of 'The Bachelorette' Directed by Drake Doremus

Published Apr 20, 2020

Jamie Dornan or Sebastian Stan? This is the difficult choice Shailene Woodley must make in Drake Doremus's Endings, Beginnings. Or, the ques...

'Killing Eve' Season 3 Adds Depth to Its Usual Murder and Intrigue

Published Apr 07, 2020

Killing Eve's new season begins with a toast. "I'm so much happier now she's dead," Villanelle says, in a scene introduced in the trailer th...

Stalker Tale 'The Night Clerk' Kinda Lacks Thrills Directed by Michael Cristofer

Published Feb 20, 2020

Michael Cristofer, best known for his roles in Smash and Mr. Robot, is behind the director's chair for his first feature since 2001's Origin...

TIFF Next Wave Review: 'Kuessipan' Is a Love Letter to Quebec's Innu Directed by Myriam Verrault

Published Feb 18, 2020

The word "kuessipan" means "your turn" in the Innu language, and in her novel, Naomi Fontaine uses that word as its title because it's the I...

TIFF Next Wave Review: 'Children of the Sea' Has Beautiful Oceanic Visuals that Distract from its Environmental Message Directed by Ayumu Watanabe

Published Feb 14, 2020

Japanese animated film Children of the Sea, based on the manga series of the same name, follows Azumi Ruka (Mana Ashida), a bored teen on su...

TIFF Next Wave Review: 'Crshd' Puts a Gen-Z Spin on Rom-Com Tropes Directed by Emily Cohn

Published Feb 14, 2020

Emily Cohn's feature debut, Crshd, is a charming little Gen Z comedy dedicated to all the self-conscious, awkward girls out there.    The...

'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' Star Noémie Merlant Discusses #MeToo and Playing a Woman Outside the Patriarchy

Published Feb 13, 2020

"It represents a way of telling a story that we've been missing for a long time," Noémie Merlant tells Exclaim! about her new film, Portrait...

'The Adventures of Paddington' Is the Light, Wholesome Content We Need

Published Jan 20, 2020

Wall Street Journal critic Joe Morgenstern described Paddington 2 as, "The Godfather Part II of Peruvian bear movies, a sequel that surpasse...

Five Women that the Oscars Overlooked for Best Director

Published Jan 16, 2020

"Women have minds and they have souls, as well as just hearts. They've got ambition and they've got talent, as well as just beauty," Saoirse...