Directed by Edward Norton
Written by Jonathan Lethem (novel) and Edward Norton (screenplay)
Starring Edward Norton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Alec Baldwin and Willem Dafoe
Running time Two hours, twenty four minutes (sigh)
MPAA Rating R
by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport
”I always did enjoy a night drive.”
In regards to my film criticism, Edward Norton is catching me at a very sensitive and compassionate time in my life.
Read MoreWritten and Directed by Trey Edward Shults
Starring Taylor Russell, Kelvin Harrison, Alexa Demie and Sterling K. Brown
Running Time 2 hours, 15 minutes
MPAA Rating R
by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport
“No second chances, no second place.”
I saw Trey Edward Shults’, Waves at the Toronto Film Festival based solely on the director’s previous work, It Comes at Night (I still need to watch Krisha, I KNOW! but cut me some slack guys. So many movies so little time.) and the buzz it generated from the fest. There was so much chatter about this flick that they made an additional screening available, which is how I was fortunate enough to see it. By not watching the trailer or reading the logline on IMDb, I was not prepared for the emotional roller coaster that I would be taken on. I recommend that viewers do the same for this one, as it may be best to avoid any spoilery plot details to experience the same powerful impact that it had on me.
Read MoreWritten and Directed by Bridget Savage and Danielle Krudy
Starring Sophie Lowe, Morgan Saylor and June Squibb
Running time 1 hour 30 minutes
by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport
It is always the small quaint towns that one has to worry about. Sure they are quiet, but that silence usually signifies secrets.
Read MoreDirected by Andrew Patterson
Written by James Montague and Craig W. Sanger
Starring Sierra McCormick, Jake Horowitz and Gail Cronauer
Running Time 1 hour, 29 minutes
by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport
”Can’t waste tape on a tombstone.”
In the film Vast of Night, Everett (Jake Horowitz) and Fay Crocker (Sierra McCormick) are two radio obsessed beatniks that have an admiration for the airwaves. Setting the film in a fictional 1950s sleepy town called Cayuga, New Mexico, it is safe to say that the writers and director are fans of the Twilight Zone. Cayuga being the name of the host and creator of Twilight Zone, Rod Serling’s production company.
Read MoreWritten and directed by Agnès Varda
Starring Agnès Varda, Sandrine Bonnaire and Hervé Chandès
Running time: 1 hour and 55 minutes
by Benjamin Leonard, Best Boy
I’d seen clips of this mini-series-turned-film when I wrote my piece on Vagabond for our print issue a while back. I was watching to get some background of her process while making the film but was taken by how the clips were, not only, moving and informational, but also beautiful to look at. I watched the film in its entirety at TIFF this year and, if you’re in the Philly area, you can see it this Sunday, the 20th at 12:15 PM at the Ritz East. I was glad to see that her discussions about the rest of her career were as in depth and artful.
Read MoreWritten and directed by Taika Waititi
Adapted from the novel Caging Skies by Christine Leunens
Starring Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie and Scarlett Johansson
MPAA rating: PG-13 for mature thematic content, some disturbing images, violence, and language
Running time: 1 hour and 48 minutes
by Benjamin Leonard, Best Boy
Rosalie and I saw this one at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) though we saw it at different screenings, we had a lot to talk about afterwards. We both knew the basic premise going in, and thought that it could go one of two ways, cringy or fun and silly as hell. Thankfully, it was the latter. In case you don’t know what the story is about, it is set in Nazi Germany and we follow young Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis), his mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansson) and Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie) a young Jewish woman that Rosie is hiding in their house. The comedy comes from the fact that Jojo is so enamoured with Hitler that he becomes his imaginary friend. When Jojo finds out that his mother is harbouring a Jew, he is obviously upset but doesn’t want to get his mother into trouble. There was a hint of cringiness in this movie but it didn’t ruin the rest of the film for me and it would be spoilery to discuss. So I will not do so until the very bottom of this review.
Read MoreDirected by Robert Eggers
Written by Max Eggers and Robert Eggers
Starring Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson, Valeriia Karaman
Running time 1 hour, 49 minutes
MPAA rating R - because of the mermaid sex, farts and f-bombs
by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport and Benjamin Leonard, Best Boy
“Bad luck to kill a seabird.”
There is a lot to unpack in Robert Eggers’ latest feature, The Lighthouse, so it only made sense to have this review be more of a conversational piece. After you view the film, it will most likely make sense how we arrived at this decision. It is one of those movies that immediately upon exiting the theater there is an urge to discuss every frame that was seen, every sound bite that was heard and all the feels that were experience. Sit back, relax and join Moviejawn’s Old Sport and Best Boy on the high seas to discuss this hypnotic tale of adventure about two lighthouse keepers.
Directed by Todd Phillips
Written by Todd Phillips and Scott Silver
Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro and Zazie Beetz
MPAA Rating: R for strong bloody violence, disturbing behavior, language and brief sexual images
Running time: 2 hours, 2 minutes
by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport
“What do you get when you cross a mentally ill person with a society that abandons them?” - Joker
So many damn Jokers.
A compilation of all the dead mothers I mourned at TIFF.
⚰️⚰️⚰️⚰️⚰️⚰️⚰️⚰️⚰️⚰️⚰️⚰️
by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport
After seeing a few flicks at the Toronto Film Festival, themes will emerge across the various films. At last year’s fest, my Moviejawn pal Jaime Leah Davis, noticed several movies such as Widows, Destroyer and Vox Lux featured bad mothers. This discovery inevitably inspired us and led to our most recent subject matter for the Fall 2019 print edition of Moviejawn.
Directed by Rupert Goold
Written by Tom Edge (screenplay), Peter Quilter (based on the stageplay End of the Rainbow)
Starring Renée Zellweger, Jessie Buckley, Rufus Sewell
Run Time 1 hour, 58 minutes
Rating PG-13
by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport
“They hound people in the world, anyone that is different.”
It is impossible for me not to shed a tear when I hear the iconic song, “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz. It is always at the same part too: “...and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true..”.
by Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport and Benjamin Leonard, Best Boy
Making a watch list for TIFF is no easy feat. With four hundred and fourteen films screening at this year’s fest, it is impossible to see every film… even if you are staying for the entire duration. This means that flick picks are a serious matter. There are some flicks that automatically make the cut, such as: Jo Jo Rabbit (better see it before Disney buries it), Knives Out (we are all about Michael Shannon in his sweater) and of course the oddly anticipated (*editor’s note: only Old Sport is excited for this) Joker.
However, the reason to go to a fest like this is to find the diamonds in the rough and to possibly see something that you would not have an opportunity to otherwise. With just a short synopsis, eye-catching photo and cast list, sometimes you take the chance and do the dance. Hey who knows… that movie you took a gamble on could be your next favorite talkie.
Read MoreThe Moviejawn TIFF Special is out now!
Read More