Spark: Drama Puts Clever, Winning Time-Loop Twist on Rom-Com Formula
ReviewJim SlotekSpark, Nicholas Giuricich, Theo Germaine, Danell Leyva, Vico Oritz, Inside Out, Inside Out Film Festival, Gay themes, Drama, Time loops, World Premiere
Man Ray Return to Reason: Everything Old is New Again
Raphael: A Portrait Sheds Essential Light on One of History’s Greatest Artists
Hit Man: Richard Linklater’s Easygoing Modern Noir Ponders Identity
By Karen Gordon
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ReviewJim SlotekHit Man, Richard Linklater, TIFF 23, Glenn Powell, Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio, Rette, Sanjay Rao, Drama, Comedy, fact-based drama
Bending Light: Two Astronomers, One Eclipse, and Zero Room for Error Vetting Einstein’s Theory
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga - Epic Action and Still Very Mad, Minus the Max
'I Saw the TV Glow,' So You Don't Have To (But You Still Might Want To)
Stax: Soulsville U.S.A.: The Soundtrack Studio of a Race-Based Social Shift Gets Its Close-Up Doc Series
By Karen Gordon
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ReviewJim SlotekStax Records, HBO's Stax: Soulville U.S.A., Civil Rights movement, Memphis, Tennessee, Otis Redding, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, Carla and Rufus Thomas, Sam & Dave, Jim Stewart, Estelle Axton, Director Jamila Wignot, Crave TV
The Strangers: Chapter One - Same One Note Premise, Too Thin Even For Renny Harlin to Stretch
Limbo: Spare Aussie Noir Captures a History of Racial Inequity
ReviewJim SlotekLimbo, Ivan Sen, Simon Baker, Rob Collins, Natasha Wanganeen, TIFF 23, Australian, Indigenous themed films, Aboriginal films, Black and white, Drama
Sweetland: Thoughtful Tale of a Newfoundland Hamlet So Dead Even the Ghosts Abandon It
By Chris Knight
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IF: John Krasinski's Heartwarming Take on the Comfort of Childhood Imagination
Back To Black: The Coles Notes Version of Amy Winehouse's Life
ReviewJim SlotekBack To Black, Sam Taylor-Johnson, Matt Greenhaigh, Marisa Abela, Lesley Manville, Eddie Marsan, Biopic, Amy Winehouse, Drama, British
New Life: A Lot Like an Old Life, But Still Worth Living
ReviewJim SlotekNew Life, John Rosman, Hayley Erin, Sonya Walger, Tony Amendola, Blaine Palmer, Betty Moyer, first feature, Thriller, Horror, Apocalyptic themes
The Burning Season: Not All Flames are Instantly Visible
Doctor Who: Rebooted Time-Travel Series Gets Fresh, Fun Update
By Chris Knight
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Evil Does Not Exist: A Potent Japanese Eco-Fable from the Director of Drive My Car
ReviewJim SlotekEvil Does Not Exist, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Hitoshi Omika, Ryô Nishikawa, Ryûji Kosaka, Ayaka Shibutani, TIFF 2023, Japanese films, Environmental messages, Environmental issues, Drama
We Grown Now: A Powerful Evocation of Childhood… and Recent History
ReviewJim SlotekWe Grown Now, Minhal Baig, Blake Cameron James, Gian Knight Ramirez, S. Epatha Merkerson, Jurnee Smollett, TIFF 2023, Black lived experience, Drama, American
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: Still Monkeying Around En Route to Planetary Apehood
ReviewJim SlotekKingdom of the Planet of the Apes, La Planète des singes by Pierre Boule, Owen Teague, Motion capture performance, Director Wes Ball, Kevin Durand, Apes with human technology, William H. Macy, Peter Macon, Freya Allan
The Coffee Table: Most Terrifying Film This Year. Just Imagine If it Had a Villain…
