On Screen

Smart reviews for the visually obsessed. On Screen features film reviews and festival coverage, spotlighting cinematic craft, storytelling and standout performances.

  • Review: ‘The Shape of Water’ is Guillermo Del Toro’s best film to date (Includes first-hand account)

    Put simply: Guillermo Del Toro makes interesting films. When he’s tackling a specific genre, the result is uniquely striking. Even when they incorporate conventions, the stories are spellbinding, and the visuals are frequently breathtaking. Just the announcement of his next project builds immediate anticipation for the picture, which is usually still years from release. Del Toro’s latest film is undoubtedly a project that was close to his heart, which he’s unmistakeably poured into this movie as well. The Shape of Water is one of the year’s best and most favoured films.

  • Review: ‘Coco’ is a striking story that shines brightly in many ways (Includes first-hand account)

    Even though many aspects of particular cultures have been monetized, it doesn’t mean everyone has a firm grasp of its original meaning or purpose. Some things are simply adopted because they have an appealing look that can be easily mass-produced while retaining only a loose association with its origins. Sugar skulls are a wildly popular decorative item, however its connection to the Day of the Dead and the reason for the celebration is only vaguely understood by various patrons. Pixar decided to explore the event via their typically accessible storytelling style in their latest picture, Coco.

  • Review: ‘Justice League’ demonstrates the power of teamwork (Includes first-hand account)

    When a studio or its filmmakers are devoid of original ideas or true creativity, they take what they have and compare it to what’s already out there; then they make adjustments in an attempt to produce a success rather than a unique and/or engrossing picture. DC carries the weight of decades of cinematic history to live up to, but looking at their narratives as a contest instead of a standalone entry into the zeitgeist is part of the problem. They need to focus on being good, not better. On the heels of the dismal Batman v Superman and the exceptional Wonder Woman, Justice League tries to find some middle ground.

  • Review: ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ is the wittiest Marvel movie to date (Includes first-hand account)

    With Thor not being included in Captain America: Civil War, Marvel appeared to take to social media to explain his absence via hilarious short videos about him attempting to assimilate to civilian, human life in Chris Hemsworth‘s native Australia. This was followed by an amusing post-credit sequence in which the God of Thunder has an awkward sit down with Doctor Strange and a bottomless beer stein. While it seemed like the studio was just having some fun with one of its more popular characters, it turns out they were actually laying the groundwork for their latest superhero picture, Thor: Ragnarok, which takes a decidedly lighter approach to the franchise.

  • Review: Someone has an unfair advantage in ’Sixty Minutes to Midnight’ (Includes first-hand account)

    As war and disasters increasingly normalize violence and death, people become immune to the bloody consequences… even more frighteningly, they can begin to crave the carnage. It’s been theorized that this phenomenon has led to an increase in brutality in movies and video games, which in turn has led to an increase in everyday aggression. This idea has been represented in fiction in a variety of ways and for much longer than the current potential culprits have existed. The latest to explore this lust for blood is an independent picture titled Sixty Minutes to Midnight, which turns surviving into a game that’s certainly fixed.

  • Review: ‘Leatherface’ is justly confident in its portrayal of an icon (Includes first-hand account)

    As movie studios continue to reach back in time for inspiration and content, many are taking a small step away from the direct remake to create background stories for well-known characters. While these narratives are related to the popular films that made these personalities famous, they still allow an abundance of room for creativity when constructing the previously unknown but perhaps hinted at origin stories. The latest in this rising trend is Leatherface, which travels to a time long before the chainsaw-wielding maniac ever struck fear in the hearts of road trippers.

  • Review: ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ takes its crazy gunplay overseas (Includes first-hand account)

    Everyone is familiar with the usual protectors, such as first responders, military and government agencies, but the fictional, secret defenders can be so much more interesting. Cloak-and-dagger codenames, classified missions, undisclosed locations, unparalleled skill, and technology most people never even dreamed could exist are just some of the elements that make this genre so attractive. For decades the Brits have had James Bond, but more recently audiences were introduced to the Kingsman. And now picking up after the terrible tragedy that concluded the first film, Kingsman: The Golden Circle takes on a new threat that will tear them apart.

  • Review: ‘The Hitman’s Bodyguard’ swears by its talented stars (Includes first-hand account)

    Most movie fans have a wish list of actors they’d like to see appear in a film together. Whether it’s because they’d complement each other in an on-screen partnership or make terrific adversaries, one hopes to eventually find out if they’re matchmaking is correct. Such things don’t always pan out, either because the project wasn’t actually up to snuff or they really don’t mesh as well as everyone had predicted, in which case audiences leave disappointed. But then there’s the collaborations no one ever really considered, but turn out to be a triumphant combination. Uniting Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson in The Hitman’s Bodyguard falls in the latter category.

  • Review: ‘Annabelle: Creation’ is creepy… some of the time (Includes first-hand account)

    As a child, dolls that share the features of its owner — height, hair and eye colour, outfits — are delightful. Seeing themselves reflected in the figures brings them a strange sense of camaraderie that feeds their imaginations. However, as an adult, one begins to view these once charming toys with suspicion. What lurks behind those lifelike eyes that follow you across the room? What evil may possess the doll for its malevolent purposes? In Annabelle: Creation, such distrust comes too late.

  • Review: ‘The Dark Tower’ is on another path (Includes first-hand account)

    For as long as filmmakers have been adapting books for the screen, there have been a number of works deemed not filmable either due to their length, complexity or demands on the imagination. Then a visionary arrives who sees a way, often through modern techniques, to achieve the impossible. There have been many instances in which the ability to do something has not equated to the ability to do it well, but we still award these creators an A+ for effort. Of course sometimes the answer is to simply do it differently. More than a decade after the last book in the series was written, The Dark Tower is making its big screen debut.

  • Review: ‘Detroit’ doesn’t hold back in this raw historical account (Includes first-hand account)

    One of the most compelling reasons to make art is to tell a story that has not yet been told. This need becomes stronger when the untold tale carries some social significance or could add to an important, contemporary conversation. Creating a movie based on fact is a tricky business, particularly when the truth is buried between opposing accounts of the same event. But when one embarks on such a task, they accept the responsibility that accompanies it to be as accurate as possible under the circumstances and within the confines of an entertainment medium. Director Kathryn Bigelow assumed this duty when she decided to make Detroit.

  • Review: ‘Atomic Blonde’ is the perfect secret weapon (Includes first-hand account)

    For a long time, strong female characters were usually relegated to the role of femme fatale — the male protagonist’s enemy and potential downfall. In spite of being equally lethal and attractive, she was rarely given the opportunity to lead the charge; instead she was defeated and discarded before the end credits so the hero can complete his mission and sweep his less threatening leading lady off her feet. But that’s all starting to change. Women are taking the lead in action movies and kicking butt in the process. The latest in this promising trend is Atomic Blonde.