On Screen

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

  • Review: ‘Dead Men Tell No Tales’ except for familiar ones (Includes first-hand account)

    When studios find a cash cow, they’re generally unwilling to let it go even when it seems past due. But as long as audiences are willing to head to the theatre to see the latest installment, studios will keep a franchise going long past its last good movie. That’s not to say there can’t be a return to glory after a bunch of duds, but it’s a rare occurrence. Fortunately dedicated fans keep the hope alive, eager to see if this one could finally be the one. On that note, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man Tell No Tales is new to theatres.

  • Review: ‘Alien: Covenant’ gets closer to the truth (Includes first-hand account)

    As many fans learned thanks to George Lucas, going back to reimagine a beloved series’ origin story is a tricky business. While the creators have unrealized ideas regarding where it all could have started, these are not always in line with audience theories nor is it simple to recapture the essence of what drew viewers to the original films to start. Ridley Scott began this journey with 2012’s Prometheus, which now continues with its first sequel, Alien: Covenant.

  • Review: ‘Hounds of Love’ is made for the amateur criminal profiler (Includes first-hand account)

    Entertainment mediums, particularly primetime television crime dramas, would have audiences believe serial killers are lurking in every corner of the world, even though it’s a relatively uncommon phenomenon. Nonetheless, it’s the idea that a neighbour could be repeatedly killing and no one ever knowing that disturbs most people — as it should. Yet the public’s fascination with serial killers never seems to waver and therefore neither does the content linked to this strange culture. The latest film to approach this subject is the Australian Hounds of Love.

  • Review: ‘Snatched’ doesn’t know how good it could have had it (Includes first-hand account)

    Being clueless in life usually leads to a lot problems: not being able to recognize when things are not going well; being oblivious to your own mistakes; and a general ignorance of everything that surrounds you. In the end, not being aware also means being easily blindsided by things anyone else would’ve seen coming a mile away. While this type of existence is disastrous in real life, it’s comedy fodder for fiction creators. Thus, the character at the centre of Snatched is as impractical as they come.

  • Review: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2’ is awesome like your fave mixtape (Includes first-hand account)

    Taking a chance on a lesser known Marvel property paid off in spades a few years ago when the studio introduced mass audiences to the Guardians of the Galaxy. A flawless cast endeared viewers to these previously unfamiliar characters and the old school soundtrack had them grooving in their seats, all while writer/director James Gunn‘s script entertained, engaged and left everyone wanting more. With the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, their calls have been answered with glorious humour, action and dancing.

  • Review: ‘The Lost City of Z’ pits ignorance against elusive evidence (Includes first-hand account)

    To this day, archeologists continue to discover evidence of previously unknown civilizations, and biologists regularly find new animal and plant species in formerly unexplored lands. But just more than a century ago, the most cultured societies were convinced those found living beyond the borders of establishment could not have developed any level of sophistication worthy of acknowledgement or examination. Referring to these people as “savages,” their value to humanity is dismissed and they are relegated to servants and slaves. In The Lost City of Z (pronounced “zed”), one man tries to convince the world of the existence and value of the yet undocumented Mayans.

  • Review: ‘The Fate of the Furious’ is difficult to predict after this film (Includes first-hand account)

    The Fast and the Furious franchise established itself on a principle of fast cars, crazy stunts and good-looking people. The storylines are generally pretty thin, but that’s not really why audiences go to these movies. The death of one of the stars, Paul Walker, hasn’t slowed their momentum, but whether it’s affected the quality of the movies is another matter. The latest picture, and the first in what is expected to be a closing trilogy, is The Fate of the Furious, which separates the team and replenishes its numbers.

  • Review: ‘Maudie’ paints a complex but fulfilling picture (Includes first-hand account)

    There have been a number of movies based around characters who are underestimated or overlooked because they have a particular mental or physical challenge; frequently the person is faking a debility specifically for this purpose, but other times it’s real even though their abilities have been misjudged. More often than not, it’s outsiders who recognize their aptitude for something before those closest to them even notice. In Maudie, the main character’s talents are acknowledged by strangers and most of the world before her own family accepts she has any.

  • Review: ‘Going in Style’ has considerable flair (Includes first-hand account)

    There’s an intriguing phenomenon occurring in Hollywood at the moment: a generation of accomplished, acclaimed actors and filmmakers are getting old. In spite of being over the traditional age of retirement, they are still flourishing and working well into their 70s, 80s and even 90s. However, in order for them to do so, the types of narratives being told had to mature with them. Consequently, there has been a perceptible increase in the number of films made featuring older protagonists — the trick is to make them appeal to all ages. The latest in this series of films is Going in Style.

  • Review: ‘Gifted’ has a touching and undeniable authenticity (Includes first-hand account)

    Stories that centre on a child’s well-being are always interesting because its constitution often seems to be a matter of opinion. Of course there are minimum standards regarding food, shelter, safety, education and other necessities on which most people can agree, but beyond that things begin to become subjective – particularly when it comes to matters of money and who has more of it. However, a child’s happiness is reliant on much more than just material things and their best interests are not always served by bigger wallets. In director Marc Webb‘s Gifted, a young girl’s future is debated by the courts after seven years of no one taking an interest.

  • Review: ‘The Zookeeper’s Wife’ puts humanity at the forefront of war (Includes first-hand account)

    Before Germany invaded most countries in World War II, people of all creeds lived harmoniously. Yet when they arrived, those same people watched their neighbours be rounded up at gunpoint and first taken to ghettos then concentration camps. Yet there were some who could not stand by and watch as friends and strangers were led like lambs to the slaughter. They’re the subjects of countless stories of courageous souls risking their lives to save others. The latest is The Zookeeper’s Wife, which chronicles a dangerous underground railroad for Jews escaping Poland.

  • ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ trailer is packed with villainous mayhem (Includes first-hand account)

    Considering the number of Spider-Man movies that have been released in the last 15 years, including two reboots, it wasn’t entirely surprising they decided to introduce the new actor in a Marvel team-up instead of a standalone film. But now it’s time for Tom Holland to don the blue and red suit in his own picture… with a little help from Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.). One of the most reassuring things about the Spider-Man: Homecoming trailer is it doesn’t appear audiences will be forced to sit through yet another origin story.