On Screen

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

  • Review: Retrospective shows Barbara Stanwyck was force to reckon with (Includes first-hand account)

    In the early days, Hollywood was an interesting and complex playground. Under long studio contracts and the watchful eye of Will H. Hays at the Motion Picture Production Code, it could be difficult to build a career with much variety or risk. Yet it’s clear some actors and filmmakers were determined to push the envelope and not succumb to accepted practices. Actresses like Barbara Stanwyck were excited to push the limits of perceived decency; but more importantly, she chose big screen roles that challenged the notions of acceptable behaviour for women. TIFF Bell Lightbox’s Hollywood Classics retrospective, “Ball of Fire: The Films of Barbara Stanwyck,” is an excellent sampling of her career that brought a series of strong, competent and uncompromising female characters to the screen.

  • Review: ‘Big News from Grand Rock’ has funny consequences (Includes first-hand account)

    Journalistic integrity is a serious issue. Fact-checking is a customary expectation for quality control; but in the fast-paced world of social media, organizations and editors may feel they don’t always have the time to obtain confirmation without losing ground to a competitor on breaking news. However instances of outright lies are considered the worst offense, both within the industry and by media consumers. In Big News from Grand Rock, a reporter manufactures attention-grabbing headlines in an attempt to save his small town’s publication.

  • Review: Rom com narrator does opposite of ‘Playing it Cool’ (Includes first-hand account)

    Finding “the one” is a complex quest with no sure fire directives. For most people it’s a matter of trial and error, and even then it may not live up to expectations or be everything you pictured. Unfortunately love is not an exact science, though learning from those experiences is part of the journey. In Playing it Cool, a man whose shunned love most of his life is surprised to find his ideal match is unavailable.

  • Review: ‘Siddharth’ explores the darker corners of India (Includes first-hand account)

    Seeing an Amber Alert for a missing child generates a lot of emotions, regardless of whether you have any connection to the family. It’s easy to sympathize with the concerned relatives as your mind wanders to the worst case scenario with equal lack of effort. Both of these reactions are a part of human nature as empathy strengthens our sense of community and the other attempts to prepare us for bad news. It’s troublesome to see an unsupervised child in a crowded mall; how much easier it must be for predators when the kid is alone in a teeming a city. Siddharth is the name of a missing 12-year-old from Delhi.

  • Review: ‘The Wrecking Crew’ reveals the musicians behind the curtain (Includes first-hand account)

    When attending a live show, it’s usually rare to hear the performers replicate the studio or radio versions of their songs. The current and general consensus is that the music is polished during recording so it sounds its best possible, making improvements that are not necessarily natural to the musician or singer. But several decades ago, there was a good possibility that a group sounded different live because another ensemble of instrumentalists played on the album. The Wrecking Crew was the nickname of a collection of professional musicians that could be heard on many of the albums and hit singles produced in the ‘50s, ‘60s and early ‘70s.

  • Review: ‘McFarland’ is strong from start to finish (Includes first-hand account)

    Underdog stories are always so appealing. Regardless of the sport or task, watching someone overcome various obstacles to prove wrong their peers and all the naysayers they’ve ever encountered can be quite inspiring. If the film is done right, the audience experiences every up and down with the character(s), and shares in their triumph when they’ve finally achieved their goal. McFarland (a.k.a. McFarland, USA) is done right.

  • Review: ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ is bloody clever (Includes first-hand account)

    The mockumentary is a wonderful way to shine a spotlight on important events or issues, but it also has the potential to be incredibly entertaining when applied to less serious or even unrealistic subjects. Giving an authentic quality to an absurd storyline can be very satisfying. In the case of What We Do in the Shadows, the film crew is chronicling the lives of a group of older vampires who share a flat in New Zealand.

  • Review: ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ focuses on one conventional tone (Includes first-hand account)

    Probably one of the most hotly anticipated Valentine’s weekend releases in history, just the presale tickets for Fifty Shades of Grey were enough to green light its two sequels and guarantee the trilogy would be completed on screen. Even the majority of early reviews had a positive slant, which undoubtedly gave Universal Pictures the confidence to commit to producing two more golden eggs. But the book had many critics — and for good reason — so how does the film improve on such a hot mess?

  • Review: ‘Seventh Son’ not a sign of superiority (Includes first-hand account)

    Medieval stories are filled with magic and monsters that only the most noble of men can defeat. Knights, legacies and/or those with a pure heart are called upon to fight the evil that haunts a land and — because as G.K. Chesterton said, “… Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed,” — they are almost always triumphant. This is the world in which Seventh Son exists.

  • Review: Hard-hitting documentary shorts make Oscar’s nominee list (Includes first-hand account)

    Documentaries are filmmakers’ opportunity to share a piece of history or personal journey with the world in a compelling and tangible manner. Some stories don’t require an hour or more to convey its significance, which is where the documentary short serves its purpose. It’s unfortunate this type of filmmaking is so often utilized to tell such grave stories, but all of this year’s Oscar nominees for the category skilfully deal with death, illness or hardship.

  • Review: Oscar-nominated Animated shorts are no small matter (Includes first-hand account)

    The Oscar-nominated animated short films range from light-hearted comedy to heartrending allegory. Some filmmakers tell tender tales that benefit from the shortened style, while others use it to deliver vital commentary on societal issues. Even the animation types vary from hand-drawn to computer-generated. But each is independently exceptional and deserving of the Academy’s recognition.