Hamnet review: Amazing things come out of grief
‘Hamnet’ goes off-stage to show the devastating events that may have inspired Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, ‘Hamlet.’
Jessie Buckley
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TIFF ’23 Review: ‘Wicked Little Letters’ passionately expresses its opinions
‘Wicked Little Letters’ is an uproarious thriller that centres on a severed friendship, inept police work and letters not for the faint of heart.
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Review: ‘Women Talking’ follows the difficult journey of a community of women taking back their personhood
‘Women Talking’ is a moving depiction of the effects of trauma and the difficulty of rising above years of victimhood.
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TIFF ’22 Review: ‘Women Talking’ is a poignant examination of trauma
‘Women Talking’ centres on a group of women who finally decide to put their safety first, but must now weigh the consequences of their actions.
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Review: ‘Dolittle’ is fluent in dog and fun (Includes first-hand account)
Even though we know animals probably don’t think the way we do, it’s nonetheless fun to project human reasoning and emotions onto them. People have imaginary/one-sided conversations with their pets and add humorous narrations to nature videos. Consequently, anthropomorphism is very prevalent in fiction as animals can be used to tell stories of social commentary as well as entertaining ventures. The more amusing narratives usually fall into the drama or comedy category, and have been presented in live-action, animated and the ever more popular CGI formats. Dolittle is a mix of these as it puts its personal twist on the tale of a doctor who can speak to animals.
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Review: TIFF 2019: ‘Judy’ is a tale of joy and tears on- and off-screen (Includes first-hand account)
Being a famous child actor is a difficult gig as you’re constantly in demand and living any semblance of a normal life may be out of the question with shoots and promotional tours filling your calendar. It was even worse before the rules protecting kids, regulating their work hours and mandating school work, were put into place. Before that, young actors were pushed to their limits with long work days, uncaring handlers and mismanaged careers. Judy Garland was America’s sweetheart, but it didn’t do her any favours in life. The biopic, Judy, is adapted from the stage play, “End of the Rainbow,” and portrays her final residence at a London nightclub in 1968.
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Review: TIFF 2017: ‘Beast’ is in all of us (Includes first-hand account)
Most modern-day fairy tales tend to still be a literal extension of the originals with enchanted settings, magical creatures and fantastic conclusions. However, there are less common instances in which the fabled elements serve as inspiration for a more complex narrative. The characters are representative of storybook personalities rather than exact replicas of their imaginary counterparts, allowing for more contemporary tales with familiar roots. In Beast, there are a number of fairy tale-type characters dealing with not very whimsical issues.
