Arrival

  • Op-Ed: Top 10 films of 2016

    Film critics watch a lot of movies. Previous attempts to keep track have failed, but between festivals, and theatrical and home releases the number easily climbs over 500 each year — and yet there are countless films still to be seen. Obviously the quality of these films vary greatly and most of them are not worth ever mentioning again, but there are a fraction of others whose praises should be shouted from the rooftops. Limiting the list to just 10 can be a struggle; particularly as one debates which picture is most deserving of that final place… thus we also have the honourable mentions section. The only basic restriction imposed here is the film must have played theatrically in North America in 2016; although the proliferation of streaming has generated at least one exception.

  • Review: ‘Arrival’ is the sincerest type of science fiction (Includes first-hand account)

    As NASA regularly announces the discovery of distant planets with life sustaining environments, it’s easy to wonder what an encounter with alien life may look like. In addition to the aliens’ possibly strange appearance, how would we communicate with them? Would they come in peace? How would they arrive? Originally the answers to these questions were envisioned in science fiction books, then they moved to films. Without knowing anything about what may be out there, the possibilities of an encounter are infinite. Arrival is the latest picture to imagine what could happen if Earth received visitors from outer space.