“Annihilate the spectres,” spits Os Bijourn (Mark Proksch) in all seriousness, to a frazzled Dan Papadakis (Steve Zissis) in writer-director Carson Mell’s debut feature, the gut-busting horror-comedy Another Evil. This eccentric, original, and nimble film, shot by Mell on a micro-budget, wickedly unravels like a mumblecore Ghostbusters. Another Evil works best as a low-key comedy […]
VIFF 2016 Review
Under the Shadow – VIFF 2016 Review
Set amidst the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s (“This war seems to be never ending,” quips one character early on in the film) and with a sinking feeling of dread everlasting, Babak Anvari’s (Two & Two) latest cinematic offering is a forcible ghost story with a stirring feminist slant. Narges Rashidi is stunning as Shideh; […]
Operation Avalanche – VIFF 2016 Review
“Yeah but this is one of the good lies, like Santa or the Easter Bunny,” interjects CIA Agent Matt Johnson in the comic thriller Operation Avalanche, as he hatches a put-up job to fake the moon landing back in 1967 so that the USA will appear to beat the Ruskies in the space race. And […]
The Architect – VIFF 2016 Review
“He’s odd,” remarks Colin (Eric McCormack), who’s not yet won over by modernist architect Miles Moss (James Frain) before we cut to Colin head-to-toe in gaudy blue spandex, with a matching helmet and matching road bike, oblivious to his Smurf-like visage. It’s one of only a few genuine chortles in Jonathan Parker’s (Bartleby) latest and […]
Two Trains Runnin’ – VIFF 2016 Review
The ever evolving dynamics of race relations and the emotive pioneering generation of the Delta blues is at the crux of this alternately engaging, enraging and inspiring documentary by Samuel D. Pollard (Mr. SOUL!). Narrated by hip hop artist Common, Pollard takes pains to plant the viewer in the heady days of 1964 in Mississippi, […]
Graduation – VIFF 2016 Review
Cristian Mungiu’s provocative Graduation––which he shared the Best Director prize at Cannes 2016 with Olivier Assayas’ Personal Shopper, also screening at VIFF––is as intricate as it is sharp and unsettling. Adrian Titieni is gripping as grey-haired Dr. Romeo Aldea and he dominates almost every frame of this arresting Romanian drama. Mungiu, who won the Palme […]