Browsing Category

Movies & TV

Movie Review: Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising

Neighbors 2

As far as sequels are concerned, this is a good one. In Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Mac Radner (Seth Rogen) and Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron) return to the big screen for another adventure involving young college students who are more concerned with partying than showing respect to their middle-aged neighbours.

This time around, it revolves around a sorority led by Shelby (Chloe Grace Moretz AKA Brooklyn Beckham’s girlfriend), a girl who insists that if fraternities can host parties, then sororities can too. Shelby’s new sorority complicates things for Mac and his pregnant wife Kelly whose house next door is in escrow. Things escalate very quickly and before you know it, Shelby and her friends rob Mac’s house, hack his phone and become his worst nightmare.

Continue Reading

May 21, 2016 by

Movie Review: Obit

Hot Docs - Obit - Bruce Weber and Vanessa Gould

Director & Producer Vanessa Gould and Reporter Bruce Weber

What do you consider a newsworthy death?

Well, the New York Times’ obituaries section is not limited to celebrities and politicians, as there are many ordinary people doing extraordinary things and their stories deserve to be told in print and online. By flipping to the obits section, you can access history from the perspective of a skilful reporter who wrote a retrospective about a person who led a meaningful life. That’s something worth reading.

After job shadowing a movie critic at The Globe and Mail during high school, I was intrigued by the movie Obit, as it promises to offer a behind the scenes look at The New York Times. Thankfully, Vanessa Gould’s movie is insightful and engaging and you don’t need to be a journalist to enjoy this documentary at Hot Docs. After all, the obits are written for everyone. One of the reporters communicated this effectively when he said that their challenge is to craft an entertaining piece about history for people who don’t know history.

Continue Reading

May 5, 2016 by

Movie Review: Teenage Paparazzo

Adrian+Grenier+Austin+Visschedyk
Photo Source: Zimbio

After Entourage star Adrian Grenier met Austin Visschedyk, he convinced the teenage paparazzo to film a documentary with him about celebrity culture. Watching Teenage Paparazzo (2010) allows you to explore the parasocial relationships between celebrities and fans, which refers to fans’ disillusion that they know celebrities like they know their friends when really there is a one-way relationship. Without it, there would be less demand for celebrity gossip and photos.

The movie comprehensively captures the dynamic between celebrities and fans, as well as between celebrities and the paparazzi. To achieve this, Adrian interviewed academics and authors as well as well-established paparazzi and celebrities like Lindsay Lohan and Eva Longoria. But most of the movie focuses on Austin, a self-assured teenager who invests in the best camera equipment to capture celebrities.

Continue Reading

January 12, 2016 by

Movie Review: The Danish Girl

the -danish-girl-mtv

The Danish Girl is a grownup, British and Americanized version of Ma Vie En Rose, which is a modern story about a young transgender boy in France; however, this biopic is based on real events. It’s a compelling story about an artistic Danish couple whose romance is turned upside down after Gerda (Alicia Vikander) asks her husband Einar (Eddie Redmayne) to dress up as a woman, Lili, for a portrait and Einar enjoys it more than Gerda ever expected.

The movie’s attention to detail is excellent. For example, when Einar fixes Gerda’s lipstick with his finger, it’s clear that he is in touch with his feminine side because that’s rare to see. Likewise, the way Einar always whispers while pretending to be Lili reflects women’s submissive behaviour.

Continue Reading

December 10, 2015 by

Movie Review: The Peanuts Movie

Peanuts Movie

Photo Source: USA Today

I’ve had to say no to eating peanuts for as long as I can remember, but when I heard the Peanuts franchise had a new release coming out, it was hard to resist.

The Peanuts Movie is the cutest romantic comedy I’ve seen in ages and it doesn’t make a difference whatsoever that it is an animated movie intended for children. The pre-pubescent characters are still in elementary school, but they have just as many hormones as ‘grownups’.

When we’re first reunited with the beloved characters, it’s winter. While the kids are enjoying a snow day, they see a moving truck unloading boxes at the house across the street from Charlie Brown’s house and mystery ensues.

Charlie relishes the opportunity to make a new friend who doesn’t know anything about his awkward mistakes and when he meets her in school, he immediately gushes over the Little Red-Haired Girl. What’s more, Charlie starts planning a future for them when they are assigned to work together on an assignment. “You’re the only person I know who could turn a book report into a lifelong commitment,” Linus tells his best friend.

Continue Reading

November 27, 2015 by