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Toronto Star: Marwencol

2010-11-05T08:47:00.000-07:00

originally posted at Toronto Star:Marwencol: A tiny world withinEditorial Rating: 3 (out of 4)by Bruce DeMaraAfter five drunken yobs beat him nearly to death outside a bar, Mark Hogancamp is a changed man. After nine days in a coma and 40 days in hospital, the Kingston, N.Y. native has little memory of his past life. Not surprisingly, the U.S. health care system cuts him off from Medicaid,

Toronto Sun: Marwencol

2010-11-05T08:42:00.000-07:00

originally posted at Toronto Sun:'Marwencol' deserves Oscar buzzEditorial Rating: 4.5 (out of 5)by Jim SlotekA haunting movie about a haunted man, Marwencol is a revelatory documentary which is already generating Oscar buzz.It manages to touch, in one personal profile, themes of consciousness, imagination and reality, indomitability of spirit, alternative lifestyles, the nature of art, even the

NOW: Marwencol

2010-11-05T08:39:00.000-07:00

originally posted at NOW:Marwencol: Model SubjectEditorial Rating: NNNN (out of 5)by Norman WilnerOutsider art has never seemed as riveting – or as revealing – as it does in Marwencol, Jeff Malmberg’s study of Mark Hogancamp of Kingston, New York, who’s constructed an elaborate scale-model world in his backyard as a way to cope with the after-effects of a brutal beating that left him with a brain

Globe and Mail: Marwencol

2010-11-05T08:34:00.000-07:00

originally posted at Globe and Mail:Marwencol: Dolls, Nazis and fiction as brain therapyEditorial Rating: **** (out of 4)by Liam LaceyOne of the oddest and most moving documentaries since Best Boy or Grey Gardens, Jeff Malmberg’s debut film, Marwencol, is a marvel. A portrait of a small-town drunk whose near-fatal beating turned him into a compelling outsider artist, it is both an inspirational

Winnebago Man Q&A and QTV Appearance

2010-11-01T17:41:00.000-07:00

Here's part of the Q&A with Jack Rebney from after the premiere at the TIFF Bell Lightbox last week: And as a bonus, here's Jack Rebney attempting to do a station ID for Jian Ghomeshi's QTV show:

Water on the Table Nominated for a Gemini

2010-10-06T07:17:00.000-07:00

Acclaimed doc will make its Toronto premiere at Planet in FocusGemini-nominated for the Donald Brittain Award for Best Social Political Documentary, Water on the Table is a character-driven, social-issue documentary by Liz Marshall that explores Canada's relationship to its fresh water, arguably its most precious natural resource. The film asks the question: is water a commercial good like

Globe and Mail: No Heart Feelings

2010-08-27T10:51:00.000-07:00

No Heart Feelings: Nothing much happens, but it's a quiet triumphEditorial rating: *** (out of 4)by Rick GroenGet past the rather laboured pun in the title, and No Heart Feelings is a quiet delight. Quiet, because nothing much happens. Delightful, because nothing much happens in sharply observed and revealing ways. What emerges is a thin yet credible slice of Toronto life among the hipster crowd,

National Post: No Heart Feelings

2010-08-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

originally posted at the National Post:No Heart Feelings: Fresh, local and organic cinemaEditorial rating: *** (out of 4)by Chris KnightFull disclosure: This film had the potential to produce the most conflicted review of my career. It was co-directed by my boss’s wife and features a lot of National Post friends and colleagues. I couldn’t, for instance, say that I found the actor playing Michael

Toronto Star: No Heart Feelings

2010-08-27T10:23:00.000-07:00

originally posted at the Toronto Star:No Heart Feelings: Modern LoveEditorial Rating: *** (out of 4)by Jason AndersonWhat with their newfangled social networks, fondness for hook-ups and reluctance to define intimate relationships in anything but the vaguest terms, today’s 20-somethings require a new kind of romantic comedy. Surely the old-school formula of boy-meets-girl/boy-loses-girl — and, in

Globe and Mail: Sweetgrass

2010-07-16T09:16:00.000-07:00

originally posted at Globe and Mail:Following the herd has its rewardsEditorial Rating: *** (out of 4)by Stephen ColeA documentary of the last-ever sheep drive through Montana’s Absaroka-Beartooth Mountains, Sweetgrass occasionally feels in need of a shepherd. Or maybe a drama coach. Grizzlies attack the flock at night, dining on lamb. A cowboy chases off after them with a rifle, but filmmakers

Toronto Star: Sweetgrass

2010-07-16T09:13:00.000-07:00

originally posted at Toronto Star:Sweetgrass: A sheepish look at the modern worldEditorial Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 4)by Jason AndersonRarely seen on the silver screen outside of the animated adventures of Wallace & Gromit and the occasional horror flick about killer livestock, sheep have long been denied the movie exposure accorded other members of the animal kingdom.Is it due to some

Toronto Sun: Sweetgrass

2010-07-16T09:05:00.000-07:00

originally posted at Toronto Sun:Sweetgrass a love letter to the WestEditorial Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)by Liz BraunMama, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys.So you'd gather from a documentary called Sweetgrass, a love letter to the old West that shows all the hardships and all the beauty involved in working a herd.In this case, the herd is sheep, and the people who raise and tend them

NOW Toronto: Sweetgrass

2010-07-16T08:59:00.000-07:00

originally posted at NOW Toronto:Sweetgrass: As Ewe Like ItEditorial Rating: NNN (out of 5)by Susan G. ColeIs there such a thing as an ethnography of animals? If there is, Sweetgrass qualifies. It tracks a mammoth flock of sheep as they’re herded through the mountains of Montana in 2003 – the last such trek ever undertaken – and it’s directed by two anthropologists who let the beasts take the

Metro: Sweetgrass

2010-07-16T08:52:00.000-07:00

originally posted at Metro:Not interested in a sheep herding trek? Think againEditorial Rating: ***** (out of 5)by Adam NaymanThe brilliant Sweetgrass is a documentary that’s also a hymn to tradition: the annual sheep herding drive in Montana's Beartooth Mountain range.The directors spent three years in the company of cowboys and their flock, and the film evinces that intimacy. It’s hard not to

CBC.ca: Sounds Like a Revolution

2010-06-22T05:42:00.000-07:00

originally posted at CBC.caby Greig DymondSongs of defianceThe documentary Sounds Like a Revolution explores modern-day protest musicIt’s hard to believe in this era of Biebers and Ushers and Jonases that the pop charts used to pack a political punch.Barry McGuire’s Eve of Destruction (penned by P.F. Sloan) was a certified No. 1 hit in 1965, and caused an uproar among several American

Globe and Mail: Land

2010-06-04T08:44:00.000-07:00

originally posted at the Globe and MailLand: Where land is all they’ve gotDocumentary examines the impact of developers on a pristine stretch of the Nicaraguan coastEditorial Rating: **** (out of 4)by Jennie PunterIn January, 2006, three starry-eyed American resort developers, two expat eccentrics and some increasingly restless locals were living in imperfect harmony in a sleepy fishing village

Straight.com: Pax Americana and the Weaponization of Space

2010-06-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

originally posted at Straight.comby Ken EisnerWith the social, financial, and environmental problems bubbling up at the moment, we can’t be blamed, exactly, for failing to search the skies for trouble. Still, we’re idiots to ignore the warning signs above, and that’s the main message of this troubling documentary.Directed by French-born Denis Delestrac, and written by him and others, including

Straight.com: Pax Americana delivers history lesson on weaponization of space

2010-06-02T11:58:00.000-07:00

originally posted at Straight.comby Travis LupickNuclear weapons are frightening. The prospect of kinetic bombardment is even scarier. And if you believe the information presented in Pax Americana: The Weaponization of Space, it won’t be long before delivery systems capable of kinetic bombardment are orbiting Earth.The concept is simple. Load a satellite up with rods of tungsten that can be fired

Toronto Sun: Documentaries Thrive on DVD

2010-05-28T11:27:00.001-07:00

originally posted at Toronto Sunby Bruce KirklandSadly, despite being an exciting art form and a source of enlightenment, documentaries do not travel well through cinemas.Exceptions such as Oscar-winner An Inconvenient Truth ($48.8 million worldwide) and Cannes Palme d’Or winner Fahrenheit 9/11 ($222.4 million worldwide) merely prove the rule. Obviously, they were hits as well as controversial

National Post: Passenger Side

2010-04-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

originally published at the National Postby Vanessa Farquharson (April 29, 2010)A scene near the end of Passenger Side involves Michael (Adam Scott) trying to figure out whether he's a stupid white guy sadly wasting his life, or a sad white guy stupidly wasting his life.He concludes it's the former, although if this is true, one must admit that watching a feature-length film about precisely how a

Globe and Mail: Passenger Side

2010-04-30T12:20:00.000-07:00

originally published at the Globe and Mail:by Liam LaceyEditorial Rating: *** (out of 4)Simple and smart, Canadian director Matt Bissonnette’s Passenger Side is what’s known in theatre circles as a two-hander, a two-person play in which everything depends on dialogue and performance. The film also fits into another familiar genre, the road movie, although in this case it’s two brothers on a

Eye Weekly: Passenger Side

2010-04-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

originally published at Eye Weekly:by Chris BiltonEditorial Rating: *** (out of 5)In director Matthew Bissonette’s third feature, Passenger Side, much fantastic dialogue punctuates the cassette-tape aesthetic of older brother Michael (Adam Scott) and the whims of his dubiously life-embracing ex-junkie brother Tobey (Joel Bissonnette) as the pair drive around on a hopeless day-long journey from

NOW Toronto: Passenger Side

2010-04-30T12:14:00.001-07:00

originally published at NOW Toronto:by Norman WilnerEditorial Rating: NNNN (out of 5)In writer/director Matthew Bissonnette’s follow-up to Who Loves The Sun, brothers Tobey and Michael (played by the director’s brother Joel and Step Brothers’ Adam Scott) spend a day driving around the greater Los Angeles area looking for Tobey’s ex-girlfriend.It’s like a Richard Linklater movie from the mid-1990s

Montreal Gazette: Passenger Side Takes On Gunless

2010-04-29T14:15:00.000-07:00

originally posted at the Montreal Gazette:by Brendan Kelly (April 28, 2010)How about this for a David vs. Goliath battle? In one corner, we have Gunless, the new multi-million-buck western spoof starring Paul Gross, who is like the closest thing we have to a real bona-fide movie-star in English Canada. In the other corner, the ultimate underdog - former Montrealer Matthew Bissonnette's

Eye Weekly: Land

2010-04-29T13:45:00.000-07:00

originally published at Eye Weekly:Editorial Rating: **** (out of 5)by Jason Anderson (April 28, 2010)Some developers’ dreams of creating a “Nicaraguan Riviera” inevitably run into more than a few hitches in the land of the Sandinistas. This engrossing and wryly funny doc by Toronto’s Julian Pinder introduces viewers to a wealth of colourful figures, from big-talking would-be hoteliers to a

The Province: Last Train Home

2010-03-05T10:38:00.000-08:00

originally posted at The Province:Editorial Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)by Katherine MonkMontreal-based director and former Chinese broadcaster Lixin Fan directs this verite-style documentary that takes a close-up look at the annual migration of 130 million factory workers from major cities to their agrarian homes. Homing in on the Zhang family, Fan exposes the generational rifts as tradition

Globe and Mail: Call it the low-budget, Canuck take on Scenes from a Marriage

2010-03-05T09:42:00.000-08:00

originally appeared at The Globe and Mail:Editorial Rating: *** (out of 4)by James AdamsCanadians have a knack for making depressing films - think Goin’ Down the Road, Act of the Heart, Between Friends, Le Confessional. Zooey & Adam is very much in that tradition.Shot on HD in and around Winnipeg on a budget so low as to be subterranean, it’s the story of a couple, the eponymous duo of the title,

Toronto Star: Zooey and Adam, Experimental Cinema Worth Watching

2010-03-05T09:37:00.000-08:00

originally appeared at the Toronto Star:Editorial Rating: *** (out of 4)by Jason AndersonFifteen years after a group of Danish mavericks outlined a manifesto for a leaner, purer brand of cinema they dubbed Dogme, some directors are still trying to strip down the filmmaking process to its bare essentials.In the case of Zooey & Adam – an often harrowing drama about a married couple coping with the

Globe and Mail: Last Train Home

2010-03-01T09:30:00.000-08:00

originally published at the Globe and Mail:by James AdamsIf this documentary came with a pre-screening advisory, it probably would read: Warning! Contents Under Pressure. The contents in this case are the four members of the Zhang family and, by metaphoric extension, the 1.4 billion residents with whom they share the People’s Republic of China.Shot over three arduous years by Chinese-Canadian

EYE Weekly: Last Train Home Review

2010-02-26T07:48:00.000-08:00

originally published at Eye Weekly:Editorial rating: **** (out of 5)An uneasy verité takes hold as Montreal-based filmmaker Lixin Fan trains his two cameras on a family of migrant workers in Guangzhou, China. Couple Yang and Suqin Zhangs have long since left their two children behind with grandparents on the farm in order to make money as factory workers in the city. Their pledge to reunite the

CBC News: Montreal filmmaker focuses on China's migrant workers

2010-02-26T07:43:00.000-08:00

originally published at CBC News:Montreal filmmaker Lixin Fan set out to expose the underbelly of the Chinese economic miracle in his documentary Last Train Home.The film, shot over three years in his native China, made its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah and is scheduled to open in Toronto and Vancouver on Friday.Last Train Home follows the fortunes of a single peasant family, the

NOW Toronto: Lixin Fan Interview

2010-02-26T07:37:00.000-08:00

originally appeared at NOW Toronto:Chinese check-in: Lixin Fan keeps track of the human cost of China’s growth in Last Train Homeby Susan G. ColeHaving just returned from my first visit to the U.S. since the attempted plane bombing at Christmas, I can report that flying across the border via Pearson is brutal: a two-and-half-hour wait, hordes of herded travellers. But compared to the migrant

National Post: Have work, will travel

2010-02-24T20:31:00.000-08:00

originally posted at the National Post:To tell the story of one family of Chinese migrant labourers, Lixin Fan decided to move in with themVanessa Farquharson, National PostPublished: Wednesday, February 24, 2010In 2006, Canadian filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal released the award-winning Manufactured Landscapes, a documentary that examined China's sprawling industrialization; that same year, a young

Toronto Star: Last Train Home: The high price of low-priced Chinese goods

2010-02-24T08:59:00.000-08:00

originally posted at The Toronto Star:by Jason AndersonFebruary 24, 2010An emotionally wrenching portrait of migrant workers in China, Last Train Home has already become one of the most acclaimed Canadian documentaries in recent years.The winner of prizes at film festivals in Amsterdam, Whistler and Montreal, it plays Wednesday at the Isabel Bader Theatre as part of the Human Rights Watch series

Metro: Documentary highlights 'sad reality' of China's migrant workers

2010-02-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

originally published at MetroADAM NAYMANMETRO CANADAFebruary 23, 2010 5:00 a.m.The idea that cinema represents an escape from reality receives a necessary antidote in the form of the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, an annual series dedicated to films with underlying themes of social justice.This year’s program, which runs from tomorrow to March 6 at TIFF Cinematheque, features a

Globe and Mail: The human cost of a cheap shirt

2010-02-22T08:48:00.000-08:00

originally published at The Globe and Mail:Last Train Home follows the travails of a couple who leave their children to work 2,100 kilometres away in a garment sweatshop.Filmmaker Lixin Fan’s documentary chronicles one Chinese family’s struggle to make ends meet as employees of a garment factory, and a whole country’s reliance on migrant workers.by Guy DixonPublished on Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010 6:

Fast Forward Weekly: Televising the Revolution

2010-02-12T06:52:00.000-08:00

originally published at Fast Forward Weekly:Televising the revolutionPowerful doc shows struggle for freedom in MyanmarPublished February 11, 2010 by Peter Hemminger in Film ReviewsIn September of 2007, tens of thousands of Burmese citizens, including an estimated 5,000 Buddhist monks, stood up to the nation’s oppressive military regime. It was the country’s most significant protest in almost 20

Wall Street Journal: Long Journey Home - A New Year Story

2010-02-12T06:43:00.000-08:00

originally posted at the Wall Street Journal:by Sue FengFebruary 11, 2010With the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, just around the corner, the trains along China’s 86,000 kilometers of tracks are once again packed with people from every corner of the country, heading home for the most important Chinese holiday.During the transportation peak from Jan. 30 to March 10 — also dubbed the largest

Toronto Star: FROZEN is a chill a minute

2010-02-05T09:58:00.000-08:00

originally published at Toronto Star:Frozen: A chill a minuteAdam Green gets maxi fright from mini plot about skiers trapped on a mountainFrozen(3.5 out of 4)Starring Kevin Zegers, Shawn Ashmore and Emma Bell. Directed by Adam Green. 85 minutes. At major theatres. 14Aby Peter HowellThe biggest frights come softly and without warning.They're the mysterious sounds you awaken to in the middle of

The Manitoban: Zooey and Adam Courts Controversy

2010-02-01T12:26:00.000-08:00

originally posted at The ManitobanLocal filmmaker courts controversy with "Zooey and Adam" Sean Garrity : "I had no idea!" Sabrina Carnevale | Jan 26 When asked if he anticipated the controversy surrounding his new film, Zooey and Adam, filmmaker Sean Garrity’s answer was fairly clear: “I had no idea!” Zooey and Adam

indieWIRE: Discovery | “Last Train Home” Director Lixin Fan

2010-02-01T11:02:00.000-08:00

originally published at indieWIRE: by Brian Brooks (January 26, 2010) "Last Train Home" director Lixin Fan. Photo by Brian Brooks/indieWIRE Filmmaker Lixin Fan may very well be one of modern-day China’s great non-fiction storytellers. His Sundance World Cinema Documentary competition film, “Last Train Home” is a documentary masterpiece that

New York Times: Last Train Home at Sundance

2010-01-29T06:21:00.000-08:00

originally published in New York Times:"Nothing attests to Sundance’s commitment to off-Hollywood more than its documentary selections, which year to year remain its most qualitatively consistent suit. That much was reconfirmed by “Last Train Home,” a beautifully shot, haunting and haunted large-scale portrait by Lixin Fan about an astonishing migration involving 130 million Chinese workers

Eye Weekly: Last Train Home - ****

2010-01-14T19:30:00.000-08:00

published at Eye WeeklyLAST TRAIN HOMEby Kieran GrantJanuary 13, 201Editorial Rating: ****An uneasy verité takes hold as Montreal-based filmmaker Lixin Fan trains his two cameras on a family of migrant workers in Guangzhou, China. The Zhangs have long since left their two children behind with grandparents on the farm in order to make money as factory workers in the city. Their pledge to reunite

NOW: Don't Miss This Train - NNNN

2010-01-14T19:24:00.000-08:00

published at NOW TorontoDon’t miss this TrainBy Susan G. ColeJanuary 13, 2010Editorial Rating: NNNNBeautiful, enraging and heartbreaking, Last Train Home puts the spotlight on China’s working poor.Every year, Suqin Chen and Changhua Zhan join the planet’s largest human migration, of 130 million people. At the new year, the two leave their big-city factory jobs and the tiny cubicle where they

Ebert Rave for Collapse

2009-12-11T07:04:00.000-08:00

Collapse****BY ROGER EBERT / December 9, 2009If this man is correct, then you may be reading the most important story in today's paper.I have no way of assuring you that the bleak version of the future outlined by Michael Ruppert in Chris Smith's Collapse is accurate. I can only tell you I have a pretty good built-in B.S. detector, and its needle never bounced off zero while I watched this film.

Doom's Dude

2009-12-10T07:37:00.000-08:00

published at NOW Torontoby Susan G. ColeDecember 9, 2009Editorial Rating: NNNNCollapse, a new documentary by Chris Smith (The Pool, Home Movie) is more than it seems.On its face, it gives radical thinker Michael Ruppert the Errol Morris treatment – feature-length interview punctuated by archival footage – to argue that the world is going to eco hell and economies all over the world are circling

Collapse: 4 Stars from Eye Weekly

2009-12-10T07:32:00.000-08:00

published at Eye WeeklyCOLLAPSEby Jason AndersonDecember 9, 2009Editorial Rating: ****Just because Michael Ruppert sometimes comes off as a paranoid crank doesn’t mean he’s not right about where our civilization is heading. That’s why Collapse is a far more terrifying piece of disaster porn than Roland Emmerich could ever concoct.The director of American Movie and The Yes Men, Chris Smith

"Really, really scary"

2009-12-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

published at the Globe and MailEven in a season of apocalyptic films, these facts are really, really scaryJENNIE PUNTERSpecial to The Globe and MailLast updated on Saturday, Dec. 05, 2009 03:10AM ESTCOLLAPSEDirected by Chris SmithFeaturing Michael RuppertClassification: NA****Former L.A. narcotics detective turned whistle-blower turned radical critical thinker Michael Ruppert is probably not the

Last Train Home wins top prize at IDFA

2009-11-29T07:36:00.000-08:00

posted at Indiewire“Train” Wins IDFA’s Top Prizeby Eugene Hernandez (November 27, 2009)Lixin Fan’s “Last Train Home” won the award for best feature length documentary at the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam today. A Chinese Canadian documentary by a first time director, the film examines international issues by telling the story of mother and father factory workers who are trying to

Collapse Earns a Rave Review

2009-11-19T07:26:00.000-08:00

Calgary's Fast Forward Weekly (http://www.ffwdweekly.com/article/screen/film-reviews/society-on-the-verge-4815/)Society on the verge Collapse provides a platform for Michael Ruppert’s theories Published November 19, 2009 by Bryn Evans in Film Reviews

Three Blind Mice Opens in Toronto to Strong Reviews

2009-10-30T12:13:00.000-07:00

Three Blind Mice opens today in Toronto (Canada Square), and I thought I'd share some of the reviews.Norm Wilner (NOW) gives the film a rating of NNNN and praises the performances of the three lead actors. Singling out actor/writer/director Matthew Newton's handling of the story, he says, "Newton burrows into their psyches to find real concerns and believable conflicts that emerge organically as

BURMA VJ TO OPEN AT ROYAL CINEMA, TORONTO on AUG 7-13!

2009-07-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

opening at theRoyal Cinema, Toronto onAugust 7-13BURMA VJ: REPORTING FROM A CLOSED COUNTRY (dir: Anders Østergaard / DENMARK) Armed with small handy cams undercover Video Journalists in Burma keep up the flow of news from their closed country. Going beyond the occasional news clip from Burma, acclaimed director Anders Østergaard, brings us close to the video journalists who deliver the footage.

KINOSMITH PICKS UP 5 NEW FEATURES

2009-07-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

KINOSMITH RAMPS UP WITH ACQUISTION OF 5 NEW FEATURE FILMSKINOSMITH recently announced the acquistion of Canada distribution rights for four unique films with unique visions:ZOOEY & ADAM - a controversial new drama from Winnipeg's Sean Garrity (INERTIA, LUCID)ENLIGHTEN UP! - Kate Churchill directs this enlightening doc (bad pun) that follows a skeptic's journey into the world of YogaPAX AMERICANA

KINOSMITH launches DVD Catalogue with HOT DOCS collection

2009-07-28T21:16:00.000-07:00

KINOSMITH recently launched their DVD operations with the release of 3 Award Winning features from Canada: . Nik Sheenan's FLicKeR. Brett Gaylor's RIP! A REMIX MANIFESTO . Shane Belcourt's TKARONTOAs part of this launch, KINOSMITH also announced it's new relationship with the HOT DOCS festival to start a HOT DOCS COLLECTION. DVDs can be purchased at: www.kinosmith.com Here is some press covering

ANOTHER AMAZING REVIEW FOR "THE POOL"

2009-04-13T14:21:00.001-07:00

Chris Smith's THE POOL opened in Ottawa (at the Bytowne Cinema) this past weekend and received further glowing reviews seen below.OTTAWA XPRESS - ONLINEApril 9th, 2009 Web exclusive!The PoolFrom Goa with loveCormac ReaDirector Chris Smith's The Pool makes a splash at SundanceEvery now and then a film comes along that combines the simplicity of a well told story - nuanced symbolism, dynamic

SHALL WE KISS? NOW PLAYING IN TORONTO, VANCOUVER and OTTAWA!

2009-04-13T14:21:00.000-07:00

Here's a selection of reviews for SHALL WE KISS? presently playing in the following Canadian theatres: . VARSITY CINEMAS, TORONTO . PARK THEATRE, VANCOUVER. BYTOWNE CINEMA, OTTAWA Lip-locked loversShall We Kiss? is a French romance about the dangers of attractionBy Jay Stone, Canwest News ServiceApril 10, 2009SHALL WE KISS?Starring: Emmanuel Mouret, Virginie Ledoyen, Julie Gayet, Michael

Art Star still in the news!

2009-04-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins A documentary by: Pietra Brettkelly featuring Vanessa Beecroft. Madonna of the art stuntExtraordinary documentary records artist's chaotic life, and controversial efforts to adopt Sudanese twinsBy Katherine Monk Canwest News Service April 3, 2009 ****Anyone seeking proof of the adage "truth is stranger than fiction" need look no further than The Art Star and

The Pool Opens With Great Reviews!

2009-04-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

The Pool Director: Chris Smith OPENING APRIL 3rd at Cumberland Cinemas, TORONTO OPENING APRIL 3rd at Ridge Theatre, VANCOUVER OPENING APRIL 9th at Bytowne Cinema, OTTAWA The Pool: The new home of plucky protagonists Jay Stone, Canwest News Service Published: Thursday, April 02, 2009*** 3 stars Chris Smith's quietly humanistic drama The Pool concerns an illiterate teenager

ART STAR Opens in Toronto to RAVE REVIEWS

2009-03-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins Dir: Pietra Brettkelly. 109 minutes. Rating: NNNNN See brilliant, privileged installation artist Vanessa Beecroft arrange human nudes and the word “exploitation” comes to mind. Watch her arrange Sudanese subjects in order to shed light on the slaughter in Darfur and the issue gets more complex. Follow her attempt to arrange the adoption of the Sudanese twins

ART STAR More Reviews

2009-03-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

A disturbing portrait of the artist as Lady Madonna***By RICK GROENThe Art Star and the Sudanese TwinsDirected by Pietra Brettkelly Starring Vanessa BeecroftClassification: PGVanessa Beecroft is the art star whose work - she's given to live tableaus of nude women posed motionless in a vast gallery space - has been exhibited around the world. Madit and Mongor are the Sudanese twins, motherless

ART STAR Editorials - People can't stop talking...

2009-03-22T08:05:00.000-07:00

The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins opens in Toronto on March 20 and Vancouver on March 27, with more Canadian dates to follow. A portrait in pushing boundaries and peopleVanessa Beecroft's art shocks many viewers. And a new film suggests her methods can be just as controversial.GUY DIXONMarch 18, 2009Performance artist Vanessa Beecroft, a white woman with reddish hair, is breastfeeding two black

"RUMBA" PLAYS AT BYTOWNE CINEMA OTTAWA FROM FEB.13-19

2009-02-14T12:28:00.000-08:00

The award-winning comedic dance film RUMBA plays at the Bytowne Cinema Ottawa this week (playing exclusively from Feb.13-19/09). Check out the review in the Ottawa Citizen by Jay Stone:A surreal dance with colourful, quiet clownsRumba spans weirdness and geniusBy Jay Stone, The Ottawa CitizenFebruary 13, 2009showTab("text/html"); function resizeImage() { var imgBox =

GREAT PRESS REVIEWS FOR "SAVING LUNA"

2009-02-14T09:10:00.000-08:00

SAVING LUNA opens in Toronto this weekend at the AMC Yonge & Dundas and the Mt.Pleasant Theatre to great reviews!The Toronto Star gave SAVING LUNA an excellent review: POWERFUL DOCUMENTARY TheStar.com | Entertainment | Saving Luna: Powerful documentary

SAVING LUNA opens TORONTO, CALGARY and SASKATOON this Friday!

2009-02-10T17:50:00.000-08:00

The award winning documentary SAVING LUNAis expanding it's successful theatrical run by opening inTORONTO, CALGARY and SASKATOONonFriday February 13at the following theatres:TORONTO . AMC Yonge & Dundas . Mt. Pleasant Theatre CALGARY. Globe Cinema SASKATOON . Broadway Theatre The directors Suzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfitwill be attending screenings in all cities over the opening weekend.

RiP! A REMIX MANIFESTO plays VICTORIA FILM FESTIVAL!

2009-02-01T18:04:00.000-08:00

The Victoria Film Festival gets a chance to premiere Brett Gaylor's doc RiP: A REMIX MANIFESTO. The Times Colonist got a chance to interview Brett this weekend - here's their article. -------------Rip: A Remix ManifestoScreening: Monday, 7 p.m. @ Odeon TheatreTickets: $9 in advance at the VFF Box Office (1215 Blanshard St.)--------------Director looks at what's wrong with copyrightGaliano

LUNA OPENS IN OTTAWA TO RAVE REVIEWS

2009-02-01T18:03:00.000-08:00

Exclusively at the Bytowne CinemaJan.30 to Feb.8Check out these two great reviews:A wild, woeful taleSaving Luna a sad commentary about tensions between human and orcaBy Katherine Monk, The Ottawa CitizenJanuary 30, 2009SAVING LUNA****A documentary by:Suzanne Chisholm and Michael ParfitRating: PG, Coarse languagePlaying at: ByTowne Cinema, today through to Feb. 8It's a story so entirely tragic

BALLAST opens Vancity Theatre Vancouver

2009-02-01T17:48:00.000-08:00

Exclusively at Vancity Theatre, Vancouver Jan.30-Feb.2 Life and death on the Mississippi Delta Film gets strong performances from a cast of non-professionals By Jay Stone, Canwest News Service January 30, 2009 BALLAST **** Starring: Michael J. Smith Sr., Tarra Riggs, JimMyron Ross Directed and written by: Lance Hammer 14A: violence, adult themes - - - The low-budget movie Ballast is

KINOSMITH picks up Canadian distribution rights for 4 NEW FILMS

2009-01-21T08:28:00.000-08:00

KINOSMITH INC. is proud to announcethat it has acquiredthe Canadian distribution rights for 4 new films for 2009:1. Brett Gaylor's award-winning, provocative documentary RiP! A REMIX MANIFESTO produced the National Film Board Of Canada and EyeSteelFilm. 2. The Australian festival favorite THREE BLIND MICE by Matthew Newton from the Australian Sales Company Odin's Eye Entertainment.3. Carl

RUMBA opens at Royal Theatre in Toronto to great reviews!

2009-01-21T08:16:00.000-08:00

RUMBA is now playing at the ROYAL THEATRE in TORONTO and opened to great reviews from the Toronto newspapers. Here's a selection of some of the reviews: TORONTO STARRUMBA Film ReviewRumba: Light on its feetJanuary 16, 2009JASON ANDERSONSPECIAL TO THE STARRumba(out of 4)Starring and directed by Dominique Abel with Fiona Gordon, Bruno Romy. 77 minutes. At the Royal Cinema. PGA near-silent Belgian

Season Greetings and Happy Holidays from Kinosmith Inc.

2008-12-27T14:01:00.000-08:00

To all fans of Kinosmith Inc. Many Thanks for all your support and best wishes for the Holidays. From Kinosmith Inc.

"BALLAST" ON TOP TEN FILMS LIST 2008 BY LA TIMES

2008-12-22T05:44:00.000-08:00

"BALLAST" TOP TEN IN LALance Hammer's BALLAST continues it's Top Ten nominations by securing a spot on Kenneth Turan's LA TIMES Top Ten Film List 2008.Click here for the full list: www.latimes.com

"BALLAST" GETS 6 NOMINATIONS FOR THE SPIRIT AWARDS

2008-12-12T12:50:00.000-08:00

Lance Hammer's BALLAST receives 6 Spirit Award nominationsBALLAST, along with FROZEN RIVER and RACHEL GETTING MARRIED topped the list for the most nominations at next February's US Spirit Awards. The Spirit Awards are considered the most prestigious awards to be given in North America. The 6 nominations include BEST FEATURE, BEST DIRECTOR, BEST FEMALE LEAD, BEST SUPPORTING MALE LEAD, BEST FIRST

BALLAST MAKES ROGER EBERT'S TOP FILMS OF THE YEAR!

2008-12-10T20:23:00.000-08:00

LANCE HAMMER'S "BALLAST" MAKESROGER EBERT'S LIST OF TOP FILMS FOR 2008!excerpt reprinted from www.rogerebert.suntimes.comThe best films of 2008... and there were a lot of themby Roger Ebert In these hard times, you deserve two "best films" lists for the price of one. It is therefore with joy that I list the 20 best films of 2008, in alphabetical

FANTASTIC REVIEW FOR LUNA!

2008-12-10T20:05:00.000-08:00

"SAVING LUNA" - Vancouver Sun's fantastic review by Katherine Monkprinted Fri.Dec.5/08 for film's opening at Ridge Theatre, Vancouver, BCThis multiple-award-winning film tells the story of Luna, the lone orca who made a home in Nootka Sound and attempted to befriend humans. Despite the incredibly sad narrative at its core, the filmmakers turn the nauseating details of the story into a valuable

SAVING LUNA CREATES WAVES IN VANCOUVER

2008-12-10T19:56:00.000-08:00

"SAVING LUNA" HAS A STRONG OPENING WEEKEND IN VANCOUVERSuzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfit's award winning documentary SAVING LUNA produce some strong numbers at the box office this past weekend (Dec.5-7/08) in Canada. LUNA grossed over $7,300 in 3 days for it's opening at the Ridge Theatre in Vancouver making it the top grossing Canadian film per screen in Canada.Amazing reviews and critical

THE ART STAR AND THE SUDANESE TWINS wins Best Documentary Award!

2008-12-10T19:45:00.000-08:00

"ART STAR" WINS OUT WEST!Pietra Brettkelly's controversial doc THE ART STAR AND THE SUDANESE TWINS has just won the Best Documentary Award at the Whistler Film Festival, British Columbia, Canada! Please check out further info on this award at: http://www.whistlerfilmfestival.com/index.php/General-Media/News-Releases.htmlKinoSmith plans on releasing this film in selective theatres across Canada

Eye Weekly - FLicKeR

2008-11-30T19:01:00.000-08:00

Directed by Nik Sheehan. (STC) 72 min. Opens Nov 28 at the Bloor Cinema.Reprinted from: Eye Weekly Toronto director Nik Sheehan’s biodoc on visionary painter and writer Brion Gysin doubles as a cogent yet appropriately trippy primer on how the activities of a few freaks who drifted between Paris and Tangier in the ’50s came to have a vast cultural influence. It was Gysin who led the Beats

Now Magazine: Flicker Review - Dream on

2008-11-30T18:45:00.000-08:00

FlickerDream onBy Susan G. Cole Reprinted from Now Magazine Who can resist the idea of a drugless high? Nik Sheehan asks just that in Flicker, a fascinating exploration of the Dream Machine and Brion Gysin, the artist/poet/mystic who promoted it in the early 60s. Get close to the Dream Machine – a metal cylinder with cut-?outs that revolves

FLicKeR

2008-11-30T18:34:00.000-08:00

FLicKeR A film by Nik SheehanReprinted from: http://www.spotlighttoronto.com/musings/?p=2443 The “light fantastic” takes on a whole new meaning in director Nik Sheehan’s phantasmagoric FLicKeR – the story of an artist who invented a drug-free way to achieve altered states of mind – through dancing pulses of light. The feature was produced by Maureen Judge of indie production company Makin’

Now Magazine - BALLAST - 4/5 Star Review

2008-11-21T06:41:00.000-08:00

Ballast By: Norman Wilner Reprinted: Ballast sets as its dramatic locus a man, a woman and a child. All three live in a small town somewhere in the Mississippi Delta, though not all together. How they relate to one another, and the complicated nature of that connection, is something you really don’t want to know before you see the film. Ballast is a difficult film to review; if I go into the

Eye Magazine - Director Lance Hammer balances weight and wisdom with his modern Mississippi drama

2008-11-21T05:54:00.000-08:00

BY Adam Nayman November 19, 2008 09:11 Director Lance Hammer balances weight and wisdom with his modern Mississippi drama The title of Ballast refers to the extra weight taken on by ships to help them stay upright — and dumped once the boat reaches port. The fact that one can take Lance Hammer’s

BALLAST OPENING AT THE CARLTON CINEMA!

2008-11-18T06:26:00.000-08:00

Event: BALLAST opening at the Carlton Cinemas Toronto on Friday Nov.21st Host: KinoSmith Start Time: Friday, November 21 at 10:00am End Time: Thursday, November 27 at 10:00pm Where: CARLTON CINEMAS "Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film four stars out of four, saying the film "inexorably grows and deepens and gathers power and absorbs us." He also noted that the film made him cry,

102.1 THE EDGE TO HOST “CONFESSIONS” SCREENING

2008-11-13T18:58:00.000-08:00

Come the end of November, The Edge 102.1 FM will be giving away tickets to a premiere screening of CONFESSIONS OF A PORN ADDICT and a chance to meet director and star, Spencer Rice aka Spenny from KENNY VS. SPENNY. The Premiere screening is on December 3 at the Bloor Cinema in Toronto.CONFESSIONS OF A PORN ADDICT opens on December 5 at the Bloor Cinema in Toronto.-----------Synopsis of the film:

EXPERIENCE A NEW HIGH!

2008-11-13T18:55:00.001-08:00

EXPERIENCE A NEW HIGH!Kurt Cobain, William S. Burroughs, Marianne Faithfull, Genesis P-Orridge, John Giorno, Iggy Pop, Kenneth Anger and DJ Spooky are all known users of the “dream machine”. The subject of the HotDoc award-winning film FlicKeR (yes, this is spelt right), the “dream machine” is presently touring downtown Toronto bookstore storefront windows providing passer-by’s the opportunity to

“BALLAST” RELEASE DATE LOCKED IN TORONTO

2008-11-13T18:50:00.000-08:00

The 2008 winner of the Sundance Dramatic Directing Award, Excellence in Cinematography Award and FIPRESCI Prize, BALLAST, has been confirmed to open at the Carlton in Toronto on November 21.Synopsis:In the cold, winter light of a rural Mississippi Delta township, a man's suicide radically transforms three characters' lives and throws off-balance what has long been a static arrangement among them.

“TRIAGE” HOLDS FOR SECOND WEEK IN TORONTO

2008-11-13T18:48:00.001-08:00

Patrick Reed’s TRIAGE: DR.JAMES ORBINSKI’S HUMANITARIAN DILEMMA had a successful Toronto opening at the AMC at Yonge and Dundas in Toronto and has had it’s run extended until November 20.You can also check it out in Vancouver starting November 21 at Cinemark’s Tinseltown Cinemas, in Calgary starting November 28 at the Plaza Theatre and in Ottawa from December 5 to 9 at the Bytowne Cinema.

“YANGTZE” HITS THE EAST COAST!

2008-11-13T18:46:00.001-08:00

UP THE YANGTZE, the 3rd highest grossing Canadian theatrical documentary of all time, will be making a tour of the east coast of Canada in November. The select screenings will take place in Annapolis Royal, NS, Fredericton, NB and Liverpool, NS. Check out www.filmcircuit.ca for exact details.

“TKARONTO” GETS OPENING NIGHT!"

2008-11-13T18:42:00.001-08:00

Shane Belcourt’s critically acclaimed TKARONTO (www.tkaronto.net) will be the opening night screening for the WINNIPEG ABORIGINAL FILM FESTIVAL and will screen on November 19 at 7pm at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Visit their website for more festival information (www.aboriginalfilmfest.org).TKARONTO will also be opening Calgary at the Plaza Theatre starting on November 21 and in Saskatoon at the

WATCH A FILM WITH THE FISH!

2008-11-10T15:44:00.000-08:00

WATCH A FILM WITH THE FISH!The film that keeps winning awards (most notably the Black Pearl Audience Award at the Middle East International Film Festival), SAVING LUNA is now set to open at the Ridge Theatre in Vancouver on December 5.We are working closely with our friends at the Vancouver Aquarium on promoting this opening and plan to host a special premiere screening at the Aquarium on

Tiger's Tail

2008-10-31T18:32:00.000-07:00

The Tiger's Tail Director:John Boorman Supplier: Outsider Pictures Synopsis: The Tiger's Tale is a black comedy thriller about a successful businessman in contemporary boom-time, 'Celtic Tiger' Ireland, whose live begins to unravel when he encounters his doppelganger. The film tells the story of Liam O'Leary an Irish property developer of humble origins who has made it big