Movie review: The Theory of Everything
By contributor Spencer Wilson There is something to be said about a Stephen Hawking docudrama that moves the man himself to tears. Based on the autobiography Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen by Hawking’s ex-wife, Jane Wilde, The Theory of Everything attempts to charter the degradation of his physicality due to ALS and how … Continued
Essential viewing: Man on Wire (2008)
By contributor Spencer Wilson When first hearing about Man on Wire, it’s hard to imagine this will be an entertaining or engaging film. And yet, the documentary about Philippe Petit’s 1974 high-wire walk between the Twin Towers manages to not only be a great film, but one of the best documentaries of all time. Petit … Continued
Essential viewing: The Third Man (1949)
Those who are familiar with British director Carol Reed will likely remember him for his multi Oscar-winning adaptation of the musical, Oliver! (1968). Reed is one of the best British directors to have worked in the industry, and his ground-breaking, film-noir The Third Man is a testament to that. Teaming up with Nobel Prize-winning author … Continued
Preview of the 10th Vancouver Island Short Film Festival
By contributor Spencer Wilson This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Vancouver Island Short Film Festival (VISFF). The festival was created in 2005 by Johnny Blakeborough and John Gardiner with the goal of creating an event where local filmmakers would have a venue to showcase their films. This goal quickly spread to including films … Continued
Essential viewing: Tokyo Story (1953)
By contributor Spencer Wilson Many of the films seen in today’s theatres can be a sensory overload. Everything is kept in motion to try and salvage the interest of less engaged audience members. There is little value placed in composing a shot so well that the camera does not need to move, and thus the … Continued
Movie review: Mr.Turner
By contributor Spencer Wilson When creating a docudrama, the purpose is to show the audience why it was necessary to create one instead of a straight documentary. A great docudrama will offer a unique perspective and sometimes—with elegant subtlety—the director’s personal opinion on the persons or events depicted. If the only interesting part of the … Continued
Movie review: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
By contributor Spencer Wilson Going to see Birdman is like buying a chocolate chip muffin and then discovering, after the first bite, that it has raisins instead. It’s that special kind of bad where an auteur tries very hard to convince you of something, only to have it thrown back in their face. This is … Continued
Movie review: Winter Sleep
By contributor Spencer Wilson In literature, it is common practice to play on the imagination of the reader. The same could be said about watching a Nuri Bilge Ceylan film. Ceylan is a master of using silence in his films, such that the viewer must imagine what a character is feeling. He is a combination … Continued
Movie review: Love Is Strange
By contributor Spencer Wilson This is another one of those films—the kind where they take two well-known, straight actors and put them in a same-sex relationship with each other. On the surface, you’d think a marriage between Alfred Molina and John Lithgow would make for a wonderful romantic story. Molina and Lithgow are close friends … Continued
Movie Review: Frank
By contributor Spencer Wilson Frank Sidebottom was the alter ego of British musician and comedian Chris Sievey. Although the head used in the film is unmistakably alike to Sidebottom’s, the story manages to intertwine elements from the lives of Daniel Johnston, Captain Beefheart, and Jon Ronson (one of the co-writers who played keyboard in Sidebottom’s … Continued
Movie Review: Boyhood
Contributor Spencer Wilson dives into the highest rated film of the year–one that took 12 years to make. It’s easy to hear about this film and think it will come off as a gimmick: a film following a boy from ages six to 18 which uses the same cast to depict the process of aging. … Continued