‘Blades of the Guardians’ is thoughtful, grounded, and emotionally sharp By Janet Grant There’s a quiet confidence running through Blades of the Guardians. The kind of film that doesn’t demand attention but earns it. Scene by scene, Blades of the Guardians shows why this isn’t your usual glossy, over-polished action spectacle, no, far from it. […]
By Janet Grant It’s disappointing when a once-flawless series returns for a second season and loses its spark. Unfortunately, that’s the case with Paradise. After a gripping and tightly woven first chapter, the sophomore outing feels surprisingly uneven, especially given creator Dan Fogelman’s track record with character-focused storytelling in This Is Us. Season Two picks […]
Veteran filmmaker receives lifetime achievement award By Neil Armstrong Stanley Nelson, a multi-award winning African American director and filmmaker, was honoured at the opening of the 14th annual Toronto Black Film Festival with a lifetime achievement award. Describing him as “legendary” and a “giant of documentary cinema,” Fabienne Colas, co-founder of the festival, said Nelson […]
Elevation Pictures Toronto: from festival presence to awards powerhouse By Janet Grant “From Best Picture to Best Animated Feature, Elevation Pictures’ slate drew recognition across every major Academy category.” Elevation Pictures has quietly established itself as one of Canada’s most influential film distributors. Founded in 2013 in Toronto by Laurie May and Noah Segal, the […]
Caribbean diaspora celebrates Golden Globe Teyana Taylor capped off an extraordinary year with a milestone achievement last Saturday evening, winning her first Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in her performance in One Battle After Another. The win marked a defining moment in Taylor’s evolving acting career and was followed later in the evening by […]
‘Merrily We Roll Along’ is a moving tale of friendship, ambition, and time’s toll “When success costs everything, the only way to understand it is to rewind.” Maria Friedman’s Merrily We Roll Along finally makes the leap from beloved Broadway revival to the big screen. Somehow, it keeps every ounce of the heart. The messiness […]
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is creepy, chaotic, and surprisingly heartfelt By Janet Grant One year after the nightmare at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, the town has already turned trauma into tourism. Rumours of killer mascots and ghostly sightings have morphed into cheap legend, and now there’s Fazfest. A bright, carnival-style celebration built on top of […]
‘Marty Supreme’ blows it up into a wild, stylish dramedy By Janet Grant Directed by Josh Safdie | Starring Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, Tyler, The Creator, Fran Drescher, Kevin O’Leary, Sandra Bernhard, Koto Kawaguchi Every TIFF one film one grabs you with its energy, its weirdness, its heart. For TIFF 50, that film […]
By Janet Grant “Lopez shines, Luna smoulders, and fantasy refuses to die.” It opens in Canadian theatres on October 17, 2025. Kiss of the Spider Woman (2025) is a musical drama written and directed by Bill Condon. It draws from the Broadway musical by Terrence McNally and the original 1976 novel by Manuel Puig. The […]
Reelworld Film Festival spotlight shines on Tonya Williams This year’s Reelworld Film Festival once again underscored its reputation as a powerful platform for underrepresented voices in the Canadian screen industry. At the heart of its enduring influence is founder and veteran actress Tonya Williams, who continues to drive the festival’s mission of inclusion and industry […]
