‘Jordan Peele’: from Comedy Genius to Horror Kingmaker By Janet Grant There aren’t many filmmakers working today whose name alone can sell a movie, but Jordan Peele is one of them. What makes his journey so fascinating is that it didn’t begin in a film school or with an indie short that set Sundance on […]
‘Hamnet’ – People’s Choice winner “A breathtaking portrait of grief and love that lingers like a memory you can’t shake.” Will be in theatre later this year, early next year. It’s rare for a film to feel both epic and intimate at once, but Hamnet manages to strike that delicate balance with elegance. Winner of […]
‘Dinner with Friends’ is funny, emotional, and sometimes uncomfortable By Janet Grant “A sharp, funny, and heartfelt reminder that friendships are just as complicated—and essential—as adulthood itself.” Adulthood is messy, and Dinner with Friends nails that feeling in a most relatable way. Sasha Leigh Henry’s feature debut takes something as simple as a group of […]
‘Meadowlarks’ – the delicate work of reestablishing long-lost connections By Janet Grant “Quietly powerful – a film that lingers in the heart.” Sometimes a film doesn’t just tell a story, it bears history, memory (both good and bad), and healing. Tasha Hubbard’s Meadowlarks is that kind of film. Marking her narrative feature debut after the […]
‘RELAY’ isn’t here to play fair By Janet Grant Relay sets up an intriguing premise: Riz Ahmed plays a whistleblower broker, the kind of middleman who keeps corruption humming by making sure the “right” people get paid off at the “right” time. He has rules, he has boundaries, and he’s very good at what he […]
Black stories took centre stage in Windsor The second edition of the Windsor International Black Film Festival (WIBFF) wrapped up over the weekend after three days of film screenings and discussions that explored the diversity of Black stories from around the world. Held from August 15 to 17, all screenings took place at the Armouries […]
By Janet Grant You get Bob Odenkirk back as Hutch Mansell, the hit-man dad. He returns to action when a family vacation collapses into mayhem. You see him face a corrupt sheriff and a crime boss played by Sharon Stone. Stone delivers a coldly fierce performance. Her character shifts from calm to explosive in seconds. […]
The critically acclaimed novel Washington Black by Canadian author Esi Edugyan has made the leap from page to screen. Adapted as a Hulu original series and now streaming in Canada on Disney Plus, the television version of the Giller Prize-winning novel has sparked conversation about how well it captures the history of Black Canadians. Set […]
Toronto will once again be at the heart of Caribbean storytelling as the CaribbeanTales International Film Festival (CTFF) marks its 20th anniversary with a powerful lineup of films and celebrations from Wednesday, September 3 to Saturday, September 13, 2025. In addition to in-person screenings, a global virtual component will run from September 3 to October […]
‘Shook’ is about identity and survival By Janet Grant Shook – “A Love Letter to Scarborough, the Struggle, and Selfhood. “Between the stations stops, a story unfolds.” “Forgiveness is the longest journey.” In Shook, filmmaker Amar Wala takes his first step into fiction—and he does it with heart, humour, and a deep love for the […]
