“Good American Family” is an eight-episode drama series inspired by the real-life story of Natalia Grace and the Barnetts, starring Ellen Pompeo and Mark Duplass. Unlike the fictional portrayal in Orphan, which featured a 33-year-old serial killer, Natalia Grace was an abandoned child, and the series explores the unsettling mystery surrounding her adoption. It is […]
By Janet GrantDirector Mike Leigh and lead actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste again make magic with their new movie “Hard Truths.”“Hard Truths” looks at dysfunction, despair, and the aching need for individual and true family connections. This film’s unique storytelling techniques appear flawed. It has a tragically relatable main character, Pansy Deacon (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), who embodies the […]
By Janet Grant Directed: Rupert SandersCast: Bill Skarsgård, FKA twigs, and Danny Huston Synopsis: Bill Skarsgård steps into the iconic role of THE CROW in this captivating modern reimagining of James O’Barr’s original graphic novel. This reboot promises a fresh and exciting take on the beloved story, incorporating contemporary elements that will surely intrigue the […]
By Janet Grant SING SING is based on the real-life Rehabilitation Through Arts (RTA) program members. Its release date is Friday, August 1, 2024. Cast: Colman Domingo – Clarence Maclin – Sean San Jose – Sean Dino Johnson – Jon-Adrian Velazquez – Pau Raci – Sharon Washington – John “Divine G” Whitfield “Sing Sing,” directed by […]
Reviewed By Chaitram Aklu “Rage from the Backwater” is Somnauth Narine’s first novel. Published in September, “Rage” is a realistic suspense fiction set in Queens New York, Guyana and Venezuela. Rage could easily lead the reader to conclude the book is non fiction. The author uses fictional names for his characters and real place names […]
By Stephen Weir If your son or daughter has ever lined up all night on Yonge Street to buy a pair of designer sneakers, there is a book you might want to buy and sneak under the Christmas tree! Available only through on-line booksellers like Amazon.ca and Indigo, The Art of Sneakers written by Hollywood actor Ivan […]
REVIEW GUARDED GIRLS Griffith brings light to living in a dark place By Stephen Weir In a city where there are scads more actors and actresses than roles, there is one person on stage who stands out. She is Toronto’s Virgilia Griffith, a young woman who has been constantly employed – plays, dance performances, and TV […]
BOOK REVIEW They Call me George: The Untold Story of Black Train Porters and the Birth of Modern Canada By Cecil Foster Publisher: Biblioasis How Black Train Porters helped to build modern Canada By W. Andy Knight Typical of books written by the evocative Bajan-Canadian author, Cecil Foster, once you pick up They Call me […]
Book Review My Trouble With Books:& Other Works of Short Fiction By Roger McTair Publisher: Creation Company, Toronto Reviewed by Mahadeo Bissoon Roger McTair may have trouble with books but he has no trouble with words. This collection of thirteen short stories offers a sumptuous buffet of literary satisfactions. McTair handles the stories with wit, […]
By Stephen Weir The United States administration of President Donald Trump has come under fire for the separation of children from their parents at the Mexican border in the current crackdown on undocumented migrants. As the subject becomes a hot button topic in Canada, a new children’s book is creating interest. It too is about […]