Saving Face
Short (40-minutes or so) documentary about women in Pakistan who are doused with acid and…
Django Unchained
Although set in pre-Civil War south America, this Quentin Tarantino film may remind you of…
The Sessions
Terrific acting and charming tale (inspired by a true story) of a severely disabled journalist/poet,…
Stories We Tell
A delightful documentary from director/actress Sarah Polley, this film has her parents’ family and friends…
A Late Quartet
The great actors Christopher Walken (playing a normal person!), Philip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener,…
Midnight’s Children
I haven’t read Salman Rushdie’s Booker Prize-winning novel upon which this movie is based (he…
How to Survive a Plague
A fascinating, behind the scenes documentary (with much archival footage from the 80s and 90s)…
Samsara
A visual feast (in 70mm), accompanied by music but no words, the scenes in this…
Skyfall
I seem to be in the minority of folks who thinks this is not one…
Flight
The always captivating screen presence of Denzel Washington makes this a terrific film about alcohol…
The World Before Her
A very interesting documentary juxtaposing two groups of young ladies (between the ages of 15…
Lincoln
I had mixed feelings about this one: too stagey in many scenes – that is,…
Silver Linings Playbook
Terrific performances by Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence make this a very enjoyable film. Cooper’s…
Killing Them Softly
Even Brad Pitt and Ray Liotta can’t raise this film -- about a heist from…
Deadfall
Eric Bana plays one scary dude, as a brother and sister (with, how shall I…
The Kid With a Bike
A decent Belgian/France/Italy production (French subtitles) of a young boy who is foster-parented (part-time) by…
The Impossible
Well-made (and terrific CGI effects) movie, based on a true story, of a European family…
Rust and Bone
The plot sounds crazy – Killer whale trainer loses legs in a work-related accident and…
Jack Reacher
Nice “popcorn” movie – don’t focus on the plot holes or silly dialogue; just go…
This is 40
Laugh-out-loud funny, crude, spot-on humour about marriage, kids – more fun than I expected. (And…
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Although I always enjoy the work of actress Tilda Swinton, the style of this movie…
Anna Karenina
I haven’t read the book, but this film bored me silly. I lost interest in…
Entre les Bras
I wanted to be more impressed with this quiet documentary about a Michelin-starred chef who…
The Intouchables
This French film (with subtitles) is inspired by the true story of an improbable friendship…
The Master
Although the director says it not a story about Scientology, it doesn’t matter. Phillip Seymour…
In The Family
A very slow moving but engrossing/captivating tale of a young boy left without one of…
Prometheus
Prequel to the Alien(s) series, I enjoyed this sci-fi tale of scientists stranded in an…
The Help
Charming, sweet and well-acted tale of the lives of black maids in Jackson Mississippi, circa…
Premium Rush
Nothing deep, but a relatively enjoyable and silly romp of killers chasing bicycle couriers who…
Edwin Boyd (Citizen Gangster)
Inspired by true events (in Canada), a WWII vet turns to crime to assist his…
Bernie
Jack Black has a thoroughly enjoyable turn as a Texas undertaker/mortician who is beloved by…
Show Stopper: The Theatrical Life of Garth Drabinsky
An entertaining and informative look at what Garth Drabinsky, he of Livent fame and infamy,…
The Bourne Legacy
Not nearly as good (story, acting) as the other Bourne movies, but a summertime popcorn…
First Position
Super documentary that follows a number of child dancers from different countries, all competing for…
Compliance
Inspired by real life, this is an emotionally tense film about a caller to a…
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry
Documentary about Chinese artist and social activist Ai Weiwei, pursued by the Chinese authorities, but…
The Amazing Spider-Man
Another summertime popcorn kind of flick, better than Spiderman 2, and enjoyable for as long…
The Queen of Versailles
Captivating documentary following the ups but primarily downs) of an American timeshare billionaire, his younger…
Neil Young Journeys
Quiet documentary chronicling a day long journey from Neil’s hometown in Ontario to Massey Hall…
Last Call at the Oasis
Documentary about the declining global availability of fresh water. Pretty scary stuff. You’ll learn something…
Where Do We Go Now?
A charming tale of a group of Lebanese women who try whatever they can to…
Boy A
Andrew Garfield, before his pre-Social Network fame, is excellent as a young ex-con trying valiantly…
Moonrise Kingdom
A typically bizarre Wes Anderson film about a young boy scout and the girl he…
Collaborator
A very intense, claustrophobic story of a down on his luck ex-con who holds hostage…
Looper
Many critics raved about this film, but I thought it was just a decent sci-fi…
Argo
Effective dramatization of the successful extraction of six US embassy employees from Tehran in the…
End of Watch
A very violent ride with two cops in LA’s south central district. You watch these…
Arbitrage
An average story of a hedge fund million/billionaire, Richard Gere, who is facing financial and…
The Paperboy
A southern (Florida) gothic tale a newspapermen and a women fighting for the release from…
Zaytoun
Moving but predictable tale of a young Palestinian boy who helps an Israeli soldier, captured…
The Sapphires
A delightful and amusing inspired by true life tale of four young aboriginal ladies, circa…
Batman: The Dark Knight Rises
I was a big fan of the second film in Chris Nolan’s trilogy, The Dark…
To Rome With Love
I really can’t see what the critics are raving about with Woody Allen’s most recent…
Take This Waltz
I had high hopes for this story by Sarah Polley about possible consequences of following…
Killer Joe
Matthew McConaughey can sure play the role of a dangerous man, but this story of…
Cosmopolis
Truly bizarre tale from David Cronenberg about a youngish tycoon riding across NYC in a…
Alps
Greek film about a business that employees staff who can impersonate the recently deceased as…
Savages
A waste of time thriller about California pot growers trying to resist the invitations of…
Dark Horse
A man and woman, both emotionally stunted and/or depressed come together for what I think…
Seven Psychopaths
Some pretty good critical buzz about, yes, seven psychopaths. It’s done with humour by talented…
Headhunters
A fun, noirish modern-day Norwegian (subtitled) crime/mystery/thriller that I found worthy of the effort required to…
Men In Black 3
I wasn’t expecting much but I quite enjoyed the silliness and humour of this third…
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
A charming documentary about an 80-something-year-old Michelin rated sushi chef in a small nondescript basement…
The Dictator
From the man who brought you Borat and Bruno and Ali G, a crude, rude…
Footnote
Israel’s entry for the best foreign film Oscar, the performances make this movie worth your…
Big Boys Gone Bananas!*
A well-made doc which follows the Swedish filmmaker of an earlier film, Bananas – about the multinational…
The Cabin in the Woods
A nifty little horror film which has some fun with horror film conventions. Some genuinely…
Sound of My Voice
An impressive small budget American film about a couple investigating the leader of cult who…
The Salt of Life
A small Italian (subtitled) film that follows a 60-year-old recent retiree who, because he believes…
The Raid: Redemption
A violent Indonesian film (subtitled) tracking a SWAT-type police team, complete with police corruption, trying…
Safe
The usual Jason Statham action film, totally ridiculous, but fun if you are in the…
Turn Me On Dammit!
A small Norwegian film (subtitled), set in a very small town, about a 15-year-old girl…
Twelfth Night
The film of a live Stratford production of Shakespeare’s play. Super acting – Brian Dennehy…
The Avengers
Other than Robert Downey Jr.’s performance, I got tired of the story after a while. …
21 Jump Street
I found the laughs – and there were some very good ones – too few…
The Hunger Games
Not badly done (I haven’t read the books) but I was surprised at how easy…
The Deep Blue Sea
The critics loved this film – originally a play – about the affair and depression…
A Separation
One of my favourite films of recent years, and a winner of this year’s Oscar…
Monsieur Lazhar
A quiet but very moving portrait of a Canadian immigrant’s (from Algeria) stint filling in…
Pina 3D
Although I didn’t learn much about the life of the late dancer, Pina Bausch, Wim…
Coriolanus
Ralph Fiennes’ striking modern day setting of Shakespeare’s tale struck me in some places as…
Tyrannosaur
This tale of two strangers, an abused woman and an abusive male, who meet by…
In Darkness
A powerful and true WWII tale of Polish Jews who survived for 14 months during…
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
A well-made but at times confusing cold war tale of cross and double cross. Gary…
My Week With Marilyn
A light but quite enjoyable tale of a short time in the life of Marilyn…
Rampart
Woody Harrelson is, as usual, very well cast as a deeply flawed cop and person…
Contraband
A decent but not great action/suspense film with Mark Wahlberg as a smuggler called back…
Safe House
I enjoy Denzel Washington in pretty much every film he is in, and he is…
Pariah
Touching and sad story of the challenges – from parents and friends -- of a…