Underground. Undertaken. Underpinned. Understated. Of these various under words, the one that tends to fit Canadian horror is “understated.” From the halcyon days of “Black Christmas” and the early work of David Cronenberg up to more recent fare including “Blood Quantum” and “Bloodthirsty,” Canada has produced much distinctive work in the genre, often benefiting from…
After helming the disastrously unfunny “Dirty Grandpa,” director Dan Mazer returns with a more quiet and small-scale comedy than his tenure in shocking and gross-out humor. Mazer is mostly known for his Academy Award-winning “Borat” screenplay, and his collaborations with Sacha Baron Cohen are the funniest things he’s ever done. In The Exchange, he and…
A single environment further enclosed by the forces of winter has proved a suspenseful setting for many a film. From “The Shining” to “The Thing” to “The Hateful Eight,” filmmakers have taken advantage of isolation and inhospitable conditions to create scenarios that breed mistrust, paranoia and outright aggression. Some incorporate a wider expanse into their…
Bram (Ben Platt, “Ricki and the Flash”) is a keen journalist who is stuck working for a small-time newspaper writing lists of recommendation when his heart is set on tackling hard hitting new stories. In addition to writing The List, (such as where to eat the best hot dog), he is also reporting on the…
You know it’s a gripping film when the credits land and you look at your notepad and it’s blank. I found myself transfixed by writer-director Michael Peterson’s work here. Not because there’s anything dazzlingly original or groundbreaking about Knuckleball (except the title, which uniquely sucks), but because of the ease with which Peterson seems to…
“Jay Chandrasekhar helms this wacky vehicle with all the conviction of a defective police siren . . . feels more like an excuse for Chandrasekhar and his fratboy Broken Lizard comedy troupe players to merge and serve up their pet project just to kill some time.” — Frank Ochieng’s critical take on 2001’s “Super Troopers”…
Dawson City, British Columbia is a place where dreams began and dreams ended. Located about 350 miles south of the Arctic Circle, Dawson City was established in 1896 with 3,500 residents and was home to the native Hän speaking people who lived along the Yukon River, harvesting salmon and hunting caribou. As boatloads of gold…
