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Volver Directed by Pedro Almodóvar
By Travis Mackenzie Hoover
The recent melodramatic films of Pedro Almodovar have sent some of his earlier followers into a tailspin — one of my colleagues rued the loss of the director’s “impudence” and his disappointed brethren are legion. Perhaps this is true, but there was never a time in his latest, Volver, that I wasn’t beguiled by his on the sleeve emotionalism and trademark chromatic derring-do. The plot begins with Raimunda (Penelope Cruz), who one day comes home to find her husband dead after attempting to molest their daughter (Yolande Coho); the ensuing efforts to hide the body soon uncover the interference of what may be Raimunda’s mother (Carmen Maura), who died some years earlier in a fire with her husband. It wouldn’t be cricket to reveal the rest, but rest assured that the feelings are big and the sets are as hyper-real as they come. I suppose there’s something a little too writerly about the film (and the director’s films of late); one can hear the steam pouring out of Almodovar’s ears as he puts down his sensationalistic story and its many declarations of emotional intent. But though I wouldn’t call it a masterpiece, it’s still an immensely satisfying piece of work. There’s an outpouring of love for its female protagonists and almost no significant male characters: it’s a celebration of female resilience, especially for a filmmaker who’s had his share of run-ins with feminists. Plus, the micro-managed art direction all but blasts you out of your seat with its searing palette and immaculately vivid design. If it doesn’t exactly illuminate, it shimmers just the same. It’s a festival crowd-pleaser that gives good movie without insulting your intelligence in the bargain. (Mongrel Media)
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American Hardcore - Dir. by Paul Rachman
From 1980 to 1986, a relatively unknown explosion occurred in the musical underground of America. It didn’t produce any hit records or mainstream superstars in its time, but it did unleash one of the most visceral movements in modern day music, and, from what this film has to show you, a non-stop th
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Congorama - Dir. by Philippe Falardeau
A Canadian surprise, Congorama is well-acted, nicely shot and manages to be reasonably smart without getting aesthetically stupid. Dardenne brothers regular Olivier Gourmet stars as a Belgian inventor who’s been living in the shadow of his novelist father; imagine our hero’s surprise when he discove
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Fido - Dir. by Andrew Currie
Given this film’s combination of 1950s repression and flesh-eating zombies, I was ready for something sophomoric and cheap. Imagine my surprise at the unusually sustained romp it became, a fact rendered all the more shocking when you realise that it’s Canadian.
Set in an alternative past i
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Reg Harkema - Monkey Warfare
Just when you thought that Canada was good for nothing but Degrassi and Peter Mansbridge, here comes this short sharp shock from veteran editor Reg Harkema.
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The Fall - Dir. by Tarsem Singh
Unlike director Tarsem’s (best known for his work in advertising and music video directing) feature film debut The Cell, The Fall is a movie that you should actually watch with the sound on. It has the director’s singular visual flair and knack for choosing the most beautiful shooting locations on t
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2:37 - Dir. by Murali K. Thalluri
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A Good Year - Dir. by Ridley Scott
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A Stone’s Throw - Dir. by Camelia Frieberg
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A Sunday in Kigali - Dir. by Robert Favreau
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All The King’s Men - Dir. by Steven Zaillian
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Antonia - Dir. by Tata Amaral
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Babel - Dir. by Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu
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Bamako - Dir. by Abderrahmane Sissako
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Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan - Dir. by Larry Charles
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Bunny Chow - Dir. by John Barker
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Citizen Duane - Dir. by Michael Mabbott
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Colossal Youth - Dir. by Pedro Costa
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Dans les villes - Dir. by Catherine Martin
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EMPz 4 Life - Dir. by Allan King
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Exiled - Dir. by Johnnie To
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For Your Consideration - Dir. by Christopher Guest
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Hana - Dir. by Hirokazu Kore-eda
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I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone - Dir. by Tsai Ming-Liang
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Invisible Waves - Dir. by Pen-ek Ratanaruang
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Kabul Express - Dir. by Kabir Khan
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Kurt Cobain: About A Son - Dir. by AJ Schnack
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L’Homme de Sa Vie - Dir. by Zabou Breitman
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Lake Of Fire - Dir. by Tony Kaye
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Manufactured Landscapes - Dir. by Jennifer Baichwal
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Manufactured Landscapes - Dir. by Jennifer Baichwal
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Office Tigers - Dir. by Liz Mermin
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Offside - Dir. by Jafar Panahi
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Paperback Hero - Dir. by Peter Pearson
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Paris, Je T’aime - Dir. by Bruno Podalydès, Gurinder Chadha, Gus Van Sant, Joel and Ethan Coen, Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas, Christopher Doyle, Isabel Coixet, Nobuhiro Suwa, Sylvain Chomet, Alfonso Cuarón, Olivier Assayas, Oliver Schmitz, Richard LaGravenese, Vincenzo Natali,
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Radiant City - Dir. by Gary Burns and Jim Brown
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Remembering Arthur - Dir. by Martin Lavut
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Requiem - Dir. by Hans-Christian Schmidt
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Severance - Dir. by Christopher Smith
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Sharkwater - Dir. by Rob Stewart
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Shortbus - Dir. by John Cameron Mitchell
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Summer Palace - Dir. by Lou Ye
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Summercamp! - Dir. by Bradley Beesley and Sarah Price
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Syndromes and a Century - Dir. by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
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The Banquet - Dir. by Feng Xiaogang
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The Host - Dir. by Bong Joon-ho
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The Italian - Dir. by Andrei Kravchuk
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The Journals of Knud Rasmussen - Dir. by Zacharias Kunuk and Norman Cohn
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The Killer Within - Dir. by Macky Alston
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The Lives of Others - Dir. by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
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The Namesake - Dir. by Mira Nair
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The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema - Dir. by Sophie Fiennes
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The Prisoner, or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair - Dir. by Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker
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The Spirit of Places - Dir. by Catherine Martin
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The U.S. vs. John Lennon - Dir. by David Leaf and John Scheinfeld
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The White Planet - Dir. by Jean Lemire, Thierry Piantanida and Thierry Ragobert
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Trapped Ashes - Dir. by Sean Cunningham, Joe Dante, John Gaeta, Monte Hellman, Ken Russell
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On his second album, Unbalance, 2562 continues to fuse genres and theories about rhythmic persuasion . Less atmospheric than his highly acclaimed avant-dub-step debut, this new disc further showcases 2562's unerring sense of swing. Though he denies any intentional influences from Africa...
Full Review
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