Articles by Rachel Ho

Nobody Wanted 'Wonka,' So It's Annoying That It's Good

Directed by Paul King

PUBLISHED Dec 13, 2023

It's been over 50 years since Mel Stuart and Gene Wilder delivered the best adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic and since then, there hasn't...

'RENAISSANCE: A FILM BY BEYONCÉ' Finds Glamour in the Nitty-Gritty

Directed by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter

PUBLISHED Dec 8, 2023

When Beyoncé dropped her disco-infused album RENAISSANCE last year, the Beyhive pleaded with their Queen for the visuals. Since 2006's B'Da...

'Monster' Seeks the Truth — Then Dismantles It

Directed by Kore-eda Hirokazu

PUBLISHED Nov 28, 2023

It's easy to compare Monster to Rashōmon — both are Japanese films that deal with the truth according to perspective. But there is a fine,...

​'Napoleon' Is Short on Insight, but the Battle Scenes Stand Tall

Directed by Ridley Scott

PUBLISHED Nov 24, 2023

The Napoleonic Code, higher education, centralized banking — Napoleon Bonaparte's reputation for reform in France, and eventually influenci...

'Scott Pilgrim' Returns to a "Cool Cartoon Version of Toronto" That Maybe Never Existed

PUBLISHED Nov 23, 2023

Bryan Lee O'Malley, creator of the wildly popular and acclaimed Scott Pilgrim comic book series, arrived in Toronto the day before his pres...

Reel Asian Film Festival 2023: 'Mustache' Brings Warm and Fuzzy Softness to Hairy Teenage Moments

Directed by Imran J. Khan

PUBLISHED Nov 23, 2023

Through the eyes of young Ilyas (Atharva Verma), audiences are brought back to the emotional roller coaster that is high school in an assur...

The Nicolas Cageaissance Continues with Wonderfully Awkward 'Dream Scenario'

Directed by Kristoffer Borgli

PUBLISHED Nov 21, 2023

In the '90s, Nicolas Cage was truly something to behold — the most intense eye acting with line deliveries that only he could pull off. Whi...

'Saltburn' Director Emerald Fennell Goes from Promising Young Director to Uncompromising Auteur

PUBLISHED Nov 21, 2023

"You can't bullshit her," Barry Keoghan says over Zoom from a Saltburn-esque looking set in Los Angeles.  "She's all-knowing," agrees Jaco...