Scored with futuristically unsettling synth melodies and interjecting choral staccatos, narrator and famed arthouse actress Isabella Rosellini relays the complicated and costly process of acquiring a sponsored visa in the United States in Problemista. What begins visually as a cramped, two-room equation expands into a maze-like structure of trapdoors, fluorescent[Read More…]
Film and TV
Let’s go lesbians…to the movies!
From boxers to bodybuilders to road trippers and beyond, the past six months have given us an unprecedented number of movies about queer women. As slow, candlelit period pieces fueled by stolen glances, often the sole lesbian representation in media, feel increasingly outdated, this new “golden age” presents an exciting[Read More…]
It’s time to give complex women characters leading roles
In a recent interview with The New Yorker, acclaimed director Sofia Coppola argued that Apple TV+ executives slashed her latest project after finding the woman lead “unlikeable.” Known for her work on films such as The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette, and most recently Priscilla, Coppola was set to partner with[Read More…]
2D or not 2D (animation)
In a streaming era saturated with live-action, CGI, and 3D animated films, lately, all I’ve wanted to do is curl up under a blanket and watch a 2D animated movie. The other day, while scrolling through Letterboxd lists, I stumbled upon a movie I had never heard of before: Wolfwalkers.[Read More…]
The 2024 Oscars were surprisingly well done
A general sense of nervous anticipation filled the air as the red carpet unfurled for the 96th annual Academy Awards. After a few years of less-than-stellar ceremonies, many worried that this was the beginning of the end for the Oscars. Much to the delight of movie lovers around the world,[Read More…]
The poison drips through in ‘The Zone of Interest’
Minor spoilers for The Zone of Interest How would you depict an atrocity onscreen? What would you show, and perhaps more importantly, what wouldn’t you? In Jonathan Glazer’s new five-time Oscar-nominated film, The Zone of Interest, these choices are put at the forefront of the narrative. The result? Nothing short[Read More…]
Massimadi Festival highlights Black queer stories
From Feb. 15 to 18, the Massimadi Foundation held its annual Afro LGBTQ+ Arts and Film Festival at the McCord Stewart Museum in Montreal. In honour of Black History Month, this special edition of the festival, themed “Transcendence,” highlighted Black queer stories that are not often seen or heard by[Read More…]
Experiencing your relationship through the roles of Cate Blanchett
Spoiler warning for those who, unlike me, aren’t deeply entrenched in Cate Blanchett’s filmography. Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. For some, it’s a commercially well-defined opportunity to express their feelings to their loved ones; for others, it’s a bleak reminder of what could have been. Regardless of where[Read More…]
‘American Fiction’: A movie about movies about books
Spoilers for American Fiction “Nuance doesn’t put asses in theater seats.” At least, that’s what fictional movie director Wiley Valdespino (Adam Brody) says in the final scene of Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction. In the Cineplex that I trekked out to on a Tuesday after class, the audience let out a[Read More…]
The Oscars 2.0
The Oscars Remixed Since the Oscar nominations were announced last Tuesday, an enormous amount of articles have been written about the snubs, surprises, and everything in between. And while it may be interesting and worthwhile to debate the artistic merits of films such as Past Lives or The Zone of[Read More…]
