The Killing of a Sacred Deer opens with Schubert’s grandiose “Stabat Mater” playing over an extreme close-up of a human heart mid-operation, followed by a conversation between two surgeons about wristwatch straps. Within minutes, director Yorgos Lanthimos sets the tone for the film: Darkly eccentric, fearlessly macabre, and meticulously choreographed. However,[Read More…]
Film and TV
‘Stranger Things 2’ is as imaginative and heart-wrenching as its predecessor
Stranger Things (2016), one of the most critically- and commercially-successful Netflix Original shows, has returned for its second season. Considering the incredibly high bar set by the first season, it is nothing short of remarkable that Stranger Things 2 is able to match it. Stranger Things 2 takes place in 1984, one year[Read More…]
Rap loses its rockstar
On the night of Nov. 15, Gustav Åhr, known by his stage name Lil Peep, was found dead inside his tour bus outside of a venue in Tucson, Arizona. He was set to perform in the second to last stop on his Come Over When You’re Sober tour, a 68-day tour[Read More…]
Lady Bird forgoes condescending tropes for character empowerment
Lady Bird is Greta Gerwig’s solo debut as writer and director, but the film is crafted so adeptly you’d think it was helmed by a filmmaker in her prime. Saoirse Ronan stars as Christine (Lady Bird) McPherson, a quirky senior at a Sacramento Catholic school in 2003 who identifies as living[Read More…]
‘The Florida Project’ finds grace in the kitschy margins of America’s Sunshine State
In his previous film, Tangerine (2015), director Sean Baker generated instant buzz by using an iPhone 5S to capture the intimate stories of transgender sex workers. It is a loud and frantic work, but through the grounded perspective of a phone camera, the under-represented voices on screen become undeniable. His[Read More…]
Feminism, lesbianism, artistry, and activism
The film lesbian ARTivism: current realities is a frank documentary that showcases the experiences of a variety of lesbian artists from around the world. On Oct. 24, at Maison de la culture du Plateau Mont-Royal, the film premiered to an audience including director kimura byol-nathalie lemoine, producer Johanne Coulombe, and[Read More…]
Loving Vincent: first ever oil-painted animated film pays homage to Van Gogh
Loving Vincent, to put it simply, is a work of art. Directed by Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman, the film advertises itself as “the world’s first fully painted feature film.” Each shot in the film was hand-painted in Vincent Van Gogh’s style by a team of over 100 artists. A[Read More…]
A&E Halloween special: the best horror movies for all your niche spook-season needs
With Christmas family-comedy season beginning to rear its cringey head, our writers prescribe four horror classics to keep your spook-levels up all year round. Horror Movie with the Best Female Leads: Ginger Snaps (2000) In a genre littered with disturbing representations of women, Ginger Snaps offers a unique portrayal of[Read More…]
The Tribune team takes on Montreal’s Festival du Nouveau Cinéma
This past October marked the 46th iteration of Montreal’s annual Festival du Nouveau Cinéma (FNC). Decades into its existence, the festival is continuing to grow; this year, FNC managed to secure the premiere of big name films, most notably Blade Runner 2049. The McGill Tribune looks at what succeeded, and[Read More…]
‘Beach Rats’’ queer drama juxtaposes emotional intimacy with dubstep
With a hypnotizing mix of neon lights and electronic music, Eliza Hittman’s Beach Rats presents viewers with the gritty, day-to-day life of her hometown Brooklyn. Cinematographer Hélène Louvart’s muted cinematography and Hittman’s artistic direction–which earned her the Best Director prize at Sundance 2017–make Beach Rats a stunning visual experience, but fail to[Read More…]