It’s a rainy Wednesday afternoon, and the sounds of Toronto’s torrential downpour blend with live instrumentals from various music scores that accompanied films made by one of Hollywood’s most famed Canadian directors, the late Norman Jewison. These notes and melodies fill the Canadian Film Centre (CFC), a space Jewison founded as a launching point for new generations … Read more
The Cannes Film Festival opened Tuesday with the unveiling of Greta Gerwig’s jury selection and the presentation of an honorary Palme d’Or — the festival’s most prestigious prize — for Meryl Streep as the French Riviera spectacular kicked off its 77th edition. But along with buzzy films from Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, to Kevin Costner’s … Read more
Oppenheimer finally premiered Friday in the nation where two cities were obliterated 79 years ago by the nuclear weapons invented by the American scientist who was the subject of the Oscar-winning film. The reviews of Japanese filmgoers who spoke to reporters were understandably mixed and highly emotional. The film’s release in Japan, more than eight … Read more
The Oscars are poised to do something on Sunday that they haven’t done in a very long time: Hand its top award to a blockbuster. After years of favoring smaller movies such as “The Shape of Water” and “Nomadland,” the clear best-picture favorite “Oppenheimer” — with just shy of $1 billion in tickets sold — … Read more
A chaotic comedy about the rise and fall of an era-defining smartphone has won the $50,000 best Canadian feature prize from the Toronto Film Critics Association. BlackBerry director and star Matt Johnson accepted the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award at a swanky bash Monday night. Director Don McKellar presented the award. This marked the first year … Read more
Atom bomb epic Oppenheimer won seven prizes — including best picture, director and actor — at the 77th British Academy Film Awards on Sunday. Gothic fantasia Poor Things took five prizes. Christopher Nolan was named best director, and Cillian Murphy won the best actor prize for playing J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb. Emma Stone was … Read more
“Did this film direct itself?” When a female-directed film that received critical acclaim and box-office success was nominated in several Oscar categories — including best picture, but not best director — that was the question that had people buzzing. But this wasn’t Barbie, and the director wasn’t Greta Gerwig. This was 1992, when Barbra Streisand’s directorial snub for The Prince of Tides was seen as so controversial that Billy … Read more
Lee Sun-kyun, a popular South Korean actor best known for his role in the Oscar-winning movie Parasite, was found dead in a car in Seoul on Wednesday after weeks of an intense police investigation into his alleged drug use. Police and emergency officers initially found Lee in what they believed was an unconscious state in the car … Read more
Let’s get the honourable mentions out of the way, first. Rihanna performed at the SuperBowl — and announced a pregnancy while she was onstage. The Beatles released a new song using an old demo from the late John Lennon, featuring additions by Paul McCartney, the late George Harrison and Ringo Starr, as well as a little help … Read more
Comedian and actor Jo Koy has been tapped to host the Golden Globes, picked by producers for his “infectious energy and relatable humour.” Koy last year saw his Easter Sunday become the first big studio movie with an all-Filipino ensemble. He has released five stand-up specials on Comedy Central and Netflix, including his most recent Netflix … Read more
