Katerina Cizek’s biggest challenge has been working in a medium “that hasn’t been invented yet.” No mere film, Cizek’s new documentary, One Millionth Tower, combines video, photos, and animation in a 3D virtual space to tell the story of an aging Toronto highrise apartment and the people that live there. It’s being billed as “one [...]

Pink Ribbons, Inc. Directed by Léa Pool (Canada, Special Presentations)   September 11, 12:30 p.m.; Isabel Bader Theatre (93 Charles Street West) September 13, 9:15 p.m.; AMC 2 (10 Dundas Street East) September 18, 12:15 p.m.; Scotiabank Theatre 1 (259 Richmond Street West) Last year, TIFF’s banner film was Sturla Gunnarsson’s Force of Nature: The David Suzuki [...]

Before they started collecting Oscars on this side of the new millennium for adaptation of Cormac McCarthy novels and John Wayne flicks, Joel and Ethan Cohen worked a little closer to what could be feasibly considered the fringes of American cinema.

Wiebo Ludwig and his family at their home on the Trickle Creek compound. Wiebo Ludwig, the subject of David York’s excellent National Film Board–backed film Wiebo’s War, has been labelled a cult leader and an eco-terrorist by the Canadian media. Patriarch and spiritual leader of the Trickle Creek Christian compound in northern Alberta, Ludwig has [...]

Stéphanie Lanthier (Canada, Workers of the World!) Screenings: Sunday, May 1, 9:30 p.m. The ROM Theatre (100 Queen’s Park) Tuesday, May 3, 1:30 p.m.M The ROM Theatre (100 Queen’s Park) Another strong(ish) showing by the NFB at Hot Docs 2011, Lumberfros takes us into Boreal forest of northern Quebec. In the grand tradition of the [...]

It’s a pretty well-rounded week for movie-going, moviegoers. This week, we’ve got one the year’s most memorably depressing films, a Canadian classic, and even some Muppets. Also, there’s a thing going on where local film writers debate the merits of their favourite crappy movies, which you should all go to. Just get out of the house. Believe it or not, it beats slumping around inside griping about the Oscars.

Look at the Toronto segment of Out My Window. The Germans call them Plattenbau. The former Soviet bloc has a different word: panelák. In the UK, they call them tower blocks. In South Korea: 아파트단지. Americans usually refer to them as midrises or highrises. Here in Toronto, we usually just call them apartment buildings. They’re [...]

So, it's a pretty wacky week at the movies. This week, we scrape the bottom of the extreme horror chum bucket, indulge in some ani-mania, and get all dopey remembering how good busting used to make us feel. Oh, and we finally got around to seeing that Facebook movie. And you should too.

As a means of rounding up Toronto’s various cinematic goings-on each week, Movie Mondays compiles the best rep cinema and art house screenings, special presentations, lectures, and limited engagements. The thirty-fifth annual Toronto International Film Festival rolls its red carpets into town next Thursday. For film lovers, it’s the highlight of the year, and a [...]

As the Toronto International Film Festival gradually unveils its programming, we’ll be providing cheat sheets with each major announcement. Terry and ol’ Deaner give’r again in Mike Dowse’s Fubar II. Image courtesy of TIFF. CATEGORY: Canadian cinema, i.e. those films from our home and native land. HEAVY-HITTERS: Par for the course, this year’s festival cherry-picks [...]

Believe it or not, music videos still exist. Sound Tracks trolls the internet to find the best and the worst of local artists’ new singles and the good, bad, or otherwise noteworthy visuals that accompany them. Summer brings yet another eye-catching Japan-themed clip from Hawksley Workman, though this time he takes a break from being [...]

Well it’s a lazy, dog-dangling Monday, as they say. No lines at Tim Hortons or cars honking outside our windows, as Torontonians are packing their picnic baskets en masse for a holiday Monday in the park or on the Toronto Islands. (Speaking of picnic baskets, if you missed it when it premiered last week, check [...]