True North Streaming is a semi-regular column highlighting some of the best new additions to Netflix’s Canadian service. Like many of you, every so often I get a pleasant surprise when I discover a cool movie or TV show that’s just popped up on Netflix’s often-maligned sister platform. These posts will help you filter through the often quirky mix of Netflix Canada’s offerings and find the most valuable ways to waste some time.
And with that, in no particular order…
Read MoreHappily (despite persistent rumours to the contrary) Patty Jenkins’ picture is a sturdy, involving piece of work on its own merits. It uses the broader DC universe as a stage for a reflection on the causes of war – is it something inherent in human nature, or something we can struggle to avoid? And it does so from the unique perspective of a woman being introduced to real combat (and the 20th century) for the first time. While Wonder Woman isn’t immune to the usual genre tropes (uninspiring villains, a messy climax), it’s still a great place to start; not just for female-led comic-book movies, but for the DC franchise as a whole.
Read MoreThe first act of the newest Pirates of the Caribbean movie features a sequence where a team of horses, hooked up to a one-ton vault, end up towing an entire building through the streets of an island township. In the midst of this chaos is Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), waving his arms like a mad octopus, in the throes of the shtick that Depp has offered on movie screens for 14 years. None of it is remotely plausible, and it goes on much longer than it has any right to.
Read MoreNow comes King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, the newest (but twice delayed) film from Ritchie and the first major release based on the Arthurian tales since Antoine Fuqua’s 2004 film starring Clive Owen. True to form, Ritchie approaches the Knights of the Round Table with his signature flourishes, doubling down on the magical underpinnings of the source material. This is a movie with Mûmakil, giant snakes, and a hulking skull-headed necromancer. It’s almost a direct contradiction of Fuqua’s “What if Arthur was a real military leader?” concept, and one that feels more authentic to those familiar with names like Merlin, Mordred and Camelot.
But Legend of the Sword is also a naked attempt to re-forge King Arthur into a medieval superhero. The legendary king is given otherworldly powers not unlike those of the Flash, and thus the audience is entreated to sign up for yet another merchandisable multi-film cinematic universe - or would it be cinematic kingdom? Even that wouldn’t be so bad, if the film wasn’t also one of the most confusingly edited movies of 2017. Over and over, the movie scrambles up its scenes, leaving the distinct impression that Ritchie’s first draft wasn’t good enough for Warner Bros. (after Suicide Squad, who’s surprised?) and the editing was passed on to a committee. The Arthurian tales are flexible, but they’re no match for studio meddling.
Read MoreThere’s something to be said for a movie that wears its heart (or its themes) on its sleeve. It may not be subtle, or even very original, but if a film has a confident sense of self, watching it can be just as engrossing as a hard-hitting awards contender.
Not a lot of movies have this kind of swagger. Audiences are sometimes assumed to be passive enough to distract with empty CGI, awkward exposition or monologuing villains. Thankfully, this isn’t true of the Guardians of the Galaxy films, which operate under the infectious belief that they’re pretty hot stuff, even without the bells and whistles. They welcome you into a corner (or corners) of the universe where there’s danger and opportunity in equal measure, and people don’t feel the need to hide who they are. They’re just as colourful and expressive as they want to be, and unsurprisingly, it’s one of the nicest places in the Marvel universe to visit.
Read MoreThe urge to decode our relationship with technology is a powerful one. We want to know why we invest so much time in our online presence. We wonder whether it’s a good idea for tech companies to step in when governments or other institutions let us down. We worry if part of what makes us human is getting stripped away.
So along comes The Circle, directed by James Ponsoldt (The Spectacular Now, Smashed) a movie that joins a burgeoning line of releases that caution against taking our online connectedness too far. The Circle’s worried about our privacy, or so it says.
Read MoreTrue North Streaming is a semi-regular column highlighting some of the best new additions to Netflix’s Canadian service. Like many of you, every so often I get a pleasant surprise when I discover a cool movie or TV show that’s just popped up on Netflix’s often-maligned sister platform. These posts will help you filter through the often quirky mix of Netflix Canada’s offerings and find the most valuable ways to waste some time.
Read MoreWith Power Rangers drawing better-than-expected reviews and surprising everyone with a $40 million opening weekend gross, 2017 is shaping up to be a really good year. (If you don’t believe me, check out this list compiled by a Redditor.) Despite its promising opening, I’ve found that there is a large segment of people who steadfastly refuse to give it a chance – that’s understandable, given the Power Rangers’ target demographic, but part of the fun in seeing a movie is to be taken in directions that amaze or surprise.
Read MoreBeyond the visceral, in-the-moment thrills of gangster movies - the shootouts, the acidic dialogue, the displays of power - one of the most compelling things the genre can offer is a meditation on trust. When a low-level thug aspires to lead his own crew, which of his friends can he count on to get him there? Once he becomes the boss, do the guys he leaned on in the past hold true? And what about at home - in the world of organized crime, can a gangster ever rely on the people he loves?
Read MoreWho knew coloured spandex would have such a lasting impression on our pop culture? On March 24, Haim Saban will be bringing Power Rangers back to the silver screen, 22 years after the original theatrical film grossed $66 million worldwide on a $15 million budget. What is old is new again, which seems to be the running theme for a lot of franchises these days.
Read MoreSeveral decades ago, a movie like Kong: Skull Island would unashamedly be a true B-movie. It’s got a giant ape, a remote island full of monsters, and some good-looking people trying to escape. But in our current age of geeky properties getting blessed with $200 million budgets, it can be tricky to figure out what we’re getting with Skull Island. Is the movie too pretty, too well assembled and too stocked with talent (like Oscar winner Brie Larson) to embrace its grungy roots?
Read MoreAm I crazy in thinking that Logan is good enough to start stirring up some conversation when awards season hits? James Mangold’s long-awaited, much-ballyhooed, R-rated entry in the final chapter of Wolverine’s trilogy still manages to be a surprising delight despite all the hype.
Read MoreTrue North Streaming is a semi-regular column highlighting some of the best new additions to Netflix’s Canadian service. Like many of you, every so often I get a pleasant surprise when I discover a cool movie or TV show that’s just popped up on Netflix’s often-maligned sister platform. These posts will help you filter through the often quirky mix of Netflix Canada’s offerings and find the most valuable ways to waste some time.
Read MoreAny movie that wades into a complex and divisive political discussion like race relations has to toe a fine line. Play things too safe, and the film will feel like a waste of time. Conversely, take too strident of a position and audiences may rebel. This is why movies like Get Out – the new horror-comedy from Jordan Peele – feels like such an achievement.
Read MoreThe Lego Batman Movie is another vehicle for The Lego Group – a.k.a. Danish corporation Lego A/S, worth approximately $15 billion – to sell more of its (admittedly excellent) building block toys, but unlike other previous film franchises that were made solely to sell ancillary products, it’s not clumsy. It’s a clever film that has earned the rare distinction of being both a cash cow and a genuinely entertaining 106-minute commercial.
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