REVIEW: The Deep House (2021)
Curiosity kills the cat, but how about content creators? In their hunt for the ultimate viewer booster, Tina (Camille Rowe) and Ben (James Jagger) visit a place that they definitely should not have, awakening the horrors within. Pro tip: When a Virgin Mary statue is…
INTERVIEW: ‘Hit-Monkey’s Nobi Nakanishi
Never disregard the monkey business in this one, for you’ll see red. Blood red. After seeing his entire clan killed, a smart but temperamental Japanese macaque (Fred Tatasciore) sets out for revenge. Yes, a macaque. It’s impossible to do it alone, of course, and so assistance…
REVIEW: House Of Gucci (2021)
As high society’s Patrizia Reggiani reaches for bottom-barrel tactics to get things done, the third meaning of Gucci’s interlacing Gs surfaces – and claims prominence. What used to be a dignified reference to the fashion house’s founder, and an alliterative signifier of wearable luxe, now…
INTERVIEW: Clifford the Big Red Dog’s Izaac Wang
Ever since his multi-hyphenated introduction as Boun in Raya and the Last Dragon, it’s been a challenge to separate the character and his voice actor, Izaac Wang. How can you, really, when the sprightliness, charm and kindness of Captain Boun is a combination that is…
REVIEW: The Medium (2021)
As tempting as it is, don’t question a medium’s conclusions, more so the methods they have applied to reach them. Don’t think too much, to phrase it more succinctly. Rather fitting when you might need to do so too, to enjoy The Medium—or to see…
TIFF INTERVIEW: ‘Terrorizers’ Director Ho Wi Ding
The adage goes, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” and that is true for Terrorizers, the fourth and latest film from Taiwan-based Malaysian filmmaker Ho Wi Ding. A public slashing incident is at the heart of things, but the characters—more connected than you or…
INTERVIEW: ‘Blue Bayou’ Star Linh-Dan Pham
In Justin Chon’s latest film Blue Bayou, amid the struggle to deal with an unfeelingly issued deportation order, tattoo artist Antonio LeBlanc (Chon himself) finds comfort in a kind Vietnamese-American customer named Parker. Played by Linh-Dan Pham in a heart-rending performance, Parker turns out to…
REVIEW: The Guilty (TIFF 2021)
On this particular day in Los Angeles in The Guilty, everything is heated. Sky’s orange. The hills are ablaze. “The Guilty” is in blackletter type. Regularly heard are blaring sirens and calls for emergency services. But the place where the temperature is highest would be…
TIFF INTERVIEW: Director and Stars of ‘Snakehead’
Between 1984 and 2000, Sister Ping, real name Cheng Chui Ping, was the name to be aware of in New York’s Chinatown. In those years, she was the operator of an expansive human smuggling ring—a 蛇头, a snakehead. Her life and legacy served as the…
TV REVIEW: Hellbound (TIFF 2021)
One person’s damnation is the whole public’s event of the season. Leave it to writer-director Yeon Sang-ho to mutate ordinary concepts into outlandish fun, most notably that 2016 mega-hit where a high-speed train to Busan becomes the perfect buffet line for zombies. Hellbound, however, is…
INTERVIEW: ‘Shang-Chi’ Production Designer Sue Chan
If you ask around, people will have different answers to “What is the most beautiful thing in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings?” The mainstream-level representation. Or the success during the pandemic. Maybe the costumes. The action. Tony Leung, specifically his eyes. In…
TIFF INTERVIEW: ‘Saloum’ Director Jean Luc Herbulot
Professor Utonium has sugar, spice and everything nice; filmmaker Jean Luc Herbulot has music, culture and video games. In terms of ingredients for our Congolese creative to assemble his latest feature, Saloum, these three are the must-haves. They are how viewers can get in on…
INTERVIEW: Director of Bruce Lee Documentary ‘Be Water’ – Bao Nguyen
Be honest: Do you know Bruce Lee? Seeing how he tends to be the first name folks think of when talking about martial arts, how statues of him have been built and more, the answer would be “Yes.” Easy. But Be Water, the ESPN’s 30…
