Review: Get Low

In his debut as a feature film director (he’s won an Oscar already for his first short film), Aaron Schneider has gotten it right: Get Low (2009) is a terrific film. Toronto audiences already got an early peek at the film last September at TIFF, but it was finally released in theatres last weekend. A period comedy / drama set in late 1930s Tennessee, it’s based on a real 1938 event, a “live funeral,” and (much more loosely) on the life of a real man (Felix “Bush” Breazeale). And though it’s been released during the hottest summer Toronto’s seen in living memory, Get Low isn’t a summer blockbuster. It doesn’t depend on special effects. It’s not in 3D. Its watch-ability relies solely on the strength of the narrative and the performances of the actors. At its heart it’s a story about secrets and loss and guilt. Read more

Review: Fantastic Mr. Fox

Wes Anderson’s latest feature, Fantastic Mr. Fox, is simultaneously silly, surreal, and contemplative, making an artful turn of his signature style.  Read more