Almost There: Barbara Hershey in “Black Swan”

by Cláudio Alves

You may have noticed that, for the past couple of weeks, The Film Experience has been overtaken by one persistent question: Who should be the next Amy Madigan? We’ve done a team-wide vote and two readers’ polls, highlighting both men and women. At this point, you might be a tad tired of this business. On the other hand, your picks were a nice clue into what performers the readership might be thinking of and harkening for, write-up-wise. With that in mind, it feels like a good opportunity to revive the long-dormant Almost There series, where I go over performances that garnered some significant precursor support before fizzling out on Oscar nomination morning. They were close, but no cigar.

Case in point: Barbara Hershey, who scored high in both the Team Experience and The Film Experience readers' vote, and might have come close to a second Academy Award nomination for Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan…

Click to read more ...

Split Decision: "Weapons"

In the Split Decision series, our writers pair up and face off on an Oscar-nominated movie one loves and the other doesn't or has mixed feelings about. Tonight, JUAN CARLOS and NATHANIEL  discuss  Weapons.

WEAPONS © Warner Bros

JUAN CARLOS: Hi, Nathaniel! The last time we did a Split Decision together was for Killers of the Flower Moon. Also about the horrors of American society, but we're now faced with a different kind of horror.

Where do we start? People thought Weapons was just part of the boom that the genre is experiencing right now (never out of style, by the way). There was considerable fanfare since the director's previous work was the cult hit Barbarian back in 2021. And lo and behold, a surprise hit on all accounts. Personally, it took me a while to convince myself to watch the film. Not the biggest fan of watching horror in cinemas (weird, but I do love the experience of watching horror films with my mom at home). But the advanced praise on Amy Madigan was enough for me to go to the cinemas. I thought she was phenomenal and am personally rooting for her to win the Oscar (in a solid lineup for Supporting Actress) and the film itself... hmmm.

Click to read more ...

TIFF 50: "Mārama" serves Gothic horror with an anticolonial twist

by Cláudio Alves

Before even its company credits unfold on screen, Mārama hits the audience with a smash of historical context. A short text positions the narrative to come within the legacy of colonialism in Aoteaora, renamed New Zealand by its invaders. Specifically, it warns of the desecration of Māori culture and the violence that persists to this day, concluding with a statement that might as well stand for the film's thesis: "To move into our future we must understand our past." Such sentiment underpins much of contemporary anticolonial art, and Mārama makes for a particularly curious example, as it explores the subject by appealing to genre precepts, moving away from didacticism toward the pulpy visceral. 

For his feature directorial debut, Taratoa Stappard has imagined a Gothic story cum revenge fantasy, where a Māori woman travels across the globe to Victorian England and seeks justice for what was done to her, her family, her people…

Click to read more ...

TIFF 50: "Frankenstein" has great gowns, beautiful gowns

by Cláudio Alves

Last year, Emilia Pérez finished in second place for TIFF's People's Choice Award, and, while not as bad, this year's runner-up left me similarly displeased. You can deduce that the masses disagree, having received Guillermo del Toro's Mary Shelley adaptation with open hearts and adoration aplenty. I think I was also predisposed to love the Mexican master's spin on Frankenstein, having defended his follies for the last decade, even when critics I respect soured on the man's cinema. Moreover, I even re-read the novel – comparing the 1818 and 1831 versions as I went along – to prepare for what was sure to be a grand Gothic spectacle to sweep me off my feet.

As it turns out, del Toro's Frankenstein was one of my major disappointments at TIFF 50, maybe the biggest. Thank heavens for those beautiful costumes and that beautiful Creature, for I'm not sure I'd have made it through this 150-minute slog without them…

Click to read more ...

Say Goodbye Together with "The Conjuring: Last Rites"

by Nick Taylor

After twelve years, the main branch of The Conjuring film series has seemingly closed its doors. Whether we get any more Annabelles or The Nuns or a subsequent cash-grab inspired by the success of The Conjuring: Last Rites is a different story entirely, and I’ll wait a few years before I truly believe James Wan’s claims about this really being the end. But as a send-off to cinema’s own Ed and Lorraine Warren, there’s plenty of affecting work to admire within some godawful cinematography and a villain that’s never very compelling on its own terms.

We begin The Conjuring: Last Rites in 1964, as Ed and Lorraine (Orion Smith and Madison Lawlor) begin recording statements for their first-ever case. They’re investigating the haunted goings-on at a curiosity shop, where according to the shop’s assistant, there’s been an uptick in inexplicable paranormal activity since the owner inexplicably killed himself . . . .

Click to read more ...