Review: 'Don't Worry Darling'

By Glenn Dunks

To quote Lady Gaga: That’s gossip!

To ignore the gossip cycle that has become the press tour of Don’t Worry Darling can be difficult in the macro, but when the movie started it slipped away quite easily. For whatever may have been said about Olivia Wilde’s second directorial feature in the lead up to its release, that friction hasn’t quite come through on screen.

It’s not a good movie in the sense that it is coherent and fully grapples with the ideas it appears to be putting forward. It isn't and it doesn't. But it also is not a bad movie in that it is badly made or devoid of imagination or one where you can tell everybody on set hated everyone else. Which, after everything that’s happened, feels like more of a win in the moment than it oughta be...

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TIFF: A Mother on Trial in ‘Saint Omer’

By Abe Friedtanzer

Last week, France narrowd its list of contenders for the Oscar submission to five. Three of them played at TIFF – One Fine Morning, Paris Memories, and Saint Omer. The last of those has the advantage at the moment thanks to its two prizes at the Venice Film Festival. It’s a difficult, focused drama that deals with motherhood, national identity, and the justice system in France…

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TIFF: Looking for Richard III in ‘The Lost King’

By Abe Friedtanzer

 

Everyone has their “thing,” and some interests are a bit more niche than others. Take Philippa Langley, a writer inspired by her attendance at a staging of Shakespeare’s Richard III to clear the name of the ruler cast as a villain, going so far as to commission a dig that she hopes will reveal his final resting place. Sally Hawkins plays Langley in Stephen Frears’ entertaining and involving The Lost King…

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TIFF: Lee Jung-jae’s ‘Hunt’

By Abe Friedtanzer

It’s always interesting to see what a performer, who is already well-regarded in their home country, does in the wake of international success. Lee Jung-jae just made history with his SAG and Emmy wins for his leading role on Squid Game. Last week he was announced as the star of the upcoming Star Wars TV series The Acolyte. It’s more than fair to say that he’s hot right now. That makes his directorial debut, Hunt, which he also wrote and stars in, all the more exciting.

The now internationally famous actor stars as the head of the foreign unit of the KCIA, South Korea’s Central Intelligence Agency. It's the 1980s and a period of deep unrest and an assassination attempt in the United States. Back at home, he finds himself pitted against the head of the domestic unit (played by Jung-jae’s friend and frequent collaborator Jung Woo-sung), both tasked to uncover the identity of a North Korean spy...

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TIFF: Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbott in ‘Sanctuary’

By Abe Friedtanzer

Two-handers aren’t easy to pull off. They require strong actors who understand how to play off each other well enough to keep things interesting for the duration of an entire film. Fortunately, Zachary Wigon’s Sanctuary makes a great case for this format, showcasing excellent performances from its stars, Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbott. It's a 96-minute power struggle rollercoaster that never lets up…

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