January 12, 2018

Welcome to TFCA Friday, a weekly round-up of film reviews and articles by TFCA critics.

Reviews and features by: Peter Howell (PH), Liam Lacey (LL), Chris Knight (CK), Gilbert Seah (GS), Jim Slotek (JS), Andrew Parker (AP), and Nathalie Atkinson (NA).

Opening this Week

Aida’s Secrets (dir. Alon and Saul Schwarz)

“A hell of a human story, one that speaks to determination, cruel bargains and sacrifice. It is an emotionally involving ride” — JS

“Builds with great finesse, piquing interest as much as it can” — GS

The Commuter (dir. Jaume Collet-Serra)

“[Liam Neeson’s] best-before date as an action hero looms” — PH

“Never a dull moment from start to finish“ — GS

“Admittedly silly, implausible, but entertaining” — AP

Happy End (dir. Michael Haneke)

“[Haneke’s] surgical scalpel remains as sharp as ever, even as he carves into familiar flesh” — PH

“More of a career consolidation than a step forward for the 75-year-old director” — LL

“Cleverly [contextualizes] the European migrant crisis” — GS

Mountain (dir. Jennifer Peedom)

“A movie most people can visually enjoy – with the clear exception of anyone with a fear of heights. Mountain is a virtual roller-coaster ride of stone, ice and snow” — JS

“Best enjoyed by sitting back and relaxing, to enjoy the stunning cinematography and beauty of the mountains” — GS

Paddington 2 (dir. Paul King)

“Might just be the best bear movie since Winnie the Pooh” — CK

“A total delight” — GS

“Visually stunning, laugh-out-loud hilarious, heartwarming, and destined to remain one of the best pieces of mainstream, big budget entertainment by the end of the year” — AP

The Polka King (dir. Maya Forbes)

“Netflix is the perfect place for a film like The Polka King, and that’s not in any way a knock against the talent and effort that went into making it” — AP

The Golden Globes: A Post-Mortem

“We shouldn’t have to give up our seat at the table because of bad behaviour that wasn’t ours.” NA on why the Golden Globes protest matters

And as PH puts it, this is a time to rage, not to party

Canadians at Sundance 2018

PH looks at the films debuting in Park City next week