All Articles by Monika Bartyzel

TIFF 2011: MELANCHOLIA Review

Posted: September 17th, 2011 at 5:59 am

Lars von Trier’s depression is well-documented. He’s a visionary plagued by his own personal demons. His fears and phobias have kept him out of the skies and the rush of international film promotion. In 2007 they even led him to say, “basically, I’m afraid of everything in life, except filmmaking.” His depression was so crippling, in fact, that it had made him “a blank sheet of paper” that year, unable to create. Luckily, his struggles did not keep him from the directorial chair. The self-proclaimed “melancholy Dane” returned to work and dug to the very depths of empathy with his harrowing Antichrist, and now he’s dared to display his emotional demons front and center with the apocalyptic Melancholia. My review after the jump:

BLUE VALENTINE Blu-ray Review

Posted: June 6th, 2011 at 3:56 am

Not all romances end with rousing music and fairy tale happy endings: The Break-Up gave us the finite side of love; the Before Sunrise/Before Sunset franchise offered soulmates with bad timing; and that’s to say nothing of the doom that faced lovers like Romeo and Juliet. Yet on top of the decades and centuries of creative coupling, Derek Cianfrance’s Blue Valentine finds new ground by unleashing the infrequently-visited aspects of romance as Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams meet, love, and leave. Hit the jump for my review of Blue Valentine on Blu-ray.

THE VENTURE BROS: The Complete Season 4 Blu-ray Review

Posted: May 5th, 2011 at 12:09 pm

After the Season Three ender, “The Family That Slays Together, Stays Together,” there was no telling where The Venture Bros. would travel in Season Four because the Venture world, as we knew it, had been obliterated. The animated folks had faced clone armies marching to “March of the Toys,” shocking resignations, and the death of a henchman. But show creators Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick managed to whip together a whole new sea of pop culture references intermingled with hunching, super science and action. Season Four references everything from progressive rock to The Diving Bell and the Butterfly to the Arrested Development song, “Mr. Wendal,” and after Volume One, half-season releases, the entire fourth season has been released on one Blu-ray disc.  My review after the jump.

THE RULES OF ATTRACTION Blu-ray Review

Posted: April 14th, 2011 at 7:00 am

Seven years after Roger Avary won an Oscar for his work on Pulp Fiction, he jumped behind the camera for his second directorial feature, The Rules of Attraction. It was ranting guntoters meets Bret Easton Ellis, thrown on a university campus, and led by a parade of good TV stars going bad, from 7^th Heaven’s Jessica Biel sleeping with the whole football team to Dawson’s Creek’s James Van Der Beek selling drugs and The Wonder Years’ Fred Savage become a stoner loser. Hit the jump for my review of The Rules of Attraction on Blu-ray:

MOULIN ROUGE Blu-ray Review

Posted: November 19th, 2010 at 12:12 pm

The frenetic, color-infused world of Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge has now descended upon the Blu-ray shelves, where Nicole Kidman’s Satine and Ewan McGregor’s Christian find impossible love in courtesan-filled streets  of late nineteenth century Paris. Though it’s the sort of film that demands to be seen on Blu-ray, this is a release just as pleasing for its cohesive extras as it is for the color-amped proceedings that unravel throughout the film.  More after the jump:

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW 35th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Review

Posted: November 17th, 2010 at 9:45 am

It’s been thirty-five years since Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, and Barry Bostwick threw on the fishnets and delighted in transsexual, Transylvanian sexuality in the cult phenomenon The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Naturally, that makes this the perfect time for a new, high-definition release of the sexual shenanigans and song stylings (to battle with Glee’s own homage to the classic).

The reigning goddess of midnight movie cult fare, this release is a scintillating transfer of the classic with extras designed to immortalize the classic fan experience.  Hit the jump for more:

GLEE Season One Blu-ray Review

Posted: October 7th, 2010 at 8:58 am

In a world where television is devoted to every shade of crime fighter – cops, cops in different cities, private detectives, scientists, and partners who are psychics, novelists, bone people, professors, and even multi-dimensional travelers – ‘Glee’ is an anomaly. A big anomaly. It’s after-school special meets Alexander Payne’s ‘Election,’ set to tunes ranging from Journey to Lady Gaga.

And now the merry band of misfits have hit Blu-ray in a not perfect, but very solid production.

REMEMBER ME DVD Review

Posted: June 24th, 2010 at 3:52 pm

A lot was riding on Remember Me, Robert Pattinson’s first big starring role where he wasn’t trying to embody the perfection of a young wizard, the flamboyance of Salvador Dali, or the sparkling bloodlust of Edward Cullen.  Once production made it through the throngs of paparazzi and Twi-hards, the question loomed: Could RPatt transcend Twilight and command the box office? But Remember Me wasn’t the sort of fare to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars. Ultimately, the film made a healthy amount of money for an indie venture, and contrary to what you may have heard, it’s certainly worth your time.  More after the jump:

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON DVD Review

Posted: March 19th, 2010 at 1:47 pm

It’s time for part two of The Twilight Saga: New Moon; the shirtless wolf extravaganza hits shelves tomorrow with a modest DVD that gives fans just enough, while holding more for a future “special” release.

Hit the jump for more details on the New Moon DVD….

THE LIMITS OF CONTROL DVD Review

Posted: December 9th, 2009 at 11:45 pm

There are films that are enjoyed for their entertainment, and those that provoke the mind. But on the latter end of the spectrum, there are features that don’t quite work as films, but still manage to provoke thought and discussion. That is where Jim Jarmusch’s The Limits of Control falls.  Hit the jump for the review:

GUITAR HERO 5 Nintendo Wii Review

Posted: October 3rd, 2009 at 1:12 pm

Naturally, in all the wonder that is Beatles Rock Band, Guitar Hero 5 sort of slipped on by, looking like more of the same from the GH camp while the masses delighted in the most epic band to ever write music. The thing is, while Rock Band most definitely grabs the prize for tunes, Guitar Hero for the Wii has repositioned itself in the music gamer world and it is 100% worthy of your attention. More after the jump:

LESLIE, MY NAME IS EVIL Interview Pt. 1

Posted: September 25th, 2009 at 9:00 am

Last week at the Toronto International Film Festival, I sat down with a number of the main players of “Leslie, My Name is Evil” – Reginald Harkema’s pulpy and political black comedy about Charlie Manson devotee Leslie Van Houten. First up is a chat with Kristen Hager, who plays the infamous Leslie, and Gregory Smith, who plays juror Perry in the piece.  Hit the jump to read about moving from small towns and innocent “Everwood” to sadistic murderers and religious folk, love of all things Canada, and the vampires and cops that are in their future.

Rob Stefaniuk’s SUCK and Sook-Yin Lee’s YEAR OF THE CARNIVORE Reviews – TIFF ’09

Posted: September 22nd, 2009 at 5:10 pm

Two Canadian indies. Two “Kids in the Hall” alums. Two vastly different genres. Stateside, we all know about the crazy worlds of David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan, and the maple leaf filmmakers who make inventive footprints in the world of film. But behind them is a world of indie filmmakers who do a whole lot with very little. We’ve already covered Reginald Harkema’s “Leslie, My Name is Evil,” and now we give you Rob Stefaniuk’s “Suck” and Sook-Yin Lee’s “Year of the Carnivore.” Click through to get a taste of rock ‘n’ roll vampires and sexual, coming-of-age laughs.

Three TIFF ’09 Films That Came Up Short – MY SON, MY SON WHAT HAVE YE DONE?, THE GOOD HEART, and HARRY BROWN

Posted: September 20th, 2009 at 9:01 pm

As a movie fan, there are times that I wish I could say “once more, with feeling,” and watch films with interesting premises and paths suddenly replay with the feeling and intrigue that they’re sorely lacking – the missing ingredient that could make them thrive. It’s easy to disregard a film with a faulty premise and delivery, but it’s not so easy to stomach the films with promise not met, like “My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?,” “The Good Heart,” and “Harry Brown.”

Hit the jump for more on these three TIFF films.

WHIP IT Review – TIFF ’09

Posted: September 18th, 2009 at 6:53 pm

Take Drew Barrymore: Mix in some of her feel-good friend fare, her experiences and appreciation of all things 80s, some of Hollywood’s most kick-ass girls, and rollerskates, and you’ll come up with “Whip It.” An ’80s film for a new millennium, “Whip It” is rough, fun, and hip-checkingly girly. Hit the jump to learn more about Barrymore’s directorial debut.

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