By: Amanda Guarragi The Saw franchise has always been under a moral code from John Kramer (Tobin Bell). He only harmed those who have done terrible things or are horrible people. Over the years, the franchise has suffered balancing morally challenging backstories for their characters and the gore. The early Saw films did have a good structure. The characters were linked to Kramer and the … Continue reading ‘Saw X’ Review
By: Amanda Guarragi What exactly is history? Is it stories passed down from generation to generation, or what is placed in textbooks across the globe for children to be conditioned to one particular narrative? For years, people have addressed the broken system in America for it to be compared to other countries. In her film Origin, writer-director Ava DuVernay educates audiences on the hierarchy of … Continue reading TIFF ’23: ‘Origin’ Review
By: Amanda Guarragi Memories come in fragments and are almost always tied to one of the senses. What humans feel when they look, smell, or hear something can transport the mind back to a specific moment in a flash. For some, moments like that can be peaceful and, to others, triggering. Those fragments make up a new memory, even ones that have been subconsciously locked … Continue reading TIFF ’23: ‘Memory’ Review
By: Amanda Guarragi After Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder comes a true underdog story that has been fighting to be released. Next Goal Wins is a heartfelt football story about the American Samoa national football team. The team is historically known for their devastating 31-0 loss to Australia in the World Cup qualifying match in 2002. This film explores the team and the coach … Continue reading TIFF ’23: ‘Next Goal Wins’ Review
By: Amanda Guarragi An Alexander Payne film is filled with heart, strong laughs, and an emotional gut punch that no one expects. All his movies have had a great cast and reflective conversations about life and relationships. The Holdovers is no different. It’s one of his most charming films to date. Any film that has Christmas as a backdrop is bound to pull at the … Continue reading TIFF ’23: ‘The Holdovers’ Review
Candid Cinema 