Opus

Site Maintenance

Update: Alright, things should be back to normal. Let us know if you encounter any problems. Sorry for the short notice, but we’ll be performing some routine maintenance and upgrades to Twitch tonight. The entire process should take approximately 20... More »

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Updated: Site Maintenance Announcement

And we're back! Again, apologies for any inconvenience -- we know how you all get if you miss your Twitch fix. Please let us know if you encounter any glitches or errors, or see something that looks a little screwy.... More »

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Twitch Newsfeeds

One of the best ways to stay up-to-date with the latest Twitch content is to subscribe to our newsfeeds. There are currently two newsfeeds -- one for all of our articles and one for reviews only -- and both newsfeeds... More »

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Beautiful Noise: A Shoegazer Documentary

I don't post much around these parts unless I happen to be up in Toronto for the odd film festival. However, I found this news too exciting to ignore. If you want to get me to listen to a... More »

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TIFF Report: Renaissance Review

[TIFF Info Page Here] It took seven years for Christian Volckman and his team to bring Renaissance to the big screen. However, if I had to make a guess, I'd say that only about three months of that time... More »

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TIFF Report: Invisible Waves Review

[TIFF Info Page Here] Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's previous feature, 2003's Last Life In The Universe is what I would consider to be a "comfort film". That is, regardless of whatever mood I'm in, I can slip in the DVD and... More »

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TIFF Report: Election 1+2 Review

[TIFF Info Page Here] For a long time, I've never really been able to understand the praise heaped upon Johnnie To. Sure, he makes great-looking films that ooze with style and are peppered with fantastic action sequences. From a... More »

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TIFF Report: Times And Winds Review

[TIFF Info Page Here] Perhaps the highest praise that I can give Reha Erdem's award-winning Times And Winds is that it it made me very frightened of ever becoming a father. Obviously, as somewhat recent newlyweds, my wife and... More »

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TIFF Report: The Island Review

[TIFF Info Page Here] Perhaps it's my own religious upbringing, or maybe my psychological makeup, but stories involving characters wrestling with guilt, who seek to atone for actions of their past, almost always prove to be fascinating for me.... More »

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TIFF Report: Alatriste Review

[TIFF Info Page Here] Based on a series of popular novels by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Alatriste is the most expensive Spanish-language film ever made in Spain, and that is certainly obvious in every single frame of the film, which is... More »

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TIFF Report: Quelques Jours En Septembre Review

[TIFF Info Page Here] Santiago Amigorena's Quelques Jours En Septembre is set in the days leading up the infamous events of September 11, and according to the TIFF programmers, is a "high-voltage tale of espionage, betrayal and financial hijinks".... More »

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TIFF Report: Macbeth Review

[TIFF Info Page Here] I'll be right upfront; Macbeth already had one strike against it before the film even started rolling. I have an innate dislike for almost any modern, literal adaptation of Shakespeare, or of any "classic" work... More »

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TIFF Report: Rescue Dawn Review

[TIFF Info Page Here] Werner Herzog's films often center on desperate individuals who exist on the very edges of human existence, pushed there by madness, ambition, or other forces outside their control. So then, what better story to tell... More »

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TIFF Report: Hula Girls Review

[TIFF Info Page Here] I think it's a safe bet that Lee Sang-il's Hula Girls will have easily been one of the most commercial, mainstream, audience-friendly films to have played this year's TIFF. And that's not at all a... More »

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Tiff Report: The Fall

[TIFF Info Page Here] The whole time I sat there watching The Fall, the latest film from acclaimed Indian director Tarsem, I found myself listing off all of the elements of the movie that I liked: the sumptuous, almost... More »

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TIFF Report: The Host Review

It may still be too early to say, as other reviews have yet to roll in, but I have a feeling that Bong Joon-ho's The Host will be this year's Sha Po Lang -- at least as far as... More »

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TIFF Report: Lights In The Dusk Review

[TIFF info page here] Aki Kaurismaki's latest film is yet another droll, dyer-than-dry account focusing on a down-and-out man on the fringes of society. His subject this time is Koistinen, a lonely sad sack of a man with a... More »

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TIFF Report: HANA Review

Hirokazu Kore-eda's latest film, HANA, may have all of the usual trappings that one associates with the samurai genre, and yet it thoroughly, and enjoyably, subverts them time and again. Set in the 18th century, a time of relative... More »

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Live Action Saikano In The Works

I realize it's been awhile since I've posted to the ol' Twitch, but I saw this and just couldn't resist. AnimeOnDVD and Anime News Network are both reporting that a live action version of Saikano, aka She, The Ultimate Weapon... More »

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First 8 Minutes Of Ghost In The Shell 2 Online...

I know that our reviews of "Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence" have been a bit lacklustre, due in large part to the shallow characters and somewhat abstruse plot. However, it totally succeeds as a visual spectacle, offering up... More »

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Leading Voices in Global Cinema

Todd Brown, Founder & Editor Toronto
Peter Martin, Managing Editor Dallas
Ryland Aldrich, Festivals Editor Los Angeles
James Marsh, Asian Editor Hong Kong
Brian Clark, European Editor Paris

Hollywood Beat: Notes On Cutting The Cord And NBC's Genre Programs

I cut the cable cord last year, but I'm not always happy about it. I had to wait a year before seeing Season 2 of Game of Thrones, for example, and will have to wait to see Season 3 until next year. I only have to wait to see Mad... More »

Twitchvision: Talking STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS, MUD and THE ICEMAN

Another Twitchvision chat with Scott Laurie, this time me gushing about J.J.'s latest Star Trek film, which I unabashedly loved.Also talked about he fabbo Mud, and the less fabbo The Iceman, both with Michael Shannon doing his thing.Video embedded below.Update: Was asked to come in today and pick a few... More »

Learning from the Masters of Cinema: Henri-Georges Clouzot's THE MURDERER LIVES AT 21

While Henri-Georges Clouzot is best remembered for many of his later films, including The Wages of Fear and Diabolique, the French filmmaker's 1942 debut has gone largely unseen by Western audiences until now. The Murderer Lives at 21 (L'Assassin Habite au 21), based on the novel by Belgian author Stanislas-Andre... More »

China Beat: What did China See in IRON MAN 3?

Much has already been written, both on these pages and many others, about the landmark Hollywood-China co-production that is Marvel and DMG Entertainment's Iron Man 3. The film, directed by Shane Black, is the third solo outing for Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark, and has proved a phenomenal success around... More »

FEAR & LOATHING AT CANNES, PART 2: I'M IN LOVE WITH EVERYBODY'S GIRL

CHAPTER 4: THE PHILOSOPHY OF ANNA KARINA AND BUTT PLUGSI'm sitting outside at a small Café that my editor told me to meet him at. I'm a 10 minute walk from the Marche Du Film convention hall and I'm still waiting for my editor to arrive so he take guide... More »