I recently discovered uNoGS.com, a terrific third-party Netflix search tool; it will tell you in which of 24 countries you can stream a given film on Netflix. It also has a "last chance to watch" list of films expiring soon on Netflix in Canada (or any of the 24 countries).
Another good search tool is JustWatch, which covers numerous digital ( Read more... )

I posted my list of favourite docs yesterday. Here are my 25 favourite new feature-length narrative films watched for the first time in 2015.

1. Son of Saul [Saul fia] (László Nemes, 2015).

2. Magallanes (Salvador del Solar, 2015).

3. Room (Lenny Abrahamson, 2015).

4. Inside Out (Pete Docter, 2015).

5. Ex Machina (Alex Garland, 2015).

6. No ( Read more... )

These are my ten favourite feature documentaries seen in 2015.

1. Uyghurs: Prisoners of the Absurd (Patricio Henríquez, 2014)
2. The Look of Silence (Joshua Oppenheimer, 2014)
3. P.S. Jerusalem (Danae Elon, 2015)
4. Tim’s Vermeer (Teller, 2013)
5. Deep Web (Alex Winter, 2015)
6. Invention (Mark Lewis, 2015)
7. Magician: The Astonishing Life and ( Read more... )

In 2015 I watched 366 feature-length films. I wanted to post the full list, but LiveJournal keeps telling me it’s too long. They break down as follows:

• 57 documentaries
  
• 2 “docufiction”
  
• 307 narrative features

and by year of first release:

• 1920s: 2
  
• 1930s: 4
  
• 1940s: 15
  
• 1950s: 14
  
• 1960s: 20
  
• 1970s: 22
  
• 1980s: 17
  
• 1990s: 18
  
• 2000s: 30
  
• 2010: 1
  
• 2011: 8
  
• 2012: 8
  
• ( Read more... )

I enjoyed the films seen in the second half of TIFF much more, in general, than those I reported on in my previous postOverall at TIFF this year I went to 29 screenings comprising 17 shorts, 3 TV episodes, and 26 features. (That includes one walkout.) I don't have time to write about everything; below are some comments on my favourites from what I ( Read more... )

At the midpoint of TIFF, I've been to 16 screenings, and am still waiting for a film I can get really excited about. Most of what I've seen so far has met my expectations but not exceeded them. Here are short comments about some of what I've seen. Links are to the Internet Archive Wayback Machine because TIFF tends to break all the links on its ( Read more... )

The Oscar nominations will be announced in a couple of hours. To be eligible in the Best Picture category, and in most of the other categories for feature-length films, a film needs to have played a “qualifying run” in Los Angeles in 2014. There are a few other conditions, and the producers need to formally submit an eligibility form. The Academy ( Read more... )

My new year’s resolution is to keep track of what trailers I see at movie theatres. Today, before Inherent Vice (on which more later), the first trailer was a movie with Vince Vaughn and that guy, the aging British guy from In the Bedroom and Michael Clayton, whose name I can never remember. The movie takes place mostly in Berlin, but during the ( Read more... )

My experience at the Vancouver International Film Festival this year was terrific; 2014 is already an amazing year for world cinema, as far as I'm concerned. At VIFF I saw 54 feature-length films and 11 shorts. (That might seem like a lot, but there were more than 150 other feature films at VIFF that I did not see!) Kudos to the festival ( Read more... )

Before VIFF starts I want to say something about what I saw at TIFF. Of the 26 screenings I attended there, most were excellent. Here's my top ten.

1. Who Am I-No System Is Safe [Who Am I - Kein System ist sicher] (dir. Baran bo Odar, Germany)
2. The Dark Horse (dir. James Napier Robertson, New Zealand)
3. Wild Tales [Relatos salvajes] (dir. ( Read more... )