If you hunger for films with more substance than the usual Hollywood fantasy, try a dose of reality. The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema reopened last week as a permanent home to North America’s largest documentary festival (April 26 to May 6) as well as to programs such as Doc Soup. You can also watch fascinating […]
Category: Reel Beach
McAdams films close to home
February is the month for love and romantic movies. In The Vow, Rachel McAdams plays a freespirited artist who loses all memory of her husband (Channing Tatum) after a car crash. He has to win her heart all over again. Would you do anything for love? It all started with a kiss. Thomas Edison’s The […]
And the winner is…
Awards season is here. The Oscar nominations are out and the red carpets are ready to roll for the Academy Awards on February 26. Try this quiz to test whether you’ve been watching way too many old movies: 1) Her life is a rags-to-riches tale. Little Gladys Marie Smith liked to ride her bike down […]
Reindeer Rudolph has Toronto accent
You watch the Santa Clause Parade, every year, but can you name Santa’s reindeer? (And don’t say ‘Olive’, the other reindeer!) You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen But do you recall The most famous reindeer of all? Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer was originally written in […]
Goin’ Down the Road – again
Back in 1969 there was no motion picture industry to speak of in Toronto, but a young director from the East End was determined to make a feature film on a shoestring budget. Donald Shebib even sold his car to help scrape up $27,000. Goin’ Down the Road (1970) became a landmark classic of Canadian […]
Toronto is the land of the ‘mad scientist’ film
Zombies, aliens and monsters have roamed our streets for years … and not just at Halloween. Toronto has played host to all manner of scary species and creepy crawlies. What happens when you mix science fiction with horror? You get mutant creature features like The Fly (1986), Mimic (1997), Dawn of the Dead (2004), The […]
Reel Beach: Hockey movies haven’t hit big time
September is a time of returns. Kids are back in school, celebrities hit the red carpet and hockey players hit the red line. Leaf fans are still hopeful and movie buffs look for that crowdpleasing gem at TIFF, like last year’s The King’s Speech. This year’s festival presented three new hockey films, Breakaway, Goon and […]
Reel Beach: Movies Made in East Toronto
How do you feel about the movie trucks which are often parked on our streets – a nuisance or a boon to the economy? If you’re a Twilight fan, you may be thrilled that heart throb Robert Pattinson was in town filming Cosmopolis for director David Cronenberg. As well, the biggest movie in Toronto’s history […]
Bernie Fletcher: Movies Made in East Toronto
There’s been a murder in the Don Valley. But don’t worry, it’s 1895 and Detective William Murdoch of the Toronto Police Constabulary is on the case. Fans around the world are following Murdoch Mysteries in its fourth season of forensic sleuthing in the Age of Invention. Dubbed ‘Sherlock Holmes meets CSI’, the series is based […]
Former Beacher shares life Over the Wire
June is here and a teenage boy’s fancy turns to beaches, cottages and girls. Imagine it’s 1941 and a brutal war rages in Europe. The Malvern principal gives you the option to sign up for active service and graduate early without writing your final exams. Andrew Carswell was turning 18 and chose to enlist. In […]
