Faking the grind

by Razor Sharp

Way, way back, when I was a misguided youth up to no good, I procured a seedy collection of raunchy grindhouse trailers slapped onto a video cassette that promised (in bright, exploding fonts), to appease my guilty pleasure. It came in a plain brown wrapper and might as well have been delivered by the wino down the block. I couldn’t have been more giddy.

Crazy Cap'n Canuck

by Razor Sharp

Ever set your face on fire? On purpose?

Ralph Zavadil has. Or should I say Cap’n Video.

Growing pains

by Razor Sharp

Covering six grueling months on a tour of duty with a group of fresh-faced Danes, Armadillo is an engrossing document on the futile war effort against the Taliban. What the hell are Danes doing in Afghanistan, you may ask. Well, what the hell is anyone doing in Afghanistan, should be the question. Like any good war movie, this one has a rag tag bunch of disparate innocents, eager for a chance at grown-up adventure.

Take me to your point

by Razor Sharp

Earthling is one crazy cosmic adventure: a low budget sci-fi horror thriller that features spiky asteroids, slimy slugs and acne gone wild. That all sounds like a Tim Burton splash fest, which it is not. Clay Liford’s little shop of horrors is more about nuance and suspense than gore, telling a convoluted story I’m still trying to wrap my sorry ass brain around.

What would Jomar do?

by Razor Sharp

Jomar is big, burly bear of a man who thinks nothing of shaving his head and slapping on an alcohol soaked tampon to get a buzz on (apparently a Polish tradition). Jomar likes his drink. Jomar likes his smoke. Jomar has a fascination with fires. But apart from his primal vices, Jomar is desperately lacking motivation in life. That comes in the news of a four-year-old offspring Jomar didn’t know he’d sired.

Painting by numbers

by Razor Sharp

Can you say Taulukauppiaat? Me neither, so The Painting Sellers will have to do. The Finnish language can be a challenge, but the daily struggle depicted to excellent effect in this hour long drama, is universal.

Road rage

by Razor Sharp

About time we had an exploding head count to rival Scanners. Nothing better than a noggin splatter flick featuring an all season radial. Why a tire? Why not? Silly question.

Super-inspired

by Allan Wigney

At 37, Denis Côté admits to feeling slightly uncomfortable at career retrospectives. The Montreal-based film critic turned filmmaker stresses he is “only starting… looking for some sort of signature.” But, he concedes, “Apparently, it’s already there.”

Dada da

by Razor Sharp

Can you say Dada? Apparently, the movement still has some legs.

With The Temptation of St.Tony, Estonian directorVeiko Õunpuu delivers an ambitious opus dissecting class struggle, questioning life decisions and pondering wife-swapping. With more than a quick nod to David Lynch’s surreal debut, Eraserhead, Temptation flows through a sequence of seemingly unrelated events, as well as a brillo-haired lead stumbling through a beautifully shot black and white desolate landscape.

North of Fargo

by Razor Sharp

Remember the woodchipper incident in Fargo? Well the simpleton shoving Steve Buscemi to his composting end is back. This may not be a sequel to the Coen brother’s masterpiece, but Peter Stormare’s turn as a cop in Small Town Murder Songs is a great nod to that particular genre.

Daydream this nation

by Holly Gordon

The land of Twilight, Harry Potter and fantasy-free Prom be damned: Daydream Nation, the first feature film from Canadian writer-director Michael Goldbach, is the whip-smart teen flick to watch this summer. As long as the serious tones of student-teacher relationships, serial killers and teenage death are allowed in, that is.