Reviews by Vickie

I'm one of Moviepie's staff writers, and I've been reviewing films and film festivals — including TIFF, the (now-defunct) Worldwide Short Film Festival, and Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival — here for more than 20 years. I'm based in Toronto, and although I'll sit through just about any genre (except horror), my absolute fave films are documentaries: I see 50+ at Hot Docs every year! That said, I've also seen You've Got Mail more than 100 times (a conservative estimate!) and quote from it almost daily.

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NEW! Hot Docs 2022: Qs à la mode

We at Moviepie love Hot Docs. We love documentaries. We love documentary filmmakers. And we love asking questions. So, this year, we decided to expand our Hot Docs coverage by trying something new. Introducing Qs à la mode, our new fill-in-the-blank micro-interviews, which give filmmakers participating in Hot Docs...

Vickie
Hot Docs 2021 #1: It's baaaaaa-ack! And so are we!

Hot Docs 2022 #1: 10 Films We’re Psyched to See!

Hot Docs 2022 is just over a week away and, after poring through the entire list of 226 films screening at the fest, I’ve narrowed down my to-see list to a modest 76. (Gulp.) Sure, it includes a whole bunch of the docs already earning pre-fest buzz (Still Working...

Vickie
Hot Docs 2021 #1: It's baaaaaa-ack! And so are we!

Hot Docs 2021 #21: Last Two Films of the Fest

PHEW! It has been a busy few weeks of doc-watching. My final tally, including the two below: 42 films! Not too shabby. And, because I was able to cherry-pick from the full slate of titles on offer, to screen whenever I felt like screening them (vs. being restricted to...

Vickie
Hot Docs 2021 #1: It's baaaaaa-ack! And so are we!

Hot Docs 2021 #20: Another Full-Pie Fest Fave

It’s discovering documentaries like Come Back Anytime (8/8) — a beautifully heartfelt and lyrical look at the enduring power of love, connection and really good food — that is, for me, what Hot Docs is all about. And I’m so glad I saw this at the end of the...

Vickie
Hot Docs 2021 #1: It's baaaaaa-ack! And so are we!

Hot Docs 2021 #19: System Analysts

Whether it’s exposing a scandal, understanding a political ideology, or battling a financial crisis, these three films revolve around individuals upending long-standing systems of sport, government and the big banks. Nike’s Big Bet (6/8) Director Paul Kemp’s exposé of the 2019 doping scandal involving renowned Nike-backed marathon runner-turned-coach Alberto...

Vickie
Hot Docs 2021 #1: It's baaaaaa-ack! And so are we!

Hot Docs 2021 #18: Well, They Can’t All Be Winners — Part Deux

Sometimes, when you’re seeing a slew of films in a day, you wind up with the occasional dud. And then, as I discovered today, sometimes you inadvertently wind up seeing two duds back to back. Which is why, by the time I got a third of the way into...

Vickie
Hot Docs 2021 #1: It's baaaaaa-ack! And so are we!

Hot Docs 2021 #17: “Immortality” and Immigration

Whether it’s making meaningful connections, adapting to new situations or leaving a legacy for those to come, these three films explore different facets of the human experience, with varying success. A.rtificial I.mmortality (7/8) Last night, one of my editors emailed me a marketing document that had been written entirely...

Vickie
Hot Docs 2021 #1: It's baaaaaa-ack! And so are we!

Hot Docs 2021 #16: Card-game Controversy

I have no clue how to play bridge, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of Dirty Tricks (6/8), a delicious card-table thriller about Lotan Fisher, the one-time bridge-playing child prodigy and world champion, whose golden-boy status was forever tarnished when he was accused of cheating. And, right from...

Vickie
Hot Docs 2021 #1: It's baaaaaa-ack! And so are we!

Hot Docs 2021 #15: A Trio of Rock Docs

There’s no shortage of great music-themed films screening at Hot Docs this year, so I checked out three more! Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm (6/8) You KNOW I love a great music doc, and this spirited film from director Hannah Berryman, filled with fantastic behind-the-scenes archival footage from...

Vickie
Hot Docs 2021 #1: It's baaaaaa-ack! And so are we!

Hot Docs 2021 #14: Tourism Trials

Every year at Hot Docs, there are films that share similar themes, and in the past I’d sometimes wind up seeing them in the same day completely by chance. This year, the fest streaming titles for viewing at home, available whenever you want to watch, means I can choose...

Vickie
Hot Docs 2021 #1: It's baaaaaa-ack! And so are we!

Hot Docs 2021 #13: Chasin’ the Dream!

If Loretta Lynn and Janis Joplin had a baby, it might just be the immensely talented and wildly complicated subject of I’m Wanita (7/8). The self-professed Australian Queen of Honky Tonk, Wanita is a cigarette-smoking, binge-drinking, foul-mouthed, unapologetically outrageous and GIANT-hearted country singer with an amazing voice… and an...

Vickie
Hot Docs 2021 #1: It's baaaaaa-ack! And so are we!

Hot Docs 2021 #12: Raw & Real

Let me begin by saying: I watched Any Given Day (6/8) with a giant knot in my stomach and a pounding heart. Some 15 years ago, I lived in a small apartment complex where the (money-hungry) landlord decided to offer up units for rent – at a ridiculous premium...

Vickie