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Okay, now that my anti-smartphone rant is done, I can get back to the business at hand: recapping my festivalgoing and sharing more new reviews. I’ll admit that I really wasn’t familiar with the work of the subject of my first film of the day, Mr. Fish: Cartooning from...
May I take a moment to rant about smartphones in theaters, please? They a bane on every single Hot Docs screening where, more and more, people are “discreetly” (read: YOU ARE NOT DISCREET – EVERYONE CAN SEE YOUR PHONE!) taking out their devices to email, text, scroll through Facebook,...
One of the “problems” of loving documentaries and attending Hot Docs is trying to figure out what you’re going to see. With so many great options in a given day, it takes a while to craft a schedule and, even then, I find myself second-guessing my choices… sometimes right...
As the fest goes on and I rack up more screenings, I’m noting that many of the films I’ve selected at this year’s Hot Docs are winding up thematically linked on any given day… which wasn’t always intentional. And I’m really digging this happy accident! First on today’s agenda...
I’ve been film festival-ing for many years, but as I get older I’m finding it less and less appealing to schedule myself for four- or five-screening days – I like my sleep, and I like eating proper meals at reasonable intervals. That said, I still try to squeeze in...
Meryl Streep stars as real-life publisher Kay Graham, who “inherits” the reins of the Washington Post after the death of her husband. Regarded by the boys’ club of men who make up the paper’s Board of Directors as something of a joke, Kay soon finds herself smack dab in...
Day one of official filmgoing started off a little bumpy thanks to the TTC – my bus never arrived, so I had to change routes and hustle a bit to pick up my media pass (thanks for the bookbag, Hot Docs! :-D) and get to the Lightbox in time...
Every Hot Docs filmgoer has at least one “OMG, I can wait to see this!” screening on their schedule, and these six wildly diverse docs caught our attention right away. We can’t wait to check them out! In alphabetical, not priority, order… 93Queen A look at the efforts to...
As much as I lurrrrrve documentaries, not every film I saw before the fest started was amazing. Some were not bad, others were just okay and a couple were disappointing. Here’s a look at the other five pre-fest docs I checked out. 306 Hollywood (5/8) Co-directed by siblings Elan...
Looking for a few titles to add to your must-see list? I checked out a bunch of pre-fest screenings and all four of these films reminded me why I love documentaries – and this festival – so much! Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (8/8) Oh, how moving, magical and...
At last! Festival time has returned! And the 2018 edition of Hot Docs (April 26th to May 6th) also marks the festival’s 25th anniversary. This year, 247 films from 56 countries will unspool in theaters across Toronto, with celebrity guests ranging from rapper M.I.A. to UFC fighter James Wilks...
Nick Robinson stars as the titular teenager, who’s ordinary in every way but one (as he reveals in his opening voiceover): he’s gay, but no one knows it. Blessed with loving best friends Leah (Katherine Langford), Abby (Alexandra Shipp) and Nick (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.), Simon isn’t sure he’s ready...
