tadff 2023

TADFF XVII Review: In FOUNDERS DAY, Masked Killers And Mediocre Plotting Run Amuck

Allison (Naomi Grace) is at the center of brewing mystery in her idyllic town at the height of a bitter Mayoral election. Hitting the ground and literally running when her girlfriend Melissa (Olivia Nikkanen) is brutally murdered by a gavel-wielding killer wearing a demon mask, black cloak and a bench wig, Allison is among the first in this story to be affected by the bloodshed while the family of the deceased, including the victim’s father, defeated Mayoral Candidate Harold Faulkner (Jayce Bartok) and his son, Adam (Devin Druid) struggle to cope with Melissa’s death.

TADFF XVII Review: In LOVELY, DARK, AND DEEP, A Nightmaring, Poetic Redemption Tale

Lee B. Golden III

Barbarian star Georgina Campbell leads the cast in Lovely, Dark, And Deep, taking centerstage of Theresa Sutherland’s feature debut for an atmospheric supernatural thriller that’s as moody as it is gutwrenching at times. There’s a thematic pattern of forgiveness that permeates our main character, but that message is shrouded in an almost chilling air appropriate for a film of this genre if you’re the type that prefers cliffhanger closure and edge-of-your-seat uncertainty.

TADFF XVII Review: DANIEL’S GOTTA DIE, A Lively, Hapless Murder Romp

Lee B. Golden III

Quirky and brutal crime comedy is afoot in Jeremy LaLonde’s latest screening out of Toronto, Daniel’s Gotta Die, penned by Matthew Dressel and starring Joel David Moore in the lead. The cast includes Iggy Pop, Jason Jones, Carly Chaikin and Mary Lynn Rajskub, along with Chantel Riley and Varun Saranga, and is bookended by late actor and comedian Bob Saget.

TADFF XVII Review: In THE DEEP DARK, Danger Lies Beneath

Lee B. Golden III

Mathieu Turi’s latest supernatural thriller, The Deep Dark, ventures into Northern France in 1956 where we meet Amir (Amir El Kacem), cash-strapped and in need of work as he sets out from Morrocco to the Northern French mines for work. Tasked with joining the crew one day with archeological professor Berthier (Jean-Hugues Anglade) tagging along to collect samples, the crew, led by Roland (Samuel Le Bihan) finds itself blowing up a gallery to access a long closed-off mine.

TADFF XVII Review: Sam Fox’s FCK’N NUTS, Nightmare Fuel For The Young And Romantic

Lee B. Golden III

Toronto After Dark 2023: A Quartet Of Titles To Indulge At This Year’s Festival!

Lee B. Golden III

The seventeenth Toronto After Dark Film Festival kicks off its five-day event well into the weekend beginning on Wednesday, October 18. For all that and more, the official website has the line-up ready for all who are curious and eager to get their tickets and badges, and for a small curtain raiser, I’m tossing my hat in the ring for a selection of four titles worth looking into as the festival rolls out the red carpet.