Tag: Marie-Josée Croze

REVIEW: The Forgiven [2022]

Jared Mobarak

Everything must be faced. It always fascinates me when a film synopsis blatantly lies. Every site I visit that provides a quick run through the premise of John Michael McDonagh‘s The Forgiven (adapted from Lawrence Osborne‘s novel) calls the catalyst for events a “random accident.” That’s what David Henninger (Ralph Fiennes) would like people to think. It may even be partially what happened. We know differently, however. We saw David drinking the entire day before heading out into the desert with his wife Jo (Jessica Chastain) to attend a party…

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TIFF19 REVIEW: Disappearance at Clifton Hill [2020]

Jared Mobarak

We grew up there. Every lie told takes us one step closer to burying the truth forever. While this often applies to current events like with Aesop’s fable “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” wherein a community is numbed to a boy’s warnings enough to let a tragedy occur under their noses, director Albert Shin and co-writer James Schultz reveal how it can also hold weight for the past and perhaps prove victim to the opposite effect. Because what happens when the truth comes before the lie? If a child tells…

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REVIEW: Calvary [2014]

Jared Mobarak

“I’ve always found forgiveness to be underrated” I’m not a religious man—hell, I’m barely agnostic. I’m also not sure if that truth helps my finding John Michael McDonagh‘s Calvary as powerful as I believe it to be or simply evidence of it’s universality for both churchgoers and not. A reflection on faith, God, and ourselves caught within a present where destruction is immensely more prevalent than salvation, this story cannot help but touch you on the basest level of humanity to ask whether or not you can be better. It’s…

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REVIEW: Ne le dis à personne [Tell No One] [2007]

Jared Mobarak

“Be careful, I love you” Ne le dis à personne [Tell No One] is an ambitious adaptation of a Harlan Coben novel by French actor Guillaume Canet. I was completely surprised when checking out the actors’ names and seeing his as character Philippe Neuville, a deceased horse rider and integral part of the story. The writer/director could not be this young man; with all the accolades and success in my eyes of this intricately plotted thriller, I was expecting someone older and more accomplished at the craft. Knowing that this…

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REVIEW: Le scaphandre et le papillon [The Diving Bell and the Butterfly] [2007]

Jared Mobarak

“We are all children” The tale of Jean-Dominique Bauby and his harrowing ordeal of being locked-in his own body after a debilitating stroke is devastating. I can’t wait to finally start reading it—it’s a bit down the queue, but has gone up a few spots after seeing the film—however, after watching the film version, I can’t help but commend director Julian Schnabel. The man is the go to guy when it comes to artistic biopics. From the magnificent portrayal of Jean-Michel Basquiat in his first foray with the media (much…

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