BEST BETS
BlacKkKlansman
Spike Lee’s hot-button project tells the story of Ron Stallworth, a Black police officer who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in 1970s Colorado. John David Washington plays Stallworth Adam Driver is his partner, and Topher Grace turns up as David Duke. Read Rad Simonpillai’s review.
Cielo
Alison McAlpine’s documentary, set in and around the ALMA observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert, explores our fascination with the infinite through both science and mythology. Read Norm Wilner’s review.
TV/STREAMING
Insecure
One of TV’s best comedies follows best friends Issa (Issa Rae) and Molly (Yvonne Orji) who have the best of intentions but make the worst of mistakes as they navigate life, love and careers in L.A. While Issa and Molly initially promise to “know better, do better,” there’s little to suggest that their characters’ will develop much beyond the mistakes that have made them so relatable. After three seasons, more of the same may prove to be a drag. Read Chris Rattan’s review. Premieres (Sunday) August 12 on HBO Canada.
Random Acts Of Flyness
Filmmaker/artist Terence Nance’s Afro-surrealist sketch comedy show began a six-episode run last weekend on HBO Canada and it’s probably safe to call it the most stream-of-consciousness offering on current television. Read Chris Rattan’s review. Airs at 1 am on Sunday (August 12).
All About The Washingtons
Hip-hop legend Rev Run and his wife Justine Simmons play fictionalized versions of themselves in this Netflix sitcom about a retired hip-hop legend, his wife Justine and their very large family. Read Rachna Raj Kaur’s review.
Insatiable
This Netflix series – starring Debby Ryan as a teenager who loses a great deal of weight and enters the world of beauty pageants – arrives steeped in controversy over perceived body shaming. Presumably we’re supposed to watch it to find out if it’s been horribly misunderstood.
THEATRICAL
The Crescent
A young artist (Danika Vandersteen) brings her toddler (Woodrow Graves) to a remote beachside house after a tragedy, only to realize that something unsettling is going on in Seth A. Smith’s experimental horror film. Read Norm Wilner’s TIFF review.
Dog Days
Ken Marino, whom you’ve enjoyed as an actor in everything from Veronica Mars to Party Down, spins an appealingly shaggy ensemble comedy about a bunch of people in Los Angeles and the dogs who make their lives better. Read Norm Wilner’s review.
The Meg
A team of scientists (and their pal, former rescue diver Jason Statham) must survive the wrath of a prehistoric mega-shark unleashed during a Pacific expedition. We just want to see Statham punch the shark. Read Norm Wilner’s review.
The Miseducation Of Cameron Post
Desiree Akhavan’s follows her acclaimed debut Appropriate Behavior with a period drama starring Chloë Grace Moretz as a teenager whose parents send her to conversion camp. Read Chris Rattan’s review.
Puzzle
Kelly MacDonald and Irrfan Khan play two very different people brought together by a love of crossword puzzles in this Sundance drama from veteran art-house producer Marc Turteltaub (Little Miss Sunshine, Loving).
Slender Man
You’ve heard the urban legend, you’ve seen the documentary about the real-life murder that grew out of it… and now you can watch a horror movie about some teenagers who set out to debunk the urban legend, only to find it may not want to be debunked. Not screened for press.
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