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TheTVCritic.ORG
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Listen to how our resident TV Critic rates this weeks shows on TheTVCritic.ORG Podcast! |
Latest Coverage
- DVD: LIFE
- BOOK: GEORGE, NICHOLAS AND WILHELM
- FILM: THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
- MUSIC: AGAINST ME!
DVD Review
Title: Life
Creator: BBC Natural History Unit
Narrated by: Oprah Winfrey (Discovery version)
Length: 60 min per episode
Released Date: June 1, 2010
Ever wonder what animals and insects do when we’re not looking? Well. a nature documentary created by BBC television now shows audiences the specialized strategies and extreme behaviours that animals and insects developed for survival. With the series being filmed entirely in high definition over a span of four years, you get the chance to see how these living organisms come up with clever tactics in order to survive.
This series is one of the most amazing documentaries ever put together where it shows all the survival tactics ever caught on film in high definition as well. With the way it was filmed, you can tell that the filmmakers were patient to the max. It's just too bad that a lot of scenes didn’t make the cut. A lot of what was caught on film though was quite a challenge for the filmmakers, and as a result some highly-specialized hunting behaviours were only recently discovered during production. Extremely high-speed cameras that can shoot 8,000 frames per second were used in order to slow down the dramatic action; like the Jesus Christ lizards running on water, or the courtship flight of the spatuletail or even the flying fish taking flight from their watery homes.
Book Review
Title: George, Nicholas and Wilhelm: Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I
Author: Miranda Carter
Publisher: Random House
Year: 2009
# of Pages: 489
ISBN: 978-1-4000-4363-7
Reviewed by Meghan Masterson
As a serious non-fiction book about the people and politics leading up to World War I, George, Nicholas and Wilhelm is a hefty tome. But don’t let that dissuade you from reading it – it is a fascinating glimpse of history, and the book is also surprisingly entertaining.
There is a quotation, by Zadie Smith, on the inside jacket that really says it all: “That these three absurd men could ever have held the fate of Europe in their hands is a fact as hilarious as it is terrifying.” It is quite true; in her book, Miranda Carter brings each of the rulers to life, with all of their fears and foibles. Often, the accounts of them are quite funny, and the only reason it isn’t nightmarish to think that these men were governors of their countries is because it is all in the past.
Film Review
Title: The Kids Are All Right
Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Stars: Annette Bening, Mark Ruffalo, Julianne Moore
Genre: Drama
Studio: Alliance Films
Audience Suitability: R
Running Time: 104 Minutes
Release Date: July 9, 2010
Reviewed By Rhys Dowbiggin
There is no such thing as a family blueprint. A mom and a dad, a couple of kids, a dog. Is that a family? Sure. What about one mom and one kid? Sure, that’s family. How about two moms and two kids? You’re damn sure that’s a family, too. There is no perfect recipe or combination of ingredients that make up a family. The most important ingredient is the dedication to make it and make it work. In all cases, that ingredient is love.
The Kids Are All Right is a film about a new-age family. Annette Bening and Julianne Moore are a lesbian couple with two teenaged children. The children track down their birth father — a free-thinking sperm donor played by Mark Ruffalo. Each family member handles the relationship a different way.
CD Review
Artist: Against Me!
Title: White Crosses
Label: Sire Records / Warner
Release Date: June 4th 2010
Genre: Punk Rock
Band Members: Tom Gabel (guitar, lead vocals), James Bowman (guitar, vocals), Andrew Seward (bass, vocals), George Rebelo (drums)
Reviewed by: Tessa Perkins (Vancouver)
Formed in 1997 in Gainsville, Florida, White Crosses is the fifth release from Against Me! While its pop influence is greater here than their earlier work, the band still sticks to their punk rock roots. You may have heard their single "Stop" from their previous album New Wave. This album is less raw and more polished, and may well be the best punk rock album to come along since Green Day’s American Idiot or 21st Century Breakdown. Yes, it’s a pretty bold statement, but there really isn’t a weak song on this album, and they deal with strong themes that allow a listener to become connected to the music in a very personal way.
Dealing with themes of frustration with living in the modern world — ie. anarchy, rebellion, defeat, and cynicism — along with some anti-religious references and a sentiment of fighting the establishment, this album has all the elements of a punk rock attitude and lots of catchy guitar and drum work to back it up.
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CDNfilm DOORWAY
How can Canadian audiences become as inspired by the films we create as we are by US films? One way is to answer the five “W”s – Who, What, When, Where, Why? So I am dedicating an entire section on this magazine to Canadian films. Knowledge is power, and the more Canadians know what Canadian films are being made in Canada, who is making them, where and when they are being released and why we should be engaged by our country’s films, then the more likely they are to connect with the incredible films being made in this country at present. So welcome the Press+1 CDNfilm Section and find out what is going on in CDNfilms! 
