Dead Man's Wire-who is the victim or criminal?

 

    DEAD MAN'S Wire

Directed by Gus Van Sant

Run time: 1hr 45 min.  Rated: R

Cast:

Bill Skarsgard

Dacre Montgomery

Al Pacino

Colman Domingo

Trailer: https://youtu.be/tklpX2Ba8NQ?si=S2zmbKwCl6bh2sdk

Canadian Release date: January 16, 2026

 Based on real events, the 1977 abduction of a high‑profile banker ignites national attention and unexpectedly transforms the kidnapper into a rebellious folk hero. As the media frenzy intensifies, the unfolding standoff morphs into a gripping display of desperation, defiance, and morality—an unsettling portrait of the justice system and the media that makes you question who the victim really is in the situation, and one that still echoes in the current times.

On February 8, 1977, Tony Kiritsis (Skarsgård) storms into Meridian Mortgage, convinced that the company ruined his chance at his American Dream. With the owner, M.L. Hall (Pacino), vacationing in Florida, Tony snaps and takes Hall’s son Richard (Montgomery) hostage, wiring him to a shotgun (dead man’s wire) in a desperation to get justice and his money.

The next 63 hours explode into a media spectacle, a charged police standoff, and a shocking wave of public support for Tony, who becomes an unlikely working‑class hero. Along the way, a laid‑back radio DJ (Domingo), an eager young TV reporter (Myha’la), and a calm cop (Cary Elwes) get dragged into the chaos.

Packed with ’70s flair—from Roberta Flack’s “Compared to What” to Yes’s “I’ve Seen All Good People”—the film feels both retro and eerily relevant.  The film transports you back to the 70's with the look and sounds.

*The real standoff is still taught in media ethics classes today as a warning about how easily journalists can escalate a volatile situation.

The performances were fantastic and chilling.  The brink of insanity by Skarsgård, the cold, intense performance by Pacino, who is only in the film for a short time, but is crucial to Tony's mental health.  Also, the outwardly calm but inwardly terrified performance of Montgomery is a demonstration of character.

What worries me about this film, even though it's based on real events, is the fact that it's been seen in current times, where you see people snap on a dime and are inspired by extreme events.  I hope that this doesn't inspire copycats to do the same thing.

This film screened at TIFF50 and was one of the films I had noted on my blog picks, but I didn't have a chance to see it during the festival.

A Private Life- A psychological murder mystery in Paris

 A PRIVATE LIFE

Director Rebecca Zlotowski

Writers Anne Berest, Rebecca Zlotowski, Gaelle Mace

Starring Jodie Foster, Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Efira

A Private Life (Vie privée), is an unexpected psychological murder-mystery thriller set in Paris.

The film debuted at Cannes in 2025 and was a Gala film at TIFF 2025.

An American in Paris… but not the way you expect

There’s a familiar ring to the phrase “an American in Paris,” but this film refuses to follow the romantic, whimsical path that cliché usually promises. Instead, it drops us into a psychological labyrinth led by Jodie Foster, who delivers a psychological, layered performance as Lilian Steiner, an American psychiatrist living in Paris whose world begins to unravel.

Lilian’s life is shocked out of complacency when she learns that her longtime patient Paula (Virginie Efira) has died by suicide. The news doesn’t sit right with her. Paula had never expressed suicidal thoughts, and Lilian’s clinical instincts—along with something more personal—tell her that something is off. What begins as a professional concern quickly spirals into obsession.

Her suspicions first land on Paula’s husband, and Lilian plunges into an increasingly risky investigation. She even ropes in her ex-husband, Gabriel (Daniel Auteuil), turning their strained, unresolved relationship into an unlikely detective partnership. Their dynamic becomes one of the film’s most compelling threads: two people with a messy history trying to decode someone else’s secrets while stumbling over their own.

When Lilian’s office is broken into and confidential files are stolen, her paranoia sharpens. She becomes convinced the intruder is Paula’s ex-husband, and the former couple begins tailing him through Paris, piecing together clues that only raise more questions.

As the mystery deepens, so does the portrait of Lilian herself. Every relationship in her life seems frayed, distant, or unresolved. The investigation forces her to confront not only Paula’s past but her own—memories, failures, and emotional blind spots she’s spent years avoiding. It’s the classic warning journalists receive—don’t become the story—but Lilian crosses that line. After years of emotional detachment, she suddenly takes Paula’s death personally, clinging to every detail as if solving the case might also solve something inside her.

Her search for answers leads her to a hypnotist, played by Sophie Guillemin, whose unconventional methods intrigue Lilian enough to try therapy herself. She even seeks out her former mentor, played in a cameo by 96‑year‑old filmmaker Frederick Wiseman, hoping he can shed light on the person she used to be.

Foster, with decades of experience behind her, pushes herself in fascinating ways here—acting in both French and English, embodying a brilliant but deeply conflicted woman whose intellect can’t shield her from her own emotional fractures. It’s a performance that feels raw and sad.

This isn’t a whodunit so much as a did-he-do-it, and even that question becomes secondary to the psychological excavation happening beneath the plot. The film invites you to consider how little we truly know about the people around us—and how even less we sometimes understand about ourselves.

A psychological puzzle wrapped in a character study, set against the backdrop of Paris but stripped of the usual romantic gloss. Instead, it offers something far more interesting: a woman unraveling, searching, and ultimately confronting the shadows she’s avoided for far too long.

Released in Toronto and Vancouver January 23, 2026

The Choral-Conducting a Chorus through chaotic times

 

THE CHORAL

The film opens January 16 across Canada.

Directed by Nicholas Hytner

Written by Alan Bennett

The always spectacular Ralph Fiennes shines in this dramatic wartime film, The Choral.

The film premiered as a Gala at TIFF. https://www.tiff.net/

The film blends sharp humor with a moving portrait of a community holding onto music in the middle of World War I.

Set in 1916 Yorkshire, the story follows a struggling Choral Society that’s lost most of its men to the front. Dr. Henry Guthrie (Fiennes), a mysterious new Chorus Master, is recruited to be the Choral Master, and he is determined to stage Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius—a piece that normally requires 200 singers and a full orchestra. Instead, he’s working with a handful of townsfolk, a string trio, and a few extraordinary voices he discovers along the way. With his lead singer and piano accompanist, he re-envisions the piece to bring relevance to the times they were struggling to get through.

The town is picturesque, but its people carry grief, fear, and uncertainty. Still, they rally together for Guthrie’s impossible vision, even as his bold choices threaten to unravel everything.

The Choral is a warm, witty, and quietly powerful reminder of how art can hold a community together when the world is falling apart.

The cast is excellent—Fiennes leads a lineup of richly drawn characters and genuinely impressive vocal talent. I was also struck by the film’s lighting: naturalistic yet clearly crafted with intention, giving every scene a quiet, hopeful glow.

This film may have been overshadowed by the bigger TIFF titles, but it’s absolutely worth seeking out if you appreciate the craft of truly great acting.

Homegrown -inside the storm of the US nation's division

HOMEGROWN

Michael Premo  (Director / Producer / Cinematographer)

Award-winning documentary HOMEGROWN will be released on Homegrown.film powered by GATHR on January 6, the anniversary of the attack on the US Capitol.  

HOMEGROWN offers an unflinching, up-close look at the lives of three protagonists who became deeply involved in the Proud Boys movement in support of Donald Trump during the election, ultimately won by Joe Biden. Fueled by Trump’s rhetoric, which inflamed tensions across multiple communities, these individuals took to the streets, believing they were fighting for their rights and freedoms.

Convinced they were defending democracy, they joined the storming of the Capitol on January 6th to send a message to the Democrats: they believed the presidency had been stolen from Trump.

In doing so, they sacrificed their families, their freedom, and their futures for what they thought was a just cause. Was it worth it in the end? That’s for you to decide—once you’ve seen the film. I found the film horrifying to watch, the anger and hate spewed between various community groups of mostly men of the 18-60 year old crowd. With many veterans involved in these groups, believing they were fighting to save their Country.

This film is deeply sobering and thought‑provoking. The fact that Donald Trump pardoned everyone arrested after the January 6th storming of the Capitol on the first day of his second term raises serious questions about the direction the United States is heading. It leaves me reflecting on the old saying: Be careful what you wish for.

The people profiled in the film were: Thad Cisneros, Chris Quaglin, Randy Irelend, Enrique Tarrio, Jaccari Kelley

All I could think was—what if they had held an open Town Hall meeting to share their beliefs, listen to one another, and work toward mutual understanding? If they had come together to channel all that anger and energy into creating something positive, this story might have had an entirely different ending.

It has screened at nearly fifty top-tier film festivals worldwide.

HOMEGROWN- NEW TRAILER:
Embed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e59UpVz1QM4

the film’s official website