Andrew Parker

Film Editor - Andrew Parker writes for numerous blogs and publications, including Notes From the Toronto Underground and his more personal pop-culture blog, I Can't Get Laid in This Town. He is also the curator of the Defending the Indefensible series. Email - andrew@dorkshelf.com

Epic Review

May 24, 2013

Shoddy and forgettable, Epic might be one of the most ill titled films ever. It seems more like wishful thinking than an actual title. It’s the first major high profile misfire of the summer. Continue reading

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The ABCs of Death Review

May 23, 2013

While horror anthologies are always dicey propositions, the 26-part opus The ABCs of Death contains a higher hit to miss ratio (for the hardy souls who can take it) than one might expect. Continue reading

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Quality Balls: The David Steinberg Story Review

May 23, 2013

Much like this week’s release of a similarly idol worshipping documentary about Bruce Cockburn, Quality Balls – The David Steinberg Story never goes beyond simply saying why it’s admittedly charismatic subject is so great in the first place. Continue reading

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Picture Day Review

May 23, 2013

The Canadian independent teen sex comedy-drama Picture Day is like an oasis for those wanting something different than middling documentaries, slight local independent films, and overhyped blockbusters, featuring sharp writing and an excellent leading performance from Tatiana Maslany. Continue reading

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Bruce Cockburn – Pacing the Cage Review

May 23, 2013

While Canadian musician Bruce Cockburn is undoubtedly one of the most talented songwriters and most passionate activists in the world, the documentary Pacing the Cage never gets deeper than a Wikipedia level understanding of the man in a film that might have been just better suited as a straight-up concert film instead. Continue reading

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Fast & Furious 6 Review

May 22, 2013

Fast & Furious 6 somehow manages to clear the already high bar set by the series’ previous entry in terms of action and excitement. It’s also the best of the series and a darn good movie overall perfectly designed to give the audience exactly what they want. It’s what this type of blockbuster filmmaking should always be like. Continue reading

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The Hangover Part III Review

May 22, 2013

Far more interesting than the dreadful second outing in the series, the still imperfect The Hangover Part III brings the inexplicable trilogy to a close with a surprisingly more serious tone and fewer cheap laughs. Continue reading

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Interview: Ken Jeong

May 21, 2013

We talk to the former doctor turned comedic character actor Ken Jeong about reprising his role as the wildman Chow for Todd Phillips’ The Hangover Part III, why he’s nothing like the characters he plays, why he’s grateful to Judd Apatow, Michael Bay, and his time on Community, and his chemistry to his co-stars. Continue reading

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Interview: Morgan White

May 20, 2013

As Morgan White’s documentary The Rep – which looks at the lifespan of the Toronto Underground Cinema, the people who ran it, and the current state of reparatory cinema in general – gets set for it’s Toronto premiere this Wednesday night, we sit down with the director to talk about how the film evolved from a web series, his travels to other theatres, and how hard it was to let the film go when he stopped filming and things at the Underground started to get worse Continue reading

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Greetings from Tim Buckley Review

May 17, 2013

Penn Badgley gives a great performance as a conflicted Jeff Buckley struggling to come to terms with his father Tim’s legacy in the slice-of-life biopic Greetings from Tim Buckley, but the film is so threadbare and navel gazing that it’s hard to care about anything that happens. Continue reading

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The We and The I Review

May 17, 2013

In the ugly, misanthropic, and dreadfully out of touch The We and The I, Michel Gondry thinks he’s showcasing the pitfalls of being an NYC teenager, but he’s really showcasing reasons why people hate teenagers. Continue reading

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Fight Like Soldiers, Die Like Children Review

May 17, 2013

Despite being somewhat repetitive, the documentary Fight Like Soldiers, Die Like Children sheds light on the efforts of Retired Lieutenant General Romeo Dallaire’s efforts to stop the use of child soldiers in Africa. Continue reading

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The Reluctant Fundamentalist Review

May 16, 2013

Despite a great lead performance from Riz Ahmed, the decade spanning terrorism thriller The Reluctant Fundamentalist sacrifices a genuinely interesting character study for rote predictability. Continue reading

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The Angels’ Share Review

May 16, 2013

The Scotish whisky heist comedy-drama The Angels’ Share suffers from feeling like three completely different movies crammed into one, and only one of which is compelling. Continue reading

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Mud Review

May 15, 2013

Mud feels like a classical young adult novel from the 80s or 90s brought to life with all of the life lessons intact, and it’s mostly a positive thing. Continue reading

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Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s Review

May 15, 2013

In the likeable and affectionate, but extremely scattershot fashion documentary Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s, director Matthew Miele goes behind the scenes and behind the history of one of the most iconic shopping destinations in New York City. Continue reading

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Star Trek Into Darkness Review

May 14, 2013

A step above J.J. Abrams first outing with the franchise, Star Trek Into Darkness delivers a fun story, a great villain, and an ending that will be analyzed and pondered over by fans of the series for quite some time. Continue reading

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Interview: J.J. Abrams and the Star Trek Crew

May 13, 2013

Director J.J. Abrams and actors Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, and Karl Urban share their thoughts on working together on the long awaited sequel that aims to boldly go where no franchise film has gone before, Star Trek Into Darkness. Continue reading

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