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Reviews
Forest for the Trees (2021)
Oh so Canadian...yet universal
Much of what people get concerned about regarding the environment has to do with the cutting down of trees. This film explores the aftermath; the sub-culture of the tree planter. In a masterfully presented, excellently filmed series of personal profiles and sweeping scenic tours, the two hours fly by in a wonder of humans-in-nature agony and ecstasy.
As a former forest industry mill worker (got me through university!) I have nothing but awed admiration for these brave folk, who fight isolation, insects, steep hillsides, spare living circumstances and constant fatigue in order to earn a living and renew the forests. In its portrayal of ecological renewal, Forest for the Trees stands as a song of British Columbia and a tribute to the spirit of Canadians.
Wexford Plaza (2016)
Masterfully directed indie
This is how movies should be made, with tight direction-not a scene is wasted, not a moment within the scenes are flaccid in any way-and a solid script. Wexford Plaza proves you don't have to spend a lot of money to put entertainment, drama and value up on the screen. For about the price of a luxury car Joyce Wong brings us the sometimes heartrending, always relevant story of two people whose lives of quiet-and not so quiet-desperation serve as an exemplary document to how the modern gig economy marginalizes those whose advantages are not so advantageous.
A stand-out performance by Reid Asselstine as a terminally lonely-yet-hopeful woman of diminished options; and a remarkable job of portraying the desperately-trying-to-stay-cool hipster by Darrel Gamotin make the film eminently watchable and ultimately important. Overall, a wonderful piece of film-making.