REVIEW: ‘Avengers: Endgame’ is made out of spoilers, so let's talk about them

As far as I’m concerned, Endgame’s relationship to spoilers runs a little deeper than this, because the movie is basically constructed out of them. It’s the culmination of twenty previous features, which have all had several breadcrumb scenes embedded inside and at the end of the credits that have led to this movie’s release. From beginning to end, watching the movie is like getting numerous stubborn itches scratched, with hilarious banter, epic team-up shots, and satisfying emotional arcs.

True North Streaming: The Best New Titles on Netflix Canada, May 5/19

True North Streaming is a semi-regular column highlighting some of the best new additions to Netflix’s Canadian service. Like many of you, every so often I get a pleasant surprise when I discover a cool movie or TV show that’s just popped up on Netflix’s often-maligned sister platform. These posts will help you filter through the often quirky mix of Netflix Canada’s offerings and find the most valuable ways to waste some time.

His Watch Has Ended: Beric Dondarrion

Game of Thrones has entered its final season and that means it’s time to take stock of the show as a whole. But rather than do a set of episode reviews, we decided to take a little inspiration from the books for our post-mortem. George R.R. Martin’s still unfinished series features chapters based on the point of view of its characters, so each of these posts will review their individual journeys in the show as they come to their end, whether peacefully or violently - this is Thrones, after all.

Jason ChenMay 5, 2019Comment

His Watch Has Ended: Jorah Mormont

Game of Thrones has entered its final season and that means it’s time to take stock of the show as a whole. But rather than do a set of episode reviews, we decided to take a little inspiration from the books for our post-mortem. George R.R. Martin’s still unfinished series features chapters based on the point of view of its characters, so each of these posts will review their individual journeys in the show as they come to their end, whether peacefully or violently - this is Thrones, after all.

TVRobert SnowMay 4, 2019tv, game of thrones, hbo, jorah mormont, iain glen, endings, deaths, season 8Comment

Her Watch Has Ended: Lyanna Mormont

Game of Thrones has entered its final season and that means it’s time to take stock of the show as a whole. But rather than do a set of episode reviews, we decided to take a little inspiration from the books for our post-mortem. George R.R. Martin’s still unfinished series features chapters based on the point of view of its characters, so each of these posts will review their individual journeys in the show as they come to their end, whether peacefully or violently - this is Thrones, after all.

TVRobert SnowMay 3, 2019game of thrones, tv, hbo, lyanna mormont, endings, deaths, reviewComment

His Watch Has Ended: Night King

Game of Thrones has entered its final season and that means it’s time to take stock of the show as a whole. But rather than do a set of episode reviews, we decided to take a little inspiration from the books for our post-mortem. George R.R. Martin’s still unfinished series features chapters based on the point of view of its characters, so each of these posts will review their individual journeys in the show as they come to their end, whether peacefully or violently - this is Thrones, after all.

Jason ChenMay 2, 2019Comment

His Watch Has Ended: Theon Greyjoy

Game of Thrones has entered its final season and that means it’s time to take stock of the show as a whole. But rather than do a set of episode reviews, we decided to take a little inspiration from the books for our post-mortem. George R.R. Martin’s still unfinished series features chapters based on the point of view of its characters, so each of these posts will review their individual journeys in the show as they come to their end, whether peacefully or violently - this is Thrones, after all.

TVJason ChenMay 1, 2019game of thrones, tv, hbo, theon greyjoy, post mortem, endings, deathsComment

Her Watch Has Ended: Melisandre

Game of Thrones has entered its final season and that means it’s time to take stock of the show as a whole. But rather than do a set of episode reviews, we decided to take a little inspiration from the books for our post-mortem. George R.R. Martin’s still unfinished series features chapters based on the point of view of its characters, so each of these posts will review their individual journeys in the show as they come to their end, whether peacefully or violently - this is Thrones, after all.

TVJason ChenApril 29, 2019game of thrones, season 8, endings, deaths, melisandre, tv, hboComment

TV REVIEW: 'The OA' Part 2 is as earnestly bizarre as ever

Now with its new season (or “part”, as Netflix bills it) available after a three-year hiatus, the show remains an impossible-to-classify item in the platform’s catalogue, a show that makes you sound a bit crazy when you try to describe it.

TVRobert SnowApril 26, 2019stranger things, the oa, netflix, lost, twin peaks, brit marling, sci-fi, tv, thrillerComment

REVIEW: 'Hellboy' traps its sturdy star in bad-movie purgatory

Hellboy himself is well-portrayed by David Harbour (Stranger Things), and there are some fun shout-outs to some of the more obscure characters and story threads from the comics. But that’s about all the good there is to say. The filmmakers are more concerned with grafting cringe-inducing scenes into an interpretation of the comic that might have had genuine promise in other hands.

REVIEW: 'Shazam!' - DC has a hit

Yet, it’s Shazam! that’s the first DC film to really explore this idea of a family, of how there really is a home for everyone and going solo isn’t always so cool. A large portion of the (pretty good) subplot deals with Billy’s attempts to find his birth mother, but when he finally begins to forge a new relationship with his foster family, it’s incredibly uplifting.

Film, New ReleasesJason ChenApril 12, 2019shazam, shazam!, zachary levi, billy batson, asher angel, mark strong, marvel, dc, comics, comic books, superhero, film, movies, reviewComment

REVIEW: 'Triple Frontier' won't broaden your horizon

Triple Frontier, with its all-male cast of ex-special forces operatives who decide to rob a drug dealer's stash of cash, made you believe with its marketing that it was an action shoot 'em up with cliched one-liners about duty, honour and how their own society has rejected them as a bunch of marginal contributors.

That's not this movie.

REVIEW: ‘Captain Marvel’ fulfills her duty - for better and worse

But like Wonder Woman and even Black Panther, it’s important to weigh the cultural role of the movie differently than its artistic role. Is Captain Marvel merely a series of boxes being checked, as if an H.R. rep were ensuring that everyone received equal consideration for the box-office domination job? Or is there more going on in this origin story?

TV REVIEW: No mystery - Season 3 of 'True Detective' is good

While Season 1 immersed itself with biker gangs, huge bags of cocaine, alcohol abuse and nihilism, and some edge-of-your-seat sequences, Season 3 prefers the slow burn, with tension, intrigue and drama taking center stage.

TVJason ChenMarch 7, 2019true detective, season 3, 2019, hbo, mahershala ali, stephen dorff, scoot mcnairy, mamie gummer, crime, mystery, thriller, tv, review, nic pizzolattoComment

Early Oscars Outlook: 2019 and Beyond

There are plenty of actors and actresses who have yet to win, including Amy Adams, Willem Dafoe and Viggo Mortensen this year, though I’m sure they’ll get other chances. Here’s a list of actors with upcoming films that could net their first win.

FilmJason ChenFebruary 28, 2019oscars, oscars 2019, 2019, awards, ceremony, hollywood, annette bening, ed harris, brad pitt, edward norton, hugh jackman, joaquin phoenixComment

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