Tag Archives: Knuckleball

My “Weekly” Adventures: Fantasia and More Events

Posted in My Weekly Adventures by

Are you ready? This past month was so busy that I’m still trying to get grips and find back all the energy. Its why well…a lot of things have been behind. The one thing that we haven’t left behind is the heat wave because its still as present as ever. Not really a bad thing because I can now have time to go back into the pool once I catch up a little more. This post might be a little heavier on the Instagram since its easier to do that than to just keep uploading photos. Its going to be heavy on pictures on the things that happened. To be honest, Fantasia took up most of my life so not all that much happened.

Let’s just jump right in!

Fantasia Festival

Boy was this a festival and a half this year. I pushed really hard and covered 5 more movies than I normally would. Of course, I had work because if I didn’t, I would be at the screening rooms and covering even more. However, this year was a really nice selection of films. Most of the films delivered fairly well. There were some odds and ends that didn’t quite land as well for myself. I probably will still do some sort of Fantasia wrap-up within the next week. Its a little after the event but I still would like to highlight some of the films.

As for my Instagram game, I even impressed myself when I went to do some press work and took pictures of the directors and cast and such whenever they were present.

So yeah…A lot of fun times here. I didn’t take any pictures with the cast and crew although you could, except for the director of Big Brother but then my shyness came out since I’m really a behind the scenes person (except when I do Game Warp, I guess). That picture is just for myself since I looked like an elephant. The roster of lists from when I posted the Weekly Adventures a month ago definitely did end up changing a little since I ended up missing a few other films but adding in some other titles.

You can find all the reviews now. The full roster of films: A Rough Draft, Big Brother, Bleach, Cam, Fireworks, Knuckleball, Laplace’s Witch, Lifechanger, Nightmare Cinema, The Nightshifter, Our House, The Outlaws, Playing Hard, Pledge, Rondo, Searching, Tigers Are Not Afraid, Under the Silver Lake, The Vanished, The Witch in the Window.

Wedding in Toronto

Wedding

One of my best friends had her wedding in Toronto. It  was absolutely lovely despite the heat with both the church and the dinner reception. These moments also have the time to see everyone dressed at their best and partying together and wishing happiness for our dear friend as well. It was a great time. Of course, it helps that my husband also was able to be there. I talk about that a lot but thats because my husband used to work the graveyard shift so now its always grateful to have this new shift where he can live normal human hours and do things and attend events.

Some people take for granted how amazing it is to spend time with the ones we love but sometimes different situations make it hard but hey, you work through it and it all comes together in the end. Rambling again…

Brossard Festin Culturel

Mon Ami Restaurant – Korean Food

Street Monkeys – Cambodia Food

Mucho Burrito – Mexican Food

Every year, the last weekend is always a busy one. We would hit two festivals. This year, we decided to not head out to the Matsuri Festival. A few key reasons is honestly the crowds and the parking and the traffic going out since road works are ridiculous right now. So, we went to check out earlier the Brossard Festin Culturel  which is a cultural festival in the Montreal suburbs. Its primarily a family event and this year, it moved locations so we wanted to see how it all went down and actually this new location works really well, even better than before. We tried out some cool restaurants also and enjoyed the sun a little and walked around. Fun times!

 

Matinee Movie Date

I feel like every time that I tell you all about going to the theatre it will be for some popcorn flick where its not outstanding terms like Oscar films but just a pure entertaining film. Most of the films that I look forward to and will watch in theatres (aside Fantasia) is honestly films that I feel the big screen will make a difference. Just to be clear, my suburban theatre only offered UltraAVX and 3D had more choice in times than the normal which had one showing only. Either way, I don’t really regret it at all. The experience for The Meg was quite unique since I honestly really got into the film and had some moments where I literally was startled and jumped back in the seat. Its a pretty awesome shark film experience. I know this movie has its issues. Either way, my review will be going up. In the meantime, we did a Movies and Tea After Hours kickoff show reviewing The Meg that literally just went live today.

I’ll still reblog the post tomorrow or something but just to have a fun listen!

Tranquil Dreams on Facebook

In case you missed the announcement post a few weeks ago, we are officially on Facebook! It was meant to happen eventually but you know circumstances changed  for Facebook linking here so I got that set up quickly. Head over and give us a like or follow! I’ll share random stuff there every once in a while so it’ll be a fun time. Check it out HERE.

That’s it for this adventures! 🙂
Things are getting back on track. Hopefully summer has been treating you all fantastic!

Fantasia Festival 2018: Knuckleball (2018)

Posted in Fantasia Film Fest!, Film Festivals, Movies by

Knuckleball (2018)

Knuckleball

Director: Michael Peterson

Cast: Luca Villacis, Munro Chambers, Michael Ironside, Kathleen Munroe, Chenier Hundal

Somewhere in western Canada is a farmhouse. A seemingly ordinary and simple farmhouse with a seemingly nice and normal farmer named Jacob residing within. There would be no reason to fear this farmhouse, but for Mary it’s a farmhouse that harbours bad memories and a real sense of dread. Now, a family emergency forces her to drop her son Henry off at this farmhouse for a few days with Jacob, her father, who doesn’t know his own grandson. A love of baseball helps the two bond, but that connection is broken by the arrival of Dixon , the creepy next-door neighbour who seems to know a lot about the farmhouse and holds a pretty mean grudge against Henry. Over the course of the next few days, Henry is going to learn a lot about family, about survival, and how to throw a good knuckleball like his life depends on it? because it does. – Fantasia Festival

Set in the isolated Western Canada landscape, Knuckleball captures the lonely rural area setting perfect for this film’s sense of survival and gritty secrets. It has been exciting times in recent years to see how filmmakers take the Home Alone formula and give it an imaginative dark twist. Just like last year’s Better Watch Out, what starts off with ideas of a young kid trying to find clever ways to defend and survive through the night takes a wildly different and dangerous tone as the story and secrets unfold. There is a great craft here by director and co-writer Michael Peterson in the way he tells this story, skillfully taking the time to slowly not only drop hints but give pieces of this dark puzzle so the audience is kept guessing and invested in this thriller. What propels and builds each scene is also the score here which has its subtle moments and creates these sounds that match with the environment and helps build tension.

Knuckleball

Knuckleball has a small and tight cast which works in its favor. There are some incredible young talent here. The first is the young boy sent to this farm, Henry played by Luca Villacis who excels in making the gritty survival elements truly shine in a convincing way. Unlike a lot of children in films, he is worthy of the audience to cheer for his survival. The film is primarily in his point of view and therefore as the story unfolds, his surprises are also ours. Not to mention, Henry is clever and resourceful but still has those moments when his judgement puts him in a undesirable situation. Playing opposite him is a troubled young man and weird neighbor Dixon played by Munro Chambers who has so much depth to his characters. As we see his character truly unveil one layer at a time, there is a great depth to him even though he is violently pursuing Henry. The game that he plays as he hunts and Henry tries to survive is filled with tension. It is engaging and smart. In the supporting role playing as the grandfather Jacob is Michael Ironside. While his character dies fairly quickly, his presence in the film is undeniable because of the influence his character has over Henry and Dixon. It’s these intertwined relationships and the story about family and upbringing and how each character interprets life that truly brings in that extra depth.

If we are to talk about presence and characters, the house is a character in itself. The real house has 100 years of history and this aspect is amplified in the scenes from the massive isolate land surrounded by trees to to the nooks and crannies that Henry crawls between to escape from Dixon. The house is utilized so well as the scenes move from one part of the house to the next. There are school buses on the land and a rusted barnhouse further away. Everything feels like it has a purpose and builds on the uneasy feeling that Knuckleball aims to deliver.

Knuckleball
Knuckleball is a real treat. The movie comes together in a gritty effective way and while its a horror thriller that will keep you at the edge of your seat, its core is about more than that. Packed with great characters and an even more powerful setting, its a movie that you shouldn’t miss.  

This post was also on That Moment In.