Lights, camera, and action: Raising awareness for Canadians living with cystic fibrosis

 When Ottawa-born filmmaker Max McGuire was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, he realized he had to get to work in order to accomplish his film making dreams. Sure enough he went straight to work and has already produced, written, and directed multiple films throughout his career.  McGuire hasn’t limited himself to

Activists Tasia Brown and Aquilas Kapend Dapaah Take on the #BlackPantherChallenge for Ottawa Youth

 Marvel’s Black Panther is sending shockwaves throughout the world as one of the most anticipated movies of the year. Not only does it promise to be exciting and action-filled, as we have come to expect from the Marvel franchise, but with an almost fully Black cast, a Black director and

Ottawa Welcomes Inside Out’s 11th LGBT Film Festival

 For decades members of the LGBTQ community have struggled with representation in media, with strong heteronormativity displayed in everything from advertisements to blockbuster productions. Despite Hollywood’s increasing display of diversity in its movies, the underground, dedicated LGBTQ film scene remains just as present as before, and is here to stay.

Film Review: Logan Lucky

 Synopsis: Two brothers attempt to pull off a heist during a NASCAR race in North Carolina. Stars: Daniel Craig, Channing Tatum, Adam Driver Director: Steven Soderbergh

Film Review:The Hitman’s Bodyguard

 Synopsis: The world's top bodyguard gets a new client, a hit man who must testify at the International Court of Justice. They must put their differences aside and work together to make it to the trial on time. Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek Director: Patrick Hughes

Film Review: The Glass Castle

 Synopsis: A young girl comes of age in a dysfunctional family of nonconformist nomads with a mother who's an eccentric artist and an alcoholic father who would stir the children's imagination with hope as a distraction to their poverty. Stars: Brie Larson, Woody Harrelson, Naomi Watts Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

Disney`s Aladdin Jr – catchy and memorable numbers, fun characters, a show that everyone can enjoy

 Ottawa Life’s Festival City Series is back! We'll provide a unique look at some of your favourite events. We’ll go beyond the music with artist interviews, volunteer profiles, concert reviews and spotlights on the tastes, sights and sounds of the festival season.  Your city! Your festivals and events! Like a good sunscreen,

Film Review: Annabelle

 Synopsis: Several years after the tragic death of their little girl, a dollmaker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home, soon becoming the target of the dollmaker's possessed creation, Annabelle. Stars: Talitha Bateman, Miranda Otto, Lulu Wilson, Anthony LaPaglia Director: David F.

Film Review: Kidnap

 Synopsis: A mother stops at nothing to recover her kidnapped son. Stars: Halle Berry, Sage Correa, Chris McGinn

Film Review: Dark Tower

 Synopsis: The last Gunslinger, Roland Deschain, has been locked in an eternal battle with Walter O'Dim, also known as the Man in Black, determined to prevent him from toppling the Dark Tower, which holds the universe together. With the fate of the worlds at stake, good and evil will collide

Film Review: Detroit

 Synopsis: A police raid in Detroit in 1967 results in a multi-day riot. The story is centered on the Algiers Motel incident, which occurred in Detroit, Michigan on July 25, 1967, during the racially charged 12th Street Riot. Stars: John Boyega, Anthony Mackie, Algee Smith, Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Piecing Together the Abstract

 Photos by Alex Mazur. Have you ever let your mind wander while watching passing clouds floating through the sky? Suddenly those white wisps look like a sailboat, or that fluffy cloud looks unmistakably like a cuddly bunny. This psychological phenomenon is called pareidolia, an instance where the mind recognizes familiar

A terrific Saoirse Ronan calls a routine “Brooklyn” home

 Brooklyn Directed by John Crowley Written by Nick Hornby (based on the novel by Colm Tóibín) Produced by Wildgaze Films et al.     There are two scenes in Brooklyn that get at a fundamental truth of travelling long distances. In the first, recent Irish transplant Eilis (Saoirse Ronan) is

Film Review: “Room” opens a door on abuse, wonder

 Room Directed by Lenny Abrahamson Written by Emma Donoghue (based on her book) Produced by A24, Element Pictures, and No Trace Camping It’s astounding to consider that a person could go missing only to reemerge years later. The actual case of Elisabeth Fritzl, imprisoned for 24 years in the basement

Spur Celebrates Politics, Art and Ideas

 Photo by Beibei Lu As the fervour surrounding the election wanes and Ottawa adjusts to new leadership on the Hill, the air is rife with a variety of questions raised in October: From the local: How is it that in a city and country as wealthy as this one, more

Introducing the African Film Festival of Ottawa

 All photos courtesy of Aboubakar Sanogo The African Film Festival of Ottawa (AFFO) is the first of its kind to hit the city. Held over two weeks, from October 16 to 18, and October 23 to 25 2015, Carleton University is the inaugural festival’s host. The festival is the brainchild

Bringing the Inside Out

 All photos by Skylan Hill Since 2007, The Ottawa LGBT Film Festival has been the talk of the town. Now in its eighth year in Ottawa, the festival is among the top five LGBT film fests in Canada. Its aim is to showcase the best and most diverse films by,

One World Film Festival Hits Ottawa’s Silver Screen

 Film junkies won’t want to miss Ottawa’s 26th annual documentary festival, the One World Film Festival, (OWFF) taking place this weekend. OWFF is Ottawa's longest-running documentary film festival, focused on raising awareness to global issues with a line-up that promises to deliver some fantastic thought-provoking movies. Friday’s focus will be

Navigating Mirror Mountain with Christopher Rohde

 Photo provided by Christopher Rohde. Christopher Rohde is the Festival Director of the Mirror Mountain Film Festival. The fest is bringing independent, underground and alternative cinema to Ottawa from December 4th to the 6th. Rohde is an award-winning filmmaker and Carleton University alumni. OLM chatted with Rohde to talk about the

Be Glued to the Tube for Para Normal

 Photo courtesy of TVO Hats off to local filmmaker Rostyslav Makushak for winning the 2015 TV Ontario (TVO) Short Docs contest with his film Para Normal. Makushak beat out 126 other submissions in the competition. The theme for this year’s TVO contest, which is aimed at aspiring documentary makers, was

Changing the Future: Moisture Vaporators

 The technology of science fiction is often flashy and impressive, but more mundane seeming inventions that make up the background of movie sets are equally likely to change the real world. The perfect example of this is the moisture vaporator, a device that is mentioned in passing in the original

European Union Film Festival: One Mile Away

 The European Union Film Festival will snitch the dirty, yet exhilarating details behind the often concealed truths of gang wars with the film ‘One Mile Away.’ Unveiling social progress is possible when two rival groups adjoin with a purpose. Street gangs generally operate on the pretense of restricted solidarity, power claims, disturbance

Emmy Awards Recap

 Did you watch the 66th annual Emmy Awards on Monday night? We were tuned in from the red carpet to the finale. The fabulous fashion and the hilarious hosting job by SNL-alum Seth Meyers made for a fantastic evening of entertainment. We were ecstatic to see that some of our

Come Blow Your Horn: Perth’s Classic Theatre Festival

 Calling all theatre lovers! The fifth annual Classic Theatre Festival is happening right now in Heritage Perth, Ontario. With plays going on until the end of August, you will not want to miss a show. One play gaining much praise is Neil Simon’s comedy Come Blow Your Horn-- based on

Dan Aykroyd – An Actor’s Life: The Sequel

 Disc I: Film City or Mr. Saracino Works in Ottawa The destiny of the world is determined less by the battles that are lost and won than by the stories it loves and believes in. – Harold Goddard A word does not frighten the man who, in acting, feels no