Film critic | Peter Howell Night Vision

"The Suicide Squad" hurls so much blood and gore you may feel like hosing your eyeballs

James Gunn declares there's nothing sacred in his super-villain reboot, except Margot Robbie.

Leos Carax's "Annette" is a musical made of chants and a romance without much love

Cannes opener is a dispiriting movie where a puppet upstages the human characters.

When ZZ Top met Elvis on the 3 a.m. streets of Memphis

RIP Dusty Hill, bassist/vocalist for “that little ol’ band from Texas.”

Jane Campion returns to the big screen with “The Power of the Dog” at TIFF 2021

New Zealand auteur’s first feature in 12 years is expected to be an awards contender.

“Dear Evan Hansen” to open TIFF 2021, “One Second” to close

TIFF plans in-person screenings for all 100-plus features at its September fest.

"Beans" forces us to choose sides in drama of tragic Oka standoff

Arresting first feature by Tracey Deer is based on her personal experiences.

In Marvel blockbuster "Black Widow," the sisters who snark together spark together

Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh make a great pair in otherwise muddled movie.

In Questlove’s doc "Summer of Soul," a musical celebration of Black joy finally has its moment

The revolutionary spirit of the 1960s endures and “Summer of Soul” is right there with it.

Taking a sad song and making it better

Revisiting Beatles doc "Let It Be" reveals music history that needed rewriting.

As "F9" spins its wheels, it's time to put the "Fast and Furious" franchise in park

If brains were gasoline, “Fast & Furious” wouldn’t have enough to power a Smart car.

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Movies I can't live without

Toronto Star movie critic Peter Howell has written a book about his 25 favourite movies, with highly personal reviews from Apocalypse Now to The Wizard of Oz.

Here's a sample of his review of 2001: A Space Odyssey, his all-time favourite film:

"It was billed as The Ultimate Trip and the hyperbole was justified, then as now.

Stanley Kubrick's space opus still seems like the future, 52 years after its release and 19 years after its significant title year. It never gets old and I never tire of seeing it, even after 50-plus viewings..."