In his Under The Same Sun review, Chris Harrison says the film’s messaging about colonialism, racism, and exploitation are still relevant today. If 1819 HIspaniola feels familiar to you while watching Under the Same Sun, that’s no mistake. The film’s messaging about colonialism, racism, and exploitation feel especially relevant today. The film follows a beleaguered Spanish colonizer named Lázaro, who is accompanied by Mei, a woman from China, as he looks to carry out a mission given to him by his late father. The two are in Hispaniola at a time of political upheaval, dodging French patrols, as they look…
Author: Chris Harrison
In his Lucky Lu film review, Chris Harrison calls the Lloyd Lee Choi one of his “pleasant surprises” from TIFF 2025. Lucky Lu tells the story of Lu Jia Cheng (Chang Chen), a New York delivery driver who’s struggling with money issues as his wife and daughter fly out from China to join him. Lu may have arrived as an immigrant with grand ideas of running a successful restaurant, but this film is not a tale of bright lights in the big city and the “American Dream.” Canadian director Lloyd Lee Choi trades the typical aerial shots of the city’s…
The new FX series The Lowdown “could be one of the best new shows of the fall” says SHIFTER’s Chris Harrison who recently watched the pilot at the Toronto International Film Festival. FX might have a hit on their hands with their new series The Lowdown. The new series, created by Sterlin Harjo (of the critically acclaimed Reservation Dogs), stars Ethan Hawke as a man obsessed with digging up the truth. Set in Tulsa Oklahoma, Hawke’s Lee Raybon runs a store specializing in rare books, and has a particular interest in the corruption in the city around him, which gets…
In his Dinner With Friends film review, Chris Harrison calls it a “must-see” and “a great showcase for upcoming Canadian talent.” In Dinner With Friends, there are no exposition dumps explaining how the group of friends at the center of the story came together, no dramatic retellings of past misadventures, and no flashbacks. The film, directed by Sasha Leigh Henry, creator of Bria Mack Gets A Life, drops the audience into the friends’ lives in their most joyous and vulnerable moments, and it trusts the audience to follow along as their relationships ebb and flow. It’s a task made easier…
The Toronto International Film Festival is celebrating 50 years and is featuring an absolutely packed lineup. Here are seven films to keep an eye on at TIFF 2025. The buzz is in the air once again as the Toronto International Film Festival takes over Canada’s largest city. SHIFTER’s Chris Harrison previews seven films to keep an eye on when the festival opens on September 4th. TIFF 2025 must see films Frankenstein – Guillermo del Toro Longtime TIFF regular, Guillermo del Toro’s take on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is one of the most hotly anticipated films at this year’s festival. The acclaimed…
