Author: Vladimir Jean-Gilles

Vladimir Jean-Gilles is a film critic and culture writer at shiftermagazine.com. He's a film nerd and all around fan of culture.

Written and directed by Simon Rouby “Adama is 12 year old hero who travels through a war-torn Europe in order to find his older brother Samba. Having never left the peaceful West African village he has lived in his whole life, Adama gets to explore the ‘Outside world’ for the very first time. He soon finds out that it might not be what he has expected.” The Ottawa International Animation Festival offered us many different masterpieces. Among them stood Adama, an independent film written and directed by the talented Simon Rouby. Adama tells the story of a 12 year old…

Read More

Director: George Miller Starring: Tom Hardy as “Max Rockatansky” and Charlize Theron as “Imperor Furiosa” Thirty years has now passed since we last saw Max Rockatansky on the road. The last time we saw him, the character was portrayed by Mel Gibson, whose performance in the original trilogy was well-received among fans and critics alike. George Miller had done an incredible job directing this action packed franchise. After three decades, George Miller decided to come back for the fourth installment and I’m very glad he did. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, Mad Max: Fury Road follows the dangerous adventures of…

Read More

“A consummate con-artist takes a glamorous rookie under his wing, but she steals his heart. Perhaps love is also a con-game.” After starring in a series of unsatisfying movies, Will Smith is now on a journey to win back his audience’s attention. Following After Earth, a film worth forgetting, Smith uses his charm and charisma to regain his dwindling popularity amongst moviegoers. Has Focus succeeded in doing so? Unfortunately…no. Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, Focus follows Nicky Spurgeon (Will Smith) as a smooth con artist who takes on his newfound interest, Jess Barrett (Margot Robbie, The Wolf of…

Read More

Birdman stars Michael Keaton as Riggan Thomson, a washed up actor who played a popular superhero in his prime days twenty years before the movie takes place. The film carries us into the series of events and challenges that Thomson has to face as he attempts to direct, write and star in a Broadway play. His goal is to regain his long lost fame and popularity despite his family and friends telling him to give up on what seem to be the desperate ventures of a nostalgic man. Directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu, the movie is classified as a dark…

Read More