DARK SHADOWS (USA 2012) ***1/2
Directed by Tim Burton

The film begins in 1972 with a lengthy prologue of Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family.

SOUND OF MY VOICE (USA 2012) ****
Directed by Zal Batmanglij

SOUND OF MY VOICE is a Sundance film winner that is basically a very simple film.  But once the end credits roll, the only thing audiences can say is “Wow!” - the reason being that director Zal Batmanglij sure knows how to tell a story well.

BIG BOYS GONE BANANAS!* (Swe/Den/Germ/USA/UK 2012) ***
Directed by Fredrik Gertten

This is the type of film where a director catches a multinational company committing something and exposes the bad deed.  The additional bonus here is that the company (the big boys of the title) goes after the poor director with a lawsuit claiming that the film is a fraud.

EDWIN BOYD (Canada 2011) ***1/2
Directed by Nathan Orlando

Not every Canadian has heard of Edwin Boyd.  But after viewing Nathan Orlando’s Edwin Boyd, the man would surely be better known as Canada’s notorious bank robber and number one folk hero.

PLANET YOGA (Canada 2011) **
Directed by Carlos Ferrand

Director Carlos Ferrand professes not to practice yoga though he is fascinated by it.  He claims 50 million North Americans who practise cannot be wrong. (Or can they?) I myself have attended a few but found them a tad boring.  (I taught aerobic classes for 12 years.)