‘Midnight at the Paradise’ is a Love Letter to Film, Music, and the City of Toronto
'Midnight at the Paradise' premieres tomorrow at Toronto's Paradise Theatre! I had the pleasure to sit down with Vanessa Matsui to discuss the making of this film.

Pasquale and Luigi, two brothers about to get married, never lose their spirit for playing pranks on each other, such as scratching photos of their girlfriends or stealing money. One day, Hélène, a beautiful French woman whose car has run out of gas, arrives unexpectedly. The two brothers both fall in love with her and invite her to stay at their house. In the days that follow, Pasquale confesses that he wants to marry Hélène, and when his girlfriend finds out, she makes a scene in public that completely discredits him. The same fate befalls Luigi, who has to endure the whining of his girlfriend Rosina. Everything seems to be going well for Pasquale, now free and devoted only to the beautiful French woman, but a sudden encounter with his country friends upsets his plans. The young Don Enrico, an inveterate Don Juan, sets his sights on Hélène, who, having fallen in love with him, decides to return to France with him.
'Midnight at the Paradise' premieres tomorrow at Toronto's Paradise Theatre! I had the pleasure to sit down with Vanessa Matsui to discuss the making of this film.
Alongside A Drowning Man, I Signed The Petition, 3 Logical Exits, and A World Not Ours, A Man Returned continues to paint a realistic portrait of the Refugee Crisis that eschews the Western gaze and stereotype. These are real portraits painted by a director with lived experience, cultural connection and an amazing eye for visuals.
Outer Banks (2020-) knows its audience: young adults in a country that can’t stop romanticizing good ole’ treasure hunts. Add a little of Riverdale’s (2017-) sex appeal, and no one can look away. Forty years after The Goonies (1985) America’s consciousness hasn’t strayed from the same tropes: treasure hunts, a vulnerable white male lead, and the whitewashing of a racially segregated setting.
'Living' dives into many themes that we can all understand regardless of our cultural backgrounds. We can see this through the shared similarities between 'Ikiru' and 'Living'.
Falling in love with 'Rocketman" all over again.