Bios
Dorothy Woodend
Dorothy Woodend has been the film critic for The Tyee since 2004. Her work has been published in magazines, newspapers and books across Canada and the US, as well as a number of international publications.
Dorothy worked with the Vancouver International Film Festival, the Whistler Film Festival and the National Film Board of Canada. She is a member of the Vancouver Film Critics Circle, and sits on the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Arts and Culture in Vancouver. Dorothy is also the Director of Programming for DOXA Documentary Film Festival in Vancouver.
Reporting Beat: Film.
Dorothy's Connection to BC: Born in Vancouver and raised in the wilds of the Kootenay, Dorothy's favourite spot is her family's farm on Kootenay Lake.
Twitter: @dorothywoodend
Stories by Dorothy Woodend
Where Can You Go for a Real Movie Experience Anymore?
Real as its popcorn butter, Vancouver's Rio Theatre is a classic worth defending.
'The Iron Lady'
Film as cultural crime. This is how they create historical amnesia.
Hollywood's Icy Heart
From 'Mission Impossible' to 'The Descendants,' current films fail to arouse.
'Shame' and 'No Sexual Rapport'
A fictional sex addict, and the real life of pornographers who feed his hunger.
Occupy the Movie Theatres
Could money-sucking, worker-shedding Hollywood be more out of touch?
'Real Steel'
Ghost of Steve Jobs looks on as mechanical fighting flick shadow boxes with old classics.
'Attack the Block'
Young toughs mug the wrong crash-landed alien. Satisfying cinema ensues.
Cinema's Season of Revenge
Hollywood's heavily into payback lately. Now comes the remade 'Straw Dogs.'
'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'
In a world gone ape, this monkey learns some hard lessons of humanity.
'Captain America: The First Avenger'
One more super hero released from storage. But how much moral high ground is left to protect?
Movies and Memory
Films seen long ago meld with personal dramas, making the mind one weird Cineplex.
Malick's 'Tree of Life' Is Profound (Don't Snicker)
Is it a masterpiece if it makes you think about big stuff... maybe too much?
Sorry Women, Summer Films Are for Boys
Surviving the season of guns, explosions, cool gadgets, bad guys, pretty ladies, aliens, Nazis, that sort of thing.
Kristen Wiig, Screwball Genius, I Salute You!
Is 'Bridesmaids' really that funny? Yes, miraculously, it is.
Aliens! They Just Keep Coming!
From 'Paul' to 'Prometheus' to 'Battle: Los Angeles,' the invasion appears unstoppable.
'Jane Eyre'
The film is swoon-worthy. But what carries the power of a young girl's first reading of Charlotte Brontë's masterpiece?
This Year's Annoying Film Prize Faves
Here come the Oscar nomination announcements. Sheesh.
The Big Tease
Mathieu Amalric's film 'On Tour' is a love story with passels of swinging tassels.
Have Yourself a Cinematic Christmas
'True Grit' and other options for those in search of stories instead of stuff.
Woman on the Edge of a Drag
It's 1950s again but with a thick layer of porn on top: an anti-review of 'Burlesque.'
'Out of the Blue'
There's more to this Dennis Hopper picture than meets the eye. It's a snapshot of a bygone punk rock Vancouver.
Old Horrors and New Monsters
Good old-fashioned demonic possession isn't what it used to be but new creeps are always scratching at the window.
How Do We Animate the Spirit of Empathy?
Some beautiful films at the Vancouver International Film Festival show the way.
Vancouver International Film Festival: Woodend's Picks
A Czech visual masterpiece, a García Márquez magical dream, and much, much more.
Summer Trash Cinema
From 'Cannibal Girls' to 'Idiocracy,' four fun films that won't make your brain sweat.
'The Kids Are All Right'
How did a film about lesbian parents and sex end up so very old-fashioned?
Eyes on the Future
A cinema classic with a live orchestra. A literary mash-up manifesto. Everything is new. Nothing is new.
She's Baaaack! 'Metropolis' Revived
New extended restoration of iconic 1927 film is fresh as a whiff of G20 tear gas.
'Winter's Bone'
Sundance winner portrays the growing, alienated American underclass that used to be called hillbillies.
Lonely? You're Not Alone
'Sex and the City' makes family, friends, fashion, love look easy. A lie to salve our aching solitudes.
'The Trotsky' and 'The Maid'
Two small films offer an antidote to Hollywood's idiotic portrayals of class division.
Sex and the Modern Documentary
'The Erection Man,' 'Orgasm Inc.' and 'Male Domination' are among DOXA's offerings next week in Vancouver.
The Docs Are Out!
There's a fresh bunch of documentaries in Vancouver, bringing messages of hope, fear and beauty.
Best of the Worst Teen Horror Flicks
Hell hath no fury like a teenage girl with a daddy fixation in Nobuhiko Obayashi's cheesy, psychedelic and occasionally scary 'House.'
Love is Hell
Down, down, into fiery depths of French auteur Clouzot's imagination, and his unfinished masterpiece 'Inferno.'
Canada's Top Ten Films, 2010
Let the year's best, showing at Vancouver's Pacific Cinematheque, cure your Olympics hangover.
'Reel Injun' and 'Salute'
Feeling manipulated by the Olympics' brand boosters? See these two timely documentaries.
Keeping up with Today's Modern Consumer of Romance
'This is why we're f'd up about love,' says my sister as we listen to old movie soundtracks. We are, indeed.
'The Wild Hunt'
Well worth pouncing on while prowling next week's Victoria Film fest.
Kill Your Idols
No! to the boomers, yes! to the Yes Men.
'Fantastic Mr. Fox' Is, Well, Fantastic
A brilliant, beautiful film about marriage, cages and one's own inescapable nature.
Heading up the Hill
Above the boozy parties and orgiastic groans at the eclectic Whistler Film Festival.
'Collapse'
Your chance to spend a bit of quality time with the world's foremost doomer.
Suck It Up Cinema
Vampires are everywhere nowadays, but weirdly drained of menace.
Sifting the VIFF
A few picks from the wonderful (small) world of Vancouver's film fest.
Who Needs Art, Anyway?
Politicians don't value it. Why would they? It threatens them.
'Malls R Us'
God is goods, says the architecture that enfolds retail worship.
'The Cove'
After watching this, can you summon empathy for a dolphin killer? Should you?
'The Hurt Locker'
Director Kathryn Bigelow's war makes men choose pain over nothing.
'Food Inc.'
Film offers a broad menu of gross facts. Where's the recipe for action?
The Art of Living for Free
Want to get by on almost nothing? I'm glad to share some (free) tips.
'The Hangover'
Ninety minutes with my head in the toilet.
Festival of Love
DOXA's documentary film fest is a living, breathing, sighing communal moment.
See this Shock Doc
'Act of God' explores death by lightning. Plus, more electrifying films at DOXA.
From Muck Grows Disneynature
Don't let Uncle Walt near the kids and the animals.
'Recipes for Disaster'
A family tries to give up oil, and home life seizes up.
Too Much Eco-Elder Worship?
A few cranky notes on watching 'Earth Days' at the otherwise cool Projecting Change Festival.
'RiP: A Remix Manifesto'
We're all pirates now, so how will films and journalism get made?
Bloody Awful Oz Flicks
No one did exploitation like Aussies in the '70s.
Take the Kids to Reel2Real
Film fest proves it's universal. Parents and children drive each other crazy.
'Welcome to the Sticks' and 'Ballast'
Two very different travels down country roads.
Is Your Child Too Young to Watch that Horror Film?
A parent's guide to scaring your kid.
'Gran Torino'
Is this Clint Eastwood's self-pitying swan song?
Escape from Christmas
Not feeling It's a Wonderful Life? Try these.
Films Full of Biophilia
'Fierce Light' and 'Food Fight' at the Whistler fest.
Generation Velcro
What will become of the children who could not tie their shoes?
Hollywood's Bully Problem
Big studios teach kids to insult casually, crudely. It takes a Dutch film to tell the truth.
The Funhouse Mirrors of Political Films
Blurring the line between telling the truth and just telling tales.
Igloos and Cannibalism
For now at least, we have NFB films to set our history right.
Reeling at Vancouver's Film Fest
An insider's guide to the best of this year's VIFF.
Love? Are You Kidding?
What does Woody Allen really know about the human heart?
'Pineapple Express'
America's violent haze produces a bad buzz.
'Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer'
Beware the horrific rage of this Canadian working man.
'Wall-E'
Looking for love and meaning on a garbage planet.
Hot Times!
Four summer campy movie classics to kick off the lazy season.
'Kung Fu Panda'
More self-esteem cinema for today's coddled cuties.
Screwed by 'Sex and the City'
What terrible hold do these aging Barbies have on us?
Gender Bending at the Leos
Fluid sexuality in 'Crossing' and 'she's a boy i knew.'
Lots of Good Stuff
In Vancouver, a bunch of great film events.
'Bevel Up'
Nettie Wild's new doc about nurses in the trenches.
'The End of Suburbia'
After peak oil comes what fresh hell?
'Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day'
A frantic return of great dames.
'Semi-Pro'
Will Ferrell, America's noble idiot poster boy.
Real Good for Kids
Reel 2 Real's film fest of gems for children.
Canada's Top Ten Films
'Continental, a Film Without Guns' is one of the best.
Opera Goes to the Movies
As the two forms mix, we've entered a new aria.
'Starting Out in the Evening'
Aging novelist, sexy grad student. Who's got the write stuff?
Age of Apathy
The mumbly new wave of films for young people.
The Net Reboots Cinema
How long until films are wired straight into our minds?
'Electroma'
Daft Punk's wordless ode to robot 'heroes.'
The Best of Film, and Intentions
Bright spots of 2007, resolutions for the new year.
The Princess Consumer
Women who yearn to shop, not grow up. They're 'Enchanted.'
Nourishing Movies
Avoid the plexes, tuck into these filmic fests and feasts.
'Bee Movie' Leaves a Bad Buzz
Hey kids, learn to love the hive.
Oh, the Horror!
Scary films are hot. Where's the art of empathy?
Vancouver International Film Fest's Best Flicks
It's a feast of films this year.
Climate for Change
Best of the Vancouver International Film Fest's new green flicks.
What Can 'Mad Men' Tell Us?
Smart TV show recalls when men were men, and women weren't glad.
How the West Was Undone
'3:10 to Yuma' mans up.
Sick of Sex?
Mr. Bean's cure for summer smut.
One Big Wank
'Superbad' is fun. But girls need not apply.
Going Out With a Bang
Why we're hardwired for explosion movies.
How the Sea Dries Up
'Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea'
Oh Rats!
'Ratatouille' dishes up imagination and tasty thoughts.
'Sicko' Diagnosis
Moore or less, can America heal itself?
Hollywood Is 'Knocked Up' with Fake
But 'In Vanda's Room' is the real thing.
Like Alice in Wonderland on Acid and Speed
'Paprika' is a pure giddy delight.
How Two Filmmakers Lure You Into Their Brains.
David Lynch and Guy Maddin's new unfiction flicks.
Less Gas, More Ass
'You Never Bike Alone' suggests a new, bike-based world order.
'Iraq': the New Four Letter Word in Film
Why Hollywood's lens is blurry.
'The Killer Within'
What makes someone commit mass murder? A doc's answers.
On the Silver (Haired) Screen
Must 60 be the new 40?
Vancouver Stars as 'Pretty but Shallow'
In 'Everything's Gone Green' and 'Crossing.'
Trashaholics Anonymous
What Quentin Tarantino needs to learn from guilty pleasure flicks.
When Horror Flicks Rebel
'The Host' screams with politics, family and the monster within.
Sex, Screams and not enough Satire
Zombies 'r' us? Can B.C. horror film 'Fido' hack it?
Blaxploitation in 'Black Snake Moan'
When bold aims turn into bad stereotypes.
The Tyee's Own Oscars
Who really won? George W., dresses and lesbians, among others.
We're Smarter than Americans
Or so say our top movies.
Put Your Child on 'Horror Bus'
And catch more smart kid flicks at Reel 2 Real.
When Is it Right to Remember Wrong?
Sex, art and totalitarianism in 'The Lives of Others.'
Sarah Polley's Triumph and More Gems
Fine Canadian talent on screen at Victoria film fest.
The Big Celebritease
Flogged, blogged, whined and opined 'til Oscar night.
A Shocking Fairytale
‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ winds through sex, tragedy and death of innocence.
Filming the Future, Thinking about Today
'Children of Men' asks what it means to be human.
'Old Joy' Near Perfect
Friends reunite, toke and soak in this indie gem.
Woodend's 2006 Flick Picks
These movies changed my life.
Rockin' Cinema
From Jack Black to Frank Black, it's three chords to salvation.
My Back to the Land Fantasy
And why it feels more real every day.
Sam Sullivan, Movie Star
And more rad indie flicks at Whistler Film Festival.
Americans Are Crazy
'Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing' makes it too clear.
'Flags of Our Fathers' and War Porn
Battle to make an honest war film has yet to be won.
'Open Season' on Dumb Kids' Movies
Enough with the animals and stereotypes already.
And Now the Good News
Best of the Vancouver International Film Fest. Part Two.
Must-See Bad News
Best of the Vancouver International Film Fest. Part One.
Drivin' Movies
Cars R Us in 'Talladega Nights' and 'Little Miss Sunshine'
God and Mann
'Miami Vice' icons seek readmission to the religion of cool.
In Vogue: Bashing Female Bosses
'The Devil Wears Prada'...and there's only one queen.
Slackers, through 'A Scanner Darkly'
Next chapter in the war on drugs is a cartoon.
God, Those Girls Can Fight
Is girls’ b-ball about savagery, courage, religion or all three?
Film Critic Bash-a-Thon
Are we helpful, bitchy or out-to-lunch?
Flee the City!
Urban phobia on film, with a stop at ‘District B13.’
Gored
Thoughts while sitting through 'An Inconvenient Truth.'
Confession Obsession
Dear documentary makers: give us better stories.
Not Your Usual Sex Movie
'Battle in Heaven' is a messy war of the flesh.
'The Devil and Daniel Johnston'
Doc flirts with fame, fear and far-fetched realities.
Sex, Madness and Hero Worship
James Toback, a puzzle other directors try to solve.
Terribly, Terribly Pretty
In ‘Kings and Queen’, female beauty is a brutal curse.
'Spirit of the Beehive' Buzzes with Beauty
Looking for meaning in Franco's shadow.
Time to Award the Tyeeies!
Obscure, maybe, but irresistible. The year's most underrated film moments.
'The Three Burials of Melquiades'
The sun of the American dream sets out west.
The Real Casualties of War
Old and new documentaries make the political personal.
'Tristram Shandy' Is a Cock and Bull Story
With laughter to soothe the unbearable darkness of being.
It's a Child's Life
Movies love 'em. But let's see some real kids.
Sundance? Stick with Victoria
Charms of the Victoria Independent Film and Video Festival.
'Touch the Sound' and Let It Touch You
Films you've got to hear.
Louis Malle's Tortured Bliss
His amazing documentary of India, all six hours.
Eeek! Horrors at New Vancouver Film Centre
But where are the women?
The Year in Film
'As my ragged eyes scuttled across the screens…'
Naughty and Nice Holiday Films
What to watch in a turkey coma?
The Lying, The Which, and the Why God?
Tricked by 'The Chronicles of Narnia.'
Brave New World
Films have some 'splainin' to do about food and our future.
It's Out There!
Canadiana heads to the Whistler Film Festival.
The State of the 'European Union Film Festival'
Quirky answers to questions of national identity.
Porn People UNTIE!
'East Van Porn Collective' isn't about what but who you do.
Worlds Collide, and Who Survives?
Amnesty International Film Festival offers up beauty and hope.
Truly Truman
'Capote' asks whether art and artists are above morality.
Wallace & Gromit, Bless Their Lumpy, Bumpy Hearts
They're so NOT computer-generated.
Saddle up, Space Man!
'Serenity' will twang your little heart strings.
Killing for Peace?
'A History of Violence' is Cronenberg's latest question through film.
More Film Fest Picks by Woodend
This year, close your eyes and open your ears.
Woodend's Vancouver Film Fest Picks
I've watched dozens of films and lived to tell the tale.
Oh Goodness, Such Badness!
Warning: 'A Sound of Thunder' is god-awful good.
Where Are All the Big Villains?
Sure they’re in the news. Sadly, not in 'Red Eye'.
My Date With the 40-Year-Old Virgin
Let's just say the film tries to have it both ways.
What Has Digital Done to the Movies?
As '2046' proves, everything’s available, for better or worse.
The Emptiness of Geek Chic
A crop of trendy films reward our desire to be the cool, ironic bully.
Woodend's Summer Kids' Movie Round Up
Hollywood wants to 'rejuvenile' us. Fight the feeling.
Wake Up!
It's a tough mission for the middle of summer. But two movies, 'Saraband' and 'YES' rouse the mind.
Flock to this Film
'The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill' documentary is a rare bird.
Entertained to Death?
'The Land of the Dead' kills off the working stiffs. Shocked?
Summer Watchin'
'Batman Begins' is part of the movie slump.
Girl-Kissing-Girl Cinema
Is it still revolutionary?
'Turn Up the Good, Turn Down the Suck'
It’s All Gone Pete Tong kicks Canadian movie butt.
Marred Stars
Strangely, the stranger some get, the more they sell.
Drugs, Hypocrisy Flavour 'Layer Cake'
Brit gangster flick pushes stylish, irony laden narcotics.
Keep Out!
New doc on Komagata Maru puts the lie to a welcoming Canada.
Women at Work at DOXA
“You damn women,” my grandfather would say, with equal parts exasperation and respect.
'Darth Vader Is My New Friend!'
My son and kids all over embrace the evil superstar. Thanks, George.
Movies to Watch While the Sky Is Falling
'Hitchhiker's Guide,' 'War of the Worlds,' Disney's 'Chicken Little,' and more.
Kung Fu Hustle
When bullies rumble with poor people, the slum dwellers win. Sublime or ridiculous?
‘Sahara’ Aims at Mind of a Sand Flea
Escapism worked better in a huge world where you were fine to know squat about global politics.
In Sport and War, All Is Love
What fires up those crazy manboys in the stands? Love or bloodlust?
Hollywood and Race: Black, White and Green
‘Guess Who’ begs the question: How far have we come since 1967?
This Old Movie House
Say goodbye to the Capitol Six and others theatres of yore.
A Mother of a Mother
In ‘The Upside of Anger’, Joan Allen is one hot mama.
‘Phil the Alien’: More of What Ails
Canada’s a funny place that can’t seem to do funny movies.
Serving a 'Hitch' in the War on Love
An army of films and books takes aim at the male on the make.
Bashing Heads for Buddha
'The Thai Warrior' fights to get his country back from white pervs and fratheads.
'Constantine' and other Evil Doings
In the post-Abu Ghraib era, Hollywood indulges its devilish obsessions.
Even in Bhutan, Happiness Is Hard
A Buddhist lama’s latest film tries to capture the country’s fleeting beauty before Starbucks arrives.
Back into the Kitchen, Girls
Why are females increasingly portrayed as twits who fall down? Call it Attack of the 50 Foot Hollywood Wiener Women.
The Good, the Bad and Alone in the Dark
Male underwear models are dismembered in the B.C.-shot horror film, but at least Tara Reid finds her purse.
Introducing…The Tyeeies!
Unveiling a prestigious new film award. Because even cruddy flicks can have their surprisingly cool moments.
Hit Films
Boxing’s poetry of poverty and pain, spoken again by Eastwood’s ‘Million Dollar Baby’.
Sympathy for Shylock
New ‘Merchant of Venice’ presses the question: Is art that depicts anti-semitism itself anti-semitic?
When Houses Attack!
Prepare to settle into a new subdivision of horror flicks, including a freaky leaky condo.
'Life Aquatic' Dives Deep
In a good year for quirky meditations, add a last specimen to the aquarium.
'Meet the Fockers'
The Fockers could use a little comedy Viagra, but Kinsey said the same about America.
Vampy Vancouver
Hollywood North is home to Blade's latest vampires and endless other sci-fi shoots. What, we're that weird?
Crimes of Passion
'Bridget Jones' and 'Closer' do dumb violence to a fine ideal called romance.
Renting: The Movie
Our quest to find a home has all the plot twists of Hollywood flick. But why must my child play the villain?
Alexander the Gay
He conquered the known world because Mommie was a meanie. Who knew?
‘Incredibles’ Rite of Passage
My child’s first film in a movie theatre was the new Pixar hit. Oh the strange drive-in memories that came flooding back.
'Ghost in the Shell' Is a Meme Machine
Sequel 'Innocence' will make you wonder whether skin, bones and hair are old-fashioned attachments.
Boogie Fever
In troubled times, dance! (Or maybe see a dance flick.)
Soundtrack for an Election Thriller
The presidential cliffhanger is a blockbuster with a heavy duty music mix.
'Huckabees', Like Life, Is One Serious Joke
What do the director, Jon Stewart and a Quantum theory doc have in common? Well, why do you exist?
Rock 'n' Roll Can Never Die
It’s a nasty biz that won’t let go, apparently, given Dylan’s memoirs, Wilson’s resurrected Smile, and a couple of great rockumentaries suddenly upon us.
Zombies Are Us
Funny, frightening Shaun of the Dead celebrates those great social critics, The Undead.
Brainymation
How come serious cartoon films for grown-ups are hot in Asia but not over here?
Film Fest Heaven
Vancouver's International Film Festival deserves cheers, but other West fests add zest.
Fox Hunting and Bush Whacking
Political documentaries are influencing public debate as never before, with a little help from the 'net.
Hero Wins the West
But was something lost when the hit Chinese epic was manipulated for us by its director and distributor?
My Favorite Kids' Films
Top of this mom's list: 'My Neighbour Totoro'. It's more David Lynch than Disney.
The Devil You Know
Good and evil is tricky business lately. Too bad the latest 'Exorcist' prompts more laughter than terror.
'Alien vs. Predator' Is Scary Bad
Somebody please put this creature, and movie summer, out of its misery.
'Village' of Idiots
The politics of fear and gated life inhabit the latest film by M. Night Shyamalan. So does Scooby Doo.
Mechanical Breakdown
With race relations, slavery and what it means to be human as themes to explore, Hollywood goes on a heartless shooting spree.
Masked Desire
If comic books are really about sex, Spiderman II is some kind of climax
Surrendered Wives
To see how feminism is being undone, have a look at The Stepford Wives, redone.
Two Sighs for Sci-Fi
After The Chronicles of Riddick, how will I ever get my sis to see another space opera?
He's Old, Poor and Deadly
The blind swordsman of Zatoichi puts Hollywood's steroidal stars to shame.
Apocalypse Pretty Soon
But is 'The Day After Tomorrow' the wake-up call the world needs?
The Olsen Twins Horror Show
How the two cuties morphed into perv-friendly harbingers of Armageddon.
Ghoul Trouble
In anxious times we need our monsters, but Van Helsing just pummels undead geezers.
Screw Sisterhood
Mean Girls is a hit and, I confess, I was one. But let's get real about teen female viciousness - and our need to punish Queens of Mean.


