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
Two Films about the Future of Humanity, the Good and the Ugly
Will it be more ‘It Comes at Night?’ horror or ‘Tomorrow Ever After’ hopeful?
Give Us a Real Wonder Woman!
New blockbuster version has her charms, but lacks the powerful punch today’s superheroines really need.
Latest Instalment in Alien Franchise a Bloody, Hollow Mess
‘Alien: Covenant’ will leave you longing for the perfect simplicity of its perfect predecessor.
‘Citizen Jane’
When the famed observer of cities took on the planning establishment, it was a street fight for the ages — one captured in a timely documentary.
‘Power Rangers’: A Positively Lynchian Experience
On films of technicolour lunacy, that blur the line between bad and good.
‘Logan,’ a Superhero Saga for Elegiac Times
Latest X-Men is worn-out, roughed up, and totally fitting for its age.
The Documentaries Are Getting Angry
Films like ‘Angry Inuk’ are sharp, fierce manifestos, proving film’s power to slash new trails in the darkness.
‘I Am Not Your Negro’: Film Charts Nightmares Behind the American Dream
James Baldwin’s voice, filmmaker’s vision produce an experience that matters.
‘Tampopo’: Celebration of Food, Friendship, Sex and Hope Still Satisfies
A Japanese classic, this slurpable film feast screens in Vancouver later this month.
‘Silence’: Typical Scorsese, with Ample Wailing
This film is a long and painful journey, so use the bathroom first.
A Guide to the Best of 2016’s Junk Movies
Sometimes — especially this year — only the film equivalent of junk food can nourish the soul.
Two Films that Share a Vivid, Deep Understanding of the Oddness of the Human Experience
‘Toni Erdmann’ and ‘Moonlight’ highlights in a year of compelling, beautiful movies.
‘Rogue One’: A Star Wars Prequel Without Magic, or Even Life
Ultimately, a dreary demonstration of calculated, market-tested moviemaking.
‘Jackie,’ or the Suffocating Weight of Myth
Film on Jacqueline Kennedy rarely goes beyond a beautifully depicted surface.
‘Arrival’: A Welcome Film about Unity and Communication
And about how language constructs reality. We’ve never needed it more.
‘Miss Hokusai,’ ‘Moonlight’ and Fall Film Brilliance
Skip away from TV this weekend, with much goodness on offer in actual movie theatres.
‘HyperNormalisation’
Trump, Gadhafi, computer utopian idealists... Adam Curtis’s new film tries to make sense of our current cultural moment.
‘Manchester by the Sea’ and the Power of Shared Experience
VIFF screening creates collectivity of emotion in audience.
‘Maudie,’ or the Difference between Great and Good Films
VIFF opener has many strengths, but misses the messiness of reality. Plus, Woodend’s festival picks.
‘A Cinema of Cruelty’: It Hurts So Good
Plenty of sex, death, and painful pleasure in this Vancouver Cinematheque film series.
‘The Tunnel’: A Thrilling Break from Summer’s Limp Cinema
Amid the standard buffet of blammo and sausage parties, finally: a film to love.
A Cruel Summer of Wretched, Big Movies
Sexism, racism, hackery and Meryl Streep drive a film reviewer to despair.
Zombie Politics
Korea’s latest horror flick asks whether people eaters can digest a hedge fund manager.
Oh Well, Lady ‘Ghostbusters.’ You Tried
Not too offensive, not too feminist, it’s not too much of anything. Still, there are spectres of a decent flick.
Lady Sharks Duel in 'The Shallows'
Both combatants are long, sleek, with beautiful teeth. But who'll win in this shark versus Blake Lively flick?
'The Wailing': A Horror Revealed in Hindsight
The latest from South Korean director Na Hong-jin may be best watched backwards.
'Lady Dynamite': TV's Weirdest, Funniest Show Is also the Truest
Maria Bamford's autobiographical hallucination is hilariously brave.
All About the Moment: Kelly Reichardt's Long, Bittersweet Gaze
Five-film program at Cinematheque catches balance of sorrow and joy in a world of hard times and bad choices.
Get Your Creep On with 'Midnight Special'
It's a sci-fi flick just alien enough to make sense of the world again.
Why Are Movie Humans So Mean?
Films like '10 Cloverfield Lane' appeal to the worst in human nature. But we're more than endless warring factions.
'Where to Invade Next' Waves a Banner of Hope
Michael Moore's uniquely American quest to steal the best ideas of other countries and save his own is a worthy watch.
'Hail, Caesar!' Proves We Need New Cinema Heroes
Because hints of change are all around us, just not at the movies. Yet.
How Many Hours Since Your Last Net Fix?
Celebrating scarcity in the age of endless-scrolling cinema.
Return of the Oscars Whitewash
Another diversity-challenged awards season. We know how it ends, so let's watch something else.
Cheering Women in Film, Because It's 2015
Looking back on a whirlwind of wins, phone-ins and bro shows.
Some of Year's Best Films Were Animated (and Not Just for Kids)
Drawn, painted, even made out of puppets, here are two gorgeous examples.
'Heart of a Dog'
Laurie Anderson's rumination on death accomplishes something rare. See it at Vancity Theatre Dec. 31.
'Crimson Peak': Bloody and Grotesque but Is It Scary?
That depends how distracted you are by all the brooches, teacups and bowties.
Ready, Set, VIFF!: Let the Film Onslaught Begin
As festival floodgates open, Tyee's reviewer sketches your survival guide.
Will Naomi Klein's Film Change Everything?
One of many calls for earth-shaking action, the doc makes oddly conventional appeal.
'Straight Outta Compton': A Parental Advisory
I took my teen son to a film that invokes Michael Brown's America, but conceals another history.
Spies, Spies, Everywhere Spies
Guy Ritchie directs a 1960s carbon copy for our culturally exhausted age.
Silent Cries for Humanity in 'The Tribe'
Nothing like Eastern European cinema to fuel the bonfire of your cynicism.
Hollywood Goes Ding-Dong Crazypants
Peen hits the big screen in 'Magic Mike XXL' and 'The Overnight.'
Um, Now Can We Have a Girl's Coming of Age Film?
It's always about a boy: 'Me and Earl and the Dying Girl' and 'Ben's at Home'.
Orange Is Back!
Ready your binge-watching pants: the Litchfield women are as real, ribald and hilarious as ever.
Summer, Magic, Glow: 'When Marnie Was There'
Once again, creators of 'Spirited Away' recapture the wild mystery of childhood.
Mad Max Fury Road, an Action Opus with a Gentle Core
Humane, complex characters fill this wild ride of a reboot.
Documentary Lovers, Paradise Is Coming
DOXA fest is almost here! Dorothy Woodend tells you what not to miss.
Taking Life Cues from the Brat Pack in 'The Wolfpack'
We've all wished to live inside a nostalgic '80s flick. These six brothers did.
Craving Cinematic Silliness? Try 'Kingsman: The Secret Service'
Willing to let your critical mind lapse into quasi-vegetation? This might be your film.
'Bitter Lake'
Adam Curtis's new epic, 'the story of Afghanistan,' is a veritable sea of images, music and ideas.
Oh, Mann Movies
Or, what it's like to be a woman forced to sit through 'Blackhat' and its macho ilk.
Dorothy Woodend's Top Films of the Year
From 'The Babadook' to 'Virunga', these played a cosmic xylophone on my vertebrae.
'The Babadook' and the Mother of All Terrors
Don't miss this Aussie nightmare of a film, starting a limited run at Vancity Theatre.
Ghomeshi, Trolls, and One Hopeful Thing
Joss Whedon said it best: 'It's an ugly time because change is happening.'
Hold On to Your Turtlenecks, It's 'Whiplash'
This jazz thriller rocked the house at Vancouver's film fest and hits theatres this weekend.
Another VIFF Gem: 'The Iron Ministry'
Following this season's track record of great films on trains, here's a festival must-see.
Woodend's VIFF Survival Guide
With hundreds of films, how to possibly find gold? Our reviewer sharpens her pick.
Love Makes Us Crazy, and So Should Rom-coms
'The F Word' may be sleepy, but there are many classics to ignite the stormy heart.
'Into the Storm'
When climate change deniers risk our future, is this film's monster tornado hero or villain?
'Guardians of the Galaxy'
A gang of ne'er-do-wells set out to save the universe with sass and banditry. It should be fun, right?
'Snowpiercer' Is the Must See Movie of Summer
Because it's so brilliantly timely. So why won't they show it at your local theatre?
In Praise of Car Movies
And why 'Tammy' veers into a ditch full of hatred for the poor and heavyset.
'Edge of Tomorrow'
Grave history replayed, starring aliens and Tom Cruise. Somehow, this film is a damn hoot.
'WolfCop,' Brought to You By Hype, Pitch and Buzz
CineCoup's 'film accelerator' contest has movie-makers mug for votes. Is this really the new model?
Capital and Captain America
World domination update: ruthless oligarchs plan Marvel hero movies to 2028.
Real Life Movie Love
Looking for true romance on screen these days? Stick to the good, messy stuff in your head.
'The Visitor', or the Joy of Truly Awful Films
Are you a lover of irresistibly inept cinema? Here's a genre classic.
Woodend's Year in Film
This screwy world is slow to change. Movieland isn't much better. Our critic reflects.
'American Hustle' and 'The Wolf of Wall Street'
In an epic year of pop culture sexism, Martin Scorsese lathers on a last, large dollop.
Sorry 'Catching Fire,' Kids Hunger for Real Rebellion
Numbed by all the on-screen competitive sludge is a craving for genuine revolt.
This Messed Up World Needs a Protest Anthem
And lord knows the Miley Cyrus generation isn't up for the job.
'Birth of the Living Dead'
This season of spooks, celebrate horror's most unlikely cinematic miracle. And pray for more.
Tune in to Fall's Melancholy
Film and song that honour the piercing beauty of life's sadness, with Vancouver film fest picks.
'The Act of Killing' and 'The Dirties'
A doc that gives a genocide a fantasy turn, and a fictional film that ends in curious, murderous reality.
The Endless 'World's End'
Simon Pegg's latest could do with more fighting robots, less existential angst.
'Elysium'
Earth is a dirty smudge of deep inequality and plain weirdness in this sci-fi film. Not much of a stretch.
'Orange Is the New Black'
Race, class, power, and caged heat. This show's got everything but the prison sink.
World War Zzzz...
Some good pulpy fun in this flick, but zombie-loving hordes may leave theatres hungry.
Hail 'Devotional Cinema'
Box office tripe can make it feel like film's end of days. Don't forget its wonder.
Film Is Totally Failing Women
There aren't enough females directing, writing, critiquing, or starring as anything other than wieners.
'From up on Poppy Hill' and 'Spring Breakers'
Miyazaki explores young love. Former Disney stars portray young lust. 'Tis the season.
Hollywood's Gun Fetish
In today's films, sad old guys express manhood with firearms. It's not so different offscreen.
Woodend's Film School: Learning from Movies of 2012
Yup, Apatow is a threat to humanity. But many times cinema scintillated.
Unwrap the Gift of Miyazaki's Films
From 'My Neighbour Totoro' to 'Spirited Away,' don't miss Vancouver's mini-fest this holiday season.
Holy Moly, 'Holy Motors'
Catch this moving, mournful, joyful film as it rips through Vancity and feel so alive!
Pleasures of 'The Walking Dead'
When reality goes wrong, why do we yearn for crazed, primordial survival stories like AMC's series?
Goodbye Granville Cinema, Your Death Is Telling
Another movie theatre bites the dust as attendance dives. Blame Hollywood's withering heart.
'Midnight's Children'
Opening night, VIFF-goers critique Salman Rushdie's 'un-filmable' novel set to screen. Plus more fest picks.
Anticipating the Films of Fall
I should know better but can't help but get a little excited about these TIFF hopefuls.
Cute Killers
Nothing like a Kootenay summer, and Hitchcock, to make you reflect on animals as friends or murderous foes.
Attack of the Trolls
Time to overthrow the superhero bros, billionaire boys, and the Internet gremlins who bully their critics.
Free the Spoiled Children
Today's kids yearn for movie heroes who ditch the parents and fly solo, as in 'Brave'. Let's take a hint.
'The Secret World of Arrietty'
Again, a film that feels like real childhood memories. How does Miyazaki do it?
Where Can You Go for a Real Movie Experience Anymore?
Real as its popcorn butter, Vancouver's Rio Theatre is a classic worth defending.
'Shame' and 'No Sexual Rapport'
A fictional sex addict, and the real life of pornographers who feed his hunger.
'Real Steel'
Ghost of Steve Jobs looks on as mechanical fighting flick shadow boxes with old classics.
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?
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.
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.
'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.
Too Much Eco-Elder Worship?
A few cranky notes on watching 'Earth Days' at the otherwise cool Projecting Change Festival.
Take the Kids to Reel2Real
Film fest proves it's universal. Parents and children drive each other crazy.
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.
Time to Award the Tyeeies!
Obscure, maybe, but irresistible. The year's most underrated film moments.
'Tristram Shandy' Is a Cock and Bull Story
With laughter to soothe the unbearable darkness of being.
Wake Up!
It's a tough mission for the middle of summer. But two movies, 'Saraband' and 'YES' rouse the mind.
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.
‘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.
Hollywood and Race: Black, White and Green
‘Guess Who’ begs the question: How far have we come since 1967?
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.
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?
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?
‘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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
