It was a little surprising to listen to the intro to "Ned Rifle" this evening and be told that the director, Hal Hartley, had been appearing at TIFF since his first film, "The Unbelievable Truth", twenty-five years ago. I was at a 9 am screening of that film that year and have been following his career ever since.
His latest is the third film in a trilogy that began with "Henry Fool" (1997) and continued in 2007 with "Fay Grim". Characters introduced in the earlier films return and several actors from his previous works take on new parts. The son born of Fool and Grim is an adult now and is on a mission to kill his father, who he blames for his mother's incarceration. It's a comedy.
Hartley's style has remained a constant over that time. Character-driven, wordy films with a consistent deadpan humour (if Buster Keaton used words the way his face resisted expression, he'd be in a Hartley film). Even the music (also written and performed by Hartley) and the cinematography (a flat pale light suffuses every frame, interior or exterior, no matter where the action is taking place) are constants.
So why keep coming back?
The humour. A wry take on the world that continues to raise a small smile, if not a chuckle. There is, I admit, a feeling similar to putting on an old comfortable pair of shoes. It's also interesting to watch an artist work similar themes in new, if not innovative ways.
For those who know his work, the film is an automatic recommendation. It's hard to say how his film would play to the uninitiated. It would be interesting to hear the reaction of someone new to his work.
2014/09/07
2014/09/06
Clouds of Sils Maria
Olivier Assayas' latest film is a story of a middle-aged actress (Juliette Binoche) who established her long career early on in a play in the part of a tragic teen who has an affair with a older, bourgeois woman. The death of the playwright and an offer from a young director to remount the play (this time as the older woman, with a Lindsay Lohan surrogate as the teen) force her to confront her own mortality and the effects of time.
Mostly set in the mountains of Switzerland (a character in its own right), it's mostly a two-handler between Binoche's character and her personal assistant, played by Kristine Stewart. Assayas does a good job of handling a number of narrative and thematic resonances that occur in the film and Stewart and Binoche have very good chemistry together. The "Lohan" character (played by Chloe Moretz) unfortunately comes across as a bit weak, when she needs to be more of a force of nature.
Assayas has done better work in the past, but "Clouds" has much to recommend.
Mostly set in the mountains of Switzerland (a character in its own right), it's mostly a two-handler between Binoche's character and her personal assistant, played by Kristine Stewart. Assayas does a good job of handling a number of narrative and thematic resonances that occur in the film and Stewart and Binoche have very good chemistry together. The "Lohan" character (played by Chloe Moretz) unfortunately comes across as a bit weak, when she needs to be more of a force of nature.
Assayas has done better work in the past, but "Clouds" has much to recommend.
A word about theatres
TIFF uses a number of theatres in the core of downtown, mostly around King Street West but stretching as far north as the Bloor and as far east as The Ryerson Theatre on Gerrard.
Aside from hoping that the technical aspects of the theatres are up to snuff, there's also the general appearance of the spaces. For better or for worse, the theatres represent the city to visitors (and there are a lot of people who come here for TIFF. More often than not, I hear people who are "from away").
That said, the old Scotiabank Theatre at John and Richmond is an eyesore that desperately needs some attention. I will spend a lot of time there this year and it's a mess -- from the lobby areas to the entrances and exits and especially the washrooms.
With the closing of the Chapters below the theatre, the corner is looking very neglected. I noticed earlier this week that the large cube which sits at the top of the escalator and which used to show trailers and such appears to be non-functional.
Renovating the space would be the responsibility of Cineplex, of course. While it wouldn't have to be a major refit (the days of Garth Drabinsky's view of the movie house may have passed), improvements would help both the moviegoer and the neighbourhood in general.
Aside from hoping that the technical aspects of the theatres are up to snuff, there's also the general appearance of the spaces. For better or for worse, the theatres represent the city to visitors (and there are a lot of people who come here for TIFF. More often than not, I hear people who are "from away").
That said, the old Scotiabank Theatre at John and Richmond is an eyesore that desperately needs some attention. I will spend a lot of time there this year and it's a mess -- from the lobby areas to the entrances and exits and especially the washrooms.
With the closing of the Chapters below the theatre, the corner is looking very neglected. I noticed earlier this week that the large cube which sits at the top of the escalator and which used to show trailers and such appears to be non-functional.
Renovating the space would be the responsibility of Cineplex, of course. While it wouldn't have to be a major refit (the days of Garth Drabinsky's view of the movie house may have passed), improvements would help both the moviegoer and the neighbourhood in general.
Life in a Fishbowl
This year's offering from Iceland was different from previous films in that it was almost entirely set in Reykjavik (it's been more typical for Icelandic films to get out into the countryside -- why not when the geography is so stunning?).
"Fishbowl" follow three characters during the lead up to the financial meltdown of 2008 (the economic situation is both foreground and background in the narrative. There is a young single mother who works at a daycare and moonlights as a prostitute; an alcoholic writer and an ex-football player who joins a financial firm at the centre of the banking scandal. Their stories begin to connect in various ways over the course of the film and the use of a slightly fragmented timeline is very effective.
"Fishbowl" follow three characters during the lead up to the financial meltdown of 2008 (the economic situation is both foreground and background in the narrative. There is a young single mother who works at a daycare and moonlights as a prostitute; an alcoholic writer and an ex-football player who joins a financial firm at the centre of the banking scandal. Their stories begin to connect in various ways over the course of the film and the use of a slightly fragmented timeline is very effective.
2014/09/05
The Dead Lands
A real mixed bag today, but the one that left the strongest, most visceral impression was "The Dead Lands" from New Zealand, a period piece about a young, inexperienced Maori warrior who swears vengeance on the men that massacred his tribe.
Reminiscent of Japanese samurai movies, it's a film about honour and warrior codes. The numerous action sequences were very well choreographed and shot. Although the story was not terribly original, the locations, the language and other details made it a unique experience. Recommended.
Reminiscent of Japanese samurai movies, it's a film about honour and warrior codes. The numerous action sequences were very well choreographed and shot. Although the story was not terribly original, the locations, the language and other details made it a unique experience. Recommended.
And we're off
A bit of an uneven start last night to TIFF2014, with two films that were good but couldn't quite ascend higher than that.
The first film of this year was "The Valley". It's a Lebanese film, apparently the second film in a trilogy, although there was no sense that seeing the first film ("The Mountain") was absolutely necessary.
In a remote valley, a man emerges from a car crash. He has no recollection of who he is or how he got there. He helps a group of people to fix their car and they take him back to their compound. An airborne assault on the valley forces them to flee the compound.
The film is structured as a series of very tightly-controlled, mostly static scenes, many of which are quite beautiful in their austerity. The music, mostly Middle Eastern with a Joy Division cut included, complements this imagery perfectly. Occasionally, characters begin to dance to music in the room -- it's quite jarring to see this in the midst of the film, but it's done in such a natural, spontaneous fashion that it works really well.
At the end though, there is just a little too little information to hold the film together.
Number 2 was a drastic shift from Lebanon to Finland and from drama to a fairly broad comedy. "The Grump". An 80-year old man is forced by circumstance to leave his solitary life in the country to join his son's family in the city.
The comedy for the most part is very one-dimensional and told entirely from the perspective of the curmudgeon. Fortunately it was redeemed at the end by a lovely ending.
Lots of action downtown, a mix of TIFF and university Frosh Week events. The move out of Yorkville a few years ago has actually provided more options for connecting the festival to the real world, which is definitely a positive.
Steamy day today and there will be a couple of mad dashes between screenings. It's going to be sweaty.
The first film of this year was "The Valley". It's a Lebanese film, apparently the second film in a trilogy, although there was no sense that seeing the first film ("The Mountain") was absolutely necessary.
In a remote valley, a man emerges from a car crash. He has no recollection of who he is or how he got there. He helps a group of people to fix their car and they take him back to their compound. An airborne assault on the valley forces them to flee the compound.
The film is structured as a series of very tightly-controlled, mostly static scenes, many of which are quite beautiful in their austerity. The music, mostly Middle Eastern with a Joy Division cut included, complements this imagery perfectly. Occasionally, characters begin to dance to music in the room -- it's quite jarring to see this in the midst of the film, but it's done in such a natural, spontaneous fashion that it works really well.
At the end though, there is just a little too little information to hold the film together.
Number 2 was a drastic shift from Lebanon to Finland and from drama to a fairly broad comedy. "The Grump". An 80-year old man is forced by circumstance to leave his solitary life in the country to join his son's family in the city.
The comedy for the most part is very one-dimensional and told entirely from the perspective of the curmudgeon. Fortunately it was redeemed at the end by a lovely ending.
Lots of action downtown, a mix of TIFF and university Frosh Week events. The move out of Yorkville a few years ago has actually provided more options for connecting the festival to the real world, which is definitely a positive.
Steamy day today and there will be a couple of mad dashes between screenings. It's going to be sweaty.
2014/09/03
2014/09/02
Almost there (again)
It's just over two days from the launch of TIFF 2014. About three weeks ago, I went through the annual ritual of taking the catalogue and slicing and dicing a schedule out of the 300+ films on offer this year.
It's an interesting way to extract possible trends for the year. A few things I noticed:
It's an interesting way to extract possible trends for the year. A few things I noticed:
- There were several films about a man with a past who, while trying to follow a new path, is dragged back into the old ways (the "one last job" film).
- Quite a few films were co-directed. In fact, it seemed at first glance that there were a lot more of these films this year than previous years.
- Several films about taking control of the end of one's life. I think this is reflective of the current debate raging in the public sphere about quality of life and having the choice to decide when one's death will occur.
It's a curious year as far as the films go. At this point, it doesn't feel that there is a "big" film or films that will capture people's attention (last year featured "Gravity" and "12 Years a Slave, to name two). As usual, I've tried to mix things up in the final list, combining films from different countries and from as many of the individual programs as possible.
The fun starts on Thursday night in Lebanon ("The Valley") and ends in Finland ("The Grump").
2013/10/04
Wrapping up for another year
I've put together a post collecting a variety of films that I saw in the latter part of TIFF2013 to close the blog for another year. Here they are:
Soul
Interesting little psychological horror movie from Taiwan. A young man working in a restaurant in Taipei falls into a coma and, when he regains consciousness, claims that something has taken control of him. He is sent home to his father and sister for care and the rest of the film focuses on the relationship between the three.
It's a creepy and effective film, establishing its dark atmosphere with the first few frames and maintaining it throughout. It could be read as a film about demonic possession, but the relationship between the father and son suggests that there could be a more prosaic problem.
Most of the film is set in an orchid farm in the country, providing great visual support to the film's themes.
Intruders
A writer attempting to finish his latest work isolates himself at a cabin in the woods in this South Korean film. Isolation is the least of his problems.
What starts out as a fairly irritating farce turns into something quite different by the end. At the beginning, my mind started to wander and I started to imagine what an American remake would look like (it would be relatively easy to translate the plot and characters into a generic comedy with the likes of a Will Ferrell in the lead. I'm not sure, though, that the could handle the tonal shift of the second half as well as this film did.
A good argument for not walking out on a film. It ended on a much darker, but higher note for me.
A Field in England
This is the third film I've seen over the past few years by Ben Wheatley and he continues to surprise. "A Field in England" is his first period film, but he has a great knack for introducing twists that extend the final product in interesting and entertaining ways.
A group of deserters in the English Civil War find themselves in an isolated field (the field exists in a sort of bowl, which prevents you from seeing beyond the immediate vicinity. It's a setting that becomes increasingly otherworldly as time goes on). Led and abused by a charismatic shaman and feeling the effects of a meal of mushrooms with psychotropic qualities, things start to change.
It's shot in beautifully luminous black and white which gives it a look not unlike Peter Watkins' "Culloden".
A wondrous and strange little film. Recommended.
Soul
Interesting little psychological horror movie from Taiwan. A young man working in a restaurant in Taipei falls into a coma and, when he regains consciousness, claims that something has taken control of him. He is sent home to his father and sister for care and the rest of the film focuses on the relationship between the three.
It's a creepy and effective film, establishing its dark atmosphere with the first few frames and maintaining it throughout. It could be read as a film about demonic possession, but the relationship between the father and son suggests that there could be a more prosaic problem.
Most of the film is set in an orchid farm in the country, providing great visual support to the film's themes.
Intruders
A writer attempting to finish his latest work isolates himself at a cabin in the woods in this South Korean film. Isolation is the least of his problems.
What starts out as a fairly irritating farce turns into something quite different by the end. At the beginning, my mind started to wander and I started to imagine what an American remake would look like (it would be relatively easy to translate the plot and characters into a generic comedy with the likes of a Will Ferrell in the lead. I'm not sure, though, that the could handle the tonal shift of the second half as well as this film did.
A good argument for not walking out on a film. It ended on a much darker, but higher note for me.
A Field in England
This is the third film I've seen over the past few years by Ben Wheatley and he continues to surprise. "A Field in England" is his first period film, but he has a great knack for introducing twists that extend the final product in interesting and entertaining ways.
A group of deserters in the English Civil War find themselves in an isolated field (the field exists in a sort of bowl, which prevents you from seeing beyond the immediate vicinity. It's a setting that becomes increasingly otherworldly as time goes on). Led and abused by a charismatic shaman and feeling the effects of a meal of mushrooms with psychotropic qualities, things start to change.
It's shot in beautifully luminous black and white which gives it a look not unlike Peter Watkins' "Culloden".
A wondrous and strange little film. Recommended.
2013/09/15
All over for another year
Today was the big day in TIFF land with the end-of-festival awards luncheon. You can find the list of award winners here.
It's rare that I actually see the People's Choice award winner during TIFF, but I was able to catch "12 Years a Slave" towards the beginning of the festival. I was knocked out by Steve McQueen's first film ("Hunger"), so it was a natural to see what he could do with a period piece and a large A-list cast.
It's a powerful film, anchored by great performances by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong'o. As the film begins, Ejiofor is living as a free man in Saratoga NY. One evening he is kidnapped and shipped south to Georgia, where he spends the next dozen years as a slave working on a few plantations before he is able to earn his freedom.
Based on the true story of Solomon Northup, the film is an unflinching look at the abuse of the men and women who endured lives as slaves prior to the American civil war. It features a busload of stars in supporting roles, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giametti, Michael Fassbender, Paul Dano, Brad Pitt and Alfre Woodward.
WRT the rest of TIFF, I'll try to finish off my thoughts on the notable films I saw this year. Watch for that in the days to come.
It's rare that I actually see the People's Choice award winner during TIFF, but I was able to catch "12 Years a Slave" towards the beginning of the festival. I was knocked out by Steve McQueen's first film ("Hunger"), so it was a natural to see what he could do with a period piece and a large A-list cast.
It's a powerful film, anchored by great performances by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong'o. As the film begins, Ejiofor is living as a free man in Saratoga NY. One evening he is kidnapped and shipped south to Georgia, where he spends the next dozen years as a slave working on a few plantations before he is able to earn his freedom.
Based on the true story of Solomon Northup, the film is an unflinching look at the abuse of the men and women who endured lives as slaves prior to the American civil war. It features a busload of stars in supporting roles, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giametti, Michael Fassbender, Paul Dano, Brad Pitt and Alfre Woodward.
WRT the rest of TIFF, I'll try to finish off my thoughts on the notable films I saw this year. Watch for that in the days to come.
2013/09/14
Not ready for my close-up
Can't say that I've heard any buzz about any specific film this year. Be interesting to see how the critics wrap things up the year's offerings.
Cold Eyes
After 10 days of movies, it's a comfort to sit in a theatre and let a real "popcorn" movie roll in front of me. This year, a Korean film called "Cold Eyes" fit the bill.
An elite team of police surveillance experts race against the clock to bring down a team of criminals, led by a psychotic mastermind. The plot is essentially an anti-caper film and is a bit silly, but the editing is crisp and the cast attack their two-dimensional characters with enthusiasm. The ending is deliberately open-ended, suggesting that the producers have a franchise in mind.
It's interesting in a year where electronic surveillance is a common theme (along with mistrust of the governments involved in it), that there is a film that is an unabashed supporter of it to the effort to bring down the "bad guys".
An elite team of police surveillance experts race against the clock to bring down a team of criminals, led by a psychotic mastermind. The plot is essentially an anti-caper film and is a bit silly, but the editing is crisp and the cast attack their two-dimensional characters with enthusiasm. The ending is deliberately open-ended, suggesting that the producers have a franchise in mind.
It's interesting in a year where electronic surveillance is a common theme (along with mistrust of the governments involved in it), that there is a film that is an unabashed supporter of it to the effort to bring down the "bad guys".
Unforgiven
A Japanese remake of the Clint Eastwood western, with Ken Watanabe playing the equivalent of the Eastwood role.
There's a long tradition of remakes of westerns and samurai films going back to "A Fistful of Dollars" and "Yojimbo" (it's an exchange that has worked and worked well in both directions). Given the emphasis on honour and codes of behaviour, the two styles are very complementary.
The new "Unforgiven" takes the basic story of the original and presents it though the lens of Japanese culture of the 1880's, a time when the Samurai eras ending and a new culture was being established. The transition to the "new government" provides an additional layer to the story. There's a sense of time passing and of men who are being left behind.
The fact that the film works so well is a testament to the "good bones" of the original. I went back this morning and reviewed the plot of the Eastwood film and it is quite faithful to that story (any differences would amount to plot spoilers and I will not go into them here), yet it is a creature of its own. If anything, I found Watanabe's return to his samurai training more believable than Eastwood's transition to the gunslinger (when I saw the original in '92, the change felt forced to me).
Recommended. It had a Warner Brothers imprint at the beginning, so it would appear that a release in North America is coming.
One final footnote. Thursday marked the death of Ray Dolby, the founder of Dolby Laboratories. There is a credit to Dolby's sound production before each film and when it appeared during the screening of "Unforgiven", there was thunderous applause from the audience. A nice tribute.
There's a long tradition of remakes of westerns and samurai films going back to "A Fistful of Dollars" and "Yojimbo" (it's an exchange that has worked and worked well in both directions). Given the emphasis on honour and codes of behaviour, the two styles are very complementary.
The new "Unforgiven" takes the basic story of the original and presents it though the lens of Japanese culture of the 1880's, a time when the Samurai eras ending and a new culture was being established. The transition to the "new government" provides an additional layer to the story. There's a sense of time passing and of men who are being left behind.
The fact that the film works so well is a testament to the "good bones" of the original. I went back this morning and reviewed the plot of the Eastwood film and it is quite faithful to that story (any differences would amount to plot spoilers and I will not go into them here), yet it is a creature of its own. If anything, I found Watanabe's return to his samurai training more believable than Eastwood's transition to the gunslinger (when I saw the original in '92, the change felt forced to me).
Recommended. It had a Warner Brothers imprint at the beginning, so it would appear that a release in North America is coming.
One final footnote. Thursday marked the death of Ray Dolby, the founder of Dolby Laboratories. There is a credit to Dolby's sound production before each film and when it appeared during the screening of "Unforgiven", there was thunderous applause from the audience. A nice tribute.
2013/09/13
REAL
Back in the day, TIFF scheduled a program to spotlight the work of a lesser-known director. I discovered some excellent directors through this series, one of whom was Kiyoshi Kurosawa.
At the time Kurosawa had a well-earned reputation as a director of Japanese horror films. His films had more to do with dread than shocks or violence and he was very good at it. Later he moved into more mainstream film making, using the skills he had learned from his earlier work in the service of more accessible stories.
"REAL" marked a return to his more fantastic story-telling. The lover of a woman in a coma uses a technology to enter her sub-conscious mind, in an attempt to bring her back.
Based on my knowledge of his work, it sounded like a premise that would play well to his talents and, in the early going, he effectively establishes the mood and ground rules for the world of the sub-conscious. Unfortunately, it doesn't last. There is a plot twist about halfway though that, while not unreasonable, sends the film into a series of narrative dead-ends. And there are a lot of them. The film has about five or six endings and, by the time I reached the "real" ending, I was tired of it.
Disappointing. Rather than this film, I'd suggest renting "Cure" or "Pulse" (his version, not Wes Craven's remake). They're much better films.
At the time Kurosawa had a well-earned reputation as a director of Japanese horror films. His films had more to do with dread than shocks or violence and he was very good at it. Later he moved into more mainstream film making, using the skills he had learned from his earlier work in the service of more accessible stories.
"REAL" marked a return to his more fantastic story-telling. The lover of a woman in a coma uses a technology to enter her sub-conscious mind, in an attempt to bring her back.
Based on my knowledge of his work, it sounded like a premise that would play well to his talents and, in the early going, he effectively establishes the mood and ground rules for the world of the sub-conscious. Unfortunately, it doesn't last. There is a plot twist about halfway though that, while not unreasonable, sends the film into a series of narrative dead-ends. And there are a lot of them. The film has about five or six endings and, by the time I reached the "real" ending, I was tired of it.
Disappointing. Rather than this film, I'd suggest renting "Cure" or "Pulse" (his version, not Wes Craven's remake). They're much better films.
The joys of September
TIFF usually features some interesting weather. While most conditions are acceptable, one hopes for dry weather overall. Aside from the pain of adding a wet umbrella to the daily supplies, a well-used theatre can get pretty musty at the end of a day of screenings!
And then there's temperature. Two nights ago, I left an evening screening and walked out into moist air and a humidex of 41. Today it's going to be a fight to get to 13C and the night's low is forecast at 4C.
At least we shouldn't have to relive the experience of waiting in the alleyway outside the Cumberland for an evening screening and watching snow fall from the sky.
And then there's temperature. Two nights ago, I left an evening screening and walked out into moist air and a humidex of 41. Today it's going to be a fight to get to 13C and the night's low is forecast at 4C.
At least we shouldn't have to relive the experience of waiting in the alleyway outside the Cumberland for an evening screening and watching snow fall from the sky.
2013/09/12
Attila Marcel
Although the director, Sylvain Chomet, has had other films at TIFF, this is his first live-action film. That said, the style and presentation are completely consistent with his earlier animated efforts -- "The Triplets of Belleville" and "The Illusionist".
If anything, this tale of a pianist struck mute by an early family tragedy, his aunts and various neighbours and acquaintances is even more of a cartoon than the other films. The colour-palette is bright and comprised mostly of primary colours, the acting is broad and there are lots of little details stuffed in each frame. And it's very funny.
In many respects, the film is very reminiscent of "Amelie". I found with that film that the style polarized audiences -- for some, the style was utterly charming, while others loathed it from the first frame. Your reaction to that film will be a good barometer to how you might respond to "Attila".
If anything, this tale of a pianist struck mute by an early family tragedy, his aunts and various neighbours and acquaintances is even more of a cartoon than the other films. The colour-palette is bright and comprised mostly of primary colours, the acting is broad and there are lots of little details stuffed in each frame. And it's very funny.
In many respects, the film is very reminiscent of "Amelie". I found with that film that the style polarized audiences -- for some, the style was utterly charming, while others loathed it from the first frame. Your reaction to that film will be a good barometer to how you might respond to "Attila".
Jodorowsky's Dune
Alejandro Jodorowsky earned a well-deserved reputation in the early '70's as a transgressive director with a surrealistic bent, notably through his films "El Topo" and "The Holy Mountain". In 1974 he acquired the rights to film Frank Herbert's "Dune" and collected a team of creative "spiritual warriors" to film what he predicted would be a hallucination without LSD.
The film was never made, but enough artifacts (extensive storyboards, illustrations, anecdotes, etc) survived that the production became legendary as the greatest film that has never been made). It has even outshone productions that were made, including David Lynch's version and the TV mini-series from a few years back.
The doc tells the story of the film, mostly from Jodorowsky's own perspective, but includes the contributions of collaborators like Chris Foss, HR Giger, and Dan O'Bannon; critics and modern directors.
The film is interesting and mildly entertaining but it's a film made by and for fanboys. There isn't a single opposing or contrasting view presented.
While Jodorowsky is clearly an inventive film-maker, his talent may have had more to do with finding the right collaborators than from any profound understanding of the novel (in fact, many of the people involved had never read it). The people he worked with were well-established and their work on the film reflected their body of work rather than a specific response to the material.
When the production crashed and burned (the studios were impressed by the craft that had been demonstrated, but balked at the cost and commercial viability), the collaborators went their separate ways, although some of the designs for the film did get incorporated in other productions like the Alien series (Giger, Moebius, O'Bannon and Foss were all involved in the first film).
Jodorowsky offers some commentary on the Lynch version, expressing his joy that it was a failure. What he doesn't recognize is that the Lynch film made similar decisions to his take on the story (for example, odd casting choices like Mick Jagger in the first film; Sting in the second). If his film had been made, I suspect that the end result would have been the same. A different failure but a failure nonetheless).
The definitive production of "Dune" has yet to be made. Given the scope of the novel, long-form television is likely the only reasonable option.
"Jodorowsky's Dune" is a curiosity, a footnote in film history. I imagine that it will end up on Space at some point. Wait for it then.
The film was never made, but enough artifacts (extensive storyboards, illustrations, anecdotes, etc) survived that the production became legendary as the greatest film that has never been made). It has even outshone productions that were made, including David Lynch's version and the TV mini-series from a few years back.
The doc tells the story of the film, mostly from Jodorowsky's own perspective, but includes the contributions of collaborators like Chris Foss, HR Giger, and Dan O'Bannon; critics and modern directors.
The film is interesting and mildly entertaining but it's a film made by and for fanboys. There isn't a single opposing or contrasting view presented.
While Jodorowsky is clearly an inventive film-maker, his talent may have had more to do with finding the right collaborators than from any profound understanding of the novel (in fact, many of the people involved had never read it). The people he worked with were well-established and their work on the film reflected their body of work rather than a specific response to the material.
When the production crashed and burned (the studios were impressed by the craft that had been demonstrated, but balked at the cost and commercial viability), the collaborators went their separate ways, although some of the designs for the film did get incorporated in other productions like the Alien series (Giger, Moebius, O'Bannon and Foss were all involved in the first film).
Jodorowsky offers some commentary on the Lynch version, expressing his joy that it was a failure. What he doesn't recognize is that the Lynch film made similar decisions to his take on the story (for example, odd casting choices like Mick Jagger in the first film; Sting in the second). If his film had been made, I suspect that the end result would have been the same. A different failure but a failure nonetheless).
The definitive production of "Dune" has yet to be made. Given the scope of the novel, long-form television is likely the only reasonable option.
"Jodorowsky's Dune" is a curiosity, a footnote in film history. I imagine that it will end up on Space at some point. Wait for it then.
2013/09/11
Quai D'Orsay
Starring Thierry Lhermitte in a film by Bertrand Tavernier, "Quai d'Orsay" is a Gallic version of "Yes Minister", set in the French Department of Foreign Affairs. It follows a newly arrived employee who becomes the advisor on "la language" (essentially a Communications advisor).
It was fun, but was a lot less satirical than its English counterpart. There's little in the way of character or plot development, being more a collection of episodes and incidents that the ensemble cast flies through with vigour. Lhermitte plays the minister as a less shrewd version of Jim Hacker.
Would be a decent time-waster as a "rental".
It was fun, but was a lot less satirical than its English counterpart. There's little in the way of character or plot development, being more a collection of episodes and incidents that the ensemble cast flies through with vigour. Lhermitte plays the minister as a less shrewd version of Jim Hacker.
Would be a decent time-waster as a "rental".
2013/09/10
Devil's Knot
It's been some time since I've seen a film by Atom Egoyan and this year brings "Devil's Knot", a. Story about the infamous West Memphis Three case in Arkansas in the early 90's.
In the case, three young boys were brutally murdered. Suspicion quickly fell on three young men who were reputed to be devil-worshipers. They were initially convicted of the crimes and after many years and much effort, they were able to be released (although not exonerated). The case was most famously described in a series of documentaries (the Paradise Lost series). I hadn't seen the docs but was curious about the story and what he could do with this.
The film focuses on the events from the murders up to the original convictions. It details a number of errors in judgement, of omission and of commission by the local police force. The leads are Colin Firth as an investigator with doubts about the case and Reese Witherspoon as the mother of one of the boys.
It's a strange film in that it feels somewhat unfinished (because it stops at a point where the story begins to take shape) and superfluous (because of the extensive work about the case in both books and documentaries). My key question in watching it was why chose the material in the first place and I don't think I heard a satisfactory answer to the question, either by the film or in Egoyan's comments after the screening.
Oddly enough, there's a scene of the community searching for the boys that is strongly reminiscent of a similar scene in "Exotica". I don't think the reference is intentional, but it unfortunately reminded me of his earlier and much better films.
Disappointing.
In the case, three young boys were brutally murdered. Suspicion quickly fell on three young men who were reputed to be devil-worshipers. They were initially convicted of the crimes and after many years and much effort, they were able to be released (although not exonerated). The case was most famously described in a series of documentaries (the Paradise Lost series). I hadn't seen the docs but was curious about the story and what he could do with this.
The film focuses on the events from the murders up to the original convictions. It details a number of errors in judgement, of omission and of commission by the local police force. The leads are Colin Firth as an investigator with doubts about the case and Reese Witherspoon as the mother of one of the boys.
It's a strange film in that it feels somewhat unfinished (because it stops at a point where the story begins to take shape) and superfluous (because of the extensive work about the case in both books and documentaries). My key question in watching it was why chose the material in the first place and I don't think I heard a satisfactory answer to the question, either by the film or in Egoyan's comments after the screening.
Oddly enough, there's a scene of the community searching for the boys that is strongly reminiscent of a similar scene in "Exotica". I don't think the reference is intentional, but it unfortunately reminded me of his earlier and much better films.
Disappointing.
The Unknown Known
The latest from Errol Morris, this documentary is a trip through the history and mind of Donald Rumsfeld, GW Bush's Secretary of Defense.
During the Q&A, Morris mentioned that some considered this to be a companion piece to his doc on Robert McNamera ("The Fog of War"). I actually think it's a companion piece to "the Armstrong Lie", which I saw yesterday. Like Lance Armstrong, Rumsfeld is a cold, calculating and charismatic individual. Both men are practised architects of their own reality and very little gets through to them without being adapted to that reality. Where they differ is that Armstrong is prepared,to destroy opposition; it's not as apparent with Rumsfeld that he does this, but perhaps he is better at hiding the bodies.
Much of the historical context for the film comes from memos that Rumsfeld wrote over several decades. He referred to them as "snowflakes" as they were always written on white paper. He documented his thoughts obsessively. The title of the film comes from a statement that Rumsfeld made about knowledge falling into one of four categories -- the unknown known is something you think you know, but really don't.
It's an entertaining and interesting exchange between Rumsfeld and Morris. The over-riding question that emerged from the film is why did Rumsfeld agree to it? It's a question that Morris puts to him at the end of the film and it's one of the few that he answers with a "I don't know" answer. The question remains.
Recommended.
During the Q&A, Morris mentioned that some considered this to be a companion piece to his doc on Robert McNamera ("The Fog of War"). I actually think it's a companion piece to "the Armstrong Lie", which I saw yesterday. Like Lance Armstrong, Rumsfeld is a cold, calculating and charismatic individual. Both men are practised architects of their own reality and very little gets through to them without being adapted to that reality. Where they differ is that Armstrong is prepared,to destroy opposition; it's not as apparent with Rumsfeld that he does this, but perhaps he is better at hiding the bodies.
Much of the historical context for the film comes from memos that Rumsfeld wrote over several decades. He referred to them as "snowflakes" as they were always written on white paper. He documented his thoughts obsessively. The title of the film comes from a statement that Rumsfeld made about knowledge falling into one of four categories -- the unknown known is something you think you know, but really don't.
It's an entertaining and interesting exchange between Rumsfeld and Morris. The over-riding question that emerged from the film is why did Rumsfeld agree to it? It's a question that Morris puts to him at the end of the film and it's one of the few that he answers with a "I don't know" answer. The question remains.
Recommended.
The Armstrong Lie
Some of the best docs I've seen in recent years have come from Alex Gibney (his "Mea Maxima Culpa" was one of the most memorable films from last year).
"The Armstrong Lie" grew out of a project that he initiated in 2009 to film Lance Armstrong's attempt to come back and win that year's Tour de France. At the time, the suspicions around Armstrong's use of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) existed but he was still vigorously denying the allegations.
It was the following year that things began to stick to him, leading to last year's interview with Oprah. Gibney is honest about his feelings of betrayal and arranged for follow-up interviews with Armstrong. As a result, the shape of the film is very different, although the 2009 Tour de France represents a foundation element of the work (one can only wonder what the original film would have looked like if things hadn't worked out the way they did. Gibney also makes the point that it was Armstrong's assertion that he would win the race cleanly that appeared to inspire many of his opponents to bring him down).
Early in the film, he makes the point that it is a film about power rather than drugs or cycling. Armstrong is given ample opportunity, both in archival and current interviews and in film of his races to show that. He is a fighter and an opponent has to be not only beaten but humiliated or destroyed. He's also incredibly charismatic and it's the juxtaposition of the two qualities that makes him so compelling. People still want to believe that he is innocent, despite all evidence to the contrary -(as Gibney puts, people prefer to believe in the "beautiful lie" than the "awful truth").
Highly recommended and not just for fans of cycling. At its base, it's a portrait of a complex human being.
"The Armstrong Lie" grew out of a project that he initiated in 2009 to film Lance Armstrong's attempt to come back and win that year's Tour de France. At the time, the suspicions around Armstrong's use of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) existed but he was still vigorously denying the allegations.
It was the following year that things began to stick to him, leading to last year's interview with Oprah. Gibney is honest about his feelings of betrayal and arranged for follow-up interviews with Armstrong. As a result, the shape of the film is very different, although the 2009 Tour de France represents a foundation element of the work (one can only wonder what the original film would have looked like if things hadn't worked out the way they did. Gibney also makes the point that it was Armstrong's assertion that he would win the race cleanly that appeared to inspire many of his opponents to bring him down).
Early in the film, he makes the point that it is a film about power rather than drugs or cycling. Armstrong is given ample opportunity, both in archival and current interviews and in film of his races to show that. He is a fighter and an opponent has to be not only beaten but humiliated or destroyed. He's also incredibly charismatic and it's the juxtaposition of the two qualities that makes him so compelling. People still want to believe that he is innocent, despite all evidence to the contrary -(as Gibney puts, people prefer to believe in the "beautiful lie" than the "awful truth").
Highly recommended and not just for fans of cycling. At its base, it's a portrait of a complex human being.
Ningen
Set in modern times, but based on old Japanese myths involving a fox and a raccoon (two tricksters whose adventures seem to be based on a series of competitions in which they both impersonate and toy with humans).
It's an interesting film, but the after-film Q&A proved to be the best part of the screening, as a number of odd events leading to the making of the film both echoed and enhanced the ideas of the fox and the raccoon myth (the directors filmed in a clinic which included two women who invented their own stories about the main characters. They ended up playing principal roles in the second act of the film).
Or, perhaps, it could be that the two co-directors were the fox and raccoon in human form and we were the subject of their latest game...
It's an interesting film, but the after-film Q&A proved to be the best part of the screening, as a number of odd events leading to the making of the film both echoed and enhanced the ideas of the fox and the raccoon myth (the directors filmed in a clinic which included two women who invented their own stories about the main characters. They ended up playing principal roles in the second act of the film).
Or, perhaps, it could be that the two co-directors were the fox and raccoon in human form and we were the subject of their latest game...
Around the Block
An Australian film about an aboriginal youth in Sydney's inner city, trying to break free of a cycle of violence that has claimed his father and is looming for him and his older brother. When a teacher (Christina Ricci) proposes that he get involved in a production of Hamlet, a door begins to open.
There's a great energy to the direction and a good cast of young actors that is almost able to overcome a fairly paint-by-numbers plot. I'd be inclined to not write about it, but Hunter Page-Lochard, who plays the young man Liam with such charisma and maturity. He's the best thing in it, much better even than veterans like Ricci and Jack Thompson, and will be someone to watch in the future. Worth catching on DVD to be able to say "I saw him then".
...
Interesting footnote. I was checking the actor's name on IMDB this morning and he wasn't even listed in the top-billing list. Don't think that will happen after this.
There's a great energy to the direction and a good cast of young actors that is almost able to overcome a fairly paint-by-numbers plot. I'd be inclined to not write about it, but Hunter Page-Lochard, who plays the young man Liam with such charisma and maturity. He's the best thing in it, much better even than veterans like Ricci and Jack Thompson, and will be someone to watch in the future. Worth catching on DVD to be able to say "I saw him then".
...
Interesting footnote. I was checking the actor's name on IMDB this morning and he wasn't even listed in the top-billing list. Don't think that will happen after this.
2013/09/09
Good morning!
2013/09/08
Waiting for ???
This is on Widmar, looking north from King. Not sure who they were waiting for this afternoon, but the look is reminiscent of a pen at a petting zoo.
From the Scotiabank... Waiting to go in
Great day for a Parade!
Metalhead
An Icelandic feel-good film about the redemptive power of death metal from Ragnar Bragason.
Actually the above is partially correct, although it's really more about loss and moving on. Shattered by the death of her brother in a farming accident in rural Iceland, a young girl finds refuge in her brother's love of 1970's and 1980's heavy metal music. Refuges can become traps, however, and her family need to find a way to come to terms with both the loss and their future.
A lovely bittersweet film with comic elements and a great soundtrack of the era's music.
Actually the above is partially correct, although it's really more about loss and moving on. Shattered by the death of her brother in a farming accident in rural Iceland, a young girl finds refuge in her brother's love of 1970's and 1980's heavy metal music. Refuges can become traps, however, and her family need to find a way to come to terms with both the loss and their future.
A lovely bittersweet film with comic elements and a great soundtrack of the era's music.
Mission Congo
During the Rwandan massacres of 1994, an estimated one million people flowed across the border into Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) to try to escape the bloodshed. A variety of medical relief organizations raced to the area to help as best they could.
Besides organizations like Médécins sans frontières and thé Red Cross, several faith-based groups also came. One of the most heavily publicized was Operation Blessing, a spinoff of the Christian Broadcasting Network led by Pat Robertson, a notable evangelical conservative.
What becomes clear in "Mission Congo" is that the operation had less to do with humanitarianism and more to do with securing diamond mining concessions and tax advantages for Robertson. Over the course of its approx 80 minutes, the directors start with the transmissions of CBN's "700 Club" and inexorably tear down the facade to reveal the reality of the mission. Interviews with journalists, MSF workers on the ground and members of Robertson's own team paint a damning portrait of a massive con job.
Here's one example to illustrate the deception. The "700 Club" announced that they had purchased three Caribou short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft to ferry medical supplies to Goma. Caribous can land on about 1300 feet of runway.
A landing strip was constructed at Kamonia for the planes. Kamonia was very close to the area where the diamond concessions were located and is nearly 900 miles from Goma, the location of the refugee camps. The planes were primarily used to ferry dredging equipment used in the mining operation.
If there's an absence in the film, it's a lack of a response from the Robertson camp on the allegations. The film has just been completed and is receiving its premiere at TIFF this week (I was at the second screening yesterday evening). It will be interesting to see if there is any follow-up in the weeks to come.
Recommended. I can see this as a good doc for Newsworld or TVO.
Besides organizations like Médécins sans frontières and thé Red Cross, several faith-based groups also came. One of the most heavily publicized was Operation Blessing, a spinoff of the Christian Broadcasting Network led by Pat Robertson, a notable evangelical conservative.
What becomes clear in "Mission Congo" is that the operation had less to do with humanitarianism and more to do with securing diamond mining concessions and tax advantages for Robertson. Over the course of its approx 80 minutes, the directors start with the transmissions of CBN's "700 Club" and inexorably tear down the facade to reveal the reality of the mission. Interviews with journalists, MSF workers on the ground and members of Robertson's own team paint a damning portrait of a massive con job.
Here's one example to illustrate the deception. The "700 Club" announced that they had purchased three Caribou short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft to ferry medical supplies to Goma. Caribous can land on about 1300 feet of runway.
A landing strip was constructed at Kamonia for the planes. Kamonia was very close to the area where the diamond concessions were located and is nearly 900 miles from Goma, the location of the refugee camps. The planes were primarily used to ferry dredging equipment used in the mining operation.
If there's an absence in the film, it's a lack of a response from the Robertson camp on the allegations. The film has just been completed and is receiving its premiere at TIFF this week (I was at the second screening yesterday evening). It will be interesting to see if there is any follow-up in the weeks to come.
Recommended. I can see this as a good doc for Newsworld or TVO.
Watermark
"Watermark" is his second collaboration with Jennifer Baichwal (the first was "Manufactured Landscapes", which was also shown at TIFF a few years ago). Both share an editorial focus of the impact of man on the natural environment, but "Watermark" simultaneously tightens the focus and expands the frame of the image to look at our relationship with water.
It's a film that will provide the greatest rewards by being seen on the largest, sharpest screen possible. I saw it this morning from the centre of one of the front rows. In that position, the images wrap around and over you. The scale, particularly in the sequences shot during the construction of one of the mega-dams in China is immense. I can't recall a scene from any Hollywood blockbuster that has communicated size like these images.
Burtynsky describes his work as a "lament" for the environment. As with much of his best work, they have successfully married images of great beauty with despair for what was been (or may be) lost.
Highly recommended.
Following the screening, I had a chance to wander a bit to reflect on the film. Walking up through Grange Park, I came up to the south side of the AGO, Gehry's addition shining blue in the mid-day sun, an image of solidified sky (or water).
2013/09/07
Southcliffe
Southcliffe holds the title this year of the longest screening I will attend at TIFF13. It's representative of the blurring of lines between cinema, television and new media. The piece was shot as a mini-series for TV in the UK, but its length just over three hours) and complexity make it a good choice for a festival like TIFF.
Set in a small "market town" in the south of England, it opens with the shooting death of an old woman in her front garden. The killing is actually one of many that afternoon and the story is revealed through a series of flashbacks and scenes set in the present. At thee beginning the shifts occur without warning and it takes a little while to dispel some confusion about when a scene exists in the timeline. Over the course of the four episodes, though, one's comfort with the approach settles, just as your understanding of the situation grows.
It's a powerful story and the first three episodes were gripping (while the fourth maintains the level of tension, the story goes in directions that I didn't think worked very well. Overall, it's reminiscent of "Blue Velvet" or "Twin Peaks", though without Lynch's weirdness.
It wouldn't surprise me if this ends up on the schedule for one of the specialty channels in cable land. Definitely worth a look when it returns.
Set in a small "market town" in the south of England, it opens with the shooting death of an old woman in her front garden. The killing is actually one of many that afternoon and the story is revealed through a series of flashbacks and scenes set in the present. At thee beginning the shifts occur without warning and it takes a little while to dispel some confusion about when a scene exists in the timeline. Over the course of the four episodes, though, one's comfort with the approach settles, just as your understanding of the situation grows.
It's a powerful story and the first three episodes were gripping (while the fourth maintains the level of tension, the story goes in directions that I didn't think worked very well. Overall, it's reminiscent of "Blue Velvet" or "Twin Peaks", though without Lynch's weirdness.
It wouldn't surprise me if this ends up on the schedule for one of the specialty channels in cable land. Definitely worth a look when it returns.
We'll Get Through This
Preceding each film at TIFF is a collection of short promos for the TIFF Group and their programming, along with ads from the major sponsors. They're mostly OK in isolation, but seeing them 4 or 5 times a day is recommended for masochists only.
For the past few years, RBC has been one of those sponsors. For this year, they've created a collection of short scenes from a variety of genre films (drama, thriller, horror, etc.) where a character speaks a single line of dialogue: "we'll get through this". It's not a great ad and yesterday I started to wonder if this is a line of dialogue that you want to insert in anyone's mind just before settling down to watch a challenging bit of cinema. Perhaps an unfortunate mixed message...
For the past few years, RBC has been one of those sponsors. For this year, they've created a collection of short scenes from a variety of genre films (drama, thriller, horror, etc.) where a character speaks a single line of dialogue: "we'll get through this". It's not a great ad and yesterday I started to wonder if this is a line of dialogue that you want to insert in anyone's mind just before settling down to watch a challenging bit of cinema. Perhaps an unfortunate mixed message...
Out of the Rain, into the Flood
Started this very mild and wet day in hot and dry Africa with a collection of five African short films. All had something to offer, but the last two were exceptional.
"Kwaku Ananse" was the story of a daughter's journey from her city to the country for the funeral of her father. The film combines the ceremony with the spider myths of the area (her father is named after a spider who collected all the wisdom of the world in a gourd.
"Unogumbe" is a reworking of a Benjamin Britten opera about Noah's Flood, re-imagined through an African lens. Fantastic singing combined with playful staging put smiles on everyone's faces in Jackman Hall before sending us back out into the rain.
The films were part of a program called "To Repel Ghosts".
A quick note. In walking to the theatre this morning, I crossed paths with the marchers in the "Weekend to End Woman's Cancers", in support of the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Good luck to everyone out there this weekend and if you are able, please send your support to them as well.
"Kwaku Ananse" was the story of a daughter's journey from her city to the country for the funeral of her father. The film combines the ceremony with the spider myths of the area (her father is named after a spider who collected all the wisdom of the world in a gourd.
"Unogumbe" is a reworking of a Benjamin Britten opera about Noah's Flood, re-imagined through an African lens. Fantastic singing combined with playful staging put smiles on everyone's faces in Jackman Hall before sending us back out into the rain.
The films were part of a program called "To Repel Ghosts".
A quick note. In walking to the theatre this morning, I crossed paths with the marchers in the "Weekend to End Woman's Cancers", in support of the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Good luck to everyone out there this weekend and if you are able, please send your support to them as well.
2013/09/06
A Story of Children and Film
The follow-up to Mark Cousin's massive documentary "A Story of Film" (shown in its entirety -- all 15 hours of it -- at TIFF a couple of years ago, takes a similar approach to the earlier doc, by providing a survey of how children are depicted in film. Cousins' voiceover describes how kids are portrayed in film along with some of the techniques used by film-makers to tell their story.
He's an unabashed proponent of world cinema and most of the examples he shows are from countries other than the US.While I thought the earlier doc had more to say about the development of film as an art form (for the curious, TCM is running this doc on Mondays at 10 pm, along with many of the films cited in the documentary), there is much on offer here. Recommended for fans of cinema.
He's an unabashed proponent of world cinema and most of the examples he shows are from countries other than the US.While I thought the earlier doc had more to say about the development of film as an art form (for the curious, TCM is running this doc on Mondays at 10 pm, along with many of the films cited in the documentary), there is much on offer here. Recommended for fans of cinema.
Only Lovers Left Alive
Last night's screening of Jim Jarmusch's "Only Lovers Left Alive" provided the first "rock star" moment of the new TIFF. That it was for Jarmusch wasn't a surprise. Jarmusch continues to epitomize a degree of cool even though he's moved into the latter part of his career.
Lovers is his take on a vampire story, set in Tangiers and, mostly, the decayed core of Detroit. It focuses on two vampires, played by Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston, facing the passing of the nights.
The rock star moment came mostly from the presence of Hiddleston at the screening and in particular from a contingent of fans of his work as Loki in the Thor and Avengers movies (in the line outside the Ryerson, I saw a variety of Thor merchandise in the arms of patrons, including one Loki action figure!
He's quite good in this, playing a Byronic musician holed up in a studio of analog equipment -- reel-to-reel tape recorders, old turntables and big tube-driven amps and speakers. His relationship with Swinton is beautifully drawn.
In many other respects, this is a beautifully drawn movie. With the exception of the music, it's a very quiet movie with lots of grace notes. The music is powerful, with old 45's and feedback-laden guitar instrumentals predominating, some of it from Jarmusch's new band Sqürl. Unfortunately, the end result is a little underwhelming. It felt like there needed to be something more to the story; that there was something missing that was needed to add some drama to what was there.
Lovers is his take on a vampire story, set in Tangiers and, mostly, the decayed core of Detroit. It focuses on two vampires, played by Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston, facing the passing of the nights.
The rock star moment came mostly from the presence of Hiddleston at the screening and in particular from a contingent of fans of his work as Loki in the Thor and Avengers movies (in the line outside the Ryerson, I saw a variety of Thor merchandise in the arms of patrons, including one Loki action figure!
He's quite good in this, playing a Byronic musician holed up in a studio of analog equipment -- reel-to-reel tape recorders, old turntables and big tube-driven amps and speakers. His relationship with Swinton is beautifully drawn.
In many other respects, this is a beautifully drawn movie. With the exception of the music, it's a very quiet movie with lots of grace notes. The music is powerful, with old 45's and feedback-laden guitar instrumentals predominating, some of it from Jarmusch's new band Sqürl. Unfortunately, the end result is a little underwhelming. It felt like there needed to be something more to the story; that there was something missing that was needed to add some drama to what was there.
2013/09/05
Waiting for shivers...
From the rush line for "Shivers"...
David Cronenberg was the first feature film director that I saw in the flesh. Several (many!) years ago, I had wandered into the Book City location that was just south of Charles on the east side of Yonge. Cronenberg was doing an in-store there for a book launch and I stood and listened to him talk about the sound design for his most recent film (I'm guessing either Scanners or Videodrome).
Over the years, I've seen him speak at screenings of his own films, at the opening of an exhibition of pieces from his films (c. "Naked Lunch) and introducing a screening of Todd Brownings "Freaks" at a previous TIFF. He's always been an engaging and informative speaker and I'm looking forward to hearing him again.
Continuing with this idea of hearing directors, the first director I saw do a Q&A was Derek Jarman at the Festival of Festivals in 1977. Also a great speaker, he (and the film he presented, "Caravaggio") sparked a brand new interest for me and was a key reason why I've developed this little hobby in September. I saw a number of films over the years and, though he died many years ago, his influence lives on. Tonight I will be seeing Jim Jarmusch's latest film, "Only Lovers Left Alive", starring Tilda Swinton, who was often described as Jarman's muse.
David Cronenberg was the first feature film director that I saw in the flesh. Several (many!) years ago, I had wandered into the Book City location that was just south of Charles on the east side of Yonge. Cronenberg was doing an in-store there for a book launch and I stood and listened to him talk about the sound design for his most recent film (I'm guessing either Scanners or Videodrome).
Over the years, I've seen him speak at screenings of his own films, at the opening of an exhibition of pieces from his films (c. "Naked Lunch) and introducing a screening of Todd Brownings "Freaks" at a previous TIFF. He's always been an engaging and informative speaker and I'm looking forward to hearing him again.
Continuing with this idea of hearing directors, the first director I saw do a Q&A was Derek Jarman at the Festival of Festivals in 1977. Also a great speaker, he (and the film he presented, "Caravaggio") sparked a brand new interest for me and was a key reason why I've developed this little hobby in September. I saw a number of films over the years and, though he died many years ago, his influence lives on. Tonight I will be seeing Jim Jarmusch's latest film, "Only Lovers Left Alive", starring Tilda Swinton, who was often described as Jarman's muse.
Beyond TIFF
The Mesopotamia show at the ROM has a wealth of material on the ancient civilizations of Sumer, Assyria and Babylonia. As societies that documented their world extensively (if not excessively), they reach across time to their brethren using Facebook, Twitter and the like.
Last night we took in the Ai Weiwei show at the AGO. The integration of traditional techniques of construction with a strong social and political conscience made for a spell-binding exhibit. The image below is from the show. A series of large wooden chests provides a portal in which all the phases of the moon are visible. Beautiful.
And we're off!
Beautiful day to kick off TIFF 2013 this week. The sun is shining and, protected from the wind, it's quite warm; in the gusty winds (or in the shade of a building), the coming fall is very present. It's supposed to drop to 8C tonight. The line-up outside the Ryerson Theatre later is going to be cool!
So much for the weather. I came down early today to try to sang a rush ticket to a screening of David Cronenberg's "Shivers". Although I'm a big fan of his work, I've actually never seen one of his early horror films. With TIFF offering a big programme of all things Cronenberg this fall, it's time to correct that deficiency.
TIFF doesn't start rolling until this afternoon, so I had time to check out a show of Ralph Steadman's work in the Film Reference Library at the Lightbox (there is a documentary on Steadman at TIFF this year and the show provides an opportunity to see some of the work highlighted in the doc).
The show is a mix of his work and life collaborating with Hunter S Thompson, along with some of his photography and more political work. It was the latter that had the greatest impact on me. Some of his work, notably illustrations of Henry Kissinger and Osama Bin Laden, that were chilling. A gonzo take on Picasso's Guernica showed flashes of humour within the darkness.
The show is on only during TIFF. It's in the Film Reference Library on the fourth floor of the Lightbox.
So much for the weather. I came down early today to try to sang a rush ticket to a screening of David Cronenberg's "Shivers". Although I'm a big fan of his work, I've actually never seen one of his early horror films. With TIFF offering a big programme of all things Cronenberg this fall, it's time to correct that deficiency.
TIFF doesn't start rolling until this afternoon, so I had time to check out a show of Ralph Steadman's work in the Film Reference Library at the Lightbox (there is a documentary on Steadman at TIFF this year and the show provides an opportunity to see some of the work highlighted in the doc).
The show is a mix of his work and life collaborating with Hunter S Thompson, along with some of his photography and more political work. It was the latter that had the greatest impact on me. Some of his work, notably illustrations of Henry Kissinger and Osama Bin Laden, that were chilling. A gonzo take on Picasso's Guernica showed flashes of humour within the darkness.
The show is on only during TIFF. It's in the Film Reference Library on the fourth floor of the Lightbox.
2013/09/01
4 Sleeps to go til TIFF2013
Labour Day weekend in Toronto means many things. It's the end of the CNE and, by implication, the end of summer (as I type this, I hear the occasional roar of jets passing over Bloor West Village to thrill the spectators at the Air Show). For many, it's the last weekend before school starts up. I was out for a ride this morning and passed a number of cars delivering students to residences at the U of T Mississauga and Humber College along the Lakeshore.
And for me, it's TIFF. Over the past week or so, I've received and reviewed the catalog and made my choices. The tickets are waiting for me downtown and the fun begins on Thursday afternoon, with a free screening of David Cronenberg's "Shivers" (TIFF is presenting a massive program of Cronenberg's work in October, making this the early launch of that exhibition).
So how does one go about choosing a set of films for TIFF? For me, the catalog is like a giant bis of coloured tiles and glass and the calendar is the frame. A first pass through the catalog produces a collection of bits that far exceeds the space available; over a period of a few hours last week, I looked at each piece, compared against the rest and tried to build something that "fit".
I'm at that stage now, where the image is in place, although it's not yet clear which pieces will actually become the focal points for this year. While I hope that all of my choices will be good, I know that some just won't make the grade while others which didn't stand out may actually produce the biggest impact of the festival. It's the surprises that are often the most memorable.
Looking forward as the lights dim, the curtain rises and the images begin to flicker in a few days' time.
And for me, it's TIFF. Over the past week or so, I've received and reviewed the catalog and made my choices. The tickets are waiting for me downtown and the fun begins on Thursday afternoon, with a free screening of David Cronenberg's "Shivers" (TIFF is presenting a massive program of Cronenberg's work in October, making this the early launch of that exhibition).
So how does one go about choosing a set of films for TIFF? For me, the catalog is like a giant bis of coloured tiles and glass and the calendar is the frame. A first pass through the catalog produces a collection of bits that far exceeds the space available; over a period of a few hours last week, I looked at each piece, compared against the rest and tried to build something that "fit".
I'm at that stage now, where the image is in place, although it's not yet clear which pieces will actually become the focal points for this year. While I hope that all of my choices will be good, I know that some just won't make the grade while others which didn't stand out may actually produce the biggest impact of the festival. It's the surprises that are often the most memorable.
Looking forward as the lights dim, the curtain rises and the images begin to flicker in a few days' time.
2012/09/17
It's a Wrap!
Yesterday was the last day of TIFF 2012 and, as usual, there was a brunch to present the list of award-winning films for this year.
TIFF is not a competitive festival, so many of the awards are "people's choice" awards (i.e. there is no competition section as there is at Cannes and there is no jury which oversees the selection of awards). This approach has helped solidify TIFF's reputation as a good barometer of what will be successful in a commercial run and they constantly reference films like "Slumdog Millionaire", "The King's Speech", "The Big Chill" and others as proof of this.
Also as per usual, my selection did not include any of the big winners (although I did see "Antiviral", which tied for Best Canadian First Feature.
Interestingly enough, the overall winner was "Silver Linings Playbook", by David O Russell. I don't recall anyone saying anything, good or bad, about this film, but that's not that unusual. Given that at its heart it's about a family with a passionate interest in the Philadelphia Eagles football team, it seems particularly apt given our mayor and his adventures over the past week.
The TIFF awards list is here.
My unofficial, unscientific take on what generated the most positive response in lines are the following films:
- "The Deep", 4 or 5 mentions (I wrote about this earlier)
- "Storm Surfers 3D", 2 or 3 mentions (a film about surfers searching for the biggest, baddest wave off the coast of Australia)
- "The Sapphires", 2 or 3 mentions (a film about a girl group in Australia in the 60's)
I have a few more comments on some of the other films that I saw over the past week and a half, which I will add later this week.
I have a few more comments on some of the other films that I saw over the past week and a half, which I will add later this week.
Cloud Atlas
As I mentioned earlier in the week, I approached this film with an equal mix of curiosity and apprehension. After seeing it Saturday morning, both feelings were turned out to be valid.
David Mitchell's novel is a set of six stories that are presented in a ladder format (i.e. the first half of each story is presented in sequence until the final story, at which the second halves are unveiled in reverse order. The stories are not entirely self-contained and details start to cross over and get reinforced as you move through the book).
Settings range from the South Pacific of the 1850's, to 1930's Belgium, 1970's California, present-day England, a futuristic Korea and a post-apocalyptic Hawaii. Each story is also handled in a different literary style.
The movie was directed by Tom Twyker ("Run Lola Run") and the Wachowski siblings (the "Matrix" trilogy). The Wachowskis handled the first story and the last two; Twyker directed the other three. The principal cast included Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent and others.
In the transition from page to screen, they made some changes to the story lines and also abandoned the ladder approach, cutting between stories throughout the film. At times, the cross-cutting was useful in establishing the echoes between the stories. When it worked, it worked very well.
To reinforce the idea of inter-connection between the stories, they used the same principal cast to play roles in each stories. For example, an actor might play the "lead" in one story, but a minor role in another. The roles crossed racial and gender boundaries.
I found this approach worked well in only a few cases and some of the combinations were appallingly bad. The English actors tended to handle the differing roles most effectively; the Americans less so. Hanks probably came off as the worst of the bunch, He was not only unable to create realistic characters in a couple of the stories but he was also saddled with make-up effects that accentuated the failure).
The other problem with the film was that it tended to underline the themes of the novel in a very ham-handed fashion. Particularly in the Neo-Seoul section of the movie, it was a little too reminiscent of the worst excesses of the last Matrix movie.
Overall, the movie was an interesting, if very flawed attempt at filming what some felt was "unfilmable". I don't agree with that view and, if anything, the best approach might have been to approach the novel as a mini-series for television. It would have given each story the time it deserved and could have been handled in a way that allowed the different stories to be shot in a variety of styles as was done in the book.
David Mitchell's novel is a set of six stories that are presented in a ladder format (i.e. the first half of each story is presented in sequence until the final story, at which the second halves are unveiled in reverse order. The stories are not entirely self-contained and details start to cross over and get reinforced as you move through the book).
Settings range from the South Pacific of the 1850's, to 1930's Belgium, 1970's California, present-day England, a futuristic Korea and a post-apocalyptic Hawaii. Each story is also handled in a different literary style.
The movie was directed by Tom Twyker ("Run Lola Run") and the Wachowski siblings (the "Matrix" trilogy). The Wachowskis handled the first story and the last two; Twyker directed the other three. The principal cast included Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent and others.
In the transition from page to screen, they made some changes to the story lines and also abandoned the ladder approach, cutting between stories throughout the film. At times, the cross-cutting was useful in establishing the echoes between the stories. When it worked, it worked very well.
To reinforce the idea of inter-connection between the stories, they used the same principal cast to play roles in each stories. For example, an actor might play the "lead" in one story, but a minor role in another. The roles crossed racial and gender boundaries.
I found this approach worked well in only a few cases and some of the combinations were appallingly bad. The English actors tended to handle the differing roles most effectively; the Americans less so. Hanks probably came off as the worst of the bunch, He was not only unable to create realistic characters in a couple of the stories but he was also saddled with make-up effects that accentuated the failure).
The other problem with the film was that it tended to underline the themes of the novel in a very ham-handed fashion. Particularly in the Neo-Seoul section of the movie, it was a little too reminiscent of the worst excesses of the last Matrix movie.
Overall, the movie was an interesting, if very flawed attempt at filming what some felt was "unfilmable". I don't agree with that view and, if anything, the best approach might have been to approach the novel as a mini-series for television. It would have given each story the time it deserved and could have been handled in a way that allowed the different stories to be shot in a variety of styles as was done in the book.
The Master
For someone with a relatively small back catalogue, Paul Thomas Anderson has maintained a very high standard of quality.
"The Master" is his take on the relationship between a charismatic preacher played by Philip Seymour Hoffman and an alcoholic veteran (Joaquin Phoenix). Hoffman's philosophy/creed is represented by a book called "The Cause" and it's easy to draw parallels between his character and L Ron Hubbard and his Dianetics work.
The relationship between the two men is the emotional core of the film and is fascinating to watch. Amy Adams plays Hoffman's wife and she also holds her own, displaying a quiet ruthlessness to anyone she perceives as a threat.
The film is full of treasures beyond the performances. The cinematography is luminous and benefited from the 70 mm presentation and there was a great use of period music combined with an orchestral score by Jonny Greenwood (Greenwood was also responsible for the soundtrack of Anderson's "There Will Be Blood").
At the end my feelings were reminiscent of seeing "Magnolia" for the first time, that there was much to be gained from another viewing.
As a sidebar, "The Master" was awarded the prize for best direction (Anderson) and acting (shared between Phoenix and Hoffman) at the Venice Film Festival.
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"The Master" is his take on the relationship between a charismatic preacher played by Philip Seymour Hoffman and an alcoholic veteran (Joaquin Phoenix). Hoffman's philosophy/creed is represented by a book called "The Cause" and it's easy to draw parallels between his character and L Ron Hubbard and his Dianetics work.
The relationship between the two men is the emotional core of the film and is fascinating to watch. Amy Adams plays Hoffman's wife and she also holds her own, displaying a quiet ruthlessness to anyone she perceives as a threat.
The film is full of treasures beyond the performances. The cinematography is luminous and benefited from the 70 mm presentation and there was a great use of period music combined with an orchestral score by Jonny Greenwood (Greenwood was also responsible for the soundtrack of Anderson's "There Will Be Blood").
At the end my feelings were reminiscent of seeing "Magnolia" for the first time, that there was much to be gained from another viewing.
As a sidebar, "The Master" was awarded the prize for best direction (Anderson) and acting (shared between Phoenix and Hoffman) at the Venice Film Festival.
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2012/09/14
Thale
Two friends who work as cleaners at crime scenes unearth a deadly secret in a basement at a remote country house.
An assured debut horror film from Aleksander Nordaas, made all the more remarkable given the ultra-low budget ($10k for the shoot) and a prolonged shooting schedule (to reduce costs, they shot footage as time and people permitted). The director and producer also played multiple roles in the production and friends also contributed.
In terms of the results, it was very reminiscent of "Monsters" from a couple of years ago. Clearly a talent to watch.
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An assured debut horror film from Aleksander Nordaas, made all the more remarkable given the ultra-low budget ($10k for the shoot) and a prolonged shooting schedule (to reduce costs, they shot footage as time and people permitted). The director and producer also played multiple roles in the production and friends also contributed.
In terms of the results, it was very reminiscent of "Monsters" from a couple of years ago. Clearly a talent to watch.
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2012/09/13
The Suicide Shop
"The Suicide Shop" is the first animated feature from director Patrice Leconte, whose previous work includes films like "Monsieur Hire" or "Man on a Train".
Shop is nowhere near as good, but it's a lighthearted trifle about a family that owns a store that specializes in the instruments of self-destruction. It's also a musical.
When the youngest son decides to embrace life, rather than help people end it, it sets in motion tensions that make the family question themselves and their occupation.
It was described in the post-film Q&A as a marriage of Tim Burton and Jacques Demy. There's also a lot of Charles Addams in it as well -- the father, Mishima, is essentially a Gomez Addams clone.
Unfortunately, it's also a film in 3D. The glasses used in the theatre were produced by Dolby and were the most uncomfortable specs I've had the misfortune to wear. I took them off several times during the screening and found that I could watch the images unaided with little interference, but the subtitles were very fuzzy. Although the French was, for the most part, easy to follow, I did need the subtitles from time to time and had to put the glasses back on. As the film did not particularly rely on a 3D presentation, I can only assume that the decision to show it in 3D is a commercial, rather than aesthetic, decision.
That said, it's a cute little film that's worth seeing (in 2D). Not really a cartoon for kids though -- teenagers would likely be the youngest age group that would enjoy it.
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Shop is nowhere near as good, but it's a lighthearted trifle about a family that owns a store that specializes in the instruments of self-destruction. It's also a musical.
When the youngest son decides to embrace life, rather than help people end it, it sets in motion tensions that make the family question themselves and their occupation.
It was described in the post-film Q&A as a marriage of Tim Burton and Jacques Demy. There's also a lot of Charles Addams in it as well -- the father, Mishima, is essentially a Gomez Addams clone.
Unfortunately, it's also a film in 3D. The glasses used in the theatre were produced by Dolby and were the most uncomfortable specs I've had the misfortune to wear. I took them off several times during the screening and found that I could watch the images unaided with little interference, but the subtitles were very fuzzy. Although the French was, for the most part, easy to follow, I did need the subtitles from time to time and had to put the glasses back on. As the film did not particularly rely on a 3D presentation, I can only assume that the decision to show it in 3D is a commercial, rather than aesthetic, decision.
That said, it's a cute little film that's worth seeing (in 2D). Not really a cartoon for kids though -- teenagers would likely be the youngest age group that would enjoy it.
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2012/09/12
Imagine
Every year, the schedule starts with a foundation of "known quantities" -- a director I've followed over the years, something I've read about in the months preceding TIFF or a story I know.
And then there are the wild cards. The films with no history beyond the description in the catalog but with a hint that there may be something there that I'd enjoy.
"Imagine" falls into the latter category, a story of a blind man who attempts to teach blind kids are to live without the need of a cane or other aids.
I was curious how a visual medium like film could be used to tell this story and put it in the schedule.
It turned out to be a very good choice. A strong ensemble cast (led by Edward Hogg as the teacher) and a quiet, graceful narrative made for a beautiful film.
Highly recommended.
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And then there are the wild cards. The films with no history beyond the description in the catalog but with a hint that there may be something there that I'd enjoy.
"Imagine" falls into the latter category, a story of a blind man who attempts to teach blind kids are to live without the need of a cane or other aids.
I was curious how a visual medium like film could be used to tell this story and put it in the schedule.
It turned out to be a very good choice. A strong ensemble cast (led by Edward Hogg as the teacher) and a quiet, graceful narrative made for a beautiful film.
Highly recommended.
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Sightseers
Last year, the closing night of TIFF was "Kill List", a film that revelled in creating an atmosphere of dread in its opening frames and carrying it through to its horrible conclusion.
The director, Ben Wheatley, has offered a release of sorts with "Sightseers", a blackly comic movie about a pair of frumpy British holidayers who embark on an increasingly bloody trip through the Midlands.
The script grew out of a creation of two English sketch comics and the film at times feels like an extended improv act. That said, it is nasty, gory and, at times, very, very funny.
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The director, Ben Wheatley, has offered a release of sorts with "Sightseers", a blackly comic movie about a pair of frumpy British holidayers who embark on an increasingly bloody trip through the Midlands.
The script grew out of a creation of two English sketch comics and the film at times feels like an extended improv act. That said, it is nasty, gory and, at times, very, very funny.
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Byzantium
A mother and daughter, both immortal, settle in a decrepit hotel on the coast and are confronted with threats from their past and present.
Neil Jordan's latest film borrows many elements from vampire lore, although he has attempted to build a story that goes beyond the usual things.
It's a beautifully elegant film, driven by strong performances by Gemma Arterton as the wilful, sexually aggressive mother and Saiorse Ronan as her prim, introspective daughter.
I had written earlier about the two Spanish films that started with good ideas but couldn't follow through in any satisfying way. "Byzantium" shows what can result when you do follow through -- the mythology of the immortals has an internal consistent that supports the overall story.
A solid piece of work from Jordan.
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Neil Jordan's latest film borrows many elements from vampire lore, although he has attempted to build a story that goes beyond the usual things.
It's a beautifully elegant film, driven by strong performances by Gemma Arterton as the wilful, sexually aggressive mother and Saiorse Ronan as her prim, introspective daughter.
I had written earlier about the two Spanish films that started with good ideas but couldn't follow through in any satisfying way. "Byzantium" shows what can result when you do follow through -- the mythology of the immortals has an internal consistent that supports the overall story.
A solid piece of work from Jordan.
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2012/09/11
Spain x 2
I saw a couple of Spanish films on the weekend that fell into the category of suspense or horror. They shared some similarities, so I thought I'd deal with them together.
"The End" is a thriller about a group of friends who gather at a home in the country, just as "something" starts to happen. All electrical devices and clocks stop. As they struggle to determine what is going on, members of the group start to disappear.
"Painless" is a horror film about a group of children, confined to an orphanage / medical lab during the Spanish Civil war. Their isolation is due to their gift of being impervious to pain. Their history is revealed through the eyes of a doctor in the present day who has a connection to them.
In both cases, the films started with an interesting premise, but failed to achieve the potential of the opening. It didn't seem to me that they thought enough about the implications of the premise and the stories suffered as a result.
"The End" tried to introduce a supernatural element through the character of "The Prophet", a friend of the group who seems to have brought the group together for some unexplained purpose and whose apocalyptic visions are captured in a sketchbook that the protagonist finds at a car crash site. It doesn't seem to perform any specific purpose in the story.
"Painless" tries to try the monstrous aspects of one of the kids to the larger horrors of the civil war, but the reality is that it's been done much better by other films.
By comparison, I saw a film this morning called "Byzantium" that did its homework and largely succeeded. More on that film shortly.
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"The End" is a thriller about a group of friends who gather at a home in the country, just as "something" starts to happen. All electrical devices and clocks stop. As they struggle to determine what is going on, members of the group start to disappear.
"Painless" is a horror film about a group of children, confined to an orphanage / medical lab during the Spanish Civil war. Their isolation is due to their gift of being impervious to pain. Their history is revealed through the eyes of a doctor in the present day who has a connection to them.
In both cases, the films started with an interesting premise, but failed to achieve the potential of the opening. It didn't seem to me that they thought enough about the implications of the premise and the stories suffered as a result.
"The End" tried to introduce a supernatural element through the character of "The Prophet", a friend of the group who seems to have brought the group together for some unexplained purpose and whose apocalyptic visions are captured in a sketchbook that the protagonist finds at a car crash site. It doesn't seem to perform any specific purpose in the story.
"Painless" tries to try the monstrous aspects of one of the kids to the larger horrors of the civil war, but the reality is that it's been done much better by other films.
By comparison, I saw a film this morning called "Byzantium" that did its homework and largely succeeded. More on that film shortly.
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2012/09/10
The Act of Killing
Another day, another documentary. Monday morning began with "The Act of Killing", by Joshua Oppenheimer.
A military coup in Indonesia in the 60's led to mass assassinations of accused communists and other "enemies of the state". Many of the killings (estimated at about 2.5 million) were committed by local gangsters and paramilitary organizations, with the support of the State.
In the film, the director meets with a gangster named Anwar Congga and his associates. They recreate scenes from their killings as a film, becoming enthusiastic participants in the production.
The film is surreal and horrifying in equal measure. it also brings into question how much of their remembrances are genuine and how much is glorification inspired by the attention of the film crew and raises questions about the extent to which the director is complicit in their representation (a question which he acknowledged during the Q&A).
Even though the events took place nearly 40 years ago, it's clear that their impacts are still very much active today. The relationship between the government and the paramilitary is very much alive.
As a coda, when I left the Bloor Cinema this morning, I immediately saw two limos with diplomatic plates and a collection of very stern Asian gentlemen. Apparently there were representatives of the Indonesian Embassy at the screening.
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A military coup in Indonesia in the 60's led to mass assassinations of accused communists and other "enemies of the state". Many of the killings (estimated at about 2.5 million) were committed by local gangsters and paramilitary organizations, with the support of the State.
In the film, the director meets with a gangster named Anwar Congga and his associates. They recreate scenes from their killings as a film, becoming enthusiastic participants in the production.
The film is surreal and horrifying in equal measure. it also brings into question how much of their remembrances are genuine and how much is glorification inspired by the attention of the film crew and raises questions about the extent to which the director is complicit in their representation (a question which he acknowledged during the Q&A).
Even though the events took place nearly 40 years ago, it's clear that their impacts are still very much active today. The relationship between the government and the paramilitary is very much alive.
As a coda, when I left the Bloor Cinema this morning, I immediately saw two limos with diplomatic plates and a collection of very stern Asian gentlemen. Apparently there were representatives of the Indonesian Embassy at the screening.
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Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God
I've been doing well with docs this year. The trend continued Sunday afternoon with Alex Gibney's "Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the house of God".
The film's primary focus in on St. John's School for the Deaf in Wisconsin and a long history of sexual abuse of numerous boys at the school by a priest named Father Lawrence Murphy.
When three of the boys attempt to have Murphy removed from working with young children, it starts a chain of events that leads into the highest reaches of the Vatican. What starts as a story about the abuse of children becomes an expose of the lengths to which a monolithic organization like the Catholic Church will go to protect itself. And, in the end, it goes back to the men who suffered at the hands of Murphy and are still dealing with it today (Murphy died in '98, so his voice is truly silent).
Their testimony in the film is delivered using both signing and through voice-overs using people like Ethan Hawke and Chris Cooper. Even without the voice-overs, their emotional pain and anger comes through loud and clear.
The film is a devastating portrayal of personal and institutional abuse. After the screening, the three men participated in the Q&A, a moving experience on its own.
Every year at TIFF, there are one or two films that demand space for quiet reflection after the screening. "Mea Maxima Culpa" was one of those films.
Although this is an HBO production, I suspect that this will be a doc that will receive a big promotional push in order to get it on the Oscar list for next year.
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The film's primary focus in on St. John's School for the Deaf in Wisconsin and a long history of sexual abuse of numerous boys at the school by a priest named Father Lawrence Murphy.
When three of the boys attempt to have Murphy removed from working with young children, it starts a chain of events that leads into the highest reaches of the Vatican. What starts as a story about the abuse of children becomes an expose of the lengths to which a monolithic organization like the Catholic Church will go to protect itself. And, in the end, it goes back to the men who suffered at the hands of Murphy and are still dealing with it today (Murphy died in '98, so his voice is truly silent).
Their testimony in the film is delivered using both signing and through voice-overs using people like Ethan Hawke and Chris Cooper. Even without the voice-overs, their emotional pain and anger comes through loud and clear.
The film is a devastating portrayal of personal and institutional abuse. After the screening, the three men participated in the Q&A, a moving experience on its own.
Every year at TIFF, there are one or two films that demand space for quiet reflection after the screening. "Mea Maxima Culpa" was one of those films.
Although this is an HBO production, I suspect that this will be a doc that will receive a big promotional push in order to get it on the Oscar list for next year.
--------------------------
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Connections
Walking along Queen Street yesterday evening, I spotted the Wachowksi siblings about to cross the street just as a streetcar passed by with an ad for "Cloud Atlas", their latest film.
We're seeing it on Saturday. I read the book earlier this year and loved it. I must admit I'm both curious and somewhat apprehensive about the adaptation -- much of the beauty of the book is due to the subtle interplay of its multiple story lines and it will be a huge challenge to translate this to a three-hour film.
More on this later this week.
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We're seeing it on Saturday. I read the book earlier this year and loved it. I must admit I'm both curious and somewhat apprehensive about the adaptation -- much of the beauty of the book is due to the subtle interplay of its multiple story lines and it will be a huge challenge to translate this to a three-hour film.
More on this later this week.
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Going North
A bit of a catch-up day. My BB's battery died just after lunch time (ironically, I think it might have been the TIFF app that killed it).
I saw back-to-back Nordic films on Sunday morning.
Baltazar Kormakur's "The Deep" was based on a true story of a seaman who survived several hours in the water of the North Atlantic in the winter of 1984, after his ship capsized just off the Westman Islands of Iceland. It was (and is) considered a medical miracle.
Mika Kaurismaki has been a fixture at TIFF for some time (I remember discovering him and his brother Aki at a spotlight many years ago). They have a blackly comic sense of humour but manage to do this while still respecting the basic humanity of their characters.
"Road North" concerns a concert pianist who is confronted by the father who abandoned him when he was three. Together they embark on a road trip to northern Finland and he discovers much about his family and himself.
I'm a fan of both directors but my reaction to the films was quite different.
"The Deep" was suspenseful, engaging and, in the end, quite cathartic. The location shooting on the boat and in the water (particularly during the capsizing) were very impressive.
On the other hand, "Road North" was superficial. The emotional payoff didn't really come off at the end.
Looking back at the two, the impression I was left with was of one film that tapped into some universal themes by being aggressively local ("The Deep") while the other was rootless. I sat in the screening imagining an American remake and how it could be done with almost no changes beyond the language and place names. I found that very disappointing as Kaurismaki's films have been so much better than this, by being true to their roots.
"The Deep" is the one to see.
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I saw back-to-back Nordic films on Sunday morning.
Baltazar Kormakur's "The Deep" was based on a true story of a seaman who survived several hours in the water of the North Atlantic in the winter of 1984, after his ship capsized just off the Westman Islands of Iceland. It was (and is) considered a medical miracle.
Mika Kaurismaki has been a fixture at TIFF for some time (I remember discovering him and his brother Aki at a spotlight many years ago). They have a blackly comic sense of humour but manage to do this while still respecting the basic humanity of their characters.
"Road North" concerns a concert pianist who is confronted by the father who abandoned him when he was three. Together they embark on a road trip to northern Finland and he discovers much about his family and himself.
I'm a fan of both directors but my reaction to the films was quite different.
"The Deep" was suspenseful, engaging and, in the end, quite cathartic. The location shooting on the boat and in the water (particularly during the capsizing) were very impressive.
On the other hand, "Road North" was superficial. The emotional payoff didn't really come off at the end.
Looking back at the two, the impression I was left with was of one film that tapped into some universal themes by being aggressively local ("The Deep") while the other was rootless. I sat in the screening imagining an American remake and how it could be done with almost no changes beyond the language and place names. I found that very disappointing as Kaurismaki's films have been so much better than this, by being true to their roots.
"The Deep" is the one to see.
--------------------------
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Dredd 3D
Some may remember a terrible science-fiction film with Sylvester Stallone as Judge Dredd, a cop with high-tech lethal weaponry who acts as police, jury and executioner in a dystopian world of the future. The story was based on a British comic book.
Dredd 3D is an attempt to pay homage to the original source and erase the bad memories of the Stallone mess. Starring Karl Urban (whose face is almost completely obscured by his helmet and opaque visor), the film worked in its own limited way.
A drug lord based in a 200-storey high rise is distributing a new, lethal narcotic called slo-mo. Dredd and a new partner with telepathic abilities are sent into the building to arrest her. The drug lord retaliates by locking the building down and unleashing her minions on the two "judges". Mayhem ensues.
While there is a little black humour, the film is mostly just an exercise in pyrotechnics and design. The 3D added a hyper-real feel to the film that accentuated its comic-book origins and the overall look-and-feel was good, but in the end it was fairly forgettable.
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Dredd 3D is an attempt to pay homage to the original source and erase the bad memories of the Stallone mess. Starring Karl Urban (whose face is almost completely obscured by his helmet and opaque visor), the film worked in its own limited way.
A drug lord based in a 200-storey high rise is distributing a new, lethal narcotic called slo-mo. Dredd and a new partner with telepathic abilities are sent into the building to arrest her. The drug lord retaliates by locking the building down and unleashing her minions on the two "judges". Mayhem ensues.
While there is a little black humour, the film is mostly just an exercise in pyrotechnics and design. The 3D added a hyper-real feel to the film that accentuated its comic-book origins and the overall look-and-feel was good, but in the end it was fairly forgettable.
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2012/09/09
Sharing is good!
Car2Go is a new car-sharing service in Toronto which is designed for short one-way trips. I added it to the arsenal this year. Home to Yonge & Bloor in 30 minutes, leaving enough time for some damn good coffee before the first film.
The view is also a lot nicer than it was 24 hours ago.
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2012/09/08
Far Out is Not Far Enough
Saturday morning started with a great documentary on the life of children's author and illustrator, Tomi Ungerer.
I didn't read much kidlit when I was young, but his images of robbers, pigs and other animals were instantly recognizable.
What I wasn't familiar with was his career as a magazine illustrator in the 50's and 60's, political postering in the 60's and erotica from the 70's onward. It was the connection with the last that resulted in him being effectively blacklisted for nearly three decades.
Ungerer is the primary voice of the film, both through his art, through extensive interviews and animated sequences of his work. His joy in making any and all kinds of art is palpable.
Also included are interviews with Maurice Sendak and Jules Feiffer.
A captivating documentary... The best of the docs so far this year.
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I didn't read much kidlit when I was young, but his images of robbers, pigs and other animals were instantly recognizable.
What I wasn't familiar with was his career as a magazine illustrator in the 50's and 60's, political postering in the 60's and erotica from the 70's onward. It was the connection with the last that resulted in him being effectively blacklisted for nearly three decades.
Ungerer is the primary voice of the film, both through his art, through extensive interviews and animated sequences of his work. His joy in making any and all kinds of art is palpable.
Also included are interviews with Maurice Sendak and Jules Feiffer.
A captivating documentary... The best of the docs so far this year.
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From "Ship of Theseus"
What's the best email to reach cyber enlightenment?
One with no attachments.
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One with no attachments.
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No Bixi today
Woke up to pouring rain this morning. Lots of memories of queuing in front of the Uptown or Cumberland (RIP), the many assorted umbrellas providing a crude canopy for those unlikely enough to be without.
It's possible now, using buildings and the PATH system to spend almost the entire day indoors. Today is one of those days in my schedule.
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It's possible now, using buildings and the PATH system to spend almost the entire day indoors. Today is one of those days in my schedule.
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The Pervert's Guide to Ideology
The "pervert" is Slavoj Zizek, a philosopher with a fan base of rock star proportions and who, with director Sophie Fiennes, had previously made "The Pervert's Guide to Cinema" (it was also at TIFF, seven years ago).
Both films feature him as the sole voice, interpreting the messages of classic films in his own fashion. The hook is that through clever editing and set design, Zizek is inserted into the scenes.
In "Ideology", he expounds on the implicit ideology of film, using scenes from "Full Metal Jacket", "They Live", "A Clockwork Orange" and "The Sound of Music", among others.
Although he can be quite witty and incisive, the overall effect is of being trapped on a trans-Atlantic flight with a seatmate that has way to much to offer and no inclination to provide time for reflection.
As it turned out, the most interesting thing he said was in the first words of the Q&A after nearly two-and-a-half hours of the film (he used a couple of anecdotes to illustrate the changes in how people treat public space as private space).
A film best experienced in small doses.
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Both films feature him as the sole voice, interpreting the messages of classic films in his own fashion. The hook is that through clever editing and set design, Zizek is inserted into the scenes.
In "Ideology", he expounds on the implicit ideology of film, using scenes from "Full Metal Jacket", "They Live", "A Clockwork Orange" and "The Sound of Music", among others.
Although he can be quite witty and incisive, the overall effect is of being trapped on a trans-Atlantic flight with a seatmate that has way to much to offer and no inclination to provide time for reflection.
As it turned out, the most interesting thing he said was in the first words of the Q&A after nearly two-and-a-half hours of the film (he used a couple of anecdotes to illustrate the changes in how people treat public space as private space).
A film best experienced in small doses.
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2012/09/07
Ship of Theseus
A set of three stories written and directed by Anand Gandhi, the film reflects on the story of the ship of Theseus and the question of whether a ship that has had its entire structure replaced by other parts can still be termed his ship.
In the three stories, the protagonists (a photographer requiring a cornea transplant, a monk in need of a new liver and a man who may have received a stolen kidney) are faced with the question of whether a necessary organ transplant changes something fundamental about them.
Of the three, the middle story of the monk was the most powerful. It raised some interesting moral questions and had the strongest cast of the film.
The ending found a way to link the stories in a way that felt a little too "neat" to me, but overall it was a strong film.
"Ship of Theseus" is part of this year's spotlight on the city of Mumbai.
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In the three stories, the protagonists (a photographer requiring a cornea transplant, a monk in need of a new liver and a man who may have received a stolen kidney) are faced with the question of whether a necessary organ transplant changes something fundamental about them.
Of the three, the middle story of the monk was the most powerful. It raised some interesting moral questions and had the strongest cast of the film.
The ending found a way to link the stories in a way that felt a little too "neat" to me, but overall it was a strong film.
"Ship of Theseus" is part of this year's spotlight on the city of Mumbai.
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Who needs a limo...?
Over the past few years, the heart of the festival has moved south from the Bloor-Yorkville area to a line from the Lightbox over to Yonge and Dundas.
The new geography presents its own challenges for the dash from a theatre in the west to one in the east (or north to the two remaining holdouts along Bloor). Street traffic is too congested and the subway has its limitations, despite what our mayor believes.
The answer to the above comes on two wheels. There are Bixi stations near to most of the theatres. Even though they drive like tanks, they're still faster than the rest of the transportation options. Eaton Centre to Bay and Bloor took 10 minutes in rush hour. Perfect for the Premiere Rush.
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The new geography presents its own challenges for the dash from a theatre in the west to one in the east (or north to the two remaining holdouts along Bloor). Street traffic is too congested and the subway has its limitations, despite what our mayor believes.
The answer to the above comes on two wheels. There are Bixi stations near to most of the theatres. Even though they drive like tanks, they're still faster than the rest of the transportation options. Eaton Centre to Bay and Bloor took 10 minutes in rush hour. Perfect for the Premiere Rush.
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The End of Time
Peter Mettler is a Canadian director and cinematographer whose entire catalog has been shown at TIFF over the years. He's made several documentaries (most recently "Petropolis", about the Alberta oil sands) and his latest, "The End of Time", is a continuation of the approach he's taken in previous work.
"The End of Time" is an exploration of time from astronomic and geological time scales down to the fleeting life span of sub-atomic particles (the first section includes a tour of the Large Hadron Collider at the CERN research facility in Switzerland). One of the most striking scenes is of lava flowing on one of the Hawaiian islands; geology operating at human time scales.
The photography and sound-design was exquisite. In some respects it was a good companion to "Sans Soleil" earlier in the day.
"The End of Time" will be shown again at the Lightbox in December.
All in all, a good start to TIFF 2012.
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"The End of Time" is an exploration of time from astronomic and geological time scales down to the fleeting life span of sub-atomic particles (the first section includes a tour of the Large Hadron Collider at the CERN research facility in Switzerland). One of the most striking scenes is of lava flowing on one of the Hawaiian islands; geology operating at human time scales.
The photography and sound-design was exquisite. In some respects it was a good companion to "Sans Soleil" earlier in the day.
"The End of Time" will be shown again at the Lightbox in December.
All in all, a good start to TIFF 2012.
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Kinshasa Kids
From the elegance and control of "Sans Soleil" to the chaos of "Kinshasa Kids", a film about a gang of street kids who dream of hitting the big time as a band.
The film is an interesting hybrid of fiction and documentary; at times, the action stops dead or changes direction abruptly due to an event somewhere near the scene. The squalor of the place is devastating and it seems the kids are the economic engine of the place, although mostly a result of petty theft.
The music is the high point of the film, bringing joy to the lives of the kids and to the audience.
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The film is an interesting hybrid of fiction and documentary; at times, the action stops dead or changes direction abruptly due to an event somewhere near the scene. The squalor of the place is devastating and it seems the kids are the economic engine of the place, although mostly a result of petty theft.
The music is the high point of the film, bringing joy to the lives of the kids and to the audience.
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2012/09/06
Study in Contrasts
As I stand in the line in front of the Lightbox, Christopher Cross (Sailing, of course) is playing at one of the bistros across the street.
In front of me passes a man in his 60's (perhaps, 70's) in a KMFDM T-shirt.
I'm on his side.
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In front of me passes a man in his 60's (perhaps, 70's) in a KMFDM T-shirt.
I'm on his side.
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The Fallability of Memory
Kind of apt that in remembering two films by Chris Marker about time and the fallability of memory, that I misremembered that Sans Soleil was being shown solo, not with La Jetee.
That said, Sans Soleil was a terrific start to the year, a very poetic ode to time, focusing on Japanese and African culture and drawing parallels between the two. The film is bookended by scenes of Iceland, which re-awakened memories of my own from last fall.
Aside from the visuals, the editing and sound design of the film was magnificent, with a great electro-acoustic score by Michel Krasna.
Spending the time before the next film (back to Africa for "Kinshasa Kids") enjoying a beautiful early fall day in Toronto in David Pecaut Square.
The square is a maze of sponsor structures (there's a huge tent/mansion at one end of the square and people walking around dispensing bags of junk food from garbage bags. Hmmm...
At the periphery are a platoon of workers protesting a lockout by one of the major sponsors. This is the second labour dispute to hit the festival this year; the other is related to TIFF's use of a third-party to handle their print processing.
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That said, Sans Soleil was a terrific start to the year, a very poetic ode to time, focusing on Japanese and African culture and drawing parallels between the two. The film is bookended by scenes of Iceland, which re-awakened memories of my own from last fall.
Aside from the visuals, the editing and sound design of the film was magnificent, with a great electro-acoustic score by Michel Krasna.
Spending the time before the next film (back to Africa for "Kinshasa Kids") enjoying a beautiful early fall day in Toronto in David Pecaut Square.
The square is a maze of sponsor structures (there's a huge tent/mansion at one end of the square and people walking around dispensing bags of junk food from garbage bags. Hmmm...
At the periphery are a platoon of workers protesting a lockout by one of the major sponsors. This is the second labour dispute to hit the festival this year; the other is related to TIFF's use of a third-party to handle their print processing.
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View from the first line
The screening is at Jackman Hall at the AGO, nicely appropriate as the venue was the home of the Cinematheque for many years. Lots of great memories of seeing many other classics here.
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2012/09/04
They're at the post...
It's less than 48 hours to the first film of TIFF 2012. Time to re-awaken the blog for another year of sensory overload.
As it turns out, the New York Times had a piece on the just-completed Telluride Film Festival. There is definitely a "circuit" for films and festivals; all of the films listed in the article are also part of this year's schedule and, as it turned out, almost all of them were on my "long list" of possible films to see. My final list of 40-odd films includes "No" and "The Act of Killing". More on those films in the days to come.
Initial impressions? This year's list includes a number of longer films than last year, with a few films stretching three hours or more. It's probably one of the more expansive schedules I've put together, with contributions from all but a couple of the festival's programs.
The fun starts Thursday at 12:00 with a double bill of Chris Marker films.
As it turns out, the New York Times had a piece on the just-completed Telluride Film Festival. There is definitely a "circuit" for films and festivals; all of the films listed in the article are also part of this year's schedule and, as it turned out, almost all of them were on my "long list" of possible films to see. My final list of 40-odd films includes "No" and "The Act of Killing". More on those films in the days to come.
Initial impressions? This year's list includes a number of longer films than last year, with a few films stretching three hours or more. It's probably one of the more expansive schedules I've put together, with contributions from all but a couple of the festival's programs.
The fun starts Thursday at 12:00 with a double bill of Chris Marker films.
2011/09/28
Catching Up
I went immediately from the end of TIFF to a four-day work meeting in Gatineau, so my good intentions of catching up with the end-of-festival films went unaddressed. Finally have a moment to start to add to the record of this year.
Since getting back to the "real" (as opposed to "reel") world, I've been asked several times one of the following two questions:
1) What was my favourite film?
2) Was TIFF 2011 better than previous years?
After seeing about 45 films this year, there was no single film that stood above the rest. The year's experience is more like a classic bell curve -- there are a few really good films at one end; a few poor, if not terrible, films at the other and the bulk of the films rest somewhere in the middle. The hope is that more films occupy the first group than the third.
Fortunately, there were only a couple of films ("Goon" comes to mind) which truly underachieved. While not very good, "Killer Elite" and "Hard Core Logo 2" were more of disappointments than outrages -- there was potential, but the end results fell short.
The final impression of TIFF was that it was comparable to previous years. There wasn't a comedy on the level of "The Trip" last year nor was there a film that really pushed like the envelope like films I've seen in the past. That may be a result of the (good or bad) choices I made, but the overall impression was that it was "pretty good".
I'll add a few more entries on some of the other films I saw this year. Stay tuned.
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Since getting back to the "real" (as opposed to "reel") world, I've been asked several times one of the following two questions:
1) What was my favourite film?
2) Was TIFF 2011 better than previous years?
After seeing about 45 films this year, there was no single film that stood above the rest. The year's experience is more like a classic bell curve -- there are a few really good films at one end; a few poor, if not terrible, films at the other and the bulk of the films rest somewhere in the middle. The hope is that more films occupy the first group than the third.
Fortunately, there were only a couple of films ("Goon" comes to mind) which truly underachieved. While not very good, "Killer Elite" and "Hard Core Logo 2" were more of disappointments than outrages -- there was potential, but the end results fell short.
The final impression of TIFF was that it was comparable to previous years. There wasn't a comedy on the level of "The Trip" last year nor was there a film that really pushed like the envelope like films I've seen in the past. That may be a result of the (good or bad) choices I made, but the overall impression was that it was "pretty good".
I'll add a few more entries on some of the other films I saw this year. Stay tuned.
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2011/09/15
Killer Elite
Based on a true story involving SAS and private sector assassins, "Killer Elite" boasted the talents of Jason Statham, Clive Owen and Robert De Niro and a lot of ammunition and explosives (i.e. this was a guy's film).
The editing and even the title sequence suggested that they wanted to capture some of the magic of the two Bourne films directed by Paul Greengrass. Unfortunately for them, they did not have the facility for shooting action that he has.
While there was nothing overtly wrong about the film, it just became increasingly tedious and predictable as the story wore on.
Something to watch if there's nothing else on TV.
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The editing and even the title sequence suggested that they wanted to capture some of the magic of the two Bourne films directed by Paul Greengrass. Unfortunately for them, they did not have the facility for shooting action that he has.
While there was nothing overtly wrong about the film, it just became increasingly tedious and predictable as the story wore on.
Something to watch if there's nothing else on TV.
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Surviving Progress
"A Short History of Progress" was critically acclaimed piece that had a life as both a Massey Lecture and a best-selling non-fiction book. It's now been adapted as a documentary for the NFB.
The basic premise is that "progress" is not always a positive step and that there exist "progress traps" where a perceived improvement actually makes things worse. Traps may become so serious that they lead to the downfall of a civilization. The types of traps he describes include over-consumption of natural resources, over-population and the excessive concentration of power and wealth in the hands of oligarchs and elites.
It's the last one that becomes the central theme of the film. Although a number of the interviewees come from an environmental / biological perspective (for example, Jane Goodall and David Suzuki), the overwhelming focus was on economic arguments.
For me, this was ultimately disappointing. It felt a bit like a classic "bait-and-switch" tactic -- I was intrigued by the notion of progress traps and wanted more of that beyond a simple definition and ended up with 90 minutes on the description of wealth.
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The basic premise is that "progress" is not always a positive step and that there exist "progress traps" where a perceived improvement actually makes things worse. Traps may become so serious that they lead to the downfall of a civilization. The types of traps he describes include over-consumption of natural resources, over-population and the excessive concentration of power and wealth in the hands of oligarchs and elites.
It's the last one that becomes the central theme of the film. Although a number of the interviewees come from an environmental / biological perspective (for example, Jane Goodall and David Suzuki), the overwhelming focus was on economic arguments.
For me, this was ultimately disappointing. It felt a bit like a classic "bait-and-switch" tactic -- I was intrigued by the notion of progress traps and wanted more of that beyond a simple definition and ended up with 90 minutes on the description of wealth.
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2011/09/13
Samsara
"Samsara" is a documentary by many of the principals who worked on the film "Baraka" from a few years back.
Like its predecessor, it's a collage of imagery from around the world, combining natural wonders and exotic culture (both traditional and modern), set to a world-beat soundtrack, this time composed by Lisa Gerrard and Michael Stern. Advances in technology allowed the film to be shot in 65 mm and projected as a 4K image -- the colour saturation is, as a result, intense.
Due to a late start and a tight schedule this afternoon, I only saw about 3/4 of it. What I did see was a collection of impressive images but without any overall cohesion. It made for a somewhat disconnected experience. As many of the images did not include movement, it felt like flipping through a high-definition National Geographic without words; in effect, it was a coffee table film. I suspect it will do well as a Blu-Ray release or as a demo disk for hi-end TVs.
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Like its predecessor, it's a collage of imagery from around the world, combining natural wonders and exotic culture (both traditional and modern), set to a world-beat soundtrack, this time composed by Lisa Gerrard and Michael Stern. Advances in technology allowed the film to be shot in 65 mm and projected as a 4K image -- the colour saturation is, as a result, intense.
Due to a late start and a tight schedule this afternoon, I only saw about 3/4 of it. What I did see was a collection of impressive images but without any overall cohesion. It made for a somewhat disconnected experience. As many of the images did not include movement, it felt like flipping through a high-definition National Geographic without words; in effect, it was a coffee table film. I suspect it will do well as a Blu-Ray release or as a demo disk for hi-end TVs.
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Heard on the street
I passed a guy on a cell. As I passed by him, I heard him say...
"This has nothing to do with common sense. This is cable!"
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"This has nothing to do with common sense. This is cable!"
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2011/09/12
The Story of Film
Once again, one of the better films this year is a documentary. "The Story of Film" is a 15-hour "odyssey" across the length and breadth of film history.
TIFF is showing the entire piece in chunks during the festival and I saw the first three hours of it Monday morning. Although it's not strictly speaking a chronological history, the segments I saw took the story from the beginning work of Edison and the Lumiere Brothers up to the end of the silent era.
The creator is Mark Cousins, a film professor from Scotland and is based on a book by the same name. His intent is to give credit to the innovative work down across the globe and the portion I saw this morning provided several examples where a new approach in, say, editing, appeared in a country many years before it was adopted by the Hollywood studios.
If the first three hours is any indication, it's an engaging journey through cinema, suitable for the casual film goer as well as the hard-core cinephile. It's hard to say what form it will take, but it could appear as either a series of episodes on TVO or PBS or as a DVD set. During the Q&A, Cousins also spoke about developing material for the web to expand on the examples shown in the film.
Highly recommended.
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TIFF is showing the entire piece in chunks during the festival and I saw the first three hours of it Monday morning. Although it's not strictly speaking a chronological history, the segments I saw took the story from the beginning work of Edison and the Lumiere Brothers up to the end of the silent era.
The creator is Mark Cousins, a film professor from Scotland and is based on a book by the same name. His intent is to give credit to the innovative work down across the globe and the portion I saw this morning provided several examples where a new approach in, say, editing, appeared in a country many years before it was adopted by the Hollywood studios.
If the first three hours is any indication, it's an engaging journey through cinema, suitable for the casual film goer as well as the hard-core cinephile. It's hard to say what form it will take, but it could appear as either a series of episodes on TVO or PBS or as a DVD set. During the Q&A, Cousins also spoke about developing material for the web to expand on the examples shown in the film.
Highly recommended.
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2011/09/11
Monsters Club
A rather odd little film "inspired" by the Unabomber's published manifesto.
A young Japanese man, obsessed by the failure of modern society, sends mail bombs to the heads of various corporations from a remote cabin in the forests of Japan. He discovers that he is not alone and is visited by creatures who challenge his ideas and philosophies.
The film had a bit of a Twilight Zone quality about it but was better at setting up the story than ending it.
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A young Japanese man, obsessed by the failure of modern society, sends mail bombs to the heads of various corporations from a remote cabin in the forests of Japan. He discovers that he is not alone and is visited by creatures who challenge his ideas and philosophies.
The film had a bit of a Twilight Zone quality about it but was better at setting up the story than ending it.
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Wuthering Heights
Normally this would be the kind of period film that might make my long list for TIFF but would very rarely make the final cut.
What made the difference for me was the director. Andrea Arnold had previously shown her films "Red Road" and "Fish Tank" at TIFF and her visceral style of film-making seemed perfect for modern, kitchen sink dramas, but how she would approach the story of Catherine and Heathcliff was a mystery that had to be solved. I should also note that my knowledge of the source material and its many adaptations was slight at best, so it represented an opportunity to see a classic work with open eyes.
The film emphasized the brutal beauty of the Yorkshire moors in a way that mirrored the emotional brutality and cruelty of the story. She applied the same approach to selecting images and editing them into the story that was consistent with her earlier work which worked very effectively with the story of the protagonists. Using mostly non-professional actors, they provided a grittiness that a more seasoned group might have abandoned.
The problem for me was the story as the plot advanced, the actions of the characters made less and less sense. This may have been my issue but In the Q&A following the film, Arnold mentioned that certain things in the novel "confounded" her. I felt the same way when it ended.
That said, my overall impression of the film was positive. I thought she brought a fresh perspective to the story that a more traditional approach would have missed. Worth a look.
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What made the difference for me was the director. Andrea Arnold had previously shown her films "Red Road" and "Fish Tank" at TIFF and her visceral style of film-making seemed perfect for modern, kitchen sink dramas, but how she would approach the story of Catherine and Heathcliff was a mystery that had to be solved. I should also note that my knowledge of the source material and its many adaptations was slight at best, so it represented an opportunity to see a classic work with open eyes.
The film emphasized the brutal beauty of the Yorkshire moors in a way that mirrored the emotional brutality and cruelty of the story. She applied the same approach to selecting images and editing them into the story that was consistent with her earlier work which worked very effectively with the story of the protagonists. Using mostly non-professional actors, they provided a grittiness that a more seasoned group might have abandoned.
The problem for me was the story as the plot advanced, the actions of the characters made less and less sense. This may have been my issue but In the Q&A following the film, Arnold mentioned that certain things in the novel "confounded" her. I felt the same way when it ended.
That said, my overall impression of the film was positive. I thought she brought a fresh perspective to the story that a more traditional approach would have missed. Worth a look.
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2011/09/10
Goon
It's not uncommon for multiple films on the same subject to appear on the schedule at TIFF. We have a couple of these this year -- there are four rock documentaries (on U2, Pearl Jam, Neil Young and Paul McCartney) as well as three or four films about hockey.
"Goon" is one of those four, a comedy about a good-hearted but terribly dim bouncer who finds himself hired as an enforcer to protect a minor league team's flamboyant yet fragile star player.
A film like this should offer great opportunities for character actors to go to town on, but too many of the roles are one-dimensional. Most of the humour comes from the gleefully profane dialogue, but it's really not enough to sustain a feature.
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"Goon" is one of those four, a comedy about a good-hearted but terribly dim bouncer who finds himself hired as an enforcer to protect a minor league team's flamboyant yet fragile star player.
A film like this should offer great opportunities for character actors to go to town on, but too many of the roles are one-dimensional. Most of the humour comes from the gleefully profane dialogue, but it's really not enough to sustain a feature.
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The Hunter
A film that looked more promising in the catalogue than it was in its execution.
Willem Dafoe receives a contract by a mysterious biotech/military company to hunt, kill and collect samples from the last known specimen of a Tasmanian Tiger. Most of the film takes place in the remote Tasmanian jungle.
The film never built any kind of momentum and, as a result, any problems in the screenplay were magnified (and there were a few). An average film at best.
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Willem Dafoe receives a contract by a mysterious biotech/military company to hunt, kill and collect samples from the last known specimen of a Tasmanian Tiger. Most of the film takes place in the remote Tasmanian jungle.
The film never built any kind of momentum and, as a result, any problems in the screenplay were magnified (and there were a few). An average film at best.
--------------------------
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Urbanized
2011 has started with an emphasis on documentaries and Friday afternoon brought another terrific one to the table.
"Urbanized", directed by Greg Hustwit, is a survey of current thinking on urban planning and design around the globe. Given that it is estimated that 75% of the world's population will reside in urban environments by 2050, it's a very timely film on an important subject.
The examples provided span every continent except for Australia and Antarctica, highlighting cities ranging in size from 200,000 up to 36 million (the latter is Mumbai, whose slums have a population the size of New York City).
For the most part, it was a terrific film, offering some examples of some of the forward thinking at play in cities like New York, Capetown and Bogota (the mayor of Bogota talked at length about their approach to public transit and cycling infrastructure to which the audience responded enthusiastically). The tone was mostly positive, although they did touch on some of the "mistakes" of urban planning (for example, the stunning architecture of Brasilia was contrasted with its terrible transportation infrastructure). One of the striking visuals was an elevated train ride through downtown Detroit. Detroit's population has plummeted over the past few years and it is some time in the sequence before you see a single person on foot -- it's a modern ghost town.
The only flat point of the film involved a transportation project called Stuttgart 21 that involved pitched confrontations between the city government, developers and citizens over a transit project. It was the one time when it felt like there wasn't enough context to the story to understand the visuals.
In the Q&A that followed the film, the director was well aware of the controversies on urban issues at play in Toronto. Both his responses as well as the examples provided in the film demonstrated the degree to which our mayor is completely out of touch on current thinking.
Highly recommended.
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"Urbanized", directed by Greg Hustwit, is a survey of current thinking on urban planning and design around the globe. Given that it is estimated that 75% of the world's population will reside in urban environments by 2050, it's a very timely film on an important subject.
The examples provided span every continent except for Australia and Antarctica, highlighting cities ranging in size from 200,000 up to 36 million (the latter is Mumbai, whose slums have a population the size of New York City).
For the most part, it was a terrific film, offering some examples of some of the forward thinking at play in cities like New York, Capetown and Bogota (the mayor of Bogota talked at length about their approach to public transit and cycling infrastructure to which the audience responded enthusiastically). The tone was mostly positive, although they did touch on some of the "mistakes" of urban planning (for example, the stunning architecture of Brasilia was contrasted with its terrible transportation infrastructure). One of the striking visuals was an elevated train ride through downtown Detroit. Detroit's population has plummeted over the past few years and it is some time in the sequence before you see a single person on foot -- it's a modern ghost town.
The only flat point of the film involved a transportation project called Stuttgart 21 that involved pitched confrontations between the city government, developers and citizens over a transit project. It was the one time when it felt like there wasn't enough context to the story to understand the visuals.
In the Q&A that followed the film, the director was well aware of the controversies on urban issues at play in Toronto. Both his responses as well as the examples provided in the film demonstrated the degree to which our mayor is completely out of touch on current thinking.
Highly recommended.
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2011/09/09
This is Not a Film
The story behind the film…
Jafar Panahi is a renowned Iranian director who has frequently irked the government in Iran. For his “crimes”, he has been banned by the government from making a film for 20 years and, during the time period of this film, he was also facing a possible prison sentence of upwards of six years.
Last year, a colleague (Mojtaba Mirtahmasb) came to his apartment and Panahi described the film that he would have made if he was able, reading sections from a produced screenplay, mapping out how the film would be set and illustrating some of the themes using sections of his previous films, which he projected on his flat screen TV. The resulting film was shot on digital video as well as with an iPhone and was eventually smuggled out of Iran on a USB stick baked in a loaf of bread. The film, co-directed by the two men, was shown at Cannes and, subsequently, Mirtahmasb was also placed under similar restrictions by the Iranian government.
TIFF is making available the film as a free screening this week, a political as well as a cultural act. While the final product is very rough, there are many echoes between Panahi’s situation, the plot of the proposed film (which is a story of a young girl being prevented by going to university by being kept under house arrest by her family) and ambient sound from the street outside his building which apparently includes gun fire and, at the end, fireworks. It was quite compelling.
2011/09/08
Pina
A beautiful start to TIFF '11, Pina creates a portrait through four of her dance pieces combined with short clips of her dancers describing their experiences working with her.
The 3-D was fairly unobtrusive although it sometimes reinforced the spatial relationships between the dancers, at other times it simply added a hyper-real quality to the film. It'd be interesting to see how this would work in 2-D. This was only the third digital 3-D film I've seen and, unfortunately, I still find the combination of my progressive lenses and the 3-D glasses a bad combination -- towards the end I was starting to experience the headaches I'd had in "Avatar" and "Cave of Forgotten Dreams". Either the technology will have to improve or I do.
The film boasted a wonderful score as well as some striking locations from the Wuppertal area where Bausch's dance company makes its home.
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The 3-D was fairly unobtrusive although it sometimes reinforced the spatial relationships between the dancers, at other times it simply added a hyper-real quality to the film. It'd be interesting to see how this would work in 2-D. This was only the third digital 3-D film I've seen and, unfortunately, I still find the combination of my progressive lenses and the 3-D glasses a bad combination -- towards the end I was starting to experience the headaches I'd had in "Avatar" and "Cave of Forgotten Dreams". Either the technology will have to improve or I do.
The film boasted a wonderful score as well as some striking locations from the Wuppertal area where Bausch's dance company makes its home.
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Show Time!
The opening film this year is "Pina", directed by Wim Wenders, a tribute to the legendary German dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch. And it's in 3-D!
In line at the Lightbox right now, waiting for the theatre to open. It's the first time this year that the crowds have really come together in any significant way. Lots of buzz right now and enthusiasm.
While I was standing here, Roger Ebert walked by, as the crowd left from the real first film of the festival, a 5-hour German film called "Dreileben" (actually a trilogy of inter-connected films). It sounded interesting, although I couldn't make it fit in the schedule.
A block away, the crowds are starting to come together for the opening gala, a rock documentary on U2. That will be loud.
With TIFF 2011, the festival has almost completely severed its ties to the Bloor-Yorkville area (only one theatre is in use up there this year). The Entertainment District and Yonge between Gerrard and Queen are now the focal points.
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