Everybody's Talkin' 9 - 30 (Chatter From Other Bloggers)

First things first - some cross-promotion is in order. While I've been having fun this year hosting a podcast that some of you crazy cats like for some reason, I gotta tell ya...it's a lot more fun to appear on someone else's. Right on cue came our friendly neighbourhood Kaiderman.

So over and above everything I'm linking below, be sure to click over yonder and take a listen to my cold fighting, screwdriver drinking, cough riddled appearance on The MILFcast.

So as some of y'all might have deduced, The Dark of The Matinee is coming up on its 1000th post. (I know...I was surprised too). So while I do have something in mind to post that day, I thought I'd ask for a suggestion or two. There's a hole in the posting schedule between now and then - any requests as my 1000th post approaches? Anything in particular anyone wants to hear me yammer on about to mark the occasion? No?? Didn't think so...let's see what everyone is up to this fine fall week.

For your reading fulfillment, I give you...

Simon Ripley openly wonders just what makes a film "experimental". I think an aversion to plot is the first clue, but that's just me.

Darren - a recent guest of The Film Cynics - is getting us all into the Halloween frame of mind by talking about films that make us sleep a little bit less soundly.

If you looked in the dictionary under "hero" you'd likely find a picture of Rachel - she watched both CLASH OF THE TITANS and PERCY JACKSON this week so that the rest of us don't have to!

Back to podcasts for a moment, hat's off to Simon & Jo whose choice movie podcast celebrated its first anniversary last weekend.

Just in time for my most anticipated film of the fall, The Cinema Fanatic has put together a swell little retrospective on David Fincher's career.

Many thanks to Bob this week for turning me on to a blog called Moon In The Gutter. Jeremy, who runs that fine site is clearly after my heart as he has created a post which is essentially a MAGNOLIA photo essay.


Enjoy!

When The Man Comes Around (TRUE GRIT Trailer)

I'm in the midst of a pretty long stretch of some pretty long posts...but every car inn the race has to pit. So maybe it's about time for a trailer.

Back in episode twenty of The Matineecast - and episode a lot of you listened to it would seem - we talked about five fall films that we're most looking forward to. And even though I've already seen two of my five, if this teaser for The Coen Brothers' remake of TRUE GRIT tells me anything, it's that the very best might still be to come!

Review: I'M STILL HERE * * *

According to my notes, I watched this film seventeen days ago. So much has changed in between then and now that it might as well be seventeen years.

Let's start at the beginning. In late 2008, Phoenix surprised many by announcing that he was retiring from acting to pursue a career in hip-hop music. For many, this was surprising, but what was more surprising was Phoenix's demeanour and physical appearance. The brooding good-looks were gone, and in their place were a sunglass sporting, yeti.

Phoenix seemed obsessed to get his hip-hop career going, even though it was clear to anyone who heard his material that he had no talent for the art form. Undeterred, he pestered no less than Sean "P.Diddy" Combs to work with him and produce an album. As if the lack of talent wasn't enough for people like Combs not to take him seriously, Phoenix was also putting people off with his erratic behaviour and unkempt appearance.

The tipping point came in mid-Januray, when Phoenix appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman to promote his final pre-retirement acting in TWO LOVERS. It's here that his demeanour really got the public's attention as he seemed aloof as ever, and became little more than a punching bag for Letterman to pick on. Two months later in Miami, Phoenix performed his final concert at a club...one that was unceremoniously ended by Phoenix getting into a dust-up with a heckler mid-song.

Now we know that none of it was true.


When I first wrote about I'M STILL HERE, I considered it a success no matter whether it was staged or whether it was all true. I'm very surprised that Phoenix and Affleck decided to admit the truth so quickly, but now that they have at least I can formulate an opinion with full context.

As a piece of filmmaking, it's flawed but impressive. Affleck, a first-time director, shows good storytelling skill. The mockumentary includes many sequences of subtle photography and clever editing. While there are one or two technical clues that lead one to believe that everything is a hoax, it nontheless shows a deft hand at the usually mundane "Let's follow a celebrity around" genre that most reality TV junkies cannot get enough of.

As a piece of performance art, I'M STILL HERE is a daring idea for Phoenix to let loose. The entire experiment was meant to hold up a mirror on society's fascination with celebrity breakdowns.

Let's be honest - we have reached a point where shadenfreude has given way to full blown obsession, and famous people getting in trouble with the law, substance abuse, or even their death seems to set us off int a fervour. It's true that some in-the-know saw the signs that what Phoenix was doing was all an act, but by and large, the people who feast on celebrity misery bought it. Phoenix fooled them, and by this measure, his performance is a success.

While I'M STILL HERE now comes with an entirely different context knowing that it's a performance, it's still worth watching. While it includes a few moments of some vile humour involving bodily functions, it is engaging on the whole. One can watch it and try to pick out who was in on the joke, and who wasn't. Likewise, one has to ask themselves how many people who have worked with Phoenix and care about him, watched him seemingly crash and burn, and never reached out to him. If they did - it's not evident in this movie.

As Phoenix makes his "announcement" to an entertainment reporter, Casey Affleck is standing right next to him in the shot. Phoenix tells about how he's finished acting and wants to work on his music, and all the while Affleck is staring straight at the lens with a very odd expression on his face. This expression puzzled me when I first saw the film. Was it "Good Grief, what is he saying?". Was it "I know he's crazy folks, but he won't listen to me"? Or was it "Here goes nothing"?

Now it is safe to assume that it's the latter - with a hefty dose of "Get a load of this!" - and that Affleck knew that Phoenix was at least a little crazy to go forward with this whole mad experiment.

What did you think? Please leave comments with your thoughts and reactions to I'M STILL HERE.

Midnight Radio: The Matineecast Episode 21

So, where was I...

Thanks to the handful of you who tuned into my Wicked Little Town series, but it certainly is nice to get back behind a microphone proper. And what better way to get back into the swing and kick off the fall movie season than with a fellow badass movie podcaster?

Here's the Roberto Clemente episode...



(Go here or to iTunes if the embedded player doesn't start)

Here's what's in store in episode twenty-one...

Runtime
67 minutes, 39 seconds

Up for Discussion

1. Introduction
2. KNOW YOUR ENEMY - Q & A with this episode's guest, Jess Rogers from Insight Into Entertainment and Reel Insight (2:07)
3. COME TALK TO ME - A final round of TIFF reactions from the bloggers that covered the festival. (11:30)
4. THE NEW SLANG - Review and reaction of THE TOWN (17:41)
5. THE BEST OF YOU - Jess and I list our five favorite cops & robbers/heist films. (31:36)

Comments and feedback are welcome, and thank-you very much for listening.

Enjoy!

Review: EASY A * * * 1/2

There's something oddly empowering about not caring what rumours are spread about you (I'm speaking from experience here). It's akin to owning a nickname that people start using as a dig. But while it might seem like an ego boost, or even amusing, what happens when you want to change the subject and talk about something else? Sometimes it's right around then that the ego boost, amusement, and empowerment come to a screeching halt.

EASY A is the story of Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone) and the rumours of her promiscuity. When we first meet Olive she's something of a smart loner. She's the girl that reads the books assigned in English class instead of renting the badly made films based on them. But like many smart and pretty teenage girls, she doesn't have much of a social life. She has one close friend, and no gentlemen callers to speak of.

One day she tells what seems to be an innocent lie to her best friend Rhi - a lie that unfortunately gets overheard by the too-wholesome-for-her-own-good Marianne Bryant (Amanda Bynes). In record time word of her (actually non-existant) sex life is all over school. Olive, not one to be torn down by smarm, shrugs it off. Before long though, her friend Brandon comes to ask a favour: He wants Olive to help his reputation by making it seem like he too has had sex with her.

At first Olive seems to understand that this will be greasing the wheels of the rumour mill, but eventually agrees. Understandably, public opinion begins to turn on Olive - which she defiantly stands up to by sewing red letter "A"s on her wardrobe. However, as is expected, it doesn't take too long for things to get out of hand...and for real, non-shruggable consequences to start getting handed out to Olive and those around her.

Around halfway through EASY A, the film gets gutsy. In the middle of her tell-all iChat, Olive openly wishes that her life was more like an 80's film...and clips from SAY ANYTHING, FERRIS BEULLER, and SIXTEEN CANDLES all get dropped into the movie. Actually, referencing some of the very best teen comedies of the last thirty years isn't gutsy - it's suicidal. Essentially, the film has just stopped singing it's "pretty good" karaoke version of "At Last" to play us the original Etta James track. But here's the funny thing...EASY A survives the comparison. Admirably.

For starters, this story is a well crafted one. The gossip about Olive's antics actually come from a good place. The scene where Brandon holds back tears as he explains what it's like to be a gay teenager in a small town is heartbreaking. How could someone not want to help him? It's such a poetic moment when something that is almost especially malicious like gossip can actually be used to better someone's life.

EASY A takes concepts from The Scarlet Letter and expands upon them by leaning on the 21st century disrespect for privacy. The saying used to be that a rumour could run three whole laps while the truth was still lacing up its sneakers. These days I'd wager a rumour could get thirty laps in. At one point, Mr. Griffith the english teacher (Thomas Haden Church) even mocks our complete disregard for boundaries. He points out that we think people are so fascinated with our banal life details, that we likewise think nothing of holding back the more intimate details. Sure Olive & The Unenthused Virgins are using it to their advantage...but where's the line?

All of these ideas are wonderful, but if those 80's films taught us one thing, it's that the ideas aren't worth peanuts if you don't have someone as charming and likeable as John Cusack, Molly Ringwald, or Matthew Broderick to deliver the message. With that in mind, Emma Stone proves herself a worthy heir to the legacy. She has a wholesome class that allows her to play the family scenes with warmth, but likewise has enough sass to take on all comers when Olive decides to tart up and play the part of smouldering homeroom temptress. Unfortunately, this is also the one detail that plays against the film. Olive claims to be invisible to guys in her school...and with Emma Stone in the part, I don't believe that for a moment.

While I'm discussing acting, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the splendid work put in by Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson as Olive's parents Dill and Rosemary (yes - really). They have a rhythm to their dialogue that suggests real love...the sort that still has parents of teenagers holding hands while watching TV. Tucci and Clarkson have a rare chemistry, so much so that I'd pay good money to see those two characters get a film all their own. It's noted by olive's principal and guidance counsellor that she's not the sort of girl who they see - not the sort of girl who gets in trouble. With parents like Dill and Rosemary (still funny), it's little wonder.

Still, while Olive seems clever enough to harness the power of slander and use it for good, EASY A makes it clear that such an idea is noble but ultimately bad. It's like fighting for peace: valiant, but unpredictable. But in trying to take control of her own reputation, Olive taps into her hidden inner Lloyd Dobler...her inner Ferris Beuller.

Perhaps in ten or fifteen years, some young lady out there will reach deep down and get in touch with her inner Olive Penderghast.

What did you think? Please leave comments with your thoughts and reactions to EASY A.

I'm Only Sleeping

Today, I Feel Like This...

Review: NEVER LET ME GO * * * 1/2

Disinformation can be truly unsettling...especially when it is personal in nature. In order to truly understand what it is we're put on this earth to do, and how we are going to do it, we need more than anything to understand where it is we came from. Not having any inkling of one's own roots leaves us like lost boys and girls...wandering in circles for answers while not even understanding the questions.

NEVER LET ME GO tells a story that I will summarize in a rather vague fashion. The story begins at Hailsham Boarding School in England. Children there are given a fine education, with a heavy emphasis on art and writing. From the get-go, we hear that students of Hailsham are special. Why though?

When addressing a class of pre-teens, a teacher named Miss Lucy alludes to the situation. All she really gets off is that the students have "Been told, and not told" why they are there...who they are...what their legacy is. There is talk of galleries and collections, of donations and completion...but nothing concrete. Not now. Not here. Not while these young minds are so impressionable.

The story then skips ahead seven or eight years. As it happens, students near the end of their time at Hailsham are sent off campus for the first time to work and create in seclusion. One such group, one that includes Kathy (Carey Mulligan), Tommy (Andrew Garfield), and Ruth (Kiera Knightley) are sent to a country estate known only as "The Cottages". It is here where their young adult ambition will lead them to the truth about their past, and prepare them for their future.

NEVER LET ME GO is laced with a very haunting tone. The film is backed by a low, achingly beautiful score...and many of the shots seem to be using available light. It all combines in such a way, that we feel like we are walking right next to these characters. We aren't learning their story from a distance; they have taken us by the hand and asked us to come along as these details of their lives become resolved.

If I seem to be overly vague in my review, then I must plead guilty your honour. However, the reason I'm being scarce with the details, is because it was my experience that while this film tells a heartbreaking story, its one where the impact is lessened the more you know. What I will say is this: all three of these three major characters seem to know that their path will go in a separate direction from the others. What the film does rather well, is leave us asking whether the fracture of this little group will lead to complete chaos where their fragile friendship is concerned.

As is the case in life, some of them seem to know more than others. Ruth for instance, seems to get a sadistic twist off needling Kathy for what she does and doesn't know about herself. Appropriately enough, during one such bedtime challenge, Ruth's profile is completely in shadow, while Kathy's is delicately lit. What are we supposed to do when someone claims to have the answers? Do we drop everything and follow their lead, or do we continue to search ourselves for the truth?

The three young actors that carry this film all do a splendid job of driving our emotions, and likewise playing off each other. There is a sophistication to them even at this young age, and a dignity that permeates their quest for the truth. Even though all three take on the world in very different ways, giving us a chance to really revel in Garfield's angst, Knightley's malcontent, and Mulligans stoicism.

The film has been directed by Mark Romanek - who has been away from the scene for far too long. He has filmed the movie at arm's reach, allowing the characters to truly inhabit the sets they work on and not just walk through them. Likewise, the adaptation of the novel by screenwriter Alex Garland has zeroed in on the best themes of the book. He has sacrificed some of their school years at Hailsham to give us the good stuff, but has relayed the story in a sharp manner...one that emphasizes young adult pain over pre-teen antics.

NEVER LET ME GO wants us to focus on drawing back the curtain of our own legacy. It wants us to know that we desperately need to understand where we've been if we want to have any clue where it is we're going. What's worse, is that when we finally do get on our way to meet the wizard, we need to prepare ourselves for the very real possibility that there is a little bald guy pulling the strings. Perhaps most painfully, is the realization that it's not even his life that he's toying with. It's ours.

What did you think? Please leave comments with your thoughts and reactions to NEVER LET ME GO.

Everybody's Talkin' 9 - 23 (Chatter From Other Bloggers)

So where was I...

Before subjecting myself to an average of two movies a day for a week and a half, and setting myself up for an insane amount of reviews to be written, I was posting on a humble movie blog. I'm glad that I'll be able to get it running normally again soon, and likewise that I have now been able to return to reading other people's blogs. I tried to skim during the fest, but actually immersing myself in what the rest of the community was doing was difficult, and following any sort of comment thread was impossible.

And y'know what folks? I missed it! Like Lady Hatter's delicious apple pie in that photo above, reading what everyone else is up to is one of the things I love most in life. And like the pie, I'll take great comfort in getting another taste.


Expect these to drop on Thursdays every now and then through the fall. For your reading enjoyment, I give you...

I got a mention on Some Cast It Hot...so y'know...that's cool.

Speaking of podcasts, since so freakin' many of you have listened to my episode with Marc from Go, See Talk...perhaps you'd be interested in checking out this post he's done on ten awesome movie scenes.

Dude - The Magic Lantern hit its 100th post. However there's rumours of steroid use, so the post might have to come with an asterisk.

I might be seeing EASY A this weekend, which Castor suggests is a solid B.

Another film that drops this weekend is NEVER LET ME GO. While I work on my full length review from TIFF, take a peek at what Ness thought.

Shockingly, Fletch watched a classic film and had it live up to his expectations. (Not to the cabin'd one - there are no additional endings, all the extra footage for the redux comes well before the conclusion).

The Groovers and The Mobsters are at it again, this time they're talking up lockup flicks.


Enjoy!

Review: THE TOWN * * 1/2

Heist films are an interesting animal: They require a few specific elements to work as a whole. Mandatory requirements are a talented crew, an engaging law enforcement foil, a girl never hurts, and a well executed score. THE TOWN nails almost all of those elements to a tee.

Place your bets now on which element is left wanting. (PS: The answer will be more spoilery than Matinee reviews tend to be)

THE TOWN begins with four lifelong friends dressed as reapers holding up a Cambridge bank. The friends are Doug (Ben Affleck) Jem (Jeremy Renner) Gloansy and Dez. The four come from the Charlestown neighbourhood of Boston, an area that leads the league in breeding criminals from a young age. During the takedown, they grab the assistant bank manager as a hostage, a young lady named Claire (Rebecca Hall).

After turning her loose, the gang realizes they have a slight problem: she lives in their neighbourhood. To get a read on her, Doug fakes an impromptu meeting. The meeting goes a little too well, and the two find themselves sharing a connection - much to the surprise and chagrin of Jem.

Meanwhile, the Boston office of The FBI is intent on taking this gang down. The task force is headed by Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm), who sees how stone cold the Town Crew are and understands what it will take to catch them. The crew seems to be working for a Town crime fixture named Fergie Colm (Pete Postlethwaite), so to nab such hardened criminals, Frawley will have to be clever, lucky,...or what's best - both.

Before we get to the misstep, let's talk about what THE TOWN does right. Ben Affleck's second film does a splendid job of teaching us who these crooks are, or at the very least where they come from. The story surrounding Gloansy and Dez is a little week, but it's still easy to understand what makes their engine run. What fuels their fire is The Town itself. They are born into it...into this community that you either get out of, or become a victim of. Crime isn't a biproduct of life in Charlestown, it's a birthright.

Where Doug and Jem are concerned, they do what they do because they're good at it. For a lot of reasons, this probably comes from a lifetime of practice (especially considering where Doug's father currently resides). But being good at what they do presents a blessing and a curse. For starters, it makes them part of something bigger that isn't so easy to walk away from. The time Doug spends with Claire causes him to grow a bit of a conscience...but his seperate obligations to both Jem and Fergie make "doing the right thing" easier to want than it is to do.

Frawley on the other hand doesn't give us much to draw on. We have no idea why he wants to be Boston's Dudley Do-Right, we just know that he is. What makes him interesting is the fact that he's very good at what he does. He calls Doug's gang the "No Fucking Around Crew", and vows to be the same. Hamm becomes a worthy foil, and especially flexes his muscles anytime he gets one of the Townies cornered. It's a good coming-out party for Hamm, who shows that he's more than just a guy who looks good smoking in a suit.

So great crooks, good foil, a captivating plot thread about a community that breeds crooks. Almost every element works beautifully, right? Wrong. Where the film lost me was in its final set piece in Fenway Park. the heist itself is a thing of beauty - hit the cash box of Fenway after a four game homestand against The Yankees. For the uninitiated, games between Red Sox and Yankees are wickedly hot tickets, and as Fergie points out, a hot ticket that will make for a lot of loot after the final out is called. Thus, the morning after, the merry men con their way into a cathedral of baseball to daringly take it down.

As a lover of Fenway Park, heist films and action scenes, this set-up sounds like a dream come true. Sadly, the set-up is completely wasted. Fenway, if you didn't know is a truly unique structure, and the oldest of its kind in the entire country. It is both filled and surrounded with nooks, crannies, and character. So why the crux of the Heist gets set in the stadium's loading dock is beyond me. What could have been a cat-and-mouse chase in and around columns, concourses, two decks and one 39 foot green wall was instead confined to one boring truck bay that could have been anywhere.

Once outside, the action stays on the same boring track, with a predictable resolution and a truly bad display of marksmanship by darned near everybody. The simplicity of these sequences wasn't enough to sink the whole film for me, but it came damned close.

I recently asked a fellow blogger whether a lacklustre ending could sink an entire film. We were both in agreement that it really shouldn't, and I'd offer up THE TOWN as my 'Exhibit A'. While flawed, this movie makes good on the promise Affleck showed with his previous film GONE BABY GONE, and features some stellar acting by all involved, and some well thought out work behind the lens by Ben. Overall, THE TOWN's construct is a good one - good enough to survive what I consider a pretty bad mis-step.

What did you think? Please leave comments with your thoughts and reactions to THE TOWN

Review: THE AMERICAN * * * 1/2

I've always wondered how craftsmen can work alone. Don't they get restless?...Don't they get lonely? Perhaps they don't get restless, because the hours seem to fall away when they're doing what they love and what they're good at. Perhaps they aren't lonely, because having people around when they work would just be a bother.

Perhaps, as we see in THE AMERICAN, it's just "better that way".

Jack (George Clooney) is an assassin. When we first meet him in Sweden, he kills two snipers with stone-cold precision...and then the woman he'd been shacking up with. In that instant we learn a lot of what we need to know about Jack - he dangerous, he's decisive, and he's very good at what he does.

He then flees to Italy, where he meets up with his contact named Pavel. Pavel sets him up with another job, one that will work out of a small town named Castelvecchio. Jack retreats to this tiny village, and tries to go about his business and keep to himself. We're not entirely certain what the job is, but Jack's cover to people he meets - like the fatherly priest who takes him in - is that he's a photographer.

It's around here that two women come into jack's life. The first is a prostitute named Clara, who seems to call to something inside of Jack. He spends most days saying barely more than the minimum, but for some reason opens up just a little bit more when he is around her. The other woman is Mathilde. Mathilde is the client for the job Pavel set him up on. She too seems to connect with Jack, this time on a professional level.

The question is - can either woman be trusted?

At the risk of sounding cliché, they don’t make films like THE AMERICAN anymore. It’s the sort of story where the beauty is in the details, and the elegance is in the methodology. It’s the sort of film that doesn’t feel the need to spell out the tension at hand, so convinced that there are still audiences patient and intelligent enough to understand the tension.

(Clooney’s character), an assassin and weapons craftsman is the sort of person who is all about stillness, focus, and minutiae. These elements are evoked in the film’s style, one with very little dialogue, even less of a musical score, and lots and lots of scenes where very little story seems to be happening. While this film is a detail junkie’s delight, it’s also the sort of thing that will test many moviegoer’s patience. It is not interested in riveting you with action-packed car chases; its far too busy wanting to unnerve you with the wonder of whether or not (Clooney) is truly safe in a seemingly empty café.

Going hand-in-hand with all of this simple elegance is Clooney’s character, “The American”, and the cache that carries. Even though he is a quiet professional who keeps to himself, as an American in a quiet Italian village he comes packaged with a certain mystique. (Listen closely in a café scene and you’ll hear a radio playing an Italian song called “I Want to Be American”). People open their doors to him and embrace him like they would a weary relative, all in the name of hospitality to someone so cool. You have to wonder if he’d get the same sort of latitude if he were an Italian assassin working in America.

THE AMERICAN is directed by Anton Corbijn, who gets back behind the camera after his impressive debut film CONTROL. Corbijn (pronounced kor-BAIN) being a noted photographer, obviously has a talent for giving his films evocative visuals. He frames every single scene like a still photograph, then walks next to us through the gallery telling us his story of intrigue. It’s a very effective style, though I should note that I spent much of this movie pining for a version in Corbijn’s typical black-and-white.

I suspect THE AMERICAN caught a few people off-guard as they weren't expecting something quite so quiet and introspective. While for some that might have brought on a restlessness waiting for Clooney to get his Bourne on, for me it brought on a sense of content. Seeing this man live his life the same way he works - quietly, methodically, and all alone - was a fascinating change of pace at the multiplex, and a welcome throwback to a different era in Hollywood.

What did you think? Please leave comments with your thoughts and reactions to THE AMERICAN.

Said and Done (TIFF 2010 Wrap-Up)

21 Thoughts on TIFF 2010

22 films in 11 days - ya gotta love it.

THE KING'S SPEECH - a film I didn't see - won the audience choice award this year.

As for my favorites, BLACK SWAN, 127 HOURS, and CHICO & RITA are the ones that'll stick with me.

I can't remember the last time I saw Lady Hatter so little. I sure did miss her.

BUNRAKU earns the annual "Film That Sailed Past Hatter Award".

My photo-taking was way down this year. Guess that's what happens when they make the star-studded events a higher-priced ticket.

I'm gonna miss the cinematic insanity of films like BALADA TRISTE and I SAW THE DEVIL

Newfound respect for Simon & Jo. Don't know how you guys do such a great job of those podcasts on the fly - I got nervous as hell!

Lordy did the last weekend ever feel like everyone had already checked out.

This festival also had me walking out of only my second film in the nine years I've been going to TIFF

Screenings of LET ME IN were low attended. Make of that what you will.

Quick show of hands - who's actually sick of hearing about TIFF on The Matinee?

Every year I come away feeling like there were half a dozen better film selections than those I picked.

Pretty sure the "Most Memorable Scene" award goes to the finale of TAMARA DREWE

Gotta love handing a stranger our business card and hearing them say "Hey, I've read your site".

It was a welcome switch knowing so many friends doing TIFF as well.

I also made a few new friends during the festival, so hello to you fine folks if you're new readers to the site.

I'm now looking forward to getting to see The Lightbox - a brand new Toronto film venue unveiled during TIFF but far too busy for me to get to.

Duelling Michael Caines!!!

Y'all have no clue how much I'm looking forward to a home cooked meal.

Thank you all so much for reading about my experiences over the last week. Perhaps some of y'all will come join me next year!

TIFF Review: SUBMARINE

Richard Ayoade's film SUBMARINE wasn't entirely what I thought it would be, but it was quite a fitting choice for my final TIFF film of the festival.

It has been called "The Welsh RUSHMORE" which could nit possibly be more misleading. At the film's centre is a young man named Oliver Tate...who yes, reminds us all a little bit of Max Fisher in his attitude. Oliver has a lot of problems: his mother seems poised to have a fling with the guru next door, his father doesn't seem to care, and the girl who has his heart...well...she's complicated.

The film pulls a bit of a bait-and-switch early on. It begins bright and quirky, but once its first act is complete it very quickly becomes gloomy and dour. Craig Roberts, who plays our hero, does an admirable job of trying to guide us through this muddy journey, and is easily one of the best things about the film.

Not far behind Roberts is Noah Taylor and Sally Hawkins as his parents. They deftly play a couple that have been together for a long time and are struggling with their restlessness - both individually and as a couple. Sally Hawkins especially impresses, since it's odd to see her looking quite so dowdy. She draws us in every time she's in a scene, whether she's trying to understand her eccentric son or getting lured by a nutty-looking new-age mystic.

While the film is one worth seeing, I can't say I was completely a fan of where it went in its final act. As SUBMARINE comes in for a landing, it leaves the charm and whimsey behind and turns very introspective and glum. It's a good-not-great film, which might have been the appropriate topper for TIFF 2010.

SUBMARINE will be released in theatres by The Weinstein Company next year

TIFF Review: YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER

I think there are few directors working today who are as hit-or-miss as Woody Allen. The man gets a cherry of a deal from movie studios: in essence it reads "You get one film a year, it can be anything you want, we'll put it out but financing is up to you".

With such autonomy comes brilliance like MATCH POINT or VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA. And with such autonomy also comes a lot of crap.

YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER isn't exactly crap...but it lands well short of brilliance too. The film is about a web of marital restlessness, with Sally (Naomi Watts) at its centre. Her parents feel dissatisfied and split up, her boss feels dissatisfied and strays, and even her husband feels an urge to stray.

All of this provides for wonderful setup. But the big flaw with TALL DARK STRANGER is that it never seems to take these stories very far. The moral of the story is understood very early on, and never expanded upon even though we are reminded of the lesson four or five times.

The film looks charming, an certainly has some moments of heartache...such as when we learn where Greg's (Antonio Banderas) heart really lies...but most of the fables and chapters seem to stop a step short. Thus the film feels like taking a sighseeing tour of The Empire State Building and never taking the elevator up.

Amusingly, the film opens and closes with the song "When You Wish Upon a Star"...a song that contains the lyrics Like a bolt out of the blue / Fate steps in and sees you through. For the characters of STRANGER it doesn't feel like fate is seeing them through anything. It feels like their own selfishness is forcing fate's hand - and when that happens, the result doesn't quite 'see them through' so much as it just ferries them to a different place of malcontent.

An interesting idea - but nothing memorable.

YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER opens this week in NY and LA

Wicked Little Town: The Matineecast @ TIFF Part iv

And with that, it's all over...but before it ended I was able to get some time with both halves of MAMO!

Part four of this series finds me on the Queen and Beaver Pub talking about SUBMARINE with Matthew Brown and Matthew Price. Take a listen...



(Go here or to iTunes to listen if the embedded player doesn't start)

Here's what's in store in WLT Part Four...

Runtime: 18 minutes, 41 seconds
Up for Discussion - Richard Ayoade's SUBMARINE

Comments and feedback are welcome, and thank-you very much for listening.

Enjoy!

TIFF Review: BLACK SWAN

Coming into TIFF 2010, BLACK SWAN was my number one draft pick...the film I was building my entire schedule around. Would it be my Peyton Manning? Or my Ryan Leaf??

I'm very happy to report that it's the former - with a bullet. BLACK SWAN is the story of Nina Sayers (Portman), newly elevated to the role of prima ballerina in a New York City ballet company. They are starting their new season with a production of Swan Lake with Nina in the lead. While she can nail the elegance required for the role in her sleep, she's having trouble finding the passion.

The film is all about how director Thomas (Vincent Cassel) and fellow ballerina Lily (Mila Kunis) try to coax that passion out of her before the curtain goes up on opening night...and whether or not Nina can tap into said passion without losing her mind.

I was happily able to come into BLACK SWAN blind - I even avoided the trailer - so the framework of the film caught me very much off-guard. (Side note: I sure picked the wrong TIFF film to stop taking notes). Aronofsky has created a film that is just as much REQUIEM FOR A DREAM as it is THE WRESTLER. The result is so startlingly visceral and unsettling, that it's bound to divide audiences when it opens later this fall.

It is so much more than just "a ballet movie". It's a dark journey down the river, with themes of obsession, determination, sexuality, and the price of fame. It's Portman's most complicated part ever, and one that she nails at every turn. Cassel commands as the controlling and demanding director, and Mila Kunis shows us that she's capable of more than just animated voices and rom-com's.

But the true star of the film is Aronofsky and the seemingly bottomless bag of tricks he has at the ready. I don't dare reveal them here...mostly because the element of surprise was what made them so powerful for me. I will say this though: I'd love to know how he employed so many mirrors in this film and avoided all camera reflections.

BLACK SWAN is bound to be one of the most talked about films of the year. For my money, before I talk about it any more, I believe I need to see it one more time.

BLACK SWAN gets a limited release beginning December 1st

TIFF Review: NEVER LET ME GO

Sometimes I feel a bit silly for learning the plot of an upcoming movie by reading the novel it was based on - NEVER LET ME GO was one of those times.

The film is truly haunting, as we are only given slivers of truth to carry us through most of the story. What's worse, is that it feels like these characters are only given slivers of truth themselves. As one rebellious teacher puts it to her rather young class "You have been told, and not told". The sad souls of these students burns bright in their eyes...but why would that be, when they all seem destined for such a dismal fate?

The three young leads in the film - Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, and Andrew Garfield - all give very heartbreaking performances. Interestingly, this story being what it is, they'll all break your heart for different reasons.

Director Mark Romanek has been away from Hollywood for eight long years, and he makes up for lost time with NEVER LET ME GO in the way that the whole film has a subtle visual splendour. Truthfully, if I didn't know better, I'd swear that every shot was captured by available light.

NEVER LET ME GO is a film that I'll be doing a full review on very soon, so I won't say too much more here. I do feel slightly foolish to have read the book so close to the film, but it didn't take any of the edge this sad and splendid film.

NEVER LET ME GO opens in theatres next Friday, September 24th

TIFF Review: NORWEGIAN WOOD

By my count, I got through fifteen consecutive TIFF screenings with nary a disappointment...so I suppose in some ways I was due. I really wish I could have been disappointed by some other film, but sadly I'm here to report that NORWEGIAN WOOD was a letdown.

Based on the much beloved novel by Haruki Murakami, NORWEGIAN wood is the story of Watanabe and Naoko (kenichi Matsuyama and Rinko Kikuchi). The common bond between them is Kizuki: Watanabe's best friend and Naoko's first boyfriend.

Not long after our story begins, Kizuki kills himself, leaving both of these young souls broken and confused. Timidly, they both find solace in one another...but even that is fleeting as Kizuki cannot handle it all, and retreats to a sanatorium outside of Kyoto.

Watanabe's heart belongs to her, regardless of how near or far she is. The heart however, is not without temptation, which is where spritely young Midori comes in. Despite being involved with another man, she takes a shining to Watanabe. They share an uneasy relationship: she seemingly screwing with him for her own amusement - he trying to numb the pain of being without the one he loves.

Sounds great doesn't it? Well it is...if you were to read all of that in the book. Where the movie is concerned, it all gets under wrought by some perplexing direction. Maddeningly, it is the same mistake over and over. You see, this is primarily a very sad tale and the film doesn't want you to miss that point. In fact, they are so sure you'll miss these moments of profound sadness, so they've gone to the trouble of underlining every one of them with a blaring, obtrusive, melodramatic score. This is such a shame, because the film is so beautiful to look at, and contains some very moving performances.

It pains me to not be able to recommend this film, especially since it was *this* close to being a truly bittersweet experience. But those heavy-handed cues are just too much to ignore, and shook me out of the story like a ringing cellphone. Maybe when it hits dvd I'll watch it again on mute with something subtle playing underneath, but until then, I can only sit and wallow in my dashed expectations.

NORWEGIAN WOOD opens in theatres in December

TIFF Review: ANPO

Confession: ANPO wasn't exactly what I thought I was signing on for, but that's not a bad thing. The doc was actually quite illuminating on a subject that I knew precious little about...and contained enough stunning artwork to send me home happy.

ANPO is the Mutual Cooperation and Security Treaty that was signed between Japan and USA back in 1960. In short, it states that both countries assume an obligation to back one another in the case of armed conflict, and develop capacities to resist such an attack. The controversy of ANPO stems from the fact that within the agreement, there is an article that allows The United States to station troops and military bases on the islands of Japan.

Suffice it to say, that the Japanese government agreed to this a mere fifteen years after WWII didn't go down so well. Indeed there were mass protests, calls of corruption, demands for voices to be heard...all of which were unilaterally denied. The Japanese signed the agreement, and to this day, America has bases and military personnel on the islands of Japan.

One intriguing side effect to this anti-ANPO movement, is that it has created some startling moving artwork and photography. The doc is filled with work by such artists as Aida Makato, Nakamura Hiroshi, Kazama Sachiko, and Ishii Shigeo amongst many others.

The presentation of this doc was a little bit dry - especially given the lavish artwork on display, but that can't take away from the story of this very moving issue. A story many of us in the west are ill-informed about, and a story that still continues to be debated in Japan.

TIFF Review: MONSTERS

So if a movie isn't what you expect it to be, does that make it a bad film?

In the run-up to tonight's screening of MONSTERS, I'd heard comparisons to DISTRICT 9 and 28 DAYS LATER. Well gang, allow me to dispel the hype...MONSTERS is nothing like either one of those two films. Now there are moments within the film that play like allusions to JAWS and APOCALYPSE NOW, however they are just that - moments.

MONSTERS is a story about a world where alien life has crash landed in Mexico, and as such nearly half the country including the stretch that backs onto the American border has been quarantined and declared The Infected Zone.

South of the Infected Zone, we meet Kaulder and Sam. Kaulder is a photojournalist, and Sam is his publisher's daughter. He has been tasked with ensuring her safe return home to America...a route that must take them around the infected zone...lest they be forced to cut through it.

The film isn't so much a fight for survival against these monsters, so much as it is a pilgrimage through the land they have ravaged. There are a few unsettling and disquieting moments, but no real action and very few scares. The film plays less like DISTRICT 9 and much more like THE ROAD.

None of these details are bad qualities...they're just very unexpected. The movie is less interested in showing the viciousness of these creatures than it is showing the haunting qualities of their destructive wake. Sam and Kaulder don't seem all that afraid during their close encounters, but they sure are shook up when they walk through vigils or happen upon dead bodies.

MONSTERS does a great job of making its audience feel unsettled, but doesn't seem to be interested in actually scaring the audience. Likewise, the story does finish so much as it just stops being told. I can't really call MONSTERS a bad film, because there were a lot of scattered details about it that I liked. I can however say that I hoped it would be more than it ended up being.

MONSTERS plays TIFF once more - Sunday at 3pm. It will be available on demand on September 24th, and in limited theatres on October 29th.

TIFF Review: CHICO AND RITA

CHICO AND RITA is the second animated film I've seen at the festival this year...and for the second time, I'm in love. Like L'ILLUSIONISTE earlier this week, I have just taken in an animated film full of such life, warmth, and love...and it reminds me what the filmmaking style is supposed to be all about.

CHICO AND RITA is the story of two kindred spirits. It begins in Havana in the late 40's. Chico is a gifted Jazz pianist, and his best friend Ramon does what he can to act as his representation. One night out on the town, Chico lays eyes on Rita and gets hit by a thunderbolt: as he hears her sing a slow soulful rendition of "Besame Mucho", he knows he's in love.

He courts her (or harasses her long enough, depending on how you look at it), and Ramon lends a hand to help the two become musical collaborators. While they endure a fiery "on-again/off-again" dynamic, there is no denying that the two make beautiful music together. That is until an American swoops Rita out from under Chico and brings her to New York where she becomes a big star. After some hesitation, Chico and Ramon move to New York as well...and become part of the city's jazz scene in the early 1950's.

This film is very classic hollywood, and truly a work of art. Combining a look of watercolour and acrylics, the film has been tenderly constructed to draw us into Chico & Rita's world. The camera sweeps and pans its way through a bygone era in both Havana and New York, leaving us with no question how such lively cities could be the stage for such tender love, and such passionate music. As the neverending soundtrack continued to pulse, I found myself swaying in my seat, and fixated with this story of love and torment.

It's rare that I fall for a film whose influences are so prevalent (SINGIN IN THE RAIN, CASABLANCA, and MAMBO KINGS are in play here, amongst others)...but this film isn't interested in just winking at its forefathers. It wants us to surrender ourselves to this journey the way we surrendered ourselves to those journeys. To accomplish that, the film works for our affection through intricate relationships, glorious artwork, and innovative direction.

In an age where animated movies usually centre around celebrities voicing talking animals, films like CHICO AND RITA are a breath of fresh air. They remind us of where the medium came from, and what it can still be. This is a film that is sure to draw an audience in with wonderful organic artwork, and then use some soulful music and complexed romantic notions to pin the audience in place. It is a rare gem, and a film that I hope more people get to see.

CHICO AND RITA plays TIFF twice more- Friday September 17th at 9am, and finally on Sunday September 19th at 9:15pm

TIFF Review: PEEP WORLD

Think your family's crazy?

PEEP WORLD is about a wicked dysfunctional dynamic. There's the patriarch who would rather build skyscrapers than be a role model. The eldest son who always does the right thing, even if it makes him a pushover. The second oldest son who's been to rehab twice and always seems to be borrowing money. The daughter who's suing her own sibling and stringing along a schlub from Jews for Jesus. And finally the youngest son - the source of much recent strife - who has hit it big by publishing a novel called "Peep World"...which is unfortunately very closely based on all of them.

While PEEP WORLD seems to pull its punch slightly, it contains a lot of tender and funny moments. It's the sort of story that reminds you that no matter how successful you become in the world, being with family has a way of reducing you to your lowest point of self esteem.

Feeling a bit like an Elmore Leonard novel, PEEP WORLD wants to tell us that family dynamics - or lack thereof - come from the top down. So when you get a brood like this that are essentially a family full of fuckups, all you have to do is look at the parents and you'll see where it all went wrong. Then again, one could chalk it up to an inability to let things go. Letting go of grudges can sometimes be a tough thing, though Taraji Henson gets off the best line about that.

PEEP WORLD feels like it just misses the mark, but is filled with wonderful character moments - namely a monologue by Rainn Wilson, and a dinner table conversation between Michael C. Hall and Ron Rifkin. It's charming, funny, and includes some very amusing set pieces. Most of all, PEEP WORLD wants us to understand that even where family is concerned, it's never too late to let go and move forward.

PEEP WORLD plays TIFF once more - Sunday September 19th at 8:45pm

TIFF Review: I SAW THE DEVIL

There's that old line about needing to fight fire with fire...that to defeat evil you must become evil yourself. Seldom has that notion been better told than in I SAW THE DEVIL, the latest film from Korean director Kim Ji-Woon.

The film focuses on a killer - a man named Kyung-chul played by Oldboy himself, Min-sik Choi. He kills randomly, with no pattern or purpose, and one night kills a young women just moments after she hangs up the phone with her fiancee Joo-Yeon. Unfortunately for Kyung-chul, this was the wrong move, since Joo-Yeon is so devestated by her murder, that he comes looking for him to reap his own brand of justice.

Joo-Yeon isn't just looking to find Kyung-chul and kill him - an eye for an eye as it were. No, he wants Kyung-chul to feel every ounce of pain that he and his lost love felt and continue to feel. Thus the two become involved in a wickedly vicious game of catch-and-release.

As I mentioned in the podcast, this could easily be the most violent movie I have ever watched. Kim Ji-Woon makes you feel every stab and slice, and employs some of the most painful tricks imaginable. While the cut I saw is likely not going to be the cut that plays to the masses, it's still gonna be a tough go - so don't say I didn't warn you.

Violence aside, its the story of I SAW THE DEVIL that's so enticing. This is not just a manhunt, but a game between two twisted men who seem to have lost all regard for society's rules. They find themselves playing a twisted game of cat-and-mouse, and neither one really seems all that interested in actually winning so much as they want to see how long they can keep playing.

dark and demented as it all is, it has a certain poetry about it that keeps you with the movie when you might otherwise walk out/turn off the dvd. It is perfectly constructed and even keeps the viewer engaged past the point where it feels like the film should end...but it doesn't end because there's still one more step to take.

Quite simply, the film is an amazing watch...just don't say I didn't warn you.

I SAW THE DEVIL plays TIFF once more -Today at 5:30pm

Wicked Little Town: The Matineecast @ TIFF Part iii

It was a day where I rested up and got ready for the final push, but it wasn't all gonna be spent on my couch - there are movies to see dammit!

Part three of this series finds me on the University of Toronto campus talking about an unforgettable film goodness with Shane from The Toronto Film Scene. Take a listen...



(Go here or to iTunes to listen if the embedded player doesn't start)

Here's what's in store in WLT Part Three...

Runtime: 10 minutes, 04 seconds
Up for Discussion - Kim Ji-Woon's I SAW THE DEVIL

Comments and feedback are welcome, and thank-you very much for listening.

Enjoy!

TIFF Review: BALADA TRISTE DE TROMPETA (THE LAST CIRCUS)

As much as I love getting a jump on seeing films like 127 HOURS and LET ME IN...it's movies like BALADA TRISTE (or THE LAST CIRCUS as it's being called in english) that always stick with me when festivals end. There the sort of film that are are unlike anything I've seen before...and quite often, there films that I never get to see again.

The story uses the backdrop of a circus. In the beginning, a circus performance is interrupted to recruit all able-bodied men into The Spanish Revolution. Thus, a battle scene takes place that includes a machete wielding clown in full make-up. The clown is ultimately taken captive, but his son Javier is still free. Thirty-something years later, Javier returns to the circus life, and gets himself a job as the sad clown. He is assisting Sergio, who happens to have a girlfriend named Natalia - the circus' acrobat.

The three enter into an odd little love triangle of conflicting personalities. While a love triangle might not seem all that interesting, believe me such soap operas become very memorable when they involve daredevil motorcyclists and jealous elephants.

BALADA TRISTE won't be for everyone as it has some moments of brutal violence, and what some have called blatant misogyny (the director begs to differ). But in a world where it feels like we've seen everything, seeing two clowns go at it with knives and shotguns is certainly novel.

I believe the best way to sum the movie up, is to repeat what my friend James said to me as we sat down to watch the show: Prepare for Opera. This is a spectacle of melodrama, tragedy, vengeance, and lavishness. Every action is driven by passion - political, romantic, personal and misguided. And just like most operas out there, ya just know that it can't possibly end well. BALADA TRISTE is a little tough to watch at times, but completely unforgettable.

BALADA TRISTE plays TIFF once more - Sunday September 19th at 9:15pm

Breathe (Thoughts on TIFF Day 5 & 6)

So as the title of this post suggests, today I found myself thankful for the chance to take a breath amongst all of this running around town. Not to say that I'm not enjoying myself (since I surely am)...just that by the end of the day yesterday I found myself a touch weary. With only one screening today, I'm enjoying the chance to recharge and get ready for the final four day push.

Monday began by watching SUPER with Courtney from Small Mind. If I haven't said this yet, allow me to now - I am truly lucky to have made so many moviegoing friends as it has made this festival especially fun. As you might or might not have heard by now, Courtney and I took a moment and parlayed our thoughts on SUPER into a podcast - which also includes a short conversation with SUPER director James Gunn.


The day then took me to 127 HOURS, which as you now know I loved. Speaking of friends I caught a lucky bounce as it was looking like I'd be watching this alone, until my new volunteer friend showed up and was nice enough to wait in the ticketholders line with me and shoot the breeze on movies and TV. Once the screening was done, there was a rather lively and brief Q&A with director Danny Boyle. This is the third time I've been witness to one of his TIFF conversations, and if I have my way I won't miss any of his future ones. The guy is really lively, and indeed quite gracious when it comes to interacting with fans.

From there it was on to a mid-festival pub night. It brought back a memory or two actually, as TIFF was where the pub night idea began two festivals ago. It was certainly great to catch up with everyone, meet some new folks, and raise a glass...or four.

After a night's sleep to sober up, we find ourselves on Tuesday which began with Julian Schnabel's MIRAL. I got a bit of a laugh where my MIRAL experience was concerned. See, I was trying to rally up with Matthew Price from MAMO for this screening, but there was no sign of him as the lights went down. After the screening, I got a message "Overslept - didn't make it to MIRAL". Matthew, in case you didn't know, is trying to squeeze in over sixty movies. Think I'm nuts for doing 21? I point you to exhibit A.

The afternoon took me to LET ME IN which was a fun watch (one where I caught up with yet another old friend), but one that left me perplexed as there were an inordinate number of empty seats. My guess is that most people who come to TIFF are deep lovers of LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, and thus already predisposed to stay away - or stay away during the festival anyway.

After a brief stop home to recharge, I was off to my late show BALADA TRISTE, which took me to The Scotiabank Theatre for the first time. It's here where the weariness caught up with me as I found myself drifting in and out of sleep while waiting for the movie to begin. Must have been snoozing pretty soundly as I didn't even notice James and Sasha take their seats three rows behind me.

The weariness really didn't go away, as I was fighting to stay awake through what was a really wild film.

Oh well...at the very least it all led to a good night's sleep, and a renewed vigour for the last few days.

TIFF Review: MIRAL

The Miral is a wild red flower that grows on the side of the road. That in itself is an encouraging thought - that something so beautiful can endure in harsh conditions. It raises the possibilty that other beautiful entities can endure in harsh conditions...like peace and hope.

MIRAL, a film by director Julian Schnabel is a story of the middle east peace process, told through the eyes of those who are living it. It begins with a gesture of humanity: the founding of a Jerusalem school for orphaned children. This act by Hind al-Husseini is more than just charity, it's a step towards peace. Since information and education is the only way to alleviate the fear that causes intolerance, al-Husseini's gesture is an extraordinary step towards a better future.

Thirty years after the school is founded, seven-year-old arab named Miral is brought there by her father after her mother's death. Miral grows into a strong-willed teenager, and begins to feel a calling to her people's struggle. It's here that she starts to become politically active, and faces tough choices when it comes to doing the right thing, and believing in the right causes.

MIRAL is an intense and affecting story, one filled with many moments of very sad beauty. It's a film that might leave many people blinded by politics, where they should instead be listening to the deeper message of communication. It's not interested in shocking us with the gory details of acts of political violence. It wants us instead to focus on compromise, understanding, and on making peace.

Much of the film feels blurry around the edges, evoking the notion of a story that is weary from how long it has gone on...but one that still wants to endure and reach its final chapter. It has moments of humour, moments of tension, and moments of sorrow. Through all of that, like is titular flower, it endures...and remains a thing of beauty.

MIRAL will be getting a limited release this December.

TIFF Review: LET ME IN

If my TIFF coverage had such thing as a most requested post - this would be it.

As many of you know, this film is Matt Reeves American adaptation of John Lindqvist's novel Let The Right One In, which has already been adapted into the Swedish film of the same name.

First thing's first - no, it's not bad. At all. Reeves has brought a gentle touch to the film and handled both the horror and the relationship of Owen and Abby very well. The film is quiet, beautiful, terrifying and patient. Both of the two young actors inhabit their roles in a way that gives the roles wonderful nuance, it's Smit-McPhee that stands out. He finds a mix of isolation and fear that is well beyond his years, and will break your heart in a scene where he picks up a phone to call his father.

By now I'm sure you're wondering whether it's as good (nay better) than the original. I'm here to tell you that the question is irrelevant. Some will find the Swedish original as a masterpiece that should never have been re-interpreted. But I say that if this song was going to be covered, that it couldn't have gone much better than this. Would I prefer that audiences see LET THE RIGHT ONE IN instead of this? You bet. But if someone asked me whether they should watch this, SAW 3-D, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 come October...the answer is simple.

There is a lot to like about LET ME IN, everything from the feelings it evokes of being bullied, to the violence it lets loose whenever Abby needs to do what she does best. After the screening Matt Reeves expressed how big a fan he was of the original, and how hesitant he was to make this version. The former point will come through on the screen, the latter point speaks volumes about his character as a creative talent.

Whether or not you see it is entirely up to you. If we're basing the decision on whether or not you feel the original should have been remade, I can follow your logic either way. All I would suggest is to come into it with an open mind, and focus on what's on the screen instead of what isn't.

LET ME IN opens in theatres everywhere on October 1st

TIFF Review: SUPER

There's that old line about how great power comes great responsibility. Unfortunately, if you've seldom picked up a comic book - you probably don't know about the added responsibility. Meet Exhibit A: Frank D'Arbo...or The Crimson Bolt as he comes to be known.

Frank is the centre of SUPER, a film by director James Gunn (not Tim Gunn as I accidentally called him in a previously posted podcast). He believes the day he married the very damaged (and way too hot for him) Sarah was one of the two perfect moments in his life. So when this bit of perfection he calls a marriage slips away from him, he finds himself without a moral compass. It's around this tim that he turns to God.

Either it wasn't God who answers him, or he didn't quite catch what God says, because he soon believe's that he is destined to fight lowlives like the ones who cost him his wife. Thus he becomes The Crimson Bolt - the most ramshackle superhero you could ever imagine.

SUPER is a solid movie, thanks in large part to the comedic timing of Rainn Wilson. He plays the schlub very well, but he plays it as a witty lumbering schlub that continually make you wonder what he'll do or say next. He's a cautionary tale as to why everyday people aren't all supposed to be heroes. He dashes off for drastic feats of daring do without a whole lot of forethought, and he eventually can't seem to understand what calls for vigilante justice...and what calls for a stern tone.

Wilson's spotlight is damned near stolen by Ellen Page in this film. Ellen plays Libby - a comic shop clerk who takes an odd fascination in Frank. The fascination makes the jump to hyperspace when she finds out that Frank is The Crimson Bolt. It's right about this time that she tries to talk him into being his sidekick. Bad idea. If Robin is Batman's moral centre, and the only thing that keeps him from slipping off the edge, then Libby is The Anti-Robin. With a vengeance.

SUPER is not going to jive with mass audiences, but with each passing day I'm believing more and more that mass audiences don't have a clue anyway.The film is clever, funny, and rather violent cautionary tale about what can happen when you mistakenly believe "you've been chosen". Should be hitting theatres in the near future - keep an eye out for it.

TIFF Review: 127 HOURS

And with that, we have a favorite.

Up until yesterday, when somebody asked me which of the six films I'd seen so far was my favorite, I tended to answer with L'ILLUSIONISTE or THE TRIP...both of which were fun and memorable. But yesterday afternoon, I was rocked to the core by a film that will be difficult to knock off as my festival favorite - even with more than a dozen screenings still to go. The film of course, is 127 HOURS.

127 HOURS is the true story of Aron Rolston (James Franco) an outdoors adventurer who managed to get himself stuck in the Blue John Canyon in Moab, Utah. Specifically, he dislodged a boulder and managed to get his arm pinned underneath it. Rolston is miles away from anything resembling help, he has limited water and precious little food, and no amazingly handy tools. Just moments after he has fallen, the clock starts to tick on his chances of survival.

127 HOURS is beautiful, gripping, and wickedly intense. There have been stories of people being taken out of this film by medic, and I can understand why. The big payoff is a moment of such uneasiness, that I darned near made the piece of gum I was chewing a permanent part of my upper molar.

James Franco has no problem carrying most of this film all his own, and director Danny Boyle has found an inventive way to keep us locked into a story about one many all alone for more than five days.

Despite the gritty subject matter, 127 HOURS is filled with humour and charm. I'll get into deeper detail when it gets released, but I'm happy to say that one of the films I was anticipating most during this festival did not disappoint.

127 HOURS plays TIFF once more - Saturday September 18th at 6pm. It will get a limited release November 5th.

Wicked Little Town: The Matineecast @ TIFF Part ii

The filmgoing madness continues...and now we've added beer to the mix.

Part two of this series finds me at The Duke of Kent Pub talking about TIFF-y goodness with Courtney of Big Thoughts. This episode also includes a short bit of chatter with Tim Gunn, the director of SUPER. Take a listen...



(Go here or to iTunes to listen if the embedded player doesn't start)

Here's what's in store in WLT Part Two...

Runtime: 16 minutes, 12 seconds
Up for Discussion - James Gunn's SUPER.

Comments and feedback are welcome, and thank-you very much for listening.

Enjoy!

TIFF Review: TAMARA DREWE

Stephen Frears latest film TAMARA DREWE is an interesting morsel indeed. It is full of moments that seem contrived and overplayed, but it is also full of moments of profound truth and tenderness. The question audiences will need to ask themselves, is whether the good times make the bad times worth it - and for my money they did.

TAMARA DREWE takes place at a writers' retreat. The retreat is a farm run by noted author Nicholas Hardiment and his supportive wife Beth. They open up their farm to writers looking to find their voice. One afternoon, a prodigal daughter returns to the area in the form of Tamara Drewe (Gemma Arteton). Drewe used to live at the estate next door but left the rural life for London long ago. She has a way of affecting the men around her to act very stupid, so her return does a great job of upsetting the order of things.

Arteton plays Drewe in a very spritely manner. In flashback, we see that she grew up having all the wiles to drive boys crazy, but none of the maurity to understand the consequences. Now some years later, she has returned, still wiley and even more confident. Still no sign of maturity though.

The movie takes an honest tact when looking at true love and the deceits that can mar it. There were characters I could have given a movie all their own - like Beth, Andy the farmhand, and Glen the author who comes for the retreat. Likewise, I could have done without the teenaged nymphs who spur on a lot of the troubles these characters inspire; but in the end they are the driving force behind this tale taking it to its shocking (and I do mean shocking conclusion).

All told, I need to ruminate a little longer on TAMARA DREWE. The film is very sweet, though a bit faulty. However, it features one whopper of an ending that very well could forgive every fault hat led us there. It might not make any Best-Of lists, but it was indeed an entertaining tale.

TAMARA DREWE opens in theatres on October 8th

Early in the Morning (Thoughts on TIFF Day 4)

As my alarm went off this morning, I was reminded of my favorite bit of irony surrounding TIFF. See, I take vacation time from work to soak up as much of the festival as I can. However, even though I'm on vacation, I'm not exactly drowning in R&R. As it happens, I spend most of the week waking up and leaving Casa del Hatter earlier than I do on a weekday. The things I do for my movie geekery...


While I wasn't there to witness this bit of awesomeness, the star encounters continued on Sunday. Lady Hatter and her little sis caught the premiere of GRIFF THE INVISIBLE, which stars Ryan Kwanten as a do-it-yourself superhero. When the screening was over, Lady Hatter flexed her paparazzi muscles and got that rather cute pic of her sister with Young Mister Stackhouse.

I suppose it's safe to say that Saturday night taught me my lesson, since after our Coogan & Brydon encounter, I dutifully packed my camera into my bag. 'Twas a good move indeed. Along with getting arty and taking the shot at the top of this post, it also came in handy at the premiere of TAMARA DREWE last night. Allowed me to get these snaps of director Stephen Frears and the film's star Gemma Arteton.


SUPER and 127 HOURS are on tap today...along with a gathering of the Toronto Movie Bloggers to hoist a pint...or two...or three...

TIFF Review: THE ILLUSIONIST (L'ILLUSIONNISTE)

back in 2003, Sylvain Chomet's brilliant TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE got past me. I didn't see it at the festival...wasn't even on my radar. So when I skimmed the list of films coming to TIFF this year, I was determined not make the same mistake I twice.

As you may or may not have heard on The Matineecast, L'ILLUSIONISTE dazzles from the moment the curtain opens...even if it takes a few tries to get that curtain open. The title refers to a magician who tries hard, but often finds himself struggling for steady work. When he's hired to bring his act to Scotland, his luck takes an uptick when he meets the sweetest young lady who believes in him in every way possible.

This might not seem like that compelling of a story, but it features an ill-tempered bunny, a hip bunch of gunslingers named Billy Boy & The Britoons, an inn that seems to be run by Barnum & Bailey and a lot of child-like wonder.

The 2-D animation is truly stunning to behold, and all has a glorious painterly quality to it. In addition, it is all set to a script written by French comic Jacques Tati. It all comes together wonderfully to form something truly charming, and also beautifully melancholy. It's a pure film that communicates so much with so little dialogue.

THE ILLUSIONIST is a film that wants us to believe - to believe in ourselves, to believe in possibilities, and indeed to believe in magic. It leads us down a very emotional path, sparking a lot of laughs and a few tears before the journey's end. In a year that has brought us some wonderful animated films, it makes a strong case for being the best one yet.

THE ILLUSIONIST plays TIFF once more - Sunday September 19th at 6:30. It will get a limited North American release this Christmas.

Wicked Little Town: The Matineecast @ TIFF Part i

The audio content begins! I recorded this one out on the street, which had me feeling a bit like Simon & Jo.

Part one of this series finds me at The Elgin Theatre having a post-screening chat with Bob Turnbull of Eternal Sunshine. Take a listen to the post-film conversation...



(Go here or to iTunes to listen if the embedded player doesn't start)

Here's what's in store in WLT Part One...

Runtime: 11 minutes, 18 seconds
Up for Discussion - Sylvain Chomet's THE ILLUSIONIST

Comments and feedback are welcome, and thank-you very much for listening.

Enjoy!