Day 5 - Mon Sep 13
- I think I may have set a TIFF record today - six films in one day. And I have another six-flick day later in the week. Trust me, it was not by choice, but resulted from having to fit 50 movies into 11 days and TIFF making changes to the schedule this year that worked against 50-movie pass holders.
- It was a challenging day from the get go with the King Streetcars disappearing into a black hole this morning and having to share a cab with a former neighbour. After that, the day was going as smoothly as one could expect until the projector broke down before my screening at the Wintergarden. There was a half-hour delay, so I got to my subsequent movie about 20 minutes late (and it was a good movie).
- My last film of the day was a friggin' scary horror movie, so after leaving the theatre and taking the back route across Ryerson campus, there was absolutely no one around. The wind picked up and the shadows suddenly became eerie and my heart beat elevated to a critical level. I got to the subway just fine, but the scariest part of the journey home was actually on the streetcar. I sat behind a guy who was clearly strung out on something pretty heavy duty and he kept jumping to his feet and singing Black is Black as he stomped his feet and then swung his legs in all directions. Never a dull moment.
Superhttp://www.tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2010/super
James Gunn, USA After his wife (Liv Tyler) leaves him for a drug dealer (Kevin Bacon), a frustrated husband (Rainn Wilson) decides he will win her back as Crimson Bolt, a costumed vigilante armed with a monkey wrench. His actions bring him an admirer, an overeager comic store clerk (Ellen Page) who wants to be his sidekick. | ContemplationsI'll start off by saying that this is not my kind of movie - just far too course and violent for me. And as far as movies about a regular human trying to be a super hero without any special powers, I thought Defendor, with Woody Harrelson,a far more successful treatment of this subject matter and accessible to people like me.
However, this was one of those times when the Q&A was most enlightening in terms of explaining why people make movies like this. First of all, director James Gunn (also did Slither, which I passed on seeing at the theatres), was so enthusiastic and so passionate that you couldn't help liking the guy. But when he spoke of the intentional abrupt tonal changes, the motivation behind the use of extreme violence and the story as a fable, well okay, I bought it. Even Gunn said the movie is not for everyone. But I think it will find a wide market with teen boys and men who still think they are teen boys. The film was not my cup of tea, but it is what it is. |
The Triphttp://www.tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2010/trip
Michael Winterbottom, UK Follow two good friends in this hilarious road movie as they embark on a tour of the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales of Northern England, eating, chatting and driving each other crazy. | ContemplationsIf you ever saw Michael Winterbottom's Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story and liked it, well you will love this movie. And even if you haven't seen it, you will love this movie.
The premise is simple - Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, playing themselves, go on a road trip through the countryside of Northern Engalnd, stopping off at tourist sites and trendy restaurants along the way. While en route, the two comedians endlessly spar off. The dialogue is completely improvised and the conversations range from competitions to see who can do the best Michael Caine and Sean Connery imitations to reciting Coleridge or Woodsworth in a cemetery. The end product is HILARIOUS. The belly laughs were relentless. It's hard to imagine that these two actors could be so spontaneously witty, but Coogan and Bryden were on hand for the Q&A along with Winterbottom. Winterbottom was completely overshadowed as the two actors/improvisors continued their clever banter. Again, too funny for words. What a delightful way to spend the morning. |
Armadillohttp://www.tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2010/armadillo
Janus Metz, Denmark Winner of Cannes Critics Week, Armadillo is a harrowing portrayal of the current conflict in Afghanistan. The film follows a contingent of Danish troops into the chaos of combat in a way that stirs debate over the rules of engagement. | ContemplationsI'm so not into war movies these days, but Armadillo was the first documentary to screen in the Critic’s Week competition at Cannes and then it took the top prize.
The footage is quite remarkable in terms of its proximity to the action and the extent of access the filmmaker had to the Danish troupe's activities. The director and their crew were lucky that they didn't take a bullet or two. The film is so tightly edited and the music so adeptly interwoven that it's easy to understand why the Cannes jurors singled out this documentary. But the really telling matter about this documentary is that we have become so insensitized to war and violence through the media and film that, honestly, I thought this movie was a little tame - yikes. And the film highlights how much time soldiers spend being bored and, consequently, when they do encounter combat, it becomes such a huge rush for them. I still think the best anti-war films are the ones that show the impact of war on soldiers after they return home like The Deer Hunter (which also showed the horrors of war itself), Coming Home and more recently, Brothers and, of course, The Hurt Locker. |
Everything Must Gohttp://www.tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2010/everythingmustgo
Dan Rush, USA After years devising motivational speeches, Nick Porter (Will Ferrell) is abruptly fired. He returns home to discover his wife has left him, changed the locks on their home and dumped all his possessions on the front yard. Nick comes face-to-face with a life turned inside out and discovers in total exposure an unexpected path to renewal. | ContemplationsI didn't have high expectations for Everything Must Go and it met my minimal expectations. Another movie about another guy who loses his job and his wife on the same day and subsequently falls off the wagon. And despite being verbally abusive when he's drunk, everyone still rallies around the alcoholic - after all, his father was one too - boo hoo. I was not impressed with Ferrell's performance especially in comparison to Nick Cage in Leaving Las Vegas or some of the performances of people playing alcoholics in movies I've seen over the last couple of days. Other than Will Ferrell coming on board for this film, I'm not sure how this movie got its financing. I learned nothing new about life or the human condition. It was sadly uninspiring.
Director Dan Rush was on hand for a Q&A, but because there were projector problems which delayed the start of the movie by a half hour, I had to skidaddle as soon as the credits stopped rolling. I would have left even earlier had I not been sitting in the middle of a row. |
The Big Picturehttp://www.tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2010/bigpicture
Eric Lartigau, France Paul Exben is a success story. He has a great job, a glamorous wife and two wonderful sons, except that this is not the life he has been dreaming of. A moment of madness is going to change his life, forcing him to assume a new identity that will enable him to live his life fully. | ContemplationsI was embarrassed about how late I arrived for this screening, but sometimes the universe just makes promptness impossible. I think I probably missed about 15 to 20 minutes of this movie, but despite that, I was able to get into it very quickly and to be completely absorbed by it. Now that is a testament to a really good movie.
The story starts off a little like Unfaithful with Richard Gere and Diane Lane, i.e. husband discovers his wife is having an affair, goes to confront the lover and in the heat of the moment accidentally kills his rival. However, that's where the similarities end. As the story unravels, you are always surprised at each new twist and turn. I really, really liked this movie a lot. Director Eric Lartigau was on hand along with actors Romain Duris and Branka Katic (who you might recognize from the TV series Big Love). Lartigau spoke about adapting the story, based on an American novel set in Montana, to a European setting and how he ultimately changed his ending after focus group audiences were dissatisfied with the first version. But not to worry, you won't feel like the ending is a sell-out. It's still quite open-ended. |
Let Me Inhttp://www.tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2010/letmein
Matt Keyes, UK/USA Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass) stars as Abby, a mysterious 12-year old girl, who moves next door to Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Road), a social outcast who is viciously bullied at school. As a string of grisly murders occupy the town, Owen has to confront the reality that this seemingly innocent girl is really a savage vampire. Let Me In is based on the best-selling Swedish novel Lat den Ratte Komma (Let The Right One In), and the highly-acclaimed film of the same name. | ContemplationsWhile I was sitting in the audience, listening to the introductions with director Matt Keyes (who also did the impressive Cloverfield) and they mentioned vampire movie, I thought, "Oh, no. Did I sign up for a vampire movie? Was I lucid when I did that?"
It's not that I am above enjoying a good vampire movie, but so many vampire and zombie movies of late are far too gory for me or over-stylized i.e. the Twilight series. And very few vampire movies have come close to comparing with my all-time fave, The Hunger. However, this film blew me away and it might do the same for you. Apparently there is a new label for these kinds of genre films, namely "elevated genre films." In other words, there is something about the movie that elevates it above and beyond the genre. In this case, it's the fact that this is a coming of age story that happens to involve a vampire. This film was exquisitely executed, magnificently scored, it scared the bejeezus out of me, and the two child actors were extraordinary in their roles. There wasn't too much violence throughout the movie, but it does escalate considerably towards the end, so be prepared. Matt Keyes and lead actor Kodi Smit-McPhee were on hand, but Keyes is such a delightful chatterbox that time ran out before anyone could ask any questions. Still, Keyes managed to share some interesting information about his choices and his process, including consulting with Steven Spielberg about directing children. |