Day 6 - Tue Sep 14
- Waking up early to the sound of revving engines of a garbage truck was not part of the plan today, especially since I did not hit the sack last night until 2:30. This could only mean one thing - no matter how compelling my movies today would be, I would be nodding off through them. I could only pray that I would not start to snore. And not being a coffee drinker, I would be looking for chocolate and sugar fixes. My stash of Bija chocolate has been depleted. What to do? What to do?
- Despite the early wake-up call and feeling like I'd been hit by the garbage truck that woke me up today, the memory of seeing renowned critic Roger Ebert and his wife the other day while in line at a screening at the Scotiabank was triggered. Ebert, who as a result of throat cancer and countless surgeries, is a wisp of the man he once was and would be unrecognizable to most. But I saw the couple on Oprah last year talking about their recent travails. They really share quite a beautiful love story - Ebert and his wife, that is, not Oprah and Ebert. As Michael Douglas struggles through throat cancer, one can't help wondering what fate awaits him - will his father Kirk survive him?
- Wisely, I scheduled a little down time after my third movie so I could chill out before having to teach my two yoga classes in the evening. However, despite that fact that 99.9999% of the time, my condo is a quiet peaceful haven, today my next door neighbour chose to do some hammering and drilling when I got home. My plans for a power nap were thwarted.
Tears of Gazahttp://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2010/tearsofgaza
Vibeke Lokkeberg, Norway A powerful and emotionally devastating record of the impact the 2008-2009 bombings of Gaza had on the civilian population. | ContemplationsI got squeezed out of my first choice for this morning and starting the day with a movie about how war in the Gaza strip affects families, and particularly children, was not my preference. It was tough to watch, especially the numerous scenes shot in hospitals. Actually, I could not watch them, but even just listening to the sounds of children crying and parents wailing led to streams of tears flowing down my face.
I am aware that yesterday I said that the most powerful war films are the ones that focus on the aftermath of war. But I was wrong. Watching children talk about witnessing their parents or siblings die, seeing their homes blown up, and speaking about their lack of hope is absolutely devastating. Director Vibeke Lokkeberg was present for a Q&A. She was inspired to make the movie after seeing one of the children featured in her film being interviewed on television. But because journalists and filmmakers were banned from this war zone, a blatant attempt to censor and control the information leaking out of here, she was not able to shoot the footage herself. Instead, Lokkeberg hired locals to interview and film her subjects. She said this process worked in her favour because, these days, the locals are so suspicious of foreigners that she felt they would not have opened up to her the way they did to the people she hired. Nonetheless, her direction from afar worked and you would never know she had not participated in the actual filming. This documentary is quite extraordinary, but I don't know how any parent could watch this movie without falling apart. I was sobbing throughout. |
Submarinehttp://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2010/submarine
Richard Ayoade, UK British comic Richard Ayoade delivers his hotly-anticipated feature debut Submarine. One boy must fight to save his mother from the advances of a mystic and simultaneously lure his eczema-strafed girlfriend into the bedroom armed with only a vast vocabulary and near-total self-belief. His name is Oliver Tate. | ContemplationsAs I moved from a movie about children in a war zone to another Brit coming of age story, the tonal change was rather dramatic. But the levity was most welcome.
Submarine's script is superb, very literate, and very humourous. It has the tone of a Wes Anderson film, so if you like his films, you'll be well entertained by this one. The story follows the life of Oliver, a neurotic lad growing up in Wales in the 70's. His parents are equally neurotic - a family who puts the "fun" in dysfunction. How do any of us survive adolescence? Director Richard Ayoade and his two young costars were on hand for the Q&A. I am not familiar with Ayoade as a comic, but he had everyone in stitches with his razor sharp answers. And at one point he was making fun of a couple who got up and left the Q&A early, but they weren't even aware that he was teasing them. Gosh it was funny. This film has been getting a lot of buzz, so it may very well hit North American theatres. |
Rabbit Holehttp://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2010/rabbithole
John Cameron Mitchell, USA A family navigates the deepest form of loss in John Cameron Mitchell's screen adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning play by David Lindsay-Abaire. Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart deliver captivating performances as a husband and wife who fight to save their marriage in the life that begins again after tragedy. | ContemplationsJohn Cameron Mitchell has earned a place in my list of directors to follow based on his two previous films, both very bold: Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Shortbus. I was confident, therefore, that this movie about a couple trying to find their new normal after the death of their young son would be deftly handled by Mitchell.
Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhardt have believable chemistry. Kidman plays another ice queen role, but in this story, there is a dormant warmth itching to surface. Other great performances come from Dianne Weist as Kidman's mother and Sandra Oh in a smaller supporting role. This film could easily have turned into another one of those "movies about white people's problems," (I can't remember who coined this term, but it should become another genre category), but it goes beyond that. It's a really fascinating treatment about dealing with the death of a child and the writer's thoughtful script can be credited with the movie's success. Mitchell, Eckhardt, and writer David Lindsay-Abaire were joined by lead actress and producer Nicole Kidman for the Q&A. Yup, she made an appearance and was quite gracious and modest throughout the question period. She was dressed in jeans and a very cool tailored jacket. Her obvious disinterest in creating a splash with her wardrobe (yes, it was a daytime screening, but most Hollywood starlets generally do the designer dress thing at these Q&A's) was admirable. She was there to promote the movie, not her image. |
Buriedhttp://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2010/buried
Rodrigo Cortes, Spain/USA When Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) wakes up six feet underground with no idea who put him there or why, life for the truck driver and family man instantly becomes a hellish struggle for survival. Buried with only a cell phone and a lighter, poor reception, a rapidly draining battery and a dwindling oxygen supply become his worst enemies in a tightly confined race against time. | ContemplationsI remember hesitating before selecting Buried. Watching a guy in a box for a couple of hours - hmm. But I remembered Joel Schumacher's Phone Booth, which was shot almost entirely in a phone booth. This film had an even braver premise - literally one cast member, Ryan Reynolds, is trapped in a coffin. There's no flashbacks or setup scenes. It's all, yes, shot in a box.
Well, Rodrigo Cortes' incredible direction, editing and lighting, and Chris Sparling's brilliant and fresh script combined with Reynolds' Oscar-worthy performance made this film a tour de force. I'm not going to give away anything about the story. You'll just have to see it and watch the thrilling tale unravel, one unexpected twist at a time. Cortes, Sparling and the very tall Reynolds were at the screening. Cortes was rather comedic and self-deprecating. I'm not sure he's fully grasped the fact that he has a winner on his hands. He talked about his creative lighting and using seven different boxes to achieve the shots he used. Reynolds felt a little uncomfortable confessing that the 17-day shoot was a gruelling one and not something he considered fun. At the same time, he was sincerely grateful to have been a part of the project and of this creative team. He really was quite adorable, pointing out his mom in the audience. Wife Scarlett Johansson, however, was not in attendance. Unfortunately, his teen fans were present in significant numbers. |