TIFF recap films 55-69
Day 1: Film Socialism - had a ticket but skipped it, too exhausted already (from derby and volunteering at the Box Office) to sit through a Goddard film with no subtitles. Apparently a bunch of people walked out of the screening so I'm not too sad that I missed it.
Day 2: Passion Play - At least it was fun to see Bill Murray, and I admit that was the only reason I got a ticket to the premiere. I actually waited in line from 6am at the box office that morning. I really wanted to like the film because it was the directorial debut of the co-writer of Scrooged (among other things). But I'm really amazed that his wife, Kelly Lynch (who looks amazing at 40+), and his good friends, Bill Murray and Mickey Rourke, didn't hint to him that the script needed work. And I have to say, even Megan Fox out-acted Mickey Rourke in this film - due both to the simplicity of her role and the awful dialogue of Mickey Rourke's character. After 20 years of trying to get the film made it really could have used a fresh perspective. It didn't seem like there was much funding for the film either, based on the overall quality of the lighting and sound (personally, I think Mickey Rourke needs an expert lighting technician/DP to make him at all attractive). Piers Handling himself, the director/CEO of TIFF, introduced the film and called it brave filmmaking. Yes, you would have to be brave to make this crap and then still decide to release it. It definitely felt like a film school project, although I think the film I made in high school was better than this one.
Day 3: A short volunteer shift, I actually counted the TIFF Cadillac People's Choice ballots for Passion Play. It averaged a 3, then an equal number of 2s and 4s and then an equal number of 1s and 5s. I guess there is an audience for everything. (Yes, the ballots do actually get counted but I'm still not convinced that's how the winner is chosen)
Day 4: Jack Goes Boating - This was another directorial debut, but Phillip Seymour Hoffman actually pulls it off. Based on a play, we follow 4 characters: one couple on the verge of divorce brings together another couple who start a relationship. A sweet story that's worth seeing, but you could wait for the DVD. Amy Ryan is really great as the quirky love interest, though it's not much of a stretch from her character Holly on "The Office." I missed his Mavericks interview but Phillip Seymour Hoffman introduced the film and stayed for a Q&A with the rest of the cast. I dragged Andrew along since he's a PSH fan and I think he enjoyed it overall.
TIFF Bell Lightbox is open! I had my 2nd shift here, they managed to get floors 1-4 sorted out in time for the opening. It was still in a sorry state as of Tuesday, just 2 days earlier. All of the Canadian celebrities were around to support opening day: I saw Atom Egoyan (his exhibit "8-1/2 screens" should be seen by any Fellini fan), Sarah Polley, Deepa Mehta, Norman Jewison, Bruce McDonald, and Don McKellar. I spoke to one woman who wasn't Colleen Camp, but she's an actress who looks a lot like her. The best celebrity sighting: I worked with "Mike" from the FiberOne cereal commercial (where his bike asks him out on a date). Not trying to make a point of name dropping, but it just proves that the Bell Lightbox is already serving it's purpose as the hub of TIFF.
Midnight Madness: Vanishing on 7th St. - I was excited to see what Brad Anderson, the director of The Machinist, would bring back to TIFF. This one was unfortunately pretty disappointing, especially considering I had to work the next day and only got 3 hours of sleep. There were some decent effects, and the living shadows did freak me out…a lot (although I'm probably the only one in the audience who got scared, I admit I'm a big baby). But he really could have done a lot more. When Leguizamo disappears but then comes back when his light goes on, where did he go? (This isn't really a spoiler, but you shouldn't see this anyway so it doesn't matter) I found myself caring less and less about the 4 survivors, actually wanting them to vanish so we could follow them and see who the shadows were. Also, when we figure out that they need to be by a light, why would they not have their flashlights and glow sticks with them at all times, especially when the generator is unpredictable? Lots of flaws. It's okay if you don't want to explain everything, but don't use that as an excuse to do whatever you want within that universe. And when everyone "dies" in the exact same way it gets boring. There needs to be some sort of build to maintain any sort of suspense in a thriller like this. Anderson, Hayden Christensen and Thandie Newton were there for a Q&A, I stayed for one question. Hayden is either an idiot or maybe was just really tired when he tried to answer a question and talked about the "layers upon layers" of meaning in the film and how it was like doing a play and a movie at the same time. Seriously?
Day 5: Cave of Forgotten Dreams - I have to start out by saying that I love Werner Herzog. I've managed to see his films at TIFF the past 4 years (because he's constantly working on something), and this is the 3rd time I've been to a premiere and heard him speak. He always has a great story to tell at the Q&A. Since the documentary is in 3-D, it was shown in Cinema 1 of the TIFF Bell Lightbox. That cinema is amazing, despite the "small" screen. Each theatre is a box within a box, two layers of concrete, rubber insulation, acoustical paneling - the sound is fantastic. The only problem with that much insulation is you can hear someone talking across the room like they are right next to you. So you have to hope you have a good/respectful audience. Herzog's narration thundered all around us, with everyone wearing 3-D glasses I felt like we were at a planetarium or something. As far as the documentary goes, it's about a cave in France that was discovered (less than 20 years ago) to have pre-historic cave drawings and bones of species now extinct. It's not open to tourists or journalists in order to keep it preserved so Herzog was the first film maker to receive access. I thought the 3-D was really effective, like the depth you feel in opening shot or how the cave drawings wrap around the walls and seem to protrude from the screen. It's actually pretty significant how whoever made the drawings used the curves of the walls to emphasize the shape of the animals. The thought that the drawings were made some 30,000 years ago is pretty mind blowing. And if you loved the iguanas in Bad Lieutenant:POCN, you'll love the doppelganger-albino-radioactive-mutant-3D-crocodiles. This is pure Herzog so, in other words, not for everyone. If you aren't a Herzog fan, or a lover of art history, geology, anthropology, archaeology, then you probably won't be interested. Honestly, since I had been to the Midnight Madness the night before I had a hard time staying awake. There is an original score that a friend compared to that music they play at a spa to make you relaxed. And we are shown a lot of the same drawings over and over again so without anything new to go on it does feel a bit long. There was a point where the screen went black, and since it was at what seemed like a stopping point in the film some of us thought (hoped?) it was over. But then one of the theatre reps came in explaining technical difficulties. So there were about 15 minutes left. Herzog announced during the break that it's the first time they've played 3-D in that theatre, so he was pretty understanding about it. However, his producer wouldn't let it go and made several wise cracks during the Q&A. Apparently there was some sort of power outage in all of the theatres so it wasn't just a 3-D issue. I still liked it better than most people. Roger Ebert was at the same screening, here's his write-up: http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/09/shadows_on_the_walls_of_our_ca.html
Day 6: Machete Maidens Unleashed! - a documentary on genre films made in the Philippines in the 60’s and 70’s. The director, Mark Hartley (Not Quite Hollywood), was there to introduce the film and the programmer later stole one of his lines to introduce a Midnight Madness film: "if you are here to see anything insightful or learn anything you are better off out in the lobby reading a book." And that does sum things up pretty well. I found it entertaining to see clips of the films and learn about the industry during that time, however it fails as a documentary to really say much. We have Roger Corman and John Landis as talking heads all the way through to guide us, but it’s more like an "E! True Hollywood Story" than an examination of exploitation film. But then, as the director said, it wasn't meant to be anything scholarly.
Had another shift at the Bell Lightbox. Saw Shirley Henderson (Moaning Myrtle), Bruce Greenwood, Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me), and George Strombolopoulos.
Day 7: I Saw the Devil - the director, Ji-woon Kim (Tale of Two Sisters), said David Fincher’s Zodiac inspired this film. It reminded me more of The Chaser, another great Korean thriller about a serial killer and a cop trying to film him before he kills his latest victim (go out and find that one). Old Boy’s Min-sik Choi does a great job as a creepy psychopath and The Good the Bad and the Weird's Byung-hun Lee is a great cold secret agent out for revenge. I think I enjoyed this film more than others because my TIFF had been kinda mediocre and this one was finally what I was looking for. A few cliché plot lines, but I still recommend it. It's a bit of a morality play, how one has to become evil to fight evil, but in the end is there really a winner of their cat and mouse game?
The House By the Medlar Tree (Malavoglia) - I try to see an Italian film every TIFF, generally I don't know anything about it except that it's in Italian. This was a really great modern take on a novel I'd read in school, which the Visconti film La Terra Trema (1948) was based on. He used non-actors from the town it was filmed in and that worked to create a more true-to-life appearance. The director proved a story from 1881 can still be relevant today. Basically, how the youth traditionally support their family and continue in their father's footsteps, but there is always resistance from the younger generation. It also shows how much a fisherman relies on a strong boat and good weather (and no oil spills). The director was there and I almost completely understood his intro and the Q&A. Makes me want to go back to Italy.
Day 8: No films today, just another Lightbox shift. Saw Kevin Spacey on my way in, outside Roy Thompson Hall. He later came by the Lightbox with the other talent from Casino Jack. I held the door for them on the way out, got an unexpected "thank you" from both Kevin Spacey and Kelly Preston (super pregnant but still rocking the high-heels). Barry Pepper and Jon Lovitz just seemed like they were done with the promos and wanted to get away from people. Also saw Bruce LaBruce, apparently his film L.A. Zombie wasn't as pornographic as people were expecting.
Day 9: The Butcher, The Chef, and the Swordsman. This was a Midnight Madness film I saw on it's 2nd screening at 6:30pm. I think it would have been a lot more fun at midnight. Not awful, but a very Chinese film that maybe I just wasn't quite in the right mindset for. It was a struggle to let go and just enjoy the silliness (particularly of the Butcher and his friend). I liked the story within a story within a story concept, but was really only interested in one of the three stories (The Chef).
Poetry - a big standout of the festival for me. I loved it. The main actress was amazing and I really felt for her character. A tragic story that drew me in and really tugged on the heart strings at the end. There are two different stories woven together, we aren't told too much or too little. The glimpse into gender roles in Korean society is I think what made me feel for the main character the most.
Day 10 - My last shift at the Lightbox. This highlight was Faye Dunaway asking if she could skip the ticket-holder’s line. She grabbed my hand as she laughed and thanked me for letting her through. Away From Her was a free screening and Sarah Polley did an introduction. I love how most Canadian actors are so down to earth.
In general, things at the Lightbox were a bit of a mess as far as being a volunteer and trying to control the line-ups, hopefully things will run smoother next year. Great building, but I don't think the architects considered what happens when 500 people are coming into a screening, while 800 people are coming out.
Black Swan - I wish I saw the same film that everyone else gushing about it saw. I agree that it's extremely well done, essentially a perfect film, but I was distracted too much by the Aronofsky craziness and couldn't fully take it all in and appreciate it. Some of the scenes were so freaky I had to close my eyes. Way more scary than Vanishing. Natalie Portman gives a great performance, transforming from a prude perfectionist to a competitive/evil Black Swan. I don't get the people that are surprised by her. Maybe she hasn't done many great dramas, but she's never sucked in anything I've seen her in. In any case, there was rightfully a lot of buzz around Black Swan. I recommend watching The Red Shoes while you wait for this to come to theatres. It would probably also help that you know the story of Swan Lake, although it is explained at the start of the film. The more I think about it, the more I realize how brilliant it is, so I'm going to give it another shot. Eventually I will stop seeing Winona Ryder in my kitchen, right?
Fire of Conscience. The last Midnight Madness screening and another disappointment. The opening sequence was actually really cool. But then I got lost trying to keep the story lines straight. And I didn't really care about any of the characters, there were so may of them they don't get developed much. That would have been okay if it had actually been the "high-octane action thriller" that was promised.
Day 11 - Cold Fish. Based on a true story about serial murders centered around a fish store in Japan. I liked almost everything about it, but then it crossed a line for me. I can't talk about it without some minor spoilers here. I was fine with the dismembering bodies and the seduction and promiscuity. But then when people started laughing and cheering when the guy was going crazy and raping his wife in front of his daughter, it lost me. I get that the audience was enjoying that release after 2 hours of a slow-build and a weak main character suddenly takes charge and goes crazy, but it just pulled me out of the film and made me wonder who the director wanted us to root for, if anyone. It really was more the audience reaction more than the film itself, so I would actually still recommend it. I'm curious how it will play at Fantastic Fest.
Three - the latest from Tom Tykwer, the director of Run Lola Run. I almost saw a different film instead, but I'm glad I saw this one. I love the opening sequence, comparing one's lifeline to power lines. It's a love triangle that is really well crafted and unfolds perfectly. In a world where today's headline is (seriously) "Monogamy No Longer Top Priority," I can appreciate a film that shows you can be in love with 2 people at the same time.
Red Nights - So anyone who's seen this awful film are going to cringe when they hear I saw this at 5:45pm on Sunday rather than try to "rush" 13 Assassins. Oh what a mistake that was. I also should have done some research on how this played at midnight the night before. A lot of people walked out. Such a waste of time.
Balada Triste (The Last Circus) - A dark (and I mean dark) comedy that tells the story of two circus clowns competing for the same woman. I'd only heard about this one half-way through the festival when the Venice awards came out (it won Best Director and Best Screenplay). It's unfortunate there wasn't any buzz around Toronto for it, not that I'd heard anyway. It definitely would have been a hit at Midnight Madness and will be well received at Fantastic Fest. This one and Poetry are my favourites. It had me from the opening credits all the way until the end. Extremely entertaining and yet a touching story. Highly recommended and a great way to end the festival.
So to wrap it all up I went to Fran's for pancakes with some new friends and then to the volunteer/staff party. Home at about 2am. Hopefully I can catch up on some sleep this week before my trip to New Jersey this weekend.
The tally: 15 films. 9 foreign/subtitled, 2 documentaries. 4 Midnight Madness (2 at midnight)
To recap, here are the films in order of my overall experience. I"m not a film critic and I know people may argue Black Swan should be at the top. My reason is I was fully immersed in Poetry and The Last Circus, so while Black Swan may be the better film, it didn't really affect me the way the other two did. A lot of the films are so different that it's hard to really put one before the other.
Poetry
The Last Circus
Black Swan
I Saw The Devil
Three
Cold Fish
Jack Goes Boating
House By the Medlar Tree
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Machete Maidens Unleashed!
The Butcher, The Chef and the Swordsman
Avoid:
Fire of Conscience
Vanishing on 7th Street
Red Nights
Passion Play
One's I didn't see but were talked about and/or recommended to me:
13 Assassins
127 Hours
Aftershock
A Horrible Way to Die
Biutiful
Buried
Beginners
Ceremony
Daydream Nation
Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame
Dirty Girl
Easy A
Fubar II
King's Speech (won the people's choice)
Legend of the Fist
Life Above All
Never Let Me Go
Outside The Law
Rabbit Hole
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
Super
Stake Land (won the Midnight Madness people's choice)
Trust
The Trip
Tabloid
Trigger
Uncle Boonmee Who can Recall his past lives
Avoid:
I'm Still Here
Mothers
Monsters
Mixed reviews:
It's Kind of a Funny Story
Meek's Cutoff
John Carpenter's The Ward
Bunraku also got a mixed response, most people I know were disappointed. One woman said it blew her away, but then she also liked Passion Play.