Toronto Film Festival

Documentary film is a broad category of cinematic expression united by the intent to remain factual or non-fictional

2006-09-15T15:56:00.000-07:00

My computer decides to reboot at 4:42am... so naturally I awake with Windows opening music echoing through my apartment at 4:43am. Have to remember to kill the speaker at night, this has happened before.

No chance of getting to sleep so up I jump out of bed. Spend a couple of hours on the blog, and head down to Ryerson for a 9:30am showing of Shane Meadows latest flick:

This is England. (2006)

“A drama centered on young skinheads in early 1980s England.”

Saw Mr. Meadows Dead Man’s Shoes at the festival a couple years back (or was it last year?) To be honest I really enjoyed that very Dark tale starring Paddy Considine. ‘This is England’ is one terrific movie. Shane was so lucky to come across Thomas Turgoose. Thomas is a young non-actor that essentially plays a young Shane in Britain during the Falklands War. It is a striking performance from such a young boy.

The narrative follows a young boy who falls in with a gang of skinheads. Actually this relationship is pretty positive for the child who had just lost his father. It is not until another influence arrives on the scene, which brings along his interest in the British National Front that things transform. Enough plot, just expect a well rounded cast, with a couple exceptional performances from the young Thomas and a new actor to me, Stephen Graham. To be honest, I did loose some of the dialogue with the accents. Hope you have better luck.

Shane was there for a fun Q/A period. Some sad news, Thomas Turgoose’s mother had passed on. Good on-set report here. Let’s hope this film hits the North American screens.

Mr. Black : B+

Up we jump and head back to the Paramount for the anticipated animated film:

Renaissance (2006). France.

“In 2054, Paris is a labyrinth where all movement is monitored and recorded. Casting a shadow over everything is the city's largest company, Avalon, which insinuates itself into every aspect of contemporary life to sell its primary export -- youth and beauty. In this world of stark contrasts and rigid laws the populace is kept in line and accounted for.”

This looks like no other film I have ever seen. This is a completely Black and White, (deep black actually) animated production. Some beautiful images, just wish the storyline caught my attention better. Cold, and a plot line (cop looses his badge but still heads out to save the pretty girl) that we have all seen before. To be honest, got a little sleepy to the screening, can not be a good sign.

Mr. Black : C+

Here is a story for you Andrea. Walking over to the Paramount and I spot Adrian’s friend from Shot in the Dark, Jonathan (?) He looked a little lost, we chatted for a quick second on the street and I directed him towards the Paramount. Sit down in the theatre and ten minutes later Jonathan is walking up the stairs directly towards me! We shake hands and I say thanks for Shot in the Dark. Seemed like a nice guy, just like in the film. Andrea story over!

The next film is in the exact same theater, so just head out and join another line. Looking forward to watching Paddy Considine in:

The Half Life of Timofey Berezinm 2006.

“A worker at a Russian nuclear facility gets exposed to a lethal dose of radiation. In order to provide for his family, he steals some plutonium and sets out to sell it on Moscow's black market with the help of an incompetent criminal.”

Oh lordy, where to start. The first half is basically two different movies, two distinct story lines. These eventually merge into one confusing narrative. Little known fact, everyone is Russia speaks English (with an accent naturally). This is quite ridiculous. Pretty sure there is not a single word of Russian spoken!! The comedy early on never really works; the crowd was pretty darn silent. The voice over drove me crazy. I like Paddy a lot, and he is good at the beginning but once they reach Moscow, man oh man.

Sigh. Guess we will have to wait until Paddy’s next film arrives.

Mr. Black : D+

Ok… enough for one day, back tomorrow for a pair of documentaries.

Documentary film is a broad category of cinematic expression united by the intent to remain factual or non-fictional.

So… is my next film: This Filthy World a Documentary? Well it is part of the Reel to Reel program at this years TIFF.

However, it is purely a live performance from John Waters. It opens with John walking on stage, and ends with him walking off. Nothing additional, no interviews / back stage / film clips what so ever. So is it a Doc? I say not.

The director Jeff Garlin (I know Mick, not Jeff Ross) was in the house and stressed that the look of this film was very intentional. No quick cuts, fast editing, film clips were added. Jeff wanted the audience to feel like they just watched John Waters in concert. In my opinion it works; just don’t call it a Documentary.

You like John Waters : A

You hate John Waters : D

Jeff came back for the Q/A… and it was the best one yet. He was very funny, and gave out is gift bag goodies to anyone who asked a question. Made for some soft ones, but damn everyone was having a great time!

Snapped this quick picture of Jeff and his entourage on the way out of the theater. John Waters was there at the start of the screening, but left for New York after the intro.

Ran into a lost Jeff Garlin on Bloor Street looking for the Manulife Center, pointed him in the right direction and got a sincere “Thank you”. Cool.

Bite to eat and head over to the ROM for the last screening on a short day:

Hans-Joachim Klein: My Life as a Terrorist.

“Hans-Joachim Klein belonged to a radical faction of the German left. He achieved infamy in 1975 when he joined the terrorist Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, also known as Carlos the Jackal, in a plot to kidnap OPEC officials in Vienna. Three captives were killed; Klein suffered a bullet wound. After tense negotiations, Austrian authorities allowed the terrorists to fly to Algeria with forty-two OPEC ministers and employees as hostages.”

Wow… what a great story! Carlos was involved back in ’75, which should make for a great documentary. Unfortunately it does not. The first 15 minutes recount those early days, and are quite interesting. The director, Alexander Oey decides to spend a majority of the time just talking to Hans, and I found that this method got quite boring after a while. Runs 70 minutes, but it sure did seem longer. There will be a great documentary made on this subject, regrettably this is not it.

Mr. Black: C-

Not a great year for Documentaries.

Up next, my last day at the festival… one trip to Best Buy and four movies!

The alarm clock says 11:32am. My overworked heart skips a beat.

2006-09-14T05:06:00.000-07:00

I have a small addiction (well there are other ones but will save that discussion for another blog) to a little videogame called Battlefield 2. So why bring that up? It has a habit of keeping me up late, like tonight. Sometimes it makes me loose my mind and not set the alarm, like this morning.

The alarm clock says 11:32am. My overworked heart skips a beat.

Doesn’t take long for me to shake out the cobwebs and realize it was a late start today anyway, first film is at 12:45pm. Normally I like to walk to the Paramount, but that is not going to happen today.

The Paramount is eerily quite … where in the heck is everyone? Even the screening is half empty, the smallest crowd so far.

Out of the Blue 2006. New Zealand.

My second pick from New Zealand and no killer sheep in this one. Man, I have to visit New Zealand some day, looks like a breathtaking location. Small town New Zealand is a character in this retelling of one tragic story.

“Based on the Aramoana Massacre that occurred on 13 November and 14 November 1990. Resident David Gray, an unemployed gun collector, went on a rampage in which 13 people were shot dead, before Gray himself was shot by police.”

David Gray… oddly enough, one of my favorite singers.

The director, Robert Sarkies is in town and introduces the film. It actually had just screened in New Zealand a couple of weeks back, and it got the ‘seal of approval’ from the folks back there.

The first half hour sets up the small town vibe in Aramoana, and we are introduced to the

killer David Gray. The filmmakers really do not try and explain why this guy did what he did. We will never really know anyway, so I am glad they didn’t especially attempt to.

When the deed starts folks in the small town have no idea how to react. Bullets zip around their heads and they stare in disbelief. Nothing like this has ever happened to them… or to the town itself.

Well produced, the film effectively recreates what could have happened that day. You know how this story ends so any kind of trepidation is missing while watching the movie. Just travel along with the story until its inevitable conclusion.

The next film is arriving quickly so I miss out on the Q/A. Shame, was curious if there was any sort of protest from the town … the story is 15 years old, but some wounds never do heal.

Quick check with Wikipdia answers my question “The production faced some opposition from the town, and as a result, little filming was being done in Aramoana itself, though the community did allow some scenes to be shot in the settlement.”

Unfortunately as we all learned yesterday in Montreal, this type of horror can happen anywhere, at any time.

Mr. Black : B

I leave Paramount 4 and make the arduous journey to Paramount 2.

Un Crime. 2006. (A Crime)

The third feature from the French director Manuel Pradal.

“Vincent's life is on hold until he finds his wife's killer. Alice, his neighbor, is convinced she can make him happy. She decides to invent a culprit, so that Vincent can find revenge and leave the past behind. But there is no ideal culprit and no perfect crime...”

Did not think this film would ever end. Emmanuelle Béart sleep walks through her role. That may have been intentional, but it makes for a boring watch. Emmanuelle does have a body to die for (Just thought I would point that out). Harvey Keitel is there, doing his best. My main problem is with some of the plots twists which I refuse to talk about here. Anyone who has seen it: hate when she turned into a superwoman at the end and the picture in the paper was fucking ridiculous.

New York look beautiful and the sound track came from the mighty Ennio Morricone.

Mr. Black : C-

Never been to the Al Green Theatre before, it is up at Spadina and Bloor. Better have comfortable seating ‘cause me got a double screening:

Election / Election 2.

Note: The Al Green Theatre does not have comfortable seating.

“Wo Sing, the most venerable triad clan of Hong Kong, is about to elect a new chief. Lok (Simon Yam), wise and cautious, is favored for the coveted position, but the fiery and aggressive Big D (Tony Leung Ka Fai), refuses to concede. The two men engage in a bloodthirsty struggle amidst the disappearance of the ancestral symbol of the clan's power.”

Directed by Jonnie To, certainly one of favorite Hong Kong directors out there. Consider him a great filmmaker, love the way he frames his shots, makes use of music and the dark humor doesn’t hurt!

The two Election films are pretty complex, with lots of characters like ‘Uncle Cocky’ and ‘Big Head’ to keep track of. A second viewing at home might be in order to track the entire story line. The first one has more Triad politics, while the second feature is a lot darker in tone.

For the first time at any screenings I have been to over the years, Mr. Jonnie To was in the house! Didn’t expect that all, nice surprise. Colin Geddes introduced Mr. To and there was a pretty decent Q/A afterwards. Interesting comment on the real lack of gun play in the two films. When the British ruled Hong Kong the crime of even having a gun was very severe, so in real life Triad members rarely used / carried guns. Knifes were much better! We were the first audience in the world to see the two Election films back to back, in a theater!

Mr. To stated that he put about 30% of the story that he wanted to do on the big screen. The film going experience has a time limit. Shame. Personally I think he should do a 10 hour series for HBO along the lines of the Sopranos; there is more than enough story here.

Not done with Mr. To yet... still have Exiled on Saturday morning. Jonnie To is often shooting more than one film at a time, and the question was asked why. “I just love to make movies”, thank god for that I say.

Mr. Black: B+

Seeing them back to back with Jonnie To in house: Priceless

Spadina and Bloor is a great spot of people watching, but after sitting in the theatre for 3 ½ hours it is time to move on. No great surprise, Kind of in the mood for a cold one. Hmmm, Mark is still on the wagon and it is late, might as well just head home and get some sleep. Four movies tomorrow!

You can buy Shark fin soup in Toronto….

2006-09-12T17:35:00.000-07:00

…. Fish and chips as well!

I do not have any great urge to for Shark Steak, but to be honest a nice Atlantic Canada Lobster once and a while is a pretty sweet thing.

Next Screening: Sharkwater (2006)

“Synopsis: An intense adventure of discovery into the illegal multi-billion dollar shark fin industry, Stewart's film reveals sharks to be some of the most critically endangered creatures on the planet - victims of both man's unabated lust for the almighty dollar and a "blood lust" based on ignorance.”

Time to be right up front with this, one of my life dreams is to travel to Australia and see the Great White up close. No interest in swimming with the suckers… just want to see them off the side of a boat.

That is part of the reason I picked this film, and it did my schedule! This film was getting a fair bit of push at the festival; it’s Canadian… and quite good actually.

Rob Stewart, a young guy from Toronto has had a life long fascination with Sharks. Rob set out to just do a nature documentary on sharks… however after a sequence of events (like getting arrested in Costa Rica) he realized that there might be more to this story.

The Documentary has two main themes; Sharks are not the killers that everyone thinks they are, and secondly Rob wanted to shed light on to the horrible illegal Shark Fin fishing industry. The footage and stats on the fin industry are quite shocking. Underwater photography is quite breathtaking, they make stellar use of HD Video (looked like Panasonic HD to me).

Few Concerns: Sharks are pretty sexy animal. This was not called “Codwater” or “Halibutwater”. Lots of people around the world do eat fish, and as stated earlier, I am one of them. Naturally that does not mean you can just kill off the species, sharks are way too important to the ecosystem. Some of the underwater material looked a little fake to me… especially at the end. I looked for any computer graphics folks in the credits, and saw none. Just seemed to me like there was some sort of compositing going on at the end.

They interview one specialist, the bald guy (sorry dude couldn’t remember your name), and never mention that he has been bitten by a shark. Saw part of his leg go missing in a TV special during the SHARK WEEK on Discovery channel.

Rob Stewart and Paul Watson where there and treated to the crowd to a lengthy Q/A session. Check this documentary out next April when it hits the theaters. Just remember between now and then millions of sharks will be killed just for their fins.

Milk Buds… the Breakfast of champions!

2006-09-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

My belly hurts. What was I thinking?

An early morning walk takes me down to the Paramount for the 10:15am screening of

Werner Herzog’s latest: Rescue Dawn.

“This film tells the real-life story of U.S. fighter pilot Dieter Dengler, a German-American shot down and captured in Laos during the Vietnam War. Dengler, to be played by Bale, organized a death-defying escape for a small band of POWs, including Duane Martin (Zahn).”

Wow. Once again Bale does not disappoint. This guy completely throws himself into these psychically challenging roles! While not as extreme as the 2004 film The Machinist (track that down if you can) Bale still goes through hell.

They shot this in Thailand and the jungle itself becomes a character in the film. This drama is based on Herzog's ‘97 documentary 'Little Dieter Needs To Fly'. I need to track that down. Bale wasn’t alone in that Jungle, Jeremy Davies and Steve Zahn give two wonderful performances. Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t quite get over Zahn’s comedic performances in the past. Hopefully he will continue with these dramatic roles in the future. Just couldn’t quite get past thinking “Hey this is the guy from Happy Texas”.

At the start of the credits it was announced that they would be a Q/A. Jeremy Davies was called to the stage! Damn, he was sitting two rows in front of me and I didn’t even notice!! He apologized that he was on stage and not the director himself, Werner Herzog. Apparently Mr. Herzog’s childhood care giver had passed away and he was on the way back to Germany for the funeral. Jeremy was a little quirky, not unlike his character in the film. Thought he was going to pull a ‘Dixie Chicks’ and say something about Bush (he was proudly wearing a Canadian flag hat) but they jokingly pulled the mic away from him pretty quickly. Jeremy had a weight loss tip (he lost 33 pounds from an already small frame)… going in the Sauna three times a day for 45 days will turn you into prison camp material. Jeremy was super approachable as he walked out of the theater, nice to see.

Great film, to be honest I didn’t love the ending. Was really looking for a little more personal and introspective wrap-up. That being said please do not let that stop you from seeing it when it hits the local Multi-plex… or for you Mick, TMN.

Mr. Black : B+

Well I am in the exact same theatre for the next screening. So we exit, and I head right back into the already formed line up for latest from the pen of Paul Haggis:

The Last Kiss 2006.

“Anxieties threaten the future of a domesticated couple.”

Well actually 5 or 6 couples. One story just isn’t enough; we need five or six examples of relationships turning to shit. Is there a film in the last few years that had a fully functioning exciting relationship that wasn’t in complete turmoil?

Very big cast, none of which were able to show up for this noon time screening. Damn Celebrity watching has been a bust this year… other than running into David Cronenberg it has been pretty slim.

Do not want to say that this is Garden State 2… but I just did. It follows a ‘turning thirty’ Zach Braff character as he faces the rest of his life. This is a good cast with Casey Affleck and Tom Wilkinson being standouts (Did I just say Casey Affleck was a stand out?). But to be honest I am just bored with this type of film. The laughs were few and far between. Luckily everything didn’t wrap up all nice and weepy at the end, so that will boost my rating a bit!

Mr. Black: B-

Ok, running out of time. Still have one more film from today, the important documentary Sharkwater. Will see these next two films and update the blog afterwards. Did you know that “Shark specialists estimate that 100 million sharks are killed for their fins, annually?” You should.

The “Visa Trick” didn’t work at the Elgin….

2006-09-10T17:02:00.000-07:00

7:21am. Not quite sure why I am up so early. Play around the house for a bit and then venture out to a chilly Sunday morning street car ride.

Walk up to the Ryerson for a 9:30am screening of Sir Ridley Scott’s latest:

A Good Year (2006)

The Gala was last night, which means no one appeared for this screening. Hey Russell Crowe is off the booze, he could have showed right? Ridley was heading back to New York to get back to work on a film, at least that is what they said.

“An Englishman (Crowe) inherits a vineyard in Provence. Upon arriving at his new property, he meets an American woman who claims that the land is hers.”

Look, Sir Ridley Scott is a superb director, so naturally this is a competently edited, skillfully shot film. But unfortunately it didn’t really work for me.

I can’t really discuss the film without revealing too much plot (which I hate to do). The ‘comedy’ at the beginning really didn’t work for me. I didn’t really believe the opening “banking” scene. Mid way through the film there is a dinner scene where Mr. Crowe goes from sober to drunk in about 60 seconds. That pissed me off. Why was the wife flirting with the Crowe character? And what about... you get the idea. Even the message of the film (which I can’t discuss) is a pile of bull in my mind.

Ridley Scott is a great director… this is not his best work.

Russell Crowe is a wonderful actor... this is not is best work.

Some will certainly love this film, and it certainly isn’t offensive to sit through. Maybe I am just too cynical of a person for this type of story. Love to discuss this with you, after seeing it.

Mr. Black : C+

It takes me 18 minutes to walk from the Elgin to the Paramount. Little slow I think. Today is pretty spread out... luckily. Should be no missed screenings today (at least I hope so!)

Next up, a 12:30 screening of “Chronicle of an Escape”, or “Atila” even “Buenos Aires, 1977”. Take your pick.

“The goalkeeper of a little-known soccer team is kidnapped by a Argentinean government squad and sent to a detention center. After months of torture, he plots his escape with three other young men.”

Wow… what a story. Another political film. Another opportunity for me to learn about a part of the world I have never been too… or understand.

Mid Seventies in Argentina and the government is in control… very much in control. This is so good. Tough to watch, and even tougher to make I suspect. These are very demanding roles… physically and mentally. I have no idea how in the world these actors prepared for these roles... or even managed to make it through filming day to day.

Lets see, this was the pitch… you’ll be naked and tied to a bed for half of the film... and the other half the real torture begins!

The director, Adrián Caetano was there for the screening and through an interpreter he thanked the crowd for coming... but unfortunately he wasn’t a great speaker so that was that. Fortunately for the rest of us, Adrián Caetano is a wonderful director.

There was a Weinstein Company credit at the beginning, so I suspect we will see this again in North America. The fact that this was a true story really added punch for me at the end. See it if you can.

Mr. Black : B+

Time to get down to the Elgin, no reason to rush at all, got my Visa Gold card in hand so no worries. Not a problem, I can just walk right in!! No line-ups for this VISA man.

Proof:

I was wrong. Apparently this trick doesn’t work for afternoon screenings. So I stand there watching as hundreds and hundreds of folks head in to the screening of:

Guillermo del Toro’s Pan's Labyrinth (2006).

"Pan's Labyrinth" is the story of a young girl that travels with her mother and adoptive father to a rural area up North in Spain, 1944. After Frano´s victory. The girl lives in an imaginary world of her own creation and faces the real world with much chagrin.”

It would appear that Mr. Guillermo del Toro has quite the following. I’ve seen a couple of his films, and to be honest they really didn’t stand out. Can you say Mimic and Blade 2? That being said the buzz was pretty good on this film, and it fit well into the schedule.

This is rather good… but for me the problem is that it feels like two films in one. This could have been a really great child’s fantasy, and it is in a lot of ways. The problem lies in the violence that hits the screen. This is certainly not for children. Which is fine naturally… but it just feels to me that is trying to be both. Production values are all there on the screen. Ivana Baquero as Ofelia is a nice discovery, and I do want to track down some of del Toro’s earlier work. This just seemed a little uneven to me. Certainly worth a watch, but be ready for some violent turns.

Mr. Black : B

My seats were shit due to my mess up getting in. Del Toro was planning to do a Q/A but as the credits ended... I noticed him standing outside doing the fan boy Autograph thing … which was cool. He seemed to be in no rush what so ever, and was able to snap a quick picture.

Well that day went smooth. No missed screenings, one bad seat, one great film and only used a single TTC Ticket. Life isn’t so bad.

Tomorrow Bale in Rescue Dawn.

I treat the festival like a Vacation….

2006-09-09T19:31:00.000-07:00

... And sometimes when you are on Holiday, plans change. More on that a little later

My first film of the festival was on Thursday night, which was new for me. Another first was dragging someone along to a screening. Never really had much luck finding someone with the same interest in films and the same schedule! Other than catching Serendipity and I Heart Huckabees a couple years back with Steph, it has never really happened. This year I was able to get Mick (the lover of film, and the hater of the actual theatre experience) to join me for a couple of screenings at the festival.

We jump in a cab and head north the Varsity to catch:

Slumming: Austria/Switzerland 2006.

Two Rich friends play a ‘trick’ on a homeless man with unexpected results.

The plot sounded pretty interesting to me, so it was an easy pick. This is a good, well crafted film. The director, Michael Glawogger was there. At the opening of the film he stated that it was to wonderful to present the film to a crowd that knew what “Slumming” meant. He was tired of explaining the title. To be honest I am not convinced that the crowd did know, including this blogger, what the term meant.

For those who are interested: “Slumming (derived from slum) originally referred to a practice, fashionable among certain segments of the middle class in many Western countries, whereby one deliberately patronizes areas or establishments which are populated by, or intended for, people well below one's own socio-economic level, motivated by curiosity or a desire for adventure. Most often these establishments take the form of bars or restaurants in low-income areas.”

Mick and I disagreed on the motifs of the two main characters. He felt that they were trying to inflect positive change on people, to be helpful and kick start their lives in a different direction. While I thought they were bored Rich kids that liked to fuck with people, with no concern for them what so ever.

August Diehl, a massive star in Germany we were told, gave a solid performance as Sebastian, However the stand out was Paulus Manker as the homeless man who ends up on receiving end of Sebastian’s prank. The director mentioned that what you see on screen is what you get from Paulus, a crazy man!

A good film that will likely never ever hit the big screens here in North America.

Mr. Black’s rating : B-

And the end of a slow starting Q/A session with the director we head out into the warm Toronto night for what else, a beer. Hey, I am vacation after all! Mick and I walk all the way down to the Paddock, and find ourselves sitting under a full moon while more than one Becks disappears. My head hits the pillow at 3:05am. Next film starts 9:15am.

Tired, but feeling pretty good I walk down to the morning screening of Takashi Miike ‘s Big Bang Love: Juvenile A Japan (2006).

Nothing like a Miike film at 9 O’clock in the morning! Pretty sure this is the forth Miike film I’ve seen at the festival over the years. He has never once been at a screening. Looking at his IMDB listing, one suspects he is normally busy working on a new film.

Seeing a Miike film is normally a pretty unpredictable experience. Each one I have caught at the festivals over the years have been a very different experience. Ichi the Killer and The Great Yokai War are very different films, so it was no surprise that this year’s selection was a new film going experience. Unfortunately it was a disappointment.

“A boy confesses to the murder of another in an all-boy juvenile detention facility.”

This prison is like no other, bathed in spot lights, no bars to hold back the prisoners. And oh yeah, a pyramid and rocket ship just outside the window.

In the words of Bono, "We don't know what it is, so it must be art."

Never cared for these ugly characters, and no interest in what happened to them. Some unique images, but to me they really didn’t amount to much. Look forward to the next Miike film, but hope to never see this again. Chances it will ever hit the North American screens: none.

Mr. Black’s Rating: C-

It’s early and there is no screening until 6. Head home and actually manage to catch some sleep.

Before any more films, its time to party a bit. I am on vacation after all! On the way down I get some bad news concerning a couple of former co-workers. Kinda puts a bad taste in my mouth about the party, but promised David so had to go. Ran into some folks that I never expected to see there so that made the experience bearable. After setting David free from this boring experience I went around to press some flesh. Ok, it’s getting close to screening time, but damn the free beer was going down well.

The first causality of the festival for me: The Jade Warrior. Oh well, when you are on vacation unexpected things happen.

Ron, his very beautiful sister and this fat bastard head out to Yorkville to see some famous people. Lots of people standing around, lots of limos line the street. We walk up to Sassafraz just on the off chance that we could get in; low and behold there is room! Now it is through the bathroom doors and upstairs but damn, we actually manage to get a table. Celebrity Sightings = 0. Number of disappointed faces as we walk out the front door and folks realize we are far from famous = 3. The thrill of stealing the pen from Sassafraz = priceless.

After the wonderful meal we say our goodbyes and I head off to the Midnight Madness screening of The Host (Gue-mool) 2006 South Korea.

“A mutant emerges from Seoul's Han River and focuses its attention on attacking people.”

Midnight Madness screenings are usually the most fun of the festival. The crowd really gets into the films (when they are good) and this years “The Host” is no exception.

This is fun, especially the opening 30 minutes. You just have to let things go and enjoy this film. The effects work extremely well, they reminded me of the look of Incident at Loch Ness where the creature blends in perfectly with everyday life.

To be honest I feel the film drags in the middle when the story moves away from the family in the center of the action. It slows a bit, until the family comes back into focus.

Seoul looked beautiful, should plan a trip to visit my cousin there.

The director Bong Joon-ho was in town and took time at the end of the screening to answer questions from an appreciative crowd. He had many fans in the crowd. One story he told was interesting, during a screening in Europe a journalist from Al Jazeera News asked if the creature in The Host represented the United States. The character that created the Host was an American, and there is some interesting Trivia behind that story. Can’t remember if said it did or not, but it is hard for me to understand why the United States would be considered the biggest threat, especially in South Korea!

Mr. Black’s Rating : B

Fun time, and naturally there will be a bad North American remake.

It is late. There are no street cars running on Queen. It is time for Cab #2 of the festival. Hit the pillow at 3:13am. 4:43am text message from Mick saying he will need a wake-up call. Oh Christ. Next Screening 10am.

Up early and feeling pretty good. Raining out side so I jump on TTC. The second wake-up call gets an answer, so that worked out OK. 9:35am sit my ass down in the Paramount for:

The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen) Germany 2005.

“Florian Henckel-Donnersmarck's movie debut focuses on the horrifying, sometimes unintentionally funny system of observation in the former East Germany. In the early 1980s, the successful dramatist Georg Dreyman and his longtime companion Christa-Maria Sieland, a popular actress, are big intellectual stars in the socialist state, although they secretly don't always think loyal to the party line. One day, the Minister of Culture becomes interested in Christa, so the secret service agent Wiesler is instructed to observe and sound out the couple, but their life fascinates him more and more..”

The best film so far. Interesting and understated performance from the German actor: Ulrich Mühe. The director stressed that this film would have never ever been made without Ulrich Mühe on board. He laughed that even his screen play seemed to get better reception once Ulrich decided to be part of the film. Like “Slumming”, this is another great all around group of appealing actors.

The director, Florian Henckel-Donnersmarck said he never thought the film would be seen out side Germany. I am sure glad it did make it out.

Being a Canadian the idea that a government could have so much control over ones life was more than a little foreign. Surely there was some artistic license in the story telling? Walking along Queen Street Mick shared some of his own personal stories from his early years in Hungary, funny as hell… now.

Rant on: Why can’t people just shut up during a screening? It seems impossible to some folks to go 10 minutes without talking to the person beside them. This pair behind me at the screening refused to be quite. Movie going tip: When someone turns around and stares you in the eyes during a screening. They are not hitting on you; they want you to just shut the fuck up! Sorry… rant over.

Mr. Black : B+

Next up, the Documentary “Shot in the Dark”.

“Today, Adrian Grenier is best known as a film and television star, seen most recently in The Devil Wears Prada and HBO’s “Entourage.” But he’s long had an interest in moving behind the camera. Before his success as an actor, he began work on this touching personal documentary about tracking down his distant father. In Shot in the Dark, we get a privileged view of a young man discovering secrets about his family and his own identity.”

Curious, IMDB lists the film as 2002. With the timeline of the film, that year certainly does make sense. Not sure why it is running in festivals in 2006. Nothing to do with the success of Entourage do you think?

Ok, might as well be up front about this. I picked this film for two reasons, my enjoyment of HBO’s Entourage and the subject itself. We have similar family backgrounds, and from the looks of things… some of the same questions.

It follows Adrian as he makes a road trip to finally see his father after 18 years. There are some awkward, but yet touching moments like when Adrian first talks to his father, and finally does meet him face to face. Laughter as well: his father saying that he wanted to spend some “quality time” with Adrian, his therapist not quite getting where the title of the film came from!

Adrian seemed happy to be at the festival, and there was a longer than normal question and answer session. And oh yeah, the ladies just LOVE Mr. Grenier.

Mr. Black : B-

So… the question is. Did this documentary trigger any desire in me to track down the old man after all these years? No. And that is ok. Life goes on.

I was able to take this picture out side on Richmond Street.

The extra long Q/A made me 25 minutes for the next screening. Too late.

The second causality of the festival: “Fido”. Oh well, what the hell... I’m on vacation! Overcast, looks like it is going to piss rain. Walk home and hit the sack for a quick nap. Wake up, and start to update the Blog. It does not take long to fall behind.

Next up: Russell Crowe in “A Good Year”.

My First line-up of the Festival….

2006-09-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, Monday … “pick up ticket day”. Received the e-mail on Sunday so I knew what was coming, but still had to go down and get the tickets. That was line one (Not that long to be honest). Line #2... The 90 minute one was to exchange ticker vouchers for new picks. Actually faired pretty well and got everything I wanted. Picked up tickets for: Jade Warrior, Slumming and a second ticket to “The Lives of Others”. Still have a single ticket for a day screening. Also have one ticket to give away… “The Abandoned (Wednesday Sept 13 5pm)”. Think I will offer that to Allan. (Update... sorry Allan, Neil upstairs has laid claim to the ticket).

OK… official schedule:

Slumming (Thursday September 7 8:45pm)

Big Bang Love (Friday Sept 8 9:15am)
7 years (Friday Sept 8 6:45pm)
Jade Warrior (Friday Sept 8 9:30pm)

The Host (Midnight)

The lives of others (Saturday Sept 9, 10am)
Shot in the Dark (Saturday Sept 9, 2:15pm)
FIDO (Saturday 3:45pm)

A Good Year (Sunday September 10, 9:30am)
Chronicle of an escape (Sunday September 10, 12:30pm)
Pan's labyrinth (Sunday Sept 10 3pm)
The killer within (Sunday September 10, 6:15pm)

Rescue Dawn (Monday Sept. 11 10:15am)
The last kiss (Monday Sept 11 1:15pm)
Sharkwater (Monday Sept. 11 3:30pm)

The killer within (Tuesday Sept 12 12pm)
Black sheep (Tuesday Sept 12 4:45pm)

Out of the blue (Wednesday Sept 13 12:45pm)
A Crime (Wednesday Sept 13 2:45pm)
Election / Election 2 (Wednesday Sept 13 8:30pm)

This is England (Thursday Sept 14 9:30am)
Renaissance (Thursday Sept 14 12:45pm)
Half life of timofey berezin (Thursday Sept 14 3:30pm)
Sleeping dogs (Thursday Sept 14 6:15pm)

This Filthy World (Friday sep 15 9:30am)
My life as a Terrorist (Friday Sept 15 1:45pm)

Exiled (Saturday Sept 16, 9:30am)
The Banquet (Saturday Sept 16, 12:00pm)
Severance (Saturday Sept 16, 3:30pm)
London to Brighton (Saturday Sept 16 8pm)

That’s it for today.

Begging for a free T-Shirt.

2006-09-03T16:39:00.000-07:00

Well the Geek festival was OK. Very busy this year, guess the Shatner / Nimoy double bill really helped. For me there wasn’t enough film related sellers. I get a little tired looking through mounds of DVD’s and nothing else. Picked up a few locally produced Horror films, (Likely shit) but it is good to support independent filmmakers.

Ran into Adam from the Toronto After Dark Film Festival at booth number #1120 (Another Festival to attend at the end of October). 13+ movies over three days is going to be tough. Saw some images from the Pang Brothers “Re-Cycle”. Looks very interesting to say the least. Few years back I lucked into a screening of the Pang Brothers “Bangkok Dangerous”. Had tons of fun watching that film on the big screen. My main purpose of dropping by the booth was to snag a FREE Toronto After Dark Film Festival T-Shirt. Adam got sidetracked into a conversation with a pretty lady, and I wasn’t able to pop the question. So Adam, I wear an extra large!!

Ok, got the confirmation e-mail from the Festival. Missed a couple of my picks.

An Evening with M. Moore. (No surprise… wasn’t even sure if I could pick this film with a regular ticket. It was part of a special “Maverick” program.

Jade Warrior. (What fan boy took my ticket!!?)

Suburban Mayhem. (Kind of a surprise. Did I mess up and not actually pick this title?)

So over all, not too bad. You can go down on Holiday Monday and pick up the tickets. We see if I can fill the gaps then.

Sunday Morning Update...

2006-09-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

Sunday Morning and I am still waiting for the e-mail from the festival to confirm my picks. Something that I did notice, there is a link at the Toronto Film Festival Office site to my Blog!! Kinda cool.

Mr. Black at the 2006 TIFF!

If any rich and famous people are reading this and would like to give me some party passes for the festival, just drop me an e-mail.

More later today, once my picks are in. Off to Geek out for a while.

Well it's time for the 2006 Festival.

2006-09-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

Just dropped off my picks. Will get an e-mail over the weekend with a list of the films I got lucky enough to get tickets for.

Here are my pics. (Not confirmed... will update this weekend.)

Big Bang Love (Friday Sept 8 9:15am)
7 years (Friday sept 8 6:45pm)
An evening with m/ moore (Friday sept 8 9pm)
The Host (Midnight)

The lives of others (Saturday Sept 9, 10am)
Shot in the Dark (Saturday Sept 9, 2:15pm)
FIDO (Saturday 3:45pm)

A Good Year (Sunday September 10, 9:30am)
Chronicle of an escape (Sunday September 10, 12:30pm)
Pan's labyrinth (Sunday sept 10 3pm)
The killer within (Sunday September 10, 6:15pm)

Rescue Dawn (Monday sept. 11 10:15am)
The last kiss (Monday sept 11 1:15pm)
Sharkwater (Monday sept. 11 3:30pm)

The killer within (Tuesday sept 12 12pm)
Black sheep (Tuesday Sept 12 4:45pm)
Prague (Tuesday sept 12 6:45pm)

Out of the blue (Wednesday Sept 13 12:45pm)
A Crime (Wednesday Sept 13 2:45pm)
The abandoned (Wednesday sept 13 5pm)
Election / Election 2 (Wednesday sept 13 8:30pm)
(Note.. I messed this day up. Election starts at 6, not 8:30. Can you say Confict!!)

This is england (Thrusday sept 14 9:30am)
Renaissance (Thrusday sept 14 12:45pm)
Half life of timofey berezin (Thrusday sept 14 3:30pm)
Sleeping dogs (Thrusday sept 14 6:15pm)
Jade warrior (Thrusday sept 14 8:45pm)

This Filthy World (Friday sep 15 9:30am)
Suburban mayhem (Friday sept 15 11:45am)
My life as a Terrorist (Friday sept 15 1:45pm)

Exiled (Saturday Sept 16, 9:30am)
The Banquet (Saturday Sept 16, 12:00pm)
Severance (Saturday Sept 16, 3:30pm)
London to brighton (Saturday sept 16 8pm)

And there you have it. More soon.

Didn’t have the heart to tell him ...

2005-09-18T09:06:00.000-07:00

Ah, Saturday morning and the last day of the festival. Lay in bed for as long as physically possible, resting these old and tired bones of mine.

Up I jump, get cleaned up and venture out to jump on the TTC.

First up, the world wide premiere of Eli Roth’s: “Hostel”.

This is a work in progress. Some effects work were not yet finished, and there was a temp soundtrack in use. This Midnight Madness screening was in a small theatre this year because the film studio was only able to supply at HDcam version of the film.

If you do not enjoy horror films, you might as well just move along.

Plot Outline: Three backpackers head to a Slovakian city that promises to meet their hedonistic expectations, with no idea of the hell that awaits them.

This film is very effective. In a year with for the most part crappy horror films, this certainly does stand out. Hostel is not your traditional Hollywood horror film, there is a very different flow than your standard PG rated thriller. Eli Roth admitted owing a debt of gratitude to filmmakers like “Takashi Miike” or “Chan-wook Park”. That’s Ok; Eli throws a very uncommon spin on things.

The film opens with a “Euro Trip” feel, some very funny fish out of water comedy. Spent a little time in Europe this year myself and Eli really captured that feeling of traveling through a foreign country, just a little bit lost.

Be forewarned. This film is very, very violent. We saw what was likely the directors ‘Dream Cut’. Eli said the film was going before the MPA the very next day. He was not sure what would happen, but stressed that the films producers knew what they had, and they would likely buck the current trend of PG rated Horror films.

Well acted, spooky, funny and a very non-traditional Hollywood Horror film. What more could fans want?

Let’s just hope they get as much as possible into the theatre.

The producers should be very happy to have Eli Roth on board. The guy just exudes the right amount of Geek enthusiasm. It is infectious. After his first feature, “Cabin Fever”, Eli was being pulled in a variety of directions with projects like the new Baywatch movie!!?? However, in talking to some friends on the business (yeah it was Tarantino) Eli decided to ‘follow his heart’.

While relaxing one morning I watched an interview with “David Cronenberg” during the festival discussing the casting of “History of Violence”. Casting he said was an ‘art’, a balance between getting the best actor and a getting a name. His film stars Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, William Hurt, Ed Harris. Ever hear of them? Thought so. Cronenberg stated it would be almost impossible to make a film with “unknowns”. “Hostel” on the other hand has players like : Derek Richardson, Eythor Gudjonsson, Barbara Nedeljakova, Jana Kaderabkova and Jan Vlasák in the main cast. Pretty damn sure you haven’t heard of any of them.

My point is that Cronenberg no longer wants to make films with unknowns. Not that it can’t be done, and done well. After the screening there was a long question and answer session. At the end, a crowd gathered to chat with the very approachable Mr. Roth. After a few minutes the lights in the theatre started to flash on and off (like closing time at the bar, for those who have seen that). Eli says “Lets take this outside” and a throng of fans follow him out to the sidewalk.

Eli stood there (with his proud father taking pictures off to the side) and gave each and everyone time. He signed whatever they put in front of him, asked their opinion on the film and seemed actually interested in what they had to say. Had to leave for the next screening but am quite sure there wasn’t a single fan that walked away without an autograph.

Did I mention that Cronnenberg did not even show up at the second screening of his film “History of Violence” at the festival?

Eli was so nice and approachable, didn’t have the heart to tell him that he spelt my name wrong in my festival book!

My rating = B+

My Final film of the festival, and naturally it was a Midnight Madness screening.

S.P.L. or Sha Po Lang. This stars some Hong Kong heavyweights: Sammo Hung and Donnie Yen.

Not even going to discuss the plot. Just your basic cop story. Some fan boys are comparing this to classic action films like “The Killer”. They are whacked. Sammo is ok as the Bad guy, and the film does allow some time for the back story to be developed. The big emotional scenes almost lap into parody (everyone receives cell phone calls on father’s day, one at a time, seconds before getting killed. Pretty silly actually. And oh yeah, one character is told that he has brain cancer (enlisting laughter from the audience) but it never factors into the plot at all.

Actions scenes are few and far between; luckily they are handled pretty well. Nice long takes, none of this nonstop cutting that we often see. Good to see the fat man Sammo, or was it his stunt double getting thrown around. The ending does surprise, wait for it! Just did not buy the Donnie Yen character heading in the direction he did. Not a classic, not a great action film, but if you are fan, I guess track it down on DVD.

There was zero introductions, Sammo was in town the night before, but failed to show up on this day. There were some folks asking for pictures at the end of the screening so I suspect some of the actors/production people showed up late. For me, didn’t recognize a single soul.

My final rating = C-

And that is it; the 2005 film festival is over.

Come back for a final wrap up.

Second last day, things are starting to slow down.

2005-09-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

After a nice relaxing morning it is time to head downtown to the beautiful Elgin Theatre to catch:

Jackie Chan’s “The Myth”.

The theatre was slow to fill but by the time the lights dim the crowd had arrived. Quite sure that most expected Jackie Chan to be there, he was all over town, doing press and appearances.

No such luck. The picture was introduced by “Stanley Tong” and the very beautiful Indian Actress “Mallika Sherawat”. Mallika said that in India doing a Jackie Chan film was liking being in a James Bond movie! She seemed thrilled to be there. No Jackie, and no Q/A session.

Stanley Tong stayed for the screening and sat right in front of me. The beautiful “Mallika Sherawat” sat beside him about 15 minutes into the screening.

Plot: “Jackie plays takes on two roles, a modern day archeologist and a Qin Dynasty warrior over two millenniums ago.”

So, with “The Myth” you have two movies in one, a modern tale and a story set 2000(?) years ago. Neither one really works. You end up with two minor love stories, two plot lines that will eventually intersect, and neither one make much sense to start with.

Anyone expecting this to be Jackie’s Flying Daggers can forget that. Look, I am normally pretty forgiving with Chan’s films in terms of Plot so let’s look at the action scenes!

Film Opens 2000 (?) years ago with a small, over the top battle on horses. Pretty silly really, one of those scenes where the two leads take a break in the action to stare lovely into each others eyes for 50 seconds with the music blaring in the back ground.

There is a fair bit of sword work is this, and it is certainly the bloodiest Jackie Chan films I have seen.

It may sound silly to some, but personally I enjoy when Jackie’s films are grounded in reality. When Jackie ends up with some type of super powers, like in the god awful “The Tuxedo” it sucks. Do not like to see Jackie fight 100 people at once, do not like to see Jackie flying through the air (He does both here). Jackie is at his best when he uses his surroundings to get the better of his enemies. Not use ‘wire work’ and bad CGI to get the job done. There is one Classic scene in a Glue factory really got at the crowd clapping, vintage Jackie. It was nice to see Jackie Fighting “Ken Low” again, no matter how brief it was.

Early rumors had “Mallika Sherawat” doing a nude scene. Jackie and Stanley Tong actually had to hold a special news conference to dispel the story. While you do not see her, there is a point in the film where her blouse is off, facing Jackie. And yes Jackie fans, there are bloopers over the end credits, sadly none from the glue factory that I could see.

But one great action scene, and a one very beautiful actress do not make a great movie, even a Jackie Chan one.

My rating = C-

Relaxation time. Tomorrow is the last day, only a couple of movies left.

Bed Time: 2:46am. Celebrity Sightings today = 0. Film I need to see again = 1

2005-09-16T12:43:00.000-07:00

Well today is my longest day of the festival, first movie 9:00am…. And the last, midnight screening of the latest Madness film!

Bring it on baby.

First up, down at the Paramount : Aric Avelino’s “American Gun”.

Plot Outline: Seemingly disparate portraits of people -- among them a single mother, a high school principal, and an ace student -- Distinctly American -- all affected by the proliferation of guns in American society.

This movie tries hard, but does not really succeed. Ever been out in public, walking on a street or riding a subway and see a stranger crying? Naturally you feel some sympathy towards this person, but there is disconnect. Why are they crying? Get a B on the Biology test? This new boyfriend never returned their phone call? Did they just receive news of a family member dying? You have no real way to know. That’s how I felt in this movie, disconnected. Every 10 minutes or so there are these ‘big’ emotional out bursts, and while you do eventually come to know why… there still is a serious separation.

You follow four different story arcs, with a fine cast, including Marcia Gay Harden, Forest Whitaker and Donald Sutherland. The film is just so earnest in it’s portrayal of the ‘gun’ problem in the US. One of the four Story arcs ends with a young teenager finally calling her grandfather (Donald Sutherland) “Papa” again. That’s it baby. There is some interesting material here for sure; Marcia Gay Harden’s confrontation with her neighbors is handled very well. Overall, it is totally forgettable. Rent “Crash” instead.

Did not stay for the Q/A with the director Aric Avelino, so nothing to report there.

My rating = C

While waiting for the film to start I often try and start up a conversation with the person on either side of me. Some folks just do not want to talk, and you can quickly figure that out. There are certainly a lot of tourists in town this year. At this screening struck up a conversation with a gentleman who history with the Toronto festival goes back to 1980. This year he was seeing 47 films, an incredible number. About 20 minutes into the film I look over and the bugger is asleep! He seems to slip in and out of his nap during the entire screening. Pretty easy to see 47 movies when you sleep through most of them. At the end he jumps up quickly heading to the next screening. Final words, “good movie”. Bugger.

Next up, my first Korean film of the Day : “The President's Last Bang” otherwise known as “Geuddae geusaramdeul”. That’s a mouth full.

Plot Outline: A look at the life of President Park Chun-hee and the events leading up to his assassination.

It is a fictional tale of what happened on that evening back in 1979. I do not know the history of this incident, and the ‘politics’ on displays here are lost on this reviewer. This is a dark comedy, well edited and genuinely at times. Acting, I never really know with subtitled films. They seem fine, but is that Hoffman up there on the screen… or Pauly Shore! Quite violent, so be prepared for that. Interesting, but the chances this will any Domestic release are Nil.

My rating = B-

Up next, a film that I have really been looking forward to: Chan-wook Park’s “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance”.

The crowd for this screening is massive! The Elgin is packed and there looked like there was a large ‘rush’ line as well. Funny what winning the “Grand Prize of the Jury” at Cannes for your last film will do.

The director, Chan-wook Park was there for a quick introduction, however there was no Q/A this time out.

Plot Outline : Lee Geum-Ja, at the age of 19, goes to prison for the murder and abduction of a child on behalf of her accomplice Mr. Baek, only to find out that she is betrayed.

Got the above ‘Plot outline’ from .imdb.com, Wish now that I had read that before going into the screening. Took me half the movie to figure out what was going. There are a lot of flash backs to her time in prison that do not really add too much to the film.

Discovered Park’s last film, “Oldboy” on import DVD. Heard about Cannes and was curious what I would find. While “Oldboy” is certainly not everyone, it is quite violent, it is still breathtaking filmmaking. I’ve lent my “Oldboy” DVD too many friends, some liking it… while others not. Would I do the same “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance”? Nope.

Have to see this movie again. It didn’t really connect with until the last third kicked in. Very interesting sequence at the end of the film, something that will certainly surprise and shock average film goers. Dark, funny and violent at times (but no were as bad as I thought it would be). First viewing really did not stay with me, but out of respect for “Chan-wook Park”… have to see it again.

My rating = B- (might change on a second viewing).

It is official; “Takashi Miike” is whacked.

The annual midnight screening of the new “Takashi Miike” film, “The Big Spook War” or “The Great Yokai War” or “Yôkai daisensô”. Call it what you will this is a fanatical ride.

Colin Geddes, the fearless programmer stated this film was originally geared towards children in Japan. Think of “Lord of the Rings” or “Neverending Story” for Japan. After the screening I can understand where they were going with that, but damn this is “Takashi Miike” after all. He directed the ’01 film “Ichi the Killer”, when it screening at the festival barf bags were handed out at the screening. And no, that wasn’t just a marketing ploy.

Plot Summary: A young boy with a troubled home life becomes "chosen," and he stumbles into the middle of a Great Spirit war, where he meets a group of friendly spirits who become his companions through his journey.

This is not really for kids, well not ‘too’ young. Certainly see them getting scared shitless with some of these spirits (even the friendly ones) on display. This is unlike anything I’ve seen in the movie theatre before. A fantasy naturally, some very funny (but dark) material. You will not be bored can guarantee that. Will this ever hit North America? Doubtful.

My rating = B

“Takashi Miike” is ultra prolific, imdb.com lists 31 projects since 2000 alone. I have had bad luck with Miike’s films in the past at the festival (Gozu) but there is one guarantee, he is NOT predictable. This is one wild, bizarre ride. Catch it if you can.

Well these midnight screenings really get me home late. Bed Time: 2:46am. Celebrity Sightings today = 0. Film I need to see again = 1. Screenings tomorrow = 1. Ah, can sleep in.

Knew it would happen, I sleep in for the first time this festival

2005-09-15T13:17:00.000-07:00

Celebrity Sightings today = 0.

It is 8:41am. My next film starts at 9.

Knew it would happen, I sleep in for the first time this festival. Crap. Well at least had time to update this Blog. It is going to be a busy couple of days, got a invite to the Canadian Idol wrap party tonight (Hmmmm… free beer and food). And tomorrow the longest day at the festival, from 9:00 am to 2:00am the next day.

Off I head to the Varsity for the first time this festival. Movie: “The Last Hangman”.

Plot Outline: The life and times of Albert Pierrepoint - Britain's most prolific hangman.

Always feel comfortable picking films from the United Kingdom. If it has made it to the film festival, and it is UK produced, it will be good. At least that is what I have found over the years at the festival.

Now this project was originally a made for Granada TV in the UK. Not 100% sure if it has aired yet on television over in the UK. This is a very well made, well acted movie. The Director and actor “Timothy Spall” was there for the interesting Q/A session. Basically the story follows the Hangman ‘Pierrepoint’ (following in this father’s foot prints) over his career as Britain’s ‘Best” executioner. How does this job affect him, and even more interesting how it affects everyone around him.

The most unlikely plot twist was to my amazement completely true. The filmmakers try to be as accurate as possible; there was no need to make anything up, the true story itself in interesting enough. The trip ‘Pierrepoint’ took to Germany after the war was particularly well done.

The Q/A raised the obvious questions on the Death Penalty, and the producers’ feelings on that subject. There is a brief scene of ‘Pierrepoint’ cleaning up a ‘lady’ afterwards, it included some full frontal nudity. A lady in the audience asked why that was shown, and not a guy in the same position. In the attempt to be accurate as possible the director stated that when a woman is hanged there are “biological” differences that need special attention. He did not want to go into specifics, which was just fine with this blogger.

Great Film, but the subject material is dark, ‘Pierrepoint’ is shown at work for most of the film, which will put some people off.

I knew before watch the movie that it was originally made for TV. There is a lot of quality material that hits the airwaves. Watching a movie on to the Big Screen certainly adds to the experience of any movie. Now what if you watched some of the best "The Sopranos" episodes on the big screen? What about “Six Feet Under” or what ever your favorite drama program is. This is good, but do you need to throw your $10 down to see it in the theatre? If the idea of seeing quality TV on the big screen is appealing to you, then the answer is most certainly yes.

My Rating = B

Next up, “Bart Freundlich’s” “Trust the Man”.

This film has an all-star line up : Julianne Moore, David Duchovny, Billy Crudup and Maggie Gyllenhaal with Eva Mendes, Ellen Barkin, James LeGros and Garry Shandling. For me, that was part of the problem.

Plot Outline: After all the drama, cheating, and trial separations, two men (Crudup, Duchovny) fight to save their respective relationships.

This is a well written comedy but for me you could ‘see’ the writing on the all over the big screen. The opening scene has some dialogue between a father and son in a bathroom. Ever been with a new mother or father when there young child does something ‘new’ for the first time? “Look little Johnny whipped his own ass”! Now for that family these little things can seem to be an amazing feat and even super funny! You tell that story to me or anyone else for that matter and we might just be able to fake amazement!

Really did not like the way the script hit the screen. It was like these actors were not acting. I didn’t believe that these folks were real people, just actors reading a script. You could almost see the smirk on their faces before they said their lines. There was nothing spontaneous about it at all. There were humorous lines, but it wasn’t funny. Hope that makes sense. Part of the problem for me was the “all-star” cast. Now I understand ‘Moore’, ya got to put the wife in the picture, but why Gary Shandling? Do not get me wrong, Shandling is a funny, funny guy. Problem is, soon as he hits the screen for a pretty small role you say to yourself, “Hey there’s Gary Shandling, time to be funny”. Same thing happened with Barkin hit the screen.

This is a business, and they need to ‘sell’ this movie (which they did, to Fox Searchlight). Pretty sure this director has some famous friends, and if I had a low budget movie, and I knew “Gary Shandling” I’d ask him to be in it too. For me, didn’t laugh when I should have, and the cast really got in the way.

The Director, “Bart Freundlich” is one hell of a nice guy. This is a very friendly and extroverted man. “World Traveler” is a film that I enjoyed from 2001 festival; unfortunately this comedy just did not work for me. “Trust the Man” should hit the theatre’s June 2006.

My rating = C

Up next, and unrelated party, the Canadian Idol wrap! I love free booze and food, but unfortunately this gathering was a bit of a waste of time for me. It was crowded, and most of crew that I know had not arrived from the studio yet. The winner was just arriving as we left. Had to leave early because:

Next up, the Midnight World Premiere of the new Documentary “Metal: A Headbanger's Journey”.

“Sam Dunn is a 30-year old anthropologist who wrote his graduate thesis on the plight of Guatemalan refugees. Recently he has decided to study the plight of a different culture, one he has been a part of since he was a 12-year old: the culture of heavy metal. Sam sets out on a global journey to find out why this music has been consistently stereotyped, dismissed and condemned and yet is loved so passionately by its millions of fans.”

Since I know some of the folks that worked on the film would rather not really comment on it. Interested in Metal (all forms) or the history of a modern music genre? Go see this film.

Ran into Colin Geddes, the programmer for the MIDNIGHT MADNESS program at the festival and he was able to a couple of burning questions I had. “Billy O'Brien”., the director of “Isolation” did not show up for the second screening of his film because: He is getting married on Saturday. Ok, I will let him off for that. Wouldn’t his bride to be understand? This is the Toronto Film Festival after all. Secondly, he went into great detail on why the new “Tony Jaa” Film “Tom yum goong” did not make it this year. Sorry, can’t go into all those political details.

So, it is 2:51am, and the next screening is at 9:00am. Me thinks it is time to hit the sack.

tin•ni•tus (tĭ-nī'təs, tĭn'ĭ-) A sound in one ear or both ears, such as buzzing, ringing, or whistling.

2005-09-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

Bloody hell, the U2 concert was so loud last night, the ringing in my ears kept me up.

Tired, and tired of complaining about being tired I head to the Paramount for a 9:30am screening of:

“Tsui Hark’s Seven Swords”.

Yeah, was looking forward to this film. It opened in Asia over July/August of this year. Saw Hark’s confusing “Time and Tide” a couple of years back at the festival. Once again, Hark has not shown up for the screening.

Plot Outline: Seven warriors come together to protect a village from a diabolical General.

Seven Swords… or was their five? Who the hell really knows? You never really get to understand the Swordsman at all. Why did one fly out of a mountain? Are there more than seven swords? Why are they gathered together on the mountain? Lots of these little details are left unanswered for this viewer. Did I mention this sucker ran 150 minutes? Really wanted to like this film, but didn’t. The action scenes were disappointing overall. The end scene does contain some decent sword fighting, a cool scene between two sword men in a hallway. But damn, you have to wait 140 minutes for that.

“Seven Swords” is overlong, confusing but occasionally very beautiful to look at. Set Design, cinematography are interesting at times, but damn… you have to care about the characters a little too. This is no “Hero”.

Want to see Hawk do better swordplay? Check out “The Blade”, much better film.

My Rating = C

Disappointed, it is time to wait around for a Midnight Madness selection: “Isolation”

This 2005 Irish Horror film is written and directed by a “Billy O'Brien”.

The Programmer, Colin Geddes, nor anyone from the cast or crew is at the screening. Not a good sign.

Plot Outline: On a remote Irish farm, five people become unwilling participants in an experiment that goes nightmarishly wrong.

Well there is nothing wrong with a good monster/Alien film once and awhile. Unfortunately this is not one of them. It is likely the first film ever that can make the claim to showing not once, not twice, but three times in the first fifteen minutes a cow having a hand being put up its ass. To be fair to the director Billy O'Brien, (who also wrote this piece of art) the opening is moody at times. You are trying to figure out what the heck is going on. The set-up takes forever to get going, and the yet the ending seems rushed. Lions Gate International has picked up the rights so we may see it on a screen at some point. There is no humor here what so ever. There is a low scare count, the “thing” is small and seemed just fine playing with cows. Is it horrible, no. Kind of wish it was to be honest, it might have been a little more fun that way. The crowd was small, and not reacting much at all. There was no one there to blame at the end of the screening. Hey, just discovered the original name of the film, (The Calf). D!oh, and this was one of the best Midnight Madness films of the year? Come on Colin! Where the hell is the new “Tony Jaa” Film “Tom yum goong” ? Now that would have been some Madness Baby.

Rating = C-

Well, have a little time between films, so home it is.

One more film for today, new one from South Korea, directed by Lee Myung-se: “Duelist”.

“A tale of political intrigue The Duelist is told from the perspective of a group of undercover police officers in historical Korea. Ahn Sung-Ki - one of Korea's most dependable actors who many on these shores will recognize from his part in the stellar Musa: The Warrior - is the wise senior leader of the group, Ha Jiwan the headstrong and fiery tempered Detective Namsoo. When a mysterious masked man scatters bags of counterfeit coins into a crowd at a town fair - nearly triggering a riot - the young female detective sets off in pursuit, engages him in combat and catches a brief glimpse of his true face.”

Style… Style and more style. The Director Lee Myung-se was there (Must be a big deal back in South Korea as he was swarmed with folks after the screening) and he explained the story original came from a Comic Book. Wish I had known that going in. It is a period piece, with a modern flare. Characters do things not because it makes sense, but to strike a pose. The director did not want to tag this as an action film, but as a ‘Melodrama’. Full of color, especially in the early market scenes, I am sure the fans of comic at happy as hell. Does that make it a good movie? Not really. Lee Myung-se said the film just opened in Korea, with the critics loving it… and the audience 50/50 on it. The film took ninety three days to shoot, and I am sure most of that time was spent getting the color scheme right. It’s looks wonderful, and he uses Dark shadows to make some beautiful images. All this just doesn’t work for me. The attempts at comedy are so over the top and goofy it is hard to take the characters seriously. The “Namsoon” character is just so goofy during the first half of the film I never really bought the romance between her and the “Sad Eyes” character. There are many action scenes, oh sorry, dance scenes, but they never had any real sense of danger for me. If you do not care who is fighting, or why they are fighting, then it comes across as really cold to me. Some will like it, others like me will not. Can not see this playing at all with a North American Audience, so the chances you will see this on the big screen are slim. A better reviewer than I has said on the internet “I think, that director Lee's films are poetry, not prose.”

Guess this fearless Blogger is not really a poetry kind of guy.

My rating = C

This has not been a great day for movies.

Off to bed. What day of the festival is this?

Got my TTC Weekly pass, $30 cash for unlimited access for 7 days!

2005-09-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

Big day today, U2 is in town, and a little thing called the 2005 Toronto Film Festival!

First up, at 9am sharp, a good little film called: “The Quiet”.

Directed by “Jamie Babbit”, who is apparently known for lighter TV fare has thrown that out the window with “The Quiet”.

Plot Outline: Sent to live with a foster family, Dot, a deaf orphan girl, soon realizes that all is not copacetic in her new, seemingly average home.

Something about this film really hit me. It is a very dark and adult tale set in any town USA. Will not ruin the movie by telling you that “Camilla Belle” plays a character named ‘Dot’ who happens to be deaf. Not sure why but as soon as Dot hit the screen, I was interested in her story. Personally you would find me to be a quiet guy generally, and I like to listen to folks have to say. When you listen, folks will tell you the most amazing things. ‘Dot’ certainly goes through that in this film. This is a story about teenagers, and it is appealing that they act that way. Saying stupid things, and not being ‘wise’ beyond their years, just like real teenagers. The film captured High School for me to a tee. Nice pacing and a better than expected performance from the ever so lovely “Elisha Cuthbert”. The Director, “Jamie Babbit” was there (along with her young daughter). By the way, the she said the Trivia on IMDB.com about ‘Breast Milk” was a pile of BS. There was a cut of the film that explained more of the back story but Jamie decided in editing to leave some questions unanswered, better for the thinking audience that way. The Young actress “Katy Mixon” was there, but no “Elisha Cuthbert”. What is the deal girl? What, too early in the morning for you? I know you were in town, saw your picture in the paper! I am just depressed I didn’t get to see “Elisha Cuthbert” in person.

Some folks just may get completely turned off by the subject material. This is very dark, depressing and very adult material. But for some reason the ‘Dot’ character really got me.

My Rating = B-

Up next, a film I have really been looking forward to, the new “Guy Ritchie” film: “Revolver”.

Plot Outline: Gambler Jack Green (Statham) enters into a game with potentially deadly consequences.

“Guy Ritchie” last film was “Swept Away”?? Now that blows me away. Ritchie is back in action in this not as violent as expected ‘con’ film. “Jason Statham” is great, playing a very confused ‘Jake Green’. Do not plan to get into the plot very much, and do be honest not sure if I could really explain everything.

Guy Ritchie said in his great Q/A session that the plot is a “chess game within a chess game within a chess game.” The timeline is a challenge for sure, (heard a guy say on the way out that it would take 50 viewings to understand it) but as Ritchie said… “It is a simple plot, but our minds will not let it go that easy”. “Ray Liotta” was better than expected; the Script does give Jason and him a lot to chew on. With tons of Style to spare, and a bit of Anime thrown into the mix for good measure, the concern for the viewer is the con... on a con... on a con plot.

“Guy Ritchie” was the only one there from the cast and crew for the Q/A. Ritchie seemed to be having a great time (would love to know what was in the envelope given to him by an audience member). Thank god not a single Madonna question (but yes, she was in town for the Gala). Ritchie has no idea on the business side of “Revolver”, i.e.: when/where/how it will get released. Since the birth of his children Ritchie has been watching a lot more kiddy fare of late (loved the “The Incredibles”, hadn’t laughed that hard in a while). Next up, a “Detective’ picture… and then a children’s’ animated film (there is more money in those he said) and staring the voice of “Jason Statham”!

Here is a picture from the Q/A:

My Rating = B-

Little walk and off to the next screening, the much anticipated “Brokeback Mountain”.

It was an honor to have “Ang Lee” actually show up and intro the film. He had just arrived back from Venice where he received the Top price at the festival. Was told that Ang stayed for half of the screening and moved on.

“A raw, powerful story of two young men, a Wyoming ranch hand and a rodeo cowboy, who meet in the summer of 1963 sheepherding in the harsh, high grasslands of contemporary Wyoming and form an unorthodox yet life-long bond--by turns ecstatic, bitter and conflicted.”

When I sat there watching the first twenty minutes of “Brokeback Mountain” started to wonder what my reaction would have been to the film had the plot twist had been spread all over the media. Obviously they feel that this twist will either sell the movie, or was it that they did not want some folks to be surprised by the plot? For me to be honest I sat there waiting for the ‘relationship’ to start.

This is a long, slow moving love story. I like the fact that this story arcs over many many years. A friend mentioned to me that the “relationship” was not explicit enough. For me the story was more about love, relationships and friendship. The real surprise was “Heath Ledger”. I love this understated moving performance. Their relationship, like all others is full of questions, confusion, and doubt.

“Brokeback Mountain” was shot in “Alberta” and that province serves as a beautiful backdrop for an important aspect of the story. The outdoors is where they have the sanctuary, all their memories of that first summer back in ’63. Ang Lee thanked the crew in Alberta for being one the best he had ever worked with. After “The Hulk” Ang said he wasn’t sure if he wanted to continue to be a filmmaker or not. This story, the screenplay and the shooting experience in Alberta has shown him to love making films again.

See Brokeback Mountain for a well told and real love story. See Brokeback Mountain for the Oscar worthy performance from Heath Ledger. See Brokeback Mountain for the quiet shots of Alberta and close your eyes and pretend you are on the side of that Mountain.

Rating = A-

6:15pm. Tuesday night. Movies are done for tonight. Off to the Air Canada Centre for U2. Now this is the forth time I have seen them so far on this tour. First was: April 01, 2005 / Anaheim, CA, and then: April 27, 2005 / Vancouver, Canada and then: June 18, 2005 / London, England. Finally, last night: September 12, 2005 / Toronto ON, Canada. Great show, sound was a little loud and Bono’s vocals were someone distorted from where I was at. The Toronto Film Festival got a few mentions, and some celebs were at the show! Denzel Washington, Daniel Lanois, Leonard Cohen, “Cuba Gooding Jr.” and a few others (all the celebrities were sitting around the soundboard).

Here is a picture:

Tired… it’s 2:23am. Ok, it’s time to hit the sack and try to get some sleep.

“If Tom Cruise will administer the test; I’ll be first in line”

2005-09-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

Have a little time to kill so I march up Young in search of Capote’s “In Cold Blood” paperback at many of the used book stores along the world’s longest street. Got very, very interested in the story after seeing the film “Capote” yesterday. Try three stores with zero luck! Certainly could have bought multiple copies of every Maxim Magazine published in the last four years, Interesting. Guess it is off to Ebay for a copy?

Walk past the ‘Church of Scientology’ building just south of Bloor and get offered a free ‘Stress test’. I tell the smiling young lady “If Tom Cruise will administer the test; I’ll be first in line”. She did not seem to get my sense of humor on the subject so I move on to my next screening:

“Shadowboxer”.

First time director “Lee Daniels”, producer of two challenging projects, “Monster's Ball” and “The Woodsman” tries his hand behind the lens with this new project.

Plot Outline: When Rose, a female assassin, is diagnosed with terminal cancer; she decides to carry out one final killing, assisted by Mickey.

Mickey is played by “Cuba Gooding Jr.”, who had now perfectly erased “Snow Dogs” from my memory. He is very good here playing it straight, and very cold. In the Q/A afterwards (finally a decent question and answer session) Cuba talked about the differences between doing Comedy and Drama. Cuba said he is pursuing roles that allow humor to come from the actions of the character, like this is film, and not obvious comedy (he’s not talking about “Snow Dogs” is he?) While watching the film with the crowd today he enjoyed the laughter that his character got from just reacting to situations within the plot and not ‘trying’ to be funny.

This certainly is a dark film, Think “Prizzi's Honor” but with a very different tone. “Helen Mirren” handles this ‘unique’ relationship with tenderness and dignity. Watching the ending I was to trying picture what a different, and more experienced director would handle it. Thought the ending wasn’t terribly suspenseful, and it should have been. A number of crew members were there for the Q/A, including the director “Lee Daniels”. Heck even a PA came in from Philly (you keener!) This movie was shot on HD, and it looked just fine. It was shown digitally at the Bassette theatre, just found the blacks to be little crushed (for all you techies out there).

Picture from the Q/A The Director and Cuba.

Rating = B

Back I go over to the Ryerson for my next film: “Harsh Times”.

Or as some might end up calling it, Training Day 2.

“The story follows Mike Alvarez (Freddy Rodriguez), unemployed and looking for a job, and Jim David (Bale) who has just been accepted by the DEA to do his share of the dirty work in Columbia. A pair of hell-raising beer-drinking screw-ups with time on their hands…”

Now to call it call it Training Day 2 isn’t really fair. Just because it was written and directed by the author of Training Day, features two fast talking ‘friends’, featuring a story over a short period of time in the hell of South Central LA, nah can’t call it a sequel.

The always interesting “Christian Bale” plays opposite the crowd favorite “Freddy Rodríguez” (from “Six Feet Under”). “Freddy Rodríguez” was there at the screening and two ladies from Detroit that were sitting next to me were certainly swooning over him. The film seemed to run long, but to be honest it might have been just me (getting tired at that point). “Eva Longoria” (who was there as well) has a small but important part playing Freddy’s wife.

This is a well made violent tale featuring a great performance once again from “Christian Bale”. The Director did a nice Q/A afterwards. When asked about the subject material, David stated that is where he grew up (went to high school in South Central) so the material is what he knows. David now has the Directing bug, ‘kind of like writing the final draft of the script’. When asked what was next for the film, the well spoken “David Ayer” stated that his main goal was to get the finished film to the Toronto Film Festival and nothing more. Beyond that, he did not know.

Christian Bale gets the rarely used title “Executive Producer”. When asked about that David said that Bale had actually auctioned for “Training Day”. Never got the part (Ethan Hawke’s character I assume), but Bale asked to see anything and everything that David had written. After reading the script for “Harsh Times” Bale wanted the role of Jim David badly. David laughing said “once an actor wants a part that badly, you better give it to him”. As for the credit, David said there was no ‘Batman money’ with this film, and for all the help Bale gave the production, the Exec producer credit was a no-brainer. Couldn’t help but laugh to myself with the thought of Bale having an “Ari” from “Entourage” in his management team. I could hear him screaming “Fuck this arty first time director movie… we got to jump onto “Batman 2” right away, or you will be shit in this town!!” This is a Violent, well written film. Hope to see “Harsh Times” in the theatre soon.

Here is a picture from the Intro (That is Eva and the director)

Rating =B+

OK… bed time, big day tomorrow. Three films and U2!

September 11, 2001… it was my third day at the Toronto Film Festival

2005-09-13T07:17:00.000-07:00

September 11, 2001… it was my third day at the Toronto Film Festival.

When attending these festivals and seeing so many films over a short period of time, you really are in a vacuum. All that really matters is the time of the next screening, what theatre is it playing at and how long it will take to get there. In 2001 it was my second festival, and a day like any other. Had a screening in the morning, 9:30am, can’t remember the name of the film. When it ended a representative from the festival came out and explained what had happened in NY, up to that point in the day. The festival was stopping at noon, and there was zero information as to when it would start up again, if ever. Out we went into the bright sunlight of the September morning… starved for information, any details on what in the hell was going on.

Personally, I did not want to go back to my empty apartment, so just headed south along Young street eventually coming across my local pub. Found an empty seat at the bar with the many others who had gathered there as well, looking for information, any information. We all watched CNN for nine plus hours, getting quite full, and trying to figure out what in the fuck just happened. And that is how I spent 9/11, drunk and among friends, new and old.

First up on this day was David Cronenberg’s History of Violence.

Tagline: Tom Stall had the perfect life... until he became a hero.

Before anything I have to explain... there is some serious crush action at my end on the lovely and talented “Maria Bello”. There is just something about the lady that I really find terribly attractive. This movie is no disappointment in that area lets just say… Maria in a cheerleader outfit!

Enough ink on my infatuations, time for the film itself.

History of Violence certainly lives up to its name. It is no “Scanners” or anything along those lines, but there are short bursts of extreme Violence. “Viggo Mortensen’s” character lives an idyllic (maybe a little too idyllic for me) life is small town USA (actually North of Toronto). Do not want to go into the plot very much, but lets just say that peaceful life goes through some changes. This is a very, very good film, Viggo is OK, Maria Bello is great naturally, Ed Harris is quite menacing, and William Hurt has a scene that is quite brilliant, the Crowd was clapping and laughing the whole time! It is a ‘clean’, exceptionally well crafted piece of work. There is one odd sequence where Viggo’s character seems to run for miles, in about 4 minutes. Other than that, go see this film. Please remember that this is a David Cronenberg production, so there are a few moments that will certainly shock you. That is ok, go along for the ride.

It was a 9:30am showing on a Sunday Morning (the gala opening was the night before) so no David, no Viggio… and sadly… no Maria Bello. That sucked.

Rating = A-

Up next, at the same theatre Cameron Crowe’s latest production: “Elizabethtown”.

Noon… on a Sunday… no “Cameron Crowe”, no “Orlando Bloom” and no “Kirsten Dunst”. Bloody hell, my Celebrity Sighting list is going to be very, very short today.

Crowe did send a message to reviewers in the crowd, “Please hold off on reviewing this film, the print that we were about to see was a work in progress”. What hits the theatre this October will be slightly different. Damn, I hope so.

“Hours after a ruinous product debut, suicidal industrial designer Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom) learns of his father's sudden death. As the only son, Drew must travel to their small hometown of Elizabethtown, Kentucky to attend to his father's memorial. On the flight to Kentucky, Drew meets Claire (Kristen Dunst), a quick-witted flight attendant, who helps him navigate the rough waters ahead and proves that amazing things happen when you least expect them.” Hope that isn’t too much Plot. A lot more happens than that.

So why didn’t I like “Elizabethtown.”? Well “Orlando Bloom” for start. Just did not like the man in this role, really thought he failed to pull it off. The opening set-up when the Bloom character heads back to his apartment, just never felt for a second that would actually do what his said he was about to (you will understand once you see the movie). And without that emotional core, the character completely fails for me. And since he is the main character, the movie fails for me 10 minutes in. Naturally this is a Cameron Crowe Film so the soundtrack is filled with wonderful classic rock tunes. To be honest, I found that all these songs actually distracted me. In “Almost Famous” the music became part of the movie, it was about rock and roll after all. “Elizabethtown” is not. The work problem that Bloom’s character experiences is not fully explained (what actually when wrong?), and the resolution was just silly (all that could happen in four days?) For me that resolution really misses a great opportunity for the Bloom character to actually grow.

Kirsten Dunst’s character is annoying as hell when you first meet her, and for some it will stay that way that entire movie. She is cute and adorable, if that is your thing. The massive ‘book’ that was appeared to be created in just days, should have taken ‘weeks’ to produce! She is going on vacation and then the next day she has some type of ‘job interview’? Is there a ‘Ben’? Is she a lying psychopath? Bloom doesn’t seem to care because he is in “Love” with a capital “L”.

“Susan Sarandon” has a great speech at the end, and I like the way small town life and having a massive extended family is portrayed. It is way, way too long (it will likely be cut before hitting the theatres), and the film feels like it has two endings. There are some decent laughs every once and a while, and naturally it is a well produced film. However, as time passes along since the screening, the less I like it. This is coming from someone who loved “Almost Famous”. Some folks out there may love this film, but unfortunately this fearless Blogger is not one of them.

My rating = C

Ok, its official I am falling behind.

2005-09-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

Monday morn’ at 11:25am. I am here for 7 minutes so no real time to update the Blog. Currently running about 6 reviews behind and there are two more films today, and then a U2 Concert! Will try and do what I can folks, sorry about this. Do not have a laptop, and my schedule is really busy. Off to 'Revolver', more later.

Drinking a liter of Diet Coke at 11pm will guarantee that you will not fall asleep for hours.

2005-09-10T19:55:00.000-07:00

7:40am. Saturday. Another crap night, that is two in a row now, of lousy restless sleep. What the hell was going through my head last evening? Water man… water!

Nothing until 10:30am… guess it is time to head to the couch to watch some of the ‘Rogers Cable’ coverage from last night.

Celebrity Sightings today = “Cyril Raffaelli” “Philip Seymour Hoffman”. Sorry not that many. Damn, I need Stef with me. She can spot a B-List Actor in a darkened Movie theatre at 200 yards!

OK, time to rock and roll. I decide to walk to the Paramount on this lovely day. It’s quite along Queen Street so my mind starts to wonder. Will “David Cronenberg” be at the 9:30am showing of History of Violence? More importantly, will the very sexy “Mario Bello” be there! Will the TTC be running on time? Is penis size really important? The mind certainly wanders on very little sleep.

“Banlieue 13” a 2004 French action film from a very busy (he currently has 15 films in various stages of production), “Luc Besson”.

Basically Plot: ‘Paris, 2010. The city’s landscape has been divided by massive walls that isolate so-called dangerous ghetto areas, protecting the city’s elite from the disenfranchised. Vice rules in these walled-in communities and law enforcement only exists at the barrier’s checkpoints.’

This is no ‘relationship’ film! A very well made, effective French Action Film. They go the ‘Real stuntmen, no wires’ route to great effect. I like the soundtrack, the plot moves along a quick pace, and an effective cast. The first 40 minutes is used to introduce the two main subjects: “Cyril Raffaelli” and “David Belle”. Think of them as two smaller versions of “Tony Jaa”. Not quite as skilled as he, but still great in their own right.

Look, this is a well made, nicely edited low budget action film. Expect nothing more.

One of the French actors, “Cyril Raffaelli” was there for intro and Q/A. He spoke through an interpreter and explained that there was no one injured during the production (other than him breaking an ankle on a very simple stunt). The more difficult time for the actors was during rehearsal, while working out all the choreography. Some of the film was shot in Romania. They approached the French government asking for permission to perform the ‘parkour’ stunt work on the roof tops of Paris. They refused. The Romanian government did not seem to have a problem with them running and jumping across the top of the city.

“Cyril Raffaelli” seemed quite pleasant, signing autographs for the fans:

and signing my Festival book!

Rating : B

Had a little time to kill so I decided to hit my favorite Chinese restaurant “New Ho King” on Spadina.

One thing I’ve noticed this year is that before every film they read a standard disclaimer ‘recording devises in the theatre are a strict no no’. It is always the same line, before each and every film that has shown so far.

After hearings this message a number of times now I started to wonder if it is all for not. These are film fans correct? Who wants to watch those shaky cam bootlegs anyhow?

Walking to and from the restaurant I came across six tables selling these bootlegs... 5 for $20.

Just like this table:

You want “40 Year Old Virgin” or “Red Eye” on DVD? No problem, $5 a pop. Even saw a copy of a film booked for Monday at the festival, “Tsui Hark’s Seven Swords”. Looked down at that DVD and thought “Nah, want to see it on the big screen”, and continued towards the Elgin.

While walking away a thought popped up in my little head… “Wonder how many folks would be unable to see a screening, and figured $5 bucks would be a small price to pay to see Hark’s latest”? Hmmm… I now know what Hollywood’s and the Toronto Film Festivals answer would be to that question.

After eating way too much I drag my fat ass back to Elgin Theatre. Running a little behind, but it didn’t matter really. Why you ask? Well my shinny Visa card gets me right to the front of the line!! No long line ups past Massey Hall for me! In I went to see:

“Capote”, starring the always interesting “Philip Seymour Hoffman”.

This appears to be the first fiction film directed by “Bennett Miller”. That is truly amazing to me. This film is handled with great skill by a very talented director.

This is a very good movie.

“Philip Seymour Hoffman” plays Truman Capote, during his research for his book ‘In Cold Blood’, an account of the murder of a Kansas family. The writer develops a close relationship with Perry Smith, one of the killers.

I love the fact that is only covers the four to five years that it took to write “In Cold Blood”. Hoffman is really wonderful in the role of Truman. A new find for me was "Clifton Collin Jr. " who played Perry Smith in the film. Looking at his IMDB bio, his last big credit… the voice of ‘Cesar Vialpando’ in “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas”. We will certainly see more of this actor.

Haven’t even mentioned the strong work by “Chris Cooper” , “Bob Balaban” and especially “Catherine Keener” who plays ‘Nelle Harper Lee’ Truman’s research assistant (Who just happens to go on to write this little book called “"To Kill a Mockingbird"). It drags a bit in the middle, and was never quite sure if Truman was using Perry all along, just to get his great book published. However, I figure there in one way for me to find out, have to search out Capote’s “In Cold Blood”… the last book he ever completed. Imagine, a film driving a person to read. Shocking.

We WILL hear about this come Oscar time!

Rating : B+

And that was Day 2. What is on track for tomorrow you wonder? Ah, nothing like a “David Cronenberg” film at 9:30am on a Sunday morning!

One Blurry "Capote" Cast Picture.

2005-09-10T19:54:00.000-07:00

I was having trouble uploading this picture from the Elgin… just easier to create a new Blog Entry. Nothing exciting… That’s “Philip Seymour Hoffman” on the far right.

More Tomorrow.

Friday, September 9. Funny thing is, today is the day I got fired.

2005-09-09T23:58:00.000-07:00

6am.

Damn, can’t sleep might as well get out of bed. Charged the batteries on my Digital Camera, got my TTC Day pass in hand, one cold can of Coke, and I am off.

Ok, it is Day number one.

Celebrity Sightings today = “Sarah Silverman” “Terry Gilliam” “Jeff Bridges” “Jennifer Tilly”.

Friday, September 9. Funny thing is, today is the day I got fired. Well not really the day I got fired, that was exactly six months ago, but it is the last day of my severance package. Kind of fitting actually that it is the first day of the Film festival, but you do have to look at the bright side of things.

Just a quick shout out to Stephanie, Monica, Pauline, Andrea, Paulo and especially Richard for making that fucking place bearable at least. Without them, I would have been gone long before today.

Now onto something more important… the 2005 Toronto Film Festival!

First up is Takeshi Kitano’s “Takeshis'”

First off, thank you sweet Jesus, they have replaced the seats at the Ryerson theatre. There is still a sore on my right ass cheek from last years screening of “I Heart Huckabees”. You remember those seats don’t you Stef! Liked that film… and I thought Mark would love it. Was wrong, he couldn’t sit through it.

Now, back to “Takeshis'”. This is the forth 'Beat' Takeshi film I caught at the Toronto Film festival, and never seen him introduce a film yet. Does he do other festivals? Who knows?

Basic Plot : ‘Kitano acts opposite himself, playing both the ordinary guy - also named Kitano - and the director's real-life alter-ego, TV and cinema star "Beat" Takeshi.’

This is a film for fans of Kitano… if this was your first ‘Beat’ film I think you would be totally lost. I’ve seen several... and that didn’t really help me much at all. Beat is playing two different characters... (with different hair color... or do they?). There is a ton of foreshadowing going on as well… quick flashes of plot. Me thinks it is a parody of his previous work, just not sure if he is a fan of his image or not. Certainly would have asked him… if he had shown up. Beat must be a song and dance man at heart because just like “Zatôichi” , dance numbers pop up at odd moments. The crowd was quiet during the screening for the most part. The limited action scenes were so over the top they must have parody... or fantasy maybe? Who the hell knows? Overall, Disappointing.

Rating: C-

Back out in the sun and over to the Paramount of the next film:

“Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic”. Sarah was there to introduce the film, but she did not stick around for a Q/A afterwards. Never seen “Sarah Silverman” do stand-up before, but I have seen her on Talk shows and the like. To be honest, was not sure what to expect.

Sarah has a potty mouth! Very politically incorrect (in a good way), and completely fearless.

Plot Outline: Narrative digressions on sex, race, politics, and more from comedienne Sarah Silverman.

And she does it all. I like her delivery… she ‘pauses’ well. It isn’t rushed; Sarah allows time for the words to sink in. Now the film itself is basically stand-up… and a number of songs/skits intertwined. Sarah has a decent voice, is quite beautiful in my mind, and dirty too!

Should you rush out and see this film on the big screen? Nah. HBO or DVD will do just fine. In her introduction Sarah said “Ah… comedy at noon” (The screening time was 12:30 in the afternoon). Is comedy funnier at night? There was a Midnight screening of the film the night before, did it play better then? Maybe.

Quick story: Before the film I was chatting with a lady next to me about the festival. She was seeing 30+ movies, but was a little disappointed about the lack of German language films at the festival this year (only two). She was obviously of German decent. About half was through the film Sarah starts ragging on Jewish folks that buy German cars (Sarah is Jewish). The lady beside me starts to squirm a bit. Sarah moves from the stage to a sing skit where she once again starts to sing about Jewish folks buying German cars. The lady beside me stood up and left. As I watch her leave I thought to myself... what would Sarah think of that? “Yeah... I got someone to walk out, must be doing something right”. Or would she be disappointed that the lady just did not get it. As Sarah says several times during the film, “It’s just a joke folks”. However, for some, it just might be too much.

Rating B-

I get to stay at the Paramount for my Next film, from Mexico: “Battle in Heaven (Batalla en el Cielo)”.

My two favorite parts of this film? Mexico City is a star of this film; you really get a sense of what it would be like to be that very busy city. The Director stated in the Q/A that there was zero extras used, it was a local folks, and just who ever was the street. Second favorite part... the very cute “Anapola Mushkadiz”.

And oh yeah, the sound design was very interesting, the director spent 7 weeks just on the sound. My guess, two weeks on the rest of the film. Man this film just drags on. One scene, driving from the Airport to downtown must have lasted 20 minutes… and nothing really happens. The music is jarring (I suspect that was the intent). There are some of the most un-erotic sex scenes ever captured on film. Ugly was the word passing through my mind. Sad Characters... which you learn nothing about. The opening and closing scene insures that it will never play at a multi-plex near you. What I got from the director “Carlos Reygadas” during the Q/A Was that he thought it was creating a piece of art. Partly right … he created a piece of something alright.

Here are the crew at Cannes this year. Salma Hayek??, the director “Carlos Reygadas”, the cutie Ana and some fat guy.

Sigh. My Rating: D

Next: Terry Gilliam’s “Tideland”

I head down to the Visa Screening room and learn two new things upon arrival. First, if you show your Visa card with your ticket... it is ‘Front of the Line’ access! Secondly, these screening always start late. My guess, the “Red Carpet” outside (Hey got to get those Jennifer Tilly interviews in). Starting 15/20 minutes late… some of the crew was introduced. Some producer types, Terry Gilliam, the Screenwriter and the Author (Nice touch I thought), and the ‘actors’ : “Jeff Bridges”, “Brendan Fletcher”, “Jennifer Tilly”, and the very young (born in ’94!) “Jodelle Ferland.”

After they all finally sat down, the film started.

“After her mother dies from a heroin overdose, Jeliza-Rose is taken from the big city to a rural farmhouse by her father. As she tries to settle into a new life in a house her father had purchased for his now-deceased mother, Jeliza-Rose's attempts to deal with what's happened result in increasingly odd behavior, as she begins to communicate mainly with her bodiless Barbie doll heads and Dell, a neighborhood woman who always wears a beekeeper's veil.”

Yes… communicating with Barbie dolls. Did I like this film? Not really. It’s Dark… very dark. Which is ok naturally, not all films have to be about sunshine and happiness. I found the accent used by the girl annoying and unexplained, and it keeps changing through out the film! Often there are a number of ‘voices” taking at the same time, so it can get very confusing. Not surprising, Jennifer Tilly completely hams it up, luckily it is a small part. The early scenes are funny… in a dark comedy kind of way. “Brendan Fletcher” certainly has a difficult part to play, there are a couple of very awkward scenes between him and the 11 year old actress. I would be very surprised if this film found a wide audience. The crew sat about five rows ahead of me and at the end there was a lot of back slapping and shaking of hands. Who knows maybe I completely missed the boat on this one.

My rating : C+

The screening was running late, and decided to stick around to snap a couple of pictures outside.

There is Terry leaving…. And below, Jeff signing autographs.

Mark and Shauna invited me over for a quick bite and drink between films. I was running late. The damn Street Car was not running due ‘the party I wasn’t invited to’ … So bloody hell, it’s walking time. Quickly got up stairs and without a long introduction to the folks around the dinner table I jumped into a wonderful salad. Mark’s brother had attended the “DIALOGUES: Liza with a 'Z'”. Some funny stories started to flow about Liza Minnelli and the ‘diverse’ crowd that attended the screening/45 minute Q/A session afterwards. I could have listened longer but Mark pointed out that it was very late.

Ran out onto the street, it was busy as hell with local shutdowns for ‘the party I wasn’t invited to’, so it was slow getting there.

Screening time: 9:15pm. My arrival: 9:25pm ran up stairs to see if the screening was running late. No go unfortunately. So, my first causality of the festival… “The Life and Hard Times of Guy” Terrifico.

I wonder out on to Queen Street to see what’s happening there. It’s a very busy and clear night. As I head toward Spadina the sound of a ‘Street Musician’ starts to fill the air. This guy’s voice is echoing down Queen Street; it’s his busy time, got to bring them in. He is singing at the top of his lungs “Always look on the bright side of life”. Grin, and I just came from a Terry Gilliam film! A picture forms in my head of Terry driving along Queen Street, heading to “The Drake” or some such place for a wrap party. The window in his limo slightly ajar and the sounds of this guy singing that song, “Always look on the bright side of life” fill Terry’s car. I could see a smile crossing his face.

It is a warm evening out; everyone seems to be in a great mood. Got fired today but just starting my forth Toronto Film festival and seeing U2 on Monday. The street car is still shut down because of that ‘the party I wasn’t invited to’. It’s warm... and the decision is made to walk home. Only problem, got that darn Monty Python song stuck in my head. Life isn’t so bad.

Ok, time to Sleep. Next up… day two.

OK, Just one more day to go.

2005-09-08T21:57:00.000-07:00

OK, Just one more day to go.

Celebrity Sightings today = 0.

Been looking at my schedule and there will be a few conflicts. For a couple of films there are only about 4 minutes between the end of one… and the start of another. Sometimes they are in other parts of the city! D!oh. May have some more tickets available after I sit down and figure it what I want/have to miss. That sucks.

The newspapers are full of Film Festival stories... “Now” and “Eye” magazine are loaded with reviews (which I am avoiding until seeing the films). The weather is nice... no rain the forecast.

Almost really to roll. Tickets are all sorted out… my little Festival bag is packed and ready by the door.

Alarm is set for 7:30am. Now just as long as I don’t sleep in tomorrow : Time to Rock and Roll Baby!

Hey Everyone, welcome to my 2005 Toronto Film Festival Blog.

2005-09-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my 2005 Toronto Film Festival Blog. This is where I will post my stupid comments about my ten days at the festival.

So... my very first update.

My pics have come through.... 33 films and one U2 Concert. Made a mistake and picked “River Queen” for Monday night at 9:30pm… U2 should be on stage then.

So… if anyone wants a ticket to "River Queen" just drop me an e-mail. Shame really, I have a bit of a crush on Samantha Morton, love those eyes! Ah well… I’ll be seeing 33 other movies… (Maybe I will run into her on the Streets of Toronto!).

So things don’t really kick off for me until Friday morning…

Friday 9th
Takeshis'	Friday, September 09 9:30 AM
Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic	Friday, September 09 12:15 PM
Battle in Heaven	Friday, September 09 3:00 PM
Tideland	Friday, September 09 6:00 PM
The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico	Friday, September 09 9:15 PM

Five Movies the very first day… it’s going to be a long one!

Come on back ya hear!