Monday, Sept 1, 2008
Can it be September already?
Usually there is some movie at TIFF where some time of day is in the title that portends something ominous or climactic. Instances include the great movie 11:14 [which never saw the light of day in theatre but in the compact comfiness of the Uptown Bloor 2 everyone in the place was just laughing at the sheer bizarreness of all the antics onscreen - and the comely Rachael Leigh Cook as well - and Hilary Swank ! post Boys Don't Cry ] , or there is the melodramatic high school Australian movie 2:18 [ check title later ] which was a worthy follow-up to the likes of Gus Van Sant's Elephant [ who actually mentored the director ] .
So this year we had our own version of 03:24:18 - the total time from start to finish from when we landed at the end of the line-up to pick up the tickets for TIFF08 to the time we made the last switch of tickets and coupons and resolved all time conflicts and double scheduling and said to ourselves at the food court tables outside the Toronto Life Box Office that at last ! our schedule was done.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Our Final Schedule /* ha ! */
So here is the schedule we have shaped with much sweat and blood and furrowed brow and hope for the best - and we actually look forward to this. Note of course that not everything was possible to attain or schedule - being in Box 50 did not helpMany thanks to the great site TOFilmfiest which is devoted to getting out the TIFF schedule every year along with star ratings and reviews in advance to make the selection process just that little bit easier.
Just to rewind for a second and first things first: the Festival Lite pass is good for 30 tickets outside the galas - big change from last year - the Festival Lite pass itself is a change from last year when it was not there at all - so it was 50 or 10. So we bought the Festival 50 last year and took the whole festival off from the outside world. However, this year is different - outside world by day - festival by night. This is not going to be pleasant. Nonetheless, we are going to enjoy TIFF08 to our utmost. Sleep? who needs it.
Plus Tard, Tu Comprendras THU 9/4/08 06:00pm Ryerson
Waltz with Bashir THU 9/4/08 09:00pm Ryerson
Three Wise Men FRI 9/5/08 05:30pm AMC 6
Wendy and Lucy FRI 9/5/08 07:45pm AMC 7
Zift SAT 9/6/08 09:15am Scotiabank 3
Detroit Metal City SAT 9/6/08 12:00pm Scotiabank 2
Un Ete Sans Point Ni Coup Sur SAT 9/6/08 03:00pm Scotiabank 4
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist SAT 9/6/08 06:00pm Ryerson
Katia's Sister SAT 9/6/08 08:45pm AMC 4
35 Rhums SUN 9/7/08 09:15am Scotiabank 4
The Burning Plain SUN 9/7/08 09:45am Scotiabank 2
La Fille de Monaco SUN 9/7/08 12:15pm Scotiabank 1
Is There Anybody There SUN 9/7/08 03:00pm Ryerson
Le Silence de Lorna SUN 9/7/08 06:00pm Scotiabank 1
Genova SUN 9/7/08 08:30pm Wintergarden
The Hurt Locker MON 9/8/08 06:00pm Ryerson
Gigantic MON 9/8/08 09:45pm Isabel Bader
Nuit de Chien TUE 9/9/08 06:15pm Scotiabank 2
The Brothers Bloom TUE 9/9/08 09:00pm Ryerson
What Doesn't Kill You WED 9/10/08 06:30pm Ryerson
Good WED 9/10/08 09:15pm Ryerson
Uncertainty THU 9/11/08 06:30pm AMC 6
Revanche THU 9/11/08 08:45pm AMC 5
Control Alt Delete FRI 9/12/08 06:00pm AMC 1
Deadgirl FRI 9/12/08 09:00pm AMC 6
The Wrestler SAT 9/13/08 09:00am Ryerson
It Might Get Loud SAT 9/13/08 12:00pm AMC 6
Martyrs SAT 9/13/08 04:00pm AMC 3
Once Upon a Time in Rio SAT 9/13/08 07:00pm AMC 3
The Other Man SAT 9/13/08 09:30pm Isabel Bader
Just to rewind for a second and first things first: the Festival Lite pass is good for 30 tickets outside the galas - big change from last year - the Festival Lite pass itself is a change from last year when it was not there at all - so it was 50 or 10. So we bought the Festival 50 last year and took the whole festival off from the outside world. However, this year is different - outside world by day - festival by night. This is not going to be pleasant. Nonetheless, we are going to enjoy TIFF08 to our utmost. Sleep? who needs it.
Plus Tard, Tu Comprendras THU 9/4/08 06:00pm Ryerson
Waltz with Bashir THU 9/4/08 09:00pm Ryerson
Three Wise Men FRI 9/5/08 05:30pm AMC 6
Wendy and Lucy FRI 9/5/08 07:45pm AMC 7
Zift SAT 9/6/08 09:15am Scotiabank 3
Detroit Metal City SAT 9/6/08 12:00pm Scotiabank 2
Un Ete Sans Point Ni Coup Sur SAT 9/6/08 03:00pm Scotiabank 4
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist SAT 9/6/08 06:00pm Ryerson
Katia's Sister SAT 9/6/08 08:45pm AMC 4
35 Rhums SUN 9/7/08 09:15am Scotiabank 4
The Burning Plain SUN 9/7/08 09:45am Scotiabank 2
La Fille de Monaco SUN 9/7/08 12:15pm Scotiabank 1
Is There Anybody There SUN 9/7/08 03:00pm Ryerson
Le Silence de Lorna SUN 9/7/08 06:00pm Scotiabank 1
Genova SUN 9/7/08 08:30pm Wintergarden
The Hurt Locker MON 9/8/08 06:00pm Ryerson
Gigantic MON 9/8/08 09:45pm Isabel Bader
Nuit de Chien TUE 9/9/08 06:15pm Scotiabank 2
The Brothers Bloom TUE 9/9/08 09:00pm Ryerson
What Doesn't Kill You WED 9/10/08 06:30pm Ryerson
Good WED 9/10/08 09:15pm Ryerson
Uncertainty THU 9/11/08 06:30pm AMC 6
Revanche THU 9/11/08 08:45pm AMC 5
Control Alt Delete FRI 9/12/08 06:00pm AMC 1
Deadgirl FRI 9/12/08 09:00pm AMC 6
The Wrestler SAT 9/13/08 09:00am Ryerson
It Might Get Loud SAT 9/13/08 12:00pm AMC 6
Martyrs SAT 9/13/08 04:00pm AMC 3
Once Upon a Time in Rio SAT 9/13/08 07:00pm AMC 3
The Other Man SAT 9/13/08 09:30pm Isabel Bader
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Just in from TIFF - Sunday night and back to the drawing board
Our Schedule (click here) from TIFF came in this weekend - and we were not entirely pleased. 27 out of 30 with 3 duplicate films, 2 time conflicts and 3 coupons to redeem.
Waltz with Bashir THU 9/4/08 09:00pm
Three Wise Men FRI 9/5/08 05:30pm
Wendy and Lucy FRI 9/5/08 07:45pm
Detroit Metal City SAT 9/6/08 12:00pm
Nick and Norah's Infinite... SAT 9/6/08 06:00pm
Katia's Sister SAT 9/6/08 08:45pm
Nick and Norah's Infinite... SUN 9/7/08 09:30am
The Burning Plain SUN 9/7/08 09:45am
La Fille de Monaco SUN 9/7/08 12:15pm
Wendy and Lucy SUN 9/7/08 12:45pm
Le Silence de Lorna SUN 9/7/08 06:00pm
Genova SUN 9/7/08 08:30pm
The Hurt Locker MON 9/8/08 06:00pm
Gigantic MON 9/8/08 09:45pm
Nuit de Chien TUE 9/9/08 06:15pm
The Brothers Bloom TUE 9/9/08 09:00pm
What Doesn't Kill You WED 9/10/08 06:30pm
Good WED 9/10/08 09:15pm
Uncertainty THU 9/11/08 06:30pm
Revanche THU 9/11/08 08:45pm
Control Alt Delete FRI 9/12/08 06:00pm
Deadgirl FRI 9/12/08 09:00pm
The Wrestler SAT 9/13/08 09:00am
Genova SAT 9/13/08 12:00pm
Martyrs SAT 9/13/08 04:00pm
Once Upon a Time in Rio SAT 9/13/08 07:00pm
The Other Man SAT 9/13/08 09:30pm
Waltz with Bashir THU 9/4/08 09:00pm
Three Wise Men FRI 9/5/08 05:30pm
Wendy and Lucy FRI 9/5/08 07:45pm
Detroit Metal City SAT 9/6/08 12:00pm
Nick and Norah's Infinite... SAT 9/6/08 06:00pm
Katia's Sister SAT 9/6/08 08:45pm
Nick and Norah's Infinite... SUN 9/7/08 09:30am
The Burning Plain SUN 9/7/08 09:45am
La Fille de Monaco SUN 9/7/08 12:15pm
Wendy and Lucy SUN 9/7/08 12:45pm
Le Silence de Lorna SUN 9/7/08 06:00pm
Genova SUN 9/7/08 08:30pm
The Hurt Locker MON 9/8/08 06:00pm
Gigantic MON 9/8/08 09:45pm
Nuit de Chien TUE 9/9/08 06:15pm
The Brothers Bloom TUE 9/9/08 09:00pm
What Doesn't Kill You WED 9/10/08 06:30pm
Good WED 9/10/08 09:15pm
Uncertainty THU 9/11/08 06:30pm
Revanche THU 9/11/08 08:45pm
Control Alt Delete FRI 9/12/08 06:00pm
Deadgirl FRI 9/12/08 09:00pm
The Wrestler SAT 9/13/08 09:00am
Genova SAT 9/13/08 12:00pm
Martyrs SAT 9/13/08 04:00pm
Once Upon a Time in Rio SAT 9/13/08 07:00pm
The Other Man SAT 9/13/08 09:30pm
TIFF08 minus 5 days - shock
I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!
In rehearsal mode for TIFF, descended back into the world of the AMC 24 at Yonge and Future Shop and it was not totally unpleasant. Comfortable seats - good sound system for sure - pristine prints - the downside was the presence of other sapiens sitting in the theatre as well and acting as if they expected to stay here too. This is not the regular home theatre experience - so girls in short skirts and flipflops propping their feet on the chairs ahead of them munching on popcorn which is another thing - some people know how to chew popcorn quietly and others are just plain rude about it.
And the final shock - trailers! trailers for movies that were about to open and we were planning to see at TIFF08 ! Burn After Reading ! An indie Coen brothers movie ! Really ? a movie that would be individually 45 $ for one ticket or one of the 8 for $350 Gala pass ! Appaloosa ! An Ed Harris movie with a trailer ! This was going into shellshock territory. And movie posters ! Rocknrolla ! a gala movie denied to anyone without the Gala pas. The Day The Earth Stood Still ! And finally Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist - the next Michael Cera movie everyone is falling upon as the next Juno for some reason - a movie we picked three times for our TIFF list and hoping for the best. And if you read the freebie magazine you would find out that Kevin Smith's Zack and Miri Make a P*rno would actually be in a movie theatre in October !
So there it is in a nutshell - a movie that you pick at TIFF may actually be seeable in the near future
Friday, August 29, 2008
TIFF08 minus 6 days
How did it come to all this madness - with its maddening lineups, its maddening scheduling riddled with spacing and conflicts, the maddening days of too little sleep nights, the maddening realization at 3 in the morning that the selections have to be handed in the morning and the realization that those last few picks and desired movies will just not fit or the decision on what those are in the first place ? And because the decision was made to not skip the employment and instead see TIFF at night during weekdays and weekends and purchase the Festival *Lite* package of 30 tickets. Yet it ends up going into work late so that you could [ and see below ] anyway end up on this final day to get the selections in before the 1 p.m. deadline, racing downtown in the morning on The Better Way [ knows as take the car to all the propagandists ] to the box office gives an appreciation to what it is to not to have to make that daily commute downtown. And still the necessity to buy that one more cup of A&W coffee in the Eaton Centre Food Court and open up the advanced schedule book to make the final markings of first and second choice and still taking another hour to complete the book with yellow first choice and green second choice and end up making way too many yellow markings and hoping for the best that the conflicts will play themselves out to a model daily schedule of movie watching perfection then to get to the Toronto Life Building across the scrambled crosswalk and fly past the volunteer pointing up to the escalator to the final destination - only to see another lineup just to drop off the envelope into the dropbox - and to be floored by the sight of people huddling at steel tables in the food area still poring over pieces of paper and now you know the rest of the story.
[ The lineup - at the end of it was a table of more TIFF volunteers to meet and have them ask if any last minute help was needed in going over the book to which the reply was what could possibly go wrong now - and then the envelope is handed over and being told that it is going into Box 50 ]
[ Then the race to get back north up the TTC way to the place that pays for all this movie mania in the first place. Fun? Wow ]
This just in from TIFF - oh oh
Aug 29 - Box #9 has been selected as the first to be processed in the Advance Order Procedure. There were 78 boxes in the draw. Completed orders can be picked up only at our Festival Box Office at Toronto Life Square, starting Monday, September, 1 at 10am.
Lucky 50
The lucky box is number 50 at 10 am
It has to be
( song of the moment - Joy Division Disorder )
It has to be
( song of the moment - Joy Division Disorder )
Thursday, August 28, 2008
The Lucky Ones
It seems the lucky ones to see
The Lucky Ones will be the gala types after all.
This is a reversal of procedure from last year - it seems only the elite few who can shell out the $45 for the gala ticket can enter the Elgin now.
http://tiff08.ca/images/films/luckyones.jpg
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
/* Here's looking at you kid */ - Casablanca bringing the crowd together at Toronto Life Square
August 26, 2008
On a perfect cool summer evening in Toronto but still with fashionable strappies and shorts in abundance - and the feel of real downtown - Toronto International Film Festival 2008 opened up for serious business - today was the first day to pick up the big programming books and the schedule is online - and now comes the pondering and the grr-ing as we head towards that Friday at 1 p.m deadline. The evening was jacket and sweater type of cool in Toronto - and down at Toronto Life Square in the outdoors it was a perfect night - standing under the big lit advertising signs - holding the TIFF bag full of all the programming goodies - including chocolates, Starbucks coffee and a box of TARDIS filled with a Stella Artois glass - and a marker pen and a penlight - and the programming book - and the just out Best Buy exclusive Heroes box complete with season 2 and a Kensei helmet ! [ we had to buy that separately - that's not part of TIFF ]
But we digress - for this summer eve was devoted to Summer Romance - on the theatre screen in on the stage at Toronto Life Square - amidst the hubbub of Toronto's busiest tourist intersection that is Yonge and Dundas and the glare and the glow of the overhead billboards lighting the evening - especially one touting the Traveling Pants 2 and the Sisterhood looking so fetch - the screen sprang to life with the story of German couriers in Africa during the Second World War carrying two exit visas - and three people.
It was a perfect day and night - chill in the air - sitting on the ground on a carpet or lucky enough to bring a chair - the people sitting under the stars drawn together by the chemistry of the stars and the on screen magic that is movies.
Have a great Festival !
The schedule is up !
08TIFF
It's the final countdown
The schedule is online now and out to the world !
Now begins the most hectic 75 hours of your life - trying to juggle all your movie choices into the precious little time that is ten days and nights - and make that schedule.
Good luck!
[ ... more to come ]
Friday, August 22, 2008
/* Are you in or you out? I'm in */
I'll go pack my stuff
It's that time of year to dive again into the heady world of Toronto International Film Festival - the 08 edition.
Somehow the thought of those undeserving dimwits at E! Canada et al [ nice guy al but a dimwit ] covering the red carpets while we remained at home just did not sit well in the tummy. Even though it might not be possible this year due to the outside world to attend all 50 tickets on the Festival pass - we still have to be there.
First things first. Where do you buy the pases this year and where do you pick it up?
What are the top 20 fun movies to see for now ? Feel free to let us know - and drop by TOfilmfest '08 - a good place to be.
For relaxing times make it Suntory time
Friday, August 15, 2008
/* Oh Max */ - Would you believe Get Smart is smart fun
The new 2000s Get Smart movie delivers the spirit of the original television show of the incomparable Don Adams role Maxwell Smart without the original chaos or KAOS. At best Steve Carrell [ from The Office and Little Miss Sunshine amongst other things ] channels the mannerisms of Don Adams without strictly imitating his iconic gestures and Anne Hathaway embodies the independent strength of Barbara Feldon's 99 and is smoking hot to boot. And even she gets to deliver her trademark "Oh Max."
Aside from all that notwithstanding the moving nods to its predecessor, the movie Get Smart really bears little resemblance to a Get Smart episode but gets by on sheer fun and personality. Some new nuances are the duo of Heroes Hiro and a super bad virgin. The Chief's sidekick Larabee was never this annoying or bumbling - played as a Vince Vaughn type wannabee by David Koechner. And Fang was a mutt. The quick backstory is Maxwell Smart is a field analyst in CONTROL who yearns to be an agent in the field - and the day finally comes where he is promoted to Agent 86. There are obviously elements that harken the show: the Cone of Silence is de rigeur and Agent 13 jammed in some tiny nook or cranny - and the passageway of the doors - and that great theme song. Alan Arkin is the put-upon Chief who suffers the slings and arrows of misfortune - sorry about that Chief - but he is no Edward Platt [ yes he of Rebel Without A Cause ] .
Just sit back and enjoy the ride - and follow the development of the chemistry between 86 and 99 onwards to see Get Smart again?
Aside from all that notwithstanding the moving nods to its predecessor, the movie Get Smart really bears little resemblance to a Get Smart episode but gets by on sheer fun and personality. Some new nuances are the duo of Heroes Hiro and a super bad virgin. The Chief's sidekick Larabee was never this annoying or bumbling - played as a Vince Vaughn type wannabee by David Koechner. And Fang was a mutt. The quick backstory is Maxwell Smart is a field analyst in CONTROL who yearns to be an agent in the field - and the day finally comes where he is promoted to Agent 86. There are obviously elements that harken the show: the Cone of Silence is de rigeur and Agent 13 jammed in some tiny nook or cranny - and the passageway of the doors - and that great theme song. Alan Arkin is the put-upon Chief who suffers the slings and arrows of misfortune - sorry about that Chief - but he is no Edward Platt [ yes he of Rebel Without A Cause ] .
Just sit back and enjoy the ride - and follow the development of the chemistry between 86 and 99 onwards to see Get Smart again?
Smart People - smart and witty viewing
Ellen Page as the arch conservative Republican with the arch wit fits in well with this small ensemble cast of Dennis Quaid who delivers a very curmudgeonly professorial persona which given the circumstances fits him to a T.
/* Unfortunately she drank too much and passed out */ - My Sassy Girl - Elisha Cuthbert sassy to the end
Write well.
The tale of an accidental prone relationship between Charlie Bellows and Jordan Roark [ with two syllables ] told in narrative by the boyfriend looking back upon his first love.
The movie's charm relies on the cute as a button Elisha Cuthbert - the love at first glance with a sassy spirit and a penchant for aggressive behaviour as she starts drinking too much which is part of her zest for living. Charlie played quite affably by Jesse Bradford who is once caught up in the net of an attractive girl a la Swimfan.
Studious Charlie is trying to follow in his father's footsteps trying to move ahead in the company - only this time by going through college and moving forward through management ranks. But one day in the subway and trying to be gallant and noble, he saves the drunken girl from mishap and the course of his life is changed.
I wish you a story with a happy ending.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Mad Detective
Mad Detective seen at TIFF 2007 is making a slow release in the US at the moment.
A bizarre film of a detective with an unconventional method of "profiling" - without giving the whole story - he gets inside people's heads. Recommended if you have the patience for letting the movie unravel and getting through the plotline and subtitles. The lead is not the nicest character on the block so give the story time.
A bizarre film of a detective with an unconventional method of "profiling" - without giving the whole story - he gets inside people's heads. Recommended if you have the patience for letting the movie unravel and getting through the plotline and subtitles. The lead is not the nicest character on the block so give the story time.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Let the TIFF madness begin at midnight
Like whatever
It's been the best of times the worst of times during Midnight Madness at TIFF in the past - from lining up in the frozen cold of September for the *midnight* showing of Underworld - but the good part was having Kate Beckinsale to look at in person. Mickey Rourke "you're the man!" showing up for Spun at the late Uptown Bloor cinema
And now onto 2008 and the recent announcement without further ado:
Down-and-out action star Jean-Claude Van Damme, movies featuring a handful of heroic kids and more than two dozen avant-garde films and videos are among the latest additions to the Toronto International Film Festival bill.
Organizers announced on Wednesday the lineups for three programs: the popular Midnight Madness, the challenging and artistic Wavelengths and the family-friendly Sprockets.
The action- and horror-focused Midnight Madness opens with JCVD (France/Luxembourg/Belgium), starring Van Damme as himself. In director Mabrouk El Mechri's film, Hollywood's faded "Muscles from Brussels" must deal with being an ordinary Joe when caught in the middle of a real-life heist.
The late-night lineup will also include:
The Burrowers (USA) - A recovery troop searching for settlers who have mysteriously disappeared falls prey to the unexpected culprits.
Deadgirl (USA) - The discovery of a naked, presumably dead girl in an abandoned asylum tests the friendship of two teens.
Sexykiller (Spain) - A medical school's attempt to uncover the bloody serial killer within the community leads to victims returning to life.
Detroit Metal City (Japan) - Based on the popular manga, the film follows a bubbly pop musician trying to maintain his own life and woo the girl of his dreams, while maintaining his undercover identity as a death metal rocker.
Not Quite Hollywood (USA/Australia) - A documentary about Australia's maverick filmmakers of the 1970s and 1980s.
Acolytes (Australia) - A trio of high schoolers who decide to blackmail a murder suspect see their scheme go awry.
Chocolate (Thailand) - The director and action choreographer of the martial arts hit Ong-Bak reunite for this film, about a female martial arts savant who decides to collect some long-unpaid debts to help her cancer-stricken mother.
Eden (France) - A sci-fi tale that begins with a man finding himself at the bottom of a cave next to a corpse.
Martyrs (France/Canada) - A woman who, as a child, disappeared for a year seeks vengeance on the family she believes responsible.
Wavelengths will feature 26 films and videos by a host of established and emerging artists, separated into six distinct programs:
Films by Nathaniel Dorsky and Jean-Marie Straub
Lost and Found
Horizontal Boundaries
RR
Trips
When It Was Blue
Finally, a quartet of kids films making their world premieres will make up the Sprockets lineup:
Krabat (Germany) - A 17th century-set film based on the Otfried Preuler bestseller about a 14-year-old miller's apprentice who discovers his master is an evil sorcerer involved in the dark arts.
Mia et le Migou (France/Italy) - A young heroine's decision to rescue her trapped father from a construction site brings her into contact with the Migou, a mysterious species who protect an important tree threatened on the same construction site.
The Secret of Moonacre (U.K./Hungary/France) - A 13-year-old orphan set to live with relatives happens upon an ancient curse and embarkes on a quest to undo it.
Sunshine Barry & the Disco Worms (Denmark/Germany) - An earthworm living a dull existence decides to become a disco music star.
The Toronto International Film Festival gets under way Sept. 4 and runs through Sept. 13.
It's been the best of times the worst of times during Midnight Madness at TIFF in the past - from lining up in the frozen cold of September for the *midnight* showing of Underworld - but the good part was having Kate Beckinsale to look at in person. Mickey Rourke "you're the man!" showing up for Spun at the late Uptown Bloor cinema
And now onto 2008 and the recent announcement without further ado:
Down-and-out action star Jean-Claude Van Damme, movies featuring a handful of heroic kids and more than two dozen avant-garde films and videos are among the latest additions to the Toronto International Film Festival bill.
Organizers announced on Wednesday the lineups for three programs: the popular Midnight Madness, the challenging and artistic Wavelengths and the family-friendly Sprockets.
The action- and horror-focused Midnight Madness opens with JCVD (France/Luxembourg/Belgium), starring Van Damme as himself. In director Mabrouk El Mechri's film, Hollywood's faded "Muscles from Brussels" must deal with being an ordinary Joe when caught in the middle of a real-life heist.
The late-night lineup will also include:
The Burrowers (USA) - A recovery troop searching for settlers who have mysteriously disappeared falls prey to the unexpected culprits.
Deadgirl (USA) - The discovery of a naked, presumably dead girl in an abandoned asylum tests the friendship of two teens.
Sexykiller (Spain) - A medical school's attempt to uncover the bloody serial killer within the community leads to victims returning to life.
Detroit Metal City (Japan) - Based on the popular manga, the film follows a bubbly pop musician trying to maintain his own life and woo the girl of his dreams, while maintaining his undercover identity as a death metal rocker.
Not Quite Hollywood (USA/Australia) - A documentary about Australia's maverick filmmakers of the 1970s and 1980s.
Acolytes (Australia) - A trio of high schoolers who decide to blackmail a murder suspect see their scheme go awry.
Chocolate (Thailand) - The director and action choreographer of the martial arts hit Ong-Bak reunite for this film, about a female martial arts savant who decides to collect some long-unpaid debts to help her cancer-stricken mother.
Eden (France) - A sci-fi tale that begins with a man finding himself at the bottom of a cave next to a corpse.
Martyrs (France/Canada) - A woman who, as a child, disappeared for a year seeks vengeance on the family she believes responsible.
Wavelengths will feature 26 films and videos by a host of established and emerging artists, separated into six distinct programs:
Films by Nathaniel Dorsky and Jean-Marie Straub
Lost and Found
Horizontal Boundaries
RR
Trips
When It Was Blue
Finally, a quartet of kids films making their world premieres will make up the Sprockets lineup:
Krabat (Germany) - A 17th century-set film based on the Otfried Preuler bestseller about a 14-year-old miller's apprentice who discovers his master is an evil sorcerer involved in the dark arts.
Mia et le Migou (France/Italy) - A young heroine's decision to rescue her trapped father from a construction site brings her into contact with the Migou, a mysterious species who protect an important tree threatened on the same construction site.
The Secret of Moonacre (U.K./Hungary/France) - A 13-year-old orphan set to live with relatives happens upon an ancient curse and embarkes on a quest to undo it.
Sunshine Barry & the Disco Worms (Denmark/Germany) - An earthworm living a dull existence decides to become a disco music star.
The Toronto International Film Festival gets under way Sept. 4 and runs through Sept. 13.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
/* Kill the Batman */ - Batman Returns in The Dark Knight
no intentional spoilers
The fully expanded Batman returns in this grim reaper follow-up to the beginning.
In the harsh glory of reality if this is the second of any trilogy this is what George Lucas would call the dark episode.
This movie harkens back to comic conventions - there are definite start and end points of each episode of the movie as if in a graphic novel to keep the audience hanging on - and the descent of the dark knight is grim indeed.
This Gotham City is more realistic - seen in the harsh reality of day.
Director Chris Nolan is afforded the time to let the characters have full conversations on screen - not just the short blurb and keep it moving style of Lucas in his Star Wars - and not just with major characters but between lieutenant and mayor for instance.
Joker is the new nemesis in town seemingly wreaking havoc just for the sake of it making him dangerous and unpredictable. Heath Ledger's in his penultimate role as Joker leaves a lasting impression that beckons the call of award recognition.
The fully expanded Batman returns in this grim reaper follow-up to the beginning.
In the harsh glory of reality if this is the second of any trilogy this is what George Lucas would call the dark episode.
This movie harkens back to comic conventions - there are definite start and end points of each episode of the movie as if in a graphic novel to keep the audience hanging on - and the descent of the dark knight is grim indeed.
This Gotham City is more realistic - seen in the harsh reality of day.
Director Chris Nolan is afforded the time to let the characters have full conversations on screen - not just the short blurb and keep it moving style of Lucas in his Star Wars - and not just with major characters but between lieutenant and mayor for instance.
Joker is the new nemesis in town seemingly wreaking havoc just for the sake of it making him dangerous and unpredictable. Heath Ledger's in his penultimate role as Joker leaves a lasting impression that beckons the call of award recognition.
Friday, July 18, 2008
TIFF FEVER: 2008
Just a slight tinge of the buzz.
Passes are on sale now as you read this - and the prices for the Festival passes have not gone up - and the Festival Lite 30 ticket package is back.
However, gala tickets are going through the roof. Once upon a time to see the films at Roy Thomson Hall were an exorbitant $18 - but this year it seems $43 is the price to see the red carpet and the attending stars. However, you do not have to pay to get in of course if you choose not to. Lining up across the street with the mob is always fun - and did we mention we were in fear for our mortality during the Orlando Bloom walk along the crowd for Elizabethtown while getting crushed against the fence as arms reached across our neck trying to reach out to him? [ he was really pleasant too during Haven] and in full gaze at Kirsten Dunst too?
Passes are on sale now as you read this - and the prices for the Festival passes have not gone up - and the Festival Lite 30 ticket package is back.
However, gala tickets are going through the roof. Once upon a time to see the films at Roy Thomson Hall were an exorbitant $18 - but this year it seems $43 is the price to see the red carpet and the attending stars. However, you do not have to pay to get in of course if you choose not to. Lining up across the street with the mob is always fun - and did we mention we were in fear for our mortality during the Orlando Bloom walk along the crowd for Elizabethtown while getting crushed against the fence as arms reached across our neck trying to reach out to him? [ he was really pleasant too during Haven] and in full gaze at Kirsten Dunst too?
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Happy Canada Day
It might be a bit early but
Happy Canada Day to you all !
It has been a while - seen lots and lots of movies but life gets in the way ...
Many movies from TIFF07 have come and gone lately through Toronto - often showing up in the Carlton for all of a week or two - or sometimes like Le Ballon Rouge or Diving Bell and the Butterfly at the Cumberland - but lately with the arrival of AMC 24 finally at Yonge and Dundas there is a new comfy place to see There Will Be Blood or Ironman orThe Incredible Hulk with digital prints - and that's the future. No more trying to poke above or through the heads ahead of you and substandard sound and scratchy prints after the first day. [ The Incredible Hulk was really incredible this time around and it was fun to see Yonge Street get seriously hulk smashed up - even the fencing covering what would be AMC and Future Shop is in there - and The Big Slice ? Ironman was serious fun.]
It has been a good year for Ellen Page and kudos to her. Even at the exalted MTV Movie Awards where she accepted for Juno she was still the same humble girl who was promoting X-Men The Last Stand at MTV Canada. Showcase is back to her episodes of Regenesis and just finished Trailer Park Boys season 2. And there was that Academy Award nomination ...
Now TIFF 08 is just around the corner and seriously considering staying away this year is an option. But who are we kidding ?
We are getting the TIFF buzz
Happy Canada Day to you all !
It has been a while - seen lots and lots of movies but life gets in the way ...
Many movies from TIFF07 have come and gone lately through Toronto - often showing up in the Carlton for all of a week or two - or sometimes like Le Ballon Rouge or Diving Bell and the Butterfly at the Cumberland - but lately with the arrival of AMC 24 finally at Yonge and Dundas there is a new comfy place to see There Will Be Blood or Ironman orThe Incredible Hulk with digital prints - and that's the future. No more trying to poke above or through the heads ahead of you and substandard sound and scratchy prints after the first day. [ The Incredible Hulk was really incredible this time around and it was fun to see Yonge Street get seriously hulk smashed up - even the fencing covering what would be AMC and Future Shop is in there - and The Big Slice ? Ironman was serious fun.]
It has been a good year for Ellen Page and kudos to her. Even at the exalted MTV Movie Awards where she accepted for Juno she was still the same humble girl who was promoting X-Men The Last Stand at MTV Canada. Showcase is back to her episodes of Regenesis and just finished Trailer Park Boys season 2. And there was that Academy Award nomination ...
Now TIFF 08 is just around the corner and seriously considering staying away this year is an option. But who are we kidding ?
We are getting the TIFF buzz
Friday, December 07, 2007
"Did you take the test yourself" - Blade Runner : The Final Cut
was going to eat this during Blade Runner : The Final Cut yesterday
of course we are not going to "review" Blade Runner now - only to say this film still among the top of my favourite movie list
[ no spoilers here ]
admission: $10
medium popcorn: $4.50 plus 50 cents for *real* butter
chance to see Blade Runner The Final Cut : priceless
the biggest pleasure of seeing Blade Runner on the screen again [ having seen this in rep in original and director's cut version when the *big deal* was the removal of Deckard's voiceover narration ] was actually seeing the film grain - Harrison Ford and Sean Young still look handsome and mysterious respectively - in the final cut [ not being the expert here ] certain scenes seemed to play longer - and some dialogue we do not remember - there was not an over the top addition of any CGI a la Star Wars IV - the biggest enhancement was in the sound - the Vangelis soundtrack even on the Regent theatre sound system [ which is surprisingly good ] was remarkably clear and clean - and we are not giving away any ending details
and as we left the theatre a stunningly handsome lady walked through the entrance
[ possible spoiler question below ]
going to have to check on my Director's Cut to see if Rachel asks Dekkard in that version
"Did you take the test yourself"
of course we are not going to "review" Blade Runner now - only to say this film still among the top of my favourite movie list
[ no spoilers here ]
admission: $10
medium popcorn: $4.50 plus 50 cents for *real* butter
chance to see Blade Runner The Final Cut : priceless
the biggest pleasure of seeing Blade Runner on the screen again [ having seen this in rep in original and director's cut version when the *big deal* was the removal of Deckard's voiceover narration ] was actually seeing the film grain - Harrison Ford and Sean Young still look handsome and mysterious respectively - in the final cut [ not being the expert here ] certain scenes seemed to play longer - and some dialogue we do not remember - there was not an over the top addition of any CGI a la Star Wars IV - the biggest enhancement was in the sound - the Vangelis soundtrack even on the Regent theatre sound system [ which is surprisingly good ] was remarkably clear and clean - and we are not giving away any ending details
and as we left the theatre a stunningly handsome lady walked through the entrance
[ possible spoiler question below ]
going to have to check on my Director's Cut to see if Rachel asks Dekkard in that version
"Did you take the test yourself"
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Control - he's quite famous - not to me, I still wash his underpants
Control is Joy Division seen from the women's point of view - taken from the book by Ian Curtis's wife Debbie "Touched from a Distance" it is clear that Debbie Curtis had not the foggiest notion of what Joy Division were. Of course, who might blame her - married at 16 in high school, then having to take care of him and their daughter Natalie in a joyless marriage - the mistake of his life.
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