TIFF gives ’em something to talk about
(TIFF wrap piece for FFWD) Now in its 34th year, the Toronto International Film Festival always provides ample fodder for conversation. This year’s fest was no exception, drawing international attention for everything from its controversial choice to spotlight Tel Aviv as the first focus of its City to City series, to an appearance by the … Continue reading
TIFF Day 10: Mothers, mothers, mothers
It’s the last day of the fest, and I feel compelled to add a retroactive disclaimer to everything I’ve reviewed in this blog: Watching 37 movies in 10 days is not a natural way of viewing films. Seeing a comedy sandwiched between two esoteric art films, or watching a movie when your eyes are starting … Continue reading
TIFF Day 9: More Herzog, Ricky Gervais and the last press screening of the festival
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (dir. Werner Herzog) Like Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Herzog’s second film at TIFF is at its core a cop movie. But where Lieutenant camped up and darkened an otherwise straightforward procedural, My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done takes a hostage situation and … Continue reading
TIFF Day 8: A lighter approach
As the festival winds itself down, I’m weaning myself off of movies gradually — four today, three tomorrow and two on Saturday to round it all off. And after a week’s worth of challenging, unconventional and occasionally frustrating picks, I figured it was time to go a little more straightforward. Hence, a Drew Barrymore-directed comedy, … Continue reading
TIFF Day 7: Micmacs, gang attacks and dull, dull vikings
Micmacs a Tire-Larigot (dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet) Few directors handle whimsy as well as Jean-Pierre Jeunet. I’ve only met two people who didn’t like 2001’s Amelie, an achingly sweet movie that somehow stays on the right side of cloying. Even the director’s darker films, like The City of Lost Children, have a core of sweetness that’s … Continue reading
TIFF Day 6: Todd Solondz, Michael Cera and the first 3-D flick of the fest
Life During Wartime (dir. Todd Solondz) While it’s not quite as fucked up as his most unsettling work (I’m looking at you, Happiness), Life During Wartime, Todd Solondz’s first film in five years, is still pretty fucked. The director has a set of themes that he loves returning to, including pedophilia and other forms of … Continue reading
TIFF Day 5: The exhaustion sets in
It is very late in Toronto, so I’m going to go a bit shorter on these today. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (dir. Werner Herzog) Come for Nicholas Cage’s glorious overacting, stay for exactly that. Herzog’s take on Abel Ferrara’s 1992 cops-gone-bad feature (which I haven’t seen) is explicitly not a remake, though … Continue reading
TIFF: Day 4 — Bees, war and Michael Moore
Colony (dir. Carter Gunn and Ross McDonnell) Confession: I was planning on watching the new Ricky Gervais movie this morning, but accidentally went to the wrong theatre. Lack of sleep can make navigating these festivals a bit tricky. Fortunately, it led to my catching a decent documentary on honeybee colony collapse disorder. It’s a pretty … Continue reading
TIFF Day 3: Gilliam, McCarthy and some other stuff
One thing I forgot to mention yesterday, but that I think is pretty key in getting across the feeling at TIFF’s industry screenings: Unlike CIFF, press and industry attend entirely separate screenings from the general public out here, so the tone of the press & industry screenings is much more subdued than the enthusiastic public … Continue reading
TIFF: Day 2 — Coen Brothers, George Clooney, Michael Haneke and a ninja Puritan
Alright, so it’s actually my first day at the festival, but it’s the second day of the fest itself, and I’m always one for going along with the official rules. Missing the first day was a bit of a bummer (I’m still very curious about the new Pedro Almodovar film and Lars von Trier’s almost … Continue reading
The Consumption 