TIFF BITS: Monday, September 13

I decided that I had to cut back on my day today.  I am feeling much better this morning than yesterday but that does not mean I need to keep making life harder for myself.  I have decided to scale back from three movies to two.  I figured maybe I would get some writing in, maybe do some laundry.  It is TIFF Day 5 and I am running out of clean socks!

Tonight's big galas and special presentations are pretty impressive.  Get a ticket to BLACK SWAN if you can.  It is the best thing I've seen at the festival thus far. Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila
Kunis and director, Darren Aronofsky, are expected to attend.  I've not seen the other three but they are definitely hot tickets.  You've got RABBIT HOLE, directed by John Cameron Mitchell and starring Nicole Kidman.  French director, Francoi Ozon's POTICHE, starring Catherine Deneuve is at Roy Thompson Hall tonight.  And then that leaves Mike Leigh's ANOTHER YEAR at the Elgin.

I will be leaving shortly to see Xavier Dolan's HEARTBEATS and then I have an interview with Julian Schnabel.  I am finishing my screening day with Tom Tykwer's THREE so it should be an interesting day all around.  What about your day, you say ...

EVERYTHING MUST GO
Winter Garden Theatre - 4:30
Whenever a comedian plays something serious, it is always a big deal.  Will Ferrell chose this film because he just really liked the script, not because he was trying to do something intentionally dramatic for street cred, or so he said when I met with him the other day.  Here he plays a guy who loses his job because he is an alcoholic only to come home to find all his junk strewn across his lawn. His wife has left and the doors have been locked.  It is a great tale of redemption and Ferrell's performance is solid.

MIRAL
Ryerson Theatre - 6:00
Julian Schnabel is a hybrid of a conceptual artist and a film director.  Every frame always looks like a painting and here he decides to take a creative look at the Israel/Palestine conflict.  It is a decidedly political film but it also has a reassuring sensitivity to it, likely due to the nature of the story.  It follows a few strong Palestinian women who have been affected by the conflict in ways that they never imagined.  It does at times feel more about the cause than the characters but it is still an engaging and delicate experience.

LET ME IN
Ryerson Theatre - 9:00
Matt Reeves, the director of CLOVERFIELD, could not possible come away from directing this film as a winner.  Adapted from the Swedish film, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, this American remake is so loyal to the original, it is eerie but that won't matter.  Fans of the first film are loyal so it doesn't matter whether Reeves is successful or not, it shouldn't have been done.  I enjoyed his take but that being said, his take is the same as the first one, only now In English so North American audiences don't have to read the movie.  He did a good job but will that matter?

ALSO PLAYING AND RECOMMENDED

127 HOURS
Danny Boyle
Ryerson Theatre - 3:00

COOL IT
Ondi Timoner
AMC - 2:15

Also, don't miss my brand new TIFF review for BURIED, starring Ryan Reynolds.  I cannot wait to be sitting across a table from him.  I will try to stay seated calmly but I cannot guarantee this.

Happy TIFF!

TIFF BITS: Saturday, September 11

Another day, another birthday.  Today, I want to give a big birthday shout out to my friend, Trista.  She is an editor extraordinaire who also just happens to just be a great person.  Not that I want to divert too much traffic from my site but in the interest of spreading the love, check out her site, Toronto Film Scene, for more excellent TIFF coverage.

Another day also means more TIFF Bits from Black Sheep to make your TIFF experience that much easier.  I have to get a move on as I need to catch the new Will Ferrell film this morning, EVERYTHING MUST GO, directed by Dan Rush.  This is because I am interviewing them both this afternoon.  I am also interviewing Nigel Cole this afternoon.  Cole directed the delightful MADE IN DAGENHAM and I think that would be the perfect segue to move into today's TIFF Bits ...

MADE IN DAGENHAM

Visa Screening Room - 6:00

It plays light but it packs a big punch.  In 1968, a group of 187 female workers at a Ford car plant in Dagenham, decided to strike for equal pay and by the time they got through with their struggle, they had changed the world.  It is the true story of how equality acts were ushered in across the world in many countries and Cole tells it perfectly.  Sally Hawkins stars ... and shines.

IT'S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY

Ryerson - 9:00

From Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the genius directors behind HALF NELSON, comes this new mental ward comedy featuring Zach Galifianakis.  I caught this last night and I cannot tell you what a disappointment it was.  Not only is it mostly unfunny but it is also fairly misguided.  A mental hospital is not a place to come of age.

THE KING'S SPEECH

Ryerson - 12:00

If you missed this film at it's gala premiere last night, check it out today if you can get your hands on tickets.  I loved this Colin Firth film and you need to see it.   Click for my review from yesterday.

TRUST

Visa Screening Room - 11:00

David Schwimmer directed this film about a 14-year-old girl who gets involved a much older man on the internet.  Catherine Keener and Clive Owen star as her parents and this is another case where I am warning you to steer clear.  Schwimmer brought nothing new to this important subject but did pull out every cliche he could think of.  Shame.

TIFF is presenting the big gala premiere of Ben Affleck's THE TOWN tonight at Roy Thompson Hall. The Black Sheep review is just below.  The Robert Redford film, THE CONSPIRATOR, which I have not seen, also premieres tonight.  And finally, Philip Seymour Hoffman is in conversation tonight.

Oh, and I just noticed, EASY A is playing.  Hilarious.  Don't miss it.  Seriously, so funny.

Speaking of funny, I must get ready for Will Ferrell now.

Have a great day!