BLACK SHEEP @ TIFF 2010

I feel like I've lived in another world for the last 11 days.  As much as TIFF felt like this unstoppable force that was going to devour my life before it began, its end feels just as bizarre because I'm not sure how to go back to my regular life after this.  That being said, as much as I am sincerely appreciative for this incredible opportunity, I also need it to end.  I'm spent.

After seeing THE ILLUSIONIST this evening, I will have seen a total of 30 films this year at TIFF.  That's about a dozen more than I saw last year and a solid benchmark I can be proud of.  I also banked a total of nine interviews and did my very first red carpet, for Woody Allen no less.  I know it isn't about the bling but I met Javier Bardem, Ryan Reynolds, Anthony Hopkins, Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu, Will Ferrell, Julian Schnabel and Xavier Dolan.  I also crossed paths with Zach Braff, Paul Giamatti, Freida Pinto, Josh Brolin, Minnie Driver, Bruce Greenwood, Jay Baruchel, Jacob Tierney, Scott Speedman and Roger "freaking" Ebert.  I didn't actually meet Mr. Allen but he did pass by me and shoot me a somewhat confused look.  I love him.

I even attended the TIFF 2010 awards lunch.  Free food and the well deserved announcement that the Cadillac People's Choice Award went to THE KING'S SPEECH by Tom Hooper.  Colin Firth may have missed the Oscar last year but he's coming back strong this year.

Colin Firth in THE KING'S SPEECH

Of the 30 films I saw, I think I can honestly say I can count the number of films I did not enjoy on one hand.  As far as films that wowed me, I need another hand to do that.  Here are my 10 favourite films at TIFF 2010 ... (in alphabetical order)

127 HOURS

Directed by Danny Boyle

Starring James Franco

(Read the Black Sheep review)

BIUTIFUL

Directed by Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu

Starring Javier Bardem

BLACK SWAN

Directed by Darren Aronofsky

Starring Natalie Portman

(Read the Black Sheep review)

BLUE VALENTINE

Directed by Derek Cianfrance

Starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams

EASY A

Directed by Will Gluck

Starring Emma Stone

(Read the Black Sheep review)

Xavier Dolan in HEARTBEATS

HEARTBEATS (LES AMOURS IMAGINAIRES)

Directed by and starring Xavier Dolan

(Look for the Black Sheep interview next week)

I'M STILL HERE

Directed by Casey Affleck

Starring Joaquin Phoenix

(Read the Black Sheep review)

THE KING'S SPEECH

Directed by Tom Hooper

Starring Colin Firth

(Read the Black Sheep review)

RABBIT HOLE

Directed by John Cameron Mitchell

Starring Nicole Kidman

TABLOID

Directed by Errol Morris

Joyce McKinney in TABLOID

A big thank you goes out to Movie Entertainment magazine for making this possible, the great crew at Maple Pictures and Alliance Films for the opportunity to interview such great filmmakers, the TIFF press office for all their support, Chris Bumbray from joblo.com for keeping me company for so many screenings, to Chris, Emily and Michelle at The Mark News for publishing my reviews for all new readers, and all my friends and family for their incredible support during the last couple of weeks.  I could not have made it through this without you.

And finally, a huge thanks goes out to you, my Black Sheep readers.  My coverage of TIFF 2010 made for some of the most successful days Black Sheep has ever seen and I cannot thank you enough for reading.

I'll be off for a few days but Black Sheep will be back up and running shortly with a review of CATFISH.  Thanks again for everything; this has been amazing for me.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I have one more film to see.

TIFF Review: I'M STILL HERE

Directed by Casey Affleck

Starring Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix: You’re going to look back on this and think you’re a fucking idiot.

This is what I get for not sitting down to write reviews as soon as I see the movie. I thought I had a little time to let this one simmer in my head, and there is plenty to let settle, but that just isn’t so. When I first sat to watch Casey Affleck’s directorial debut, a documentary chronicling the self-proclaimed lost years of Joaquin Phoenix, entitled I’M STILL HERE, I was completely taken in. I do not mean this to say that I felt duped. I was simply mesmerized by the debauchery and disaster that was unfolding before me. Whether it was real or not was not the point. The point was that it was fascinating.

A couple of years ago, Phoenix, an Academy Award nominated actor, famous for being moody and difficult, announced that he was retiring from acting in order to pursue his new passion, hip-hop. It was announced shortly thereafter that Pheonix’s brother-in-law, Affleck, would be documenting this transition for a film. Then came the rumours that this was all a hoax designed for the purposes of making a mockumentary. The hoax was neither denied nor confirmed and eventually, people just lost interest. Now that the film is being released though, it is no surprise to me that Phoenix has announced his return to acting and Affleck has announced that the film was in fact staged. If they hadn’t, I’m not sure Phoenix would have ever found work again after this film.

Not knowing whether or not Phoenix was putting on an act made watching I’M STILL HERE work on levels I never expected from it. Phoenix presents himself as the brooding actor that no one understands who now wants to break free of the public’s impressions of him, which he feels trapped by. When he struggles to break into the hip-hop world, he gets angry like a little boy who isn’t getting his way. He gripes about how he has dreams and that it isn’t fair that he shouldn’t be able to make them come true as if there aren’t millions of people on the planet who watch their dreams disappear every day. Don’t get me wrong; it is absolutely infuriating to indulge this spoiled dope head but, under the knowing eye of Affleck’s lens, Phoenix is making statements about celebrity that he doesn’t even know he’s making.

Only now we know that he did know exactly what he was saying. According to Affleck, only Phoenix, his agent and he knew that this was being put on. I have not seen the film again through this new perspective but I suspect that it might let all the air out of it. Watching Phoenix disintegrate on screen is at once repulsive but also disheartening. The way Affleck cuts it together, he doesn’t appear to be begging for sympathy but rather begging the question as to how we all got there. After all, it is our celebrity obsessed culture that created this monster. Letting us in on the joke though makes me think I’M STILL HERE might cease to be sharp commentary on a fame obsessed culture and just resort back to being just about Phoenix’s ego.

He will either ruin his career and ability to be a convincing actor after this or he will win an Academy Award.

TIFF Review: NEVER LET ME GO

Written by Alex Garland

Directed by Mark Romanek

Starring Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield

Famed music video director, Mark Romanek, takes on Kazuo Ishiguro’s much loved and heavily praised novel, NEVER LET ME GO, as his second venture into feature filmmaking. It is a daring challenge indeed given the underlying questions about the value of human life but Romanek takes the challenge head on. I have not read the novel but, from what I understand, he gets the tone just right. That said, if the tone is meant to be one of cold disassociation, than perhaps it was never meant to be a film to begin with.

NEVER LET ME GO is a hybrid of science fiction and romantic drama. The prologue to the film tells us that a medical breakthrough discovered in 1967 has increased the life expectancy of human beings to over 100 years but does not tell us how. We are then introduced to Kathy, Tommy and Ruth (Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightley, respectively) in 1978 at a boarding school called Hailsham. There is clearly something special about this school and the children that go there and it is our job to piece that together bit by bit. While that is happening though, a love triangle develops between these friends that is meant to be this great affront to love. It seems secondary to the mystery awaiting us and therefore never feels meaningful even after the mystery is solved.

When a younger Kathy sits on her bed, listening to fictional singer, Judy Bridgewater, sing, “Never, never, never let me go,” she cries quietly to herself and yearns to know what that feels like. She looks human, she emotes like a human but she knows she isn’t like everyone else. Watching the film, NEVER LET ME GO, is perhaps best exemplified in this scene. Like the little girl, it too wants to be held and cherished, for its beautiful imagery and solid performances, but whether or not that is even possible is up for debate. Again, like the little girl, the film too might be lacking a soul.

TIFF BITS: The Home Stretch

It's bizarre to me that TIFF is actually still happening.  The festival is so front heavy that the second weekend feels a little like an after thought.  The screenings are much emptier and most of the stars have gone home but maybe that's your thing.  Maybe you don't like masses of screaming people and would rather just see a movie.  You're in luck because there are plenty of great films playing this weekend.  With your permission, I will break them down for you, in hopes that you have a TIFF-erific weekend!

FRIDAY - SEPTEMBER 17

IT'S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY
Varsity - 9:00 AM
Don't waste your time on this joke of a film.  I know you like Zach Galifianakis and he is one of the better things about this film but it is truly not worth the price of a TIFF ticket, nor is it worth getting out of bed this early for. It just isn't that funny a story.

EASY A
Ryerson - 6:00 PM
This Emma Stone comedy opens in traditional theatres today but if you're looking for that particular TIFF vibe to go along with this hilarious movie, catch this screening at Ryerson.  I'll say it again, this is one of the funniest movies I've seen all year.  Adults will love it too so fear not, Mom and Dad.  (Click to read the Black Sheep review)

WATER
Bell Lightbox - 7:00 PM
In honour of the new Bell Lightbox theatre and of the 35 years the festival has been in existence, TIFF is offering some of the films that made big splashes at the festival in past years for free, including Deepak Mehta's haunting WATER.  Free, people.  You can't beat that.

THREE 
Varsity - 7:45 PM
Tom Tykwer returns to form with his latest, THREE.  After a mediocre Hollywood experiment (THE INTERNATIONAL), Tykwer returns to Germany with the story of a couple who both separately fall for the same guy and have parralel affairs with him.  Tykwer is feeling cheeky with this one and it makes for a great look at modern relationships.

SATURDAY - SEPTEMBER 18

COOL IT
AMC - 9:45 AM
Ondi Timoner, whom I had the good fortune to speak with during the festival, presents famed environmentalist, Bjorm Lomberg, in this counter piece to the Al Gore documentary, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH.  It is not bent of taking down the Davis Guggenheim Oscar winner but rather to get people to see the climate change issue from another perspective.  Challenging and worth it.

RABBIT HOLE
Elgin Theatre - 11:00 AM
John Cameron Mitchell is one of the few personalities at the festival that I did not get to meet that I really wanted to.  He is an amazing director and he proves with this fantastic drama that he can handle more straight forward fare with great poise.  Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhardt star as parents who lost a young child.  Under Mitchell's direction, it feels fresh and hits hard.

NEVER LET ME GO
Elgin Theatre - 2:30 PM
Famed music video director, Mark Romanek, returns to feature filmmaking with an adaptation of a widely loved novel.  It looks very pretty and the performances are solid but it left me feeling rather cold.  I would wait on this one as it is coming to theatres pretty soon.  The full Black Sheep review is coming later today.

127 HOURS
Bell Lightbox - 6:00 PM
Take any excuse you can to visit the Bell Lightbox theatre. Danny Boyle's 127 HOURS is a great excuse.  James Franco stars as Aron Ralsten, the mountaineer who was trapped for 127 hours in a cavern back in 2003.  This film is an intense trip about man and nature but is not for the faint of heart. Ralsten has to go through a lot to get through his ordeal but if you can stomach it, you should.  (Click for full Black Sheep review)

AWAY FROM HER
Bell Lightbox - 7:00 PM
Another free offering from TIFF at the Bell Lightbox theatre.  This Sarah Polley film from a few years back exemplifies perfectly what Canadian cinema can be when done right.  Gordon Pinsett and Julie Christie give haunting performances as a wife succumbing to Alzheimer's and the husband who watches her slip away. (Click for full Black Sheep review.)

I'M STILL HERE
Varsity - 8:30
Casey Affleck is making my life real difficult.  I have yet to review this look at the supposed lost year of Jaoquin Phoenix and now he has announced that the whole thing was a fake.  I'm not sure how to write about it now but it was still one of the most fascinating films I saw at the festival.  Don't miss this train wreck; it is better than you think.

THE TOWN
Elgin Theatre - 9:00 PM
This Ben Affleck directed adult drama is a fine piece of filmmaking.  It isn't going to change the world or anything but it is a smart story and executed with finesse and care.  Affleck also stars and I have not seen him give this good a performance maybe ever.  Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm and Jeremy Renner fill out the cast. (Click for the full Black Sheep review)

BLACK SWAN
Ryerson - 9:00 PM
This Darren Aronofsky picture was certainly one of the most buzzed about films at TIFF this year.  Many think it is brilliant while others, some of the more pickier critics I suspect, feel it is a B-movie with great production design.  I thought it was an intense look at the breakdown of one individual dancer and damn gorgeous to behold.  This one doesn't come back to theatres until December so if you can catch it now, please do. (Click for the full Black Sheep review)

CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS
Bell Lightbox - 9:00 PM
I caught this Werner Herzog documentary yesterday morning and it was definitely unlike anything I've seen from the documentary world.  This is primarily because Herzog shot the film using 3D cameras. A documentary in 3D?  Weird in concept but very well suited here as Herzog takes us deep into a cave in France that has what are likely the oldest examples of human painting in existence.  The 3D itself was definitely put to good use.

CRASH
Bell Lightbox - 10:00 PM
If you read my site at all, you know how I feel about this Paul Haggis ensemble drama about racism in Los Angeles.  It is certainly a good film but I have my issues with how manipulative it is.  That said, many of you love it and TIFF is playing it for free just for you so if you want to see it on the big screen again, here is your chance. (Click for full Black Sheep review.)

SUNDAY - SEPTEMBER 19

YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER
AMC - 12:00 PM
The latest Woody Allen farce will be released in theatres before you know it but if you can't wait, you shouldn't have to.  It is familiar but it is certainly charming and an enjoyable experience all around.  It is standard fare though so don't go expecting new from Mr. Allen. (Click for full Black Sheep review)

THREE
Scotiabank - 3:15 PM
See above.

TRUST
Bell Lightbox - 9:00 PM
Directed by David Schwimmer and starring Clive Owen and Catherine Keener, this family melodrama is horrifically cliched and subsequently reasonably offensive at times.  Owen & Keener play parents to a 14-year-old girl who is the victim of sexual abuse.  The intentions were surely good but the execution is very tired.  Avoid.

PEEP WORLD
Varsity - 8:45 PM
And here is another film for you to avoid.  Do not be fooled by the intriguing cast - from Michael C. Hall to Sarah Silverman to Rainn Wilson.  This comedy is so bent on being quirky and different that it doesn't realize how completely unrelatable it is.  I chuckled here and there because the cast is what it is but it was mostly just ridiculous.

THE PRINCESS BRIDE
Bell Lightbox - 10:00 PM
Here is the last in the free 35 years screenings at Bell Lightbox.  I don't think I need to really say anything about this Rob Reiner film because so many people love this one.  If you've never seen it on a big screen before, here is your chance!

CADILLAC PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD
Ryerson - 6:00 PM
You voted and the winner will be announced this Sunday afternoon, in time for this free screening at Ryerson.  Every year TIFF lets the people decide their favourite film at the festival and then lets them watch it for free.  Last year's winner was PRECIOUS.  The year before that was SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE.  And we all know how well those films did afterward.  Who will win this year?  BLACK SWAN?  We will have to wait and see.

And that's it!  Black Sheep's guide to the final weekend at TIFF 2010.  I hope you find it helpful and who knows, maybe I will run into you at screenings this weekend.  My press pass is pretty much spent at this point so I'll be doing it in public this weekend.  Hehe ... By this, I mean I will be seeing public screenings all weekend and I am very excited for this.  There is only so much time I can spend amongst press and industry people.  They barely even clap for the volunteers!

Enjoy your last weekend at TIFF and be sure to check back on Black Sheep this weekend for more reviews and Black Sheep's choices for the best films at TIFF.

Happy TIFF!

TIFF Review: 127 HOURS

Written by Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy

Directed by Danny Boyle

Starring James Franco

Aron Ralston: This rock has been waiting for me my whole life.

I thought that winning an Oscar might mellow SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE director, Danny Boyle, but it only seems to have fueled his fire. Before anything has a chance to happen in his latest, 127 HOURS, the screen is split into three and images of people going to work or running marathons are inundating the screen at rapid speeds. I understand that he has his own style but I want to see Boyle just let the action unfold for a change, instead of just chopping it up and rearranging it visually to simply make it look cooler. At times in Boyle’s career, it has felt like the images needed the overt style to become relevant or meaningful but this time is different. Boyle has finally found a story that begs for his personal yet simultaneously impersonal touch.

127 HOURS is the story of an adrenaline junkie, a nature nut, a loner. Forcing an image to wake the heck up and jump off the screen itself is akin to what protagonist Aron Ralston (James Franco) does whenever he can. And when he can’t make that happen, he would almost rather be alone. He seeks out thrills to elevate himself above the mundane just like Boyle tries to enhance his image. When Ralston gets away from the city though and into the peaks and valleys of Blue John Canyon, Boyle slows his pace and allows the sheer grandness and beauty of the landscape to speak for itself. And speak it does. It asserts itself and its immovable brilliance by reminding man just who’s in charge here after all when it almost swallows young Ralston whole.

Ralston is a real person and in 2003, he spent a sum total of, you guessed it, 127 hours literally stuck between a rock and hard place when a rock fell with him into a cavernous gap and crushed his arm against the wall. Franco’s journey as Ralston is rarely easy to bear and sometimes just as difficult for us to take as well. His spirit goes from exuberant to painfully sober to near delirium and he carries it off with a strength I’m not the least bit surprised to see. Boyle was sure to lighten the tension with flashbacks that inform us of exactly everything Ralston still has to live for, which in turn teaches him a thing or two about how to actually live for it. The point may be somewhat plain but the experience that is 127 HOURS is a testament to an amazing feat of human endurance and perseverance, as well as an adventure that won’t soon be forgotten.

TIFF'D: Wednesday, September 15

Day 7 is a strange day at TIFF for me.  It feels to some extent like the festival ended yesterday.  I have no more interviews.  There are only press screenings scheduled still for the next couple of days.  Past that, I will try to catch some public screenings if they’re not off sale.  The first half was insanity.  I ran around everywhere and had plenty to report on but with things dying down now, I don’t have nearly as much to do nor do I have as much to report on.  And to top it off, I have a full on head cold.

I figure I will just let you know what to expect from Black Sheep Reviews for the remainder of the festival.  Tomorrow will feature a re view of Danny Boyle’s 127 HOURS, the follow up to the Oscar winning phenomenon, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE.  That’s about it though.  I am seeing three movies tomorrow and as I really should be in bed instead of in a theatre, I will be taking it as easy as possible.

Friday will feature a special weekend edition of TIFF Bits.  The last weekend of the festival tends to bring back many festival favourites and I will do my best to steer you toward the best films playing in the last weekend of this incredible festival.  Getting tickets is your problem though. 

Friday will also feature a review of NEVER LET ME GO, which I will be seeing in just a half hour.  Saturday will feature the last TIFF review and it is for one of my favourites from the festival, Joaquin Phoenix documentary, I’M STILL HERE.

On the last day of TIFF, I will give you my recap of the entire experience and run down for you my Top 5 TIFF films as well as my choice for the worst film I caught at TIFF.  I still have about ten or s films before those choices are made and plan on doing my best for you in my now somewhat limited physical capacity.

Thanks again for all your support.

Happy TIFF!

TIFF Review: EASY A

Written by Bert V. Royal

Directed by Will Gluck

Starring Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes and Thomas Haden Church

Olive: I used to be invisible. If Google Earth were a guy, he couldn’t find me if I were a ten-storey building.

What Ojai, California, high school student, Olive Penderghast, has to go through in director, Will Gluck’s EASY A to get her “A” cannot be described as anything remotely close to easy. That said, sitting back and watching everything she has to go through is one of the easiest things you’ll ever have to do. Not only does Glick make it easy for us to enjoy his second feature film, he makes sure we learn a thing or two while we’re in the midst of losing ourselves in hysterical laughter. Did I mention this is a teen comedy?

We are first introduced to Olive on her webcam. The lovely Emma Stone stares directly at us as Olive and tells us flat out that we are about to hear her side of a story, which she insists to us is in fact the right side of the story. She proceeds to tell us in incremental chapters about how one lie she told to her best friend in a bathroom about how she lost her virginity to a college boy over the weekend, spiraled out of control and ruined her life. She has a face you want to believe but we have no reason to trust her really. It is Stone’s conviction that ultimately sells it though; she is a sharp, young lady but her vulnerability is never disregarded and I can’t think of any reason why she would make any of this up.

EASY A is easily one of the funniest films I’ve seen all year. The entire ensemble, from Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci as Olive’s ultra-open-minded parents to Thomas Haden Church as Olive’s favourite teacher, are hilarious and seem to be having the best of times in their roles. Essentially, the whole thing is infectious and leaves a lasting impression because it goes beyond the sharp, witty dialogue we’ve come to expect in any teen comedy effort to show us that intelligence and growth are not yet lost on the young.

TIFF'D: Tuesday, September 14

There was a moment when I was sitting in the Bell Lightbox theatre this morning watching John Cameron Mitchell's RABBIT HOLE when I was somewhat overcome with emotion.  The film itself accomplished this a number of times but this particular moment was when I realized just how fortunate I am to be having the TIFF experience that I am.  I had never been to the Bell Lightbox theatre before.  I love John Cameron Mitchell and was very excited to see the film. (Side note: I love him more now that I've seen RABBIT HOLE.) And as if that wasn't enough, my day was only going to get better.

I didn't love the mad sprint I had to manage from the theatre to the Intercontinental hotel for my interview with HEARTBEATS director, Xavier Dolan, but I made it right on time.  Unfortunately for me, this meant I was still somewhat flustered from my walk in the hot sun.  The interview didn't go as well as I had hoped.  I started by telling him that I was a big admirer and very happy to be interviewing him.  I was very nervous.  He was thankful but when I started asking questions, he was somewhat skeptical.  I think he's had a hard time with the press because of the critical reception of HEARTBEATS.  I thought that if I expressed how much I loved it, we would just share in that but it was almost as though he was expecting the worst.  HEARTBEATS is screening as I write this and screens again tomorrow.  I urge you to see it.  It is a beautiful, touching exploration of the spectrum of places our hearts and minds go when we are in love or perhaps when we just think we are.  It's as insightful as it is whimsical.  And as for Dolan, I think he has the potential to be one of the greatest filmmakers Canada has ever seen.

Next up, waiting for the BURIED roundtables.  There was an only an hour between interviews so there was no point in going anywhere.  Besides, while I waited, Freida Pinto stood and waited for the elevators right in front of me.  Then she said hello's to Zach Braff.  Jay Baruchel and Jacob Tierney were around.  Oh, and Paul Giamatti strolled past me and muttered the word, "Buried" to himself a couple of times when he read it on a sign on a door.  The BURIED was to be my last of the festival, barring any last minute surprises.  The one I just had was iffy but I had had a coffee and was ready for more.  When Ryan Reynolds was introduced to the five journalists at the table, he shook everyone's hand and when he got to mine, he said, "Hi, I'm Ryan."  I nearly died.  Seriously?  He just told me who he was as if I didn't know?  I watch a lot of films I ordinarily might not just to see that face and now he was sitting a few feet away from me.  He was joined by the director of BURIED, Rodrigo Cortes and the two of them got along like great buddies.  They were both jokers, bantering back and forth while reminiscing about the difficult BURIED shoot.  I got a couple of good questions in and met some great people at the table too.  It was by far the easiest roundtable I had.  Odd because it was also the one I was most nervous for.  Actually, I think I was more nervous for Dolan.  My crush on him is a lot more realistic.  (Don't miss the Black Sheep BURIED review, just click.)

I then was privy to a screening of Derek Cianfrance's BLUE VALENTINE, a heart wrenching look at a marriage on the brink of death.  With such a devastating indie plot like this, you could not ask for a couple than Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams.  I have some small issues with the film.  I can't see it playing wide because it is just too painful for that big an audience but the sheer brilliance of the performances are reason enough to see this film for anyone who has the nerve to see it.  It's a very sharp look at how noble intentions fail but it can be a little bleak at times.

I am at home now.  The gods were good to me a little more as they delivered the first season of GLEE, available today on DVD and Blu-ray, to me today so I can zone out for a bit.  And by gods, I mean the good people at 20th Century Fox.  The only thing that sucked about my day, I have come down with a cold.  I'm going to rest now and there are just movies from here on in so the load just got a lot lighter.

I just hope I didn't give this cold to Ryan ...

Oh, and in case you missed it, here is my BLACK SWAN review, as retweeted by Blockbuster Canada.  Nothing wrong with that.

TIFF BITS: Tuesday, September 14

Today is a very big day for me at TIFF and Day 6 starts rather soon so I can't chat long.  I have John Cameron Mitchell's RABBIT HOLE at 9:00 at the Bell Lightbox theatre, followed by interviews with Xavier Dolan, the Quebec writer/star/director of LES AMOURS IMAGINAIRES and Rodrigo Cortes and Ryan Reynolds, the director and star of BURIED (click title for review).  The latter has its big show tonight at Ryerson theatre while the former is today's only TIFF Bit.

LES AMOURS IMAGINAIRES
Varsity - 6:45
I first fell in love with Dolan's work with his heartbreaking J'AI TUE MA MERE (I KILLED MY MOTHER).  His latest was written while he was at TIFF with his first last year and now, just one year later, he has returned with a lovely film that also made its premiere at Cannes.  HEARTBEATS, as it is known in English, follows two friends, a guy and a girl, as they both fall for the same guy.  The direct translation of the title means the imaginary loves and Dolan's sensitive and charming film explores the places we go to in our hearts and minds when we are falling down that inexplicable road called love.  It was truly enchanting and I urge you to see it.

Last night's big gala was for Darren Aronofsky's BLACK SWAN.  Be sure to not miss the Black Sheep 5-star review!

Happy TIFF!

TIFF Review: BLACK SWAN

Written by Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz and John J. McLaughlin

Directed by Darren Aronofsky

Starring Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey and Winona Ryder

Thomas Leroy: Perfection is not just about control. It is also about letting go.

From my understanding, to be a true ballerina, one must always strive for perfection. Your toes, your torso, your lines must be just so. If you’re serious about ballet, you might be lucky enough to join a company. Only a select few get to be company soloists though. And so, lightly prancing about beneath the stage at any given ballet, you will find dozens of girls all striving toward an unattainable goal - some starving themselves and some hoping the soloist will take a bad fall and need replacing at the last second. It’s a microcosm, ripe with potential for drama and madness, making it the perfect setting for Darren Aronofsky’s latest, BLACK SWAN.

At the film’s start, a single spotlight rises on two feet, tightly wound in the tiniest of slippers. They begin to dance and as they land one after the other, we can see how delicate ballet is and how tortuous it must be to make it look that good. When the camera pulls away to reveal that these feet do in fact belong to Natalie Portman, it is clear just how much grace she will bring to this film. And by the time a beastly creature makes itself known to this frightened dancer, it is clear that Aronofsky is about to, yet again, give us something unlike anything else he’s done.

Portman is Nina, a dancer with the New York City Ballet who has just been cast as the Swan Princess in the upcoming production of “Swan Lake”. To do so in exactly the manner her director (Vincent Cassel) demands, she must embody the spirit of both the white and the black swan. Yes, the thematic conflict for this character is obvious at this point but Aronofsky tells it with complex visual style that jetés between jarring and captivating. And Portman, who has reportedly been in dance lessons since she was a toddler, knows the pressure of the dancer. She is to tightly wound that by the time her dark side begins to show its face, we are just as ready to release as she is. It certainly doesn’t help matters that her mother (Barbara Hershey) pressures her to succeed, a new dancer (Mila Kunis) wants her spot and the soloist she replaced (Winona Ryder) wants her just plain gone.

BLACK SWAN is as theatrical and as dramatic as any ballet that I’ve seen performed on stage. Aronofsky directs but, from behind the camera, he dances alongside the dancers as if he was part of the choreography, forming some hybrid of dance and film that begs repeat performances. It also warrants a resounding standing ovation.

TIFF'D: Monday, September 13

I might have withdrawn a little today from TIFF.  I began the day with Quebec filmmaker, Xavier Dolan's LES AMOURS IMAGINAIRES.  It was completely enchanting and nothing at all like Dolan's first feature, J'AI TUE MA MERE, which I will be watching again tonight in anticipation for my interview with him tomorrow.  Is it alright if I finish my interview by asking him out?  Is that crossing a line?

After my movie, I had just enough time to freshen up and head back to the Intercontinental Hotel for a roundtable interview with MIRAL director, Julian Schnabel.  There was no table though so that was a little odd.  He was very well-spoken, engaging man but I didn't really participate in the exchange.  I listened really because the backdrop of the film, the Israel/Palestine conflict, is not something I know enough about.  His perspective cleared up a great deal of my concerns about the film but also raised more questions.  I'm still on the fence as to whether I thought the film was a great success or not.

Past that, I canned both of my other movies for the day.  I had laundry to do!  And to be fair, I had to prepare for my interviews tomorrow and write tomorrow's review, BLACK SWAN.  The Darren Aronofsky film has its gala North American premiere this evening and be sure to get my take on it tomorrow morning.

Now, I'm going for drinks.  A bunch of other great film enthusiasts and writers I know will be getting together for a little mid-festival exchange and I have about two hours to kill before I need to get back to watch my movie.

Tomorrow is a much busier day.  I'll have a lot more for you.  15 more films to go!

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 Review: BURIED

Written by Chris Sparling

Directed by Rodrigo Cortes

Starring Ryan Reynolds

(Click here to read an interview with Ryan Reynolds)

I suspect claustrophobia likely affects more people than actually realize it. Feeling trapped without any real means of escape, either physically or metaphorically, is certainly something we can all agree is unpleasant at the least. In extreme cases, your breath gets short and quick; you begin to feel dizzy and flush. You are likely to pass out from the sheer intensity of it all. If you have yet to go through a claustrophobic episode, fear not. Director Rodrigo Cortes has made a movie just for you.

BURIED is ninety-five, uninterrupted minutes stuck in a cramped wooden box somewhere under the ground in Iraq, with only a Zippo lighter and cell phone for light, communication and a potential salvation. Now, if you’ve got to be buried alive, you couldn’t ask for better company than Ryan Reynolds. Naturally, nobody wants to see an actor as likable and handsome as Reynolds perish like this, so the urgency is elevated just by his being cast. He can’t get by on looks and charisma alone though. The premise itself demands that Reynolds push himself as an actor in a way that I don’t think he has ever had to in his entire career. Fortunately, Reynolds gets the fear, the desperation and the hope just right to keep us trapped in that box with him the whole time. For his sake, I hope Reynolds isn’t actually claustrophobic. If he wasn’t beforehand, I suspect he might be now.

In case you’re wondering how he got in the box to begin with, allow me to clarify some. Reynolds plays a contract truck driver in Iraq mistaken for a soldier and kidnapped for ransom. He spends most of his time in the box calling anyone who might be able to get him out and pleading with his captors. The somewhat damning undertone about America and the Iraq war could have been buried a little deeper within the subtext but Cortes pulls off a pretty impressive feat with this hard sell. Ninety-five minutes in a box with Ryan Reynolds? I wouldn’t say no.

TIFF'D: Sunday, September 12

So I'm completely spent at the moment.  I'm not complaining but all this running around, not eating and not sleeping is somehow draining me.  Crazy.  I was exhausted when I got up this morning.  I slowly made my way over to see Julian Schnabel's MIRAL.  I will be interviewing the director tomorrow and I'm happy to say I enjoyed the film.  It is sensitive and political, an interesting combination for sure.  Up town after that to speak with the fascinating Bjorn Lomberg, the man at the center of one of the festival's more buzzed about documentaries, COOL IT, followed by a great chat with the director, Ondi Timoner.  When I left there, I was going to catch Dustin Lance Black's WHAT'S WRONG WITH VIRGINIA but instead my red carpet request was approved to attend the YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER North American premiere.  I was instantly freaked out at the prospect of meeting Woody Allen.  When it was over, I ended up not meeting him.  I almost didn't even see him as he was ushered into the theatre.  I'm not sure he was even taking questions really.  What has he not already been asked anyway.  I almost got to speak with Josh Brolin and Freida Pinto but they too were whisked into the theatre before reaching me.  I did however get to speak with Sir Anthony Hopkins.  He described working with Allen as the highlight of his life.  He was thrilled to work with him apparently and describes him as delightful.  He was a pleasure to speak with.

It was still lovely to be a few feet away from an icon like Woody Allen.  I had one wish for this festival and that was to meet Woody Allen.  Seeing him pass by me and hearing his voice trail off as he entered the theatre is still pretty darn good.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for Black Sheep's review of the Ryan Reynolds vehicle, BURIED.

Oh, by the way, the videos are still not working.  I'm not sure they will make it back during the festival.  I will keep trying though.

TIFF BITS: Sunday, September 12

It's Sunday morning, Day 4 of TIFF.  I'm a little sleepy and I need a hug but that's OK.  I have coffee for the former and may just hug a total stranger by the end of the day, who knows.  It could be considered fitting given that this evening is the North American premiere of Woody Allen's YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER.  I will be requesting a spot on the red carpet for that one so keep your fingers crossed for me.  This year, you have to stick around for both premieres if you get a red carpet spot.  If I do get it, that means I have to stay for the world premiere of Clint Eastwood's HEREAFTER, starring Matt Damon.  Life could be worse, I guess.

Today is also the opening day for TIFF's Bell Lightbox theatre.  I will be definitely heading over there at the end of my screening day to check that out.  TIFF has a whole big block party planned so if you're in the fine city of Toronto, you should head on down to King Street and John Street.  There are free movies playing all day and special musical guests throughout as well.  I haven't looked outside my window yet but if it is nice out there, head on out!

And if you're looking for movies to pay for today, why don't you check these one's out ...

127 HOURS
Visa Screening Room - 6:00
I accidentally caught this film yesterday when one of my other screenings was pushed back.  I had heard that Danny Boyle's follow-up to his Oscar winning phenomenon, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, was really intense - paramedics had to be called to a screening at the Telluride festival just last week. 127 HOURS tells the story of Aaron Ralsten, a moutain climber who gets caught between a rock and hard place for oh about 127 hours or so.  Jmes Franco stars and, much like Ryan Reynolds in BURIED (coming up later in the week), he has to command out attention in a cramped spot the whole time.  I like this one better than that Slumdog movie but be warned, there are some harder moments in the film.

COOL IT
AMC - 6:45
This Maple Pictures documentary snuck into the festival a little later than most of the films but instead of going unnoticed, it has caused quite a stir.  Director Ondi Timoner presents his subject, Bjorn Lomberg, an infamous figure in the debate over climate change.  I can most certainly understand the controversy; it is a very challenging film to watch.  Lomberg asserts a rather contrary view on how the world should be confronting our environmental woes but Timoner provides him the goods to make his approach seem credible.  The trouble is it goes against everything we've been programmed to think all this time.  I am interviewing director and subject today and I'm very curious to hear what they have to say.

ALSO PLAYING AND RECOMMENDED

THE TOWN
(click for review)
Visa Screening Room - 11:00 AM

MADE IN DAGENHAM
Varsity - 9:30 AM

I am off now for my first screening of the day, Julian Schnabel's MIRAL, featuring Freida Pinto.  I have an interview with the French director/artist tomorrow afternoon!  In the meantime, don't miss Black Sheep's TIFF review for YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER, just below.

Happy TIFF!