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!

TIFF Review: THE TOWN

Written by Peter Craig, Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard

Directed by Ben Affleck

Starring Ben Affleck, Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall and Jeremy Renner

By now, we all know that Ben Affleck is from Boston. His first film as director, GONE BABY GONE, is set there and he has now returned home for his second feature, THE TOWN. The titular town in question is Charlestown, a town in Boston that has seen more bank robberies than apparently any other in the world. Personally, I would think twice about even opening a bank there with statistics like that, but people need their money and other people need to steal it. In THE TOWN, Affleck gives us a delicate, albeit straightforward, balance between these people.

There is nothing particularly new and exciting about the premise. A group of four “townies”, including director himself, Affleck, and new “It” boy, Jeremy Renner, hold up a local bank and take the bank manager (Rebecca Hall) hostage. Affleck stalks her a little afterward to make sure she doesn’t know anything that the FBI can use to find them, but then something unexpected happens; he falls for her. It isn’t really unexpected for us but rather for him. All he’s known his whole life is crime; even his father (Chris Cooper) is doing time and proud of it. I think what he didn’t expect was that he might want something else from life, something more stable and meaningful – something that you actually can’t steal but rather have to earn.

Affleck is quickly becoming a more relevant persona as a director than as an actor, but it is his lead performance in THE TOWN that anchors the film. The supporting cast, including Jon Hamm without a cigarette hanging out of his mouth all the time, is stellar, but Affleck is the big winner here. He may not have found a way to inspire insight from his work as a filmmaker just yet but he knows how to control the story, command the audience’s attention and, most importantly, keep us entertained. My money says he is going to continue to grow on this path. I just won’t be putting that money in any townie bank any time soon.