Here is the last batch of Toronto International Film Festival reviews:
The Damned United (Tom Hooper, UK)
It’s a joy to see one of my favorite sports on the big screen in this soccer drama. This biopic tends to get tedious at times, but Michael Sheen delivers an astounding performance as Brian Clough. Supporting performances by Jim Broadbent and Timothy Spall are both standouts as well. The quick pace keeps the film entertaining, but it unfortunately doesn’t do anything new for the genre.
7 out of 10
Read the full story
The Ape (Jesper Ganslandt, Sweden)
This Swedish psychologically thriller/mystery tells the story of a man who wakes up, disoriented with his surroundings. As the film proceeds we discover many twists, turns and surprises. Ganslandt direction mirrors Aronofsky in The Wrestler, as we follow behind our lead in a handheld fashion, discovering things at the same exact moment. This rough style creates a sense of wonder and excitement not found in most thrillers. This is a film better left unspoiled, but it is safe to say there are a number of worthwhile moments, even if the approach makes most uncomfortable.
8 out of 10
Read the full story
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (Werner Herzog, USA/Germany)
Werner Herzog had never been an easy director in a narrative sense, and that’s a large part of the grandeur that sits behind some of his greatest films, i.e. Aguirre and Fitzcarraldo. And while My Son, My Son revels in absurdity far more the those two classics, the quarrelsome search for identity its hero (Michael Shannon) takes on is nearly as jarring and effective.
Shannon feels perfect for the role of Brad, a strange young man who kills his mother with a sword and then takes hostages in his L.A. home (don’t worry, all of this is revealed early on). This incident is a frame for the rest of the film, which attempts to explain Brad’s actions the same way Eugene Ionesco tried to explain existentialism – by being very existential.
Which is to say this film will be hard to sit through for most. There are many laughs at supposedly serious scenes and wonderful visuals where there perhaps should not be any (at an airport in Calgary for example). But then that’s always been Herzog’s way – to find wonder everywhere and anywhere amongst the travesty that is human life. Big words, sure, but not for this director. The film is also “presented” and produced by David Lynch, so do not be surprised by double the strangeness that goes on with both auteurs at the helm.
Read the full story
Here is a very quick round-up of some of the other films I saw at TIFF. Check back next weekend for reviews of The Ape, Invention of Lying, Cracks, Leaves of Grass, Ondine, Accident, Like You Know It All, Mr. Nobody, My Son My Son, What Have Ye Done, Life During Wartime, High Life, and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans.
Eyes Wide Open (Haim Tabakman, Israel)
This directorial debut from Haim Tabakman tackles the moral and social issues of being gay in one of Jerusalem’ s ultra-orthodox communities. Powered by great performances the film succeeds by showing the tender relationship and how it effects an entire community. Tabakman also paints a beautiful, but subdued portrait of Jerusalem.
8 out of 10
Huacho (Alejandro Fernández Almendras, Chile/France/Germany)
In this intimate look at a lower-class Chilean family we follow four separate members during a 24 hour time span. We first see the grandmother’s desperate struggle to make and sell cheese. Through Almendras’ dedicated approach, her labor is perfectly portrayed. The next family member is the mother, we see her toil at a low paying job and her inner battle related to a new dress she bought. We then follow her son, then her father. This staggered narrative creates a profoundly effective sense of despair. Almendras forces us to take a look at our own lives and revalute the many elements we take for granted.
7 out of 10
Read the full story
Up In The Air (Jason Reitman, USA)
Reitman has turned the tables yet again, proving he can venture far away from his previous projects and head into more serious territory, while still hanging on to comedic roots with brilliance. George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a constant traveler, whose job is to fire people. Bingham is a lost soul, going from airport to airport with little connection to any home, friends or family. He fills the role to perfection. Clooney has so much charisma and hidden desperation that the character clicks right from the start. After the delightful opening credits in which we see an array of aerial photographs we are thrown right into Binghman’s life. Through a montage of hilarious scenes we see how light Bingham travels and how he knows just about every trick in the book.
Anna Kendrick plays a newly hired college graduate at the company. She has plans to get rid of air travel and fire people through an iChat-like interface. The company head, played marvelously by Jason Bateman, has decided to let Anna travel with Clooney to get some experience with face-to-face firing. Through his travels Clooney meets the gorgeous Vera Farmiga, who becomes his love interest and shares many of the same problems in life. Her performance is completely absorbing as she opens up Bingham to the audience. The film effortlessly jumps from moments of harrowing social and personal commentary into sections of pure comedic bliss. Reitman knows how to balance and push each end of the spectrum to the perfect destination. Many people have expressed problems with the third act, but I believe it has a necessary tonal switch, creating a stunning emotional opus. He has made a landmark film with mass appeal, coupled with inherent intimate connections. It has taken us 9 long months, but the first masterpiece of 2009 has finally arrived.
10 out of 10
Read the full story
Passenger Side (Matt Bissonnette, Canada)
This little indie comes on like gangbusters by way of comedy – the first 40 minutes consists of near constant sarcastic rapport between two brothers (Adam Scott and Joel Bissonnette, above) – and then begins to dwindle. The plot of Passenger Side is slight – Michael (Scott) drives ex-drug addict Toby (Bissonnette) around Los Angeles searching in search of an elusive something (which is revealed later on in the film).
Writer/Director Matt Bissonnette (yes, the two Bissonnette’s are brothers in real life) knows how to make his film comfortable, for both his viewers and his actors. The laughs elicited from the crowd in the first half of the film are some of the most natural this writer’s heard in some time: Toby and Michael are just two brothers, bullshitting through their problems through insult-based sarcasm, the way many “real” people do.
Unfortunately, most “real” people wouldn’t continue on a search for the amount of time these two do, especially without any real plot turns until the end. The sarcasm grows stale and the editing begins to look obligatory rather than deliberate.
That being said, it’s a worthwhile little film made for nothing and hopefully it finds a distributor and a respectable platform release date. If anything, the star-in-the-making Adam Scott deserves the attention.
6 out of 10
Read the full story
The Informant! (Steven Soderbergh, USA)
Very few directors can say they released two feature films in one year, and even fewer can stand behind two masterworks. Last year we had David Gordon Green with Snow Angels and Pineapple Express. This year belongs to Steven Soderbergh. After the remarkably beautiful The Girlfriend Experience we have The Informant!. Each wildly different in tone, much Gordon Green’s 2008 work, but each displaying a level of knowledge far beyond most directors.
The Informant! marks a triumphant return to the Oceans-esque tone found in Soderbergh’s previous commercial trilogy. Much of the credit goes to Matt Damon, who is so damn-convincing as likable lead, and real-life snitch, Mark Whitacre that viewers will sit shocked at the conclusion. The film is filled with inner-dialogue from Damon, played like a narration of sorts. These quips are so random, thoughtful and surprising that they help otherwise tedious scenes move along with grace.
The array of new characters in almost every scene also keep the excitement factor high. There is Patton Oswalt, Paul F. Thompkins, Tony Hale, Joel McHale and many others, all putting something unique into their smaller performances. Soderbergh gives the film a soft tone, creating this mystical world that surrounds Damon’s character. The direction is fantastic, giving the audience exactly enough at the right moment, then letting it all out with a bang as we weave through the narrative. I’m seeing this film again in a few days, and I’m eager to revisit the magnetic characters and the charmingly tragic story that fiercely warrants a double-take. The film is further proof that Soderbergh is on an astonishing streak that doesn’t look to cease anytime soon.
9 out of 10
Read the full story
Perrier’s Bounty (Ian FitzGibbon, Ireland/UK)
Ian FitzGibbon’s new film joins Cillian Murphy, Jim Broadbent, and Brendan Gleeson together in one hell of an adventure. Think In Bruges, but a little more whacky and you have this purely adrenaline-filled action trip. Cillian Murphy plays a down and out North Dubliner who has a bit of a debt. The film takes us on his quest to get this money along with characters he meets along the way. The story goes to most of the familiar places, but the twisted tone is what elevates it to the next level. There are moments of pure hilarity, followed by sudden tragic occurrences, hearkening back to Gleeson’s aforementioned film. Bounty has much more of a playful tone and that is good thing. Jim Broadbent plays Cillian’s detached father. Their skewed relationship brings many laughs and a couple of surprises as they run into drugs, murder and many bad guys. Gleeson, whose onscreen time is just short of a cameo, gives the villain character a new twist with his matter-of-fact delivery and heartfelt moments with the gang.
I’ll save the best for last. Cillian Murphy can do no wrong. He plays the desperate lead to perfection. It may be his accent, his good looks, or generally cool demeanor that make his character infinitely watchable, but everything adds up just right, giving us one of the best performances of the festival. FitzGibbon opens the door into urban Dublin with beauty. The movie can get a bit silly at times and it doesn’t quite break the genre in any new ways, but those are only minor slights in an overall fun film. This dark, twisted, hilarious tale unfortunately has only European distribution at the moment, but if it comes near you, don’t miss it.
8 out of 10
Read the full story
The most recent product of the Almodovar assembly line is Broken Embraces, a lush tragic romance starring an especially beautiful Penelope Cruz as Lena and an especially impressive Lluis Homar as Harry Caine. While it lacks the tight, methodical narrative of Live Flesh or the raw emotion of Volver, Embraces sits as a worthy addition to the filmography of the accomplished filmmaker.
Harry Caine is a blind writer who was once a filmmaker who went by the name Mateo Blanco, Harry Caine his pseudonym. Now, the pseudonym has become the man and Mateo is no more. The opening scene of the film is one of the sexiest Almodovar has ever filmed, and that’s saying a lot. The scene involves Caine and a young beautiful woman he seduces.
Check out the rest of the review below >>
The Toronto International Film Festival has officially kicked off. Over the next 10 days I will try and report on as many films as possible. For each film I’ll try and give a mini-review of sorts. Since I’m seeing 5+ films a day it’s a little tricky getting all the writing done, but I’m tying my hardest. Here we go.
An Education (Lone Scherfig, UK)
“Where are you from, and where can we see you again?” During the post screening Q and A this question was asked to the lead Carey Mulligan. After seeing this film one will understand the need for this answer. Mulligan, from London, had her first role in Pride and Prejudice. It has taken five and half years of acting experience to get her “breakout” role. And what a breakout it is. Every second Mulligan is on screen she exudes a feeling that most actresses train their whole life to achieve. With the help of brilliant performances by Peter Sarsgaard and Alfred Molina the characters are front and center in this drama. The story follows a young school girl (Mulligan) struggling with her parent’s wishes to go to Oxford. She begins a relationship with a mysterious older man (Sarsgaard) and as we get glimpses into his upper class life questions arise. Director Scherfig also commands the camera with grace. As we transition from her quaint home life to the wild adventures with Sarsgaard’s character everything is handled with beauty and precision. The film doesn’t quite pack the dramatic punch I expected, but definitely one to keep a close eye on.
9 out of 10
Check out the rest of the reviews below >>
