Movies: Toronto International Film Festival (and any other Film Fest for that matter)

[kihei]

I went to the "conversation" with Gael Garcia Bernal last night. Came out respecting him even more than I did when I went in. Found out some interesting stuff about him, too. His family consisted of theatre people so despite some early experience in Mexican soaps, the last thing that he wanted to be was an actor. He actually wanted to become a family doctor. Big surprise: his formal training consisted of three years at the London School of Speech and Drama starting when he was 19. He talked a lot about his activism working with immigrants and refugees. He came across as a funny, incredibly articulate, knowledgeable, charming, down-to-earth guy. His advice to aspiring young actors: "go for it but don't quit your day job." Asked about whether he has trouble getting in and out of roles, he said no, none at all. "My characters are never me. They are just a suit that I put on or off. I don't really feel connected to them." He laughed and then said "they're kind of like distant cousins." He thinks the best thing about being an actor is the ability to create empathy.

 

[kihei]

I'm seeing Loveless on Friday. You guy's ratings made me even more excited than I already was.

Given our often similar takes on movies, I'll be surprised if Loveless isn't right down your alley.

 

[Savi]

Zvyagintsev has never let me down. I doubt he does now

 

[MsMeow]

Last night I saw Long Time Running at Roy Thomson Hall. We had tickets to the red carpet part first and got autographs from 3 of the 4 members of The Hip. Gord Downie wasn't there. I had heard that Trudeau was possibly expected and that Gord D going was a possibility but they weren't there. My friends and I were in a lot of media photos and we're in today's Toronto Star.

The movie was excellent, maybe 10% sad, the rest of the time really uplifting without being sappy. Gord Downie is absolutely hilarious and there were a number of times when everyone was laughing so hard at his self-deprecating humour we missed the next few seconds. Still, nobody knows how he's doing so after the movie I felt much sadder than during. I teared up a few times during the show but laughed more.

 

[kihei]

Last night I saw Long Time Running at Roy Thomson Hall. We had tickets to the red carpet part first and got autographs from 3 of the 4 members of The Hip. Gord Downie wasn't there. I had heard that Trudeau was possibly expected and that Gord D going was a possibility but they weren't there. My friends and I were in a lot of media photos and we're in today's Toronto Star.

The movie was excellent, maybe 10% sad, the rest of the time really uplifting without being sappy. Gord Downie is absolutely hilarious and there were a number of times when everyone was laughing so hard at his self-deprecating humour we missed the next few seconds. Still, nobody knows how he's doing so after the movie I felt much sadder than during. I teared up a few times during the show but laughed more.

Now I'm left wondering what you wore.

 

[MsMeow]

Now I'm left wondering what you wore.

Check your inbox

 

[Ralph Spoilsport]

In The Seen and Unseen a 12-year-old girl contemplates mortality while her little brother moves on to the next world. Beautifully shot and imaginatively conceived, it tackles a heavy subject with such a feather touch it's a little too meditative for its own good. Didn't quite move me, can't put my finger on why, perhaps some understanding of Balinese Hinduism would help. Maybe should be seen again. B-

Sweet Country: set in the Australian outback, 1920s. A farmhand kills a ranch boss in self-defence, sets out to elude a posse and "frontier justice". Make the farmhand an Aboriginal and you've got a new wrinkle for a standard western template, one that continues to resonate today. Nothing really groundbreaking or revisionist, it's true to the conventions of the genre and stronger for it. B

 

[vdB]

this year the first thing the speaker does is to thank the First Nations tribes individually upon whose land Toronto stands. Invariably this gesture gets an ovation, sometimes an enthusiastic one. The whole move is sooooo Toronto. I love it.

Meh, nice gesture for sure, but the whole thing seems kinda phony. People clap cuz they know they have to.

 

[Jevo]

Actually there is a third tennis film, Love Means Nothing, a documentary about super-coach Nick Bollettieri, which is the one I was most tempted by. Borg/McEnroe I fully expect to be a disaster, and Battle of the Sexes I will probably pick up upon its release in Toronto. Not expecting much from that one either. BPM is playing here, but I haven't been able to fit it into my schedule.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Loveless--marital breakdown with consequences; slow for some, with rich ambiguity; a great start for the Festival. Russia/subtitles 8B
The Other Side of Hope--the plight of a Syrian refugee in Finland shown with deadpan humour and compassion. Finland/subtitles 6A
Valley of Shadows--a little boy walks into a dark, mysterious forest. Not a horror film, but a haunting mood piece of the slow burn variety. Norway/subtitles 7B
The Journey--a surprisingly entertaining movie about a suicide bomber and the con-man who tries to talk her out of it. Iraq/subtitles 7A

Borg/McEnroe is premiering in Danish cinemas this week, and apparently it's decent, if not actually good. Looks like it's mostly been getting 4 or 5 star reviews in the Danish media.

 

[BonMorrison]

Manhunt - 3/10

In a pre taped message to TIFF, John Woo told us all to enjoy and good luck. Everyone had a laugh at the good luck because it seemed like a strange thing to say when introducing your movie but whatever. I now understand that good luck so clearly because holy hell that was terrible. John, I love you but please never make another action film again. The only redeeming factor is that the dialogue is so shockingly terrible that it was occasionally laugh out loud funny. God almighty.

TIFF 17:
The Disaster Artist - 9/10
Loveless - 9/10
Mudbound - 8/10
A Fantastic Woman - 8/10
Mom and Dad - 7.5/10
The Square - 7/10
Manhunt - 3/10
mother! - ?/10

 

[kihei]

^^^^^^^
Beat me to it.

 

[SJSharksfan39]

Did anyone see Stronger at TIFF? It comes out next week and I really want to see it because of Tatiana Maslany in her first role post Orphan Black. It's been getting great reviews so far.

 

[kihei]

Part "B"

In the Fade--a woman's husband and son are killed by neo-Nazis; competent but too slick and generic for its own good. Germany/subtitles 4A
A Fantastic Woman--a transgender woman copes with loss and humiliation after the sudden death of her lover; never heavy handed and always entertaining thanks largely to a great performance by Danila Vega. Chile/subtitles 7A
Manhunt--awful generic action flick; easily the worst movie I have seen at TIFF this year. China/subtitles and English 3A
The Third Murder--a brilliantly directed and riveting mystery that calls into question the very nature of truth. Japan/subtitles 8A

 

[kihei]

Meh, nice gesture for sure, but the whole thing seems kinda phony. People clap cuz they know they have to.

Not this crowd.

 

[kihei]

Friday always seems like the beginning of the home stretch, partly because it is and partly because the major debuts are over. One biggie left for me (Faces Places by Agnes Varda) and then eight wild cards.

Manhunt seems worse today than it did yesterday which is really saying something.

 

[kihei]

Did anyone see Stronger at TIFF? It comes out next week and I really want to see it because of Tatiana Maslany in her first role post Orphan Black. It's been getting great reviews so far.

I haven't seen it, but the only mention that I have heard of it at the Festival was very positive. Just a passing comment somebody made, so I have no more details than that.

 

[vdB]

Not this crowd.

ESPECIALLY this crowd. Snobby movie goers? Absolutely. They wanna feel important by paying high ticket prices and letting the world know their score of each movie ... Everyone is PC here. Full of phonys. I just sit back and people watch often. It can be more enjoyable than the movies!

That being said, minus the bs and fake stuff, it's been a pretty solid TIFF from what i've seen (not much)

 

[BonMorrison]

I don't know why I've waited so long to add vdB to my ignore. Such a trash poster and person who contributes nothing to any of the subforums here and has already been banned from one. I'm okay with getting a warning on this post but it needed to be said.

 

[vdB]

I like the movies, but despise the crowds. What's the big deal Bono ?

I'm free to my own opinion, sorry if you disagree.

 

[Ralph Spoilsport]

The programmer's online blurb on for Dragonfly Eyes heaped some major hype, promising mind-blowing, thrilling, awe-inspiring, fascinating, intriguing, and seductive. And it delivers...I'll throw "dazzlingly audacious" and "enlightening" onto the pile. A

Insyriated: Gripping drama of Damascus family caught in the crossfire of civil war. Bombers and snipers have chased away the rest of the block but folks are determined to hold onto their home and their civility. No war is going to interfere with lunch. A-

The Crescent: Psychological thriller/horror story has shades of a lot of genre classics; The Shining, Repulsion, Carnival of Souls just off the top of my head, but brings its own tricks to the table too. A-

Pretty good day!

 

[kihei]

Part "B"

In the Fade--a woman's husband and son are killed by neo-Nazis; competent but too slick and generic for its own good. Germany/subtitles 4A
A Fantastic Woman--a transgender woman copes with loss and humiliation after the sudden death of her lover; never heavy handed and always entertaining thanks largely to a great performance by Danila Vega. Chile/subtitles 7A
Manhunt--awful generic action flick; easily the worst movie I have seen at TIFF this year. China/subtitles and English 3A
The Third Murder--a brilliantly directed and riveting mystery that calls into question the very nature of truth. Japan/subtitles 8A
Zama--17th century Spanish magistrate stuck in South America. Basically a "slow cinema" character study of an unfortunate man. Very good if you enjoy this sort of thing. Argentina/subtitles 7D
Killing Jesus--daughter seeks revenge on the person who may have assassinated her father in front of her. Very good genre piece by a rookie director. Columbia/subtitles 6A
Faces Places--Hybrid documentary of director Agnes Varda and cohort roaming around France putting pictures of people up on walls, buildings, boxcars, etc. Absolutely lovely film. France/subtitles 8A

 

[BonMorrison]

The Shape of Water - 9.5/10

This movie was absolutely beautiful. My favourite of the festival. Del Toro has created a stunning piece with this - ambitious, emotional, captivating, this is up there with Pans as his absolute best.

And that's the end of the festival for me - hope everyone found these informative!

TIFF 17:
The Shape of Water - 9.5/10
The Disaster Artist - 9/10
Loveless - 9/10
Mudbound - 8/10
A Fantastic Woman - 8/10
Mom and Dad - 7.5/10
The Square - 7/10
Manhunt - 3/10
mother! - ?/10

 

[Puck]

And that's the end of the festival for me - hope everyone found these informative!

That was great. Thank You. It gives good notice to figure out what to go see, what to wait until it hits a streaming service or what to avoid entirely. There's prolly a few there I would not have gone to see but I will now that my curiosity has been triggered.

 

[kihei]

Part "B"

In the Fade--a woman's husband and son are killed by neo-Nazis; competent but too slick and generic for its own good. Germany/subtitles 4A
A Fantastic Woman--a transgender woman copes with loss and humiliation after the sudden death of her lover; never heavy handed and always entertaining thanks largely to a great performance by Danila Vega. Chile/subtitles 7A
Manhunt--awful generic action flick; easily the worst movie I have seen at TIFF this year. China/subtitles and English 3A
The Third Murder--a brilliantly directed and riveting mystery that calls into question the very nature of truth. Japan/subtitles 8A
Zama--17th century Spanish magistrate stuck in South America. Basically a "slow cinema" character study of an unfortunate man. Very good if you enjoy this sort of thing. Argentina/subtitles 7D
Killing Jesus--daughter seeks revenge on the person who may have assassinated her father in front of her. Very good genre piece by a rookie director. Columbia/subtitles 6A
Faces Places--Hybrid documentary of director Agnes Varda and cohort roaming around France putting pictures of people up on walls, buildings, boxcars, etc. Absolutely lovely film. France/subtitles 8A
Omerta--biopic of the terrorist who beheaded an American reporter starts off strong and then goes south rapidly. India/subtitles 4A
Sheikh Jackson--an Iman has a personal crisis when he hears of Michael Jackson's death. Confusing message. Egypt/subtitles 4A
April's Daughter--a mother takes a strange approach to helping raise her daughter's baby. Fun suspense movie with too many holes. Mexico/subtitles 6A

 

[kihei]

Last day tomorrow. It always feels like the party is just warming up and then it's over.