TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL CAPSULE REVIEWS 2007
Gilbert Seah's capsule reviews. I will be adding more as Gilbert reviews them.
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (USA 2007) ****
Directed by Julie Taymor
Director Julie Taymor's (the excellent TITUS) vision of an original film using 33 Beatles songs is a visual feast for the eyes and heavenly music to the ears. ACROSS THE UNIVERSE is a love story of two star-crossed lovers, Jude (Jim Sturgess) from Liverpool and (Evan Rachel Wood) from Detroit. Taymor and writers Dick Clement and Ian Frenais (THE COMMITMENTS) blend in racial riots in the U.S., the killing fields in Vietnam and peace demonstrations in the NYC. The songs, performed with great zest, are as fresh as they were in the 60's and Taymor's passion for her art clearly shows. Scenes of nude Viet girls lying alongside masks in the river waters, lovers frolicking in the dilapidated buildings by a pier and queues of dockworkers collecting their pay do not all necessarily make sense, but the images are nevertheless unforgettable. ACROSS THE UNIVERSE is the best Beatles film ever made and sung without the BEATLES, with a fantastic soundtrack.
AMAL (Canada 2007) ***1/2
Directed by Richie Mehta
AMAL Kumar (Rupinder Nagra) is a rickshaw driver in New Delhi with a heart of gold. When he accidentally causes a young girl (Priya) to be hit by a car, Amal uses all his hard earnings to pay her hospital fees. But an eccentric billionaire (G.K. Jayaram) who had once ridden his rickshaw recognizes this man's humanity and leaves him a fortune, if he can be found in time. AMAL is based on the short film of the same title expanded effectively to a full length feature. AMAL is set in contemporary India where everyone is out to make a quick buck and where no one can be trusted. One of the key lines, repeated in the film is that richness can be found in Amal's poorness. Writer/director Mehta gets his point across effectively to show that the best ending to his film need not be the happy one that normal audiences would expect. The girl dies and Amal does not get the money. Yet, the beauty of it all is that the audience still leaves the theatre on Cloud Nine. Indeed, as there is richness in a poor man, there is also pleasure for the audience in non-Hollywood endings. AMAL is a tale of virtue brilliantly told.
LES AMOURS D'ASTREE ET DE CELADON (Fr/It/Sp 2007) **
Directed by Eric Rohmer
LES AMOURS returns nouvelle vague director Eric Rohmer to his stagey period costume pieces of PERCIVAL LE GALLOIS and THE LADY AND THE DUKE. But in spirit and narrative, LES AMOURS is more similar to his talky tales of the four seasons (TALE OF WINTER, TALE OF AUTUMN) series, in which young lovers Celadon (Andy Gillet) and Astrée (Stéphanie Crayencour) quarrel, argue and talk in and out of relationships. LES AMOURS is a story centred on shepherds that plays like Shakespeare's romantic comedies involving switched identities like TAMING OF THE SHREW and MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. Celadon pretends to go with another girl to please his parents during a party. Astree notices them making out beneath a tree and jealousy leads Celadon to drown himself. This is all romantic melodrama - 16th century-style. But Rohmer seems to be in auto-pilot mode here. Though the story is interesting and the actors spew out prose with ease, LES AMOURS feels laboured and weighed down. The problem here is that the actors look uncomfortable in their costumes and heavy uttering the older French prose. It is difficult enough for older TIFF audiences to identify with teens and hardly still to identify with teens in the 16th century.
THE BABYSITTERS (USA 2007) ***
Directed by David Ross
THE BABYSITTERS has the best dialogue line so far of all the films at TIFF. "Hurry up so you can wait for me!" is how husband Michael John Leguizamo would title his wife's biography. Director David Ross makes an impressive feature debut about a group of babysitters led by an enterprising Shirley (Katherine Waterston) that turns work into prostitution because at $200 a pop, the easy money pays the bills. The film works primarily because Leguizamo makes the perfect dirty husband, all nice and well behaved in front of the missus, but cracking snide remarks and screwing the babysitter and Waterston the ideal MEAN GIRL. If not for anything else, the two are a pleasure to watch. But THE BABYSITTERS is all over the place, beginning as a light comedy, then becoming more serious delving into MEAN GIRLS then HEATHERS territory. The film also shifts focus of its characters from husband Michael to babysitter Shirley. Still Ross' film is extremely watchable as it is so full of surprises and based on a very interesting and credible topic.
BARCELONA (A MAP) (Spain 2007) **
Directed by Ventura Pons
Incest and adultery and homosexuality are intertwined in the lives of 6 characters who meet in an old apartment in Barcelona. Yet, Ventura Pons' (ACTRESSES, AMAT) film is neither offensive nor controversial. The film is as flaky as its characters. Each of the 6 characters talk too much, do not know what they want and are less interesting than they sound on paper. Pons has directed a rather talky film in which the characters are not really related, except by chance. Unimaginatively directed, stagey with mostly unimpressive performances made more pretentious by opening newsreel footage about the history of Barcelona.
BLIND (Netherlands 2007) **
Directed by Tamar Van Den Dop
The premise of Tamar Van Den Dop's film BLIND is the test love between recently blind Ruben (Joren Seldeslachts) and the girl (Halina Reijn) hired to be his reader. As Ruben gradually regains his site, Marie stays away as she is not the girl he thinks her to be. She is 10 years older and neither beautiful. BLIND is beautifully shot and carefully crafted but not much happens The film drags on till the final climax when the two eventually meet after Ruben regains his site. The confrontation scene is moving. BLIND also has minor plot flaws such as Ruben being able to read perfectly after regaining his site. And there is no strong reason for Ruben behaving so wild in the first place.
BOY A (UK 2007) ***1/2
Directed by John Crowley
BOY A is 24 called Jack. Released from prison from a terrible crime, Jack (Andrew Garfield) aims at a new life, with the aid of social worker, Terry (Peter Mullan). Based on the novel by Jonathan Trigell and written for the screen by Mark Rowe, the second collaboration between Rowe and director Crowley after INTERMISSION is another assured piece of filmmaking. The film can be considered to be two stories, one told in flashback, of Jack and the other of him as an innocent boy, led astray by a new but vicious friend. BOY A is largely compelling as Crowley and Rowe feeds the audience only bits of information at a time letting the audience piece the bits together like a puzzle.
THE BRAVE ONE (USA 2007) ***
Directed by Neil Jordan
The vigilante theme has been done many times before from Charles Bronson's DEATH WATCH films to last week's DEATH SENTENCE with Kevin Bacon. This new entry THE BRAVE ONE, directed by Irishman Neil Jordan (THE CRYING GAME, BREAKFAST ON PLUTO) updates the genre by having a female heroine (Jodie Foster) and by taking the theme much more seriously. The script of THE BRAVE ONE (by Roderick and Bruce Taylor) has victimized NYC radio DJ, Erica (Jodie Foster) go through a character change from traumatized victim to confident killer as she uses her vocation to source out the killer. The story is also updated to the modern context - her attack is posted on the internet; another victim has his ipod stolen. The script is admirably anti-racial. Erica's fiancé is African American and so is the investigating detective (Terrence Howard). So, the film gets away with the attackers being dark (could be Hispanic as well).
THE BRAVE ONE tries hard but ultimately takes the vigilante genre too seriously. The script contains far too much monologue - uttered as Erica speaks to herself or when she talks over the radio. The writers also give themselves a pat on their backs by having the radio listeners praise Erica's radio talk show. THE BRAVE ONE eventually emerges as a film in which the action scenes are too far in between.
BREAKFAST WITH SCOT (Canada 2007) ***
Directed by Laurie Lynd
Just as the name of the film title is Scot is different and spelt with one 't' so is the couple looking after the boy Scot (Noah Bernett). The couple, Sam (Tom Cavanaugh) and Ed (Ben Shenkman) is not stereotypical gay couple. A former pro-hockey player, Sam is a straight acting sports broadcaster. When Ed's nephew, Scot (Noah Bernett) enters their lives following the death of the boy's mother, things change. Scot knits, sings musical numbers, wears make-up and kisses everyone freely. Director Lynd's film is intriguing for the main reason that the audience has no idea where the film is leading to - at least till the last half hour. Charming, tearful and with winning performances, especially by the boy Noah Bernett, BREAKFAST WITH SCOT may be the best gay comedy this year. The message is a universal one about coming to terms with oneself. The best line in the film is uttered by Sam: "We are all a little sissy around here!" The film is also full of little surprises such as Scot learning to fight and impressing Sam with figure skating. Also with cameos by Canadian icons like Sheila McCarthy, Graham Greene and Megan Follows.
BRICK LANE (UK 2007) ***
Directed by Sarah Gavron
Based on the novel by Monica Ali, BRICK LANE is the story of Bangladesh bride, Nazneen (Tannishtha Chatterjee) married off to a London educated man, Chanu (Satish Kaushik). The ever so obedient Nazneen finds herself when she buys a sewing machine to make some money while falling in love with the younger and handsome Chanu (Satish Kaushik) who brings her jeans to sew. For a small budget film, director Gavron has concocted an engrossing tale of a coming-of-rites passage of an older lady. She brings into the backdrop current social problems like the prejudice against Muslims resulting from the 9/11 terrorist attack. Apart from the fact that Gavron uses wee too much voiceover, she tells her story with conviction. Actors Chatterjee and especially Kaushik deliver impressive performances.
CASSANDRA'S CROSSING (USA 2007) ***1/2
Directed by Woody Allen
Allen must be desperate for a hit. His last film SCOOP which he starred in flopped as did most of his recent films except for MATCH POINT. Expectedly, Allen's CASSANDRA CROSSING follows closely to the formula of his last critical and commercial hit MATCH POINT. For one, Allen is not in it at all. There is little humour in it and the film is a serious murder mystery like MATCH POINT. Allen's story of two borthers Terery (Colin Farrell) and Ian (Ewan McGregor) are in dire straits for money. In order to get financial aid from their rich but dodgy uncle (Tom Wilkinson), they have to commit murder. Allen's restraint on humour is evident with the only time he let loose being the segment where the three argue out the pros and cons of murder underneath a tree in a park. Like in all of Allen's films, CASSANDRA'S CROSSING is stunningly shot, this one by Oscar winner Vilmos Zsigmond. Music is by Philip Glass. Allen must have allowed his actors to change the dialogue as there are quite a few British terms (e.g. simpering) or phrases (you must be joking instead of you must be kidding) that are not used in North America .A Woody Allen film, whether a flop or not, is still an annual event to look forward to. CASSANDRA'S CROSSING is one of his better and more controlled works.
LE CEDRE PENCHE (Canada 2007) *
Directed by Rafael Oullet
The fancy French title translates to the English one MONA'S DAUGHTERS. The film opens with the uniting of the sisters while rendering the song Ave Maria, Mere de Dieu. It is a melodious piece and director Oullet allows the audience the time to breathe in every moment of the song. The film traces the journey during which Brigitte (Marie Neige Chatelain) and Candide (Viviane Audet) Provencher finally complete a CD for a radio station while coming to terms with their loss. Unfortunately, all this is as boring as it sounds. With hand held camera and a cinema verite feel, Oullet's film is worst than watching a neighbour's home movie. At least your neighbour is a familiar character. Here, Oullet does not bother with background, character or the behaviour of the Provencher sisters.
CONTINENTAL, UN FILM SANS FUSIL (Canada 2007) **
Directed by Stephane Lafleur
The films begins with a man's disappearance in the woods after leaving a bus. His wife is given solace through a get well card (only card they could find) from her colleagues and from there, director Lafleur weaves together the lives of four others. The stories are of ordinary fragile folk, which make them realistic and heartfelt. His films works when he turns up the humour a notch or two, most of it from smart observations from daily routines that somehow appear funnier on screen. But Lafleur's film pacing is monotonous. Not building up to a climax, the film eventually turns to an everyday unimpressive yawn. The wife's story is the most interesting pf the lot. Fragility need not be equated with weakness and hopelessness, which is the identical theme among the 4 stories.
CONTRE TOUTE ESPERANCE (Canada 2007) ***
Directed by Bernard Emond
CONTRE TOUTE ESPERANCE (English title, SUMMIT CIRCLE) is director Emond's second film of a trilogy dealing with the virtues of faith, hope and charity. SUMMIT CIRCLE tells the story, in flashback of the events leading to a blood stained woman's arrest. The woman turns out to be an ordinary, quietly attractive wife, (Guylaine Tremblay) forced by fate to see her current life get from bad to worse to unbearable. It all begins well when she and her husband (Guy Jodoin) purchase a beautiful home by a river in a Montreal suburb. Then she loses her job, her husband becomes an invalid, depression sets in and so on. Emond's film like his first, LA NEUVAINE (THE NOVENA) moves at a snail's pace giving the effect of the events unfolding in real time. Still, he manages to jolt the audience out of their seats occasionally. Emond is more interested here in the emotions, actions and behaviour of his protagonist rather than the storyline. Tremblay delivers a subdued yet moving performance that keeps the film interesting. Yes, and the audience does care for her character.
CONTROL (UK 2007) ***** Top 10
Directed by Anton Corbijn
Based on the book WALKING AWAY FROM SILENCE, CONTROL is the story of Ian Curtis (Michael Riley), the enigmatic singer of Joy Division whose personal, professional, and romantic troubles led him to commit suicide at the age of 23. Filmed in black and white and set in 70's Manchester, CONTROL has a real feel of the times and passion of the band's lead singer thanks to details of costumes, props down to the minute mannerisms and actions of the actors. The way Curtis and his wife (Samantha Morton) cuddle while walking under his cloak reminds one of scenes right out of a 70's Brit movie. It helps that the music is fantastic as well. As the music of Joy Division is easy to play, the actors actually performed the songs on stage. CONTROL, which is director Corbijn's first feature film, won special mention at Cannes this year. A remarkable and moving feature that demands to be seen! The film has an odd shift from Ian's music to his infidelity though the second half of the film slowly blends the two issues together.
DR. PLONK (Australia 2007) ****
Directed by Rolf de Heer
The sky is falling! Chicken Little in this case is DR. PLONK (Nigel Lunghi) and the year is 1907. DR. PLONK has proven by mathematics that the world will end in 2007. No one believes him. So he, with the help of his time machine, his deaf assistant (Paul Blackwell), plump wife (Magda Szubanksi) and object fetching dog travel to 2007 to obtain proof that the world will end. If this all sounds silly, director (TEN CANOES) generates even more laughs by telling his story in silent, black and white form using a hand cranked camera from the good old days. DR. PLONK works because his film looks exactly like the old silent films - only that this one is better and more entertaining. De Heer understands movement, comedy, moustaches and coat-tails. The result is a surprisingly original entertaining that will likely become the sleeper hit of the festival. Credit goes especially to Graham Tardif whose delightful score integrates the action onscreen pefectly.
EASTERN PROMISES (Canada/UK 2007) ***
Directed by David Cronenberg
Following close to the heels of his last hit A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (and also starring Viggo Mortensen), Cronenberg's latest TIFF entry centres on the Russian mafia in London. Mortensen plays the mysterious Nikolai, chauffeur and confidante to ruthless chief, Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl) and unstable son, Kirill (Vincent Cassel). Nikolai's conscience is put to the test when he discovers an infant is about to be murdered during Christmastide. One wishes EASTERN PROMISES to be as taut and violent as Cronenberg's HISTORY OF VIOLENCE and SPIDER, but EASTERN PROMISES suffers from an ending that begs for a more exciting and satisfactory climax. Still, PROMISES shows Cronenberg in top form - from his images, play on ambiguities and build-up of suspense. The fight in the London Finbury Park sauna will surely go down in movie history to be one of the grittiest. It is also an odd pleasure to hear Dane Mortensen, German Mueller-Stahl and French Cassel don Russian accents.
L'ENNEMI INTIMES (INTIMATE ENEMIES) (France 2007) *****Top 10
Directed by Florent-Emilio Siri
The beginning shot of a two scorpions fighting on the soldier's corpse indicates the detail and craft of director Florent-Emilio Siri's film. INTIMATE ENEMIES is set in 1959 Algeria. France sent troops to quell the Algerian rebels so that Algeria can remain a part of French. As everyone knows, this is a useless war with wasted casualties on both sides as Algeria would eventually become independent. The film begins with military operations stepped up in the mountains of Kalylia where a rookie lieutenant, Terrien (Benoit Magimel) takes command over a platoon run by the cynical and much more experienced sergeant Dougnac (Albert Dopontel). The INTIMATE ENEMIES of the title imply that the new lieutenant has more enemies in the platoon than the outside rebels, known as fellaghas or the FLNs. Through three battles/assignments, director Siri brings the audience to identify with the men in the platoon as well as the two leads (the sergeant and lieutenant), the folly of the war and men's breaking point. The film takes no sides, offering mindless slaughter and torture performed by both the French and fellaghas sides. The film ends with one of the soldiers screening his home made film shot of the platoon during Christmas time. If the images of many of the young faces of the soldiers (then dead) in that film do not wring tears in your eyes, nothing will.
FADOS (Spain 2007) ***
Directed by Carlos Saura
Master dance film director Carlos Saura (TANGO) tackles FADO in his latest song/dance film. FADO is one of the oldest forms of urban folk music. Director Saura traces its evolution from early to contemporary times through 5 minute segments from the film's start to finish. He climaxes his film with Fado Flamenco blending Fado with his specialty, the flamenco dance. For this film, the audience has just to sit back and enjoy the music and dance. The film features performances from FADO legends as Mariza and Carlos do Carmo.
LA FILLE COUPEE EN DEUX (France 2007) ****
Directed by Claude Chabrol
TIFF boasts three French novella vague (new wave) directors. Claude Chabrol is one of my most admired film directors with Hitchcock like suspense murder mysteries as LE CRI DE HIBOU, POULET ET VINAIGRE and INSPECTEUR LAVARDIN. THE GIRL CUT IN TWO contains the classic Chabrol characters - the suave super efficient attorney, the over-protective wealthy mother, the rejected spoilt son, flirting sisters and the innocent heroine caught in between. Set in the countryside around Lyon, a pretty young fille, Gabrielle (Ludivine Sagnier) falls for a much older lover, the famous writer, Charles Saint-Denis (Francois Berléand) who happens to be married. Though a flirt, Charles ditches Gabrielle to return to his wife (Valeria Cavalli). Gabrielle ends up marrying a rich spoilt brat, Paul Geudens (Benoît Magimel also in L'ENNEMI INTIME screened at TIFF). Jealousy leading to murder (Chabrol is best at this) ultimately follows. LA FILLE is shot with all the elegant stylishness of Chabrol's best works and is reminiscent mostly of LE CRI DE HIBOU and the CHAMPAGNE MURDERS. Wickedly entertaining!
FLASH POINT (HK 2007) ***
Directed by Wilson Yip
Donnie Yen is the fight choreographer (HERO) and star of fist action power film FLASH POINT. Yen plays hot-headed cop, Jun. Together with his partner, Wilson (Louis Koo), who after infiltrated a drug gang undercover, they pursue brothers Tony (Collin Chou) and Tiger (Yu Xing). "My duty as a cop is to catch thieves." Jun's words ring true as the film proves his point. High octane car chases, kung-fu action and foot chases are piled one after the other. Director Yip adds in a bit of emotions to the actioner in the form of mothers - that of Jun and off the drug brothers. Action fans will not be disappointed with this midnight madness entry. The climatic fight between hero and villain is an exciting 15 minutes of violent, blood filled, old-fashioned one on one combat without use of CGI.
FOREVER NEVER ANYWHERE (Austria 2007) ****
Directed by Antonin Svoboda
Three men are trapped on a remote road in their car in the midst of darkness. They are later discovered by an angelic boy who turns out to be pure evil. It takes an hour or so in this 88 minute film before the car plunges into the woods. It is clear then that director Svoboda's film is not a horror flick involving a battle of wills. It is rather difficult to classify the kind of genre this film falls into. For one, Svoboda takes his time to show his audience just how irritating his characters are. One is a little talented accordion performer who tells bad jokes and abuses his audience. Another is a drunk who attends his sister's book opening only to hit at the ladies after. If not at each others throats, his characters are screaming and annoying the audience. Svoboda's film is fresh, edgy, never boring and impressively shot, down to the mechanical details. The segment of a field mouse scurrying through the car's electronics system is brilliantly done. FOREVER NEVER ANYWHERE (as the title implies) might not take its protagonists anywhere, but it jolts its audience with quite the hell ride. This is the most satisfying annoying film of the festival. Existential loathing is the term Svoboda uses to describe his characters.
FRONTIERE(S) (France 2007) ****
Directed by Xavier Gens
Yasmina (Karina Testa) wants to make a better life for herself. She and her gang of thieves escape the slums but encounter the savage neo-Nazi Von Geisler gang. A combination of SAW, MISERY, THE HILLS HAVE EYES, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and DEVIL'S REJECTS movies, the French prove once again that they know how to get this genre done right. Director Xavier Gens gets his audience rooting for his heroine, Yasmina even though she is no perfect lady. FRONTIERE(S) contains more blood and gore than any horror flick as far as I can remember but the film works. The best scene (at the end) has Yasmina all bloodied up after chopping her pursuer with an axe and pushing him on to a rotating circular saw. Gens got even us hard hearted critics cheering!
FUGITIVE PIECES (Canada/Greece 2007) **
Directed by Jeremy Podeswa
Based on the novel by Anne Michaels, FUGITIVE PIECES, the opening night gala for TIFF, is a lyrical sometimes moving film about loss, love and redemption. Directed by Jeremy Podeswa (he last made the Cannes hit, THE FIVE SENSES in 1999), the film is beautifully shot, slow paced and full of flashbacks and inter-cut stories. After young Jakob Beer witnesses his parents murdered and sister abducted, he is rescued and moved to Greece by archaeologist, Athos (Rade Sherbedgia). When Jakob (Stephen Dillane) grows up, he and Attos emigrate to Canada, where Jakob comes to terms with his loss and falls in love. All this is fine, but the flashbacks are at times too many with flashback inter-cuts sometimes causing some confusion. The narrative contains too many conveniences - the job Attos has at the University of Toronto; the girl Jacob meets to rekindle his feeling; the new neighbours being Jewish and also musically inclined etc. If one is to complain that too many films have already been made on the holocaust, Podeswa's film has the answer to that in a line of dialogue that insists that all those who have lived through those times have to, as human beings.
I AM FROM TITOV VELES (Macedonia 2007) **
Directed by Teona Strugar Mitevska
TITOV VELES is a small industrial village poisoned by the fumes of a steel factory that spews fumes into the air. The film is the story of three sisters, told from the poin t of view (why?) of the youngest 27 year old who refuses to speak. Each searches for a better life, which means leaving the village at all costs. TITOV VELES is beautifully shot, considering its mainly barren surroundings. Director Mitevska tracks her shots and positions her camera well. Unfortunately, she neglects to put in more realism into the characters who seem to flow in and out of scenes like images in a landscape. It is difficult to feel for a film if we hardly have enough background given to the characters for us to care for them.
IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH (USA 2007) ***
Directed by Paul Haggis
It is IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH that young David defeated Goliath of the Philistines. Oscar winning scriptwriter Paul Haggis delivers a compelling tale of a desperate father, Hank (Tommy Lee Jones) searching for the truth of what happened to his son (Jonathan Tucker) who disappeared after returning from Iraq. With the help of the local police detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron), Hank discovers his son had been murdered. Haggis' script is the film's strength. Haggis shows imperfections in all his characters, showing them to be human beings. The first half is monotonously paced but Haggis picks up the action in the second half. He plays too with his narrative. At the film's start, a salesman tells Hank that he has to trust someone when asked if the gadget he bought fitted. Later on, Haggis shows that on the contrary, Hank cannot trust anyone. While watching MILLION DOLLAR BABY which was written by Paul Haggis, I wondered what the film's message or theme was as the film progressed. It felt that it was redemption at one point, then proving (or being) ones true self at another point before it settled to be an old fashioned love story between boxing trainer Clint Eastwood and his protégé Hilary Swank. VALLEY OF ELAH which Haggis wrote and directed has the same feel of shifting themes as Hank searches for the truth. The climax of the film, to me, is discovering what he intends to relate to his audience. Not to spoil it what it is, this message relayed is a wickedly unpopular truth that nevertheless packs quite the powerful punch.
INTO THE WILD (USA 2007) ***
Directed by Sean Penn
Based on the non fiction book by Jon Krakauer, Sean Penn's INTO THE WILD traces the life of Christopher McCandless, a college graduate who gave it all up to pack up and go INTO THE WILD. The film plays like a fairy tale in which the protagonist, Christopher (Emile Hirsch) takes a journey where he meets an assortment of people in order to learn how to love and hence be comfortable with himself and life once again. Penn's tale is a meandering one with highs of laughter and lows of tears and hardship. Penn often allows his actors a free hand to do their thing - Vince Vaughn in particular hams up in his scenes - but it is in the controlled ones when the film is in its most effective. The discussion on life between his adoptive grandfather (the excellent Hal Holbrook not seen in films for almost a decade) and Christopher is one of them. The main trouble of INTO THE WILD is that though the film is gripping and brimming with emotions, the assembly of the flashbacks (the time reference being the time he sets up home in the magic bus) is at times clumsy. One wonders why filmmakers insist ever so often to film in non chronological order.
IT'S A FREE WORLD (UK/Germ/It/Sp 2007) ***
Directed by Ken Loach
Director Ken Loach always has some relevant statement to make in his movies. In IT'S A FREE WORLD, he tackles illegal immigrants in London that provide a cheap pool of labour. Single mother, blonde and pretty Angie (Kierston Wareing) is fed up and opens a recruiting agency with her best mate, Rose (Juliet Ellis). They decide to hire cheaper labour with no papers until they run into major payment problems. Though no less important a topic than his last year's Palm d'Or winner THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY, FREE WORLD finds the veteran director in lighter mood. He turns up the seriousness a few notches up in the second half by having his heroine beaten up and her son kidnapped. As in his other movies, he takes in too many subplots than he can chew but he does stage compelling confrontation set pieces. While he provides no solutions to the problem, he at least keeps audiences aware and thinking of this social problem.
THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB (USA 2007) ***
Directed by Robin Swicord
It had to happen - a film about members of a book club where the characters in the book reflect the love lives of the members. In the romantic comedy THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB members fall in and out of love according to Jane Austen's characters in her books from 'Pride and Prejudice' to 'Persuasion'. Director Swicord assumes that viewers are familiar with all the Austen novels, and if not insults them (as one character is in the film). That said, this reviewer had not read any, though familiar with the books through movies. Swicord's film is still interesting and easy to follow for those remotely familiar with the Austen books. Still, as romantic comedies go, THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB is an enjoyable frolic into period territory set in current times. All works out well for most of the characters and Swicord's film does have a feel of an Austen film.
JAR CITY (MYRIN) (Iceland/Germany 2006) ****
Directed by Baltasar Kormakur
This is the kind of foreign film that will never play in North America because it is too commercial for the art crowd. JAR CITY is term for the place where foetuses, brains, organs and the like are kept for biological research. It is also where a murdered young girl's brain is kept and recovered after an elderly man is suddenly found murdered in his basement flat. JAR CITY is a bad cop, pussy cop (Ingvar Örn Sigurðsson and the comic relief Björn Hlynur Haraldssonfilm) set in lively Iceland locations. Always snowy and bleak but yet always beautifully barren (the photography is stunning), the landscape complements the mood of director Kormakur's (101 Reykjavik) awesome suspense action thriller. Though initially a bit confusing with so many facts thrown at the audience at once, the occasionally funny film eventually gets itself on track when all the clues make sense. JAR CITY is also the grossest film I have seen for a long time. Also convincingly acted and skilfully directed. Highly recommended!
KING OF CALIFORNIA (USA 2007) ***
Directed by Mike Cahill
It is not surprising to see Alexander Payne's name in the credits as one of the film's producers as director Mike Cahill's film KING OF CALIFORNIA has the wackiness and relationships dysfunctions of Payne's films such as SIDEWAYS, CITIZEN RUTH and ELECTION. The film begins with a Wall-Mart break in by a father (Michael Douglas) and daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) team. The bipolar father Charlie believes there is gold hidden beneath the concrete at Wall-Mart's warehouse. The film flashbacks 15 years earlier to explain the reason and then continues from the current scene. More and more films (including Sean Penn's INTO THE WILD shown at TIFF) seem to follow this style of storytelling. Daughter Miranda has always helped her dad Charlie. The film traces the father's redemption and the daughter's acceptance of Charlie's flaws. Douglas is wonderfully odd as the bearded treasure hunter. The best scene has Miranda attending what Charlie thinks is a 'swinger' orgy. Cahill shows restraint here but one wishes he milked this comedic set piece for more laughs. Serious though the topic may sound, KING OF CALIFORNIA is light, very funny and gets the message across.
LARS AND THE REAL GIRL (USA 2007) **
Directed by Craig Gilespie
Socially inept Lars Lindtrom (Ryan Gosling) is not a normal person. He has a life-size doll as his girlfriend. The trouble is that the entire town goes along with it, for the reason that Lars is a lovable guy who just happens to be disillusional. This is the premise of director Gilespie's predictable comedy of errors. Needless to say, Lars matures, dumps the doll and eventually gets on with his life. But Gilepsie goes for the easy laughs rather than dwell with the more important issues at hand. The result is a film that is quite funny to some, but essentially lacking in substance and bite. The film is neither black nor daring enough to succeed more than a simple coming-of-age story of a forgettable soul in a small forgettable town. The filmmakers also make no attempt to mention what town (though the film is shot in Toronto) or where the town is actually located.
LUST, CAUTION (Taiwan 2007) ***
Directed by Ang Lee
Director Ang Lee's (BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN) latest excursion into Chinese period piece has all the elements of a classic spy scenario. Young, impressionable Wang (Tang Wei) joins a college acting troupe and soon finds herself working with young resistance fighters against Chinese traitors during the Japanese Occupation. The target is the sinister and ruthless Yee (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) with whom she is coerced into a torrid sex affair in order to flush him out into the open. Lee's sex scenes are long, erotic and graphically effective in showing how Wang falls for the villain. LUST, CAUTION is stunning to look at, photographed by Rodriego Prieto and together with the costumes, props and music, the film creates a gorgeous atmosphere of a beautiful but dangerous era. The old film posters of SUSPICON and DESTRY RIDES AGAIN seen in the background emphasis the importance of the girl's mission. But Lee's film, based on a short story is a lengthy, almost 160 minutes in length and could have be shortened and made more exciting. A few pieces of the narrative are left hanging, such as mahjong playing Mrs. Yee's (Joan Chen) involvement in all this. The action scenes are elaborate and illustrate how difficult it is to kill a man.
THE MOTHER OF TEARS (Italy/USA 2007) **
Directed by Dario Argento
The huge amounts of blood, gore and excesses in Italian horror master Dario Argento's MOTHER OF TEARS do not necessarily mean a better movie. Once again, there is the damsel in distress - his daughter Asia Argento - stuck in loads of shit (literally), compared to his heroine rained upon by live maggots in SUSPIRA. Spikes digging out nipples, limbs chopped off and eyeballs plucked out become standard fare in an Argento horror movie. Asia plays Sarah, a student in art restoration. She discovers an ancient urn, setting in motion some witch ritual that will bring chaos to Rome and the world. The climax when Sarah is stuck in a load of shit is analogous of what Argento himself is stuck with. He is bound to re-cycle his old stuff, with no new ideas popping up. Argento fans will not doubt be satisfied with his usual dosage of graphic horror. MOTHER OF TEARS is the last of Argento's trilogy of mother movies the first two being SUSPIRA and INFERNO. Unfortunately, this one comes no where close to the other two.
NE TOUCHEZ PAS LA HACHE (France 2007) ***
Directed by Jacques Rivette
Novelle Vague director Jacques Rivette's NE TOCHEZ PAS LA HACHE (or Don't touch the Axe), based on the Balzac short story LA DUCHESSE DE LANGEAIS is a subtle romance, part comedy part tragedy kept in its original form. The story evolves around the pair, the Duchess, Antoinette (Jeanne Balibar) and General Armand de Montriveau (Guillaume Depardieu) set in 1820's Paris. Antoinette seduces the general in a series of mind games. When Montriveau finally seeks revenge, Antoinette relents, but it might be too late. Rivette's film is solid on period details from the props, costumes and music. Though the film looks a bit dated in its setting, the game of love is still as relevant then as it is today. LA HACHE takes a while before getting a solid footing - it feels at times that Rivette is trying too hard to keep to Balzac's original text - but the wait is well worth it. Rivette's staple Michel Piccoli has a respectable cameo as Antoinette's uncle who gives her advice.
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (USA 2007) ****
Directed by Ethan and Noel Cohen
The Coen Brothers here return to gory BLOOD SIMPLE and comedic RAISING ARIZONA territory in an odd piece of Americana based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy. The Brothers imprint is clearly stamped all over NO COUNTRY. The film begins when Llewlyn Moss (James Brolin) finds drugs and cash in a pick up truck with a dozen dead men. When Moss steals the money, a mysterious stranger known to those familiar to him as pure evil, Anton (Julio BARDEM) chases in pursuit, leaving a bloody trail of killings. Bad haircut is the devil! Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) intervenes. NO COUNTRY is odd, hilarious, edgy, thrilling though sometimes confusing. But it never lacks a surprise around every corner.
ONE HUNDRED NAILS (Italy 2007) ***
Directed by Ermanno Olmi
ONE HUNDRED NAILS bear a bit of resemblance to director Ermanno Olmi's greatest work, THE TREE OF WOODEN CLOGS. Again using unknown actors and filmed in simplistic colours emphasizing the natural landscape, the story centres around a Christ-like figure, a professor (Raz Degan) who abandons his work in philosophy to embrace the simple lifestyle. Watching the stars, fishing in the Po River and re-building a hut while bonding with the simple villagers, the professor is content. Though bits of the narrative do not make sense - the over dramatization of the destruction of the books or the massacre of the innocent - Olmi's film is still gorgeous to look at and interesting in its theme on humanity.
POOR MAN'S GAME (Canada 2007) ****
Directed by Clement Virgo
At one point in the movie, boxing, the sport is described not to be a game. "We play hockey, football but do not play boxing!" Yet, director Clement Virgo's latest film is called POOR MAN'S GAME, probably as an inside joke. Unlike RUDE and LIE WITH ME, his most well known arty features, POOR MAN'S GAME is a more accomplished, disciplined and thankfully commercial piece of work set in Nova Scotia dealing with quite a few issues including adapting to the world after prison, tribe loyalty, racial conflict but mostly personal redemption. Newcomer, Rossif Sutherland plays Donnie Rose, a young boxer who is just released from prison for brutally handicapping a black man for life. The father, George (Danny Clover) and the black community led by boxer Ossie Paris (Flex Alexander) pushes for revenge through a boxing match. Virgo's film is compelling to watch. He keeps the story just a notch ahead of the audience. Virgo's focus on details while keeping the central idea on track coupled with fine performances from all his actors, particularly Glover and Sutherland, make this film the best Canadian entry I have seen this year.
The climatic boxing match is a little disappointing. Example: the coach tells Donnie to watch his balance as his eardrum is broken. But the question is how the coach knows that fact. Still, Virgo's film is not about boxing and he still pulls all the right punches with an unpredictable but winning ending.
A PROMISE TO THE DEAD (Canada 2007) ***
Directed by Peter Raymont
A PROMISE TO THE DEAD: The Exile of Journey of Ariel Dorfman is as the title implies, documentarist Peter Raymont's (2001's SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL) account of Ariel Dorfman's exploration of his life in exile. Dorfman served as cultural advisor to Chile's socialist president Salvador Allende before Chile fell to the U.S. coup in which Pinochet took power. His life was spared (he believes, the reason) to allow him to tell the story of the evils and torture of the Pinochet regime. Raymont's film is thorough and makes a good history lesson on Chile. Raymont tries not to take sides, filming scenes with Dorfman communicating with Pinochet loyalists. Interviewees include Rodrigo Dorman (the eldest son), close friends of Ariel and Juliet Stevenson who acted in Dorfman's play DEATH AND THE MAIDEN which went on to win several Olivier Awards. It helps that Ariel Dorfman speaks perfect English and is moving, convincing and charismatic on camera.
REACTED (USA 2007) ***1/2
Directed by Brian De Palma
REACTED refers to text that has been blacked out or censored - information that is known but consciously repressed about the Iraq war. Director Brian de Palma brought a small crew to Iraq and filmed in digital video a documentary style film about the folly of the Iraq war. He effectively traces the activities of a squad of American soldiers manning a checkpoint from their daily routines, to their interaction with each other and the Iraq people. By the time the film reaches its horrific climax culminating in the rape of a 15-year old Iraq girl, De Palma will have you writhing in your seats. REACTED won De Palma the best director award at the Venice film festival.
RECLAIM YOUR BRAIN (Germany/Austria 2007) ***
Directed by Hans Weingartner
Hans Weingartner's (THE EDUKATORS) new film RECLAIM YOUR BRAIN is also a social commentary on Germany, this time commenting on the rubbish broadcast on German TV. Successful TV producer, Rainer (Moritz Bleibtreu) has it all living the high life with a big salary, luxurious penthouse and a sexy girlfriend. When a strange girl Pegah (Elsa Sophie Gambard) plows his car, he undergoes a change of heart. Together and with a recruited gang of misfits, they alter the TV ratings to improve programming. The film's start with Rainer driving his car all coked up is the best beginning of any film I have seen during the festival. Pity no other scene in the film tops this. The best parts of the film are when Weingartner treads into farcical territory. The game show segment in which a contestant gets to father a child if his sperm wins a microscopic race to fertilize an ovum is priceless. Weingartner intentions are all good, but he gets carried away with the TV stations relenting and screening art, educational and solid programs. It is at this point that the film wavers. This state is just not going to happen. The film kicks solid butt whenever Rainer goes crazy, coke snorting, smoking, drinking or talking shit.
RENDITION (USA 2007) ***1/2
Directed by Gavid Hood
Gavin Hood's follow up to the Oscar winning TSOTSI is a moving drama of a wife's (Reese Witherspoon) search for her missing Egyptian born husband (Omar Metwally) suspected for terrorist activities. The narrative splits into different though still captivating paths that involve a rookie CIA agent (Jake Gyllenhaal) who is the protagonist that holds all the 'correctness' together and the Middle-East investigator's family caught in-between. Director Hood plays both the Middle East/U.S. and terrorist sides so that the audience sees the two sides of the coin. The title RENDITION refers to the U.S. policy by which alleged terrorists can be extradited to foreign prisons and tortured without restraint. RENDITION gets my vote for the film with best confrontation scene (between Meryl Streep and Peter Sarsgaard). The star cast performing the supporting roles are powerhouse from Streep and Sarsgaard to Alan Arkin. Director Hood's TSOTSI won the Best Foreign Film Oscar and more notably TIFF's People's Choice Award in 2004. This artistically stylish crowd pleaser may very well be the first film to win the director the People's Choice Award twice in a row. Streep delivers the film's best line (to Sarsgaard) with THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA glee: "The U.S. does not torture!" - followed by a condescending, "Honey! This is nasty business!" The only problem with RENDITION is that the message is lightened by the script's choice lines.
THE SECRETS (France/Israel 2007) ***
Directed by Avi Nesher
The plural of the film title indicates that more than one issue is tackled in director Avi Nesher's film about a young rebellious Jewish girl, Naomi (Ania Bukstein) coming-of age in a repressive orthodox culture of a seminary set in the picturesque town of Safed. Though multiple issues like sexual awakening, (gay in this case), male predominance, rebellion against school authority, female camaraderie, coming-of-age, religious practices might appear too many too handle, director Nesher swiftly touches each topic effectively. Bukstein is winning as the young Naomi, aided by a young talented cast. French veteran Fanny Ardant lends a hand in the role of a woman rejected by society aided by Noami and friend, but she looks rather lost in this piece. Though it is difficult to imagine who the filmmakers had in mind for their target audience, THE SECRET still emerges as an assured entertaining drama about life and personal loyalties.
SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL (Canada 2007) **
Directed by Roger Spottiswoode
The feature film SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL, based on the book by Lt. General Dallaire, arrives rather late after the filmgoers have been saturated with information about the genocide in Rwanda in films like HOTEL RWANDA (2004), UN DIMANCHE A KIGALI (2006) and others. The film itself begins with a brief 2 minute history lesson. This time around, the story is told from the point of view of Lieutenant-General Romeo Dallaire (Roy Dupuis), the Canadian commander sent to enforce peace keeping in Rwanda but torn between duty and conscience to protect the minority Tutsi group from massacre. Hunk Dupuis, who now sports white hair, is ok as Dallaire, but the film lacks the drama of the internal fight he goes through. Showing him winning verbal arguments or torturing himself by cutting his leg with a razor does not work. The change in character leading to madness is not developed. If the final purging of guilt is professed in the writing of the book, director Spottiswoode (UNDER FIRE, TOMORROW NEVER COMES) has none of this indicated on film. International stars Deborah Kara Unger and Jean-Hughes Anglade lift the film with spirited performances as a journalist and the founder of Medicines Sans Frontieres respectively. The film boasts the scenes filmed in actual Rwandan locations. I have not seen the 2004 Canadian documentary directed by Peter Raymont, also of the same title, but with real footage and interviews with the Lt. General and excellent reviews. One wonders why the filmmakers bothered with this mediocre dramatization.
SILENT RESIDENT (Austria/Ger/Lux/Hung 2007) ***
Directed by Christian Frosch
SILENT RESIDENT is Hannah (Brigitte Hobmeier) who lives in a futuristic complex. She has a (as described by her colleague) grad Z job doing security which get blamed for anything that goes wrong. Director Frosch has a lot happening in her sci-fi thriller. There is murder, spouse abuse, social comment set in a surreal setting. Frosch is also fond of surprising her audience with dead-pan humour. Surreal in look and in its atmosphere, SILENT RESIDENT looks strangely apocalyptical. Though SILENT RESIDENT covers quite the few important issues, Frosch never takes anything seriously. The result, strangely enough, is a film that is fresh and entertaining, though no one really cares if any of the human problems are solved.
SLEUTH (USA 2007) **
Directed by Kenneth Branagh
It is not surprising to see the reason SLEUTH is so popular a play for adapting to the screen. It only needs to actors, concerns the old whodunit scenario and allows the actors and director, by nature of the play to showcase their talents. The original (which I had seen twice long time back) starred Lawrence Olivier and Michael Caine and was directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. This one stars Caine in the older Olivier role of Andrew Wyke, a famous author of mystery novels, while Jude Law takes over the other role of the younger actor of Milo Tindle, who has slept with Wyke's wife. Both Caine and Law are good in their roles, though Caine is better in the meater role of Wyke. Branagh is a stage and film director and more and actor's director. Here in SLEUTH, his clumsy direction often involve showing the props distracting the audience form the dialogue. Also no matter how sophisticated Wyke's security system is of his estate, it cannot track Tindle's car the way it proposes at the start of the film. Proposing this, sort of insults his viewers' intelligence in a way. Still, it is difficult to dislike Anthony Shaffer's Tony's award winning play no matter how it is performed. The majority of filmgoers would have seen the original and the surprises in the plot will still be remembered thus spoiling the complete satisfaction of watching the film.
THE SUBSTITUTE (Denmark 2007) ***
Directed by Ole Bornedal
Dane Ole Bornedal's (I AM DINA, NIGHTWATCH) family thriller pushes the boundaries of the family film genre by encompassing a bit of violence, gothic horror and dead-pan cynicism. The story centres on young Carl (Jonas Wandschneider), who is till mourning the death of his mother. He has to prove his worth and save his class from an evil villain. This villain is Ulla (Paprika Steen), the new substitute teacher, full of cynical menace and evil. The segment on her first day of class - giving the kids the pep talk from hell - is priceless. She is also from another planet, sent to earth to retrieve human specimens back. If all this sounds a bit childish, Bornedal's film is actually quite interesting. By understanding kids and adults alike, THE SUBSTITUTE is a fine formed thriller. The beginning scene with a white chicken in the background of a blackened sky sets the tone of a film full of surprises. Also stunningly shot, the film is both seductive and clever.
TERRA (USA 2007) ***
Directed by Aristomenis Tsirbas
TERRA is animation directly aimed to tell a message. The message, a relevant one of peace, transcends not only races but human beings and aliens. The story revolves around Mala (Evan Rachel Wood) is a precocious girl living on the idyllic planet Terra. But the last inhabitants of Earth (yes, that's us, human beings) have exhausted the resources of their planet and use a "Terraformer" that will make Terra inhabitable for humans but poisonous for Terrians. It is another form of war of the worlds. Director Aristomenis Tsirbas' animation replaces cuteness for quaint. The film has a distinct smooth feel - the flowing music; the soft colours; the characters and objects have circular shapes and the tadpole-like characters glide around a landscape reimiscent of the classic French Barbapapa books. Too bad, the dialogue often reduces to clichéd lines like "desperate times require desperate measures," and "this could be a bumpy ride".
WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR FATHER? (UK 2007) ****
Directed by Anand Tucker
Busy with work, preoccupied with immediate family but mostly staying apart from his father by choice, Blake Morrison (Colin Firth) is forced to look back at the past to ponder the question: WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR FATHER? Anand Tucker's film (HILARY AND JACKIE) is a surprisingly non-sappy sentimentally constrained film, based on the book by Blake Morrison despite its theme and lengthy sickness scenes. Jim Broadbent delivers an award winning performance as the father who can out talk himself out of any situation. His best line is "I love you and your mother most', when confronted with his infidelity. Director Anand brings his family drama out into the open with bright stunning scenes of the English countryside and sea (West Sussex). The best are the father and son bonding driving lesson and disastrous camping trip. The script neglects to fill in Blake's sister's side of the story and to further complete Blake's little affair with the Scottish maid. Still, WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR FATHER? is a moving tale of miscommunication and fatherly love.
YOU, THE LIVING (Swe/Ger/Fr/Den/Nor 2007) ***
Directed by Roy Andersson
Anything can happen in this movie. TIFF audiences will definitely remember Roy Andersson's lyrical, odd yet beautiful SONGS FROM THE SECOND FLOOR screened almost 10 years ago. YOU, THE LIVING finds Andersson in more jovial and musical mood. With songs sung, bass drum pounding and drunks wailing, YOU THE LIVING is the perfect piece to wind down a tiring evening at TIFF. Relaxing, extremely dead-pan funny, the film is a series of vignettes all equally compelling about strange creatures called human beings. We pay witness to watching ourselves in weird situations, like crowding round the bar counter at last calls, living out dreams and having a bad day by calling our spouses nasty names. Andersson does what he says psychiatrists in his film hate doing: making mean people feel happy. And Andersson succeeds well at that.
LA ZONA (Mexico/Spain 2007) ***** Top 10
Directed by Rodrigo Pla
You know when Rodrigo Pla's study into Mexico's two tier, rich and poor system packs the punch when the angry cop punches right in her face the lady who has just accused him of taking bribes. You see both person's points of view. LA ZONA refers to the area populated by the privileged rich in Mexican suburb. When a crime is committed in LA ZONA, the residents go to all lengths to protect their society including lynching a young boy to death. Pla' film feels like a suspense drama - there is an excellent build up in tension - but it effectively tackles multiple issues like family, friendships, duty, paid justice, survival but most importantly principles. LA ZONA was a major prize winner at the Venice Film Festival, which is the reason I chose to view this film. And with nor regrets!