This movie was alright. It's a British buddy-cop satire, with intentionally hilarious gore. What made this film only alright was that it just feels like a follow up to zombie satire "Shaun of the Dead" that is made by the same ensemble; the only major difference is the setting. Not to saying that duplicating the tone was bad, this movie was consistently funny. The crazy deaths that go on throughout the film are awesome.
The actors' performances were also alright, they were what you would expect if you've seen Shaun of the Dead. The ending was also pretty blah and hollywoodesque.
In the end it's one of the best popcorn movies I've seen lately, I recommend it for some silly fun!
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Mysterious Skin (2004)
This film was actually a lot lighter than I thought it would be. Sure, there's tons of gay porn, and child molestation, but the way Gregg Araki delivered the subject matter in this film is totally more mainstream than his three earlier films that I have watched in class. I feel like this film is the breaking point between cult status and mainstream (on the art-house level) recognition. The cast is full of fully known actors. Joseph Gordan-Levitt (from 3rd Rock from the Sun, and 10 Things I hate about you), Michelle Trachtenburg (from Harriet The Spy), and Elisabeth Shue (from mostly 80s teen melodramas).
The film had a strong message about how kids are very impressionable when they are little so you gotta watch out who they're hanging out with after baseball practice. It's not the kind of film I recommend watching on a Sunday afternoon to kick back after a long week, you gotta be ready for some heavy drama, but the strange part is it didn't feel disturbing to watch all these things. The way Araki presents all this emotional baggage is in the way to show how everyone feels they go through drama in their life, it's very accessible.
I recommend this film if you're looking for something kind of deep, and maybe soul-wrenching. The performance by Joseph Gordan-Levitt is also pretty good.
The film had a strong message about how kids are very impressionable when they are little so you gotta watch out who they're hanging out with after baseball practice. It's not the kind of film I recommend watching on a Sunday afternoon to kick back after a long week, you gotta be ready for some heavy drama, but the strange part is it didn't feel disturbing to watch all these things. The way Araki presents all this emotional baggage is in the way to show how everyone feels they go through drama in their life, it's very accessible.
I recommend this film if you're looking for something kind of deep, and maybe soul-wrenching. The performance by Joseph Gordan-Levitt is also pretty good.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Repulsion (1965)
This was a pretty subtle and disturbing films I've seen. I don't think I would have known what was going on, unless I read the back. The story is of a young manicurist who is completely repulsed by sex. The first half of the film involved her being pursued by a seemingly nice man, who wants to take her to dinner, awkward nights where she has to overhear her sister having sex, and extended moments of daydreaming at work.
Catherine Deneuve plays the young protagonist, and she's probably the ideal actress for the film, quiet, seemingly pretentious, but an actual flake.
There is hardly any action that actually goes on in the film, it's more about the suspense and psychological effect that everything is having on her. The cinematography is good, and the black and white is good at deepening to dark feel the film has.
On an satirical note, this film has a message saying don't fall for the blonde girl, she'll only lead you on, and then slit your throat, ha.
Overall it was decent, it wasn't really my thing, but I found it interesting to watch.
Catherine Deneuve plays the young protagonist, and she's probably the ideal actress for the film, quiet, seemingly pretentious, but an actual flake.
There is hardly any action that actually goes on in the film, it's more about the suspense and psychological effect that everything is having on her. The cinematography is good, and the black and white is good at deepening to dark feel the film has.
On an satirical note, this film has a message saying don't fall for the blonde girl, she'll only lead you on, and then slit your throat, ha.
Overall it was decent, it wasn't really my thing, but I found it interesting to watch.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Toronto International Film Festival '07 - Part II
L'Age des Tenebres
This was another film I felt was very good. It was so dark and yet so comedic at the same time. I was never sure it cry or laugh at what was going on, on screen.
The protagonist is a man who does not like his job, his wife and kids ignore him because they are preoccupied with technological distractions that they have around them. This is a film I knew I would like months before I saw it. Deny Arcand the director is extraordinarily skilled at balancing mainstream accessible films with artful poetic substance. I was surprised at the lifestyle the protagonist chose in the end of the film. I don't want to ruin any of it, it felt really idealistic, but something that wouldn't be feasible for everyone to do.
Smiley Face
Hands down the most entertaining film I saw during the festival. It's a stoner comedy with a female protagonist, which makes it stand out because most stoner films have men in the leading roles. Anna Faris is amazing in this film, I don't think anyone else could have done this role the way she did it. The supporting cast also brought in strong performances, Adam Brody, and Jim from The Office, both very funny playing different stereotypes than what audiences are used to seeing them in. The physical comedy and wacky mannerisms that she pulls off are very impressive. I really want to own this film one day, not to say that it was the best film at the festival for me, but just that it's one of those films that you know you can watch a bunch of times and not be bored with it. What really made the movie special as well was the script. The movie would randomly branch off into economic theory or marxism propoganda in very hilarious circumstances.
I'm Not There
This was probably the only movie that I had high expectations for, but then was surprisingly disappointed. Another musician's biopic, I'm Not There takes an experimental look at the life and apparently different personas of Bob Dylan. I was not aware of what happened in Bob Dylan's life going into the film, nor do I know anything about it now, but the way it was presented I was definitely confused whether what was being depicted were true events or a fabricated story. The film has 6 different actors play Bob Dylan at different points of his life, which sounds all interesting and everything. But what threw me off is that in addition to this the film did not go in any kind of chronological order. It was definitely interesting to see, but I just didn't dig the direction.
Chacun Son Cinema
This was one of this film's that you have to see at a film festival, because it's dedicated to people who love and are changed by film. The film was comprised of shorts; each directed by a uniquely recongized international director. There were many 20 films all together, each having a special outlook on how people treat film watching, their emotional ties to it, and what they feel when they are at a movie house. One of my favourites was the Roman Polanski film. In the film a couple is watching a porographic film in a seemingly empty theatre. They all of a sudden hear a man moaning in one of the last rows before the balcony. His moaning is disturbing them because from their perspective the man is fondling himself. The couple get the theatre manager to talk to him. When the theatre manager asks him why he's sitting in the main area when he has a balcony seat, the man responds that he fell. Trust me, it was a lot smoother watching it unfold on screen.
La Fille Coupee En Deux
This was another very nice film, it was about a love triangle. I really liked the direction by Claude Chambrol. He does film with a subtle thriller angle. I didn't see the thriller aspect coming up, until something very sudden and drastic happens. The girl in the love triangle is played by the girl who's in Swimming Pool, another popular recent French film. She is torn between an older and a younger man. Both men hate each other and fight for her attention. I liked how the film ended very unpredictably, I didn't see it coming, so it was really entertaining.
The Visitor
This was a charming film that I enjoyed watching. I chose to see this film because the director also did The Station Agent, which I also enjoyed, and The Visitor has many of the same qualities. The Visitor has a slow, but steady pace. The story is very interesting, along with character development, so it kept my attention. It's the story of an aging college professor who's unmotivated about his life, until he stumbles upon a par of house squatters who are staying at his mostly unused apartment. He takes a liking to the couple, and he forms a quick bond with them, mostly with the guy. But suddenly things that a turn for the worst and the professor sees himself going to the furtherest length to help his new found friends. It's a great story about trust, loyalty, and the simply pleasures in companionship, I recommend it.
L'Amour Cache
This was the second film that I walked out of half way through. I originally was interested in seeing it because one of my favourite french actress' Isabelle Huppert was the star. Unfortunately the film, in my opinion didn't end up having much to offer me. The story was of a mother who despises her daughter and never wanted to have her in the first place. The daughter also seems very uncomfortable around her mother. The film is about the mother trying to overcome this disgust, so it was a pretty highly emotional film. What didn't work for me was that every other shot the boom mic would drift into the top of the film, it was totally unprofessional, and completely distracting in my film watching experience. Seeing the mic took away any believability this film had for me. In addition to this the story felt really piecemeal, but that could have been because I was really distracted to begin with. I had no problem walking out of the film, might as well.
Nothing Is Private
I really enjoyed this film. My expectations were pretty high going into the film, and it wasn't completely what I was expecting, but I was definitely impressed. The acting, direction, soundtrack, story, and morals were all very strong in this film. The story is of a young arab-american girl who repeatedly is misunderstood by her parents and the people around her. She's portrayed as the victim in the film, most likely of her environment. She keeps being put into compromising situations by people who try to force her to do things she's unsure she wants to do. It also takes place during the gulf war of the early 90s, so American politics is one of the forefront themes of the film. It is a highly emotional film, with some good dark comedy moments.
This was another film I felt was very good. It was so dark and yet so comedic at the same time. I was never sure it cry or laugh at what was going on, on screen.
The protagonist is a man who does not like his job, his wife and kids ignore him because they are preoccupied with technological distractions that they have around them. This is a film I knew I would like months before I saw it. Deny Arcand the director is extraordinarily skilled at balancing mainstream accessible films with artful poetic substance. I was surprised at the lifestyle the protagonist chose in the end of the film. I don't want to ruin any of it, it felt really idealistic, but something that wouldn't be feasible for everyone to do.
Smiley Face
Hands down the most entertaining film I saw during the festival. It's a stoner comedy with a female protagonist, which makes it stand out because most stoner films have men in the leading roles. Anna Faris is amazing in this film, I don't think anyone else could have done this role the way she did it. The supporting cast also brought in strong performances, Adam Brody, and Jim from The Office, both very funny playing different stereotypes than what audiences are used to seeing them in. The physical comedy and wacky mannerisms that she pulls off are very impressive. I really want to own this film one day, not to say that it was the best film at the festival for me, but just that it's one of those films that you know you can watch a bunch of times and not be bored with it. What really made the movie special as well was the script. The movie would randomly branch off into economic theory or marxism propoganda in very hilarious circumstances.
I'm Not There
This was probably the only movie that I had high expectations for, but then was surprisingly disappointed. Another musician's biopic, I'm Not There takes an experimental look at the life and apparently different personas of Bob Dylan. I was not aware of what happened in Bob Dylan's life going into the film, nor do I know anything about it now, but the way it was presented I was definitely confused whether what was being depicted were true events or a fabricated story. The film has 6 different actors play Bob Dylan at different points of his life, which sounds all interesting and everything. But what threw me off is that in addition to this the film did not go in any kind of chronological order. It was definitely interesting to see, but I just didn't dig the direction.
Chacun Son Cinema
This was one of this film's that you have to see at a film festival, because it's dedicated to people who love and are changed by film. The film was comprised of shorts; each directed by a uniquely recongized international director. There were many 20 films all together, each having a special outlook on how people treat film watching, their emotional ties to it, and what they feel when they are at a movie house. One of my favourites was the Roman Polanski film. In the film a couple is watching a porographic film in a seemingly empty theatre. They all of a sudden hear a man moaning in one of the last rows before the balcony. His moaning is disturbing them because from their perspective the man is fondling himself. The couple get the theatre manager to talk to him. When the theatre manager asks him why he's sitting in the main area when he has a balcony seat, the man responds that he fell. Trust me, it was a lot smoother watching it unfold on screen.
La Fille Coupee En Deux
This was another very nice film, it was about a love triangle. I really liked the direction by Claude Chambrol. He does film with a subtle thriller angle. I didn't see the thriller aspect coming up, until something very sudden and drastic happens. The girl in the love triangle is played by the girl who's in Swimming Pool, another popular recent French film. She is torn between an older and a younger man. Both men hate each other and fight for her attention. I liked how the film ended very unpredictably, I didn't see it coming, so it was really entertaining.
The Visitor
This was a charming film that I enjoyed watching. I chose to see this film because the director also did The Station Agent, which I also enjoyed, and The Visitor has many of the same qualities. The Visitor has a slow, but steady pace. The story is very interesting, along with character development, so it kept my attention. It's the story of an aging college professor who's unmotivated about his life, until he stumbles upon a par of house squatters who are staying at his mostly unused apartment. He takes a liking to the couple, and he forms a quick bond with them, mostly with the guy. But suddenly things that a turn for the worst and the professor sees himself going to the furtherest length to help his new found friends. It's a great story about trust, loyalty, and the simply pleasures in companionship, I recommend it.
L'Amour Cache
This was the second film that I walked out of half way through. I originally was interested in seeing it because one of my favourite french actress' Isabelle Huppert was the star. Unfortunately the film, in my opinion didn't end up having much to offer me. The story was of a mother who despises her daughter and never wanted to have her in the first place. The daughter also seems very uncomfortable around her mother. The film is about the mother trying to overcome this disgust, so it was a pretty highly emotional film. What didn't work for me was that every other shot the boom mic would drift into the top of the film, it was totally unprofessional, and completely distracting in my film watching experience. Seeing the mic took away any believability this film had for me. In addition to this the story felt really piecemeal, but that could have been because I was really distracted to begin with. I had no problem walking out of the film, might as well.
Nothing Is Private
I really enjoyed this film. My expectations were pretty high going into the film, and it wasn't completely what I was expecting, but I was definitely impressed. The acting, direction, soundtrack, story, and morals were all very strong in this film. The story is of a young arab-american girl who repeatedly is misunderstood by her parents and the people around her. She's portrayed as the victim in the film, most likely of her environment. She keeps being put into compromising situations by people who try to force her to do things she's unsure she wants to do. It also takes place during the gulf war of the early 90s, so American politics is one of the forefront themes of the film. It is a highly emotional film, with some good dark comedy moments.
Toronto International Film Festival '07 - Part I
Just recently I had the pleasure of working and viewing many different films at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was a great experience, one that I'll probably remember (at least the highlights) for a long time. I decided it would be a good idea to reflect on the films I watched. I put them in chronological order of when I saw them because it would take too much time to decide which film I liked best.
Young People Fucking
This was one of my favourite's of the festival hands down. It's a story about how sex is anything but casual regardless of the situation between consenting parties. It was an endearing story, that was also hilarious. It's definitely worth seeing more than once. Most of the stories leave on an upnote because the couples are able to resolve the drama and comes about when they are fooling around.
Control
This was also a good film. It's a bio-pic of the singer/songwriter Ian Curtis for Joy Division. Performances were spectacular, and the story was very tragic. I enjoyed the black and white cinematography in the film, I feel it gave it a more legendary feel to the story. The film also made me really want to listen to Joy Divison, I need to add some to my ipod soon. The only weakness for me in this film was that the perspective was partial to Debbie Curtis, his wife, so in the end it made her look like the victim in Ian's death, which seems too subjective to be fair.
Le Deuxieme Souffle
This was one of the weaker films I saw at the festival. It was a 2.5 hour french gangster film. For one that's too long for me to enjoy, two, I don't care much for that genre, the french part was just ok. The film had a really slow pace, it seemed to be about a retiring hitman, who gets dragged into one last job, but then things take a turn for the worst. I was kind of just waiting for the hitman to die, signally the film's end, but he seemed to survive a lot, including slitting his wrists/cracking his head open at the same time.
Chaotic Ana
This was definitely an interesting film. I can't completely decide what I thought about it because it was such a strong piece, with some innovative story/cinematic techniques. The story is very detailed, so it's hard to summarize in a few words without not doing it justice. The main idea is that they discover that she had all these past lives where each time she was tragically killed when she was 22. The present character in the film is 21, which is only one layer of the story as a whole. It's the kind of film that feels like you're peeling an onion to get to the center.
Trumbo
I picked this film at the last minute because I didn't want to see the film I had a ticket for at the same time. It was a documentary about a man who was blacklisted as a communist during the dark times of the 50s. The man clearly had an interesting life, and there were parts of the doc that I thought were great, but most of the film ended up being famous present day actors dictating old letters written by Trumbo during his heyday. This was a neat technique at first, but half the movie consisted of this, so half way through the film it really felt like a one-trick-pony. Mediocre film overall
Breakfast with Scot
This was such a cute film, I really enjoyed watching it. It's the story of a gay male couple who take in the son of one of their sister's because she had recently died. The nephew has a very effeminate matter which results in the couple thinking he needs to tone down his flair. The homosexuality theme is a major part of the film, but it does it in such an accessible, good-nature way, that one never feels uncomfortable with the subject matter, regardless of their feelings about homosexuality. It was the most mainstream feeling film that I saw, but it being a low-budget Canadian feature I doubt it'll get much distribution. The performances in this light-humoured film were also very good, especially the young boy playing Scot.
The Sun Also Rises
This was the least interesting film for me during the festival. It's a lyrical portrayal of different characters who live in the chinese countryside. The characters weren't connected, to my knowledge, and I ended up walking out halfway through because I felt like I was wasting my time and I was exhausted from a long day.
Bill
This was one of my favourite films at the festival. Aaron Eckarts plays a man who hates his cheating wife, hates his job, and aspires to own a donut franchise. Bill is a light-hearted dark comedy (if those two tones can be put side-by-side) with some playful slapstick. I think this film will get medium distribution because of the star-power, but it still has an indie feel, so it won't be huge either.
Blood Brothers
Another film I would have rather skipped. It was also a gangster film, but this time it was in chinese, so I couldn't even enjoy the language alone. It was at least only 97 minutes long, so I wasn't dying for air. I found the plot weak, because it felt like they didn't explain why and how they because gangsters, but also maybe I zoned out because I knew I wasn't into it from the get go.
Short Cuts Canada Programme 3
I decided that I wanted to give short films a chance because I don't see many, and I was modestly surprised. The first 3 films were pretty artsy, and felt pointless in my opinion, I think I just can't get into lyrical films, I need a point, dammit. But the shorts got better as they came along; they must have put them in order of quality. One of the good ones was about this cement monster that follows this guy around. No one else can see this cement monster, so the man slowly goes insane. It was a pretty comedic film, in the end the man dies, but it was funny because right after that the monster found someone else to torment. My feeling is that the shorts are good for experimenting with different CGI-effects that people want to test out before they take them to the feature length, or also if they don't have a huge budget.
This is a little more than half of the films I saw. I'll be posting the second half after some much needed relaxation (as soon as I had finished the festival I had to head to class all week).
Young People Fucking
This was one of my favourite's of the festival hands down. It's a story about how sex is anything but casual regardless of the situation between consenting parties. It was an endearing story, that was also hilarious. It's definitely worth seeing more than once. Most of the stories leave on an upnote because the couples are able to resolve the drama and comes about when they are fooling around.
Control
This was also a good film. It's a bio-pic of the singer/songwriter Ian Curtis for Joy Division. Performances were spectacular, and the story was very tragic. I enjoyed the black and white cinematography in the film, I feel it gave it a more legendary feel to the story. The film also made me really want to listen to Joy Divison, I need to add some to my ipod soon. The only weakness for me in this film was that the perspective was partial to Debbie Curtis, his wife, so in the end it made her look like the victim in Ian's death, which seems too subjective to be fair.
Le Deuxieme Souffle
This was one of the weaker films I saw at the festival. It was a 2.5 hour french gangster film. For one that's too long for me to enjoy, two, I don't care much for that genre, the french part was just ok. The film had a really slow pace, it seemed to be about a retiring hitman, who gets dragged into one last job, but then things take a turn for the worst. I was kind of just waiting for the hitman to die, signally the film's end, but he seemed to survive a lot, including slitting his wrists/cracking his head open at the same time.
Chaotic Ana
This was definitely an interesting film. I can't completely decide what I thought about it because it was such a strong piece, with some innovative story/cinematic techniques. The story is very detailed, so it's hard to summarize in a few words without not doing it justice. The main idea is that they discover that she had all these past lives where each time she was tragically killed when she was 22. The present character in the film is 21, which is only one layer of the story as a whole. It's the kind of film that feels like you're peeling an onion to get to the center.
Trumbo
I picked this film at the last minute because I didn't want to see the film I had a ticket for at the same time. It was a documentary about a man who was blacklisted as a communist during the dark times of the 50s. The man clearly had an interesting life, and there were parts of the doc that I thought were great, but most of the film ended up being famous present day actors dictating old letters written by Trumbo during his heyday. This was a neat technique at first, but half the movie consisted of this, so half way through the film it really felt like a one-trick-pony. Mediocre film overall
Breakfast with Scot
This was such a cute film, I really enjoyed watching it. It's the story of a gay male couple who take in the son of one of their sister's because she had recently died. The nephew has a very effeminate matter which results in the couple thinking he needs to tone down his flair. The homosexuality theme is a major part of the film, but it does it in such an accessible, good-nature way, that one never feels uncomfortable with the subject matter, regardless of their feelings about homosexuality. It was the most mainstream feeling film that I saw, but it being a low-budget Canadian feature I doubt it'll get much distribution. The performances in this light-humoured film were also very good, especially the young boy playing Scot.
The Sun Also Rises
This was the least interesting film for me during the festival. It's a lyrical portrayal of different characters who live in the chinese countryside. The characters weren't connected, to my knowledge, and I ended up walking out halfway through because I felt like I was wasting my time and I was exhausted from a long day.
Bill
This was one of my favourite films at the festival. Aaron Eckarts plays a man who hates his cheating wife, hates his job, and aspires to own a donut franchise. Bill is a light-hearted dark comedy (if those two tones can be put side-by-side) with some playful slapstick. I think this film will get medium distribution because of the star-power, but it still has an indie feel, so it won't be huge either.
Blood Brothers
Another film I would have rather skipped. It was also a gangster film, but this time it was in chinese, so I couldn't even enjoy the language alone. It was at least only 97 minutes long, so I wasn't dying for air. I found the plot weak, because it felt like they didn't explain why and how they because gangsters, but also maybe I zoned out because I knew I wasn't into it from the get go.
Short Cuts Canada Programme 3
I decided that I wanted to give short films a chance because I don't see many, and I was modestly surprised. The first 3 films were pretty artsy, and felt pointless in my opinion, I think I just can't get into lyrical films, I need a point, dammit. But the shorts got better as they came along; they must have put them in order of quality. One of the good ones was about this cement monster that follows this guy around. No one else can see this cement monster, so the man slowly goes insane. It was a pretty comedic film, in the end the man dies, but it was funny because right after that the monster found someone else to torment. My feeling is that the shorts are good for experimenting with different CGI-effects that people want to test out before they take them to the feature length, or also if they don't have a huge budget.
This is a little more than half of the films I saw. I'll be posting the second half after some much needed relaxation (as soon as I had finished the festival I had to head to class all week).
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