I celebrated the last day of the festival by taking my son and his cousins to see two PG Family-rated films. The first film matched its rating but the second did not. The Hairy Tooth Fairy is an Argentinean/ Spanish co-production. Children in South America and Spain do not leave baby teeth under their pillows […]
TIFF — The Hairy Scary Farewell Read More »
Despite director Benoit Jacquot’s experience, I was afraid to expect much from L’intouchable. The premise is that an actress runs off to India with only a name and a second-hand memory, seeking a father that may be hers. The results could have been absurd, the heroine merely silly. Instead, this film offers richness and authenticity,
TIFF — Why I love French Films Read More »
Renaissance is director Christian Volckman’s feature debut. This is film noir (et blanc) set in the future, complete with a tough cop hero, a sexy missing female, her sexier sister, powerful men with mysterious aims and a trail of dead witnesses. This works for the first three quarters of the film but the story is
TIFF films — one’s reborn, the other goes nuclear Read More »
There are two excellent, memorable short films in Short Cuts Programme 5, outstanding for their professional acting, production values and stories. The first is Aruba, directed by Academy Award nominee Hubert Davis. The gentle, lyrical pacing and soundscape are at odds with the events of the story. A boy is beaten at school during the
The Horror, the Glitter Read More »
Kurt Cobain About A Son, is a visually exciting documentary that uses animated drawings, landscapes and portraits of people from Cobain’s hometowns of Aberdeen, Olympia and Seattle Washington. Director AJ Schnack has assembled the soundtrack around groups that Cobain listened to both as a child and later. The voice recordings for the film are taken
Suicide and Sex and Suicide Read More »
Ghosts of Cité Soleil is a raw documentary directed by Asger Leth. The camera explores the texture of destitution in Cité Soleil, an enormous slum which is home to the Chimères and rival gangs. Each area of the city is ruled by a gang chief. The Chimères are gang members reputedly in the pay of
Two Harsh Realities and a Tear-Jerker Read More »
Today I saw two films with my son before zipping off to Brampton for a bridal shower. I have let my primary-aged son rate these and I repeat some of his comments. My son gave The Ugly Duckling and Me five out of five. He laughed all the way through and never took his eyes
Sprockets Presents… Read More »
Saturday I went directly from my two festival films to a wedding in the St. Andrews club overlooking Toronto Harbour and, incidentally, the Roy Thompson Hall gala. I think I was having a better time which means these reviews are short. La Tourneuse de Pages was a deliberately slow-moving thriller which avoids the obvious choices.
Two Films and a Wedding until 1:00 Read More »
I just saw four films in less than twelve hours! What a smorgasbord for the eyes. Here are my impressions: The Journals of Knud Rasmussen is worth seeing but I recommend it with reservations. I loved the Camera D’Or winning Atanarjuat (the Fast Runner), also directed by Zacharias Kunuk and Norman Cohn. While that film
Four films in less than twelve hours Read More »
The Magic Flute exceeded my expectations. I laughed and cried in turns. In the opening sequence, spring meadows and Mozart’s vivacious music are set against the falling shells and falling men of World War One. Bright colours, stunning CGI and odd juxtapositions, such as soldiers carrying band instruments, induct us into a magical realm. Mozart’s
The Magic Flute — Twisted Marvel Read More »