Review: The Big Chill (1983)
The TIFF for Free special screenings concluded its final night at TIFF 2010 with a special screening of the 1980s seminal film The Bill Chill. The film debuted at the Festival in 1983 and became a huge hit around the world shortly afterwards.
Review: Crash (2004)
Not to be confused with the David Cronenberg film of the same name, the 2004 Paul Haggis film Crash had a special retrospective screening last week at the 2010 TIFF. The screening was part of its 35th anniversary of landmark films that have had a significant impact due to its screening at TIFF in past years. Read more
Kat: Festival Diary Sept 14
Day six. Over the halfway mark. By this stage of the festival, I’m already not making sense, but it doesn’t matter because my festival-attending autopilot is well trained. I started the day with a 9:30am screening (brutal) of The High Cost of Living (a Zach Braff drama which was thankfully not brutal), after which I tried very hard to catch up on work. This is becoming a common theme of the festival. Work-related emails pile up. I promise myself I will answer them, and then I go into a zombie-like state of blank-minded denial, fumbling through my day and promising myself that I’ll catch up the next day. Not really a good policy, so today I tried to really get it done. I even skipped the Harvey Keitel joint, A Beginner’s Guide to Endings, in favour of replying to emails, because I knew that at 6:00pm my day was truly beginning.
The Bruce Springsteen Mavericks conversation.
Review: Oki’s Movie
I’d love to say I know extensive amounts about Hong Sangsoo’s life and work, but Oki’s Movie was my first exposure to the Korean filmmaker. By all accounts, he’s one of the people leading the charge in the new Korean cinema, that has been bending the conventions of cinema, making political and cinematic statements through monster movies, violence and a lot of offbeat comedy over the past decade. Read more
Review: Submarine
TIFF set some lofty expectations for Richard Ayoade’s latest film Submarine by dubbing it “The Welsh Rushmore.” Not only are there legions of Wes Anderson fans peppered throughout the city, but Rushmore happens to be one of my very favourite movies of all-time. While I won’t go into depth as to the similarities between the two films, since I find that to just be lazy criticism, I will say that Submarine embodies the freshness and originality that gives it the potential to be one of the great adolescent chronicles in recent memory. Read more
Review: The High Cost of Living
There are certain hardships people are compelled to deal with in life that are so devastating you would not even wish them on your worst enemy. To be the cause of such excruciating pain would be similarly unbearable, but without a time machine there’s little that can be done about it. In The High Cost of Living, a woman is forced into a horrible position, while the man that put her there is so guilt-ridden he rapidly and anonymously shifts from repulsive stranger to miraculous saviour.
Review: Fire of Conscience
Hong Kong action cinema is certainly past its heyday, but that doesn’t mean it’s dead. Talented young filmmakers are breathing new life into the genre via hard-hitting, fast-paced dramas. Alongside Johnnie To and Wilson Yip, director Dante Lam is carrying the torch with his latest picture, Fire of Conscience. It’s loud, the fight sequences are mesmerizing and the narrative is strong enough to keep your attention between punches.
Review: Stake Land
The post-apocalyptic sub-genre of horror and sci-fi films are popular amongst filmmakers because it often means being able to tell a story on a tight budget. The world has been razed by some force so there’s no need to put a lot of cash into elaborate set designs; it just has to look demolished. That said, because there are so many entries into the category, it’s important to present an original idea or risk losing the audience. Stake Land adds vampires to the mix, but fails to shake up anything else.
Review: Away from Her (2006)
The 2010 Toronto International Film Festival continued its TIFF for Free retrospective screening series at the new Bell Lightbox with the 2006 critically acclaimed film, Away from Her. The film is based on the Alice Munro short story, “The Bear Came over the Mountain,” and directed and written for the screen by Sarah Polley. Sarah was on hand to introduce the film and take a few questions from the audience.
Review: Neds
The majority of Neds takes place in two locations: school and the streets of Glasgow. Much like director Peter Mullan’s other picture, The Magdalene Sisters, it centres on the tough education of youths who want a better future. Here, the adolescent protagonist receives his instruction in both the classroom and the dangerous neighbourhood in which he grew up. The story follows an innocent young boy’s surprising and gradual transformation from a bright, promising student to a NED – a non-educated delinquent.
