Not to mention the overlong and underwhelming…back from this year’s Toronto Film Festival marathon for a couple of days now, and I’ve finally been able to digest it all and get a little perspective. While I’m sure there were plenty of fine films to be consumed, somehow the transcendent moments (or “slam-dunks” as we call them)--at least in the 50+ titles that Shannon and I got to—seemed to be far less frequent than in previous years. Whether or not this is a sign of things to come in the arthouse market for the rest of this year and into 2006 remains to be seen, but I’m still optimistic that there some wonderful movies on the horizon that will serve our Enzian audience well.
Before I get into my movie wrap-up (using the 5-star rating system our local cinemagoers are used to, but only for those films I watched completely), here are some random thoughts and musings from our week of sitting in the dark and schmoozing in the light.
Opening Night party – Using Deepa Mehta’s WATER as the jumping off point, the decorations included stunning melting ice sculptures; the food leaned heavily toward Indian cuisine (curry is on my verboten spice list!) but I still managed to find some delicious things to nosh on—I believe Shannon has already sung the praises of the bizarre yet addictive French Fries dish with ricotta cheese, chicken, and tomato gravy on top. Industry friends were obviously suffering from either too little sleep on the first night or too much alcohol when they greeted me by proclaiming, “You look like you lost weight!” Or perhaps the lighting was just bad…still, I appreciated the sentiment and it was a nice way to begin the week’s activities.
The new hotel – Those of you who know me well are aware I am a creature of habit. For the first time in many years, we could not stay at the Quality Inn Midtown (across from one of our favorite landmarks, the Shoe Museum), so we ended up at the Days Hotel a little further away from where most of the movies screen (the Varsity and Cumberland cinemas) but closer to the headquarters hotel (Sutton Place). The end result was that we were further downtown and due to the fact that the morning trek was on a bit of an incline, I probably took more taxis than ever before. The room was OK and comfortable but the bathroom was a little on the unusual side. The toilet was so loud you were afraid to flush (a possessed commode?) and a light that appeared to be white added a pinkish hue to everything and anyone in its line of fire—evidently my body was not completely sunburned as it appeared every morning and my bar of Dial Gold was not the color of a sliced open blood orange.
Celebs and other social gatherings – Interesting that I saw virtually no actors or filmmakers attending industry screenings as in past years. Perhaps they were seeing different films or spending all their time doing publicity on their projects. I did run into Enzian veteran Philip Seymour Hoffman (looking very anti-Capote with his burly beard) at headquarters and Woody Harrelson (looking very “Woody” in shorts and flip-flops) in the Four Seasons lobby, along with producer/distributor/theater owner/NBA owner/billionaire Mark Cuban (much taller in person than on TV) at the HDNet party which featured Wyclef Jean as a special guest performer. The Focus Features party for BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN had perhaps the nicest spread of food we’ve ever seen at one of these events—rack of lamb, filet mignon, risotto, asparagus and more! Unfortunately Shannon and I had just finished dinner (at 11 PM) moments before and were physically unable to partake. There were no Jeff Daniels or Laura Linney sightings at the IDP party for THE SQUID AND THE WHALE (opening at Enzian next month), but I had a blast getting my butt kicked at poker (with fake chips thank god!) at a table with a motley crew of industry folks and fellow programmers, including Mike from Cinequest, Tom from Sarasota/Nantucket, Sky from Newport, her friend Jessica from IFC, “the Rabbi”, and the table sensei, John Vanco. Innocent fun (and many drinks) were had by all.
The films…
LINDA LINDA LINDA – Only got to see the first half of this Japanese high-school-girls-in-a-band flick, but unfortunately that was the part that was slow, unengaging, repetitive, and didn’t translate well to Western audiences. Word has it that the film gets much better and ends on a sweet note.
THE PIANO TUNER OF EARTHQUAKES ( 3-stars) – Executive produced by Terry Gilliam, this “poetic science fiction film” about a crazed doctor who kidnaps an opera singer, is the latest from master animators and surrealists, the Brothers Quay. Gorgeous in execution with its hazy and luminous yet somehow washed-out cinematography, this blend of fairytale and nightmare, theater and opera, is ultimately too abstract and impenetrable for general audiences. Great festival movie though!
OBABA (4 stars) – An attractive mid-20’s college student travels to a small town in Spain on a video assignment. As she interviews people in the community, she begins to uncover both the history and mysteries of the area. Heavy on flashbacks but always intriguing, and beautiful production design and actors with just the right touch of magic realism. (*Note* - an associate who loved the collection of short stories the film is based on, “Obabakoak” by Bernardo Axtaga, was not very happy with the adaptation.)
BREAKFAST ON PLUTO (4 stars) – The great Neil Jordan (IN THE COMPANY OF WOLVES, MONA LISA, THE CRYING GAME) returns with this picaresque tale told in 36 short chapters of an Irish transvestite in the 1970’s who becomes involved with the IRA while on a quest to find his real mother. The terrific cast includes Liam Neeson, Stephen Rea, and Brendan Gleeson, but star Cillian Murphy (28 DAYS LATER, BATMAN BEGINS, RED EYE) is a knock-out as Patrick “Kitten” Braden. Nicely shot by Declan Quinn, a bit long at 135 minutes, and a bit pretentious in its use of subtitles for talking robins (yes, the birds) that frame the movie.
CAPOTE (5 stars) – The best film I saw all week! Bennett Miller (THE CRUISE, the doc about NY tour guide Speed Levitch), in his first feature, has brought us a remarkable film about the creative process. Less of a biopic and more about the particular years that Truman Capote spent researching the Midwest killers that became the subjects of “In Cold Blood”, the film features one of the year’s seminal performances. Philip Seymour Hoffman is in virtually every scene and is as riveting as it gets. Catherine Keener is also quite good as friend and fellow author Harper Lee, who wrote a little thing called “To Kill a Mockingbird.” A must see!
ELIZABETHTOWN (3 stars) – Cameron Crowe (ALMOST FAMOUS) rebounds some after VANILLA SKY, but overlong romantic comedy about a disgraced running-shoe inventor (a good Orlando Bloom) returning home to Kentucky to attend the funeral of his father and getting involved with a flaky stewardess (Kirsten Dunst) is problematic in its current form. There are many wonderful and funny moments here along with a nice supporting cast and great soundtrack (of course), but film meanders and has too many unbelievable plot elements to pull it off. (*Note* - The studio announced that this was a work in progress so it will be interesting to see what Crowe ends up with for the final cut.)
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (4 Stars) – Based on a graphic novel and easily David Cronenberg’s most mainstream work ever. It’s also one of the best films at the festival. Small-town business owner and family man (Viggo Mortensen) kills two thugs during a robbery attempt at his diner, attracting the attention of some big city gangsters who don’t believe he’s the man he says he is. Featuring a wonderful turn by William Hurt as the older brother and excellent support from Maria Bello and Ed Harris, this is intense, brutally violent, and darkly funny stuff that may be too gory for the art crowd.
AKA TOMMY CHONG – I only got to see the last half of this but it was interesting and entertaining if a bit repetitive. This doc focuses on the US government’s absurd case against the late 60’s/early 70’s counter culture comedian (of Cheech & Chong fame) that put him in jail for nine months for selling bongs over the internet. American civil liberties once again take a beating from the Bush administration and John Ashcroft as they make their point by punishing a man for his role as a pot enthusiast three decades ago!
STONED (2 stars) – Some nice cinematography with different film stocks, the always reliable Paddy Considine, a good soundtrack including period tunes (Small Faces, Traffic) and new stuff (White Stripes), but this bio-drama on the self destructive star trajectory of Brian Jones, founder and lead guitarist of the Rolling Stones, isn’t compelling in the least and doesn’t even feature any of the band’s music. The lead actor tends to look like David Spade in a bad mod wig, and he’s portrayed as a pathetic figure rather than a tragic one. Film does make absolutely clear that he was murdered (drowned) by his disgruntled “caretaker” and did not accidentally OD in his pool. Lots of full frontal male nudity and a stunningly beautiful actress plays Brian/Keith girlfriend Anita Pallenberg just in case you’re interested.
SARAH SILVERMAN: JESUS IS MAGIC – I only caught the last half hour of this doc that features the Jewish American Princess/shock comic in concert and in music videos. Funny and sick stuff that is clearly not for everyone with its taboo targets like the Holocaust and racial stereotypes (ARISTOCRATS haters beware!). Perfect late night or midnight fare.
SEVEN SWORDS (4 stars) – The great Tsui Hark (ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA) brings us this monumental martial arts/wuxia (swordplay epic) with some of the most amazing and beautiful duels and battles you’ll ever see. Set in a time where the use of martial arts is punishable by death according to the royal court, Donnie Yen stars as one of seven warriors that help protect a town from an evil general and his sadistic band of warriors that receive a bounty for every severed head they bring back. Overlong, confusing at times, but a worthy investment of your time.
LEONARD COHEN I’M YOUR MAN (3 stars) – A January 2005 tribute concert in Australia for the legendary poet/singer-songwriter from Canada. Edited by Mike Cahill and partially shot by Brit Marling (co-directors of FFF 2005’s BOXERS AND BALLERINAS), film features an interesting mix of artists (Rupert and Martha Wainwright, the McGarrigle sisters, Nick Cave, Beth Orton, etc.) and contemporary interviews with both Cohen and the performers, along with great archival clips, photos, drawings, and poems. Annoyingly, some of the singers resort to reading lyrics off of sheet music and the lip-synched final performance/music video of Cohen with U2 as his backing band is a bit off-putting, but film is definitely worthy for fans and a nice intro to this brilliant and surprisingly funny artist.
BROTHERS OF THE HEAD (3 stars) – A TWIN FALLS IDAHO in the punk era, as this well-acted but generally humorless faux documentary follows Siamese twins conjoined at the chest who are taken away to become rock stars in the mid-1970’s. Worthy original music by Clive Langer and Pete Shelley technically pre-dates the first Damned album which is historically problematic. Interviews with Ken Russell and clips from a supposed aborted film starring the twins are some of the comic highlights of this film which should have cult potential due to its subject matter and the whole sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll thing.
DUELIST (2 stars) – Another visually stunning action film from South Korea, this one a period piece detective story. Full of camera tricks and a gorgeous looking (and sounding) print, but way short on story for a two hour film. The film is fascinating for a while but the interest is not sustained—I couldn’t wait for this one to end.
ZOZO (4 stars) – An emotionally charged drama of a young Lebanese boy whose family is killed in 1987 Beirut and must emigrate to Sweden to live with his grandparents. Touching and well-acted, this is a fine, personal work from Josef Fares, the Swedish director of JALLA! JALLA! and KOPS. The second film in the festival to feature a talking, subtitled bird—what is going on?
TAKESHIS (3 stars) – Takeshi Kitano (FIREWORKS, ZATOICHI THE BLIND SWORDSMAN) is the star in this wacky but overlong, sometimes confusing comedy featuring a heavy Godard influence and multiple levels of reality. The filmmaker cleverly pays homage to his many different film and TV roles along with his role of “celebrity”, and it is kind of fun to watch the same characters get wiped out over and over again. Familiarity with his film and TV work is a definite plus if you get a chance to see this unique and playful work.
THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE (3 stars) – Gretchen Mol is perfect for the role of the infamous 1950’s pin-up girl, who was a good Christian girl at heart but made lots of naughty short films and posed for both nudie and bondage photos. The music and production design are first rate but unfortunately there’s just not enough drama to the story to grab the viewer for a feature. The new film from Mary Harron (I SHOT ANDY WARHOL, AMERICAN PSYCHO), it also blends b&w and color film stocks to not much effect. In a post-film discussion later in the festival however, I did learn a new word as a result of the film—an associate wondered if Mol used a “merkin” (sp?) for her totally nude shots, which is apparently a “prop bush” used to cover the real thing. See…you learn something new every day.
TRISTRAM SHANDY: A COCK AND BULL STORY – Regrettably I only got to see the first half of this hilarious new Michael Winterbottom (24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE) film about the making of a film version of the supposedly unfilmable 18th century classic novel. British actor/comedian Steve Coogan stars along with Rob Brydon, Stephen Fry, and Gillian Anderson (where’s she been?). Accurately described as Christopher Guest directing a Restoration comedy, I can’t wait to see the rest of this.
HARSH TIMES (3 stars) – From the writer of TRAINING DAY comes more nerve-wracking macho buddy action with a fine, intense performance by Christian Bale as an unbalanced 6-year Gulf War veteran doing lots of bad things as he waits to get a job as a Fed and sucks his best friend (Freddy Rodriguez, “Rico” from “Six Feet Under”) into his tragic vortex. This is gripping stuff for a while but it feels like we’ve seen it before. I dread hearing the words “homey” and “dude” ever again.
WHERE THE TRUTH LIES (2 stars) – Kevin Bacon and Colin Firth as a Martin-Lewis type comedy act with a big skeleton in their closet. This Hitchcockian thriller-lite features lots of risqué sex and a badly miscast Allison Lohman as the writer “playing “ both celebrities to get her story and solve the mystery of the nude housekeeper found dead in their NJ hotel room 15 years ago. Atom Egoyan’s most mainstream film (is this his version of a “studio” project?) and based on the novel by Rupert Holmes. It may have earned an NC-17 and I admire them for not cutting it, but too bad it’s not a better film.
SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE (4 stars) – The third film in Park Chan-Wook’s incredible revenge trilogy is not quite as brilliantly inventive or twisted as OLD BOY. Still, this is a dynamite and disturbing story of female ex-con bent on revenge after 13+ years in prison. That her kidnapping partner turns out to be a child serial killer adds to the emotional discomfort, but hilarious flashbacks to prison life and a jaw-dropping plot twist make this required viewing for fans with strong stomachs.
WALK THE LINE (4 stars) – A little close to RAY in both structure and content, this biopic on the life of Johnny Cash and his relationship with June Carter is splendid nonetheless. Wonderful performances and singing by both Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon should earn them Oscar nominations. Music by T-Bone Burnett, Bill Frisell, Marc Ribot and many others just adds to the fun. You know you want to see it…
TRUST THE MAN (4 stars) – An “A” list indie cast (Julianne Moore, David Duchovny, Billy Crudup, and Maggie Gylenhall) and sharp writing make this sexual romantic comedy about two 30-something NYC couples (one married, the other not) working through their issues a winner. Film does get syrupy and loses its edge toward the end even as the laughs continue. A huge crowd pleaser.
RIVER QUEEN (2 stars) – Nicely shot but overlong and ultimately dull story of Maoris and Brits battling it out in the jungles of New Zealand in the mid-19th century. As usual, Samantha Morton is excellent, and this historical (non) epic co-stars a fine Cliff Curtis (WHALE RIDER) and a heavily bearded and Irish brogued Keifer Sutherland. A disappointing work from Vincent Ward, director of THE NAVIGATOR.
SPL (4 stars) – Entertaining, wild, illogical and ultraviolent Hong Kong actioner with a band of rogue cops trying to put away a mob kingpin at all costs. Features an epic battle between Donnie Yen and Samo Hung—great midnight fare!
ANGEL (3 stars) – A sensitive and authentic Jim McKay HBO film with Rachel Griffiths as a pregnant high school guidance counselor in Brooklyn who takes a keen interest in the well-being of Angel—a bright but troubled student. Jonan Everett is excellent as the lost teenager, and the film is nicely acted, slowly paced, and intimately shot with lots of hand-held. Well done and downbeat, but not as rich a work as EVERYDAY PEOPLE.
THE GREAT YOKAI WAR (4 stars) – As bizarre as they come, this new children’s fantasy from the warped mind of Takashi Miike is (of course) overlong but as crazy as it comes and very entertaining. In a mountain village, a young boy becomes enmeshed in an ancient battle between sprites and demons, including a white-haired, cone-headed sadist played by the same actress that played Gogo Yubari. Not exactly a family feature, this blend of THE WIZARD OF OZ, LORD OF THE RINGS, THE TERMINATOR, and H.R. PUFNSTUF is choice midnight fare.
-Matthew
