All I can say is that… Toronto, you always treat me so well. In case you missed some of my posts on film reviews and pictures associated with my time at the 2013 Toronto Independent Film Festival, here is alittle recap:
THE FILMS
This year I screened nine films, the most I’ve seen at one festival to date (yay, I can’t touch those people that do 30+ but I think its not too shabby). Here’s the recap:
The Past (Le Passe)** (Bérénice Bejo, Ali Mosaffa, Tahar Rahim)
“[Director] Farhadi doesn’t really construct beginning or ending to the story but really has a way of pulling back the curtain and exposing the audience to a short, intense moment. The story continues on after we leave them, not only for us to choose what we think happens from there but also to alert us to that fact that their is no easy resolution in life, there are much to people’s stories left to carry on.” A-
Hateship Loveship (Kristen Wiig, Guy Pearce, Nick Nolte, Haille Steinfeld)
“…there are some laughs (a certain make-out sesh with a bathroom mirror comes to mind) and cries (you just can’t help but feel sorry for Johanna at times) that sometimes make this unbelievable story worthwhile.” B-
Prisoners (Hugh Jackson, Maria Bello, Viola Davis, Terrance Howard, Paul Dano, Melissa Leo)
“For much of the two-and-a-half run time, the movie brims with unbearable tension, cringing suspense, and plenty of gasp-out-loud moments to carry along the unraveling mystery." B
Therese (Elizabeth Olsen, Jessica Lange, Tom Felton, Oscar Isaac)
”…the movie was often time uninspiring and lack the design of connecting emotionally with any of the characters, something necessary in story meant to sway your allegiance from one character to another.“ C
All is By My Side (Andre "3000” Benjamin, Imogen Poots, Hayley Atwell)
“We see the highs and the lows of these complicated relationships and how they took turns sharing in each other emotions - The jealousies of Linda and Jimi, the feelings of inadequacy of Linda and Kathy, the boisterous self-indulgence of Jimi and Kathy. Jimi is never painted as a saint in his treatment of others especially these women but as a person shaded with humanity on the road to a music revolution." B
The Dallas Buyers Club (Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Jennifer Garner)
"Woodroof, through McConaughey’s performance, is unapolegetic about his past after his diagnosis but constantly evolving into a man worthy of a film dedicated to his memory." B
Half of a Yellow Sun(Anika Noni Rose, Thandie Newton, and Chiwetel Ejiofor)
"The war is constantly in the backdrop; a sense of fear and apprehension is ever present. And with it the turmoil of the lives on screen are beautifully magnified.” B+
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby**(Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Viola Davis)
“…this film experience is technically two separate films with two their own identities (the color palatte, the feel). However …they both serve to compliment each other and spotlight subtle differences in the way the lead character perceive their interaction with each other (what is said, how it is said, what they wear, the proximity to each other, their gestures… an experiment in what each put emphasis on and what things hold importance to their characters).” A-
Enemy (Jake Gyllenhaal, Sarah Gadon, Melanie Laurent)“…[director] Villeneuve ventures out of the lines of a straight adaptation and cofounds this already dark and moody story with Fight Club-esque psychology and unsettingly surrealism. And with that, with probably 5 minutes of new arthouse material that bookends the film and a couple of small deletions from the main novel plot, Villeneuve creates his a unquie experience all his own and shapes a very different story kind of story. This is a film that is its own amazingly weird entity, that feeling of something undetectable crawling on your skin captured on screen.” B+
**My overall festival favorite
THE EVENTS
TIFF is known for his cool, interactive film-related events that go beyond the normal panel discussion. Here are two that I attended:
Jason Reitman’s Live Read: Boogie Nights (Jesse Eisenberg, Olivia Wilde, Dane Cook, Jason Sudeikis, Dakota Fanning)
“Anyone who knows the movie also knows that a couple of the characters break off into song, and the cast, especially Dane Cook and Jesse Eisenberg in a memorable duet, went with it. We applauded them for their commitment to the role.”
…In Conversation with Spike Jonze
“TIFF has this idea of getting director Spike Jonze in a room, sharing a montage of all of his work to date (Where the Wild Things Are, Adaptation, Being John Malkovich, and previewing clips for the (still in progress) upcoming filmHer, that will premiere at the upcoming New York Film Festival (NYFF)…. and it was a fun, entertaining, and slightly awkward way to spend an hour at the festival.”
THE PICTURES
Some of my favorite captured moments by me around the city of Toronto:
#1: The cast of Live Read: Boogie Nights assemble, Jason Sudeikis signs autographs, and the crowd await the cast of 12 Years a Slave
#2: Writer/director John Ridley talks Jimi Hendrix, Spike Jonze in conversation, and the cast of Half of a Yellow Sun including Anika Noni Rose, Thandie Newton, and Chiwetel Ejiofor appear post-screening
#3: Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy for The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby and the halls of TIFF Bell Lightbox
THE WINNERS
12 Years a Slave won the top prize, the People’s Choice Award! See the official list of all the winner from TIFF here.
