Well, September has arrived, and that could only mean one thing... the Toronto International Film Festival! (What, you thought I was talking about football?) And as usual, part of me wishes that I could return once more this year. I have other commitments that take precedence in my life right now, and even if I had enough money to cover a trip to Toronto there are a number of other vacations for my whole family that I would spend it on first. Nonetheless, my trip back in 2007 was great, and I have a feeling that someday, I’ll make it back again.
If you consider yourself serious about cinema, you owe it to yourself to go to TIFF at least once in your life. Whereas festivals like Cannes and Sundance seem to be staged primarily for critics and industry folk, Toronto places its emphasis on appealing to the audiences themselves, making it very user-friendly even for a first-timer. Still, a festival as large as Toronto can be daunting if you don’t know the lay of the land. So, if you’re going this year, or you’re thinking of going in the future, here are a few tips to make things easier on you:
1. Start planning early.
Going to TIFF isn’t cheap, so locking in your transportation and lodgings early in the game could save you money. This is especially true of area hotels, which get booked pretty solid the closer one gets to September. By taking care of your lodgings early on, you can find a hotel that suits your purposes and won’t drain your wallet, instead of having to settle either for something that costs more than you were hoping to pay or is cheap but subpar.
2. Know why you’re going.
With 300-plus films screening, there are plenty of options for all sorts of filmgoers. So if you’re heading to Toronto, it helps to know what your expectations are from the festivals. TIFF offers more than a dozen programs, from Gala screenings (ideal for star-gazers) to Wavelengths (for fans of avant-garde cinema) to Real to Reel (manna for documentary fans). By knowing what you want from Toronto, you can help to make it a little smaller.
3. Get familiar with the movies before you go.
Beginning in July, the TIFF web site begins to announce the films that are screening at the festival. By mid-August, all of the titles have been announced. So if you want to TIFF, use the official site as a resource to determine what you might want to see. When I went, I even went so far as to make a list of titles that were interesting, with a separate category for movies that intrigued me the most- the movies, you might say, that justified the trip. This may take some time, but when it comes time to schedule your screenings, your efforts will pay off.
4. Take advantage of ticket packages…
Package-holders sometimes have preference for buying tickets to screenings, especially those who buy packages to specific programmes. This is especially true if you want to attend the nightly Gala screenings, which sometimes require special Gala screening passes. And even if you have the option of paying cash at the box office, having a pass can be preferable if you decide to rush a screening or if someone wishes to exchange his ticket.
5. … But don’t bother with the Out of Town service.
I know that for some festival vets, this is going to sound controversial, but hear me out. For those who don’t know, the Out of Town service is the initial chance for non-Toronto residents to purchase tickets to screenings. The process entails receiving your registration packet (including your screening passes, registration forms, and program catalog) one day in late August, filling out your desired schedule overnight, and FedExing it to Canada the next day. Doesn’t sound too bad, right? Except that it costs a rather galling $150 for the service. And even if you do everything you’re required to do, you’re still not guaranteed to get everything you want. To me, it doesn’t seem to be worth the price.
Instead, I recommend sketching out a screening schedule before you go up to Canada, then when you arrive, head to the ticket office with your schedule and your passes and buy tickets to as many of the movies you really want to see as you can. If you get locked out of some screenings- and this will probably happen in at least a couple of cases- don’t worry. By and large, the Festival doesn’t sell every seat in the theatre in advance. Every morning, the screening status for movies playing that particular day will be updated, and screenings that had been locked will suddenly find themselves with tickets available to those who don’t mind getting up early and making the trip to the ticket office. And if all else fails, there’s always the rush line (more on this later).
6. Hit town early.
This is especially important for first-timers. Toronto is a very friendly and easily navigable city, especially around the Festival. But like any large city, it can be a little imposing if you don’t know the territory, so plan on showing up a day beforehand and getting the lay of the land. Take the time to find all the screening venues, as well as with the subway that will be transporting you between them. This will prove valuable once the screenings begin, in that you’ll know more or less where you’re going and can concentrate on getting there. And if you have time left over, check out the city, which is lovely and offers plenty of fun even for those who aren’t going to the Festival.
7. Be flexible.
One of the biggest rookie mistakes one can make at Toronto is over-booking oneself. With so many movies to choose from, there’s a temptation to schedule as much as possible in the interest of not missing anything. But by locking yourself in to too many movies, you run the risk of overlooking something just as good or better. So when you arrive in town and head to buy your tickets, go ahead and fill up your few two or three days, but beyond that leave plenty of space in your itinerary. Then as the festival progresses, keep an ear out for buzzed-about titles. TIFF is filled with people who get excited about movies, so if you’re seated next to someone before a screening starts, go ahead and ask about what they’ve seen. Then if something sounds interesting, you can always try to buy a ticket the morning of the next screening, or even…
8. Rush, rush, rush.
For all the assurance you can get from knowing you’ve already gotten your ticket for a particular movie, there’s something about the rush lines that really encapsulates the TIFF experience like nothing else. The way it works is that people who don’t have a ticket to a particular screening can line up outside the theatre in the hope of getting in. Fifteen minutes before the screening starts, the wonderfully helpful festival volunteers will begin letting in people in the rush line, who are permitted to watch the movie in exchange for the cost of admission. So what is it about rush lines that’s sort of magical? Perhaps it’s that tense excitement about the movie, or about the festival experience as a whole, that motivates people to queue up without knowing for sure whether they’ll actually be able to see the movie. Some of my best conversations at the festival were had with complete strangers in rush lines, talking about what we’ve seen, what we were waiting for, and what we’ve heard about from others. And even if you don’t get in, you can always commiserate with your new rush-line pals afterwards, perhaps over dinner or drinks. When the hero of Fight Club referred to single-serving friends, he could have been talking about rush lines.
9. Beware the festival wall.
There are plenty of opportunities to have fun in Toronto, but avoid overdoing it. Seasoned TIFF-goers often talk of a “wall” that sets in around the fourth or fifth day of the fest. After several days filled with four, five, or even six screenings, coupled with having to scramble between different venues, one’s body begins to rebel. Suddenly, those 9 AM screenings aren’t looking so appealing anymore. This is the other reason why you shouldn’t fill up your schedule during the second half of the festival- sometimes it’s necessary to head back to the hotel for a quick nap so you can be alert for the movies you really want to see.
10. Don’t forget to eat.
The festival wall is pretty much inevitable, but it’s less of an issue if you keep to a regular schedule. Sleep sometimes needs to go by the wayside- after all, there’s a new John Carpenter film in Midnight Madness this year!- but that doesn’t mean you need to skip meals as well. Always grab breakfast in the morning, even if it’s just coffee and a bagel at one of the Tim Horton’s that has sprouted up on seemingly every corner. And don’t take all your lunches and dinners during screenings. Concession stand food isn’t the healthiest for you, nor is it always the tastiest option. Every day, try to do either lunch or dinner outside of a theatre setting as a way of decompressing. There are plenty of great restaurants in the festival area to try. Or if you’re pressed for time, there’s always the wide variety of Toronto hot dog carts. Trust me on this- unless you’re completely grossed out by either hot dogs or street vendors, you really owe it to yourself to sample Toronto’s street meat at least once. If those things aren’t famous, they damn well oughta be.
There are plenty of other tips I could give here- for example, avoid seeing movies at the festival if they’re due to be released within the next few weeks, since you’re basically paying three or four times as much for a movie you could just as easily see in the near future for theatre price. But I think the ten bits of advice I’ve given here cover most of the major aspects of the festival that would be of interest to first-timers. If anyone has anything else to add, feel free to use the comments section below. And for everyone who’s TIFFing this year, have a great time!
Showing posts with label Festivals and buzz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Festivals and buzz. Show all posts
Friday, September 03, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Cannes Quasi-Preview: Titles to Watch
Well, Cannes is officially here again, with the premiere of Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood kicking it off last night. Now, I’m sure you’ll forgive me if I can’t exactly work myself into a lather over yet another Robin Hood movie, especially one don’t in grimy Gladiator style. However, Cannes being Cannes, there ought to be plenty of goodness to come in the next couple of weeks.
Surprisingly, a relatively small portion of these titles are in the actual Competition slate. Of course, the disappointment that followed last year’s much-hyped “all-star competition” just shows to go you that usually-dependable names don’t always deliver the goods. Nonetheless, sight unseen, it’s hard not to latch on to some names you know.
This year, even if Competition isn’t as jam-packed with world-cinema favorites as it was last year, there are still a good number of recognizable auteurs. Then again, not all name directors are created equal: Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu may have an Oscar nomination to his name, but I’m not really looking forward to his latest effort, aside from an idle curiosity to see what he can do unencumbered by a lame-ass Guillemo Arriaga screenplay. Bertrand Tavernier and Takeshi Kitano have touched greatness in the past, but neither has been at an artistic peak lately- Tavernier is a good decade or so past his prime, while Kitano appears to have gone off the deep end creatively. And the less said about Doug Liman- yes, the sole American film in Competition was directed by the dude who made Jumper- the better.
No, the heavy hitters in this year’s lineup, at least to my eyes, are Mike Leigh’s Another Year, Abbas Kiarostami’s Certified Copy, and Apichatpong “Joe” Weerasethakul’s Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. Cannes favorite Ken Loach’s latest film was added to Competition at the last minute, but when it comes to Brit filmmakers represented this year, Leigh’s work excites me far more than his countryman’s (he’s a better storyteller, and less politically didactic to boot). Another Year is Leigh’s first film at Cannes since 2002’s All or Nothing, but he’s been fairly solid in the meantime with Vera Drake and Happy Go Lucky. Leigh’s one of the more reliable directors around, and if his latest somehow manages to scale Naked-like heights, that’d be doubly exciting.
Like Leigh, Kiarostami was last seen in Competition back in 2002 with Ten, the film that kicked off his recent experimental phase. And while I haven’t managed to catch up with Five or Shirin yet, I’m nonetheless relieved to see him working in a more narrative-driven vein, mostly because he’s damn good at it. Additionally, Certified Copy excites me because it stars Juliette Binoche, one of my favorite actresses, and one of the most adventurous performers of either sex currently working. As you can imagine, I’m curious to see these two working together.
But the Competition title that intrigues me the most- by a long shot, if I’m being totally honest- is Uncle Boonmee. Many hardcore cinephiles would probably agree that Joe was the most exciting filmmaker to emerge in the past decade, and in my opinion he’s riding a streak as hot as anyone in world cinema today. While it’s been four years since his last feature, Syndromes and a Century premiered, he’s made a number of wonderful short films in the meantime, including one about Uncle Boonmee as well as Phantoms of Nabua, one of the best films I saw last year. So far, Joe has yet to be less than awesome, and I’m hoping he hasn’t waited until this film to show me.
If the Competition slate seems to be light on the name directors, the Un Certain Regard sidebar has done its level best to compensate. The big news here is, of course, Jean-Luc Godard’s Film Socialisme, the first feature in six years from the old master. Like many people, I’m more of a fan of Godard’s sixties output (especially Band of Outsiders and Week End) than his more recent stuff. However, I’m happy as hell to see him still out there fighting the good fight, and the stunning opening to his last film, Notre Musique, shows he’s still got the magic.
Godard is of course the most established of the UCR talents, but there are plenty of gifted (relative) youngers in the mix as well. Lots of people are excited by I Wish I Knew, the latest work from Jia Zhang-ke, but while I’ve liked all the Jia films I’ve seen, he doesn’t exactly blow my hair back either. The same cannot be said for Cristi Puiu, whose The Death of Mr. Lazarescu was one of my favorites of 2005, and who’s back this year with Aurora. The film’s three-hour (and one minute!) run time will no doubt send Mike D’Angelo into seizures, but I for one can’t wait.
At the other end of the duration spectrum is Rebecca H. [Return to the Dogs], the new film by Lodge Kerrigan, which runs a whopping 75 minutes, which is just about the shortest a film can be and still count as a feature. No matter- after Clean, Shaven and especially Keane, Kerrigan has shown that he’s a director worth watching, and here’s hoping that this one is worth the wait.
Then there’s the case of Hahaha, the latest from Hong Sang-soo. There’s a running joke among myself and a handful of Hong-loving buds that Hong’s movies are all pretty much the same, and while that’s oversimplifying the matter, his films do feel less like discrete entities than as a series of dispatches from Hong-land. It all comes down to whether you’ve acquired the taste for Hong, which I have so, I certainly won’t complain about more of the same.
Normally, the independent sidebar Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (or Director’s Fortnight) is the odd man out at Cannes, snapping up the movies that weren’t good enough for the main events but wanted a Cannes premiere anyway. However, after both Tetro and a new Hong bowed in the Quinzaine last year, clearly anything goes. This is certainly true of Frederick Wiseman’s Boxing Gym, whose director is legendary enough to make it into the Competition slate if not for the selection folks’ aversion to picking documentaries that aren’t directed by Michael Moore. As it is, Boxing Gym should be in keeping with Wiseman’s already-prodigious filmography.
Somewhat less of a known quantity is Jean-Paul Civeyrac’s Des Filles en Noir. Civeyrac first came to my attention with 2005’s Through the Forest, an eerie mood piece which played at NYFF then promptly disappeared. However, the film has stayed with me for the past half-decade, and seeing Civeyrac’s name on the Quinzaine schedule sent a tingle of excitement up this movie lover’s spine. It would be especially cool if he reuinites with his Through the Forest leading lady, the lovely Camille Berthomier, who also hasn’t been seen much since ’05. But I shouldn’t ask for too much, should I?
Finally, a number of notable films are showing in the Out of Competition section this year. In a year with precious few American films in Cannes, the mainstream hype machine will no doubt be paying lots of attention to Woody Allen’s You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and Oliver Stone’s Wall Street sequel. But why get all worked up over a couple of movies that will be playing everywhere in a few months?
No, the one I’m looking forward to is Olivier Assayas’ Carlos, which is not a big-screen adventure starring Daniel DeSario’s dwarfish Dungeons & Dragons character, but rather Assayas’ much-anticipated epic about the infamous international terrorist Carlos the Jackal. I’ve always been something of a junkie for long-form cinema, and Carlos fits the bill- 5 ½ hours- but I’m also curious to see what sort of take Assayas has on this story (like Steven Soderbergh, Assayas is a first-rate filmmaking chameleon). If I somehow found my way to Cannes this year, you can be sure I’d make time for this. As it is, I can at least take comfort in the fact that IFC will be releasing this thing, and that it may even eventually find its way onto a Criterion DVD.
Naturally, I’ll be keeping my eyes on the Cannes press for the next few weeks. But for now, that’s all I’ve got. Your thoughts?
Surprisingly, a relatively small portion of these titles are in the actual Competition slate. Of course, the disappointment that followed last year’s much-hyped “all-star competition” just shows to go you that usually-dependable names don’t always deliver the goods. Nonetheless, sight unseen, it’s hard not to latch on to some names you know.
This year, even if Competition isn’t as jam-packed with world-cinema favorites as it was last year, there are still a good number of recognizable auteurs. Then again, not all name directors are created equal: Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu may have an Oscar nomination to his name, but I’m not really looking forward to his latest effort, aside from an idle curiosity to see what he can do unencumbered by a lame-ass Guillemo Arriaga screenplay. Bertrand Tavernier and Takeshi Kitano have touched greatness in the past, but neither has been at an artistic peak lately- Tavernier is a good decade or so past his prime, while Kitano appears to have gone off the deep end creatively. And the less said about Doug Liman- yes, the sole American film in Competition was directed by the dude who made Jumper- the better.
No, the heavy hitters in this year’s lineup, at least to my eyes, are Mike Leigh’s Another Year, Abbas Kiarostami’s Certified Copy, and Apichatpong “Joe” Weerasethakul’s Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. Cannes favorite Ken Loach’s latest film was added to Competition at the last minute, but when it comes to Brit filmmakers represented this year, Leigh’s work excites me far more than his countryman’s (he’s a better storyteller, and less politically didactic to boot). Another Year is Leigh’s first film at Cannes since 2002’s All or Nothing, but he’s been fairly solid in the meantime with Vera Drake and Happy Go Lucky. Leigh’s one of the more reliable directors around, and if his latest somehow manages to scale Naked-like heights, that’d be doubly exciting.
Like Leigh, Kiarostami was last seen in Competition back in 2002 with Ten, the film that kicked off his recent experimental phase. And while I haven’t managed to catch up with Five or Shirin yet, I’m nonetheless relieved to see him working in a more narrative-driven vein, mostly because he’s damn good at it. Additionally, Certified Copy excites me because it stars Juliette Binoche, one of my favorite actresses, and one of the most adventurous performers of either sex currently working. As you can imagine, I’m curious to see these two working together.
But the Competition title that intrigues me the most- by a long shot, if I’m being totally honest- is Uncle Boonmee. Many hardcore cinephiles would probably agree that Joe was the most exciting filmmaker to emerge in the past decade, and in my opinion he’s riding a streak as hot as anyone in world cinema today. While it’s been four years since his last feature, Syndromes and a Century premiered, he’s made a number of wonderful short films in the meantime, including one about Uncle Boonmee as well as Phantoms of Nabua, one of the best films I saw last year. So far, Joe has yet to be less than awesome, and I’m hoping he hasn’t waited until this film to show me.
If the Competition slate seems to be light on the name directors, the Un Certain Regard sidebar has done its level best to compensate. The big news here is, of course, Jean-Luc Godard’s Film Socialisme, the first feature in six years from the old master. Like many people, I’m more of a fan of Godard’s sixties output (especially Band of Outsiders and Week End) than his more recent stuff. However, I’m happy as hell to see him still out there fighting the good fight, and the stunning opening to his last film, Notre Musique, shows he’s still got the magic.
Godard is of course the most established of the UCR talents, but there are plenty of gifted (relative) youngers in the mix as well. Lots of people are excited by I Wish I Knew, the latest work from Jia Zhang-ke, but while I’ve liked all the Jia films I’ve seen, he doesn’t exactly blow my hair back either. The same cannot be said for Cristi Puiu, whose The Death of Mr. Lazarescu was one of my favorites of 2005, and who’s back this year with Aurora. The film’s three-hour (and one minute!) run time will no doubt send Mike D’Angelo into seizures, but I for one can’t wait.
At the other end of the duration spectrum is Rebecca H. [Return to the Dogs], the new film by Lodge Kerrigan, which runs a whopping 75 minutes, which is just about the shortest a film can be and still count as a feature. No matter- after Clean, Shaven and especially Keane, Kerrigan has shown that he’s a director worth watching, and here’s hoping that this one is worth the wait.
Then there’s the case of Hahaha, the latest from Hong Sang-soo. There’s a running joke among myself and a handful of Hong-loving buds that Hong’s movies are all pretty much the same, and while that’s oversimplifying the matter, his films do feel less like discrete entities than as a series of dispatches from Hong-land. It all comes down to whether you’ve acquired the taste for Hong, which I have so, I certainly won’t complain about more of the same.
Normally, the independent sidebar Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (or Director’s Fortnight) is the odd man out at Cannes, snapping up the movies that weren’t good enough for the main events but wanted a Cannes premiere anyway. However, after both Tetro and a new Hong bowed in the Quinzaine last year, clearly anything goes. This is certainly true of Frederick Wiseman’s Boxing Gym, whose director is legendary enough to make it into the Competition slate if not for the selection folks’ aversion to picking documentaries that aren’t directed by Michael Moore. As it is, Boxing Gym should be in keeping with Wiseman’s already-prodigious filmography.
Somewhat less of a known quantity is Jean-Paul Civeyrac’s Des Filles en Noir. Civeyrac first came to my attention with 2005’s Through the Forest, an eerie mood piece which played at NYFF then promptly disappeared. However, the film has stayed with me for the past half-decade, and seeing Civeyrac’s name on the Quinzaine schedule sent a tingle of excitement up this movie lover’s spine. It would be especially cool if he reuinites with his Through the Forest leading lady, the lovely Camille Berthomier, who also hasn’t been seen much since ’05. But I shouldn’t ask for too much, should I?
Finally, a number of notable films are showing in the Out of Competition section this year. In a year with precious few American films in Cannes, the mainstream hype machine will no doubt be paying lots of attention to Woody Allen’s You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and Oliver Stone’s Wall Street sequel. But why get all worked up over a couple of movies that will be playing everywhere in a few months?
No, the one I’m looking forward to is Olivier Assayas’ Carlos, which is not a big-screen adventure starring Daniel DeSario’s dwarfish Dungeons & Dragons character, but rather Assayas’ much-anticipated epic about the infamous international terrorist Carlos the Jackal. I’ve always been something of a junkie for long-form cinema, and Carlos fits the bill- 5 ½ hours- but I’m also curious to see what sort of take Assayas has on this story (like Steven Soderbergh, Assayas is a first-rate filmmaking chameleon). If I somehow found my way to Cannes this year, you can be sure I’d make time for this. As it is, I can at least take comfort in the fact that IFC will be releasing this thing, and that it may even eventually find its way onto a Criterion DVD.
Naturally, I’ll be keeping my eyes on the Cannes press for the next few weeks. But for now, that’s all I’ve got. Your thoughts?
Thursday, April 15, 2010
All Day Geekout '10
And if the Cannes announcement didn’t satisfy your thirst for awesomeness, we’ve only got two more days until this year’s installment of the Ohio 24-Hour Science Fiction Marathon. Ever since I started going to this back in 2002, the Marathon has become one of the highlights of my moviegoing year. As we speak, Marathon guru Bruce Bartoo is hard at work putting the finishing touches on the event, which promises, as ever, to be a blast.
As any veteran attendee can tell you, the movies themselves are only part of the fun, with the incidental stuff- contests, favorite trailers, traditions both official and unofficial- really making the event one-of-a-kind (this explains why the midnight-to-noon “Half-a-thon” just isn’t the same). Still, you can’t overlook the movies themselves. Let’s begin with this year’s “premieres,” which are more plentiful than in most years:
This one probably intrigues me the most, being the title that may fit the “brainy SF” profile best here. Although its popularity among the torrent crowd doesn’t necessarily mean anything, it could go over nicely with this group. Or not, you never know.
Documentaries tend to be hit-and-miss with the Marathon audience, but this was well-received at SXSW last month, so this could be a winner.
On the basis of The American Astronaut, it’s hard to say whether Cory McAbee will have appeal to a group raised on George Lucas and Gene Roddenberry. May be too culty for the room, but I’m down with that.
These, on the other hand, are more their kind of cult objects. Gehara looks to be in the vein of Big Man Japan, which played a few years back, and The Lost Skeleton Returns is a follow-up to Marathon favorite The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, which of course gave us the immortal line, “Aliens? Us? Is this one of your Earth jokes?” And hey, it'd have to be better than Don't Ask, Don't Tell, right?
However, on the basis of my admittedly limited research, I’m guess this could be the biggest audience hit out of all the premieres. It’s cyberpunk-y enough to scratch that itch, without the Hollywood polish that softens the edge so many fans of the genre tend to enjoy. Then again, what do I know?
And now, the oldies. I’m surprised by the lack of canonical genre classics this year, but some of these should be fun, anyway.
Kind of a “duh” choice, and indeed Bruce said he booked this one wayyyyyyyy in advance. I’ve only seen this one once and couldn’t resist comparing it to 2001, but I’m curious to see if I’ll be able to watch it without thinking of Kubrick the entire time. I’m a little disappointed, however, that Bruce wasn’t able to pull off his proposed Marathon theme, “2010: The Year We Show Contact.” Not that I’m a fan of the Zemeckis film, but it just would’ve been too perfect.
Normally, there’s a single slot for a Toho classic at the Marathon, but this year Bruce decided to double up, so here we are. GvKG is an obvious choice, but Battle in Outer Space somewhat less so, less of a monster movie than a space opera done Toho-style. Still, it should be pretty fun, which is more than I can say for…
… which represents the kind of cheeseball I wouldn’t dream of watching anywhere other than the Marathon. I suppose the only logical reactions are (a) does Stratten get naked?, and (b) hey, at least it’s short.
Not sure why they’d book these, especially Star Trek, seeing as how they just came out last year. I don’t feel the need to watch either one again- can’t imagine Moon will do well with this crowd, especially considering that the ones who would be into probably saw it already. So depending on how these are scheduled I may either duck out andsneak into buy a ticket for something else at the Drexel (like Girl With the Dragon Tattoo or the new Egoyan), take a nap if they’re in the middle of the night, or go home altogether.
Finally, my bud Mike Olenick will be screening his remake of the Marathon perennial Spaceboy this year, in conjunction with the original. Now, that’s the kind of Marathon goodness I can get behind.
The Ohio 24-Hour Science Fiction Marathon will run from noon on Saturday, 17 May until sometime around noon the next day. Tickets will be available at the door.
As any veteran attendee can tell you, the movies themselves are only part of the fun, with the incidental stuff- contests, favorite trailers, traditions both official and unofficial- really making the event one-of-a-kind (this explains why the midnight-to-noon “Half-a-thon” just isn’t the same). Still, you can’t overlook the movies themselves. Let’s begin with this year’s “premieres,” which are more plentiful than in most years:
This one probably intrigues me the most, being the title that may fit the “brainy SF” profile best here. Although its popularity among the torrent crowd doesn’t necessarily mean anything, it could go over nicely with this group. Or not, you never know.
Documentaries tend to be hit-and-miss with the Marathon audience, but this was well-received at SXSW last month, so this could be a winner.
On the basis of The American Astronaut, it’s hard to say whether Cory McAbee will have appeal to a group raised on George Lucas and Gene Roddenberry. May be too culty for the room, but I’m down with that.
These, on the other hand, are more their kind of cult objects. Gehara looks to be in the vein of Big Man Japan, which played a few years back, and The Lost Skeleton Returns is a follow-up to Marathon favorite The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, which of course gave us the immortal line, “Aliens? Us? Is this one of your Earth jokes?” And hey, it'd have to be better than Don't Ask, Don't Tell, right?
However, on the basis of my admittedly limited research, I’m guess this could be the biggest audience hit out of all the premieres. It’s cyberpunk-y enough to scratch that itch, without the Hollywood polish that softens the edge so many fans of the genre tend to enjoy. Then again, what do I know?
And now, the oldies. I’m surprised by the lack of canonical genre classics this year, but some of these should be fun, anyway.
Kind of a “duh” choice, and indeed Bruce said he booked this one wayyyyyyyy in advance. I’ve only seen this one once and couldn’t resist comparing it to 2001, but I’m curious to see if I’ll be able to watch it without thinking of Kubrick the entire time. I’m a little disappointed, however, that Bruce wasn’t able to pull off his proposed Marathon theme, “2010: The Year We Show Contact.” Not that I’m a fan of the Zemeckis film, but it just would’ve been too perfect.
Normally, there’s a single slot for a Toho classic at the Marathon, but this year Bruce decided to double up, so here we are. GvKG is an obvious choice, but Battle in Outer Space somewhat less so, less of a monster movie than a space opera done Toho-style. Still, it should be pretty fun, which is more than I can say for…
… which represents the kind of cheeseball I wouldn’t dream of watching anywhere other than the Marathon. I suppose the only logical reactions are (a) does Stratten get naked?, and (b) hey, at least it’s short.
Not sure why they’d book these, especially Star Trek, seeing as how they just came out last year. I don’t feel the need to watch either one again- can’t imagine Moon will do well with this crowd, especially considering that the ones who would be into probably saw it already. So depending on how these are scheduled I may either duck out and
Finally, my bud Mike Olenick will be screening his remake of the Marathon perennial Spaceboy this year, in conjunction with the original. Now, that’s the kind of Marathon goodness I can get behind.
The Ohio 24-Hour Science Fiction Marathon will run from noon on Saturday, 17 May until sometime around noon the next day. Tickets will be available at the door.
Cannes 2010 Lineup, My Thoughts On
So the Cannes competition schedule came out today, and the first thing I notice is how small it is. After all, sixteen movies seems like a pretty dinky bunch for Cannes. But then I remember that nowadays, there is always at least a handful of movies selected after the initial announcement, so that gives me hope for some enticing future choices. Because, really, this isn’t all that impressive.
Then again, last year brought us a much-vaunted “All-Star Cannes” (Haneke! Loach! Almodovar! Tsai!), and many of those turned out to be fairly disappointing. I mean, Basterds was undeniably awesome, and despite- or perhaps because of- its nature, Antichrist was a worthy entry in competition. But in retrospect, I wouldn’t make any claims for Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock, Almodovar’s Broken Embraces, or the half of Chan-wook Park’s Thirst I bothered to watch. Even Haneke’s Palme winner, The White Ribbon, was no great shakes.
So in this way, it’s good that there are some unknown quantities in the mix this year. Of course, new films by onetime Palme winners Abbas Kiarostami and Mike Leigh are good news, especially since they’ve foregone Cannes in recent years. And there are a few other world cinema “usual suspects” in there as well- Rachid Bouchareb, Lee Chang-dong, Bertrand Tavernier. Then there’s the inclusion of Apichatpong “Joe” Weerasethakul, whose transcendent awesomeness should counterbalance the suckiness that Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu and Doug frickin’ Liman bring to the table. And despite his flagrant inconsistency as a filmmaker, it’s always interesting to see what Takeshi Kitano is doing.
However, one of my favorite aspects of Cannes-watching is the element of surprise. Think about the 2007 fest, in which Croisette regulars like the Coen brothers, Wong Kar-Wai, Emir Kusturica and others were bested by a little-known Romanian named Cristian Mungiu. In the end, it’s all about the movies themselves, and even if I don’t think 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days was the best film in competition, it was certainly one of them, and I have no problem with the jury throwing a bone at quality instead of simply wanting to give a makeup Palme to an old favorite, like what happened last year.
Anyway, I expect that sometime in the next few weeks, we’ll get at least three or four more competition selections, including perhaps one more American film (dare I hope for Tree of Life?). But as it stands, here’s what we’ve got right now:
Mathieu AMALRIC – Tournée
Xavier BEAUVOIS – Des Hommes et Des Dieux
Rachid BOUCHAREB – Hors la Loi
Alejandro GONZALEZ INARRITU – Biutiful
Mahamet-Saleh HAROUN – Un Homme Qui Crie
IM Sang-soo – Housemaid
Abbas KIAROSTAMI – Copie Conforme
Takeshi KITANO – Outrage
LEE Chang-dong – Poetry
Mike LEIGH – Another Year
Doug LIMAN – Fair Game
Sergei LOZNITSA – You, My Joy
Daniele LUCHETTI – La Nostra Vita
Nikita MIKHALKOV – Burnt by the Sun 2
Bertrand TAVERNIER – La Princesse de Montpensier
Apichatpong WEERASETHAKUL – Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
Again, not the starriest Cannes lineup ever, but there should be at least a handful of winners. This is Cannes, after all. And even if the main competition disappoints, there’s still new movies from Hong Sang-soo (Ha Ha Ha), Cristi Puiu (Aurora), Lodge Kerrigan (Rebecca H. (Return to the Dogs)), and Jean-Luc frickin’ Godard (Film Socialisme) playing in the sidebars.
Normally, I’d try to make some half-assed predictions about which of the films would go over well with the Tim Burton-headed jury, but considering that the lineup is almost certainly incomplete, I’ll refrain from that now, except to say two things:
1. Wouldn’t it be awesome if Burton and his crew- including Kate Beckinsale, Benicio Del Toro, and Victor Erice- were gobsmacked by Joe’s offbeat whimsical fantasy, and
2. If by some chance Amalric’s film turns out to be awesome- I haven’t heard great things about his previous efforts, but you never know- and he ends up winning a prize, I hope he finds time to bust out some funky dance moves onstage:
The Cannes Film Festival runs from 12 May to 23 May. Watch this space for more announcements.
Then again, last year brought us a much-vaunted “All-Star Cannes” (Haneke! Loach! Almodovar! Tsai!), and many of those turned out to be fairly disappointing. I mean, Basterds was undeniably awesome, and despite- or perhaps because of- its nature, Antichrist was a worthy entry in competition. But in retrospect, I wouldn’t make any claims for Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock, Almodovar’s Broken Embraces, or the half of Chan-wook Park’s Thirst I bothered to watch. Even Haneke’s Palme winner, The White Ribbon, was no great shakes.
So in this way, it’s good that there are some unknown quantities in the mix this year. Of course, new films by onetime Palme winners Abbas Kiarostami and Mike Leigh are good news, especially since they’ve foregone Cannes in recent years. And there are a few other world cinema “usual suspects” in there as well- Rachid Bouchareb, Lee Chang-dong, Bertrand Tavernier. Then there’s the inclusion of Apichatpong “Joe” Weerasethakul, whose transcendent awesomeness should counterbalance the suckiness that Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu and Doug frickin’ Liman bring to the table. And despite his flagrant inconsistency as a filmmaker, it’s always interesting to see what Takeshi Kitano is doing.
However, one of my favorite aspects of Cannes-watching is the element of surprise. Think about the 2007 fest, in which Croisette regulars like the Coen brothers, Wong Kar-Wai, Emir Kusturica and others were bested by a little-known Romanian named Cristian Mungiu. In the end, it’s all about the movies themselves, and even if I don’t think 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days was the best film in competition, it was certainly one of them, and I have no problem with the jury throwing a bone at quality instead of simply wanting to give a makeup Palme to an old favorite, like what happened last year.
Anyway, I expect that sometime in the next few weeks, we’ll get at least three or four more competition selections, including perhaps one more American film (dare I hope for Tree of Life?). But as it stands, here’s what we’ve got right now:
Mathieu AMALRIC – Tournée
Xavier BEAUVOIS – Des Hommes et Des Dieux
Rachid BOUCHAREB – Hors la Loi
Alejandro GONZALEZ INARRITU – Biutiful
Mahamet-Saleh HAROUN – Un Homme Qui Crie
IM Sang-soo – Housemaid
Abbas KIAROSTAMI – Copie Conforme
Takeshi KITANO – Outrage
LEE Chang-dong – Poetry
Mike LEIGH – Another Year
Doug LIMAN – Fair Game
Sergei LOZNITSA – You, My Joy
Daniele LUCHETTI – La Nostra Vita
Nikita MIKHALKOV – Burnt by the Sun 2
Bertrand TAVERNIER – La Princesse de Montpensier
Apichatpong WEERASETHAKUL – Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
Again, not the starriest Cannes lineup ever, but there should be at least a handful of winners. This is Cannes, after all. And even if the main competition disappoints, there’s still new movies from Hong Sang-soo (Ha Ha Ha), Cristi Puiu (Aurora), Lodge Kerrigan (Rebecca H. (Return to the Dogs)), and Jean-Luc frickin’ Godard (Film Socialisme) playing in the sidebars.
Normally, I’d try to make some half-assed predictions about which of the films would go over well with the Tim Burton-headed jury, but considering that the lineup is almost certainly incomplete, I’ll refrain from that now, except to say two things:
1. Wouldn’t it be awesome if Burton and his crew- including Kate Beckinsale, Benicio Del Toro, and Victor Erice- were gobsmacked by Joe’s offbeat whimsical fantasy, and
2. If by some chance Amalric’s film turns out to be awesome- I haven’t heard great things about his previous efforts, but you never know- and he ends up winning a prize, I hope he finds time to bust out some funky dance moves onstage:
The Cannes Film Festival runs from 12 May to 23 May. Watch this space for more announcements.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
My Toronto grades
All films 2007 unless otherwise noted. Click on dates for commentary on Screengrab as it's posted.
Thursday, 9/6:
Fados (Carlos Saura) - 7
Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi and Vincente Parranoud) - 5
The Mother of Tears (Dario Argento) - 6
Friday, 9/7:
Ne Touchez Pas le Hache (Jacques Rivette) - 9
Pink (2006, Alexander Voulgaris) - 3
Le Voyage du Ballon Rouge (Hou Hsiao-hsien) - 7
The Edge of Heaven (Fatih Akin) - 6
The Orphanage (Juan Antonio Bayona) - 6
Saturday, 9/8:
Les Amours d'Astrée et de Céladon (Eric Rohmer) - 8 (click for full review)
The Man From London (Béla Tarr) - 6
Useless (Jia Zhang-ke) - 5
Europa 2005- 27 octobre (2006, Jean-Marie Straub and Daniele Huillet) [short] - recommended
Capitalism:Slavery (Ken Jacobs) [short] - recommended
Profit motive and the whispering wind (John Gianvito) - 8
George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead - 6
Sunday, 9/9:
Secret Sunshine (Lee Chang-dong) - 7
Les Chansons d'Amour (Christophe Honoré) - 4
Silent Light (Carlos Reygadas) - 9 (click for Movie Moment piece)
Monday, 9/10:
Sad Vacation (Shinji Aoyama) - 3
Redacted (Brian DePalma) - 7
Atonement (Joe Wright) - 6
Stuck (Stuart Gordon) - 8
Wow, Toronto was frickin' amazing. I seriously think it's the best vacation I've ever taken. I've been some awesome places in my life, but whereas I usually had to adhere to someone else's schedule on those trips, this was a vacation just for me. Also, nice to meet (deep breath) Ryan, Victor, Missy, Jason, baaab, Charles, Froilan, Josh, Jim, Scott, Mike, Dan, Ken, Girish, plus my old pal Lee and my moviegoing buds Steve and Kevin. Wish I could've met up with Theo, Michael and Noel at some point- maybe next year?
Thursday, 9/6:
Fados (Carlos Saura) - 7
Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi and Vincente Parranoud) - 5
The Mother of Tears (Dario Argento) - 6
Friday, 9/7:
Ne Touchez Pas le Hache (Jacques Rivette) - 9
Pink (2006, Alexander Voulgaris) - 3
Le Voyage du Ballon Rouge (Hou Hsiao-hsien) - 7
The Edge of Heaven (Fatih Akin) - 6
The Orphanage (Juan Antonio Bayona) - 6
Saturday, 9/8:
Les Amours d'Astrée et de Céladon (Eric Rohmer) - 8 (click for full review)
The Man From London (Béla Tarr) - 6
Useless (Jia Zhang-ke) - 5
Europa 2005- 27 octobre (2006, Jean-Marie Straub and Daniele Huillet) [short] - recommended
Capitalism:Slavery (Ken Jacobs) [short] - recommended
Profit motive and the whispering wind (John Gianvito) - 8
George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead - 6
Sunday, 9/9:
Secret Sunshine (Lee Chang-dong) - 7
Les Chansons d'Amour (Christophe Honoré) - 4
Silent Light (Carlos Reygadas) - 9 (click for Movie Moment piece)
Monday, 9/10:
Sad Vacation (Shinji Aoyama) - 3
Redacted (Brian DePalma) - 7
Atonement (Joe Wright) - 6
Stuck (Stuart Gordon) - 8
Wow, Toronto was frickin' amazing. I seriously think it's the best vacation I've ever taken. I've been some awesome places in my life, but whereas I usually had to adhere to someone else's schedule on those trips, this was a vacation just for me. Also, nice to meet (deep breath) Ryan, Victor, Missy, Jason, baaab, Charles, Froilan, Josh, Jim, Scott, Mike, Dan, Ken, Girish, plus my old pal Lee and my moviegoing buds Steve and Kevin. Wish I could've met up with Theo, Michael and Noel at some point- maybe next year?
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Today's the day!
I'm leaving for Toronto today, and I can barely contain my excitement. Frankly, I feel a little like this...
I just hope nobody shoots at me. I'm guessing that if I pack my bear repellent and restrain myself from talking like one of the Mackenzie brothers, I'll be fine. But you can never be too sure...
I just hope nobody shoots at me. I'm guessing that if I pack my bear repellent and restrain myself from talking like one of the Mackenzie brothers, I'll be fine. But you can never be too sure...
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Toronto is coming. Woohoo!
So it's almost upon us, the long-anticipated event. That's right, this week I'm going to be unleashed upon the unsuspecting citizenry of Toronto, and no amount of Godzilla repellent is going to keep me away. I've been longing to go to TIFF for years, and with the vast and vastly awesome array of films playing I couldn't wait one more year. So here's the schedule I've got so far. I'll rush a few more films (that Wavelengths #2 program looks mighty tempting), and naturally I'll add ratings and comments as I see the films. Although how soon after remains to be seen- it's my vacation, and I plan to enjoy it. And by the looks of this schedule, I'll have to put forth a lot of effort NOT to enjoy myself.
Thursday, September 6:
6:00 PM- Fados (Carlos Saura) [I recently saw Cria Cuervos for the first time and was pretty blown away. The only film of his I've seen was Tango which was only OK, but I'll give him another shot.)
9:00 PM- Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud) [This was well-reviewed at Cannes this year, so I'll give it a whirl.)
11:59 PM- The Mother of Tears (Dario Argento) [Should be a blast.]
Friday, September 7:
9:45 AM- Ne Touchez Pas le Hache (Jacques Rivette) [The biggest heartbreaker of the fest was that this was scheduled opposite Roy Andersson, with neither playing again until after I leave. But you know me- barring a surprise Watkins film, I'll pretty much always choose my man Rivette.]
{Lots of free time here for rushing something or hanging out or seeing the city.}
2:45 PM- The Flight of the Red Balloon (Hou Hsiao-hsien) [I'm not the world's biggest Hou fan, but I know plenty of Hou fans who'll be there, so at least it'll be good for discussing afterwards.]
7:00 PM- The Edge of Heaven (Fatih Akin) [After Head On, Akin's one to watch.]
{More free time here since I didn't get into Control. But don't worry, I'm sure I'll find something.}
Saturday, September 8:
9:00 AM- Les Amours d'Astree et de Celadon (Eric Rohmer)
12:45 PM- The Man From London (Bela Tarr)
4:30 PM- Useless (Jia Zhang-ke)
11:59 PM- George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead [Hell yes- Romero at midnight is gonna RAWK. Jason- wish you were here to enjoy it with me.]
{Yup- Rohmer, Tarr, Jia and Romero all in one day. Only in Toronto. Plus I figure I can work in at least one more evening show and still have time to chill with my buds.}
Sunday, September 9:
9:00 AM- The Visitor (Tom McCarthy) [This could end up getting the axe if I'm still beat from Romero the night before, but this looked like a good time filler. Will be nice to see Richard Jenkins in a lead role for a change.}
11:45 AM- Secret Sunshine (Lee Chang-dong) [Another Cannes film.]
3:30 PM- Les Chansons d'Amour (Christophe Honoré) [And another. I wasn't a fan of Honoré's Ma Mere, but this will get me my Ludivine fix since I won't be in town for the Chabrol. Ludivine *drool*]
{Another break. I requested the new Greenaway film here, but I'm sure I'll find an acceptable substitute.}
9:00 PM- Silent Light (Carlos Reygadas) [The semi-legendary awesome Reygadas film. Can't wait.]
Monday, September 10:
{My final shutout was the Palme d'Or winner 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. I'm kinda bummed about it, but I'm sure it'll come to town.}
12:30 PM- Chrysalis (Julien Leclerq) [I scheduled this as a time-filler, mostly due to Albert Dupontel in the lead. Could very well find something else to see.]
2:30 PM- Sad Vacation (Shinji Aoyama) [The only Aoyama I've seen is Eureka, which I love. Naturally, I'm curious what else he's got in him.]
6:00 PM- Redacted (Brian DePalma) [Another "hell yes." DePalma haters can step off. Dude's got mad skills, so recognize.]
{A few possibilities here- the new Lee Myung-se, My Kid Could Paint That and so on. Or maybe just boozing with Steve and/or Theo.}
11:59 PM- Stuck (Stuart Gordon) [Call this a scouting mission for this fall's horror marathon. I'll keep you posted, Bruce and Joe.]
Tuesday, September 11:
9:00 AM- The Last Lear (Rituparano Ghosh) [I fly out in the afternoon, but I wanted to fit in at least one more film before I left, and when I saw the great Bachchan had a new one at the fest, I couldn't resist.]
Man, this is gonna be great...
Thursday, September 6:
6:00 PM- Fados (Carlos Saura) [I recently saw Cria Cuervos for the first time and was pretty blown away. The only film of his I've seen was Tango which was only OK, but I'll give him another shot.)
9:00 PM- Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud) [This was well-reviewed at Cannes this year, so I'll give it a whirl.)
11:59 PM- The Mother of Tears (Dario Argento) [Should be a blast.]
Friday, September 7:
9:45 AM- Ne Touchez Pas le Hache (Jacques Rivette) [The biggest heartbreaker of the fest was that this was scheduled opposite Roy Andersson, with neither playing again until after I leave. But you know me- barring a surprise Watkins film, I'll pretty much always choose my man Rivette.]
{Lots of free time here for rushing something or hanging out or seeing the city.}
2:45 PM- The Flight of the Red Balloon (Hou Hsiao-hsien) [I'm not the world's biggest Hou fan, but I know plenty of Hou fans who'll be there, so at least it'll be good for discussing afterwards.]
7:00 PM- The Edge of Heaven (Fatih Akin) [After Head On, Akin's one to watch.]
{More free time here since I didn't get into Control. But don't worry, I'm sure I'll find something.}
Saturday, September 8:
9:00 AM- Les Amours d'Astree et de Celadon (Eric Rohmer)
12:45 PM- The Man From London (Bela Tarr)
4:30 PM- Useless (Jia Zhang-ke)
11:59 PM- George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead [Hell yes- Romero at midnight is gonna RAWK. Jason- wish you were here to enjoy it with me.]
{Yup- Rohmer, Tarr, Jia and Romero all in one day. Only in Toronto. Plus I figure I can work in at least one more evening show and still have time to chill with my buds.}
Sunday, September 9:
9:00 AM- The Visitor (Tom McCarthy) [This could end up getting the axe if I'm still beat from Romero the night before, but this looked like a good time filler. Will be nice to see Richard Jenkins in a lead role for a change.}
11:45 AM- Secret Sunshine (Lee Chang-dong) [Another Cannes film.]
3:30 PM- Les Chansons d'Amour (Christophe Honoré) [And another. I wasn't a fan of Honoré's Ma Mere, but this will get me my Ludivine fix since I won't be in town for the Chabrol. Ludivine *drool*]
{Another break. I requested the new Greenaway film here, but I'm sure I'll find an acceptable substitute.}
9:00 PM- Silent Light (Carlos Reygadas) [The semi-legendary awesome Reygadas film. Can't wait.]
Monday, September 10:
{My final shutout was the Palme d'Or winner 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. I'm kinda bummed about it, but I'm sure it'll come to town.}
12:30 PM- Chrysalis (Julien Leclerq) [I scheduled this as a time-filler, mostly due to Albert Dupontel in the lead. Could very well find something else to see.]
2:30 PM- Sad Vacation (Shinji Aoyama) [The only Aoyama I've seen is Eureka, which I love. Naturally, I'm curious what else he's got in him.]
6:00 PM- Redacted (Brian DePalma) [Another "hell yes." DePalma haters can step off. Dude's got mad skills, so recognize.]
{A few possibilities here- the new Lee Myung-se, My Kid Could Paint That and so on. Or maybe just boozing with Steve and/or Theo.}
11:59 PM- Stuck (Stuart Gordon) [Call this a scouting mission for this fall's horror marathon. I'll keep you posted, Bruce and Joe.]
Tuesday, September 11:
9:00 AM- The Last Lear (Rituparano Ghosh) [I fly out in the afternoon, but I wanted to fit in at least one more film before I left, and when I saw the great Bachchan had a new one at the fest, I couldn't resist.]
Man, this is gonna be great...
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Cannes '07 Festival Slate
Man, I didn't even know that Shawn Levy had another movie coming out...
Just kidding guys. But seriously, is this year's official competition lineup looking awesome or what?
Fatih Akin- Auf Der Anderen Seite
Catherine Breillat- Une Vielle Maitresse
Joel and Ethan Coen- No Country For Old Men
David Fincher- Zodiac
James Gray- We Own the Night
Christophe Honore- Les Chansons d'Amour
Naomi Kawase- The Mourning Forest
Kim Ki-duk- Breath
Emir Kusturica- Promise Me This
Lee Chang-dong- Secret Sunshine
Cristian Mungiu- 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
Raphael Nadjari- Tehilim
Carlos Reygadas- Silent Light
Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud- Perseopolis
Julian Schnabel- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Ulrich Seidl- Import Export
Aleksandr Sokurov- Alexandra
Quentin Tarantino- Death Proof
Bela Tarr- The Man From London
Gus Van Sant- Paranoid Park
Wong Kar-wai- My Blueberry Nights
Andrei Zvyagintsev- The Banishment
Pretty sweet, huh? If even half those movies turn up at TIFF this year, I'll be elated. Many of these I'm looking forward to passionately, like the Coen brothers' supposed return to form, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, which should be their most serious film since BLOOD SIMPLE. But the one I'm really pumped for is the new Bela Tarr- not only is this the master's first film in 7 years, but it's an adaptation of a fucking Simenon novel, which sounds like a fascinating combo of director and author. Hell, even the directors whose previous films I haven't liked much- Reygadas, Zvyagintsev- have shown promise in the past, and maybe this time they'll finally live up to it.
All this in mind, I wonder if there might actually be a dark horse winner this year instead of one of the cavalcade of world cinema heavyweights. The jury- president Stephen Frears, plus Sarah Polley, Michel Piccoli, Maggie Cheung, Marco Bellocchio, Abderrahmane Sissako, Toni Collette, Maria de Medeiros, and writer Orhan Pamuk- is quite eclectic, but I get an artsy vibe from the stronger presences in the bunch. My early, no-clue-in-hell prediction? Schnabel, who'll make with the artsy for those so inclined while telling an "inspirational true story" for the more mainstream types (also, keep an eye out for James Gray, who doesn't get much love in the States but is a Cannes veteran). One thing's for sure- playing a severely impaired character makes Schnabel's lead actor, the awesome Matthieu Amalric, the one to beat for best actor, barring an impressive nonprofessional kid performance anyway.
And hey look- I've even seen two of the movies. Only one in its Cannes cut, but what can ya do.
Just kidding guys. But seriously, is this year's official competition lineup looking awesome or what?
Fatih Akin- Auf Der Anderen Seite
Catherine Breillat- Une Vielle Maitresse
Joel and Ethan Coen- No Country For Old Men
David Fincher- Zodiac
James Gray- We Own the Night
Christophe Honore- Les Chansons d'Amour
Naomi Kawase- The Mourning Forest
Kim Ki-duk- Breath
Emir Kusturica- Promise Me This
Lee Chang-dong- Secret Sunshine
Cristian Mungiu- 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
Raphael Nadjari- Tehilim
Carlos Reygadas- Silent Light
Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud- Perseopolis
Julian Schnabel- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Ulrich Seidl- Import Export
Aleksandr Sokurov- Alexandra
Quentin Tarantino- Death Proof
Bela Tarr- The Man From London
Gus Van Sant- Paranoid Park
Wong Kar-wai- My Blueberry Nights
Andrei Zvyagintsev- The Banishment
Pretty sweet, huh? If even half those movies turn up at TIFF this year, I'll be elated. Many of these I'm looking forward to passionately, like the Coen brothers' supposed return to form, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, which should be their most serious film since BLOOD SIMPLE. But the one I'm really pumped for is the new Bela Tarr- not only is this the master's first film in 7 years, but it's an adaptation of a fucking Simenon novel, which sounds like a fascinating combo of director and author. Hell, even the directors whose previous films I haven't liked much- Reygadas, Zvyagintsev- have shown promise in the past, and maybe this time they'll finally live up to it.
All this in mind, I wonder if there might actually be a dark horse winner this year instead of one of the cavalcade of world cinema heavyweights. The jury- president Stephen Frears, plus Sarah Polley, Michel Piccoli, Maggie Cheung, Marco Bellocchio, Abderrahmane Sissako, Toni Collette, Maria de Medeiros, and writer Orhan Pamuk- is quite eclectic, but I get an artsy vibe from the stronger presences in the bunch. My early, no-clue-in-hell prediction? Schnabel, who'll make with the artsy for those so inclined while telling an "inspirational true story" for the more mainstream types (also, keep an eye out for James Gray, who doesn't get much love in the States but is a Cannes veteran). One thing's for sure- playing a severely impaired character makes Schnabel's lead actor, the awesome Matthieu Amalric, the one to beat for best actor, barring an impressive nonprofessional kid performance anyway.
And hey look- I've even seen two of the movies. Only one in its Cannes cut, but what can ya do.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
TIFF is in Toronto. I'm not. Big freakin' surprise.
My pocketbook is still pinched from the move a few months ago, so I'm sitting Toronto (and NYFF as well) out this year. But I've already started making arrangements for next year's fest, so I'm hoping that one will pan out. I'll be up there eventually, right?
In the meantime, a list of the movies I'm most excited for up there. I've skipped most of the big-ticket titles which will no doubt show up here by the end of the year anyway, though I couldn't resist including a few as counterweight for the heavier stuff. You'll recognize them when you see them.
Oh, and where the hell is INLAND EMPIRE?
Anyway, my most eagerly-anticipated films of TIFF '06, in no particular order:
HANA
Because it's Kore-eda, duh. Bonus points for the fact that it's a samurai movie, and I have no idea what to expect when this filmmaker is paired with this genre. Like if Haneke signed on to do a Bollywood musical, or P.T. Anderson collaborated with Adam Sandler. Oh wait.
Lights in the Dusk
Buzz coming out of Cannes seemed to indicate that this is second-rate Kaurismaki. But second-rate Kaurismaki is still Kaurismaki, and that's good enough for me.
The Host
Bong's last film, MEMORIES OF MURDER, put him on my radar, and coupled with great early reviews his new monster movie promises to be wicked awesome.
Brand Upon the Brain!
I fear that Maddin's filmmaking style is turning into a schtick, but the experience of seeing it premiere at TIFF- complete with orchestra, sound effects, and a narrator- sounds great.
Rescue Dawn
Recent buzz hasn't been kind to Herzog's latest, a semi-fictionalization of his earlier doc LITTLE DIETER NEEDS TO FLY. But if I know Herzog, even if it sucks it'll suck with panache, making it more interesting than most marginal successes out there.
Fay Grim
Hartley's recent films haven't exactly bowled me over. Could a follow-up to HENRY FOOL, his last really good movie, change that? Here's hoping.
Woman on the Beach
Hong, on the other hand, is riding high right now, and this film could very well continue that hot streak.
I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone
Where can Tsai's career possibly go after the climactic (ahem) pièce de resistance that concluded THE WAYWARD CLOUD?
Syndromes and a Century
It's Joe's latest. All the motivation I need.
Private Fears in Public Places
NOT ON THE LIPS proved that Resnais, even in his eighties, has still got game.
Black Book
I can normally take or leave WW2 epics, but given that this is Verhoeven's return to his native Netherlands makes this a must-see, especially when you consider the rather unique/unfortunate position that country was in during the war.
Flanders
And speaking of war movies, here's Dumont's assault on the genre, and consider me pumped. Given the tepid reception TWENTYNINE PALMS had a few years ago, I don't anticipate seeing this one anytime soon. Damn.
For Your Consideration / Borat
Because after Verhoeven and Dumont, I'll need some good laughs.
Special mention: Belle Toujours
I'm not sure how to react to this, since it's a kinda-sequel to my favorite film of all time. But Oliveira isn't the sort of filmmaker who would do something like this without a reason, which makes me curious to see what he has up his sleeve. And what could it mean that Deneuve isn't involved in the film?
In the meantime, a list of the movies I'm most excited for up there. I've skipped most of the big-ticket titles which will no doubt show up here by the end of the year anyway, though I couldn't resist including a few as counterweight for the heavier stuff. You'll recognize them when you see them.
Oh, and where the hell is INLAND EMPIRE?
Anyway, my most eagerly-anticipated films of TIFF '06, in no particular order:
HANA
Because it's Kore-eda, duh. Bonus points for the fact that it's a samurai movie, and I have no idea what to expect when this filmmaker is paired with this genre. Like if Haneke signed on to do a Bollywood musical, or P.T. Anderson collaborated with Adam Sandler. Oh wait.
Lights in the Dusk
Buzz coming out of Cannes seemed to indicate that this is second-rate Kaurismaki. But second-rate Kaurismaki is still Kaurismaki, and that's good enough for me.
The Host
Bong's last film, MEMORIES OF MURDER, put him on my radar, and coupled with great early reviews his new monster movie promises to be wicked awesome.
Brand Upon the Brain!
I fear that Maddin's filmmaking style is turning into a schtick, but the experience of seeing it premiere at TIFF- complete with orchestra, sound effects, and a narrator- sounds great.
Rescue Dawn
Recent buzz hasn't been kind to Herzog's latest, a semi-fictionalization of his earlier doc LITTLE DIETER NEEDS TO FLY. But if I know Herzog, even if it sucks it'll suck with panache, making it more interesting than most marginal successes out there.
Fay Grim
Hartley's recent films haven't exactly bowled me over. Could a follow-up to HENRY FOOL, his last really good movie, change that? Here's hoping.
Woman on the Beach
Hong, on the other hand, is riding high right now, and this film could very well continue that hot streak.
I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone
Where can Tsai's career possibly go after the climactic (ahem) pièce de resistance that concluded THE WAYWARD CLOUD?
Syndromes and a Century
It's Joe's latest. All the motivation I need.
Private Fears in Public Places
NOT ON THE LIPS proved that Resnais, even in his eighties, has still got game.
Black Book
I can normally take or leave WW2 epics, but given that this is Verhoeven's return to his native Netherlands makes this a must-see, especially when you consider the rather unique/unfortunate position that country was in during the war.
Flanders
And speaking of war movies, here's Dumont's assault on the genre, and consider me pumped. Given the tepid reception TWENTYNINE PALMS had a few years ago, I don't anticipate seeing this one anytime soon. Damn.
For Your Consideration / Borat
Because after Verhoeven and Dumont, I'll need some good laughs.
Special mention: Belle Toujours
I'm not sure how to react to this, since it's a kinda-sequel to my favorite film of all time. But Oliveira isn't the sort of filmmaker who would do something like this without a reason, which makes me curious to see what he has up his sleeve. And what could it mean that Deneuve isn't involved in the film?
Friday, April 21, 2006
Been a while, I know. (some spoilers)
- I know I haven't posted it almost two weeks, but I have a good reason. Namely, my boss has been away at a conference so I have to work pretty much every day to hold down the fort until he comes back. If you read my screening log you may notice that I've watched exactly 5 (five) movies since April 9, the date of my last update. When I don't have time to watch movies, much less write about them, you know I'm busy.
- I'm sure you've all seen the Cannes competition slate, but here it is again (note: some translations are taken from articles I've read; others are mine and mine alone):
Pedro ALMODOVAR - Volver
Andrea ARNOLD - Red Road
Lucas BELVAUX - The Weakest Is Always Right
Rachid BOUCHAREB - Days of Glory
Nuri Bilge CEYLAN- Climates
Sofia COPPOLA - Marie-Antoinette
Pedro COSTA - Juventude Em Marcha
Guillermo DEL TORO - Pan’s Labyrinth
Bruno DUMONT - Flanders
Nicole GARCIA - Selon Charlie
Xavier GIANNOLI - When I Become a Singer
Alejandro GONZALEZ INARRITU - Babel
Aki KAURISMAKI - Lights in the Dusk
Richard KELLY - Southland Tales
Richard LINKLATER - Fast Food Nation
Ken LOACH - The Wind That Shakes the Barley
LOU Ye - Summer Palace
Nanni MORETTI - The Caiman
Paolo SORRENTINO - My Family’s Friend
Who will prez Wong Kar-Wai's jury award this year? Right now, sight unseen, I'm predicting Almodovar, whose romantic fatalism seems to be in Wong's wheelhouse. Although I wouldn't rule out someone like Coppola, whose approach to period material is unconventional and pop enough to get attention, provided the film doesn't blow, which I think it very well could (I'm not a LOST IN TRANSLATION fan either, so don't mind me).
With no Lynch or DePalma in competition, I'm rooting for Kaurismaki, who I don't think has much chance to win, as well as Dumont, who given Cannes' recent efforts to mainstream is a bit of surprise here, although this could mean that the movie is awesome. Also nice to see Linklater there, making a belated first appearance in the main event, although barring a strong second presence on the jury a la Tilda Swinton in '04 I don't see this year going too political (sorry Linklater, Loach and Moretti).
I'm hoping that SOUTHLAND TALES turns out awesome, although honestly it could go either way (I should have more faith in Kelly, given DONNIE DARKO and his work on the DOMINO screenplay). And it would be nice to see PAN'S LABYRINTH be a success, so that Del Toro can break out of the "pretty good" rut he's been in since MIMIC.
I wouldn't rule out any of the unknown (for me) quantities- Giannoli, Costa, Bouchareb, Arnold, Sorrentino- being a big contender. In short, there's really no world-beater here, which always makes for an interesting fest.
- Tomorrow I'm driving down to Columbus for the Sci-Fi Marathon. Should be a blast, as always. I actually haven't been down there since I moved last summer, so it'll be nice to be back, if only for a few days.
And now, some short short reviews:
Slither (2006, James Gunn, seen in theatre)- some kind of grossout classic, with Gunn clearly enjoying his chance to obliterate the envelope of good taste in the name of both ickyness and laughs (I almost typed "yucks and yuks" but decided against it lest I sound like a reject from Variety). Nathan Fillion, after this and SERENITY, has a knack for the playing an antihero who's quick with quips, but Michael Rooker (under layer after layer of creature makeup) and Gregg Henry (under nothing but street clothes and a heavy sheen of sleaze) rule every scene in which they appear. It's not respectable- heck, it's not even TREMORS- but fun while it lasts. Rating: **1/2.
The Edukators (2004, Hans Weingartner, seen on DVD)- a movie about so-called revolutionaries shouldn't go down this easy, should it? When one character bemoans the way the hippie culture was eventually co-opted by the commercial and fashion mainstreams, I couldn't help but think the same of our heroes here- a group of "pure" revolutionaries who are so un-alarming that they may as well be the inoffensive "edgy" hosts of a kids' talk show. Once they take a hostage- how lucky are they that they got THAT hostage, by the way?- the movie grinds to a standstill as they talk about the idea of revolution. Really, that's what this movie's philosophy of revolution is anyway- all talk. The film's final reel leans heavily on Jeff Buckley's recording of "Hallelujah"- how slow on the uptake does a film have to be to get scooped by the likes of SHREK? Rating: *1/2.
Vixen! (1968, Russ Meyer) and SuperVixens! (1975, Russ Meyer) (both seen on DVD)- I'm working my way through Meyer's catalog, and judging by these two films I'm gonna have lots of fun. Not much to say about Vixen!, a film that's almost review-proof. The sex in the film is pretty tame (hard to believe this once got an X), but Meyer's skill with the genre and his sick sense of humor ("we haven't done this since we were twelve" springs to mind) distinguishes this film from its imitators. Erica Gavin wasn't a great actress or anything, but as a found object she's perfect for the film, which succeeds largely due to her considerable charms. SuperVixens!, on the other hand, is pretty batshit, in the best of ways. More than any other director I can think of, Meyer wore his obsessions on his filmmaking sleeve, and SuperVixens! is chock full of Meyer goodness- over-the-top violence, lurid melodrama, back-roads Americana, and above all brassy, sex-crazed, hyper-endowed "voluptua". This is a film that must be taken in the right spirit to be enjoyed- most people of taste will check out during a graphic trampling-and-electrocution scene early on- but if you survive to the "third act" the film turns almost into Meyer's version of VERTIGO, as the film's hero meets the doppelganger of his lost love and is then forced to defend himself against, and save her from, a psychopathic cop who intends to kill them both. Charles Napier is pretty great as the cop, snarling vividly through his perma-sneer throughout the film until his final curtain call, when he momentarily breaks the fourth wall with a brilliant pantomimed aside into the camera. Also, tits, and lots of of 'em, if you like that sort of thing. Ratings- Vixen!: **1/2. SuperVixens: ***.
- I'm sure you've all seen the Cannes competition slate, but here it is again (note: some translations are taken from articles I've read; others are mine and mine alone):
Pedro ALMODOVAR - Volver
Andrea ARNOLD - Red Road
Lucas BELVAUX - The Weakest Is Always Right
Rachid BOUCHAREB - Days of Glory
Nuri Bilge CEYLAN- Climates
Sofia COPPOLA - Marie-Antoinette
Pedro COSTA - Juventude Em Marcha
Guillermo DEL TORO - Pan’s Labyrinth
Bruno DUMONT - Flanders
Nicole GARCIA - Selon Charlie
Xavier GIANNOLI - When I Become a Singer
Alejandro GONZALEZ INARRITU - Babel
Aki KAURISMAKI - Lights in the Dusk
Richard KELLY - Southland Tales
Richard LINKLATER - Fast Food Nation
Ken LOACH - The Wind That Shakes the Barley
LOU Ye - Summer Palace
Nanni MORETTI - The Caiman
Paolo SORRENTINO - My Family’s Friend
Who will prez Wong Kar-Wai's jury award this year? Right now, sight unseen, I'm predicting Almodovar, whose romantic fatalism seems to be in Wong's wheelhouse. Although I wouldn't rule out someone like Coppola, whose approach to period material is unconventional and pop enough to get attention, provided the film doesn't blow, which I think it very well could (I'm not a LOST IN TRANSLATION fan either, so don't mind me).
With no Lynch or DePalma in competition, I'm rooting for Kaurismaki, who I don't think has much chance to win, as well as Dumont, who given Cannes' recent efforts to mainstream is a bit of surprise here, although this could mean that the movie is awesome. Also nice to see Linklater there, making a belated first appearance in the main event, although barring a strong second presence on the jury a la Tilda Swinton in '04 I don't see this year going too political (sorry Linklater, Loach and Moretti).
I'm hoping that SOUTHLAND TALES turns out awesome, although honestly it could go either way (I should have more faith in Kelly, given DONNIE DARKO and his work on the DOMINO screenplay). And it would be nice to see PAN'S LABYRINTH be a success, so that Del Toro can break out of the "pretty good" rut he's been in since MIMIC.
I wouldn't rule out any of the unknown (for me) quantities- Giannoli, Costa, Bouchareb, Arnold, Sorrentino- being a big contender. In short, there's really no world-beater here, which always makes for an interesting fest.
- Tomorrow I'm driving down to Columbus for the Sci-Fi Marathon. Should be a blast, as always. I actually haven't been down there since I moved last summer, so it'll be nice to be back, if only for a few days.
And now, some short short reviews:
Slither (2006, James Gunn, seen in theatre)- some kind of grossout classic, with Gunn clearly enjoying his chance to obliterate the envelope of good taste in the name of both ickyness and laughs (I almost typed "yucks and yuks" but decided against it lest I sound like a reject from Variety). Nathan Fillion, after this and SERENITY, has a knack for the playing an antihero who's quick with quips, but Michael Rooker (under layer after layer of creature makeup) and Gregg Henry (under nothing but street clothes and a heavy sheen of sleaze) rule every scene in which they appear. It's not respectable- heck, it's not even TREMORS- but fun while it lasts. Rating: **1/2.
The Edukators (2004, Hans Weingartner, seen on DVD)- a movie about so-called revolutionaries shouldn't go down this easy, should it? When one character bemoans the way the hippie culture was eventually co-opted by the commercial and fashion mainstreams, I couldn't help but think the same of our heroes here- a group of "pure" revolutionaries who are so un-alarming that they may as well be the inoffensive "edgy" hosts of a kids' talk show. Once they take a hostage- how lucky are they that they got THAT hostage, by the way?- the movie grinds to a standstill as they talk about the idea of revolution. Really, that's what this movie's philosophy of revolution is anyway- all talk. The film's final reel leans heavily on Jeff Buckley's recording of "Hallelujah"- how slow on the uptake does a film have to be to get scooped by the likes of SHREK? Rating: *1/2.
Vixen! (1968, Russ Meyer) and SuperVixens! (1975, Russ Meyer) (both seen on DVD)- I'm working my way through Meyer's catalog, and judging by these two films I'm gonna have lots of fun. Not much to say about Vixen!, a film that's almost review-proof. The sex in the film is pretty tame (hard to believe this once got an X), but Meyer's skill with the genre and his sick sense of humor ("we haven't done this since we were twelve" springs to mind) distinguishes this film from its imitators. Erica Gavin wasn't a great actress or anything, but as a found object she's perfect for the film, which succeeds largely due to her considerable charms. SuperVixens!, on the other hand, is pretty batshit, in the best of ways. More than any other director I can think of, Meyer wore his obsessions on his filmmaking sleeve, and SuperVixens! is chock full of Meyer goodness- over-the-top violence, lurid melodrama, back-roads Americana, and above all brassy, sex-crazed, hyper-endowed "voluptua". This is a film that must be taken in the right spirit to be enjoyed- most people of taste will check out during a graphic trampling-and-electrocution scene early on- but if you survive to the "third act" the film turns almost into Meyer's version of VERTIGO, as the film's hero meets the doppelganger of his lost love and is then forced to defend himself against, and save her from, a psychopathic cop who intends to kill them both. Charles Napier is pretty great as the cop, snarling vividly through his perma-sneer throughout the film until his final curtain call, when he momentarily breaks the fourth wall with a brilliant pantomimed aside into the camera. Also, tits, and lots of of 'em, if you like that sort of thing. Ratings- Vixen!: **1/2. SuperVixens: ***.
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