My Take on the TIFF List (Sort Of)

Warning: What follows is insanely self-indulgent and overlong. Yes, even for a blog. This isn't my actual list, nor does it cover all the films I'm interested in. If it did, it would be twice as long, with me repeatedly saying "I think this looks interesting," followed by useless information you already know. And I care too much about you, the reader, to do that. Ok, it's because I'm lazy.

Umm...I've forgotten what I was gonna say. Anyway, here's some movies I randomly chose to talk about. Enjoy.

Note: This wouldn't have been possible without the following, extremely useful resources: TOfilmfest, 1st Thursday and Twitch. Also, for all the stuff I don't discuss, I recommend visiting The Evening Class, where Michael Guillen is painstakingly giving info on every single film at the festival.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION

The Brothers Bloom (Rian Johnson)

Johnson's follow-up to Brick, which I loved. If that one was Coen Brothers influenced, this one has Wes Anderson written all over it: bright colors, oddball art direction, whimsical characters, estranged brother protagonists. As a huge Wes Anderson fan, I can say I'm definitely excited about this one.

Genova (Michael Winterbottom)

Reasons this is on my short-list: 1) My wife needs to restore her Colin Firth-crush after Mamma Mia! nearly destroyed it. 2) Winterbottom's almost always interesting. 3) It's described as a cross between Don't Look Now and Stealing Beauty. What the hell does that even mean? Seriously, where's the connective tissue between those two, wildly different films? So I guess I'm strangely curious about this one.


Me and Orson Welles (Richard Linklater)

I'm a big fan of Linklater, but I only feel half-compelled to see this one, which is odd, since the only film I haven't really liked of his was the Bad News Bears remake from a few years ago. I might have to override my reservations and catch this one.

Still Walking (Hirokazu Kore-eda)

I loved Hana two years ago and I know that Kore-Eda is considered one of the great Japanese fillmmakers. But this might be one dysfunctional family get-together drama too many for this festival, joining as it does A Christmas Tale (must-see), Tokyo Sonata (another must-see), Summer Hours (supposedly excellent), and Service (the chaotic, porn theater variation on the theme). We'll see...

Synechdoche, New York (Charlie Kaufman)

Sure to be the most mind-blowing movie of the festival and possibly the year, Kaufman's film has a number of high-profile detractors, but an equal number of defenders. Even if it's terrible, it won't be like anything else at the festival, that's for sure.

Waltz with Bashir (Ari Folman)

Unique, absolutely gorgeous animation that looks stunning in stills, but stiff and unconvincing in all the trailers I've seen. It's sure to be interesting, but I'm not convinced, and the fact that it'll be released sometime in the future by Sony Pictures Classics means that I should have plenty of opportunities to catch this later.

The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky)

Here's the thing: I don't really like Darren Aronofsky's films. Everybody goes crazy for them, but I just can't get into them. Maybe it's me--I don't know. So I'm not terribly motivated to catch this one, especially since it's going to play the Elgin and will therefore be a very difficult ticket to get. Having said that, I have to also consider this:


Tell me you don't want to see the movie that image comes from. Because, oddly enough, I do. Though probably not here.


VANGUARD

PA-RA-DA (Marco Pontecorvo)

I understand that the actual PA-RA-DA troupe is doing good work in getting kids off the street in Europe, so please don't take my following statements the wrong way. But watch this and tell me how I'm supposed to take this seriously. I mean, I know context can change one's perspective, etc, but this clip has to be one of the most mindbogglingly misguided things I've ever seen. As far as I know, this isn't a horror film, so I can't imagine how any sane, rational human being can see this and think "heartwarming." I almost want to see the movie, just to understand how this makes any sense.

Pontypool (Bruce McDonald)

Apocalyptic horror from the legendary Bruce McDonald. I've only seen his last film, The Tracy Fragments, and wasn't terribly impressed (unique editing and use of split-screen notwithstanding), but this one sounds fascinating. It's a horror drama that takes place in a single location (a low-rent radio station), and centers on a zombie-esque uprising that transmits itself not through physical violence, but through language. As someone who's had a long interest in linguistics, the concept alone makes this a must-see.

Sauna (Antti-Jussi Annila)

Finnish horror about two men who do dastardly things and are then haunted (literally) by what they've done. I don't know much else, but at least it looks creepy and very, very atmospheric--some stills and production art can be found here.

Tears for Love (Uros Stojanovic)

There's a promo for this on the Twitch TIFF 2008 Trailer Park (a must-visit for those of us seeking info on these films), but I don't recommend watching the long one, as it seems to reveal far too much. What's there, however, looks a lot like Gilliam and Jeunet (lots of whipping cameras, bright colors, etc.). It also makes the film look very loud and amped-up, but that could just be the way the trailer's put together.

VISIONS

Birdsong (Albert Serra)

The story of the Three Wise Men, shot in black and white, with natural lighting and dialogue entirely in the Catalan language. Looks absolutely beautiful.

The Sky Crawlers (Mamoru Oshii)

Ah, Mamoru Oshii. I remember watching Ghost in the Shell many years ago and being utterly defeated by it. Now, I'm a fairly smart guy. Not brilliant, mind you, but smart enough. And I've watched plenty of out-there animes in my time and enjoyed most of them. But that movie beat me. I understood what was happening, for the most part, but by the end, I was utterly, hopelessly lost. Since most people who watch it seem to love the damn thing, I guess I need to watch it again. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention that day.

Anyway, this new one sounds really interesting, but every trailer I've watched drips with emo melodrama, which isn't automatically a bad thing, just very easy to overdo. But the reviews have been good, and seem to indicate that the sentiments are earned.

SPROCKETS

Krabat (Marco Kreuzpaintner)

Based on a fantasy novel, this will likely be dismissed as the German Harry Potter, but the trailer looks decent. Plus, the Twitch people have been very positive about it so far.

REEL TO REEL

I'm actually very interested in most of the Reel to Reel program this year, but I don't actually have a lot to say about most of them. Here are the few that I can comment on:

The Dungeon Masters (Keven McAlester)

The story of several adults who play Dungeons & Dragons regularly. As a teenager who dabbled in the game, I'm intrigued, but as an adult who's seen at least a few of these types of movies, I'm worried. Will the filmmakers make fun of these people for our amusement? Or will there be some respect for their eccentricity? It's a fine line, but very few films tread it well. Here's hoping the presence of Richard Linklater's longtime cinematographer will tip it in the right direction.

Food, Inc. (Robert Kenner)

I read Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation a few years ago and nearly became a vegetarian because of it (why I didn't is better saved for another time). I have a feeling this documentary, which takes both it and The Omnivore's Dilemma as its launching point, might do the trick. This is good, important stuff and I hope many people decide to see it. But it's a tight year and I'm not sure I'll be able to work it in.

MIDNIGHT MADNESS

Detroit Metal City (Toshio Lee)

I missed last year's Dainipponjin, so this looks like my chance to compensate. Though likely wackier than that film, this one looks like a lot of fun.

JCVD (Mabrouk El Mechri)I haven't quite been sold on the trailers (too much of that now-cliche washed-out cinematography for me, I suppose), but I'll still probably try to catch this, if only to see if it lives up to all the buzz.

Not Quite Hollywood (Mark Hartley)

I'm not sure I want to use a festival slot to catch this one, but it does look like a lot of fun. Plus, as someone who's fascinated by exploitation cinema, it's nice to see someone shining a light on a new facet of it (Bonus points for the fun website).

Eden Log (Franck Vestiel)

Positive: I like science fiction and this looks like a unique take. Negative: It's French sci-fi, which is very hit or miss. Positive: Many reviews are very impressed by its look and non-conventional take on familiar themes. Negative: Many reviews find its conventional aspects too familiar. Plus, the word 'boring' is tossed around a lot. Diagnosis: Probably better than its reputation, but not likely to wow the Midnight Madness crowd, who tend to prefer more visceral fare. Maybe worth a non-MM slot, though I'll likely just skip it altogether.

Martyrs (Pascal Laugier)

Absolutely the movie of the year in horror circles, though everyone else should definitely proceed with caution, as this one takes the torture cycle to new extremes. What makes the difference, at least with its early defenders, is that it's much, much smarter than usual, and uses its extreme violence to explore controversial ideas. At least, that's what they say. I have no idea, nor am I likely to see this at the festival, since my wife would likely never speak to me again if I subjected her to it. Gotta think about the big picture...

MASTERS

Achilles and the Tortoise (Takeshi Kitano)

The annual film from Office Kitano, and the final one in his trilogy of self-absorption (after '05's Takeshis' and last year's batshit insane Glory to the Filmmaker!). This one's about a man who takes up painting late in life and brushes against the world's indifference. I'm sure I'll end up slotting it somewhere, but I'm much less enthusiastic than I have been in the past.

Tokyo Sonata (Kiyoshi Kurosawa)

Kurosawa made Pulse, the rare horror film more frightening for its ideas than for what actually happens in it (though that's not too shabby). So any film by him is worth scheduling, in my view. It doesn't hurt that this one's considered one of his best, a domestic drama where the horror is completely non-supernatural in nature.

DISCOVERY

$9.99 (Tatia Rosenthal)

Stop-motion animation, focused on the odd happenings of an Australian apartment complex. I'm primarily interested due to the writing involvement of Etgar Keret, who co-wrote and co-directed last year's standout, Jellyfish. That film wasn't perfect, but I really enjoyed its odd blend of darkness and whimsy. This clip, which may or may not be from the film, is a good example of that particular tone.

Parc (Arnaud des Pallieres)

This might be a great film. I don't know. What I do know is that the two main characters are named Mr. Nail and Mr. Hammer. Seriously, those are the surnames of the film's antagonists. No film that's not a comedy or a bad 80's action movie should have characters named Hammer and Nail and expect me to take it seriously.

Tony Manero (Pablo Lorrain)

Bizarre-sounding story of a sociopath in 1970's Chile, who worships Tony Manero, John Travolta's character from Saturday Night Fever and will do anything to win a look-alike contest. I know, it sounds boringly cliche.

CONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA

A Film With Me In It (Ian Fitzgibbon)

Irish black-comedy in the vein of The Ladykillers, as two screenwriters attempt to pitch their way out of a sticky predicament. Early word is good, but I'm mostly interested because it co-stars Dylan Moran, one of the funniest people on the planet.

That's it for now. I'll probably throw up another post Tuesday or Wednesday to add anything that stands out when the full descriptions get released (there's usually a handful). See you until then.