Day One | Day Two | Day Three | Day Four | Day FiveDay Six | Day Seven | Day Eight I realized something today. I know that I’ve just walked into a really French film when (a) I’m the only one with a smart phone or ipod in the room and (b) the median … Continue reading
Day One | Day Two | Day Three | Day Four | Day FiveDay Six | Day Seven | Day Eight Oh, I’m really sad that I missed the only press screening of Water Lilies today. I opened with Joy Division (I’ll get there in a second) but would have chosen Water Lilies instead of … Continue reading
Day One | Day Two | Day Three | Day Four | Day FiveDay Six | Day Seven | Day Eight It’s almost 2am on Monday morning, and I’m excited to get up in six hours to see Joy Division, so this daily wrapup is going to be on the short side. I also saw … Continue reading
In a grand orphanage on the Spanish coat, dead children are playing games. Once a childhood resident, Laura (Belen Rueda) has returned as an adult. With her husband, she’s bought the old manse to turn it once more into a home for children. Her own adopted son, Simon, initially takes to the place, playing with … Continue reading
You can’t go home again. I thought Dario Argento learned that in 1980 after making the laughably bad Inferno, ostensibly a sequel to his landmark Suspiria. But he’s back again with the third part in this so-called trilogy. Taken as a whole, the three films bear little relation to one another. Inferno and Mother of … Continue reading
We’ve been deluged, it sometimes seems, with portraits of troubled musicians. The musical biopic has become a popular sub-genre; it sells soundtracks by the millions and raises familiar public figures up to a level of adoration and/or scrutiny that we’re all comfortable seeing. It’s just so easy to watch the dissection of a rock star’s … Continue reading
Day One | Day Two | Day Three | Day Four | Day FiveDay Six | Day Seven | Day Eight OK, seriously. The best thing this year? (So far at least.) Bar none, the omission of the Extended Dance Remix of Universal’s theme that used to accompany the ‘thanks to our volunteers’ bumper before … Continue reading
Day One | Day Two | Day Three | Day Four | Day FiveDay Six | Day Seven | Day Eight There’s one thing that’s really bugging me this year. Previously, a press pass could be used to rush public screenings. That is, for any show that’s not sold out there’s a rush line, which … Continue reading
Toronto ’07 begins with The Orphanage, The Man From London, Ulzhan and Control.
It’s Casey Affleck’s face you’ll remember. His expressions are crude oil: unrefined, shifting, impenetrable. His eyes and lips slide and scrabble for purchase on some honest display. As the coward Robert Ford, Affleck brings a quiet arsenal to bear on a man whose personality was as thin as prison gruel. By making Ford empathetic, he’s … Continue reading