Synth junkies & producer friends: I Dream of Wires is screening at the Bloor tomorrow - not to be missed!

Guys!

I'm up to beyond my eyeballs in writing and office work (damn rent, bills, blah blah blah...) but I had to add a personal (blog) note to a review I did for TFS...

I Dream of Wires - click for my full TFS review

This is a documentary about the rise, fall, and resurgence in popularity of the modular synthesizer, including decades of history of the technologies, told through narration and interviews by key players in the development of synth technology.

There is a special screening at the Bloor tomorrow night (Saturday Aug 23, 2014) that includes a live performance by Solvent and Q&A... all this for $15! (aka price of a rave circa the early 90's!)

Most of you are not gonna care. But those who've known me personally, from "the [rave] scene", for a long time... the DJ's, the producers, the promoters even... you probably want to check this out.

The doc itself got a little too technical for me at many points, not enough about the actual music.  I made reference to Modulations in my review, that's more my cup of tea. But I Dream of Wires is probably the first doc I've seen since that has taught me anything valuable about the history of EDM.  It brought back memories of Mutek in Montreal, not the big Nocturne parties, but the afternoon sessions where producers brought their home made technologies and performed in loft spaces while we lazed on the floor enraptured by the organic electronic sounds...

(I Dream of Wires was screened at Mutek as well btw...)

Anyway, I wish I had more time to reminiscence, but the bottom line is... for the niche group, it's worth checking out.

A Good Week at the Movies...

In the span of 7 days (I was going to say over the last week, but it's actually just over a week) I've been to the movie theatre exactly 4 times, though I can watch 4 movies a week easily, it's rare I schedule trip to an actual cinema this frequently (even more astounding would be that I resisted buying popcorn at all of them).  I was not required to review any of these films, which is ironic because I have some very good things to say about most of them (vs. all the times I've had to to grit my teeth and tone down my words because I was representing a website, not myself)

On Friday, July 11 the anticipated documentary of beloved film critic Roger Ebert was released in theatres and on VOD.  I don't know if I agree with releasing Life Itself in theatres and on VOD at the same time, but I guess we're seeing this type of release more and more.  On one hand it's good because all the films in question are limited releases so this gives audiences outside of the large markets a chance to see the films, but then it's also all over the torrent sites and nobody pays to see it... I mean, what's more important ultimately? Making money or getting the exposure?

I was set to see Life Itself in theatres anyway, I've never met Mr. Ebert personally, but have had many close brushes with the man, who liked to come to the Elgin during TIFF.  He often praised the volunteers of TIFF and the festival in general, the least I could do was sit in TIFF Bell Lightbox with fellow cinema lovers to see this.  As an additional bonus, his wife Chaz Ebert was coming to introduce one particular screening, so again, no question which show I was attending.

Life Itself was a poignant look at Mr. Ebert's life. It talks about his struggles and triumphs, includes hilarious outtakes for promo clips for Siskel & Ebert, and candidly shows Roger later in life when his health had deteriorated. What struck me most seeing this video footage of Mr. Ebert was how happy he always looked, and that's really something (forgive me for being crass) for someone who's missing his jaw!  I attribute it to his eyes, always bright and alert, and the computer that spoke for him. While the documentary is not perfect, I happily sat through it and would gladly again.  It was a beautiful portrait of a man.

TIFF had a members-only advanced screening of Richard Linklater's Boyhood this past weekend. Linklater's made a lot of movies that I loved, from Dazed and Confused to the 'Before' trilogy, I think there's quite a range in there, and Boyhood was truly one of his finest.  Shooting over 12 years is an amazing feat, especially when you see the continuity. In reading some interviews with Linklater and his cast, his approach to the making of film was almost like the approach we should all take to life.  That is, to have an idea of what we want, notes we wanna hit along the way, and goals to strive for, but to do so with the understanding that there's no way to ascertain this will happen.

Using this method, I think Linklater has probably created the quintessential coming-of-age story.  The story of Mason and his family isn't exactly original, but probably told better than any other film trying to illustrate the same.  He also uses subtle pop culture references in the background that more than once triggered a passage-of-time reaction in me.  A little girl singing Britney Spears at the beginning of the movie made me think "Oh shit, that was over 12 yrs ago!" as my own memories of the song came back to me.  Each of us are a product of time, built up, and tho we may change, in the end we are still an accumulation of what the years have given us... now I'm getting philosophical though. Linklater has that effect on me.

I think Linda Matarasso (of Starving Foodie) was the first person to see Chef and recommend it to me. Subsequently several others would tell me the same. Actually most of them didn't just tell me to see it, they cautioned me to eat a full meal beforehand, perhaps even bring a snack along in order to not be tortured by the delectables on screen that I could see but not eat.

What nobody actually talked about was the plot of the film, thus I had no idea what I was walking into. Heck I only learned several days before that the cast included Sophia Vegara and Scarlett Johansson, and still had no idea if it was a comedy or drama. I'm not saying the plot was flawless, but given the emphasis on food imagery, I was pleasantly surprised to find the story was pretty solid (if not a little predictable) too.  There's great dialogue and chemistry between Jon Favreau, John Leguizamo, and young Emjay Anthony and the social media element is a good reflection of the times.  This is the type of comedy I enjoy, much more than overt over-the-top entries like Sex Tape (which I saw a while ago, so I'm qualified to judge)


Finally I caught the mid-week advance screening of Wish I Was Here, that Zach Braff fans everywhere helped pay for him to make via his Kickstarter campaign.  There's been enough debate whether someone of Braff's celebrity stature should be asking for handouts from joe schmoe across America (and beyond), I was initially against it, but at the end of the day, it's none of my business how strangers want to spend their money.  This is as good a place to pour it than any other.  And if you're a Zach Braff fan, then you'll prob be happy with the product he turned out.

For those who've heard my opinions about Zach Braff, you're going to find this paragraph a bit repetitive.  Wish I Was Here is the follow up to Garden State when Braff supposedly so perfectly captured the vexed state of being in your 20's.  What he's basically told me is that you don't get it together in your 30's either. Being in my 30's as well, I get what he's trying to say, but at the same time I feel he puts far too much effort into conveying to me that life is uneven and meandering, and shit just happens for no reason.  Sometimes you get it together, sometimes you don't, you eventually solve some of your problems, others you just have to live with. I think Boyhood showed me a lot of the same, but while Linklater is natural and effortless, Braff is so minutely controlled and it winds up showing on screen - and the result irritates me.  Not to completely trash the guy, there are some great moments, but he clearly slaved over every word and gesture to make it come off just right.  Whereas I'm sure Linklater would've been... "Ok do your thing"...

I wonder if Braff will ever lighten up and turn back to straight up comedy? I liked him in Scrubs and he's alright as an actor.  This makes me think of Ben Stiller, Reality Bites is awesome, but also loaded with meaning and characters who read into everything. But then Stiller focused on a different type of comedy... love Dodgeball and Zoolander, and he has tried to come back around (didn't love Walter Mitty unfortunately) but it remains to be seen whether he'll ever top Reality Bites in my books.

This week I have lined up: I Origins and Mood Indigo, I'm very excited to see the latter while in the US. So... Hollywood summer blockbusters... what are those again? ;)

Movies & Travel - It Just Makes Sense...

Believe me, when I started this blog over 5 years ago (yes, it has been that long.  And yes, this is all I have to show for it versus my - semi-private - early blogging days) I did not plan on making semi-annual entries.  Yet winter is done, spring is over and gone (though the weather seems to say otherwise), and TIFF has been sending me lists of "Important Dates" for festival 2014 like it's just around the corner!

Foremost on my mind is to point out this week's cover story on Toronto Film Scene, written by yours truly.  You might be thinking: "Ada, do you ever post a blog anymore without talking about f-ing TFS?" and you're not wrong to do so, but to that I respond... in this life I try to do things that I can take pride in, my writing amongst that, so since the bulk of my writing these days is for this particular online magazine, you are going to see an influx of self-promotion and site-promotion.  Now suck it up and read my piece on Pop-Culture Tourism. In fact, go read everything I've written. ;)

I was particularly pleased to write about pop-culture tourism as it combines two of my greatest loves: Movies and Travel (if only I could have worked tea and shopping in there as well...) In addition I have been known to visit filming locations during my travels. In my 2011 trip to Austria, I stopped in Salzburg to wander through the heart of the city, familiar to me from a lifetime of watching The Sound of Music. I would've leapt from bench to bench in the gazebo like Liesl Von Trapp singing "Sixteen Going On Seventeen" if only it hadn't been locked. In Vienna I retraced Jesse and Celine's steps from Before Sunrise, wanderings by the river (where the Milkshakes poem was composed) actually led me to some excellent graffiti as well.  My favourite is still Postman's Park in London, a significant location setting for the play-turned-film Closer, where Natalie Portman assumes a name that she sees on one of the tablets at the Watts memorial.

In terms of pop culture tourism, it’s not just movies, television has certainly done its part too. Game of Thrones not only has everyone flocking to HBO, but has also generated much interest in the many European destinations in which they’ve shot. Nobody could point out Dubrovnik, Croatia on a map until it doubled for King’s Landing in season 2 of GOT. Now Dubrovnik’s seeing an 11% increase in International arrivals over the last year (a fact I dug up while writing my article, and which means I need to get myself over there before the price of everything goes up!) Also seeing increased attention is Northern Ireland, where scenes of Winterfell, Dragonstone, and the Iron Islands were shot. An increasing number of websites are publishing location maps and offering tours to filming locales. Other countries featured in Game of Thrones include Malta, Morocco, and Iceland. The series will also be heading to Spain for season 5, which makes me want to go back as I've never been to Seville.

A little closer to home, you may want to drive by 1155 103rd Street, better known as Dexter’s Apartment next time you're in Miami. Or while in L.A. check out the “Murder House” from American Horror Story Season 1, it’s at 1120 Westchester Place. The latter was made famous by American Horror Story, but I didn't realize it'd long been a filming locale, series that have shot there apparently include Alfred Hitchcock Presents, CSI, Dexter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and more.

Speaking of US travel and filming locations, I'm in Chicago for a weekend later this month, my first time as an adult so aside from the typical tourist traps I'll also have go to Union Station to check out the scene of the famous shootout in The Untouchables (which is an homage itself to Battleship Potemkin, but I never cared for that movie... however if I'm ever in the Ukraine I would go check out the site film history was made, in the meantime... reliving prohibition Chicago it is!), and maybe get a few pics of Gotham city landmarks ;) And Blues Brothers spots and The Fugitive...gee, I wonder why my vacations are never relaxing lol.

Ada's Top 10 Films of 2013

It's March 2nd, I trust I am adequately (fashionably?) late in posting my top 10 list?  But really, what better date/time than just before the Oscars? This might even clear up the question of who I'm rooting for to win a statuette tonight. 

Usually in January I take the opportunity to catch up on any award favourites and other must-see's during 30 Films in 31 Days before compiling my list, admittedly I got through those rapidly, it's just been procrastination since.

Let's jump right in...

Films that qualify for Ada's Top 10 Films of 2013:

- any film from a film festival that I attended in 2013
- any film with a Canadian theatrical release dated in 2013
- is listed on www.imdb.com as released in 2013

Though I've complained on many occasions, this year was truly the toughest in determining a frontrunner for best film. Frontrunners even.  I could have easily recommended 20 great films but not even drawing on pretentious artist merit nor secret guilty pleasures could help me in determining a favourite. So don't read too much into the rankings of my films, it's only because there's a metaphorical gun to my head...

 1) Dallas Buyers Club (USA)
 2) Trance (UK)
 3) Captain Phillips (USA)
 4) Inside Llewyn Davis (USA)
 5) The Butler (USA)
 6) Prisoners (USA)
 7) The F Word (Canada)
 8) Only Lovers Left Alive (USA)
 9) Blind Detective (Hong Kong)
10)  Molly Maxwell (Canada)/Farrah Goes Bang (USA)

Yeah ok, I cheated.  When it came time to pick one indie coming-of-age featuring a strong female character over another, I just couldn't do it.  I guess I could've recommended one of the following instead...

Honourable mentions:

Her (USA)
12 Years A Slave (USA)
The Wolf of Wall Street (USA)
The East (USA)
Therese (USA)
Drug War (China)
Friends From France (France)
Palo Alto (USA)
The Bling Ring (USA)
Frances Ha (USA)

To think I almost didn't see Dallas Buyers Club at TIFF 2013, it was a last-ditch attempt to rush a film that got me into the theatre to see this more-than-just-a-biopic.  McConaughey and his lazy southern drawl caught my attention long ago, but his recent work has proved that he is more than just a sex symbol.  Also supported by (award-winning) Jared Leto as the transgendered Rayon, the film is much more than just a biopic or just a propagandist piece for equality.  It's about Ron Woodruff, the homophobic, unlikely hero, drug dealing entrepreneur who took on the FDA and changed the way in which AIDS patients received medical treatment. 

Trance escaped a lot of people's notice in my opinion, not that it was award-worthy, but it was every bit as entertaining (if not better) and enjoyable as some of the big name thrillers that hit the big screen in 2013 (ie. Red 2, Parker, Runner Runner, etc).  I will openly admit I have a soft spot for Danny Boyle so he would have to majorly screw something up for me not to list his films on my top 10, but Trance contains all of Boyle's slick Brit style, talented leads, and intriguing multi-layered story.  When I first saw Trance, I said it was what Shallow Grave might have been if Boyle had the money back then.  I think Shallow Grave was always meant to be smaller and darker, but the two films' most interesting aspect remains the transfer of power between the main characters, it is fascinating to watch this.

I waited a while to see Captain Phillips, proclaiming that it wasn't really my thing... I take it back.  I could not get quite enough of this film, and had my knees not already been hitting the row in front of me, I surely would've been on the edge of my seat the entire time.  I guess that's how you can tell you've made a good movie, when even non-fans of the subject matter are completely engrossed.  Everyone seems to be on the bandwagon for the Barkhad Abdi fan club, no denying, he was great, but more so I think the ensemble of actors alongside a good story, solidified by good directing is what made the film.

I'll tell you right away that not everyone will like Inside Llewyn Davis. Not even every Coen Brothers fan may like Inside Llewyn Davis.  Not much happens, and the dark humour is at times subtle and sad.  For me, I think it's their best film since The Man Who Wasn't There (not something the Coens are famously remembered for...and why not??), but then again I have a soft spot of meandering artists and a place/time where people can find a way to get by while living their dream.  Life is ambiguous, events don't always have a clear beginning and end, sometimes they fade, sometimes there is no clear resolution, you have to find charm in the little moments... preferably while folk songs are playing in the background.

Another one that I didn't bother to see in theatres, in fact it was the last film I saw before making this list.  It was during a review to see what critically acclaimed films I had overlooked over the year that I recalled The Butler.  After seeing it, 12 Years A Slave dropped off my top 10 list (I'll discuss this film later).  Again ambiguity wins me over, though Forest Whittaker, Oprah Winfrey, and the huge all-star cast all doing their part didn't hurt either. It shows the remarkable amount of change society has undergone in one generation's lifetime, also the delicate balance between dignity and tolerance in the path to achieving your goals and dreams.

At times the slow-boil pacing in Prisoners almost lost me, but ultimately I hung on.  Again moral issues loom large, which is probably what kept me going because - as insensitive as it may sound - tales of missing children just don't tug at my heartstrings.  The performances and enduring intensity throughout the film is what put Prisoners in my top 10.  Despite that, I can't guarantee how soon I will want to watch this film again, I don't think it's the type of movie to hold up in repeated viewings. But the first time made enough of an impact and it will stay with me regardless.

My first attempt to see The F Word, I failed to get into the TIFF screening via the rush line.  Therefore I had to wait until Canada's Top 10 to see it - and I'm very glad I did. Daniel Radcliffe really proves himself a worthy romantic lead, and Zoe Kazan is very natural in her performance. I had a handful of doubts going into this film, everything from Michael Dowse directing (he's done some good work, but good work that's a looooong way from The F Word), to the potential hokiness based on the plot synopsis.  Nope, I loved the dialogue, the story, and of course the fact that it was filmed in many places that I'm familiar with in Toronto.

Jim Jarmusch + vampires! That was really all it took to get me racing to the theatre.  I think you really have to be a fan of his to truly love this film, but the incredible style, the subtle humour, and beautiful production design, shot in exotic locales such as Tangiers... it was a delight to me.  The idea of casting Tilda Swinton as a vampire - brilliant! Though I will admit it was a struggle to stay awake while watching it during a sleep-deprived TIFF marathon, I did everything in my power to keep my eyes open so I could enjoy every nuance. Also made me want to wear gloves to every evening event afterwards.

Ok, it's not an Ada Top 10 without a Hong Kong film, is it? I guess you might be tempted to ask me: Why Blind Detective over Drug War (Johnnie To's other film in 2013 that had a bigger release in North America)? Well, for starters... I said there needs to be HK film in my top 10, I specifically didn't say Chinese film... and that's just what Drug War is.  Though evident even while watching it, the point was much reinforced by Johnnie To himself at the Q&A following the film - Drug War was his first mainland China production. Sorry, this blurb is getting to be more about Drug War than Blind Detective... which is more classic good Johnnie To fun, with action, quick-witted dialogue, and a good dose of humour.  Sure, it's a little more campy and cliche, but it delivers in terms of entertainment value.  Also I hate to admit, but my being able to understand the dialogue helps a lot.

As I'm short on time, I'm going to copy and paste from my original blog post that mentioned Molly Maxwell: "When it comes to 'coming of age' films, this is even better than Perks of Being A Wallflower.  Molly lives the life I've always dreamed for my adolescence, to be surrounded by freaks and have parents who let me do whatever I want, but clearly emotional turmoil touches everyone as they navigate their adolescence.  There's something so fresh and authentic about the story.  It's thought provoking and relate-able, and the leads have an incredible chemistry."

Again in the name of time-saving, here is the review I wrote for TFS on Farrah Goes Bang: http://blogginginoblivion.blogspot.ca/2013/04/if-youre-headed-to-movies-this-week.html I am still insanely in love with the girls in this film and only wish a wider audience could see this.  Together with Molly Maxwell, this is what teens should be watching and aspiring to.  I hope to be able to own copies of both these movies, I need to see them again (maybe repeatedly).





This brings us to the so-called "honourable mentions", a number of which are the Oscar contenders (sidenote: I've seen all of the major films to be nominated with the exception of Nebraska)

Spike Jonze's Her made it on a lot of people's lists.  I, myself, was a little shocked that this film didn't wind up making my list.  Her is good and very relevant, but somehow I felt that the story itself could have gone further, could have gotten more fantastical.  Maybe it's hard to stay ahead of our rapidly technology-evolving world, but none of the ideas Jonze presented really seemed that far out/mind-blowing.  Yes, that is a twinge of disappointment you detect in my words.

So why The Butler and not 12 Years A Slave? Do I think 12 Years A Slave had better performances? Yes. Do I think 12 Years A Slave was better directed? Yes. But if you stack up those stories, The Butler touched me emotionally and held a much greater impact than Steve McQueen's story ever did. My heart went out to Solomon Northup, it did, but overall it was about what horrible people white folk were, the great injustices suffered by African-Americans, and the brutalities they endured.  It's terrible stuff, but it's something I already knew.  The Butler showed me the profound change in the attitudes towards and rights of African Americans throughout a single lifetime, that was astonishing and moved me.  Hell, when they showed Obama getting elected, I had tears in my eyes.  Now that's how a movie gets on my top 10.

I feel like it's Martin Scorsese's life goal to direct Leo DiCaprio to an Oscar.  Hang in there Marty, it'll happen - just not this year.  The Wolf of Wall Street was the film definition of "balls out", what the duo churned out was nothing short of amazing.  I'm loving how Leo's starting to take on different roles, not just the super intense, serious, good guys (Hey Christian Bale, you listening?).  First Calvin Candie in Django Unchained, now here in the Wolf of Wall Street.  That Oscars getting close, I can sense it.

The East and The Bling Ring, two films that I enjoyed a lot, but didn't seem to get much box office attention.  I thought they deserved a mention here. For those who did see The Bling Ring and like films directed by Coppolas... watch out for Palo Alto later this year.  I caught it at TIFF, where afterwards I described Gia Coppola as a cross between Sophia and Larry Clark, this judgement based solely on Palo Alto of course. It's based on a book of short stories by James Franco, who's also in the film, along with a lot of other beautiful people.

Therese and Friends From France were both films I caught at TIFF 2013.  Therese is a period drama based on the novel by Emile Zola, staring the ever-amazing Jessica Lange, as well as the talented Elizabeth Olsen.  It's arguably a story of bad people, who get exactly what they deserve.  It's also about desperation and guilt, and doing what you must to survive.  Friends from France is about young idealists going to the USSR undercover to make contact with fellow Jews in hopes of helping them leave the country and freeing them from further persecution. Alongside themes of religious freedoms there is also a sad love story, as well as a glimpse into a minority I'd previously known little about.

Drug War - I think I've discussed enough above.


I actually saw Frances Ha in 2012 and didn't think to mention it in my top 10 last year, so why should I bring it up this year?  Well, Frances Ha had its theatrical release in 2013, garnering good reviews and lots of attention of being Woody Allen-esque and lots of praise for Gretta Gerwig.  All this prompted me to mention Frances Ha as a good film, and worth seeing if you haven't done so already.

My other last minute add-on is August: Osage County.  It contains some of the best scenes you will have seen in a 2013 release.  Meryl Streep should get that Oscar, who cares if she's already got so many she probably uses them as bowling pins.

And there you have it, my top 10 films of 2013 - laced with Oscar commentary.  Guess we find out tonight just how much the Academy agrees with me!

Are you ready for this? 30 Films in 31 Days starts Jan 1st!

The years only get crazier and crazier it would seem.  It feels like I've seen less of most folk this year but feel just as close to many of you via your social media feeds...sad or a sign of the times?  Either way I'm just glad I've had a chance to stay connected, in any way that I can.  One of the things I've tried to keep on top of was, of course, what movies many of you have been watching - kudos to those who are already done their Top 10 movies of the year btw, I only started thinking about it 2 days ago (and have been to a movie theatre every day since!)

January 1st in a mere 2 days away, the start of another new year and another...30 Films in 31 Days movie challenge!

What started with a handful of movie nerds looking for an excuse to hibernate eight years ago has become a multi-social platform review frenzy, with friends, strangers, and wellwishers alike getting together to generate some buzz about the movies they love, the movies they hate, the movies they love to hate...and everything in between..  As always, tell everyone you know who like movies about us and invite them to participate.  Winter is cold and makes you want to stay inside, and no matter how many movies you try to watch through the year, there are still tons that you need to catch up on.  So why not give 30 films in 31 days a shot?

Here are the ground rules, same as last year:

The concept is simple, it is to watch 30 movies within 31 days (during the month of January).

Films must be feature length or equivalent (so you could technically watch a collection of shorts and it would count as one), can be on disc, digital, 35mm (whatever that is), in theatres, at home, on a plane, etc. You can re-watch movies you’ve seen before, but not watch the same movie twice.

Participants don’t have to watch the same films (though you might enjoy the social aspect of watching movies together, your call)

For each film, pls share the title and some thoughts on your viewing experience (as much or as little as you wish.  Please indicate in advance if there will be spoilers) and give it a rating out of 5.  The following are merely suggestions on how to share your mini-reviews: 

• Tweet and include the hashtag: #30films31days
• Join our Facebook Group, go to the "Files" tab, select "+Create Doc" and start a document that groups all your reviews together.  (This was our preferred method until Facebook made it so gosh darn complicated)
• Join our Facebook Group, then create a gallery on your own profile, fill it with images of the movies you've watched and include your reviews in the descriptions, then include the album link in the Group's page.
• If you have your own blog, post reviews there and then provide links to them on Facebook/Twitter/both

So film lovers unite! This is a great way to keep yourself occupied during one of the crummiest months of the year, be able to catch up on all those movies you keep meaning to see, learn about new titles from others, and have a chance to get acquainted with and discuss your favourite movies with fellow film enthusiasts!

Even if you’re not participating, please check back often for movie reviews!

Along with many different ways to share your reviews, there are also lots of different ways to work 30 films into your schedule.  Some plan out their month, pre-select titles, and assign a film a day.  Others have a movie marathon over a weekend around a particular theme, others just wing it.  My goal this year is to get through the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Hobbit (not in one day, not even in one weekend lol), as well The Event Screen at Cineplex Yonge & Dundas is programming a different Tarantino film each week in January, so you may find me there pretty frequently since it's only $6/movie

30 films is a challenging number to some, a breeze to others.  Over the years we've developed some friendly competition amongst the major players... who will get to 30 first?  who will log the most movies? (don't presume you should stop after 30!) and who will watch the most interesting/unusual films?  These are some serious bragging rights amongst film geeks!

Hopefully in your own way, as an active participant, curious observer, or mildly amused well-wisher, you will find a way to join in the fun!

We Are What We Watch

Here's another bastardized cliche saying...ever "bite off more than you can write?"  That was me the past couple of weeks, taking on my usual writing assignments for Toronto Film Scene, making a feeble attempt at a bid for a Toronto After Dark Film Fest press pass, and accepting additional movie reviews on top of it all.  My inner thesaurus felt like it'd run dry, and the only words out of my mouth to friends at film screenings & events were frets about looming deadlines.  In short I've been a barrel of laughs, only people were likely laughing at me and not with me.

When my editor sent around an email asking 'who wants to review a 2.5 hour re-release of a 1963 black & white documentary about the Parisian working class by next week?", I hit reply with "Me! Me! Me!" yes, I'm a heap of pretentious and have some serious issues.  But luckily, Le Joli Mai was far from painful to watch, and 60's Paris is stunning in remastered black & white footage. 

My full review can be found here: http://thetfs.ca/2013/10/18/review-le-joli-mai/

The night before Toronto After Dark started, I had bunch of reviews to get done, and even more to do at the office since I was planning to leave work a little early to get to We Are What We Are on Thurs (Oct 17th).  So what did I do?  I got wind of Deadmau5 performing at the Microsoft Surface 2 launch event down the street and went to the show instead.

What can I say, Deadmau5 never disappoints.  He played a set just shy of 2 hours, which is pretty decent for one of these events.  Also ran into one Mr. Paul Hunter, tech & game blogger extraordinaire.  Always a pleasure to spend time with friends I haven't seen in a long while.

Thursday: finally, the opening of Toronto After Dark was finally upon us... Nothing quite like an evening of horror with Sachin and Jae, so despite my exhaustion I wasn't going to miss this one.  Plus We Are What We Are was my number one flick to catch at TAD. 

This is an adaptation by Jim Mickle of the Mexican original of the same title. Mickle also directed another of my recent favourites - Stake Land (2010). We Are What We Are is the quietly creepy tale of a reclusive religious family bound by their traditions and customs...which just happens to include cannibalism. Classifiable under Arthouse Horror, We Are What We Are brings out the beauty rather than the ghastliness of the events that are unfolding. Does that count as glorifying violence and bloodshed? Not more so than a large-breasted woman weilding a gun twice her size, but we'll save the discussion about Bounty Killer for later. Mickle selects a superb cast including Bill Sage as the unstable domineering patriarch, and Ambyr Childers and Julia Garner as his two daughters.  The film builds on psychological terror as opposed to a human feast, although that's worked in there too. I highly recommend it, and if you missed it at After Dark...well, some websites indicate it's to open in theatres within the next few weeks, but I've yet to see a confirmed listing for Toronto.  I did however see a little something on ye olde interwebs...if you're not the law-abiding type...

Other films I've had a chance to see and review from Toronto After Dark include:

The Battery
http://thetfs.ca/2013/10/18/toronto-dark-2013-review-battery/

Solo
http://thetfs.ca/2013/10/20/toronto-dark-2013-review-solo/









That about brings us up to speed.  In the next little while... plans to check out a couple documentary screenings, and I'm finally up to bat with a post on short story adaptations for TFS' Books on Film month.

The Films of Fall

Another new season and the films keep on coming.  I feel like autumn begins for me not at the equinox, but rather with the start of TIFF.  It's been 15 years since I started volunteering and attending the Toronto Film Fest and I've started to develop some of my own TIFF-related jargon over the years.  Every August/early September, when the evening temps dip and I need to put on a jacket and perhaps scarf, I declare that TIFF weather is upon us.  What I really mean is that fall has arrived.

This year I watched 27 films, my favourite being Dallas Buyers Club, coming next month to theatres. It's more than just Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto losing a bunch of weight for a role, though that's certainly the first remark on everyone's lips. Their performances as a homophobic-womanizing-cowboy-turned-AIDs-activist and drag queen junkie were engrossing and simply terrific. I know it creeps towards the trumped up Hollywood bio pic side, and they do cast Jennifer Garner as the sympathetic doctor (you do endure less of her dimples though in this film, as it’s not much of a smiley role), but the underlying story is moving and that comes across. You cannot not help but root for them as they skirt around laws, throw their entire fortune into legal battles, and find every loophole to ensure the very best treatment for the ailing.


As if TIFF wasn't enough, a couple weeks after it was all over, before I was even out of that post-festival daze (the TIFF hangover), I was off to New York.  Sometimes I like to be pretentious and say I am going to NYC in order to attend the New York Film Festival, but I'll come clean that it was really for the shopping.  It just happened to be the first weekend of NYFF as well, so I couldn't resist going to a couple screenings.  It's impossible to see every single film on your TIFF wish list, and for the second year in a row I managed to find a film at NYFF that I couldn't see during TIFF, this year it was Le Week-end.

Roger Mitchell's film features a strong cast including Jim Broadbent, Lindsay Duncan, and Jeff Goldblum, all of whom were in attendance at the screening. It is a charming and quirky look into love between a senior couple, who have decided to take a weekend trip to Paris to celebrate their 30th anniversary. I feel like if Richard Linklater were to revisit with Jessie and Celine again in their 60's, they would be very much like Meg (Lindsay Duncan) and Nick (Jim Broadbent) struggling to recognize love after affection and patience seem to have widdled away. I'll be the first to admit that portrayals of love between older couples or those who've been together a very long time is sometimes lost on me, I was most definitely entertained by Le Week-end but not as charmed as some of the other members of the audience appeared to be.

My second film was Google and the World Brain, which first screened at Sundance at the beginning of this year, also the Doc Soup featured doc this month. Google endeavoured to create an online collection of every book every published, a huge undertaking, but along the way violating copyright and arousing suspicions of other underlying intentions. This was actually a project I knew next to nothing about, so I needed the classroom lecture, though it was a bit of a shame that's kind of what it felt like to me. Filmmaker Ben Lewis did explain Google's refusal to give him an interview for the project nor allow him to have any footage of the company's scanning facilities, which didn't leave much else to present on the screen other than talking heads of experts and theorists, and a bit of an H.G. Wells tie-in that allowed scenes of old sci-fi movies to be intercut. I'm not saying I didn't learn something, also I found it interesting that with a current tread of films featuring info-sharing advocates (The Fifth Estate, The Pirate Bay Away From Keyboard, Downloaded, etc), Lewis appears to be standing behind the copyright holders’ stance. Having Ben Lewis present for the Q&A after the screening actually went a long way to improve my overall experience with this film. The documentary is like the homework you must do, in order to benefit from the exploratory Q&A session afterwards.

Screening at NYFF today, and also an official selection of TIFF, is Hayao Miyazaki’s The Wind Rises. I caught this during what my friends and I affectionately refer to as “Asian night” (more TIFF jargon!) at this year’s TIFF. Every year it seems, there will be one Asian movie, or a night when several Asian movies are screening, and many of us converge at these shows to watch them together. This year it was the screenings of The Wind Rises and Blind Detective (by Johnnie To) at the Elgin Theatre on Sep 11th. Studio Ghibli rep (as Miyazaki was not able to travel to Toronto) confirmed to saddened fans that this was going to be his last film after Miyazaki recently announced his retirement from filmmaking. Described as some of his most mature work, this is along the vein of Ghibli’s nostalgic Japanese life films such as From Up on Poppy Hill, rather than the fantastical (like Spirited Away). Perhaps a little slow and meandering at times, you cannot deny the beauty of the film, with its themes of humanity and mortality.

Coming up next week at NYFF, and the most stylish film I saw at TIFF13, is Only Lovers Left Alive. Jim Jarmusch does vampires! Not a correlation I would’ve immediately thought of, but the two really enhance each other. Right off the bat you should know it’s slow, but the pacing is deliberate and ties in to create a dreamy moviescape where these reclusive creatures float amongst human beings. I really enjoyed Jarmusch’s vampires, who are earthly and human-like creatures in that they are materialistic collectors, suffer from emotional disorders, and not immune to moments of bad judgement. Tilda Swinton and Tom Huddleston are really quite perfect for their roles. Another highlight of me where seeing the streets of Tangier, what a great place for a vampire to take up residence!

Don Jon, Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s directorial debut (which he also wrote), was another official selection of TIFF13. I missed it at the festival but caught it in theatres recently. As devoted as I am to JGL, I have to admit this movie left me feeling “meh”. Many of those who have seen this before me have described it as so-so with some parts quite funny, no one really raved. They never really said what made it so-so, and if I had to take a stab I would have to say that the problem lies within the story (I think JGL’s going to do fine as a director). Though completely different characters and personalities, is Don Jon really that dissimilar from (500) Days of Summer? Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy comes to realization it’s all for the best and moves on… Or maybe it has something to do with the likability or there lack of, of the characters? I guess this is part of what makes the movie funny, the sheer ridiculous and expectations of this meathead/princess, but it doesn’t make us care whether they stay together or not. I get that overall it’s supposed to be about character growth more than anything, but what does character growth matter when you don’t care about the character to begin with? Jon’s obsession with porn and his attempts to explain it through narration makes for some hilarious monologues, I can see how it might make some people squirm, I had some genuine laughs there.

Other films that I missed at TIFF but are now in theatres include Prisoners and Parkland, hopefully I’ll get to see them soon. Even Rush looks pretty good. I’m also excited for 12 Years a Slave and August: Osage County coming later this year.

Next festival coming up is Toronto After Dark, from Oct 17-25, the full film line-up has been announced. I really hope I get a chance to see We Are What We Are (among a handful of others). Outside of the festival realm, there are also a couple documentaries screening in Toronto soon that have caught my attention. Lost Years will be at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema on Oct 24th and The Hooping Life at Innis Town Hall on Nov 11th. Hopefully I’ll get out to both, in the meantime you should really check out their websites for full info.

Finally to keep up with what I'm writing when I'm away from this blog:  http://thetfs.ca/author/ada-wong725gmail-com/

TIFF13 Blast

Heya readers!

*listens to crickets chirp*

Yes, while this rare appearance is to say that I'm currently having a blast at TIFF13, it's also my way of saying despite the insanity that has been my life these past months, I still did think of this blog and you at the business time of my year.  So understandably I'll keep news/updates/shoutouts short as I can...

It's Day 8 and to address the top questions I get asked:
Fav film so far:  Dallas Buyers Club
Hidden gem:  Friends From France

Other movie notes:

• Horns has received widely varied reviews - I personally liked it, but didn't love it.  I like how each character had good/bad within themselves, but there was a seriously cheesy plot point, and I had some minor issues with the acting.  Decent soundtrack too.
• Only Lovers Left Alive lived up to my expectations
• Seeing Jessica Lange at the Therese Q&A was a definite highlight, she mentioned that The Postman Always Rings Twice (one of her early roles) was actually based on Therese Raquin by Emile Zola.  Nifty trivia
• The opening monologue in Dom Hemingway delivered by Jude Law about his penis is the monologue to end all monologues.  That is all.

Other notes:

• Jessica Chastain just might be one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen.  I wouldn't even consider myself a fan of hers, but from two feet away she's flawless, elegant, natural, and warm.
• Tom Felton has grown up to be a good looking young man as well.
• Liberte greek yogurt has some very tasty flavours (check em out next to the box office at Metro Centre)
• Give yourself some extra travel time while in the heart of Festival village.  Between road closures, celeb-seeking crowds, freebies, running into. friends who want to chat, and the insane line-ups at Scotia this year, you'll need it.  I'd also like to note that EcoCabs are not as abundant this year for whatever reason

As usual I had a great time volunteering at my favourite theatre - the Elgin/Winter Garden.  For those who don't know me from there or within the festival (you are in the minority btw) I'm a volunteer captain at the Elgin have have been since 2002, which is longer than most of the staff.  We've laughed, we've cried, played jokes, had incidents, lost celebs in the underbelly of theatre, had Yonge St business owners spray ticketholders with water because they were blocking his display window, had Viggo Mortensen hop over police barcades, been swarmed by 300+ Johnny Depp fans and the tales go on.  We have a very high returning rate for volunteers at the theatre and I hope we will all do this again next year.  In the meantime I'm done my volunteer commitment and I'm happy to be watching the films instead of working them.

For those who have wondered where I've been lately in terms of my writing/reviews/blogs... You can find them all on www.thetfs.ca

Specifically my review of Belle:

http://thetfs.ca/2013/09/04/tiff-review-belle/

A couple articles from August, our comic books & movies month:

http://thetfs.ca/2013/08/20/anti-heroes-and-indie-comic-adaptations/

http://thetfs.ca/2013/08/07/the-tfs-list-comic-book-documentaries/

One of my sorta recent blogs:

http://thetfs.ca/2013/08/01/paris-vs-new-york-luc-besson/

Happy TIFFing!

Ada

Time again to get outside for a movie!

Although no one has told Mother Nature, summer is just around the corner!  It's my favourite time in Toronto (probably the only time I recommend travellers come to visit Toronto - June to September) for a handful of reason, one of this is the start of a multitude of free outdoor movie screenings that start to happen around the city!

Seems much of my world starts with the Toronto International Film Festival, and their list of free screenings every Wednesday at David Pecault Square on King West (near John St. - aka the TIFF Bell Lightbox building) has been posted.  The theme this year is "A Summer of Romance"

July 3 - Moonstruck
July 10 - City Lights
July 17 - Sleepless in Seattle
July 24 - The Way We Were
July 31 - Clueless
August 7 - Sense and Sensibility
August 14 - Roman Holiday
August 21 - The Notebook



The Habourfront Centre is one of my favourite places to catch an outdoor flick, the Westjet Stage is covered so you're not instantly soaked in the event of a sudden torrential downpour (happened to me last year at Pecault Square).  Their theme this year is "Invented Worlds".

Little Shop of Horrors: The Director's Cut

July 03 | 9:00pm

Galaxy Quest

July 10 | 9:00pm

Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

July 17 | 9:00pm

Top Secret!

July 24 | 9:00pm

Streets of Fire

July 31 | 9:00pm

The Triplets of Belleville

August 7 | 9:00pm

That Thing You Do!

August 14 | 9:00pm

Josie and the Pussycats

August 21 | 9:00pm

Audience Choice

August 28 | 9:00pm

Dundas Square has always struck me as a bit of a distracting place to watch a movie, but that doesn't stop many others from enjoying a show when I walk by on Tuesdays.  More "cult classics" this year, including a double bill on August 13th & 20th!

CITY CINEMA: CULT CLASSICS
Outdoor Film Screenings, Tuesdays at Sunset, Free Admission

June 25 – August 27, 2013
June 25 Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
July 2 Army of Darkness (1992)
July 9 Edward Scissor Hands (1990)
July 16 Anchorman, The Legend of Ron Burgundy(2004)
July 23 Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
July 30 The Goonies (1985)
August 6 Miller’s Crossing (1990)
August 13* Strait Jacket (1964)/ Mommie Dearest (1981)
August 20* Spaceballs (1987)/Serenity (2005)
August 27 The Godfather (1972)

I don't know much about "Movies in the Park" in Riverdale, but they list the following:

July 7 - Top Gun

July 21 - Goonies

August 4 - ET The Extra Terrestrial

August 18 - Ferris Beuller's Day Off

The complete line-up for the Junction Movie Nights haven't been announcement yet, but they are kicking it off on June 22nd with Buster Keaton's Steamboat Bill Jr. which will feature live musical accompaniment!

Other free outdoor movie events that may surface later include St. James Park screenings (King St. East between Church & Jarvis), movies at Downsview Park, and perhaps something by the folks at the 519 Church Community Centre.

So put your money away, grab a blanket/lawn chair instead, and head out to the movies!

If you're headed to the movies this week...

Hi movie lovers and spam-bots!

Not much time to be articulate and wordy this week (hopefully next week?) but I must pause in my daily madness long enough to tell you about 2 must-see movies playing in Toronto that you gotta catch.

Molly Maxwell's limited engagement at the Carlton Cinemas ends Thursday (unless they extend it?  Please extend it!)  I'll use this review from TFS to sum it up as I don't have the time.  When it comes to 'coming of age' films, this is even better than Perks of Being A Wallflower (yes yes, I know there's better, but I'm grasping for recent examples in a hurry).  Molly lives the life I've always dreamed for my adolescence, to be surrounded by freaks and have parents who let me do whatever I want, but clearly emotional turmoil touches everyone as they navigate their adolescence.  There's something so fresh and authentic about the story.  It's thought provoking and relate-able, and the leads have an incredible chemistry.  I'd love to see this again sometime.

What I need to see again now is Trance, Danny Boyle's latest, which I saw a couple weeks ago at a preview and described as "Inception but with a sense of humour" (ok maybe not quite as intellectually stimulating, my buddy and I could guess what was going on early in the movie)  It's really much more than that. Another Ada soundbite:  "It's like what Shallow Grave would have been if it had a budget", actually I had that impression right after seeing the trailer.  Unfortunately it's a limited release that's not getting the rave reviews I think it deserves.  Granted I preface every recommendation I've made for Trance with "I'm a huge Danny Boyle fan, but I thought Trance was amazing".  It's at AMC Yonge & Dundas this week and moving to the Carlton starting Friday.  Despite guessing some plot details early on, I still enjoyed watching the transfer of power between characters (one of my favourite things about Shallow Grave), Boyle's trippy cinematic style, and of course his always-stellar soundtrack.  I had a really good time and I think you might too.

Check these films out on the big screen while you still can!