20 Somethings Series - Film #3 St. Elmo's Fire

If you don't know what this is film #3 of, please refer here.



St. Elmo's Fire (1985) - Dir. Joel Schumacher

A group of university graduates struggle with the transition to adult life; finding their place in the world; and adapting to the realities of capitalist society.  All while trying to uphold the bonds of friendship that got them through school.  I think this is a glimpse at what happens to John Hughes characters after they get out of school (this film however, is not written by Hughes).  Warning, this blog will include spoilers.

As if to echo the original sentiments that gave me the idea for this whole movie series, I overhead a conversation as we were exciting the theatre.  A man was saying to his female companion how those characters were assholes, how they lie, cheat, sleep with each other, etc. The latter part of his observations have become foggy now but I think his overall point was that they did all this bad stuff, but in the end it was somehow still ok.  I guess that is a reflection on the type of people they are?


When we're young our views of good and bad seem much more clearly defined, the evils you battle have distinguishable sides and it's easy to identify what's good and stand on that side.  Things get a little more complex though.  Rob Lowe's character Billy won't grant his wife a divorce, this is a little different than your average break up -- They have a child together, she's had an offer of marriage from an ex-boyfriend who will be able to properly support her and the baby, but he is the father and he doesn't want to get divorced because he wants to do the right thing and support them as a father should.  Should he be blamed for not willing to separate and let his wife have a chance at a happier life?

There's still your quintessential "good" guys though - Wendy (Mare Winningham) and Kevin (Andrew McCarthy) are you good-hearted lovesick puppies who just get crushed and crushed again but their devotion prevails.  They don't have memorable names like 'Duckie' or 'Watts' but they will always be there for the misguided bad boy (Rob Lowe) and self-doubting nice girl (Ally Sheedy).

As for Alec (Judd Nelson) and Kirby (Emilio Estavez), where are they on the good vs bad scale?  Both are obsessive, forceful, and intimidating... but are they also not determined, well-meaning, and motivated by love?  Ok, fine, maybe that describes Kirby moreso than Alec, but Alec is by no means a completely bad person.  His desire for more money and ability to provide overshadows his political alliances but he has some 'good friend' moments too, how many people would you crawl out of bed in the middle of the night for?  To rescue them from a self-inflicted, drug-induced situation (that is probably just a plea for attention) no less?

Perhaps some people "grow-up" adhering better to the laws of good and evil better than others. I've certainly found myself flailing in a whole lot of grey area over the years.  And through all this my friends have loved me, hated me, fought with me, consoled me and everything in between.  Our relationships have seen a lot fluctuations, flirtations, slights, scares, and even a bit of back-stabbing, but in the grand scheme of things, these are still the people I'm going to turn to.  Though we're no saints, we understand and know each other, and we prevail through it all. (I mean, would you rather have someone who loves you blindly or someone who knows your flaws but stands by you anyway?)  I really think this is one of the main points of St. Elmo's Fire.

Though the film took place in the 80's, a vastly different world from what we live in now.  I see some similarities in that these people lives individually interesting lives, with budding careers, lofty goals, and yet in some way, they're still lost.  Kriby flip flops from law school to med school to any way to make lots of money.  Wendy's in social work which is not the most overtly rewarding, yet it's what distinguishes from her cardboard cutout (literally as they're in the greeting card business) family and their stogy values.  Jule's life is a fine line between drug-addled divity and utter disaster.  It's a fast moving world and everyone's cramming in as much as they can so they don't miss anything, but when you look at the picture, where are they really going?  Does this sound familiar?

I don't think St. Elmo's is a film that's asking to be liked.  Again it's one of those movies like Reality Bites or Saturday Night Fever, it speaks most to its targeted demographic and you won't derive much meaning from it until you've reached a certain stage in life.  One observes and finds meaning through observation of these lives from point A to point B rather than being explicitly told a story from start to finish.  Well, ok, maybe they do tell you one thing:

You can always count on your friends. Don't ever let the fire go out.

20 Somethings Series - Film #2 REALITY BITES

If you don't know what this is film #2 of, please refer here.

Reality Bites (1994) - Dir. Ben Stiller

Follows 4 classic Gen-X-ers as they face life's trials and tribulations after college, all recorded by the amateur documentation amongst them.  Lelaina's gotta choose between yuppie but caring Michael and the intense, but confusing and sometimes hurtful, musician Troy.  She's also got to decide whether she wants to make a badly needed buck by compromising her documentary or stay true to her art.  Vicky wants excitement and passion, but at the risk of an AIDS scare?  Sammy struggles with revealing his sexuality to his parents.  Troy needs to shit or get off the can in regards to much of his life.    Warning, this blog will include spoilers.

So much of this movie exemplifies "Generation X" as we know it.  Though these characters are older than me, there's MTV soundbites programed into them that were also programmed into me.  Some of their lines while mostly pointless when analyzed on their own is really evidence of their programming and surroundings.  About the only lines they don't quote are the Simpsons (copyright infringement maybe?)  When Troy jokes that Lelaina is "cuckoo for cocoa puffs" they are neither conversing about cereal but making a media reference symbolizing fanaticism.  There are a number of lines, loosely related to the topic at hand, stolen from commercials and the like, scattered through this movie.  Does this not scream Douglas Coupland to anyone else?

The soundbites don't even begin to scratch the surface of how I relate to this movie.  In Lelaina's valedictorian speech, she speaks of the societal and environment damages that our generation has inherited and how to undo them.  She closes with "Fellow graduates, the answer is... the answer is... I don't know."  I never grasped the true meaning of that line until pretty recently, having never realized that "I don't know" is a phrase that exemplifies my generation.  From episodes of 'You Can't Do That On Television' which dumped neon green slime onto the head of anyone who said that magic phrase, to my piano teacher when I was 16, tsk-tsk-ing how kids my age tended to say "I don't know" and "I guess so" a lot instead of giving more absolute answers.

On the rooftop scene, Vicky makes a comment about dodging her student loan officer for the rest of her life (what do you think was one of the first reasons I stopped answering my phone?) and Sammy tells Troy he can still go back and get his B.F.A. (the same pretty, but largely useless piece of paper that hangs on my wall).  I have vague recollections of getting asked to leave a store because I was singing too loudly or dancing with friends in the mall.  Lelaina gets her required daily nutrients from a Big Gulp, I survived off Slurpees.  Their apartment included much typical 90's whimsical bohemian decor, I've since packed up my alphabet fridge magnets (which was what we had on our fridges before Magnetic Poetry became the rage btw) but my lava lamp still sits on my desk.  I even worked at The Gap for pete sakes!

What I'm saying is that I don't know if I can really review this film objectively.  When it comes to judging the characters - their personalities, morals, priorities, etc.... On some level I know they're obnoxious, pretentious and self-important, but aren't those also traits of the generation itself?  Plus I can't help but romanticize and forgive them for their flaws.  I see the logic in their wordy, urgently delivered philosophies.  I am still in love with the artists with their eternal self-discovery, brooding indifference, and medium length hair that brush my face when they lean down to kiss me.

So clearly this movie review has gone all to hell, feel free to regard it as a claptrap of 90's nostalgia (which some might consider this movie to be).  What happened in the two years between Singles and Reality Bites that has me blindly in love with one, but not the other?  Though Singles in some way captured a snapshot of the Seattle grunge scene, Reality Bites encapsulated the shortened attention span and media-driven edge that came to shape youth in years to come, even beyond the confines of "Generation X".  This is accomplished not just through the dialogue, but also in the metatextual (one of my FAVOURITE words in the late 90's) editing -- movie within a movie all encapsulated in a TV show... LOL!  Even the soundtrack is eclectic, and there were still a few good cameos (I caught Dave Pirner from Soul Asylum, Rene Zellweiger, and Evan Dando from The Lemonheads)

Whiny, wordy, what-have-you, Reality Bites still plunges forward with vigor you can't deny -- which is also one way to describe my friends and I!

[For those who are interested, here is an article on Reality Bites written by folks not wearing rose-coloured glasses... I found myself saying 'humph' a few times over but it's interesting to see how some champion the Michael Grates character whereas he still tends to make me think "vanilla" (no racist innuendos intended).  The writers here also reference St Elmo's Fire and Ghost World when making comparisons to characters and themes.]

20 Somethings Series - Film #1: SINGLES

If you don't know what this is film #1 of, please refer here.

 Singles (1992) - Dir. Cameron Crowe

Is a romantic comedy following the lives of a group of singles who live in a low-rise apartment complex, played out against the backdrop of the Seattle grunge scene of the early 90's.  Warning, this blog will include spoilers.

I'd mentioned previously how I didn't like this movie much the first couple times I saw it, but it grew on me to the point that I bought my own copy of the movie.  So the obvious question is why?  I think the most obvious reasons are because I like smart ensemble cast rom-coms, coupled with the fact that it's directed by Cameron Crowe (whose work I will always test drive), and the 90's nostalgia.  So many movies made in the 90's don't encapsulate what the decade was about for me (without giving away too much about my age, for better or worse, all my teenage years were played out in that decade.) and while the characters in Singles are clearly much older than I am, I find I can still relate, especially as I got older.

Even after seeing it 4 times, I think the characters themselves still have a lot of shortcomings.  Though I also see that's kind of the point.  Kyra Sedgewick's character Linda drives me up the wall.  She claims she doesn't want drama, but then she gets over-analytical about everything, never seems to shut up (maybe I'm way off here, but show of hands: who looks at their partner right at the climax of having sex and asks "What are you thinking?"  Dear lord...), and when Steve shows up to her office in attempts to be sincere she totally plays games.  Really, who in their right minds could want a bitch who says she don't play games, but then plays games??

Bridget Fonda as lovestruck Janet is almost as bad (the character not the actress), she's completely delusional and is easily influenced by whoever is around her.  Nevermind that she lets this jerky musician walk all over her, but then 2 mins in the doctor's office with Bill Pullman and boom, her mind is changed. She does have one of my favourite lines in the movie, where she narrates that "I've always been able to do this, break up with someone and never look back. Being alone: there's a certain dignity to it." I would say I couldn't agree with her more, if I didn't know she was the type of person who will change her tune 15 mins later.

Steve's finest moment in the entire movie was when he was trying to explain how his ex was now dating a guy who was cheating on her, and Steve knew this because the other woman is someone he used to date.  See, there's truth to that scenario, whereas everything else about him is your typical fantasy romantic comedy male -- guys like that do not exist.  Ladies, if you still believe someone like him is out there, you will find that when you finally do meet this guy, he will be over-sensitive, needlessly wordy, emotionally intimidating, and overall a nightmare to date.  No, shockingly the most genuine character in this movie is...

Matt Dillon's portrayal of Cliff.  The hot, sometimes idiotic, grunge rocker who makes no pretenses about dating exclusively, has his priorities straight in such a way that suits his lifestyle and interests, and carries it all with confidence (which can also be construed as selfish and egotistical, but if those are his biggest shortcomings then he's already way ahead of the others).  Not to mention he's got some of the coolest band mates haha.

Much as I want to criticize these people for more than just their fashion choices, I must begrudgingly admit... I've been guilty of behaving similarly at points in my life.  I was rolling my eyes last night, thinking how can they all be so sane with their friends, but then turn batshit crazy as soon as they turn to face their partner -- Steve and Janet in particular, but that's just the way love is sometimes.  Especially in your teens and your 20's.  (Ok, who are we kidding?  I still see that happening to people in their 30's) In the end, the truth is what keeps us interested and relating to them even if we don't necessarily like what we see.

The realization I had after the movie was finished though, was that these guys weren't really that directionless... in love perhaps, but not much in their lives otherwise.  Linda and Steve had viable jobs that looked fulfilling and might lead to a successful career and money.  Cliff's following his dream and while impractical, there's nothing directionless about that.  And Janet was going back to architecture school.  The movie stayed on the topic of their love lives and didn't really pose any questions about other aspects of their lives.  It's a tight focus but it works, sometimes you open up the possibilities too much and wind up with a mess of a movie.  Cameron Crowe knew better.

I'm not gonna go into detail about the soundtrack, all the great Seattle bands' cameos, etc.  It was fun to see them all grace the screen but ultimately I feel like a poser when I try to write about Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam or Soundgarden.  Truth is, I look back fondly and respectfully at their contributions to music now, but at the time I never had a full appreciation for them.

So I think I'll just leave you with a line from the movie, this is Steve on the phone with Linda:

"Linda Powell? Steve Dunne...Hey, yeah, I met you... 61 hours ago... Yeah, that was me.. Listen, uh, do you want to get some dinner?... Uh, how about some lunch?... No lunch. Coffee?.. Water? How about some water?... I'll meet you where you're already having lunch, and we'll have some water"

 LOL, like/share/+1 this blog if you've ever wound up making an awkward date like that one!

Lost 20-Somethings in the Movies - A Four Week Mini Film Club Challenge

(2 months of inactivity, you'd think I'd return to offer you some TIFF reviews?  Nope, keep waiting...sorry...)

The Premise:

It's like a book club but with movies!  Participants will watch one designated film per week tied to the theme of "Lost 20-Somethings" and discuss.  The 4 week series will conclude with St Elmo's Fire on Friday, December 9th @ 9pm where participants are encouraged to get together and attend the screening at TIFF Lightbox.  In person attendance is not required, you can also watch the movie on your own.  As all discussion will take place online (or be transcribed to appear online?), feel free to participate from all over the globe.  Discussion points, responses, etc can be posted in the comments of this blog, submitted to me privately, on Facebook, where ever... I will then consolidate and repost here.

As with all film viewings and challenges that I propose, even if you don't actively want to participate you are still welcome to watch the movies, read the blogs, and come along for the ride.  Even if no one else takes me up on this, I'm still gonna go ahead with the movies and post my thoughts in the coming weeks.  I really do hope some of you will join in the discussion though.

Background:

It started with TIFF Bell Lightbox releasing it's fall film schedule that included the return of the "Back to the 80's" series, this time including my favourite Brat Pack movie St Elmo's Fire.  I shared my excitement about this with a few people including Mike, who has never seen the movie.  He'd watched the trailer previously and wasn't overly impressed, he thought the characters seemed like a bunch of jerks (or something to that effect) therefore why would he want to watch a movie about them?

Then a couple nights ago I was shuffling a few movies around to make everything fit on the shelf and found myself holding my copy of Singles, which made me think...now there's a group of annoying characters.  In fact, the reason why I didn't think much of Singles the first and second time I saw it was because Bridget Fonda's character was dippy, Matt Dillon an ass, and I wanted to knock Kyra Sedgwick's teeth out whenever she spoke.  Clearly something about the film grew on me though because I eventually went out and bought myself a copy.

Another film that is often referenced alongside Singles is Reality Bites, which was also lost on me the first time I saw it (as a bright-eyed 15 year old who believed that graduating from university would solve all of life's problems), but I grew to love it more with each viewing leading up to my mid-20's.  If you think about it though, lotta those characters are whiny, neurotic, and self-important too.

So what is it that makes these films iconic favs amongst quasi-directionless Gen X-ers?  I guess somewhere along the line, though we'd like to think ourselves less annoying than these slackers on the big screen, we can relate.  Assuming most readers of this blog have navigated through their "Lost 20-somethings" stage (and maybe moved on to the "Lost 30-somethings" stage?  Please tell me the 40's bring more direction though, I don't know how many more decades of this I want to wade thru :P ) I thought it would be interesting to re-visit these movies and have a little discussion on them.  There's a wide range of topics that can be touched on from what makes the films likable despite some unappealing personalities, to how our own lives parallel the films' events (or not), to the cultural significance portrayed in the backdrop of the stories, etc. etc.

The Films:

Week 1 (during week of Nov 14): Singles dir. Cameron Crowe
Week 2 (during week of Nov 21): Reality Bites dir. Ben Stiller
Week 3 (during week of Nov 28): Your Choice*
Week 4 (Friday, December 9): St Elmo's Fire dir. Joel Schumacher

*Admittedly I had some difficulty designating a 4th film that would closely mirror the theme alongside the other three movies.  As mentioned Singles and Reality Bites are often compared side by side, and Reality Bites and St. Elmo's Fire are in many ways the 80's vs 90's version of the same story.  I could not find a 4th movie that fit in quite as perfectly, so rather than choose one film and then have people point out all the obvious differences and incompatibilities, I'm just going to let everyone choose their own "Lost 20-Somethings" movie.  There are so many...I haven't even decided on my own, below are some of my considerations...

The Big Chill - An 80's film that would balance out the 80's/90's ratio of the viewing list.  It fits the bill of ensemble cast of friend characters and all the interactions between them.  Though I've yet to grow to love the movie, I do find myself re-watching it every few years so there must be reason for that.  Sadly I can relate to the circumstances for their reunion, maybe that's my connection to the film.  It is an 80's film, however the characters are not 20-somethings but 30-somethings (maybe after I get through this decade I will come to understand the film better?) making them part of the Boomer generation instead of Gen X.

About Last Night - This one always seems to come up in the recommendations column whenever I do a search on Singles.  I've never seen it, but from the description seems more like rom-com than coming of age or Gen X directionless-ness.  However, having never seen it, I would kind of like to...

Mallrats - Tipping the scale towards the 90's if I pick this one, but it does feature directionless 20-somethings at their finest.  But with all things Kevin Smith-Jersey, the Kevin Smith part of it does seem to overpower any other underlying themes the movie might have.

Ghost World - The epitome of directionless youth.  However if you want to nitpick, Enid and Rebecca are high school grads thus not 20+.  Also the two of them do not equal an ensemble cast.  In the movie the characters would be considered more Gen Y, however Daniel Clowes wrote these characters as high school grads from the early 90's thus making them originally part of Gen X. (It can also be argued that I don't need to watch Ghost World again to write about it, I can pretty much recite all the dialogue from memory.  I watched it numerous times during my 20's whenever I felt blue because I was lost...so needless to say I watched it A LOT)

Still standing... (unless I'm hallucinating)

Well, we're into the second half of TIFF and starting to suffer from lapses of concentration, judgment, and consciousness (possibly all at the same time).  I know I say this every year but, here's a few things to keep in mind that just might help you thru to day 11:

1. Take naps whenever you can (especially if the movie is boring because the next one might be great and you don't want to nod off for that)
2. Try smiling from time to time, it does put you and those around you into a better state of mind.
3. Keep saying "thank you", it does make a difference.
4. Hydrate (my rule of thumb this festival has been one cup of water for every cup of coffee...so far it's kept me from feeling like complete garbage)
5. Try to keep some greens in your diet and large quantities of sugar out (I've eaten salad 4 days out of 7 and refrained from pestering the Lindt chocolate makers at the Elgin)

Well, that's probably the last semi-coherent thing you'll get out of me for the rest of the festival.  Keep tweeting/msg-ing me with your movie reviews!  It's been great running into so many of you!

Happy TIFF-ing!

TIFF Packing List

Wait, this isn't my travel blog, why is there a packing list here you ask?

First off, happy TIFF-mas everyone! (I stole that from one of my friends on Facebook, likely Jonny)  Festival '11 is finally upon us and I look forward to seeing many familiar faces in the ticketholders line of Restless tonight! 

If you're like me and many of my friends, you have films and other film-related commitments all lined up for the next 11 days.  You're not even sure how to make it from one movie to the next in time, much less worry about trivial things like sleeping, eating, and keeping your phone charged.  There are joking remarks about living out of a backpack, but wait, that's actually not a joke!  If you're serious/obsessed about having a great TIFF experience, a well-packed day bag can make a big difference.

I'm one of the tardiest people you will ever meet, the only things I make a point of arriving to on-time are plane/train/coach departures and movies.  This often means I'm literally running around my apartment yelling like a crazy person and forgetting half my stuff as I fly out the door.  Forgetting my sunglasses is no big deal when I'm just going to a movie then coming home a couple hours later, but when you have 4 movies lined up for the day and will need to sit in a west-facing Rush line for 1.5 hours in the late afternoon, that's going to be pretty brutal without shades.  Similarly your cell phone battery's unlikely to die mid-movie, even if it does you can remedy the problem shortly.  If your phone dies at 11am and your last movie doesn't finish until 2am, that can get problematic (especially if someone else has your movie tickets!)

It's common sense to pack a little in advance for travels, and the same applies to TIFF too.  There's no need to go overboard, you are in downtown Toronto after all, your tickets aside, there is little else that you can't get in the city should you forget or suddenly need it.  The following are some essentials that will get you thru the day:

• A sturdy, lightweight, mid-sized bag.  You're not backpacking across Europe, there's no need for a gigantic backpack.  The weight will just hurt your back, and the size will make it difficult to cram under your seat in the theatre.
• TIFF Official Film Schedule (aka OFS) and any other schedules you might want for handy reference (ie. P&I schedule)  In years past some of us have also lugged around the Program book for reference, but with everything available online and the Blackberry TIFF app you can consider lightening the load by leaving it at home.  Especially if your laptop is one of the items you need to bring around with you.
• Camera - SLR, iphone or something in between... you never know who you might spot at TIFF, plus it's fun to take a pic with friends while waiting in line too.
• Sharpie marker - if you're into the autograph thing, it's the same as the camera, you never know who you might get to meet.
• Mobile phone charger - These are long days, there's much tweeting to do, many friends to meet up with, odds are your phone WILL die on you at some point.  A/c (aka wall) chargers are pretty compact and the under ground PATH has many a hidden outlet you can use.  Hint:  Metro Hall library is also a good place to charge your devices and have a bit of quiet time should you need it.  Plus I'm told TIFF Lightbox has blackberry charging stations, I've never investigated for myself though.
• Cereal bars are the handiest snack of all.  They're individually packed, (mostly) nutritious, and don't go bad.  I always have a couple handy in case I don't get a chance to buy food between films.
• Water bottle - this one's common sense, always stay hydrated!  For space-saving purposes I own one of these, folds flat once it's empty.
• Light jacket/cardigan for days when I'm not already wearing an outer layer.  Sure you're sweating as you're jogging from Ryerson to Lightbox, but then you're going to freeze halfway through the movie!
• Laptop/book/some form of entertainment to keep you occupied while in line.  Don't strap your xbox to your back, but everyone has something they do to pass the time, I've seen knitting, hackey sac, and sketchbooks to name a few. As mentioned in previous entries, mine is my tablet/iphone that provides of a combo of internet, ebook, games, and music. (Mobile blogging too!  Might have to test that out this festival)
• Volunteer t-shirt (where applicable)  Can't volunteer without your shirt! :)
• Bit of cash is good to have handy, hot dog vendors don't take debit.

Though this list is meant for those hanging out downtown for an entire day, I must admit I do stop in at home more than the average TIFF-goer since I live just east of the core.  I take my bag of esstentials around in the daytime but if I'm able to go home briefly in the evening I like to leave it all behind and just bring a wallet and camera to my last film of the day.  To facilitate a handy transition I use a small purse that holds the usual... wallet, keys, make-up, hand sanitizer, etc.  I drop the little purse into my mid-sized bag in the day time then pull it out pre-sorted whenever I want.

Hope everyone has a great festival regardless of what you pack!

TIFF Overnighter 2011

With the start of single ticket sales, we're another step closer to TIFF11.  As it has been for some years now, the intensely (insanely?) devoted could be found outside Metro Centre as early as Friday morning, staking out a good spot for 7am, Saturday September 3rd when the box office begins processing sales.  My good friends J, Sachin, Eddy, and I were amongst these fanatics (not as rookies either!); this blog includes some of my recollections of the night.

The party began for me around 6:30pm Friday evening after picking up my daytime package; I was armed with camp chair, films notes, tarp (it was still raining when I left), bottled water, and whimsical hoodie.  The boys had been holding a spot for me, Sachin (with the help of our friend Darrin) had been there since 4:30 holding spots for us.  They'd met a kindred film soul in line named John, who was as good as family to us for the remainder of the night.  I sent out my obligatory tweet (#TIFFOvernightLine if you want to see how it played out live) and got settled in for a long night.

The great thing about pulling an overnighter with a group is you can spell each other off to grab dinner, restock water, take washroom breaks, go to the LCBO for a nightcap (haha), etc.  Other things that helped make our night better included the forecasted rain stopping early, poutine, and comics -- at least that was the magic combo for Eddy.

During civilized hours we had several visitors stop by to provide moral support, Darrin, Genevieve, Adil, and Jason amongst them.  Even more people tweeted/facebooked to say they were rooting for us.  We persevered with our film lists while simultaneously distracting each other with the standard nerd (movie or otherwise) fodder, by midnight we'd covered all the basics... Star Wars, LOTR, Harry Potter, Kevin Smith and were rehashing our Fan Expo experiences. Eddy lamented that we didn't bring playing cards, someone nearby lamented that nobody brought Settlers of Catan (omg what kind of folks am I camping with?? lol).

First round of reinforcements (aka round of coffees) came from Jason whom we sucked into our black hole of TIFF conversation in record time.  Yes, this is the thanks you get.  But overnight line hero has to be Chris B. who drove down from Yonge and St. Clair at 2am with a jug of coffee, cheese and cracker packs, and a stack of tuna sandwiches!  It was more than we could finish so we went scouting for tired, famished faces in line.

Every year I see a few familiar faces, we only ever seem to meet in this line up, so I use the opportunity to do a little catching up.  In the process meeting new friends as we've reached that point in the night where people will come together to talk about any(movie)thing in order to stay awake.  This is where I met a very enthusiastic Nicole Kidman fan and learned of the plot of Dogville in great detail.

3:30am I started considering sleep when I saw a plastic disc fly through the sky further back in line.  I go investigate and find two fellas (Matt and Mark) tossing a frisbee around!  Being a former frisbee enthusiast I immediately get in on the action after some quick intros, Matt tells me how early he got there and a bit about the films he wants to see between throws. 

Shortly before 5 I fall prey to my first power nap, and wake to rumblings that they are letting us in shortly.  There's a bit of confusion of the order of things, mutterings of an official line-up list (which some overnight campers did not catch wind of) but in the end the good old-fashioned honor system won out (not to mention with so many keen eyes watching, who would dare sneak in where they don't belong?) 

Just before going in, Mark, bringer of the frisbee, came by to say thank you for a good game.  I thank him for thinking to bring a frisbee and wish him good luck with his movies.  "Oh," he says, "I'm not really here for that..."  Ok... after he was out of earshot Sachin and I speculated whether Mark knew that there would be a bunch of people lining up and brought the frisbee in hopes someone would want to play, or if he just regularly wandered through Pecault Square in the middle of the night with a frisbee.  Either way, pretty random.

Once inside members were split into a separate line and Sachin and I found ourselves very well-positioned -- "Membership DOES have its privileges!"  Sachin exclaimed.  From 35th or so outside, we were now in the top 10.  J had a bit of a longer wait though.

At this point I was really fighting the exhaustion, camera crews were sweeping the line and many people wanted to get a picture of the line as they were coming in.  Though I tried my best to fight it, I'm sure there were still a lot of photos of me, passed out, face smashed against the side of my chair -- sexy.

6:50am and there's not even time for one final tweet before they direct us to the kiosks, we begin rattling off our long lists of movies so that orders will be ready to 'process' as soon as the clocks strike 7!

I was later informed that news stories reported disappointment at the TIFF box office that morning, there was a problem with buying online and people not getting what they wanted... I don't know what they were talking about!  I got EVERYTHING I wanted!  Needed 30 tickets and got all 30!  In 6+ years of this line-up, this was the highest success rate I'd ever had! This was echoed by Sachin and other patrons around me at the kiosks.  I say great job TIFF box office!  When I first came in the line set-up looked crazy, but I guess there is a method to your madness.

The TIFF11 campout itself was mostly pleasant, I was thrilled to have good company to keep me going through the night, some pleasant diversions, and a most pleasing outcome!  See you and your camping chair again next year!

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AFTERWORD

About the Cast:

"Sachin" is a contributing blogger for the TIFF Midnight Madness Blog
"J" is artistic - here is proof.
"Eddy" is a connoisseur of film, music, and comic arts.
"John" is utilizing his 25-and-under "student" status to see premium screenings for only $25.

A Novice’s Guide to getting TIFF tickets

I’ve recently had a couple of friends who’ve never attended the Toronto International Film Festival ask me where to find a schedule of the movies and how to get tickets, so I thought I’d share the answer with everyone.

Starting tomorrow, the full list of films including synopsis and screening times will be available on the TIFF website, it’s a daunting list of hundreds so put aside a few hours for reading.  Alternatively, browse by programs and narrow it down to the types of films you’re interested in.  A number of films have already been announced with partial synopsis and images posted on the website, I’ve personally started a short list from those.  When making your short list, stay open-minded and include all options, the more diverse and flexible your list, the greater your chances of enjoying the festival.

Believe it or not, going through the films is the easy part.  Once the schedule is up you’re gonna want to double check all the films you’ve “short-listed” (if you’re particularly anal you might go and re-read all the synopsis you’ve rejected, just to make sure you haven’t overlooked anything) to see if a) they’re still of interest and b) if they’re screening at times & locations where/when you will be available.  Next we get into the money variable.  I’m not just talking how much you want to spend in total, but also how much you’re willing to spend on each film.  Since I’m targeting novices here, the majority of you will not have a pass or vouchers, meaning every show equals money spent.  Look at your films carefully, online and in the Official Film Schedule, some films will be marked as “Premium Screenings”, this means there will be talent (ie director/cast) in attendance with some sort of red carpet (“red carpet” sounds all glamorous, but that’s really all it is, a red carpet, you don’t get to walk on it next to Brad Pitt, nor do you get handed a glass of champagne at the entrance).  It also means you’ll be paying $40 to get in instead of the usual $20, quite a hit to the wallet for most of us.  If you desperately need to share the air and try to catch Brad Pitt’s eye from across a crowded room, then maybe you’ll want to pay the $40, but otherwise the 2^nd screening (usually a day or 2 later) at the regular price is a much better option.  So double check that before heading to the box office or you could be in for a surprise at checkout.

Maybe you’re a little conflicted, there’s 4 great films all screening on Tuesday night when, not to worry, put these films in order of preference and bring the whole list to the box office (or online) with you.  Lines are long, tickets are often limited, so your additional options are gonna come in handy when Brad’s film is sold out and instead of walking away empty-handed and having to line up again later after you find an alternative film, you’ll know right away to ask for a ticket to Jason Statham’s film instead. (Disclaimer:  These examples do not reflect my actual film/actor preferences)

There are several ways to get your tickets.  If you’re paying regular price, it’s usually fastest to buy online.  If you choose to purchase in person there are still a few different ways to go about it.  At the main box office, in the concourse level of Metro Centre this year (underground near King & John), you can purchase all your tickets in advance where available.  Be prepared to wait a while in line, especially during the first half of the festival and during peak hours (lunch, after work).  Each venue also has its own box office where same day tickets are sold, they usually open one hour before the first screening of the day.  Finally there’s this thing called “Rush” which is essentially a line that forms 1 to 2 hours before a screening for the chance to get last minute tickets (sometimes tickets reserved for the filmmakers or special guests are returned, or sponsors with large blocks of seats don’t need them all, or people just don’t show up… all these seats are counted minutes before the show starts and resold to those in the Rush line).  Sounds pretty iffy?  Well actually it’s not, depending on the venue.  If you’re among the first 20-30 at venues such as Ryerson and the Elgin, you’ll mostly likely get in.  So while it is a bit of a time commitment, your dedication usually pays off.  If you’re up for any movie provided it’s at a certain day/time, hop into the rush line at one of the multiplexes like AMC or Scotiabank where 2 or 3 different movies will go in around the same time, and you will definitely get into one of the movies.

What to expect at TIFF:  This isn’t your average movie-going experience.  Don’t expect to show up, buy a ticket, and go in.  The one thing you are sure to encounter at TIFF is LINE-UPS.  Some people find this frustrating and the time commitment for going to a single movie a bit too much.  I don’t blame them, much as I love TIFF, I realize it’s not for everyone.  You do all this movie research, pick you films, line up for tickets, fail to get tickets, line up for tickets again, and if you’re lucky to get advance tickets… you still have to line up to get into the movie theatre!  I spend a lot of time walking up and down Yonge Street manning the ticketholders line at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre, and people are constantly in disbelief when they show up 45 mins before the show and ticketholders line has snaked north up Yonge, east on Shutter, and back down Victoria Street (this happens at least twice a day).

This can also be viewed as signs of enthusiasm and dedication though, these thousands of moviegoers, they’re hardcore!  If you can tap into their energy and excitement, strike up a conversation, and be part of the positive atmosphere, you will have a great time at the festival.  There’s much more I can tell you about the festival, but even better for you to experience it for yourself.  Single tickets go on sale to the general public on September 3^rd.  Happy TIFF-ing everyone!

Breakfast at Tiffanys, Coffee at Cafe Sperl

Another opportunity for cross-blog posting! (my other blog being http://in-foreign-lands.blogspot.com/ )

Something I like to do when visiting other cities is check out locations where famous films were shot. Some cities are obviously easier than others, ie. I think almost every inch of New York City has been in a movie at some point of another :P

For me Vienna is the home of many a famous classical musician, filled with baroque buildings and other old world gems, but it is also where Richard Linklater shot Before Sunrise. Ethan Hawke and July Delphy play Jesse and Celine, two young people who meet by chance on a train and decide to spend a day together wandering through Vienna.

So naturally I'm interested to know where they strolled, which cafe they stopped in, which park they slept in, etc. A quick google search brought me to this page, a concise list of which scenes were shot where, and all linked to google maps!

The main site is called Filmaps at http://www.filmaps.com/ It allows you to search by city or by movie. Just a little added dimension to your travels and a way to take your movie geekdom to new heights ;)

I'm sure no one will be surprised to learn I'm gonna be all over the Sound of Music locations in Salzburg!

It's not too early to be thinking about TIFF

Summer seems like it's only begun.  Luminato just wrapped up and now the Toronto Jazz Festival's in full swing (heh, no pun intended), all of this making TIFF seem so far off all the way out in September.  But the truth is, with new membership advance sales, TIFF passes are already on sale to members and opening up to Visa card holders next week and the general public shortly after.  There are a limited number of passes and folks have been buying them up for week now, so shouldn't you plan to get yours?

Admittedly the prices can be pretty daunting, who's got close to $600 to drop on movies and the time to watch 50 films in 11 days??  However if you're willing to put in the time to plan and corroborate a bit, great deals can be had from purchasing a TIFF pass.

This year I've opted for a 20 Film Day Pack which came to about $190.  Given my involvement with volunteering and getting film vouchers that way, it might seem a little excessive, but after some primitive math I still see it as the best value for me personally.  It breaks down crudely like this:

50 anytime film pack = $10.48+tax/film
30 anytime film pack = $12.87+tax/film
20 daytime film pack = $8.50+tax/film
10 anytime film pack (this one also lets you get up to 4 tix per film) = $16+tax/film

My day pass will only allow me to redeem for shows that start at 5pm or earlier, however with a bit of time off and 4 weekend days, I can easily see 3 films before 5pm each day.  If there are 6 days where I can do this, I will have already used 18 of my 20 pack!

Perhaps this isn't realistic, at some point I will have to do a volunteer shift during the day, but I have friends who are purchasing anytime film packs, with whom I might be able to exchange a show or two.  For evening screenings I have my volunteer vouchers, and together should make for a pretty complete festival experience.

When you've been going to the festival for as long as I have, and know as many people from the festival as I do, you will find you rarely wind up attending a screening alone.  There will always be someone else you know at the same movie, but if you want to take it one step further and make a concerted effort, you can select similar shows as your package-holder friends.  Or redeem vouchers for a pair of tix.  Or even trade with friends, pick up an extra ticket for a show for them on your pack and ask them to get a ticket on their pass for you.

If value is your primary concern, take a few days off and get that day pack.  Or team up with a friend and split a 50.  There are many opportunities to make the festival what you want it to be, these are just some of our tips and hints for picking your pass.

More festival-ing pointers to come over the summer!

Summer Movie Freebies

It's summer in Toronto and the movies are free!  Harbourfront, Metro Square (which is actually called David Pecaut Square now, like anyone will remember that?) and Yonge Dundas Square free screenings return with the warm weather, here are their schedules:

Harbourfront Centre - http://media.harbourfrontcentre.com/mediaDisplay.php?id=931
Metro Square - http://www.torontoed.com/tiff
Yonge Dundas Square - http://www.ydsquare.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=63&Itemid=109

No more complaints of boredom Tues/Wed nights come July!
(and on a completely unrelated note, if you're looking to fill your Monday evenings as well, my friend Chris organizes weekly pick-up frisbee at the Ryerson quad http://www.facebook.com/#!/home.php?sk=group_2417738825)

Summer blockbuster season is also underway as well as some stellar programming at TIFF Lightbox, it might be a little hard to spend quality time outdoors if this release schedule keeps up!

Manhattan Movie Mania

As some of you may be aware, I am of the fickle nature and fraternize with multiple blogs. An opportune topic has given me the chance to write a cross-blog post, uniting my love of travel and movies (and spending money).

Copied below is an entry I posted in my travel blog last week about where to purchase movies in Manhattan, hope you find it useful, or at least an interesting read.

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Manhattan Movie Mania

For those who know me personally, you'll know that most of my paycheques are spent on one of 2 things - travel or movies. And every once in a while the two come together.

The obvious is when I attend different film festivals during my travels, but I also like to do a little movie shopping where ever I go and have much to say on the topic. For those who are not avid collectors (or travelers), one of the first things is to make sure you'll be able to play what you buy overseas at home. I have a region-free DVD player for this purpose, though most DVDs will play on a computer, blu-rays are much trickier (though all-region blu-ray players seem to be getting cheaper). If you're still unsure, then your safest bet is to buy all your movies within North America. Foreign films are usually easiest to find in the country from which they originate, just make sure they have English subtitles or you understand the original language. Also if you're an anti-fullscreen fanatic like me, it's worthwhile to learn the word for "widescreen" (if you don't know what the terms "full screen" and "widescreen" mean, we cannot continue to be friends until you've read this ) and keep in mind anything from the early 50's or older will not be widescreen, so they're safe to buy indiscriminately. Many countries impose fines or penalties if you are caught with bootleg movies, therefore I don't encourage purchasing unlicensed discs.

While I was in New York last month, I made an effort to check out a few stores, where I came across some bargains and rare finds. Note: These are not your slick large chain stores with the shiny displays of the lastest Fast & Furious movie, expect a little grim, have some patience, and be prepared to be surrounded by collector geeks.

The DVD Funhouse is a cramped store on Broadway near Union Square, I found it one night last year on my way to The Strand bookstore (which is almost kiddie corner from this place). They feature a good - but incomplete - selection of steeply discounted movies. Most discs are new, they stock mostly DVDs with a little Blu-ray, and the majority of the titles are all under $10. If I had to guess, I would say these are excess stock of blockbusters from years past that never sold at larger retailers. I've amused at the horrible reviews this place gets on google, it's a discount store for bargain movie hunters, not an HMV. As a frequenter of Union Square, I intend to stop by here every visit, I think it's a good spot for deals.

Also nearby is an Entertainment Outlet, with a wider selection than DVD Funhouse including more obscure & classic titles. This place requires a LOT of patience though, be prepared to crouch and flip through bins. There are walls of new regular-prices movies, discounted $5.99 (average) titles in the middle aisles, and steeply discounted $3.99 DVDs in bins sitting on the floor (the latter two in no particular order). They sell a mix of new and used movies, again mostly DVD, but they do have some blu-rays and even a Criterion section. I would recommend this place for avid collectors, bring some hand sanitizer though as the cases are dusty.

Academy Records is another collector's haven, though they advertise a movie selection this place is more of a music collector's dream, especially if you buy records and/or are a fan of classical/jazz/older music. I only glanced at the classical section and found it not only separated by composer but also by musical period (ie. mideval, pre-classical, etc. which blew my mind). Video-wise there are a lot of DVDs of classical music performances, but when it comes to actual movies, the DVD/Blu-ray selection is a bit slim.

All of the above are good spots, but be prepared to leave your heart and life savings behind at Kim's Video in the East Village. Odds are, if you've ever searched for it fruitlessly, it'll be here. For those who frequented Suspected Video on Queen Street before it burned down :( Kim's is just like Suspect except everything is for purchase! It's roughly the same size, building in a similar state of disrepair (haha) with titles organized by country, then director with special sections for new releases, blu-rays, eras, and other special collections. For North American titles they are separated by decade. There are collections here I never knew existed, things I would never have thought to search for even on-line! If you're into old hollywood there are complete studio collections from the Hollywood Code era, silent era, etc. Everything is full price but you'll want to buy it anyway, this is one of my new favourite places in NYC.

Ada in 10 movie titles

Apologies it took me nearly a month to revisit this topic. I could tell you how much soul-searching and imdb-ing was required in order to narrow it down to just 10 titles that would capture the essence of me perfectly... but the truth is I got busy, unmotivated, and busy some more. 3 or 4 titles were jotted down from day one and it really took me no more than 20 mins just now to hammer out the rest.

For those who have just joined in, this is a response blog to my previous entry:
Describe Yourself to me in 10 Movie Titles
http://blogginginoblivion.blogspot.com/2011/03/describe-yourself-to-me-in-10-movie.html

Admittedly I've only gotten 2 responses, perhaps this task is either too uninteresting or too hard. Nonetheless, I promised to post what I received and my own list.

Further set-back, one of the responses is coming via snail mail and has yet to arrive. The other I received from film_no_r:

A Serious Man
In the Mood For Love
Lolita
The Experiment
Sex, Lies & A Videotape
...it Happened One Night
Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang
The Last Detail
Igby Goes Down
Tell No One

Good list dude. We'll just refrain from asking about Lolita ok? ;)


As for me...in no particular order:

1. Ghost world
2. Groove (my past)
3. When Harry Met Sally (I couldn't think of another movie where the boy/girl knew each other for a million years before dating)
4. Toronto Stories
5. New York, I Love You
6. European Vacation
7. St Elmo’s Fire
8. It’s Kind of a Funny Story
9. Dinner with Friends (I detest the actual movie btw)
10.Reality Bites

Couple others that I considered: Art School Confidential and Days of Being Wild

I continue to welcome your submissions, just sayin' ;)

Describe yourself to me in 10 movie titles

Through my teen and adult years writing has been a passion of mine. From supernatural horror novellas staring my friends in middle school, to mystery stage plays in high school, to narcissistic blogging in my 20's... I've always picked up a pen (er, grabbed a keyboard?) at the slightest provocation.

Aspects of writing that I didn't enjoy as much - many of the essays I did in school :P, really bad poetry (I no longer have any delusions that I can be a poet), and creative writing assignments with few parameters. Last one's a little weird right? I'm happy to write about whatever comes to mind in my format of choice, and I'm happy with very specific guidelines like 'write a witty zombie haiku that will appeal to _______ director in order to win tickets to his/her movie'. But the assignments that fall in between? No thanks.

Since I can't very well go around telling people "write whatever you want" (well I could, but they would just think I'm an even bigger idiot), I will instead, propose a specific writing challenge to anyone who is interested (doesn't matter if I know them or not, actually it might be even better if I don't so please feel free to share this blog with all your creative friends):

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Describe yourself to me in 10 Movie Titles

Using titles of films that actually exist, choose 10 that best describe you as a person. You can use titles that convey the message directly (ie. The 40 Year Old Virgin) or where you relate to the content or a particular character (ie. your daily life is a bunch of scenes from Office Space)

Feel free to give a bit of an explanation why you chose the films you did (especially if it's humorous, I love a good real-life-is-funnier-than-fiction story). Or not. I mean, something like Requiem for a Dream is probably pretty self-explanatory.

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In turn I will work on the same assignment and post it here when I'm done. Along with any other lists that I receive. To submit please feel free to send me a message on Facebook, email me if you know the address, or leave a comment here and I'll send it to you.

(As a sidenote, I formulated this idea while signing up to participate in this other writing project of sorts http://aletterfor.me/ which seemed to be getting attention from a handful of friends, thought I should at least give this )

Very interested to see if I get any responses. Happy compiling and writing!

30 Films in 31 Days - 2011 Edition

I'm very late posting this, but my belief is good cinema is never outdated. As some of you are aware, a group of friends and I started doing this "30 Films in 31 Days" challenge about 4 years ago. Primary goals were to catch up on movie-watching and beat the boredom of the winter blahs. For each film watched, the homework was to write a minimum 2-line review of and give it a rating out of 5.

Since its inauguration the group has expanded over FB to include other acquaintances and strangers alike. The currently has 83 members, not all of whom actively take part in the challenge every year, but like to keep tabs on our progress and wish us well. And so, once again, we found ourselves this past January amidst lively discussions, movie poster images, trailers, and even a few movie dates in between.

Even amongst the active participants, we range from those who have to work really hard to get through 30, those who forget to do reviews after the 6th movie, to those who reach 30 by mid-month and keep going on going. I personally made it to 40 films this year owing to some very cold weekends where I didn't bother to leave my apartment.

Below are my collected reviews for 2010, if you would like to take part in the challenge next year, please join the group on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#/group.php?gid=7202166447&ref=ts I guarantee no spam throughout the year, just a few friendly reminders to get your movie on at the end of December.

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1) The Hangover - dir. Todd Phillips

What better way to kick of Jan 1st than with a hangover -- er, I mean THE Hangover! ;) I suppose punchlines that rely heavily on the 'WTF' factor will never be as good as the first time, but there were still plenty of laugh out loud moments. Also being familiar with Zach Galifianakis now, you really get a deeper sense of appreciation watching him master 'awkward' without always having to rely on physical comedy.

4/5


2. The Darjeeling Limited - dir. Wes Anderson

My favourite Wes Anderson film (from what I've seen -- I'm short Fantastic Mr Fox & Life Aquatic) which I watched today with Hotel Chavalier (for those who haven't seen, it's a short meant to precede The Darjeeling Limited and it paints a little background on Jason Schwartzman's character and his relationship with his ex-gf played by Natalie Portman) Seeing the short gives a little more depth to the movie, but is not required to enjoy the movie. Love the writing, love the dialogue.

4.5/5


3. Where the Wild Things Are - dir. Spike Jonze

Another fantastic director, a beloved children's book, and Jim Henson's Puppet Workshop. Not story-driven so much but truly taps into the raw emotion of youth.

3.5/5

4. Green Snake - dir. Tsui Hark

I was surprised when I imdb'd this title and discovered it was made in 1993 as opposed to 5 years (or more) earlier. It's based on Chinese folklore about 2 snake spirits impersonating 2 beautiful women (Maggie Cheung & Joey Wang), living amongst humans learning about love and life. Perhaps this was before Tsui Hark had proved himself enough for anyone to give him any money for special effects because I probably could've found more realistic "snakes" at the CNE midway. Also I found the language challenging (and the subtitles worse) as it flip flopped between vapid flirtations to Buddhist recitations with spiritual powers and mythical beings that have not been explained to me.

2/5


5. Madame X - dir. David Lowell Rich

The 1966 adaptation stars Lana Turner as Holly Parker, wife of a socialite who is blackmailed by her mother in law to leave her husband and son. She wanders the world and tries to forget her sorrows with absinthe, only to find herself decades later in New York with a man threatening to expose her true identity leading to events even more shocking. The DVD jacket gives even more details of the plot and after reading it I thought "what else could there possibly be to show after they've just told me everything?" But what I discovered was an amazing performance by Lana Turner and supporting cast, a character with a lot of depth, and emotional ending that's satisfying but not cliche.

4/5

6. Belle de Jour - dir. Luis Bunuel

This film is described as Bunuel's "most accessible" film and thank god for that! It's the story of a frigid young dr's wife who resorts to escaping to fantasy until she takes a day job at a brothel. However her attachment to one of her clients leads to shocking events blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. Catherine Deneuve is a stunning beauty if not lacking slightly in range when it comes to her acting and the story curious if not always logical.

3.5/5


7. Somewhere - dir. Sophia Coppola

Been looking forward to this one despite being told not to get my hopes too high. As a result I think it's rather pleasant to look at, kept me occupied but not obsessed. Don't expect conflict nor catharsis (even though I think that's what the end is supposed to be about), it's a voyeuristic look at an unconventional family coping rather well and each major character is rather likeable given the characters they're supposed to represent (ie. Stephen Dorff is about the best deadbeat celebrity dad I've ever seen, Elle Fanning is a delightful rich daughter, even the relationship between Elle's mother & father is probably best that can be expected)

Spoiler alert: I think it would've been better if the movie ended with him sending her off to camp with credits rolling after he turns to walk away and her car drives off.

3/5

8. Blow-Up - dir. Michelangelo Antonioni

I've seen this a few times before and enjoy re-watching it every so often. Aside from being iconically 60's (from dress to music to ideals), it's the story about a photographer who unknowingly photographs a murder. Not your typical hollywood storytelling (at least not by current standards), it has that distanced and slightly voyeuristic feel (so perfect for watching with Belle du Jour and Somewhere). Of course all the Antonioni trademarks are present -- the original scene compositions, objects that separate/divide the scene etc.

3/5

9. Good By Lenin - dir. Wolfgang Becker

Second time seeing this and for some reason I always think it's little more than a comedy (albeit a good one) but then upon viewing, realize it's so much more. It's the story of Alex and his family in East Germany, whose devout socialist mother has a heart attack and falls into a coma for 8 months, right before the wall falls and drastic change sweeps through the country. When she awakes, in order to prevent her from shock, which would be fatal, they need to pretend that her socialist world has not crumbled. (in short -- imagine creating a communist nation in the confines of a bedroom)

There are chuckles and giggles aplenty watching Alex round up his mother's former party friends, dumpster diving for remnants of former East Germany. But the greater story is watching one family pull together and do whatever it takes to care for one another. It's an intricate look at family and personal relationships, the factors that pull and push. A very well-told story.

4/5


10. Kvinnors vantan (aka "Secrets of Women" in North America, "Waiting Women" in Asia... I found several titles for this film) - dir. Ingmar Bergman

When I found this title in Singapore for $3 I thought what the hell, why not? Even though I little about Bergman and even less about the film. It's the story of 5 women (most of them sisters-in-law) waiting for the return of their husbands, in the meantime sharing stories of their marriages. 3 main tales are featured with content ranging from infideltiy to reigniting passions. I wasn't sure what I was getting into but it turned out to be a very interesting watch.

Each story not only covers different aspects of a relationship, but has distinct elements - ie. one is entrench with angry dialogue, another barely has any, while the third is a back and forth banter (that was almost like a foreign His Girl Friday). And yet, at the same time visual similarities would tie things together... I really liked his use of mirrors in the shots.

3.5/5

11. The Runaways - dir. Floria Sigismondi

Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett? Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie? Surprisingly they weren't bad at channeling 70's bad girls from the band The Runaways. It's your typical tale of young girls with big dream, living the rock 'n roll dream but finding out about the dark side of being a rock star too -- drugs, rivalry, leading mental & physical collapse. Nothing award winning, but if you don't take it too seriously and are a fan of the 70's glam rock, platform shoes, and bad-ass chicks this movie does score some points on the enjoyability scale. Made me realize I need more glitter and platform shoes in my life.

3/5


12. 12 Monkeys - dir. Terry Gilliam

Been a lot of years since I last saw this and kudos to Gilliam for production designs and dialogue that doesn't make this movie seem horribly dated. Bruce Willis is an convict from the future, back in time (to the 90's) to gather information about a deadly virus that wipes out the human race. I guess the problem with most post-apocalyptic movies is that they always have the character travel back to the year the movie was made, with references to that time so eventually it adds a certain cheesy element to the story over time (I like to compare this to Zach Morris' brick phone on Saved By the Bell, so cool when when we were kids, now that butt of every 90's joke) Admitted it's not too terrible in 12 Monkeys, but it is kinda there... I didn't love the movie when it first came out (like I'd hoped I would), 15 years later I appreciate it a lot more, but the freshness of the story is kinda gone.

3.5/5


13. Comic Book Confidential - dir. Ron Mann

Ok, this was seriously cool (perhaps a very nerdy thing for me to say?) It's the 1988 documentary by Ron Mann about the history of the comic industry covering a broad and diverse spectrum within the medium along with the turbulence and controversy artists have faced. Though many of us read them as children (or still do), comics have been largely overshadowed by television when it comes to cultural dominance. We talk about TV censorship and nipple-gate, but in every media class I've ever taken there was little to be said about the censorship issues that comics came up against.

Naturally I was pleased that this doc wasn't a 2 hour interview with Stan Lee (though he was in there and I respect him) but also included artists from different genres and a number of underground artists as well. I wish Mann or someone else would do a follow-up to this, naturally I'm biased but would love to see some interview footage with Gaiman, Clowes, Sacco, Tomine, etc. (in case anyone cares, I don't count Joe Sacco amongst my favs but I think he's made a huge contribution to comics in terms of reaching new audiences with his stories and subjects)

4/5

14. Yellow Submarine - dir. George Dunning

It's everyone's favourite 60's Beatles acid trip! Where the fab four (as Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band) journey in a yellow submarine to Pepperland to expel the Blue Meanies and bring music back to the land! lol it's actually still a pretty decent movie to watch sober, the cliches are of the 60's ideology rather than those of primitive animation. In fact, visually it remains a lot of fun, with use of mix media, vivid colours, creative creatures, etc. I don't know why I don't watch this more often.

3.5/5


15. The A-Team - dir. Joe Carnahan

The blu-ray was sitting around my place and a couple others have watched & reviewed this month so I figured I'd get in on the action. There's a plot somewhere in the movie, but mostly what I derived from it is... bunch of army dudes getting together, shooting stuff, causing a ruckus, and spouting mediocre one-liners. Did I miss anything crucial? I think Mr T is supposed to have some crisis of conscience, and this is represented by his haircut. (so deep...) I had no expectations for this movie so it was 2 hours of watching macho-looking guys run around doing tough guy stuff. I suppose it kept my attention... or was that Bradley Cooper's crazy blue eyes and shirtlessness?

2/5

(Spoiler: I would've given it a 3 if Bradley Cooper had been in the tanning booth naked when they nabbed him and he had to do the follow scene naked...)


16. Slap Shot - dir. George Roy Hill

Some might think this is right up my alley, being a hockey nut n all. A story about a struggling minor league team resorting to goon-ish tactics to build a reputation and secure their team's future. I have to admit the Hanson brothers are the greatest yesmen & goons, and some of those on-ice tactics had me howling. The rest of the story was rather meh though, to my disappointment. Moved too slowly for my liking and I felt no attachment to any of the characters, I was actually looking for other things to do as the same time as they muddle through their conversations and did a whole lotta not much.

2/5

17. The 400 Blows - dir. Francois Truffaut

The touching autobiographical story of a mischievous, misunderstood young boy who finds himself neglected by his parents and often in trouble at school. Masterfully captured here is the mix of innocence and conscience that lands Antoine in situations he's not quite equipped to handle. Wonderful intricate storytelling.

4/5


18. The Joneses - dir. Derrick Borte

Demi Moore's perfect body,David Duchovny and their teenage children Jenn and Mick make up the model family in The Jones, but there's more to this picturesque family than meets the eye. It's a modern tale than embodies the classic themes -- love, family, conscience, evils of consumerism etc. told with the lastest golf clubs, frozen h'orderves, designer jewellery, and fancy Audis. It's not going to change the world, but it will stave off boredom for 95mins.

3/5


19. Breathless - dir. Jean-Luc Godard

The quintessential French art film in my eyes. Small-time thief Michel kills a policeman after stealing a car and goes in search of his love, an America student named Patricia. Together they dodge the police in the streets of Paris and hide out in her apartment, making love and have long conversations (captured by even longer panning shots -- amazing!) about life and everything about it that can be philosophized. Arty lingering close-ups, and Paris landmarks complete this masterpiece.

3.5/5


20. Bande A Part (aka Band of Outsiders) - dir. Jean-Luc Godard

If it's good enough for Quentin Tarantino to name his production company after, it's good enough for me! Blind worship aside I can see how Band of Outsiders was so influential. Arthur and Franz like to dress and act like American gangsters, they convince innocent Odile (perfectly portrayed by Anna Karina) from their English language class to help them steal a large sum of money from her benefactors. In the meantime a love triangle forms as they spend their time out and about in Paris, from strolls in Place Clichy to the unforgettable dash through the Louvre (wish I could reenact that scene without getting tackled by a security guard). I can't really decide which I like most, the settings, the story, or the camera work.

4.5/5


21. The Fighter - dir. David O. Russell

Christian Bale winning the Golden Globe last night sums it up well, alongside all the other acting nominations. While the story may be based on real events of fighter Micky Ward's life, it is your basic loser makes good tale. I'm continually impressed by Mark Wahlberg's acting repertoire (remember the first I heard of him, he was Donnie Wahlberg of NKOTB's brother...) but really Bale, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo do a lot to make this film into the powerhouse that it is.

4/5


22. The Machinist - dir. Brad Anderson

More Christian Bale -- but less of him at the same time (60 Ibs less to be exact) Again it's a film where the performance makes the movie, take that away and I thought the story greatly paled in comparison to something like Fight Club, both of which start with a man unable to sleep to the point where delusions take over their lives. So I gotta ask, I don't sleep much, and sometimes I start going crazy from it, but how come it doesn't make me lose weight?

3.5/5 (.5 for Christian Bale's performance)


23. Sugar - dir. John Palmer

Penned in part by Bruce LaBruce, the dvd cover of this flick tries to promote it as a "coming of age" story but I think that a typo for "cumming". I knew what I was getting into before I pressed play, but I didn't think the guys should have all the fun in reviewing such provocative films. Plus I was curious to know if Brendan Fehr ever resorted to full frontal to further his acting career (sadly he's got more dignity than that). Oh yeah, the movie... it was completely watchable. Stark portrayals if not very in depth of a teenage boy discovering his homosexuality with a hot hustler/addict.

3/5


24. Spider - dir. David Cronenberg

Though a little dark for mass consumption, I feel Cronenberg's Spider was a bit underrated. Spider (nicknamed by his nother) is a mentally disturbed man released from an institution to live in a halfway house near where he grew up and his illness began, as he revisits these places and the events of his childhood we see the truth (and his worsening condition) unfold. Ralph Fiennes gives a great performance as do the supporting roles, who teeter on just slightly larger-than-life to match Spider's amplified perceptions of them.

3.5/5


25. Delicatessen - dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Much darker than I expected but still included many hints of greatness that would follow in his later works. In a world where food is scarce to the point where your neighbors start to look tasty, a butcher (and owner of the apt building where the film takes place) hires a new maintenance man with more in mind that a few household repairs. But when the new hire and the butcher's daughter begin a romance, she needs to find a way to foil her father's plans. They are also surrounded by an array of colourful tenants each with a story of their own. What you wind up with is an intricate tale and elaborate set decor, all combined to make one hell of a messed up world that strangely enough, you can still sorta relate to (hey, I said "sorta"!)

3/5


26. Priceless (aka Hor de prix) - dir. Pierre Salvadori

This film was so digestible and filled with designer dresses/jewellery that I went to investigate which chick lit novel it was based on, turns out it's the director's take on Breakfast at Tiffany's. Priceless stars the beautiful (but also freakishly skinny) Audrey Tautou as a golddigger who mistakes barman Jean as another wealthy hotel guest, he is smitten with her and plays along. After she is caught and loses her rich benefactor she cruelly maintains her lifestyle at Jean's expense until he's broke and has to find his own sugar momma to get by. It's an easy watch and entertaining, but not hysterically funny or anything, and sometimes you can't help but turn up your nose in disgust/annoyance at one or both leads. Gad Elmaleh does a pretty good pathetic love-sick puppy, I didn't really buy Audrey Tautou's "genuine" moments.

3/5

27. Control - dir. Anton Corbijn

This is the heartbreaking story of Ian Curtis (lead singer of Joy Division), a troubled young musician who killed himself on the verge of superstardom. I'm a little biased when I say heartbreaking because Joy Division is one of my favourite bands, but it is a lovingly crafted film. Anton Corbijn knows his subject well (having photographed Joy Division way back when, and then making his directorial debut with Control, not to mention the interviews for the Joy Division documentary) and made an interesting choice to have the film in black & white (it was actually shot in colour). I love the minimalist style, how it was story drive, and the way those closest to Ian all pitched in to make it happen - Anton Corbijn directed based on Debbie Curtis' book, the cast learned all the songs and performed themselves in the film, New Order recorded all the additional music, etc.

4/5


28. No Strings Attached - dir. Ivan Reitman (father of Jason)

Cute little romantic comedy staring the lovely Nathalie Portman and (bare-assed) Ashton Kutcher about a girl who doesn't do the whole relationship thing, and instead bumps into an old acquaintance and has a friends with benefits arrangement with him instead, except it's harder to keep feelings out of the arrangement than they think. It's actually pretty good for the most part, some obvious pitfalls where they overplay the cliches, but a lotta laughs (that are not based on dumb physical comedy mishaps) and some good sidekick roles (ie. his buddies and her roommates).

SPOILERS: 2 things that irked me most and kept me from really liking this movie (because there was so much stuff that was adorable) was that other chick from his work turning out to be crazy -- really, the over-wrought neuroticism was enough, why did she have to descend to batshit crazy? Audience can understand perfectly why he'd prefer Nathalie Portman, even if his alternative love interest is semi-normal. 2nd was that horrendous line he gives right before the final kiss, I was all into it, ready to be all emotional with hearts-a-fluttering when he opened his mouth. *groan* then it was all ruined.(I'm taking off .5 just for destroying that moment)

3/5


29. Joy Division - dir. Grant Gee

So I guess I can never watch Control without needing to see Joy Division the documentary immediately afterwards. Pretty standard in terms of a documentary I guess, but it's the subject matter that counts. The interviews interested me, seeing these accomplished individuals (members of New Order and music industry folk who continued after Curtis' death to accomplish great things) talk about days of youth and folly, when they were just starting out. Not sure if Deborah Curtis declined to be interviewed (they use quote from her, presumably from her book), Annik Honore appears but she is a journalist in the business so... Most interesting outside of recounting the story of the band, is their recollections about Manchester and the closing montage of the city that helped shaped their lives and music.

3.5/5

30. Au Revoir Les Enfants - dir. Louis Malle

A Royale with Cheese to whoever can tell me why I wanted so badly to watch this movie around the same time as I watched Bande A Part ;)

Bit of an understated WW2 Holocaust tale that takes place in a Catholic boys school, where the focus is on young Julien Quentin and his classmates whose lives are relatively untouched by the war. A new classmate with a secret arrives at the school, and while him and Julien are sometimes rivals, they also form a friendship. I enjoyed seeing the inner-workings of the boys school life and development of friendships, what I liked most were how the subplots eventually became huge factors in the story by the end. And obviously you can't help but think of this film as a motivator for Inglorious Basterds, even though they are quite different.

3/5

31. Labyrinth – dir. Jim Henson

I don’t think I fully appreciated the wonders of Blu-ray until I bought this Jim Henson double-set, wow, what a difference NOT watching Labyrinth on VHS makes! It’s still very much a children’s movie (featuring Henson’s creatures, Jennifer Connelly, and David Bowie’s package... the things our parents let us see in the 70’s/80’s…) about a young girl who is resentful of her little brother and wishes for the King of the Goblins would take him away, until he actually does and now she must navigate the labyrinth to get her brother back. I’d be willing to give this an extra .5 just for the enhanced visuals.

3/5


32. Green Hornet – dir. Michel Gondry

Have I ever rated a Gondry film this low? It’s actually good mindless fun, I guess I just keep wanting some meaning. It might have also benefited with some subtitles for Jay Chou (ouch! I know…) it’s not that I didn’t understand it, but it did take me an extra second or two to process what he’d said, which delayed some of the those punchlines. There’s laughs tho, good enough.

2.5/5


33. The Dark Crystal – dir. Jim Henson

If Labyrinth’s clarity and imagery was enough to make me give it an extra .5, Dark Crystal on Blu-ray has actually changed my mind on how I feel about the entire film! I’ve always favoured Labyrinth over Dark Crystal despite the latter’s cult status (ok fine, Labyrinth has a cult following too I guess), wasn’t sold on Dark Crystal’s story and overall it looked murky to me (even on DVD). It’s the story about a world divided into good and evil at the brink eternal dominance by the evil side unless a young mythical creature can find the missing shard to heal the Dark Crystal and restore order to the world. Sure, there are some cheesey 80’s effects that you’ll never be able to change, but it’s such a treat to see the creatures and backdrops, and the value that it adds to the story. It’s almost like seeing it again for the first time.

3.5/5


34. Muppet Movie – dir. James Frawley

This is the story of how the Muppets got their start in Hollywood, the 100% true story of Kermit’s dreams of reaching out to an audience beyond the swamp, how he met Fozzie at the infamous El Sleazo bar and the rest of the Muppets as they traveled to audition in Hollywood. Full of great cameos, including my fav, Steve Martin as the very disgruntled waiter. Many Muppet movies later this is still my favourite, I’m a Muppet purist so I’m not terribly fond of the new Muppets (ie. Pepe the King Prawn or Johnny Fiamo etc), therefore it’s not surprising I prefer this movie and The Muppet Show.

3.5/5


35. Uncle Buck - dir. John Hughes

John Candy and John Hughes, alongside Macaulay Culkin (when he was a cute little kid)...this is the 80's classic about the uncouth, classic bachelor "Uncle Buck" coming to take care his nieces and nephews when their parents are called away on an emergency. Next to Parenthood this is probably my fav 80's family film, such an embodiment of the decade (like everything else John Hughes right?)

3.5/5


36. When Harry Met Sally - dir. Rob Reiner

Boy meets girl, but they can’t be friends because a man and a women can’t ever just be friends. One of the greatest things about When Harry Met Sally is that it never seems dated (and it has nothing to do with the fact that both stars didn’t vary their hairstyles for 20+ years). I love watching them mature and change… but at the same time remain the same over the years. I enjoy their friendship every bit as much as their repressed romance.

4.5/5


37. (500) Days of Summer – dir. Mark Webb

“This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know upfront, this is not a love story.” This has got to be at least my 4th time seeing this movie… considering it only came out in 2009… It remains great, the more times you watch a film, the more you have the opportunity to see the little details. I remember how much fans of The Smiths loved their connection over the band. Me, I loved how Tom wore an Unknown Pleasures (aka Joy Divison’s first ablum) t-shirt and Summer’s Magritte tribute on her coffee table (I chuckle every time I see it).

4/5 + an overwhelming desire to go get myself an Unknown Pleasures t-shirt


38. Alpha Dog - dir. Nick Cassavetes

Based on a true story about the youngest man to ever be on the FBI's most wanted list and the controversial events that landed him there. On the surface it's a bunch of ne'er do wells partying, getting high, and cursing a whole lot... the very large cast is comprised mostly of young actors most of whom were lesser known when the movie was made (Emile Hirsch, Anton Yelchin, Amanda Sigfried, Olivia Wilde... Justin Timberlake was big name) but also included bigwigs like Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone in smaller rolls, and even Mrs. Wayne Gretzky was in it. Drug dealer Johnny Truelove decides to "kipnap" the younger brother of Jake (who owes Truelove money), young Zack goes along willingly and in return for his cooperation his captors treat him very well, take him out to party with them etc. But eventually the legal repercussions of the kidnapping grow bigger than any of them expected and the story grows more conflicting and tragic. It's surprisingly engaging and everyone turns out a good performance, it's not like the other Cassavetes films that I'm familiar with, this is more like something a Gus Van Sant or Larry Clark fan would see.

4/5


39. Corpse Bride - dir. Tim Burton, Mike Johnson

Cute little story of how Victor, while practicing his wedding vows in the dark woods inadvertently proposes to Emily, corpse bride, who rises from the dead in delight to take him back with her to the underworld. Victor must then try to make his way back to the land of the living and choose between Emily and Victoria, the living bride he was betrothed to. One of my fav Burton movies, little humorous bits, fun creatures, but also a good story to back it up (which sadly isn't always the case with Burton)

3.5/5


40. Empire Records (The Original Edit thank god!) - dir. Allan Moyle

A day in the life (ok, not just any day... Rex Manning day!) of the crazy kids working at the coolest record store ever - Empire Records! To me Empire Records was like the 90's equiv of The Breakfast Club. Sure the characters are cliched and glossed over, but I felt a genuine connection with them when I was in high school - from Liv Tyler's boots to the artist boyfriend haha They were what I wanted to be. 15 years later I still semi-regularly quote lines from the movie.

Sidenote: I knew Allan Moyle did Pump Up the Volume but didn't make the connection that he also directed Weirdsville, which is far from perfect yet I'm still drawn to it enough that I own a copy of the movie.

4.5/5