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? ;)
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