The Oscars, it's better than talking about the weather.

If you're reading this blog, I would hope that you have at least some interest in movies.  As for the Oscars, love em or hate em, it's as good a topic as any to talk about. (Tho if it's not to your fancy, I can go on for 2 hours about tea instead.  I kid you not.)  That's exactly what I've been doing since posting a link to the Academy Nominations page this morning on Facebook.

To bring you up to speed: http://oscar.go.com/nominees

Not too many surprises for me as I skimmed the list, out of the 9 (not 10) Best Picture nominations I've seen
4 and they all deserve to be on the list.  I'm a little surprised Midnight in Paris made the cut, though I adore the film (I'd previously mentioned having some knowledge in modern art helps with the winks and giggles Woody Allen has written in, but they're by no means obscure art/film references) it really is something you're more likely to find in the Best Screenplay section (it's there too).

I had to IMDB A Better Life and Demian Bichir after reading his name in the Best Actor category.  I was too embarrassed to admit this until others also began asking who his was/what the film is about.  Later I would also question how Michael Fassbender managed to get snubbed for this category?  As well as his movie Shame on the whole.

David Fincher appears to have a knack for directing young actors all the way to the Oscars.  Last year it was Jesse Eisenberg, this year it's Rooney Mara up for Best Actress.  No I don't think she'll win, but a very good job all the same.  On the flipside, I've seen 3 of the 5 films nominated for Best Editing and no way there can be something better than Girl With A Dragon Tattoo in that dept!

In the near future I hope to do an Oscars equivalent of this (written of course, I suck at photoshop):

 (aka who I want to win the Oscars vs. who I think will actually win...I just really wanted to slip in the image from (500) Days of Summer)

In the meantime I leave you with the Oscars category that they left out:

Best Animal in a Supporting Role:

Uggie the dog
The Artist

Cosmo the dog
Beginners

Snowy the dog (because in my world, motion capture counts in any category I want)
Adventures of Tintin

Finders Key the horse
War Horse

Tai the elephant
Water For Elephants

and out of left field....the cat from The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo! ;)

Ada's Top 10 Films of 2011

What qualifies:

- any film from a film festival that I attended in 2011
- any film with a Canadian theatrical release dated in 2011
- is listed on www.imdb.com as released in 2011


1. The Artist (France)
2. The Skin I Live In (Spain)
3. Last Night (USA)
4. Incendies (Canada)
5. Muppets (USA)
6. The Adventures of Tintin (USA)
7. Super 8 (USA)
8. Hugo (USA)
9. Midnight in Paris (Spain/USA)
10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (UK/USA)


Narrowly missing the top 10 were:

Juan of the Dead (Spain/Cuba)
Pearl Jam 20 (USA)


Honourable Mentions go to:

Restless (USA)
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (USA)
X-Men First Class (USA)
50/50 (USA)


I did not get around to seeing Moneyball, Ides of March, The Descendants, Drive, My Week With Marilyn, etc.  Films that I think would've been good, tho I'm not entirely certain if they would've been top 10 material in my eyes anyway.

(clicking on titles will bring you to the IMDB page)

I would be very pleased to see The Artist win Best Picture at the Oscars this year.  In a world where the latest and greatest is celebrated, The Artist takes things back to a simpler time -- a silent black and white time, and reminds us of just how far an endearing story and good acting can go.   That dog should be nominated for Best Supporting Actor!

The Skin I Live In is only second to The Artist because the element of surprise will be missing in subsequent re-viewings, and I suspect that will alter my level of enjoyment.  However, as the credits rolled in the TIFF screening, I had to pick my jaw up off the floor.  My friend Sachin and I were just dumbfounded.  I thought it was a very good movie, with an extremity in the plot that just put it over the top.  You're not likely to forget this film. Ever.

Last Night (from TIFF 2010 but released in North America in 2011) won't capture many critics' attention, but it's right up my alley.  It's an exploration of a relationship, questioning morality, temptation and deception.  Perhaps I've always drifted in the grey area when it came right and wrong in love and fidelity, but I'm always taken by plots willing to portray its ambiguities.  Not since Closer and Conversations with Other Women has a movie gripped me in this way.

I realize how much slack I'm going to get for ranking Last Night over something so power and moving such as Incendies, but I will make the same argument as I did for The Skin I Live in.  Once you know a major plot point, subsequent viewings will likely become less powerful.  This was another film from TIFF 2010 but had its Canadian limited release in 2011.  What starts as a relatively straightforward 'search for family secret' story quickly expands into so much more, the movie is moving, horrifying, and heartbreaking.  I always say Canada films never go quite far enough when it comes to evoking emotion, Incendies proves me wrong.

Despite my bias, The Muppets is making a lot of critics' top 10 lists.  It's got a straightforward plot that gives the movie focus but at the same time a lot of room to showcase what the Muppets do best - clean laughs, catchy songs, a few gags, splash of deadpan humour, and lots of heart.  The cameos are amazing as well.  Nothing's perfect but Jason Segel went a long way to apease the oldschool Muppet-lovers and he did right by this one.  He's a Muppet of a Man!

The remainder of the list I don't rank one above the other, all of them made me immensely happy and provided an outstanding cinematic experience.  Starting with The Adventures of Tintin, which had me worried going from the beloved 2D comic to a 3 dimensional world (even though I did not see it in 3D, which I'm kind of glad).  Not having to deal with my nose aching from the glasses, etc. I got a chance to focus on the story and writing, which was excellent.  The humour was so spot on, I knew Edgar Wright wouldn't let me down.  I wanted to watch it again from the beginning as soon as it was done.

Super 8 made me feel like a kid again, sitting in a theatre chair where my feet didn't touch the ground, experiencing the magic of movies where kids my age have amazing otherworldly adventures, eyes wide in wonder and awe.  The dialogue between the children is gold, and the practice of making family classics such as this one should never have fallen by the wayside.

Hugo is another instant family classic, with dazzling visuals, delightful children and a good balance of chuckles and heart-string pulling.  This time tying in a heart-warming history lesson as we learn about one of the forefathers of modern cinema.  Great human and animal casting!

Midnight in Paris is awesome on multiple levels for me, starting with the fact that it's by Woody Allen.  It takes place in one of the greatest cities in the world with a main character who's main preoccupation is harkening back to the golden age of the 20's, filling the movie with familiar names and faces of modern art and surrealist filmmaking (there encapsulating one of the two greatest cameos in film this year -- the other appears in The Muppets).  Yes, it takes a certain knowledge of art history to appreciate all the subtle jokes, but those of us who are just pretentious enough to know that crap, will derive endless enjoyment.

For a long time I desperately wanted to genuinely like just one Harry Potter movie, nevermind love it.  Even without having read the books, the enthusiasm from fans suggested to me that Harry Potter was something very special, but the movies didn't quite reflect that (outside of the obvious).  After David Yates took over in the director's chair the movies began to feel more succinct, the characters maturing and natural development over time helped.  Deathly Hallows Part 1 was good, but needed to be united with its other half.  In the final chapter (by then I had also read the books) everything fell into place, it really was a triumphant finish.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is hands down the best of the series.



Folks, I kid you not Juan of the Dead was on my top 10 list until I went to see Hugo this past weekend.  Aside from the obvious gag in the play on names in the title, it was a rollicking good time.  With so many other films on the list for being a great cinematic experience, I would have to say Juan more than qualifies.

The other film I struggled over whether to put on my top 10 was Pearl Jam Twenty.  I was especially impressed with Cameron Crowe's documentary (that I attended the world premiere of at TIFF 2011) because he crafted a film that won me over despite not being a big fan of the band.  Ultimately I left it off the top 10 list simply because I don't know how many more times I'm going to want to watch PJ20, that makes it no less of an achievement though.

The honourable mentions list are just a sampling of memorable films that went beyond my expectations.  Ok, Fincher's Girl With A Dragon Tattoo wasn't beyond my expectations per se, it is David Fincher after all.  It's hard to do an American remake and have it be as gripping and intense as the original.  X-Men First Class is on the list because it surpassed its predecessors in all aspects (except maybe the soundtrack?) and overall is a superior film by all mainstream standards.  50/50 and Restless both feature terminally ill young people but they don't get bogged by too many cliches, they're touching, humourous, yet understated.  Death is a delicate topic, it's hard to tread lightly while simultaneously creating something memorable.

30 Films in 31 Days

It's YEAR 6 of the annual movie-watching challenge!

The wording may be a little dated but the concept remains the same:

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 TV, DVD, downloaded, in theatres, etc. You can re-watch movies you’ve seen before, but not watch the same movie twice (...haha)

Participants don’t have to watch the same films (though you might enjoy the social aspect of watching movies together and find it easier to share at least some titles)

For each film you will be required to give a two-line review and a rating out of 5, which can be posted on the discussion board (our regular participants have found it most logical to start a thread and group all your reviews in there).

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!

Facebook has seen a few revamps in this time -- rarely for the better.  This year the common practice seems to be:

1) creating a "doc" within the group and then updating it as you watch more films.

2) creating an album on your own page filled with movie posters, posting the review in the description, then providing a link to the whole thing on the 30 Films in 31 Days group page

Some non-FB participants are also using hashtag #30films31days on Twitter to track their progress.  Others are logging mad check-ins on GetGlue.com.

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!  Please spread the word to all the film fanatics you know!

Stay warm and eat lots of popcorn!

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.