Tag: Film Festival

I am not sure how Iannuci came up with Steve Buscemi as Russian leader Khrushchev but fantastically it works in this satirical re-enactment of Stalin’s death and what follows to establish the new rule for Russia. It’s a comedy, it’s silly, pokes fun at Russian politics, Stalin, his family and his cabinet. This could be any country. I would love to hear what Russians think of it.

An amazing cast overall but my favourites by far are Jason Isaacs as Georgy Zhukov, Commander in Chief, and Rupert Friend as highly unpredictable loose cannon son, Vasily Stalin. Can we please have more of these two in comedies? Both stole a few scenes with their brilliant dry Brit delivery. And Michael Palin in the role of Molotov, doing what he does so well, stuttering, now I must now go watch A Fish Called Wanda.

I do need to brush up on my Soviet politics because I missed a few jokes. Will see this again some day.

Directed by Susanna White, Starring Jessica Chastain and Michael Greyeyes

I selected this film because I wanted to see more films directed by women, and the subject seemed to be a different perspective of indigenous peoples.

Catherine Weldon, a portrait painter and Native American rights activist, travels from New York by train to Standing Rock Indian Reservation in the hope of meeting Chief Sitting Bull and painting his portrait. The film is an account of her journey, the friction she faced with the soldiers and government officials who saw her visit as disruptive to the deal they were trying to work with the indigenous peoples. They viewed her meetings with the holy man as a means to strengthen his cause.

Jessica’s Chastain and Michael Greyeyes are both perfectly cast in this gorgeous slow moving film that resembles a painting. Despite the pace, I did not find the film dull or sleepy. The landscape is breathtaking, performances stellar and the focus on the the historical events and indigenous perspective was very impactful. Now I want to read what actually happened….

This was my last TIFF film so at this point I’d seen 29 other films, was tired and in need of something gripping to keep my interest, so perhaps this reflection is not entirely objective.

The story is a very important one, and so vital that people understand the plight of refugees. This is a story of a man, his two young children and his brother who have sought refuge and a new life in France. Like many, they have suffered traumatic events and tragic loss.

This was a slow film that seemed to skate around the lives of these desperate people. It wasn’t until near the end that I felt emotionally invested in anyone. I craved more from the characters to convey their story, to feel their pain and frustration. This seemed to just scratch the surface and then was reduced to a story of love and loss at the end. There is so much more to be gained from stories of refugees that seemed to be missing from this film.

Directed by Olivier Nakache & Éric Toledano, starring Jean-Pierre Bacri, Gilles Lellouche and Suzanne Clément

This was my second last TIFF film, a 9am showing after a late night, and it was worth waking up early for. The programmers really picked a good one to end the festival on a positive note.

I love films that centre around food. Who’s Killing the Great Chefs of Europe was a childhood favourite of mine. I would love to see someone remake it now that we have so many chef competition shows. That film was before it’s time. Someone could really have fun with it today. There is something particularly ridiculous about the stress and competition around creating the ultimate in perishable delights.

C’est La Vie is a crowd pleaser that centres around a grand wedding reception at a Chateau outside of Paris. The affair is being managed by an event and catering firm led by Max who is at a crossroads in his career and life, considering selling his business. The firm has been employed by “Groomzilla” and his fiancé. The groom has requested a 17the century period theme, like Versailles, and the staff are required to wear period costumes complete with dusty old white wigs. While Max’s goal is to put his best foot forward and deliver perfection, the cast of characters employed to work for him at the event are not always synchronized with his approach to the affair and lots goes wrong of course. I won’t spoil the laughs for you, and there are many. The groom gets the biggest laughs, but enough, you need to watch for yourself.

This film has lots of charm and is easy to sit through. Sometimes we need these films to soothe the worried brain. They say laughter is the best medicine and the world could certainly use more comedy in film these days. This one is being added to my list of rewatchables for when I need to feel love in the world and laugh my head off.

Directed by Darren Aronofsky, starring Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Michelle Pfeiffer and Ed Harris

I attended the screening with my mother, yes mother! with mother. My mother and I see all sorts of films together. Several years ago it was her idea to see Killer Joe, a film she loved by the way. My only regret was that our seats were not farther back in the theatre. We were in the third row of the Princess of Wales Theatre, too close for this one, and I think we may have missed some details.

I would say I was definitely rocked by the film. It was much more of an experience than I was expecting, like a roller coaster ride versus sitting through a comprehensive story line. I should have checked my heart rate afterwards. It certainly made me think. It’s quite a visual spectacle and Jennifer Lawrence is amazing in it.

After the film, we sat in our seats through the credits and Patti Smith’s rendition of “It’s The End of The World” . We weren’t watching the credits, we were thinking and talking about the film. We weren’t the only ones. There were many others still sitting in the theatre trying to figure out what we just saw. The horrific scenes didn’t bother me per se as I knew when I was watching the film that it was more symbolic than actually occurring as presented on the screen. Don’t get me wrong, its whacky and riveting, hence the many wtfs you hear.

I am not going to share my thoughts, what I think it represents, or any spoilers here. That would spoil the experience for those who haven’t seen it yet.

I can appreciate that some might not have the patience for it and they may hate it. I realize that many film goers prefer to be spoon fed a story that makes complete sense. They crave the closure, the knowing, the understanding and a film like this might leave them feeling confused and undone. This is not a film for those people. This is an attempt at something different, something to wonder about. I commend Aronofsky for taking this leap. He is fortunate that he has the creative ability and the gumption to take the risk. Is he just throwing something nonsensical out there to get attention? I don’t think so. One could have said that about Jackson Pollock. Never mind, some people do…

This film is a polarizing one. I personally find it exciting to have a film to wonder and talk about. I cannot wait to see it again. This is precisely why I love film so much.

Directed by Rebecca Daly, starring Vincent Romeo, Lars Brygmann and Victoria Mayer

A young stranger, Tom, stumbles into a remote Christian village somewhere in the Netherlands. He’s injured, disoriented and helpless, so it seems. The kind folk take him in and treat him with kindness.

The villagers’ devotion to God and the Bible’s teachings is lead by a compassionate preacher. They are a community united in their strong beliefs and it is these beliefs lead them to connect Tom’s actions relating to a series of events as miraculous ability.

And so it goes.  Is Tom a charlatan or is he the second coming? You decide.

Decent movie, solid story telling and thought provoking, but a bit too sleepy for me.