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Girls on Film: Women, TIFF, and the Future
Filed under: Festival Reports, Fandom, Exhibition, Toronto International Film Festival, Girls on Film
There's an interesting phenomenon going on at the Toronto International Film Festival this year. Female filmmakers were a big part of the festival's opening weekend. (The fest might be 9 days long, but that first weekend is the time that packs the punch -- the time when the stars descend, the parties commence, and the big films have their premieres.) But this isn't only relevant to festival goers. These fests showcase tomorrow's films, so in some ways, TIFF is a peek into the future. And it's one where women defy what's expected of them.
At the moment, I'm calling it the Anna Kendrick effect. While she might be one of the youngest Tony Award nominees ever, this actress shot into the public eye with a supporting role in that incessant, sparkly piece called Twilight. Her performance was fine, but she really wasn't given enough for a large buzz to commence, especially while under the shadow of Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. But now she's got a co-starring role in Jason Reitman's new Up in the Air -- a role where she must hold her own against George Clooney and Vera Farmiga. And she does. In fact, she's so good that her performance has been getting a lot of buzz up here in Toronto -- and it's proved one thing: We might see women and blow them off as nothing more than the crazy jealous friend, but there can be a lot of other talent in there if given a solid role to prove it.
TIFF Review: Agora
Filed under: Drama, Theatrical Reviews, Festival Reports, Exhibition, Religious
"If you choose to do nothing, though, you will continue to do the same thing over and over again."
Hypatia (Rachel Weisz), Agora
Hypatia (Rachel Weisz), Agora
To some, the name Alejandro Amenábar sparks instant interest. But if it does not, let me refresh your memory. In 1997, he wrote (with Mateo Gil) and directed the Spanish film Open Your Eyes -- which North American audiences know better by its ultra-strange U.S. remake Vanilla Sky. 2001 marked his English film premiere, the eerie Nicole Kidman thriller The Others (the only feature Gil hasn't co-written). And then in 2004, he went back to Spanish filmmaking with the Javier Bardem-starring Oscar winner The Sea Inside. Now he's grabbed the likes of Rachel Weisz, Max Minghella, and Oscar Isaac for a film that doesn't journey through facial reconstruction, ghosts, or euthanasia. It's a gorgeous, thought-provoking Roman epic called Agora.
The film focuses on one of the most impressive female figures in history – Hypatia, a leading thinker in the Rome-governed Alexandria, considered to be the first notable woman of mathematics. She studied philosophy and astronomy, and both pagan and Christian students from far and wide came together to study under her. "For all men on account of her extraordinary dignity and virtue admired her the more."
'Toy Story 3' and 'Cars 2' Plots Revealed
Filed under: Animation, Disney, Fandom, Exhibition, Family Films, Remakes and Sequels, Trailers and Clips
Even though it's TIFF time and seemingly the entire movie world is descending on my home town of Toronto, remember, the Great White North isn't your only source of movie news. During the London-based Disney Animation Showcase, Pixar's John Lasseter dropped a tiny bombshell and let a few details fly about the upcoming sequels (or 'threequel' in Toy's case) to Toy Story and Cars. To be fair, we only got a taste, but at least we know a little more than what we did before. So on that note, let's go right to the big dog first, shall we?
Toy Story 3
Back in June, Elisabeth brought us the news that Pixar was looking to make a more a little more 'grown-up', but details about the flick were still being kept under lock and key. Today, though, the big news came when Lasseter showed a clip from the film with Andy all grown up and packing for college, while Woody and the gang headed for a storage container. The scene goes on to show Andy changing his mind and holding on to Woody, but unfortunately the rest of the toys aren't so lucky. Lasseter also gave a preview of the upcoming trailer that fleshes out the story a little more, and it looks like the action will center on Woody saving his friends from a local daycare center. Lasseter must have been in the 'sharing mood' because along with the clips and trailers, he confirmed that Timothy Dalton will be adding to the mix as a stuck-up hedgehog by the name of Mr. Pricklepants -- a name I will totally steal if I ever get a pet, but I digress.
After the jump: an update on Cars 2...
Discuss: Moviegoing Bad Luck
Filed under: Exhibition
As movie fans, we always complain about the uber-annoying patrons who text their way through the film, kick your seat for two hours straight, and do their best to be an all-out nuisance. But they're only some of the many problems that can plague any theater-going experience. I was recently e-mailing with David Nusair of Reel Film Reviews, and we got on the topic of bad moviegoing luck -- those times when something unusual went wrong and ruined the cinematic experience. On the audience front, there are the mishaps and emergencies that can't be avoided. I remember curling up to watch Interview with the Vampire for the second time at an old rep theater when a man had such a big seizure that the girls in front of him were covered in saliva, and everyone was in a panic thinking he was dying (he wasn't). And that's only the tip of the potential physical issues that can pop up, from heart-attacks to water-breaking labor. (Thankfully, I've never had to contend with those.)
But movie theater issues aren't only about patrons ...
Oh, Canada - Kicking Off the 9 Days of TIFF
Filed under: Fandom, Exhibition, Lists, Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is definitely starting off with a bang this year. First,we learned that TIFF was ignoring the tradition of opening the fest with a Canadian film when Jon Amiel's Creation was selected to kick things off. (Even though there are a few free screenings earlier on Thursday's Day One, plus Lone Scherfig's An Education, which is starting a half hour before Creation around the corner from the opening-night Elgin Theatre.) But at least, while not official, the first TIFF film is actually a screening of Lian Lunson's Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man, so some Can-Con informally starts things off.
But this twist was only step one. Next came the protests.
See, the festival is starting a new program this year called City to City, which showcases a group of films that are focused on a particular locale. The inaugural location: Tel Aviv. Soon, many began to protest the lack of Palestinians in the program, likening the choice as part of "the Israeli propaganda machine," and inspiring a group of famous names from Jane Fonda to Danny Glover to sign a statement against the choice. Toronto documentarian John Greyson withdrew his film Covered. Jon Voight spoke out against the statement and Jane Fonda. A Jewish professor in Halifax praised the protest, while others site it as a step towards more Anti-Semitism. And a press conference for the protest is scheduled to compete with the festival's opening day.
Nevertheless, TIFF soldiers on...
'Forbidden Zone' ... The Stage Musical?
Filed under: Classics, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fandom, Exhibition
It's time for another cult classic flick to hit the stage. In 1980, the world entered the Forbidden Zone. The cult classic was written and directed by Richard Elfman. It marked the first appearance of '80s band Oingo Boingo, which was led by Danny, Richard's brother. (Yes, this is the Oscar-nominated composer Danny Elfman.) Now, in conjunction with the classic's 30th anniversary, the Zone is going live and following the film-to-stage trend. After a lot of murmuring in the blogosphere, Hollywood's officially getting Forbidden Zone: Live in the 6th Dimension -- "a surreal bawdy musical" adapted by playwright and actor Michael Holmes (Det. Miller in the online series Duck 'n Cover).One look at the trailer for the film (you can see it after the jump, NSFW, some nudity) shows that it's almost futile to try and describe this insane flick. At its simplest, The Forbidden Zone is the story of a house in Venice, California that has a door in the basement leading to an insane world where King Fausto reigns (played by Fantasy Island icon Herve Villechaize). When the mom of the house gets captured in the other dimension, her family and friend strive to save her.
We've had Rocky Horror for a good long time, so are you ready to travel to the Zone and sing along to Oingo Boingo?
The production will kick off in May 2010 at Los Angeles' Sacred Fools Theater.
What They're Showing at Telluride This Weekend
Filed under: Telluride, Exhibition
You've got to admire a festival that attracts hordes of particularly picky movie fiends with a secret lineup year after year. If you're not aware, Colorado's Telluride Film Festival does things a little differently than the other biggies. Rather than releasing their film list early, and allowing attendees to peruse and ponder the choices, they release it as the fest kicks off, banking on blind faith and great movie taste -- a risk which seems to always pay off.Telluride runs through Labor Day, and the lineup has finally hit. This year, it's led by John Hillcoat's Proposition follow-up The Road, which Variety just pummeled. Star Viggo Mortensen is being honored with a tribute, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. We've got films that include Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Coco Before Chanel with Audrey Tatou, Todd Solondz's latest -- Life During Wartime, the Red Riding Trilogy (four novels adapted by Julian Jarrold, James Marsh, and Anand Tucker), Jane Campion's Bright Star, and maybe even Jason Reitman's Up in the Air.
How's that for a festival? It's a nice reminder of the worthy fare that exists between the cracks of mainstream mediocrity. Check out the whole lineup over at indieWIRE.
Ten Directors Share Fond Memories of the LACMA
Filed under: Exhibition, Politics
James Gray (Two Lovers) remembers going to see Walter Murch talking about his groundbreaking sound and editing work on The Conversation. John Landis (An American Werewolf in London) remembers seeing the original King Kong, a "life-changing experience." Allison Anders (Gas Food Lodging) remembers seeing an obscure Bette Davis movie with a packed house. Rian Johnson (Brick) one time just simply walked in without even knowing what was playing (it turned out to be Fellini's And the Ship Sails On). Those four, plus six other directors, shared their feelings with the Los Angeles Times on the uncertain fate of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and especially its beloved Bing Theater.
But some of the others aren't in the mood for reminiscing. John Singleton (Boyz N the Hood) says, "seeing a film like How Green Was My Valley and Duel in the Sun on the wide screen is a whole other thing. If TV babies don't understand what cinema is then cinema will become TV. That's the travesty." And Bertrand Tavernier adds, "instead of conceding defeat, we have to mobilize ourselves. Let's bring in students and alert teachers. Culture has a price, it's true. Has someone already calculated how much the absence of culture will cost a country? How much does the death of curiosity cost?"
The legendary Roger Corman, who is responsible for launching as many careers as the LACMA, simply had this to say: "LACMA is dedicated to showing art to the people. The only true art form of modern times is motion pictures. If they do not show the only modern art form, they are not showing art." Nuff said.
Guess Who's the Summer's Biggest Loser?
Filed under: Comedy, Romance, Distribution, Exhibition
Nothing can really compare to the craptacular showing of ZYZZYX Road, the film that brought in a whopping $30. That's no typo -- it didn't bring in $30 million, not even $30 thousand. I'm not sure any film could ever compete with that, except for maybe a For Justin & Kelly sequel, but there is a stinker this summer that comes sort of close. It was set to be her big comeback. Two films, one she was headlining, and one that she wrote, directed, and starred in. The first made the rounds, but the other didn't go much further than a blog post or two. Figure out who I'm writing about yet? Yes, it's Nia Vardalos and her feature I Hate Valentine's Day. Gordon and the Whale dug into the little feature that couldn't, revealing that after spending $5 million and making well over $200 million on My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Valentine's Day only brought in eleven thousand dollars in the U.S., from three theaters. Sure, the film hit almost a million with its foreign run, but that doesn't even cover the film's estimated $3 million price tag. Ouch.
Nevertheless, Tom Hanks' Playtone loves her. The TV show might have tanked, as well as her long-awaited follow-up feature (and disappointing showings on the rest of her post-stardom work), but she's in line for two more Playtone productions -- one writing, and one writing and acting. Will they bring more success? It'd be nice, but at this point, it'd also be a shocker. Maybe they should have waited until February 14 to release this puppy. At least then they'd have gotten the coupley audience.
Asian Beat: Korean Tsunami Blockbuster Leaks Onto Internet
Filed under: Action, Foreign Language, Independent, Distribution, Exhibition, Cinematical Indie, Trailers and Clips
As if a tsunami in Korea weren't bad enough, now it's leaking onto the Internet! Fortunately, it's only a disaster of a cinematic kind; Haeundae, Korea's first-ever disaster movie, has been making waves (har har) at the box office since its release on July 22, selling more than 10 million tickets, which makes it the most popular local film of the year. Over the weekend, an illegal copy was "briefly" leaked across local peer-to-peer sites, according to JoongAng Daily, and distributor CJ Entertainment plans to request a police investigation this week.
This might sound like a case of 'too little, too late,' as far as the timing of the leak is concerned. After all, one of the reasons that the leaked copy of X-Men Origins: Wolverine caused such an uproar was that it happened more than a month in advance of its theatrical release. Most people want to see a movie before (or shortly after) it's released, not weeks later, don't they? Korean movie piracy is reportedly "rampant," though they don't seem to be in as big a rush as in other parts of the world. According to JoongAng Daily: "What makes this case different is the movies involved have usually finished their runs. Haeundae, though, is playing and ticket sales are growing."
CJ Entertainment, one of the heavyweight distributors in Korea, has already sold the film in 24 territories, including the United Sates, and doesn't want to jeopardize the profit potential, especially with an 800-pound gorilla in Roland Emmerich's 2012 waiting to take over the the disaster spotlight in November. Derek Elley of Variety called Haeundae (named after a beach in Busan) a "thoroughly entertaining, tightly cut slice of hokum." Sound familiar?
Watch the apocalyptic trailer for Haeundae after the jump!
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