Tiff2009 Tagged Articles at Cinematical
TIFF Review: Dogtooth
Filed under: Theatrical Reviews »
Former Cinematical chief, close personal friend, and actual superhero James Rocchi said this when I asked him what I should see at Toronto this year: "Dude," (pause for dramatic effect; his, not mine) "You must see a Greek film called Dogtooth. It won the Un Certain Regard Award at Cannes, it's unlike anything you've seen before, and it's amazingly twisted and weird." That was all I needed to hear. Well, that, and that the running time was 96 minutes. That's important when you're at a busy festival like Toronto.
So enthused was Sir Rocchi that he joined Kim Voynar and me for his second screening of Dogtooth -- on the very first day of the festival! (That's not something most film critics could (or would) do.) But I'm pleased to note that Mr. Rocchi's enthusiasm was well-founded and accurate: quite simply, I've never seen a film (anything at all) like Yorgros Lanthimos' Dogtooth.
TIFF Review: The Informant!
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Theatrical Reviews », Toronto International Film Festival »
If you're about to dig into a mid-'90s "period piece" about a plain nebbish at a food additive company who decides to blow the whistle on his corporation's illegal price-fixing practices, well, you better get a few interesting people to bring this sort of story to the screen. With a leading man less reliable than Matt Damon and a director less colorfully unpredictable than Steven Soderbergh, a flick like this could play like a well-meaning but hopelessly yawn-worthy docu-drama. Happily, since The Informant! boasts both of those filmmakers (and a big handful of others), it turns out to be a seriously entertaining film ... about a seriously plain man.
Damon plays Mark Whitacre, a high-ranking suit for a chemical company called ADM. Essentially, these guys create all sorts of wonderful food additives, and the focal point this time around is a corn product called lysine. Only problem is that ADM and virtually all of its executives, not to mention their competitors, are knee-deep in a global "price-fixing" scheme, which (in case you didn't know) is all sorts of illegal. But while Mark seems more than willing to narc on his colleagues, simply because it's the right thing to do, it quickly becomes evident that our semi-hero is hiding more than a few skeletons inside his own closet.
The 'Defendor' Trailer Lands Online
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Independent », Newsstand », Movie Marketing », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Toronto International Film Festival », Trailers and Clips »
I have been intrigued by Defendor since it went into development. It's not every day you see an indie "superhero" movie, and even rarer to see anyone using the comic craze to spin an original story. Watchmen may have deconstructed an awful lot of myth, but I feel like there's still things to say about the need for costumed vigilantes, especially as each generation discovers them all over again.
Defendor is one of the selections at the 2009 Toronto Film Festival, and the early buzz on it is pretty positive so far. Directed by Peter Stebbings, it stars Woody Harrelson, Elias Koteas, Kat Dennings, and Sandra Oh. It's the story of an unassuming man named Arthur Poppington, who lives in his own comic-book based world, and patrols the streets as the superhero Defendor. He's on the hunt for his arch-nemesis, Captain Industry, who he believes killed his mother and who deals in weapons and drugs. Along the way, he rescues a young prostitute (Dennings) from an undercover cop (Koteas), and winds up in therapy with Ms.Oh before proving that anyone can make a difference.
The trailer made its debut at TwitchFilms, and they've kindly provided an embed, which I've put below the jump. I'm encouraged more by the buzz than the trailer, which feels a little flat to me. Defendor seems to be a gentler version of Mystery Men, crossed with a little Alan Moore criticism and a dash of Punisher: War Zone. Still, I'm intrigued, and I'll be watching its TIFF reception, and hoping this wannabe superhero will fly.
Defendor is one of the selections at the 2009 Toronto Film Festival, and the early buzz on it is pretty positive so far. Directed by Peter Stebbings, it stars Woody Harrelson, Elias Koteas, Kat Dennings, and Sandra Oh. It's the story of an unassuming man named Arthur Poppington, who lives in his own comic-book based world, and patrols the streets as the superhero Defendor. He's on the hunt for his arch-nemesis, Captain Industry, who he believes killed his mother and who deals in weapons and drugs. Along the way, he rescues a young prostitute (Dennings) from an undercover cop (Koteas), and winds up in therapy with Ms.Oh before proving that anyone can make a difference.
The trailer made its debut at TwitchFilms, and they've kindly provided an embed, which I've put below the jump. I'm encouraged more by the buzz than the trailer, which feels a little flat to me. Defendor seems to be a gentler version of Mystery Men, crossed with a little Alan Moore criticism and a dash of Punisher: War Zone. Still, I'm intrigued, and I'll be watching its TIFF reception, and hoping this wannabe superhero will fly.
Darwin Beats Canada -- 'Creation' Will Open TIFF
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy », Exhibition », Toronto International Film Festival »
Traditionally, Canadian films have opened the Toronto International Film Festival. It's only natural -- one of the biggest film festivals taking place in Canada makes it the perfect springboard for Canuck cinema. Last year it was Paul Gross' Passchendaele. And before that: Fugitive Pieces, The Journals of Knud Rasmussen, and Water. But Darwin is once again changing things. That meddlesome man!The Hollywood Reporter posts that TIFF has picked their opening film, and it will be the Charles Darwin film Creation from director Jon Amiel. (Starring the husband and wife team of Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly.) Fest co-director Cameron Bailey says: "By telling a story on many levels, weaving scenes from past and present, this depiction of Darwin promises to deeply move audiences by drawing them into the conflicted mind of a man who presented a concept that changed the world." But is it a story that needed to be told opening night? And replace all Canadian selections? That doesn't bode well for the fest's opinion of the country's films this year.
In brighter news: Following the first 24 films to be announced, there's a whole new list of films that have been picked. This round includes a number of fest favorites and upcoming releases like Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, The Invention of Lying, Bright Star, and The Informant. You can head to THR to see them all.
Toronto Announces First 24 Films for 2009 Fest
Filed under: Foreign Language », Independent », New Releases », Festival Reports », Toronto International Film Festival »
Is the Toronto International Film Festival upon us already? I still have poutine stains on my shirt from last time! Yes, the 2009 fest is less than three months away, and TIFF has just announced the first batch of films that will play. All 24 will be making their North American premieres, so unless you've been to the festivals at Cannes, Venice, or Berlin, it's unlikely that you've seen any of them. Exciting!In the "Masters" category are films by three directors who qualify for that distinction. Portugal's Manoel de Oliveira -- who is 100 years old (!) and has made 50 films, most of them in the last two decades -- has a new one called Eccentricities of a Blond-Haired Girl, about a man enchanted by a woman he sees from his window. Alain Resnais (Last Year at Marienbad), the 87-year-old Frenchman who got a lifetime achievement at Cannes this year, has Les Herbes Folles (The Wild Grass), a romantic adventure that begins with a lost wallet. And Hirokazu Koreeda, a Japanese spring chicken at 48, will present Air Doll, about a sex doll that becomes a real person -- Lars and the Real Girl meets Pinocchio? Koreeda made the haunting Nobody Knows a few years ago, so I'm onboard for whatever this Air Doll thing is.
The other 21 films announced today are from filmmakers ranging from the old and venerable to the new and enthusiastic. They span, the globe, too, representing countries you expect to see at international film festivals (France, Germany, Italy, etc.) as well as some with much smaller film industries, including Kazakhstan, Colombia, Malaysia, and Uruguay. The complete list of films and their descriptions is in TIFF's press release, as is information about buying passes. The festival runs Sept. 10-19. We'll see you there, right?
Has Chris Evans Won Captain America's Shield?
When Netflix Isn't Enough
Full-Length 'Predators' Trailer Debuts
Frankenstein is 100 Years Old! Watch His First Movie Now!
Bryan Singer May Direct 'X-Men 4' and 'Wolverine 2'
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg)
