Film Reviews

Junior Eurovision is the best contest ever

In his debut feature documentary, Jaime J Johnson (yes that’s his real name, and yes he’s as much a character as the name implies) takes on the 2007 Junior Eurovision Song Contest as his topic of choice. Now, to us North Americans, the term Eurovision may not mean much - but for most Europeans the Europe-wide annual pop song competition is a major event. And the recently added ‘Junior’ contest attracts almost as many viewers.  In  his 100% entertaining documentary, Jaime introduces us to several nations’ competitors as they embark on the competition of a lifetime, in Rotterdam Germany.  From an overly developed and towering Belgian teen rocker, to an adorable underdog from war-torn Georgia, the characters we meet are down-to-earth uber-enthusiastic pop star hopefuls who tug on our heart strings while also making us laugh.  

The film also bears a level of depth not expected from the topic, when, using old war footage, the competitors’ amiable battle for the coveted title is depicted in contrast to the continent’s violent past. 

Striking a delicate balance between funny and heartfelt, this fresh doc is never cheesy but never offensive. Maintaining consistent respect for his subjects, Jaime offers up wit and insight in a truly amusing Popumentary.  NN

L'Instinct de Mort (Formerly Mesrine) or Public Enemy Number One (Part 1) to us English speaking folks, is a film inspired by the true story of Jacques Mesrine, an egocentric French gangster and total dickhead who you can't help liking anyway because he's so damn confident, charismatic and fun to watch. The film covers roughly a decade in Mesrine's life starting from the late 1950s, during which we get to see him rob banks, shoot people, bang whores, hit his gorgeous wife, escape from prison, and do other gangster-ey things.

The film moves at a quick pace but despite its frequent time warps and loaded plot it's not too difficult to follow. Some of the most thrilling scenes occur when Jacques meets Jeanne, a reckless, temper-driven, smokin' hot French woman who becomes his partner in crime. The pair are absolute dynamite to watch on screen.

Although the overall subject matter is hardly light, the dark and witty humor scattered throughout L'Instinct de Mort makes the film a breezy two hours. And the audience absolutely ate it up, laughing, hooting and gasping in pleasure at the cleverness of it all. A fantastic film to see in a crowded theater as I felt I was discovering and experiencing it with my fellow moviegoers rather then simply watching it. LG

Fashion, fierceness, and the funniest bickering Italian couture moguls still standing.  

Valentino, The Last Emperor, follows the Italian King of Couture in his last year designing for the legendary fashion house. Centred around his 45th anniversary party outside the Roman Coliseum, the film follows Valentino and his business partner, old friend, and sometimes lover Giancarlo Giametti through a circus of fittings, fashion shows, fabulous parties, and calling each other fat. The protaganist and those that surround him, including Andre Leon Talley and Karl Lagerfeld, are rendered with humour, honesty, and respect. The audience is let into Valentino's show room and boardroom, and we see, behind the scenes, the painstaking dedication it takes to craft a couture gown, and the heartbreaking realities of conglomerate politics. As the film progresses, Valentino reminisces about dressing icons like Jackie O., revisits some of his favourite gowns to display at the anniversary celebration, and bickers with GIancarlo about everything from the cafe where they first met to the sand dunes at a runway show. The documentary is hilarious, and a little heartbreaking, as we watch a genius of fashion, the last real couturier, try to hold on to the company he created from the ground up. And the fashion, old and new, is fabulous. HC

Directed by Rian Johnson (Brick), this is a story of two brothers that when left on their own at a young age concocted many a shrew plan to make a buck.

Fast forward - boys are now men and still screwing people over to make a buck. Like any con-men combo, one is smarter and more sly and the other somewhat of a pawn. Mark Ruffalo plays older brother Stephen, the fiery and sarcastic brother whereas Adrien Brody plays Bloom. Bloom falls in love all too easily and is a tender hearted follower. Going for one last big scam before they call it quits, the brothers organize an elaborate heist with the target being eccentric Penelope (Rachel Weisz), an estranged woman who lives in a castle in New Jersey. Bloom crushes on the peculiar dame who spends her days playing the harp and building pin-hole cameras out of watermelons. A series of silly events lead the Brothers and Penelope all over the world, setting off bombs in buildings, getting horny on trains and drunk on boats. Along for the ride is Asian mute Bang Bang (Rinko Kikuchi), who at one point sniffs Blooms bits and with a smirk reveals to the audience that he was just fingering Penelope. Weird, whimsical and action packed – Brothers Bloom is a cutesy con film that will entertain in a light and playful way. JM

Existential, gritty coming-of-age story set against the stark landscape of eastern Canada.

Adaptated from the novel of the same name and starring the author (Joel Thomas Hynes) in the role of Keith Kavanaugh, an angry young troublemaker-cum-writer consumed by depravity and debauchery and attempting to escape a doomed fate in small town Newfoundland, this film is both darkly comic and at times poignant but overall repeatedly falls flat on its face much like its protaganist.

While a loosely plotted character study it does succeed in capturing the rawness of the novel as demonstrated particularly by the drawn-out cat killing scene. As well, Hynes' performance is solid while Mylene Savoie does well in the role of Keith's girlfriend Natasha with a palpable magnetism between the two. However, once we tire of watching Kavanaugh's pathetic antics mostly we are just left with a group of secondary characters who come across as merely cardboard cutouts. At the extreme of this is the overly wrought portrayal of the Halifax pimp (Hugh Dillon) who tortures Kavanaugh for merely being a nuisance. Two exceptions though are fine supporting performances of Jody Richardson as local predator Francey O'Dea and Bob Joy as Keith's alcoholic father Robert.

In the end, the second half of the film fails to live up to the first and really doesn't go anywhere - much like Kavanaugh's character who's unflinching petulance eventually adds up to little more than the brow beating of the audience.

An interview with documentary filmmaker Astra Taylor

Further to being a celebrated writer for Salon and Adbusters (jealous already?), Astra Taylor is a young woman carving a very specific niche for herself; films on philosophy.

Sound boring? In her own words Taylor admits that “Quite afraid or dreading” are terms used upon hearing about a documentary on philosophy but the actual audience response following a screening is quite different. Considering she’s back at TIFF for round two, there’s obviously a thirst for this genre. Whether consumption is exclusively reserved for the critical thinking academic audience is debatable.

In 2005 Taylor’s film Zizek screened at TIFF, a documentary in which she followed pop culture philosopher Slavoj Zizek across the globe – hearing out his various theories on revolution, love, belief – among many. “EXAMINED LIFE” seemed like a natural progression but this time Taylor profiles eight highly recognized modern philosophical theorists and challenges audiences with new points of view on a variety of subject matter ranging from mass consumption to the meaning of meaning, the responsibilities of a global citizen, understanding garbage and so forth.

Heavily influenced by Rebecca Solnit’s book about walking and thinking – WANDERLUST, and seeing how psycho-geography is so hot right now (didn’t you know?), Taylor wanted to explore this walking-talking-thinking sub culture on film.

Unlike most little girls reading Anne of Green Gables, Taylor was diving into texts by Peter Singer at age twelve; one of the eight intelligent walking-heads (Ha ha!) in Examined Life.

Why should philosophy be reserved for students in the confines of a drab classroom? Her intent was to create a film that engaged people, like you and me, who are interested, but far from experts. We can get a taste of what philosophy is all about without having to pick up a dictionary to decode jargon.

A question that could lead to never-ending answers, Taylor responds succinctly when I ask what philosophy means to her.

”Questioning common sense. It’s a process of working through our own assumptions and conceptions.”

Smart, humble and endlessly curious Taylor has succeeded in making a philosophical film that is insightful, buoyant but not pretentious.

EXAMINED LIFE is not intended to bring systematic meaning to our life, and Taylor is weary of those who claim to have all the answers, but with such a variety of thinkers questioning and asserting opinions, the educated mind is bound to leave with some interesting questions of its own.

That is, if we take a minute to peel ourselves away from going ga-ga over celebrities, TIFF is hardly reserved for thinking / arty films. Who’s coming? Where will they be? OMG, OMGeeeeee! I ask Taylor what her thoughts are on our current pop culture that gravitates towards celebrities with such inane enthusiasm:

”It’s a strange thing. People gravitate because they find pleasure, and enjoyment. Philosophy has certain pleasure too, it’s not just intellectual enrichment, but can be entertainment too.”

Entertainment for a few sophisticated minds, engaging for many, valuable for all.

JM

The Hurt Locker follows the three members of bomb disposal unit Bravo during their last 38 days stationed in Baghdad. Their job? To defuse big scary bombs and not get blown up.

Now I'm not exactly a war movie enthusiast. I fell asleep during Private Ryan and my boyfriend would have to tie me to a chair and tape my eyes open to get me to watch an episode of Band of Brothers. However I am a fan of documentaries, and The Hurt Locker's hand held camera style and focus on the psychological effects of war on each of the characters gives the film a sense of realism that is absolutely fascinating. Standout performance is by far Jeremy Renner who plays James, the Captain of Bravo and a total adrenaline junkie who often seems more interested in creating his next rush than keeping his team alive.

The film has a riveting and explosive (punny!) first hour, slows down a little in the middle and picks up again for a satisfying ending. Defiantly a good one to go see with the dude so you can snuggle up close during the suspense filled action sequences and mingle in a coffee shop afterwards in deep after-movie conversation. LAUREN VALENTINE

Caulkin's abound and amaze in this tale of suburban families in crisis?

The Martini brothers, back at TIFF for the first time since 1999, bring us a film set in a Long Island suburb. Rory Caulkin plays Scott Bartlett, a disillusioned high school student, who looks up to his alpha-male, real estate developer father Mickey (played to a T by Alec Baldwin), defends himself against the school bully, and? dreams about his best friend Adrianna (Emma Roberts). Adrianna's father (Timothy Hutton) suffers from Lyme disease, and spends most of his time hunting imaginary deer and smoking pot in his basement.? Her mother, Melissa (Cynthia Nixon),? struggling to cope with her husband's situation, finds herself the next woman in a string of adulteries on the part of Scott's dad. As secrets are exposed and relationships strained, a quintessential tale of suburban discontent unfolds. The story is at once heartwarming and tragic, and painfully honest. Jill Hennesy stands out as Scott's mother, who dreams of her old neighbourhood in Queens and tries to protect her sons from their father's indiscretions. HC

Gut wrenching story of human injustice that is poignantly captured by two young boys struggling for survival.

Powerful, difficult but beautiful – Two-Legged Horse is likely the toughest film to stomach in the festival but a poignant take on how unfair human life can be. Although the story takes place in Afghanistan the themes of injustice, poverty and inequality are applicable to the ugly side of human nature everywhere. Samira Makhmalbaf – who can easily be described as one of our worlds most courageous young female filmmakers, is not afraid to go up against tyrannical Iranian authorities in order to convey tough stories that have been carved through being a woman struggling to be heard in a man's world. Filming of Two Legged Horse was a triumph against protest and violence, a grenade was thrown into the set and injured six members of the crew but young Makhamalbaf persevered despite near death experience. Two Legged Horse is about two young boys, one rich and crippled, the other poor and mentally challenged. The father of the rich boy hires the poor one to carry his son around and ensure he always has a source of mobility. The little boy begins to treat his carrier like a horse, even forcing him to join a stall of animals and eat hay while tied to the stable. This is an imagined story that metaphorically portrays universal injustice. With no professional experience acting the young boys were found begging on the street and Makhamalbaf trained them for months prior to filming.In the end we are presented with an absolutely compelling performance from both of them. Devastating to watch yet heroically woven together, Two Legged Horse will hit you right at the core and make you feel sad, angered and disgusted with the inexplicable evil that humans are capable of.

A dark story of a young woman caught in an immigration scandal that becomes deadly.

In a claustrophobic apartment in Belgium, a petite yet headstrong Albanian, Lorna (Arta Dobroshi), is amidst an immigration scandal that involves Russian gangsters and paying a desperate junkie, Claudy, to be her husband. During the course of their scam Claudy tries to come clean and looks to Lorna for support amidst chain smoking and buckled pain. What Claudy doesn't know is that after their marriage runs course for an acceptable duration to avoid suspicions from authorities, he is to be got rid of by Lorna's tough nut male accomplices. Becoming attached to the scrawny and needy Claudy, Lorna begins to feel distraught with the idea that he is a disposable pawn in the plan. Seeking alternate endings, she slams her head into walls and bruises her arm figuring that filing for divorce due to domestic violence is a more humane way to handle the bleak situation. Dobroshi, who reminds us of a hard edged Audrey Tatou, gives a riveting performance that pulls us into the dark underbelly of immigration, a world built on survival and warped morality. Feeling trapped, Lorna begins a fight in attempt to escape and through her endeavours it becomes abundantly clear how dismal and difficult her situation really is. JM