TIFF08 REVIEW: Genova [Summer in Genoa] [2008]

“My heart bleeds” Michael Winterbottom is a director that never sticks to one genre and never compromises his vision. From the well-received music bio-pic 24 Hour Party People, to a meta-comedy in A Cock and Bull Story, to a sexually graphic concert narrative in 9 Songs, to the story of Daniel Pearl’s murder in the Middle East with A Mighty Heart, he won’t shy from controversial subject matter. That makes his new film, Genova [Summer in Genoa], that much more interesting because it is on all accounts a very safe…

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TIFF08 REVIEW: The Wrestler [2008]

“Sacrificial ram” It’s a fascinating thought I had going into Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler, screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. I began to worry that a straightforward tale may not be playing to the director’s strengths. The reason being that his masterpiece The Fountain was still in my head and since he didn’t have writing credit here, my trepidation increased. It wasn’t until the end credits that I recalled Requiem For a Dream being an adaptation and his debut π being pretty grounded in reality despite its surrealistic tendencies.…

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TIFF08 REVIEW: Sexykiller, moriras por ella [2008]

“Like killing, but backwards” It is going to be very hard to delineate the film Sexykiller from the experience I had seeing it. My screening at the Toronto International Film Festival was the first time I had ever been to a Midnight Madness event. The atmosphere was fantastic, the theatre filled with kindred souls, all ready to have a blast and check their brains at the door. While we waited in line for seats, a couple people dressed in makeup as zombies walked by, talking to themselves about where they…

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TIFF08 REVIEW: Vinyan [2008]

“His spirit becomes angry; his spirit becomes” Right from the opening credits, Vinyan leaves you uncomfortable and excited for more. When the titles are completed, the screen continues to show a close-up of bubbling/choppy water, the tint changing as time goes, a collection of what appears to be human hair floating by. The soundtrack swells from ambient noise, a wall of sound, to including the screams of people drowning, suffering, and in pain. Whether you realize that what you just watched was a representation of the carnage of the 2004…

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TIFF08 REVIEW: Che: Part Two – Guerrilla [2008]

“Maybe our failure will wake them up” After the mild disappointment from Che: Part One – The Argentine, I began to anticipate something better with Che: Part Two – Guerrilla. I probably should have taken the subtitle more literally than I did as I thought maybe this would show us the political conversations and aftermath of the Cuban fight for freedom from Batista. The black and white flash forwards of The Argentine showing the UN speeches and fervor surrounding Che Guevara showed what I hoped would comprise a big chunk…

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TIFF08 REVIEW: Adam Resurrected [2008]

“Everyone likes the circus” Paul Schrader’s film Adam Resurrected truly caught me off guard at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. I literally had no clue for what was in store, no knowledge of the plot or anything. The credits unveil Jeff Goldblum and Willem Dafoe, two character actor stalwarts, making me think that this thing could be interesting. And then came the disturbing yet stunning close-up of Goldblum’s eyes, both staring straight at the audience. With voice-over narration, his left eye goes sideways while the right stays static. I…

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TIFF08 REVIEW: Me and Orson Welles [2008]

“Quadruple space” I am a huge fan of Tim Robbins’ film Cradle Will Rock. The cast is amazing, the story epic in scope, and the behind the scenes setting of the theatre and arts world is something I enjoy. So, when I saw that Richard Linklater had a new film at the Toronto International Film Festival and that it took place during Orson Welles’ run at the Mercury Theatre, I was very interested. Me and Orson Welles is based off a novel which creates a fictional character to be our…

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TIFF08 REVIEW: L’instinct de mort [2008]

“A young generation is forming” Star Vincent Cassel spoke about his character, the real life Jacques Mesrine, as being “a symbol of freedom and a terrible man.” Before screening the world premiere of his new film’s workprint cut, Cassel acknowledges Mesrine’s brutal nature yet can’t stop from saying he loves the role and the opportunity to sink his teeth into being a madman gangster. Based off the criminal’s own memoirs, written in jail before his final escape, L’instinct de mort attempts to show the rise to prominence on the streets…

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TIFF08 REVIEW: Che: Part One – The Argentine [2008]

“Homeland or death” You walk around college campuses and visit concerts or any other place young people may congregate and probably see someone in a t-shirt with some famous Latin American’s mug proudly displayed. Who is that guy and why is he so important? Director Steven Soderbergh has taken it upon himself to open the world’s eyes to the legend that is Ernesto “Che” Guevara, an Argentine revolutionary who helped bring freedom to the Cuban people under the leadership of Fidel Castro. It all sounds so wonderful, until you remember…

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TIFF08 REVIEW: The Brothers Bloom [2008]

“An unwritten life” After seeing the masterpiece that is Rian Johnson’s debut film Brick, I could not wait to see what he had up his sleeve. When I heard his follow-up would be a con artist film featuring Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, and Rachel Weisz, I couldn’t hold in my excitement. Yet upon viewing the trailer, my expectations fizzled ever so slightly, the short clip showing me what looked to be a generic ho-hum story that lacked the originality his first film held in abundance. But let me tell you,…

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REVIEW: Suspiria [1977]

“You have just watched Suspiria” One of the characters sums up Suspiria quite concisely at the start of the film. She says, “It’s all so absurd, so fantastic” and I can’t think of a better way to begin describing it. Sure the gore factor is fake and overkill, the horrible dub job is laughable, and the story is just a jumbled mess that gets loosely tied together by a witch subplot with fifteen minutes left, but there’s a lot to like here regardless. The absurdity works for it by creating…

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