TIFF 2 for 3

For our 10th Anniversary year, TIFF08 feels like a washout. Saw Synecdoche, New York last night at the WinterGarden. Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener were there along with writer/director Charlie Kaufman who stayed for Q&A. Kaufman was the screenwriting genius behind Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (directed by the filmmaking genius Michel Gondry) and Adaptation (directed by gifted Spike Jonze). Synecdoche was Kaufman's directorial debut. In the hands of a visionary director, this film's premise could have been brilliant. Instead, it was a disappointing, endless piece that underutilized everyone in the cast except PSH and drove my friends crazy.

At the start of Q&A someone asked "Can you talk about the burning house?" to which he replied: "No." Then he tried to justify it by saying his interpretation doesn't matter, he did it for us and what matters is what we take from it. Later, a member of the audience asked: was it your intention to let the film spiral downward deeper and deeper into despair? Everyone laughed. Serves Kaufman right for refusing to answer the first question. I think even Cameron Bailey was surprised at the guy's 'tude during the Q&A.

Listen Charlie, being glib doesn't work with seasoned TIFF moviegoing audiences. The question was fair, and your response was arrogant and insulting, along with most of the rest of what you had to say. Your feeble attempt to backpedal at the end didn't win you any new friends. Stick to writing in your turret, find a publicist to handle questions and leave the directing to somebody else.

Chacun son Cinema

Chacun son cinema was the perfect way to end the fest! Went at 5:00 to the Elgin after a long week's work and got into the VISA Lounge (downstairs), had a Stella, got my favourite seat upstairs, and saw this wonderful hommage to Cannes' 60th Anniversary to wrap up my TIFF festival experience. Like Paris, je t'aime last year, I enjoy these compilations of short films. This one included 33 short films by 33 wonderful directors, some of whom are my all-time faves (and no Guy Maddin!) People have been talking about David Cronenberg's short (the title alone says it all At the Suicide of the Last Jew in the World in the Last Cinema in the World) and I thought it was okay but my favourite was Walter Salles' film 8944 km from Cannes featuring 2 Brazilian rappers outside an abandoned theatre talking about the Cannes Film Festival. It was hilarious!! Thank God for the English subtitles for the Portuguese. I also liked the one by the Coen Brothers with Josh Brolin ("What is lay reggles du jou about?"), Nanni Moretti (Diary of a Moviegoer), and Elia Suleiman (He was so deadpan and looked like an older Robert Downey Jr. I was recounting the exploits to a friend and that made me laugh even more!) Many were recognizable by the director's style (Amos Gitai, Wong Kar-wai, Atom Egoyan). I would love to have this on DVD so I could just go to the ones I really liked and watch them over and over. A perfect way to end the week and gear up for my 27K run on Saturday morning. MMMM

Paris, Je t'aime

This final festival flick was the perfect ending to a great fest. Paris, Je t'aime is a compilation of short films by 21 international directors made for a delicious 2 hours of gorgeous scenes of Paris and unique situations and storylines.

Alexander Payne (co-writer and director of Sideways) showed up as Oscar Wilde in Pere Lachaise cemetery to coach a commitment-phobic Brit to go after his fiancee - this by Wes Craven. Payne also wrote and directed a charming French "essay" overdubbed in good French with a bad American accent by a middle-aged postal carrier. Another funny one was Joel and Ethan Coen's scene at Tuileries Metro station where Steve Buscemi gets into trouble waiting for the train. Tom Tykwer did a mini Run Lola Run with Natalie Portman and her blind boyfriend and Isabel Coixet help show a philanderer the error of his ways in a Bastille restaurant.

Some films touched upon racial tensions and the gap between the social classes, while others were just dull. The Gus Van Sant one was just like him: somewhat annoying and pointless. The one about vampires by Canadian director Vincenzo Natali was particularly lame (his movie Cube which came out of the Film Centre and was mediocre at best but apparently it has a massive following in Europe.)

Ultimately, the film compilation was like a wine tasting: you open up each bottle, nose it then swish it around in your glass for a few seconds, and in the first taste you pretty well know how good it's going to be. Some wines you savour every last drop, others you spit half out into the bin. How fun to be an armchair traveller basking in the glorious views and stories of such a great city. MMMMm

Radiant City - Sept 12 part deux

Richard and I have seen every film that Calgary Director Gary Burns has brought to TIFF. Radiant City is a documentary about suburbia shot mostly in Calgary. My friends in Winnipeg know the co-director Jim Brown who works for CBC. The treeless developments with an endless maze of cul de sacs and 2 car families hit home. But despite their large lots and 2 car garages, many of these people are no further away from their neighbours than me.

That's not my main problem with this movie. The repartee, particularly by the eloquent 12 year old, is engaging as are the interesting suburbatrivia. As the story starts to escalate to a wierdly tragic end, the directors shoot through their documentary status and reveal that they used hired actors who were not a real family and that most of the film was scripted. HOW CAN THIS LEGITIMATELY BE PART OF REAL TO REEL??? Aren't there rules? How can they do this and build us up for a fall? Yeah, maybe the suburbs are evil but the do-cirectors are evil for misrepresenting their project. For fraud and being about 25 minutes too long, MMm (better than Guy Maddin but not by much. Canadian filmmakers what's happening to you???)

grim suburbia
Radiant City it's not
neither is this film

Stranger Than Fiction

The World Premiere of Stranger Than Fiction was a treat to see in "the beautiful and historic" Elgin Theatre on Saturday night. Director Marc Forster introduced the film and stars Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman strode down the red carpet inside the Elgin lobby and stayed to watched the film with the audience.

Ivana scored great photos of the stars on the red carpet and Dustin Hoffman was particularly gracious stopping to shake hands and speak to people, even signing an autograph as he pulled away in the limo. Emma looked lovely and Will Ferrell hammed it up onstage before the screening. Director Marc Forster (who did Monster's Ball and Finding Neverland) was a sweetheart onstage and off.

The film was an absolute delight. A beautifully written script and superlative performances made for a laugh-out-loud experience, my best at the fest so far. See this film when it comes to theatres in November - a funny, heartwarming movie. MMMMM

Dave Chappelle's Block Party

Okay, this movie's for Richard's niece Lisa who loves rap music. Dave Chappelle is boy from the 'hood who became a successful comedian - so successful that he's worth $50 million. So he decides to throw a block party. And he walks around inviting people with a bullhorn. And even travels to Dayton, Ohio to invite the band from Drumline and other locals (the middle-aged lady who runs the corner store whom we see struggling with her packing saying "I don't know what to wear to a rap party.") Lots of memorable moments on film. Three busloads of people from Dayton show up in Brooklyn at this designated street corner (which is not really publicized but people just go and figure it out) and Dave is his ineffable self throughout. Laugh-out-loud funny, this film gets MMMM from me for being a great 'home movie'. Said hello to Director Michel Gondry who did Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and directed several innovative music videos for The Chemical Brothers, Bjork, and The White Stripes. As Now writer Cameron Bailey said when he introduced the film and director: "If your music collection includes nothing but bands that Michel Gondry has made videos for, you're doing all right." This film is a work in progress but I loved its raw quality and the eclectic mix of people at the Elgin. Lots of great rap performances - which, I'll admit got a bit tiresome after a while - but seeing Lauren Hill and Wycliffe Jean at the end and Dave's hilarious banter (and musical riffs) throughout made up for the two hours I had lost the night before. Block Party would be a good DVD to rent and put in the background at a party. Music and laughter truly are the universal languages.