An opportunity for film lovers to talk about independent and film festival films. In particular, it will also be a forum for Ancaster Film Fest members and patrons to talk about the films screened at the Ancaster Film Fest. The hope is that through this blog we may encourage more people to view great films from Canada and around the world.
A director as ‘auteur’ makes the film that she feels in her heart/soul not the film that people may want to see or that distributors think will draw an audience. Such is the dilemma that good independent filmmakers face: Stay true to your vision or compromise to make a sale. Ruba Nadda is a director that believes you must be passionate about your film and stay true to your vision. Two weeks before she was to go to Cairo to film Cairo Time her funding fell apart. Working with her producer, Daniel Iron (Away From Her), they managed somehow to find the money, partially by foregoing their up-front salaries, and Ruba was off to Cairo 48 hours later.
She had gotten uber-actress Patricia Clarkson to accept the lead role. Patricia’s agent had given her the script with the comment “You’ve got to do this”. Patricia read the script and knew she was destined to play this part. Ruba flew to New York to meet Patricia and after a three hour lunch meeting the kindred spirits were ready to go. Ruba had written the male lead for Brit actor Alexander Siddig (Deep Space Nine, Syriana) and he quickly came on board as well.
Daniel Iron has stated that Ruba knows everyone which helped in obtaining funding. She has made sixteen films, all but two (Sabah and Cairo Time) were short films and Sabah had done very well both domestically and internationally. Her international sensibilities resulted in incredible exposure to both her films and her short stories though she remains much lesser known in Canada. Cairo Time will deservedly change this, especially after winning the best Canadian feature at TIFF 2009.
Juliette (Patrcia Clarkson) is a Canadian magazine editor who arrives in Cairo for a vacation with her long-time husband, a UN official working in Gaza. Delayed, her husband asks his friend—a handsome Egyptian named Tareq (Alexander Siddig)—to watch over Juliette. Juliette finds herself being affected not only by this exotic city but also by Tareq.
The cinematography by long-time Nadda collaborator Luc Montpellier is stunning capturing scenes in the streets of Cairo and in the surrounding regions with grace and majesty. The music by Irish composer Niall Byrne combines beautiful piano melodies and lively Arab songs to accentuate both the simple and active moments in the film.
Cairo Time opened in Canada on October 9th. We were fortunate to screen it in Ancaster Ontario, just before this opening, to an audience of 672. Ruba attended with her sister (actress and assistant director Fadia) and Wendy Blushke from the TIFF film circuit. Ruba provided both screenings with informative q&a’s and by the end the audience was thrilled to have seen a masterful film and listened to such a passionate, accomplished director. Do watch the clips that follow and I'm sure you'll agree.
Exclusive link to behind the scenes footage on the making of Cairo Time.
Departures is one of the most revered films ever shown at the Ancaster Film Fest. Departures was the first Japanese film to win Best Foreign Language film in 50 years. It also won ten of the major awards at Japan's version of the Oscars.
Combining amazing cinematography with exceptional performances and haunting music, the film explores how life and death are inevitably connected.
Lead actor Masahiro Motoki came up with the idea while on a trip to India where he saw that life and death co-existed in an harmonious way. Daigo, a cellist in an orchestra finds himself out of work when the orchestra is disbanded. In search for new work he goes to an interview after reading a job advertisment entitled 'Departures'. Thinking it may be involved with a travel agency he applies to find it is something quite different and something that neither he nor his wife would be proud of.
The somewhat forgotten ritual of 'encoffinment' which plays an important part in the film shows tremendous respect for human life even in death and is definitely lost in today's modern society on a treadmill. The cello was selected as Daigo's instrument because of its resemblance to the human body, it ability to produce sounds that mimic the human voice range and because the manner in which a cellist plays resembles the encoffinment process.
This extremely moving film has many scenes of significant grace and the climax scene is especially poignant.
Duncan Jones' Moon was a huge hit at Sundance and deservedly so. It also won Best Brit Feature at the Edinburg International Film Festival and the Best Actor Prize for Sam Rockwell at the Seattle International Film Festival. It harkens back to a time when the story and not the effects made for great Sci Fi. On a small budget, Jones developed the main story and passed on the screenplay to Nathan Parker. Jones accomplished the amazing feat of creating a visually excellent Sci Fi film surrounding a modern story. Sam Rockwell is exceptional in the lead role displaying a myriad of emotions. Kevin Spacey is excellent as 2001 HAL's modern counterpart Gerty.
Duncan Jones, Zowie Bowie, in an earlier incarnation, has a real future as a filmmaker and we look anxiously forward to his next film. It was also wonderful to see Rockwell given a role that displays his gifts as one of the top young actors working today.
Excellent interview with Director Jones (includes trailer and minor spoilers).
Is Anybody There? is Irish Director John Crowley's third film after the impressive "Intermission" and "Boy A". Our screenings of Is Anybody There? attracted a total audience of 565 and the proceeds of $1200 went to the Hamilton Out of the Cold Program. The consensus of the audience was extremely positive.
The casting was superb and was led by the incomparable veteran Michael Caine and newcomer Bill Milner whose only previous film was the wonderful indy "Son of Rambow". Written by Peter Harness, Is Anybody There? is loosely based on Peter's experiences as a youth in his parents' home for the elderly. It is an extremely humourous, yet insightful and poignant look at death and life from disparate viewpoints. Edward is a 10 year-old boy who has not experienced life because he is more curious about death and the afterlife, and Clarence is an elderly retired magician who has turned his back on life ready to depart this world.
Michael Caine stated in a Q&A following a screening at TIFF that this was one of his favourite roles and he accepted it upon reading the script which made him both laugh and cry. He went on to say that his wife (of 36 years) was moved to tears watching the film as this was one of the few times that he had played a character who was clearly his age and approaching, not at all in very good shape, the last years of his life. Bill Milner is perfect as Clarence's foil and is in every respect Caine's equal with his outstanding performance. The supporting cast contains a "Who's Who" of Britain's finest veteran actors who were as delighted to work with Crowley, a respected director of theatre as he was to work with these grand actors of film and theatre. Edward's mom and dad are played perfectly by Anne-Marie Duff (a marvelous actress of film and stage and also James McAvoy's wife) and David Morrissey.
Though the themes are quite dark the interspersed humour lightens up the story leaving audiences with a emotionally satisfying look at life and death from both ends of the spectrum.
As if 271 feature length films and 64 short films is not enough, the Toronto International Film Festival has added full and free daily outdoor programming at the Yonge and Dundas square. The programming as currently scheduled is listed below. Check http://www.tiff.net/ for more details on the Toronto International Film Festival. Another highly recommended website is http://www.tiffreviews.com/.
Outdoor Events Schedule
Opening Night: Thursday, Sept. 10 12:00PM - TIFF Live In Concert Film Series: I'm Your Man (Doc on Leonard Cohen) Preceded by shorts: POEN, Tony Dekker at Spadina Subway Station and The Poet’s Home 3:00PM - TIFF Shhh! Silent Film Series: Steamboat Bill Jr. 7:00PM - Live feed from RTH red carpet 9:00PM - TIFF Live In Concert Film Series: Opening Night Concert by DJ Champion
Friday, Sept. 11 12:00PM - TIFF Live In Concert Film Series:Shut Up & Sing (Doc on the Dixie Chichks) Preceded by shorts: Neighbors, Serena Ryder at the Dakota Tavern and Crickets 3:00PM - TIFF Shhh! Silent Film Series: 20000 Leagues Under The Sea 4:00PM - Suck Spotlight ft.: Stars of the Film 9:00PM - TIFF Live In Concert Film Series: Ziggy Stardust Preceded by shorts: Juke – Bar, Danko Jones at MLG and Jaffawiye
Saturday, Sept. 12 12:00PM - TIFF Live In Concert Film Series: The Harder They Come Preceded by shorts: Getting Started, Devine Brown at The Rex and Bleach 2:00PM - tiff.kids Zone 3:00PM - tiff.kids Zone 4:00PM - Precious Showcase ft. Sapphire 6:00PM - Survival Of The Dead - Toronto Zombie Walk 7:00PM - Special Presentation: George Romero Citizen of Toronto & Canada
Sunday, Sept. 13 12:00PM - TIFF Live In Concert Film Series: Woodstock Preceded by shorts: Street Musique, Geddy Lee at Massey Hall and Washing Machine, Sewing Machine 4:00PM - Whip It Showcase ft. Stars of the Film & The Toronto Roller Derby League 9:00PM - The Topp Twins Spotlight with host Elvira Kurt
Monday, Sept. 14 12:00PM - TIFF Live In Concert Film Series: Stop Making Sense Preceded by shorts: Lonely Boy, Woodhands at The Brick Works and From The City To The Forest 3:00PM - TIFF Shhh! Silent Film Series: The Busher 9:00PM - TIFF Live In Concert Film Series: North American Premiere - The Neil Young Trunk Show ft. Neil Young with host Jonathan Demme
Tuesday, Sept. 15 12:00PM - TIFF Live In Concert Film Series: Monterey Pop Preceded by shorts:Toronto Jazz, Sarah Slean at The Rovoli and Questions Of A Dead Worker 3:00PM - TIFF Shhh! Silent Film Series: Robin Hood 7:00PM - Hipsters Showcase: Swing Dance Lessons 9:00PM - Hipsters Showcase: Concert: Aelita with the Galaxy All-Star Orchestra
Wednesday, Sept. 16 12:00PM - TIFF Live In Concert Film Series: The Last Waltz (Doc on The Band) Preceded by shorts: Ready When You Are, Laura Barrett with Martin Tielli at the AGO and Bloomfield or a Memory Bank 3:00PM - TIFF Shhh! Silent Film Series: Tillie's Punctured Romance
Thursday, Sept. 17 12:00PM - TIFF Live In Concert Film Series: U2: Rattle & Hum Preceded by shorts: Note, Lioness at Massey Hall and Gershon 3:00PM - TIFF Shhh! Silent Film Series: It 9:00PM - Future Projections "BAND" ft. Deerhoof
Friday, Sept. 18 12:00PM - TIFF Live In Concert Film Series: Don't Look Back (Doc on Bob Dylan) Preceded by shorts: Glenn Gould – On The Record, Jason Collett at Kensington Market and Weitzman #10 3:00PM - TIFF Shhh! Silent Film Series: Grandma's Boy 6:00PM - TIFF Live In Concert Film Series: World Premiere - American Masters ft. Joan Baez: Sing Me
Closing Night: Saturday, Sept. 19 12:00PM - TIFF Live In Concert Film Series: Truth Or Dare (Doc on Madonna) Preceded by shorts: Meet Gisele, Care Failure at 102.1 The Edge and Killer Babe 3:00PM - Silent Film: 20000 Leagues Under The Sea 7:00PM - TIFF Live In Concert Film Series: World Premiere - Copyright Criminals 9:00PM - Festival Wrap Party in Association with Future Projections ft. Eclectic Method & Clyde Stubblefeild
The Toronto International Film Festival 2009 is now operating at full throttle. The films have all been identified and the full schedule including date, time, location and film synopsis is now available on their website http://www.tiff.net/.
Click on any film title for a full synopsis with cast and filmmaker details.
As many of the films (about 30%) are having their world premiere there will not be many external reviews available for these films. The website www.tiffreviews.com/ has provided a nice service: trailers for about 160 of the 271 feature length films (from 64 different countries). Check it out!
The Toronto International Film Festival has announced three of its Galas and many of its Special Presentation Selections for this year's festival, September 10-19.
Galas Get Low Aaron Schneider, USA World Premiere Inspired by the true story of Felix "Bush" Breazeale, this stately frontier drama stars Robert Duvall as a backwoods eccentric who stages his own funeral—while still alive. Ten thousand people arrive to hear him speak and to learn why this local legend exiled himself 40 years ago to the foothills of Eastern Tennessee. Set in the early 1930s, Get Low is a story of mystery and discovery that speaks of timeless things. Can we know who we are? Should we judge anyone? Is there redemption for those of us lost in the dark catacombs of our past? Also starring Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek and Lucas Black.
Max Manus Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, Norway/Denmark/Germany North American Premiere The film is based on the true story of Norway's most colourful resistance fighter Max Manus, and follows him from the outbreak of World War II until the summer of peace in 1945. After fighting against the Russians during the Winter War in Finland, Max returns to a German-occupied Norway. He joins the active resistance movement, and becomes one of the most important members of the so-called "Oslo Gang", famous for their spectacular raids against German ships in Oslo harbour.
Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire Lee Daniels, USA Canadian Premiere Lee Daniels's Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire is a vibrant, honest and resoundingly hopeful film about the human capacity to grow and overcome. Set in 1987 Harlem, it is the story of Claireece "Precious" Jones, an illiterate African-American teenager who is pregnant for the second time by her absent father and abused by a poisonously angry mother. Despite her experiences, Precious has a latent understanding that other possibilities exist for her, and jumps at the chance to enroll in an alternative school. There she encounters Ms. Rain, a teacher who will start her on a journey from pain and powerlessness to self-respect and determination. The film stars Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz and introduces Gabourey Sidibe.
Special Presentations The Boys Are Back Scott Hicks, Australia/United Kingdom World Premiere Based on the memoir by Simon Carr, Scott Hicks (Shine) directs The Boys Are Back, inspired by the poignant, comic and uplifting true story of a man who must suddenly raise his two sons alone. After the untimely passing of his second wife, the ill-prepared Joe (Clive Owen), who is dealing with his own loss, is confronted with the daily challenges of parenthood while coping with his young son Artie's expressions of grief. They are soon joined by Harry, Joe's teenage son from his first marriage, who brings his own personal "baggage" into the mix. Also starring Laura Fraser and Emma Booth.
Bright Star Jane Campion, United Kingdom/Australia North American Premiere A drama based on the secret love affair between 23-year-old English poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and the girl next door, Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish), an outspoken student of fashion. Intensely and helplessly absorbed in each other, they rode a wave of romantic obsession that deepened as their troubles mounted. Only Keats's illness and untimely death proved insurmountable.
City of Life and Death Lu Chuan, China International Premiere From acclaimed director Lu Chuan comes a devastating and controversial epic film based on the most atrocious holocaust in Chinese history, the Nanjing Massacre. The story unfolds as the Japanese take over the city in 1937 and everyone is struggling to survive in a city where death is easier than life. Starring Liu Ye and Gao Yuanyuan.
Cracks Jordan Scott, Ireland/United Kingdom World Premiere In an austere and remote girls' boarding school, the most elite clique of girls are the illustrious members of the school's diving team. As they compete for the attention of their glamorous teacher (Eva Green), the arrival of a beautiful Spanish girl disrupts the delicate social balance. In an attempt to put differences aside, a secret midnight party takes place that will change their lives forever.
Hadewijch Bruno Dumont, France World Premiere Hadewijch is a religious novice whose ecstatic, blind faith leads to her expulsion from a convent. Returning to her former life, Hadewijch reverts to being Céline, a Parisienne and daughter of a diplomat. However, her passion for God, rage and encounters with Khaled and Nassir soon lead her down a dangerous path.
The Informant! Steven Soderbergh, USA North American Premiere Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon), a rising star at agri-industry giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), suddenly turns whistleblower. Exposing his company's multinational price-fixing conspiracy to the FBI, Whitacre imagines himself as a kind of de facto secret agent. Unfortunately for the FBI, their lead witness hasn't been quite forthcoming about helping himself to the corporate coffers. Whitacre's ever-changing account frustrates the agents and threatens the case against ADM as it becomes almost impossible to decipher what is real and what is the product of Whitacre's rambling imagination. Based on the true story of the highest-ranking corporate whistleblower in U.S. history.
The Invention of Lying Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson, USA World Premiere From Ricky Gervais, the award-winning creator and star of the original BBC series The Office and HBO's Extras, comes the new romantic comedy The Invention of Lying, which takes place in an alternate reality where lying—even the concept of a lie—does not even exist. Everyone—from politicians to advertisers to the man and woman on the street—speaks the truth and nothing but the truth with no thought of the consequences. But when a down-on-his-luck loser named Mark suddenly develops the ability to lie, he finds that dishonesty has its rewards. In a world where every word is assumed to be the absolute truth, Mark easily lies his way to fame and fortune. But lies have a way of spreading, and he begins to realize that things are getting out of control when some of his tallest tales are being taken as, well, gospel. With the entire world now hanging on his every word, there is only one thing Mark has not been able to lie his way into: the heart of the woman he loves.
Leaves of Grass Tim Blake Nelson, USA World Premiere Bill Kincaid, an Ivy League classics professor, returns to rural Oklahoma to bury his dangerously brilliant identical twin brother who had remained in their native state to grow hydroponic pot. Leaves of Grass is a fast-paced comic film that contrasts two distinct approaches to life. Featuring Edward Norton in the role of each twin.
London River Rachid Bouchareb, United Kingdom/France/Algeria North American Premiere This intimate drama tells the story of two people, a Muslim man and a Christian woman, who are immediately affected by the July 2005 London bombings. Both of them are drawn to the British capital when their children go missing on the day of the attacks. Putting aside their cultural differences, they will give each other the strength to continue the search for their children and maintain their faith.
Mao's Last Dancer Bruce Beresford, Australia/USA/China World Premiere Adapted from his internationally best-selling memoir, the film tells the true story of Li Cunxin, a Chinese-trained ballet dancer. Plucked from his childhood village, subjected to years of vigorous training and threatened during the Cultural Revolution, Cunxin decides to leave China at great risk to himself and those he loves, for an uncertain future.
Moloch Tropical Raoul Peck, Haiti/France World Premiere A democratically elected "President" and his closest collaborators are getting ready for a state celebration. But in the morning of the event, he wakes up to find the country inflamed and the streets in turmoil. Despite the situation, the President does not want to face reality and refuses to resign. Overwhelmed, he plunges into a deep mental confusion as the events unfold. Set in a castle in the clouds, Moloch Tropical is a Shakespearian, behind-the-scenes depiction of the end of power.
Mother Bong Joon-ho, South Korea North American Premiere A unique noir thriller that digs into the secrecy surrounding a terrible murder and the mystery of a mother's primal love for her son. The films of director Bong Joon-ho regularly, and brilliantly, break with convention, thanks to an imagination that is not confined to the accepted parameters of humour, suspense or horror - Mother is no exception.
Ondine Neil Jordan, Ireland/USA World Premiere A lyrical, modern fairy tale that tells the story of Syracuse (Colin Farrell), an Irish fisherman whose life is transformed when he catches a beautiful and mysterious woman (Alicja Bachleda) in his nets. His daughter Annie (Alison Barry) comes to believe that the woman is a magical creature, while Syracuse falls helplessly in love. However, like all fairy tales, enchantment and darkness go hand in hand.
Partir Catherine Corsini, France International Premiere Suzanne (Kristin Scott Thomas) is a well-to-do married woman and mother in the south of France. Her idle bourgeois lifestyle gets her down and she decides to go back to work as a physiotherapist. Her husband agrees to fix-up a consulting room for her in their backyard. When Suzanne and the man (Sergi López) hired to do the building meet, the mutual attraction is sudden and violent. Suzanne decides to give up everything and live this all-engulfing passion to the fullest.
Scheherazade Tell Me a Story Yousry Nasrallah, Egypt North American Premiere Hebba is the host of a successful political talk show in present-day Cairo. Karim, her husband, is deputy editor-in-chief of a governmentowned newspaper. When Party big shots imply his wife is meddling with opposition politics, Karim convinces her to start a series of talk shows around issues involving women. Hebba knows, of course, that women's issues are political. But she could not imagine to what extent, and the tension eventually leads to the break-up of her marriage.
Solitary Man Brian Koppelman and David Levien, USA World Premiere Ben Kalmen (Michael Douglas) is feeling his age, but you wouldn't know it from the company he keeps. A former mogul with a chain of car dealerships, until legal troubles knocked him out of business, Ben now keeps a grip on the world through his relationships with women - many women. The cast also includes Susan Sarandon, Danny DeVito, Mary Louise Parker and Jenna Fischer.
Valhalla Rising Nicolas Winding Refn, Denmark/United Kingdom World Premiere It is 1000 AD. For years, One Eye, a mute warrior of supernatural strength, has been held prisoner by the Norse chieftain Barde. Aided by Are, a boy slave, One Eye slays his captor and together he and Are escape, beginning a journey into the heart of darkness. On their flight, One Eye and Are board a Viking vessel, but the ship is soon engulfed by an endless fog that clears only as the crew sights an unknown land. As the new world reveals its secrets and the Vikings confront their terrible and bloody fate, One Eye discovers his true self.
Vengeance Johnnie To, Hong Kong/France North American Premiere A father comes to Hong Kong to avenge his daughter, whose family was murdered. Officially, he's a French chef. Twenty years ago, he was a killer. Vengeance is a moody, noir-ish tour-de-force, starring French pop icon Johnny Hallyday.
The Vintner's Luck Niki Caro, New Zealand/France World Premiere Set in early 19th century France The Vintner's Luck tells the compelling tale of Sobran Jodeau, an ambitious young peasant winemaker and the three loves of his life—his beautiful and passionate wife Celeste, the proudly intellectual baroness Aurora de Valday and Xas, an angel who strikes up an unlikely friendship with Sobran. A fantastical creature with wings that smell of snow, Xas turns out to be an unconventional mentor. Under his guidance Sobran is forced to fathom the nature of love and belief and in the process, grapples with the sensual, the sacred and the profane—all in pursuit of the perfect vintage.
Toronto International Film Festival regular film goers are getting excited once more as the press releases begin to indicate the wealth of screening opportunities at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2009.
The dates this year are from Thursday September 10 - Saturday September 19.
The opening film will be Brit Jon Amiel's Creation starring Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly.
It is the story of naturalist Charles Darwin and his turmoil around the pursuit of his revolutionary theories of evolution in lieu of his love for his religious wife. It looks fascinating and Bettany and Connelly seem to be exceptional in their roles. John Collee (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Happy Feet) wrote the script based on Randall Keyes biography of Darwin Annie's Box.
Everyone can write a blog, but some blogs are really special. Needless to say, Roger Ebert's Journal is one of the best. It is intelligent, informative and provocative reading not only for film lovers but the population at large. Each entry is in an essay format often branching out in many fascinating directions. For a great first read try: Bless me Father for I have sinned
The thoughts and discussion provided by commenters (sometimes with responses from Roger) are well-written, interesting and illuminating.
Roger has indicated that he has had over 3 000 000 visitors to the blogsite. Visit it and you'll see why. I guarantee that you will become a regular visitor.
Here are some other acknowledgements:
Winner of the 2009 Peter Lisagor Award for best online commentary "The comments from readers are about the best you will see on a blog." -- Computerworld RogerEbert.com ranks in the top three percent of most- discussed sites on the web. Source: urlfan.com
Not an easy task. Nevertheless, Kathryn Bigelow will become a well known female director this year because of her film THE HURT LOCKER. She has been a highly respected independent film director for a number of years but has made few films as the process of making an indy film where you have to arrange financing is a long process. Her films are not what studios would expect from a female director and so she ensures that she has control over the making of her films. Bigelow's passion is evident in this quote of hers: "If there's specific resistance to women making movies, I just choose to ignore that as an obstacle for two reasons: I can't change my gender, and I refuse to stop making movies. It's irrelevant who or what directed a movie, the important thing is that you either respond to it or you don't. There should be more women directing; I think there's just not the awareness that it's really possible. It is."
THE HURT LOCKER (its title implies a place of ultimate pain) won four awards at the 2008 Venice Film Festival and received a 10 minute standing ovation at its conclusion. It was written by free-lance journalist turned screenwriter Mark Boal who was embedded in a Bomb squad in Iraq. There, he accumulated the material to tell this action-filled gripping tale of three men finishing off their stint in a U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit in Iraq. It was one of the top films at the Toronto International Film Festival and after a very positive worldwide festival run will open, hopefully fairly wide, in July.
Bigelow was adamant that it had to be filmed in the Middle East with local actors rather than in an American desert. Although well known actors like Guy Pearce and Rafe Fiennes are in the film, the three main male roles are played by lesser known but excellent actors: Jeremy Renner (Dahmer), Anthony Mackie (Half Nelson), Brian Geraghty (Jarhead).
Visit the official site and click on video to see the trailer.
With the increase to 10 of the number of Best Picture Oscar Nominations, my guess is that this will easily receive one of those nominations. With ratings of 90+ on both Metacritic.com and Rottentomatoes.com it will be one of this year's highest rated films.
Brilliant Ricky Gervais may have another hit with his latest film project "The Invention of Lying". Originally titled "This Side of the Truth", which I prefer, it was written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson. Containing a huge cast including Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, Christopher Guest, Jason Bateman, Jeffrey Tambor and Patrick Stewart, it was made for a surprisingly low budget of $4 000 000. Is this just a case of people wanting to work with Gervais?
The premise is classic Gervais territory. Set at a time where the world is a place where no one lies, regardless of how caustic or negative the truth may be, a writer (Gervais) is able to lie and realizes that this new found ability will bring him fame, popularity and fortune. Needless to say things get out of hand.
Filled with dark and subtle humour complete with much social commentary it may well bring Gervais numerous screenwriting award nominations.
Here is a comment from Gervais in his own blog.
J.J. Abrams (Star Trek Director) watched The Invention of Lying and said it was one of his favourite films. I know I shouldn't care what people think - some people will like it, some will hate it, and some won't care either way. But the reason I'm so excited in this instance is that I think J.J. is one of the most exciting directors out there at the moment. He's like the new Spielberg, and well, I was honestly blown away. He also said... "
Ricky Gervais proves, once again, that he is the master. Not only of comedy, but social commentary. 'The Invention of Lying' is as funny as it is biting, wholly original, and surprisingly moving. Is there such thing as an important comedy? Turns out there is, and this is it. If you're still reading this, you should stop immediately and go see 'The Invention of Lying!'"
This is better than meeting Elmo. Well as good anyway.
Gervais is now working on a new film "Cemetery Junction" and his great TV series 'The Office" is going into its eighth reincarnation, this time in India. He'll likely executive produce it.
Martha Burns (left) and Susan Coyne (right) visited the Ancaster Film Fest to present their brilliant short film HOW ARE YOU? Despite being only 18 minutes long, the short was a multi-layered, unique, poignant and often humourous look at dealing with the grief that follows a separation. They added a very interesting and insightful introduction and commentary and provided a wonderful Q&A following each screening. We were delighted and fortunate to have these outstanding award-winning actresses and now screenwriters/directors/producers to our venue. We will anxiously be awaiting their next project LITTLE FILMS ABOUT BIG MOMENTS which grew indirectly out of their experiences in making HOW ARE YOU?
HOW ARE YOU? was co-written and co-directed by Martha and Susan.
Martha Burns is an award-winning Canadian actress known for her stage work and youth outreach in Ontario and her leading role in the TV drama SLINGS AND ARROWS, a TV series about a Canadian theatre company. She has garnered a Genie for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT and two Gemini awards for her performance as Shakespearean diva Ellen Fanshaw in SLINGS AND ARROWS.
Susan Coyne is an acclaimed actor, author and playwright and one of the co-creators and co-stars of the award-winning SLINGS AND ARROWS. In 2006, she won two Gemini Awards for her work on the show, one for best performance in a supporting role and one for best writing for a dramatic series (shared with her fellow co-creators). In 2007, she again won for writing with co-star Martha Burns winning in the acting category. She also won two Writers Guild of Canada awards, in 2006 and 2007. Martha and Susan are founding members of Toronto's Soulpepper Theatre Company, a company that includes a number of theatre veterans from the Stratford Theatre Festival. Martha has performed leading roles at Stratford, the Shaw Festival, the National Arts Centre and the Tarragon Theatre, to name just a few. She has been nominated five times for a Dora Mavor Moore Award, winning twice: in 1986 for The Miracle Worker and in 1984 for Trafford Tanzi. As associate artistic director at Soulpepper, Burns headed up its extensive youth outreach program. Earlier in her career, she founded the Toronto Arts for Youth Association and was a co-founder of another youth theatre project in Toronto, Masterclass Theatre. She has worked as an instructor for the theatre programs at George Brown College and Ryerson University. In 2005 she was honoured for her career in the theatre with the Barbara Hamilton Award.
Susan is currently a playwrite-in-residence at the Tarragon Theatre. Her two best-known plays are KINGFISHER DAYS, an adaptation of her critically-acclaimed memoir of the same name, and ALICE'S AFFAIR. The edition of this memoir that was published in America was titled IN THE KINGDOM OF FAIRIES. It recounts her experiences in the summer of 1963 at her family's summer cottage on Lake of the Woods. She is also known for her translations of Anton Chekhov.
Their latest project, LITTLE FILMS ABOUT BIG MOMENTS, contains ten short films from ten emerging filmmakers from a concept they created with producer Sonya Di Rienzo.
A dutiful daughter makes an impulsive decision about her aging father. A teenage girl confides in her sister and is unnerved by her reaction. A man is handed a pregnancy test and sees his world turned upside down. A woman looks at her dog waiting to go out and has a surprising revelation…. LITTLE FILMS ABOUT BIG MOMENTS is about epiphanies. It’s about the instant when the penny drops, the mind opens, the heart contracts, and something suddenly becomes clear - perhaps a little too clear.
The LITTLE FILMS filmmakers are not writers or directors, but rather people in the film industry who have a story to tell, and a willingness to take a risk. They are working under the guidance of experienced mentors who are encouraging them to engage in new ways of thinking and seeing. The whole experience is being documented for an hour-long companion piece documentary.
Each film was being shot in one day over a period of two weeks with the same production team. Semi Chellas (THE ELEVENTH HOUR) and Susan Coyne are the Story Mentors, Rudi Blahacek (SLINGS AND ARROWS) is the Director of Photography, Adam Wilson is the Production Designer, under the mentorship of Phillip Barker (ADORATION) and Tamara Deverall (BREAKFAST WITH SCOT), Shelley Mansell (NEMESIS GAME) is the Costume Designer, and Paul Day (DEAD LIKE ME) is the Editor. Dominika Dittwald (THIS BEAUTIFUL CITY) is the Director of the LITTLE FILMS Documentary.
LITTLE FILMS ABOUT BIG MOMENTS will be presented as a one-hour special on Movie Central and TMN in the fall of 2009. The ten short films will also be shown individually on both networks.
See Helen Mirren on stage in London in Jean Racine's Phèdre at your local theatre. This is an experiment in presenting the best of theatre on the screen and will be the first of four plays from the National Theatre in London. It is being screened worldwide, via a satellite feed in HD, on Thursday June 25. Racine's play, first performed in 1677, has been re-translated by Brit Poet Laureate Ted Hughes. Here is an article on the play with various British reviews. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/06/helen-mirren-in-ph%C3%A8dre-what-did-the-critics-think.html Here's Helen promoting the event http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc6umkTLcao Canadian tickets can be bought online or at the theatre. Visit www.cineplex.com/events Julian D.
We are living in exceptional times. Scientists tell us that we have 10 years to change the way we live, avert the depletion of natural resources and the catastrophic evolution of the Earth's climate.
The stakes are high for us and our children. Everyone should take part in the effort, and HOME has been conceived to take a message of mobilization out to every human being.
For this purpose, HOME needs to be free. A patron, the PPR Group, made this possible. EuropaCorp, the distributor, also pledged not to make any profit because Home is a non-profit film.
HOME has been made for you : share it! And act for the planet.
Yann Arthus-Bertrand (co-writer/director)
This feature length documentary has been made available free because of its importance. It tells of our planet's current state with stunning cinematography, phenomenal images, haunting music and compelling narrative. You must put aside one and a half hours to watch it. It is being made available for only a short period of time. Here is a link to watch it now.
Both Steve Lopez's L.A. Times columns and book on troubled musical genius Nathaniel Anthony Ayers received incredible interest from the public. Unfortunately, perhaps due to poor distribution, or in the mind of some critics, poor direction, the movie based on this fascinating and important story has not fared as well. Few people deny the power of the performances from two great actors, Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx. Our audience were extremely moved by the film and and the importance of the story.
When Steve Lopez came upon Nathaniel Anthony Ayers playing beautiful music from a 2-stringed violin he could not have foreseen that not only would this make a fascinating story but also ineveitably alter both of their lives. Nathaniel was a homeless person suffering from schizophrenia but had at one time been a student at Julliard.
The movie was made while the book was in progress and as is inevitable the director, Joe Wright (Pride and Prejudice, Atonement) and the screenwriter, Susannah Grant (Erin Brockavich) made a number of changes in content and chronology.
Danny Boon (right in the photo) has become a favourite of our film fest. This is the third picture that we have screened in which he has been involved. He had a small role in Joyeux Noel (Merry Christmas) and a leading role in Mon Meilleur Ami (My Best Friend). Here he is multi-tasking as he is not only one of the leads but also the director/writer/editor of the film. He has become one of France's biggest stars grossing some $30 million last year.
Welcome to the Sticks (Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis) has become France's all-time most popular film surpassing Titanic and has grossed nearly $200 million U.S. and on over 20 million tickets sold. And that's in a population of 67 million. It has been purchased for an American remake by Will Smith's Production company.
It's a laugh-out-loud comedy and our audience loved it. Much of the humour comes from the extreme differences between the French language and the Ch'ti dialect. The subtitlers have done a brilliant job in creating subtitles that carry the essence of the dialogue without being literal translations.
The Storyline Although living a comfortable life in Salon-de-Provence, a charming town in the South of France, Julie (Zoé Félix) has been feeling depressed for a while. To please her, Philippe Abrams (Kad Merad), a post office administrator, her husband, tries to obtain a transfer to a seaside town, on the French Riviera, at any cost. The trouble is that he is caught red-handed while trying to scam an inspector. Philippe is immediately banished to the distant unheard of town of Bergues, in the Far North of France. Leaving his child and wife behind, the crucified man leaves for his frightening destination, a dreadfully cold place inhabited by hard-drinking, unemployed rednecks, speaking an incomprehensible dialect called Ch'ti. Has Philippe been seen to hell...
The story was a very personal one for Danny as he was born in the region in which the film takes place and he wanted to show that the prejudices of the southern French toward the north was unwarranted and that the northerners were kind, friendly and generous and the location beautiful.
This webpage has a superb set of production notes.
Our audience of 468 members were treated to a beautiful and poignant film depicting a difficult chapter in Canadian History. Documentarian Benoit Pilon has meticulously crafted a film with a very realistic tone and setting. The amazing Inuit actor, Natar Ungalaaq, was phenomenal as Tivii, a displaced Inuit suffering from tuberculosis. Alone and dying in a Quebec sanatorium, he is saved only by the love and caring of a white Sister Nurse and a young boy caught between the world of the Inuit and that of the dominant European based millieu.
The audience was nearly unanimous in its positive reaction to The Necessities of Life. As one of out members said "And they say Canadians can't make great films!"
Necessities of Life was Canada's contender for Foreign Language Oscar and was nominated for 8 Genie Awards winning 4 prestigious ones: Best Director (Benoit Pilon), Best Actor (Natar Ungalaaq), Best Screenplay (Bernard Émond), Best Editing (Richard Comeau). It also won Jutra awards for Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay. It was filmed in Quebec City and Iqaluit Nunavut.
Our two screenings of 'The Stone of Destiny' brought in an audience of 542 people and very positive comments. There were a goodly number of Scottish enthusiasts judging from the singing of Scottish songs on the way out and the sonorous rolling r's in some of the after film commentary. Following his much beloved "The Snow Walker" director Charles Martin Smith has created another big AFF hit. Beautifully filmed on location and featuring a marvelous ensemble cast, Smith tells this heart-warming, true adventure tale of spunk, pride and patriotism in a light-hearted, humourous, romantic and exciting fashion. The story details, with a little literary license, the real events of Scottish Nationalist Ian Hamilton's attempt to recover the Stone of Destiny (aka Stone of Scone), from the British, with the help of a makeshift motley group of passionate youths. Smith filmed in the actual locations where the events occurred including the rooms where the event was plotted and the streets where the co-conspirators lived; he was the first filmmaker in 40 years to be able to film in Westminister Abbey. Ian Hamilton, who is in his 80's now, was on set contributing much to the storyline.
The cast was superb, composed of a blend of fine young and veteran actors. Robert Carlyse (The Full Monty), Peter Mullan (Boy A and The Magdalene Sisters) and Brenda Fricker (My Left Foot) provided the veteran chops while Charlie Cox (Stardust), Kate Mara (Brokeback Mountain), Billy Boyd (The Lord of the Rings) and Steven McCole (Band of Brothers) exuded the exuberance and passion of youth.
The soundtrack was uniquely fine featuring a number of moving Scottish songs.
Our two screenings of 'The Class' (French title 'Entre Les Murs' or 'Between the Walls') brought in 594 people and mixed reviews.
Despite the fact that 'The Class' was the first French film in 21 years to win the Palme D'or (the top prize) at Cannes and that it is one of the most highly rated films by critics (97% on Rotten Tomatoes (100% from the 30 top critics) and 92% on Metacritic) it remains a film over which audiences are quite a bit less positive.
Also, I recommend that you look at the excellent production notes (select press kit from this link) should you be interested in more information on what the author/teacher (François Bégaudeau) and director (Laurent Cantet) hoped to accomplish with this film.
Here are some excerpts from the production notes that hopefully will tease you into reading the ful notes.
François Bégaudeau. The aim of my book was to document one school year, sticking close to daily experiences. So there was no clear narrative line, no fictional plot centered around any one particular event. There were disciplinary meetings, but they were mostly events among many which followed their course. With this material, Laurent and his co-screenwriter Robin Campillo extracted the storyline that they were interested in. My book was the result of situations ; Laurent and Robin chose some of these to mold into fictional form. They did not choose "characters" in the strict sense of the term ; they constructed them, sometimes by grafting together several kids from the book.
Laurent Cantet. We wrote an initial summary, a backbone of the film, destined to be irrigated and modified throughout the year of preparation according to a plan I had already tried out in Ressources humaines (Human Resources). The idea was to use an existing school and during the filmmaking process, to integrate all the players of academic life. The first door that we knocked on was that of the Françoise Dolto Junior High in Paris' 20th arrondissement. It was the right one (we would have filmed there, if the school wasn’t undergoing construction). All the adolescents in the film are students at Dolto ; all the teachers teach there, including Julie Athénol is the counselor and Mr. Simonet is the assistant principal. With the exception of Souleymane’s mother, whose role is the most fabricated, the parents in the film are those of the students in real life.
Laurent Cantet. Those moments where the class discussion deviated are the ones that interested me the most, and the film is built on them. Few teachers take as many risks with their students : the risk to fall off track, the risk to fail. It is obviously easier to say that one has successfully transmitted this or that piece of knowledge through a lecture than by some induced method. This requires a sang-froid for which many people would criticize François, and for which many people would envy him. There's a bit of Socrates in that man!
François Bégaudeau. Most films about adolescents show them as monosyllabic. For us, without a doubt, the dominant force of The Class is the loquacious and lively adolescent, rather than melancholic and inhibited. Each spectator is free to imagine Esmeralda daydreaming alone in her room, but the film only shows her in the classroom, where her presence makes her a pure slice of life. The Class deals with how the lacunae of language affect everyone. All the students are susceptible to masterful moments of talk, but this can be derailed at any moment. Not only for the students, but also for the teacher.
Laurent Cantet. The film does not try to defend nor accuse either side. They all have their weaknesses and outbursts, their moments of grace and pettiness. Each one can exhibit both clairvoyance and blindness, comprehension and injustice. I even have the impression that the film expresses something paradoxically positive: a school is sometimes very chaotic, useless to cover its face, there are moments of discouragement but also great moments of grace, immense happiness. And from this great chaos, a lot of intelligence can be born.
François Bégaudeau. A school constantly creates wonderful situations. But we all know at the same time that it is, in the end, discriminatory, unequal, it fabricates reproduction, etc. This tension was at the basis of the film. More generally, I find the same kind of tension in my favorite films. In the present of each scene, there is so much energy at work that everyone is saved. But the progression of the screenplay takes us to rupture, impossibility, catastrophe. Each situation is a utopia, but the sum of situations is tragic. This is exactly the case in Laurent’s film. We can see in it the story of a failure. On the other hand, we can retain moments of a concrete utopia.
Your thoughts regarding the film would be much appreciated.
A number of people have been accessing my entry on the fabulous music in Michael McGowan's 'One Week'. As a follow-up to that posting in January I'd like to suggest that you visit the 'One Week' website to get a further listing of the soundtrack entries with samples and Itunes links.
The website has plenty of other nice features including a map of all the stops in the film and great photos.
On a side note, the great Canadian film C.R.A.Z.Y. had an awesome soundtrack of fairly well known songs. The budget for that soundtrack was $600 000 almost 1/3 of the whole budget of One Week. The cost of their soundtrack was so much that the producers couldn't approve it so the writer/director cut his own salary to cover the cost. As it was, he wasn't able to get all his desired choices as some of the other songs he wanted were even more prohibitably priced. The $600 000 was only for screenings in Canada and as a result the film was never screened in the U.S.
Michael McGowan deserves great credit for obtaining such an amazing soundtrack on a relatively small budget.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas has greatly moved readers of the award-winning "children's" novel by John Boyne as well as viewers of the film directed and written by Mark Herman. Film critics have been moderately positive with rankings of 63% on Rotten Tomatoes and 55% on Metacritic as compared to a very strong 7.8 among film viewers on IMDB. In the IMDB poll of viewers 87% gave it a rating of 7 or higher. One of the harshest reviews from critics was from Manohla Dargis of the New York Times.
Some critics are saying that this was not a great year for film and reference their disapproval of some of the 5 Oscar nominated films to support their argument.
In the last few years there has been some dissent against the Oscar Best Picture nominations or Oscar winner. A huge uproar occurred when Crash came from behind to beat out Brokeback Mountain. In my mind Crash was the best picture. I'm prejudiced though as I predicted it to win as soon as I saw it at the Toronto Film Festival that year.
Last year Juno was unfairly dismissed as not worthy due to its lighter comedic tone as compared to the heavy hitters No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood. Dramatic comedies get no respect. We have to go all the way back to 1960 and Billy Wilder's wonderful The Apartment to find a Best Pic winner that is classed as a comedy (in this case a dark dramatic comedy - All out comedies will almost certainly never win a Best Pic Oscar).
This year quite a few critics are upset that Wall-E and especially The Dark Knight were omitted from the list of Oscar Best Pic nominations. The two films that get the most heat for being on the list are The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Reader.
Here's a fine article by Roger Ebert on The Reader with many interesting side discussions. The article again shows why Ebert won a Pulitzer Prize for his film critiques. NOTE: Beware if you have not seen the film. The article concludes with significant spoilers so you may want to stop when Ebert indicates the spoilers follow and catch the movie before continuing. There is still plenty to read up to that point. Ebert's article supporting The Reader
In my opinion, Kate Winslet will win best actress this year for her amazing performance in The Reader. She is a phenomenal actress and this is already her sixth nomination (she has yet to win). She is ahead of the pace set by the marvellous Meryl Streep who received her fifteenth nomination this year. Winslet was also superb in Revolutionary Road in 2008 and many predicted that she would be nominated for best actress for that film and also receive a supporting nomination in The Reader. Her performance in the latter film was a lead performance though and she was nominated in the proper category but that precluded her from that strong possibility of receiving two nominations.
Every year at Oscar time, the NY Times has an extensive feature on Great Performances from the past year. This year they've offered a multi-media presentation which includes evocative photographs by Paolo Pellegrin, informative and personal audio commentary by Lynn Hirschberg and wonderful supplementary articles from interesting Americans who have had personal connections with the actors profiled.
Click on each performer and then click on Play Commentary to begin the presentation. You then have the option to click on the article to read it. Make sure to click on the Next tab on the right side of the screen to see each photograph.
Charlie Rose is one of the best interviewers on television. Not only because he writes good copy and asks interesting and probing questions but also because he then listens allowing the interviewee to speak.
Around Oscar time Charlie interviews leading candidates. His website is filled with his excellent interviews from past and present. Recently he interviewed critics David Denby of the New Yorker and A. O. Scott of the New York Times right after the Oscar nominations were announced.
Check the article on Sean Penn in Milk on this blog for the interview with Gus Van Sant, Sean Penn and others from the cast and crew of Milk.
And do not miss this interview with Mickey Rourke. What a turn-a-round for Mickey Rourke as an actor and as a person. A very different side of him from the side the media has been portraying based on some of his so-called faux-pas during his acceptance speeches. Interview with Rourke
I've Loved You So Long was the directorial debut for author / screenwriter Philippe Claudel. Claudel spent 11 years teaching in prisons in his early adult years and the characterizations in the film grew out of his experiences during that time. The cinematography, which focused on numerous closeups, highlighted Claudel's desire to show in Kristin Scott Thomas' face that she was, in a sense, still imprisoned. In Claudel's words to Kristin, "I want to destroy your beauty, to compose with you, the real character of Juliette, to read 15 years of prison with your face."
The performances of Kristin Scott Thomas and Elsa Zylberstein, as two sisters reconnecting after a lengthy separation, were outstanding and those of the supporting cast, especially Lise Ségur as the curious and gregarious older daughter, were also very strong. Kristin Scott Thomas has lived in France for 25 years, is fluent in French, and has recently made a number of films there but this was her first leading role in French. Out of respect for Kristen's creative acting ability, Claudel allowed her to decide how she would act each scene giving her complete freedom on each first take. The result: one of the best performances of the year.
The music was sensitive and emotive and highlighted by the recurring song A La Clair Fontaine. The title of the film was taken from a line in this song. This song also featured prominently in a previous film of ours - The Painted Veil. (Thanks to one of our members for noting this).
Here is a link to this beautiful song from The Painted Veil.
Milk, directed by the accomplished American indie director Gus Van Sant, stars Sean Penn in the eponymus role and chronicles the political rise and subsequent death of Harvey Milk in the tumultuous 70’s. Harvey Milk was the first openly gay elected public official in the U.S. serving for just one year as supervisor in the San Francisco area. The story is quite factual and the performances especially by Sean Penn and those who portrayed Milk's aides are exceptional. Penn embodies the Milk character so perfectly that you quickly forget that a major star is on the screen acting a role and get caught up in the riveting story. The casting director did a superb job of finding look-a-like actors for all the major roles
Sean Penn demanded they shoot in San Francisco and they eventually shot on location on Castro Street and even in Milk's original camera shop where the art producers recreated its look and feel from the 70s.
Director Gus Van Sant had a special connection with the Harvey Milk murder as he himself came out of the closet after Milk was killed. Van Sant, like many others, was influenced by Milk's political fervor and moved by his comment that “If a bullet enters my head may it also knock down all the closet doors.”
Dustin Lance Black, the screenwriter, is from San Antonio and on reading about Milk's life was moved to write the biographical screenplay. Ironically Milk had also said "There's a kid out there in San Antonio who's going to hear my story and it's going to give him hope." Black, did not have rights to any of the previous biographies, and so spoke to many friends and foes of Harvey Milk to try and capture the real human story. In particular, Cleve Jones, Danny Nicoletta and Anne Kronenberg, who were part of Milk's entourage, contributed tremendous detail.
Originally, around 1992, Oliver Stone was going to do the film with Robin Williams in the lead but when that fell through Rob Epstein, the director of a documentary on Milk, suggested to Van Sant that he take it on; Van Sant approached Warner Bros and entered the project.
Van Sant changed the focus of the film from 'Why did Dan White shoot Milk and the mayor?' to 'Who was Milk and what did he die for?' Initally Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon were all considered for the Dan White role which Josh Brolin eventually played.
Deservedly, Milk is nominated for eight Oscars and though it will not likely win best picture or best director it has an even chance of winning best actor or best original screenplay. A great biopic and a must-see film.
Frost/Nixon is a riveting film anchored by two outstanding performances from Frank Langella (Nixon) and Michael Sheen (Frost). They reprise their roles from the award-winning stage production of the same name. Both the play and the film were written by Peter Morgan who continues his amazing writer's streak of award-winning works (The Last King of Scotland, The Queen and Momfort) briefly spoiled by The Last Boleyn Girl. Ron Howard beat out Martin Scorsese, George Clooney, Sam Mendes, Bennett Miller and Mike Nichols for a seat in the director's chair. Frost/Nixon has received overwhelmingly positive reviews and garnered five prestigious Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Director (Howard), Best Actor (Langella) and Best Screenplay (Morgan). Langella won the Tony on Broadway for his stage performance and he is outstanding here once again. As of today, Frost/Nixon has only made $14 million of its $35 million budget back, but its jump to 1100 theatres from 150 after its Oscar nominations should correct that.
Ron Howard deftly directs in a documentary style complete with talking heads and the superb screenplay maintains the tension throughout nicely softened by many moments of humour. The supporting cast is uniformly fine with notable performances by Matthew Macfadyen, Oliver Platt and Sam Rockwell as Frost's producer and lead investigators and a campy take on Nixon's uber agent Swifty Lazar by a bald Toby Jones (Was Sylvester Stallone his voice coach?). Rebecca Hall (Vicky Christina Barcelona) plays Caroline Cushing, based on actress Carol Lynley who had an 18 year on-off relationship with Frost, and adds a female connection to Frost's motivating forces.
Though I really liked this movie and recommend it, I continue to have a problem with Morgan's screenplays and Howard's direction when it come to historical dramas. Too much drama and not enough history. Frost/Nixon continues this modification of historical fact though not anywhere as flagrantly as in Howard's A Beautiful Mind. First and foremost, the interviews were a colloborative business arrangement where Nixon received $600 000 up front (stated in the movie) but also 20% of all profits (left out) and thus not the David/Goliath battle that the screenplay implies. Though the probing opening question "Why didn't you burn the tapes?" in the interview was as stated, Nixon's answer was remarkedly different than in the screenplay. In many important moments in the film, Nixon's comments are remanufactured to create a different and deeper tension and poignancy. This is seen most specifically in his supposed admittance of guilt for a criminal offence and his apology to the American people . The crutial phone call that provides the impetus for Frost's final 'surge' and victory did not occur and is a reminder of the crutial scene in The Queen when Queen Elizabeth spies the majestic stag and sheds her only tear. Furthermore Peter Morgan seems to want to make a connection between Nixon's failings and G.W. Bush's failings and so takes license with the dialogue to bring this 1970's story into today's mindset.
When a historical drama is remanufactured for audiences, I wish that there was a disclaimer, at least in the credits, that dramatic license has been taken with the facts to enhance the story. After all, what worries me is that what is seen on the screen will for many viewers automatically become reality. Ironically when I do go back and read what really happened I find that these historical dramas are extremely prowerful in their true setting and do not really need a major overhaul.
With its win as best ensemble at the SAG awards and Best Picture at the Producers awards as well as many many other awards, Slumdog Millionaire is the odds on favourite to take the best picture Oscar. The fact that it is deserving of the award only adds to that possibility. Of course we all knew as far back as September of '08 when Slumdog Millionaire won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival that this would be happening now (nudge nudge wink wink).
Director Danny Boyle, who should also win the Best Director Oscar, along with co-director Loveleen Tandan, created a stunning visual feast for the eyes and an emotional story for the heart based on the award-winning novel, Q & A, by Vikas Swarup. Loveleen Tandan, who cast and co-directed Monsoon Wedding, must certainly get much credit for the look of the film and for the marvellous casting. The fact that three different actors play each of the three key characters and yet the picture flows seamlessly through the changes is a tribute to the casting director and the co-directors. Danny Boyle placed the money to be paid to the 3 lead child actors in a trust that is to be released to them upon their completion of grade school at 16 years of age. The production company has set up for an auto-rikshaw driver to take the kids to school everyday until they are 16 years old.
Danny Boyle's reputation grows with every film he's done. He thrives in not repeating genres as judged by his exceptional filmography which includes: Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Millions, and Sunshine. Slumdog Millionaire has garnered numerous awards worldwide along with 10 Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Director (Boyle), Best Screenplay (Simon Beaufoy), Best Cinematography (Anthony Dod Mantle), Best Editing (Chris Dickens) and three music nominations around A.R. Rahman's score and songs. Despite the fact that there were no oscar nominations for acting, the performances all-round are marvellous. The cinematography and editing capture both the grand scope and desolation of the poverty in India and frenetic pace of the stories that thread together to form the beautiful narrative.
Fox Searchlight is without a doubt one of the best marketers of independent films. They have taken a film that many would have and did bet against succeeding, and kept it in the theatres for 11 weeks to date. They have gradually allowed it to grow from its opening in 10 theatres to its current run in 1400 theatres and gross $60 million dollars domestically from its $15 million budget. It should easily pass $100 million before its run ends. Major distributors use the opposite logic with blockbusters opening in 3000+ theatres. Most blockbusters' revenue drops 50% - 60% after the first week and after five to six weeks in the theatres have in essence exhausted their run. Box Office Mojo is a good place to observe this phenomenon. As an example High School Musical Three opened in 3600 theatres grossing $44 million the first weekend. By the sixth week it was still in 1300 theatres but only grossed $1 million. The well was running dry as its cumulative gross was $89 million and though it remained in theatres for another dozen weeks or so it peaked in the $92 million dollar range.
We are fortunate that Fox Searchlight took the reins and helped to make Slumdog Millionaire the winner it deserves to be. Now all you need to do is go and see it. It demands to be seen on the big screen.
We are a part of the Toronto International Film Festival's Film Circuit. A group of some 200 organizations in communities across Canada that screen the best in Canadian and international films while supporting local cultural initiatives, service otganizations and/or charities.
Our website is www.ancasterfilmfest.ca
A director as ‘auteur’ makes the film that she feels in her heart/soul not the film that people may want to see or that distributors think will draw an audience. Such is the dilemma that good independent filmmakers face: Stay true to your vision or compromise to make a sale. Ruba Nadda is a director that believes you must be passionate about your film and stay true to your vision. Two weeks before she was to go to Cairo to film Cairo Time her funding fell apart. Working with her producer, Daniel Iron (Away From Her), they managed somehow to find the money, partially by foregoing their up-front salaries, and Ruba was off to Cairo 48 hours later.
Every year at Oscar time, the NY Times has an extensive feature on Great Performances from the past year. This year they've offered a multi-media presentation which includes evocative photographs by Paolo Pellegrin, informative and personal audio commentary by Lynn Hirschberg and wonderful supplementary articles from interesting Americans who have had personal connections with the actors profiled.
