Toronto Film Festival 2011
- Thread starter onetet
- Start date
seems like there aren't a lot of strutters following the fest this year, but just in case I have three favorites so far.
VOLCANO--a small production from Iceland about a 60-something retiree who relies on his long-suffering wife for every detail, seemingly incapable of even heating up his own canned soup. Dark comedy turns to serious drama when she suffers a stroke, and he has to figure out how (and if) he can care for two, let alone himself.
http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2011/volcano
(trailer) http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2011/volcano
URBANIZED--a documentary from the director of HELVETICA collecting (mostly) success stories about cities responding to urban crises and overpopulation with new thinking -- urban gardening in Detroit, new approaches to bike lanes and public transport in Bogota, new approaches to lighting and public safety in South Africa, etc. The filmmaking is fine, but it's the stories and ideas in this one that will have people talking and thinking.
http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2011/urbanized
INVASION--a lost masterpiece from Argentina, co-written by Borges and rarely screened broad since its release in 1969. If you like films such as Melville's Army of Shadows and Bertolucci's The Conformist, this is a must-see. Godard's Alphaville also leaves a mark here, primarily through some bizarre comic notes and strident dissonance and blips on the soundtrack.
http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2011/invasion
Anyone attending and see anything they loved?
VOLCANO--a small production from Iceland about a 60-something retiree who relies on his long-suffering wife for every detail, seemingly incapable of even heating up his own canned soup. Dark comedy turns to serious drama when she suffers a stroke, and he has to figure out how (and if) he can care for two, let alone himself.
http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2011/volcano
(trailer) http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2011/volcano
URBANIZED--a documentary from the director of HELVETICA collecting (mostly) success stories about cities responding to urban crises and overpopulation with new thinking -- urban gardening in Detroit, new approaches to bike lanes and public transport in Bogota, new approaches to lighting and public safety in South Africa, etc. The filmmaking is fine, but it's the stories and ideas in this one that will have people talking and thinking.
http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2011/urbanized
INVASION--a lost masterpiece from Argentina, co-written by Borges and rarely screened broad since its release in 1969. If you like films such as Melville's Army of Shadows and Bertolucci's The Conformist, this is a must-see. Godard's Alphaville also leaves a mark here, primarily through some bizarre comic notes and strident dissonance and blips on the soundtrack.
http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2011/invasion
Anyone attending and see anything they loved?
INVASION sounds great...might try to catch the Thursday morning show.
I've only seen Killer Joe so far. It's the second William Friedkin-Tracy Letts collaboration, the first being one of my PMG classics, Bug. Killer Joe is a sharp little black comedy that's highly watchable, but it just wasn't my cup of tea in the end. (And, like Bug, the ending is something else...).
I've only seen Killer Joe so far. It's the second William Friedkin-Tracy Letts collaboration, the first being one of my PMG classics, Bug. Killer Joe is a sharp little black comedy that's highly watchable, but it just wasn't my cup of tea in the end. (And, like Bug, the ending is something else...).
ketan said:INVASION sounds great...might try to catch the Thursday morning show.
I loved it, gems like this are why we need repertory cinema. One word about the print/TIFF presentation though: it's a restored 35mm print that looks good, but with French subtitles attached. They were digitally beaming English subtitles above the French, which was a little distracting from the image at times, but more to the point it failed a few times (the English subtitles dropped out completely for a few minutes, and got out of synch several times). I can read French, so I was okay, but other audience members probably didn't fare too well. Hopefully they'll step that process up for the next screening.
I loved it, gems like this are why we need repertory cinema. One word about the print/TIFF presentation though: it's a restored 35mm print that looks good, but with French subtitles attached. They were digitally beaming English subtitles above the French, which was a little distracting from the image at times, but more to the point it failed a few times (the English subtitles dropped out completely for a few minutes, and got out of synch several times). I can read French, so I was okay, but other audience members probably didn't fare too well. Hopefully they'll step that process up for the next screening.
onetet said:
My favorite new film at TIFF thus far was this sad, hilarious Canadian documentary about residents of a nursing home, filmed over 5 years. Many of the residents have dementia, so it gets into some dark and uncomfortable territory at times. Not for everyone, but I loved it.
The programming has been solid this year, even if I don't feel like I've uncovered any masterpieces... it says something that my least-favorite films so far have been lackluster efforts from two of my favorite directors, Werner Herzog and Frederick Wiseman.
The bourgie notes the festival sounds are increasingly loud, as Bassie noted, and I think it goes beyond the lofts and yuppie bistros of the Lightbox. It feels a bit less about the movies this year, even if there are still excellent films at the festival's core, and more about celebrities and parties and industry and buzz.
3 more days and 10 more movies to go, including the alleged final film from Bela Tarr.
My favorite new film at TIFF thus far was this sad, hilarious Canadian documentary about residents of a nursing home, filmed over 5 years. Many of the residents have dementia, so it gets into some dark and uncomfortable territory at times. Not for everyone, but I loved it.
The programming has been solid this year, even if I don't feel like I've uncovered any masterpieces... it says something that my least-favorite films so far have been lackluster efforts from two of my favorite directors, Werner Herzog and Frederick Wiseman.
The bourgie notes the festival sounds are increasingly loud, as Bassie noted, and I think it goes beyond the lofts and yuppie bistros of the Lightbox. It feels a bit less about the movies this year, even if there are still excellent films at the festival's core, and more about celebrities and parties and industry and buzz.
3 more days and 10 more movies to go, including the alleged final film from Bela Tarr.
