WRAP UP: Here's my list of what I loved most about @FantasticFest including films, food and... many of you. #FF2012

How can I manage to write about Fantastic Fest? Why are there so many songs about rainbows? Who's on first?  AHHHOIJFOAIJHGIPAJ! See…no part of me can begin forming rational thought about my time at Fantastic Fest let alone turn those thoughts into something intelligible.

But, if I don't type out even total nonsense now, it will be locked forever in my brain, only likely to be accessed by one of those fancy cables they use in Vanishing Waves, my favorite sci-fi film of this fest.

I'm going to give it to you straight. I fucking loved the good hell out of Fantastic Fest in ways I was nowhere near prepared for.  (And guys - I was pretty prepared to adore it.) I found it  to be an intoxicating (in more ways than one) haven of awesome the likes of which I didn't totally know still existed on planet Earth.  It does, y'all.  It so does.

I'll make a list, then, of everything I loved about the festival.  In no particular order.

Austin itself

 

Actual Austin graffiti

Believe the hype. That town has no equal. You can't even say "it's got the weather of ___ and the style of ___ and the music scene of ____." It's distinctly, wonderfully, perfectly Austin, and thank fucking god.  From the weather (blissful) to the graffiti (subversively kind, if there is such a thing) to the food trucks (the kind of yumminess that should be illegal) - this town spent five days trying to permanently tempt me out of my New York state of mind.

Cute boys

Oh hey. Hiiiiii. Bearded movie geeks galore.  Hello!

Good people 

 

Friends I knew already, and a bunch of new ones. I shall list them now for you here.

Shivvy - the dearest, funniest and sweetest person contained within Austin city limits and someone next to whom I was lucky enough to sit, for a couple (but too few) films and gab sessions

Nickrob - no less than #FF2012 royalty

Jordan Hoffman - NYC represent! #1 nicest human attending this festival.

Sunny - the official brightest smile of the Festival and my favorite person to catch the eye of and wave to, at regular intervals

JC Deleon - seriously good people, with beyond solid taste in short films

Neil Miller - BBQ devotee, Reject-in-a-good-way, general man of mystery

Brian Kelly - enthusiastic film-lover, purveyor of awesome tee shirts, Words With Friends champion and arbiter of midnight pancakes waitstaff standards

Rich, Dor, Shivvy

Jeremy Kirk - a friendly face I had sadly few opportunities with whom to converse


Rich - pizza slice stealer, onion ring peace offerer, Seattle advisor, cool dude

John Gholson - festival birthday boy, fantastic artist and all around bad-ass mofo

Larry Richman - a film festival staple and cornucopia of knowledge on Twitter

Jen Yamato - charmingest fashionista

Tom Clift - newest friend having met him at TIFF, and only person besides me and maybe Jordan Hoffman who'll have done TIFF, Fantastic Fest and NYFF.  High five!

And special shout out to a number of folks that I just met in Austin and hope to run into again sometime:

Jason Whyte
Peter Kuplowsky
Matt Kiernan
Russ & Katie
Luke Mullen
Tammy Metzger
Scott Weinberg
Mallory Lance
Other people I'm embarrassed to have forgotten please don't kill me

Lack of Industry

 

If you've been to a film festival, you know you're going to spend a fair amount of time spitting out the word "entourage" in sentences accompanied by at least a couple eye rolls.  And you resolve that Sundance, Toronto, and similar feasts offer solid enough film slates to put up with the sunglasses wearers inside, the black clothing from head to toe and even - sometimes -  the blase smartphone users who have the juevos mas grandes to check their email during a screening.  

No need to suck it up at Fantasic Fest, folks.  If you saw someone like that at 1120 S. Lamar this week, it's more likely it was THE PLAYER cosplay as it was to be an actual Hollywood insider. Not that smart business minds aren't there - they're just the good ones, the ones that see the value and the potential in the films playing at this (relatively) little genre festival.

 

Roughness around the edges

 

Fantastic Feud

This festival lets it all hang out.  Filmgoers here are perfectly content booing and hissing at a 30-second false start to a film without sound, or laughing (with, not at) a supremely inebriated event host stumble in front of an audience of hundreds.   Maybe it's the preponderance of alcohol, popcorn, movie posters, and a less intimidating dress code, but going to Fantastic Fest is the closest you'll get to having a film festival in your living room.  If your living room was big enough for hundreds of awesome people, from dear friends to perfect strangers to sexy international film stars to devoted volunteers to quirky programmers to sassy waitstaff.

The films

 

Oh yeah.  In addition to plying you with alcohol, surrounding you with cute boys and shoving cookies down your throat, this place also shows movies. Good movies!

Now…one thing that kept me from voraciously pursuing an appearance at Fantastic Fest any sooner is my, how shall I say this, lack of consistent enthusiasm for horror movies.  I like them more now than I ever have, which means… I like them. The good ones.    But I learned not too long ago not to judge a book by its intense, blood-starved, sinister, limbless cover.   They show more than just horror, here!

In fact, my 15-film Fantastic Fest journey was completely devoid of blood, guts and gore, unless you count The American Scream, the stellar documentary about people who make haunted houses in their backyards and garages.


I did, though, see some horrifically hilarious Tae-Kwon-Do, some terrifyingly awkward, deliberately dark comedy, and some disturbing and challenging family drama.   What I loved about this festival is that even though I may not go apeshit for horror movies, I generally tend to mesh well with people who do like them.  So the slate here ends up being a perfect mix of movies that - horror or otherwise - appeal to that type of moviegoer.  And although this festival was fairly small (75 features compared to 300 at TIFF the week before), it was possible to put together quite a varied mix of good quality films.  And leave with a list of titles I missed that I need to see when they're released.

The alcohol quotient

 

I'm not gonna say I have any need to preface this with some sort of "What happens in Austin…" but I wouldn't have been terribly surprised if I left the town with a shortage of cheap white wine. (My sincerest apologies to any middle-aged housewives.)

No, no, I jest.

It wasn't just white wine. I probably cleared the town out of most of its red wine, and placed the vodka reserves in serious jeopardy as well.

When in Rome!

Drafthouse cookies

 

Soft, sweet, tender, warm, indulgent, and mine all mine. And all I have to do is agree to buy the next size up in all my jeans when I get home.

Carolee, Christopher and Josh

 

Dor, Josh + tasty treats

Carolee, Christopher, Dor + yummers

Yes, they get their own category.  I'm stealing Carolee, Christopher, their devotion to good eats, their passion for film and filmmaking, their brussel-sprout-seeking skills and their innate warmth and kindness back to NYC with me.   Which is to say - they are moving here and I am keeping them forever.  Now Josh, the bearded hipster and formidable director of the boldest 80 seconds I've seen on the big screen this year (FF2012 short "Dialogue")… well, he'll have to wait to come to the big Apple since this town can only handle so much awesome at one time.  Maybe next year, pal.

Lots of other things

 

Such as...

The philosophy this festival has on bumpers - that is, the little trailers that play before each film.  They played a different bumper in front of every movie! I never saw the same one twice.  Take THAT, Uncle Marty.


The central location that encourages meeting new people and seeing/partying with/gossiping with/chatting movies with them multiple times.

The festival doles out awards. The awards are beer mugs and if you win, it's handed to you full of beer you must drink on stage.    Don't drink? No problem. There's a bong up there too - you can just take hit instead.  They have an award for the best badge photo of a festival attendee (making the infamous "shakey face"). And the prize? Not just a beer mug.  A blanket, printed with the shakey face photo on it.

And now, I'm going to make a list of what I did not love about the festival:

• Drafthouse coffee. Can someone make a short horror film where the weapon of choice is this poisonous substance?
• That one day that the power outlets on the tables in the tent didn't work
• The fact that Mike didn't come, which would have significantly increased the cute guy quotient in Austin 

And the number one thing I hated about Fantastic Fest was that it ended and I had to go home!

#FF2012 Quick Film Overview - All 15 of the movies I saw, ranked by Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair & Poor

Excellent

Wake in Fright

Very Good

Vanishing Waves
The American Scream
Everybody In Our Family
Miami Connection (in terms of the movie-going experience itself anyway)
Plan C
Combat Girls
Flicker
The Final Member
Fantastic Shorts (Dialogue, Bio Cop, Tea Party, Record/Play and Little Appliances especially)

Good

Bring Me the Head of Machine Gun Woman
Holy Motors

Fair

Berberian Sound Studio
The Conspiracy
Antiviral

Poor

N/A

Wherein I finally write something (super dorky) about my time so far at Fantastic Fest #FF2012

This festival is so freakin' wild that I can't believe I ever heard about it in the first place. I can't believe the folks lucky enough to have stumbled on it earlier didn't just keep it completely to themselves in some pact of silence, an effort to keep the festival all to themselves. With that thought in mind I'm tempted to blog about how it's super expensive to eat and drink here, the people are boring and rude, and the films are crap.

When in fact I've drunk more wine here in 2.5 days than I could by with my monthly NYC taxi cab budget where I live. And cannot walk five feet here without someone shouting "DOR!" and asking me what I thought of my last film. I loved my last film, guys. With one or two exceptions where I'd say only "yeah it was fine," I really did.

Biggest Surprises of the Festival So Far:

1) The social climate. I knew there'd be awesome people, I just didn't know I'd have such a great time with them. I mainly am just boggled by the fact that this festival is with the same crowd and at the same theater as SXSW but it could not be further from the SXSW experience. In all good ways.

2) The films. I like horror movies all right, but it took me 15 years to get to a place where I even let myself go see them. So I knew what I was getting myself into here but it would be a lie to say I wasn't a little bit apprehensive. But seriously? I can count on one hand the number of times I've had to cover my eyes. In part I suppose I'm growing some kind of a spine. But mostly, I've seen four movies a day and none of them hardcore fucked up gorefests like I was thinking I'd find here. I think that's great. I feel like I have stumbled upon this perfect place where it's not that all the movies are scary twisted mind-fucks but rather they're the a curated selection of just plain great movies, that happen to appeal to the tastes of those who mostly love scary twisted mind fucks. If that makes any sense.

3) My stamina. At this time last week I was winding down a 48-film TIFF 2012 and incredulously had not taken ill from lack of sleep. So I'm pretty shocked I've been able to dive back into fest insanity without so much as a few deep breaths in between. Parties til 2 AM, up at 8:30 AM like I've slept for a week. There's some crazy magic going on here and I kind of love it.

Surely there are more surprises awaiting me. Time will tell.

Fantastic Fest is the Fest for Me

Ignoring the minor detail about my being a relatively new fan of genre films, I'm ready to pledge my allegiance to this wacky, booze-soaked, friendly as a barrel of monkeys film festival. And I have yet to take in a single movie.

Landed safely in Austin at midnight after someone on my flight nearly kicked it. Thankfully medical folks were waiting as we landed and I made my way albeit delayed, to the High Ball where costumed gents were all to happy to serve me vodka cranberries til the midnight movie got out. At which point I tried in vain to make it to my Airbnb on foot.

I wound up back at the Drafthouse where I found myself face to face with a number of Twitter pals for the first time, as well as making the acquaintance of some new friends in the meantime.

Thanks to JC I made it to my Airbnb safe and sound and I am hangin' out here, winding down and trying to convince myself to wake up at 10 to reserve tomorrow's movies. Which in fact I still need to choose.

Yay film festivals! Yay Fantastic Fest!

#TIFF12 Overview - All 48 of my movies rated Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair or Poor

Excellent

Far Out Isn't Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story
The Act of Killing
Laurence Anyways

Very Good

Rust & Bone

The Master
Ginger & Rosa
Cloud Atlas
Watchtower
Eat Sleep Die
No Place on Earth
Sightseers
Lore
Beyond the Hills

Do Not Disturb
Argo
Everybody Has a Plan
The ABCs of Death
First Comes Love
Eagles

Good

Everyday
What Maisie Knew
Artifact
Shepard & Dark
Tower
Byzantium
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God
All That Matters Is Past
The Place Beyond the Pines
End of Watch
Writers
Disconnect
Dormant Beauty
In the Fog
The Attack
The Time Being
John Dies at at the End
Picture Day

Fair

The Secret Disco Revolution
Aftershock
Detroit Unleaded
Men at Lunch
Imogene
Iceman
White Elephant

Poor

Yellow
Hellbenders
At Any Price
Jackie

#TIFF12 - two lists.

FIRST LIST - Random TIFF-Related facts:

1) I have spent far more time than anticipated at a shitty, shitty bar near Ryerson called Lou Dawgs.

2) I am so fucking over the L'Oreal bumper playing before each film. Y'all. Done with it. Done.

3) I really wish someone could find a reason to screen Stories We Tell at Fantastic Fest. Or probably more appropriately, NYFF. WHY DID I MISS THIS UGHGHGHGHGHG

4) I am very tired today, and it's my first of two six-movie days in a row. Oof.

5) I am pleased my pals Doug and Jill Tilley are here for the last few days of the fest, but I wish our schedules intersected more than they do!

-------

SECOND LIST - An updated run down of all the TIFF movies I've seen and how I'd rate them on a 10-point scale.

1. Rust and Bone (8)
2. Imogene (5)
3. The Place Beyond the Pines (6)
4. The Master (10)
5. Far Out Isn't Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story (10)
6. All That Matters is Past (6)
7. Men at Lunch (5)
8. Cloud Atlas (8)
9. End of Watch (6)
10. Watchtower (8)
11. Ginger and Rosa (9)
12. Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (7)
13. Eat Sleep Die (7)
14. Yellow (2)
15. Hellbenders (3)
16. The Act of Killing (9)
17. At Any Price (1)
18. Writers (7)
19. Iceman (5)
20. Byzantium (7)
21. Detroit Unleaded (4)
22. No Place on Earth (8)
23. Sightseers (9)
24. Aftershock (4)
25. Disconnect (6)
26. Lore (7)
27. Tower (7)
28. Beyond the Hills (8)
29. Shepard & Dark (7)
30. The Secret Disco Revolution (5)
31. Dormant Beauty (6)
32. Laurence Anyways (9)
33. In the Fog (6)
34. The Attack (7)
35. White Elephant (5)
36. Do Not Disturb (8)

#TIFF12 - Movie Seen So Far, Plus Ratings

Allow me to post the list of every film I've seen at TIFF so far this year, as well as how I'd rate it on a ten point scale.

There are four solid days left for movies which means if all goes as planned, I will reach 48 films.  A TIFF record for me, but nothing compared to Sundance (thanks to TIFF not showing 9 AM movies most days - probably more a blessing than a curse).

1. Rust and Bone (8)
2. Imogene (5)
3. The Place Beyond the Pines (6)
4. The Master (10)
5. Far Out Isn't Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story (10)
6. All That Matters is Past (6)
7. Men at Lunch (5)
8. Cloud Atlas (8)
9. End of Watch (6)
10. Watchtower (8)
11. Ginger and Rosa (9)
12. Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (7)
13. Eat Sleep Die (7)
14. Yellow (2)
15. Hellbenders (3)
16. The Act of Killing (9)
17. At Any Price (1)
18. Writers (7)
19. Iceman (5)
20. Byzantium (7)
21. Detroit Unleaded (4)
22. No Place on Earth (8)
23. Sightseers (9)
24. Aftershock (4)
25. Disconnect (6)
26. Lore (7)
27. Tower (7)
28. Beyond the Hills (8)

#TIFF12 Day Five - My reaction to the (only) four movies I saw yesterday

Day Five was not my favorite day of TIFF. Though it started strongly, it ended poorly and had one big huge disappointment smack dab in the middle.

The Act of Killing

Director Joshua Oppenheimer spent four years with several free men who were executioners / gangsters amongst those who perpetrated the mass killing of communist in 1965 Indonesia.

I may be alone here, but I know just about nothing about Indonesian history. And this documentary was not made to give me an exhaustive look at what lead to and what follows these horrific events. However, it aims to take the viewer (and subjects, really) on an astonishing journey that may well leave you with more questions than answer. Questions about the nature of memory. Of Karma. Of empathy, of rationalization, of reparation, of retribution, of silence, of trust, of punishment, of power, and evil, and even of the lasting impact of Hollywood films in the most unlikely places.

It's hard to describe this movie and I think if I tried, I would end up bumbling through thousands of words and still not saying anything meaningful. I hope that many people see it, because I found it moving and as disturbing as any film I've ever seen that shows not one drop of real bloodshed on camera.

It also contained one of the most powerful scenes I've ever seen on film - one shows two admitted killers flippantly re-enacting a past crime scene, as a neighbor and friend of one of them stands in as the victim. Before the camera starts rolling, the neighbor in passing starts to tell a story of which he pretends to downplay the importance, but which in fact is the story of his own stepfather's murder at the hands of men like the ones in the room with him now.

I can hardly write about the scene without feeling tears spring to my eyes. So many layers are stripping away in every one of the players as monumentally complex issues come to light in their own discussion and realization comes over them slowly.

The Act of Killing is more awards-worthy than any other documentary I've seen yet in 2012, except possibly The Invisible War. I really hope it gets recognition and distribution on a wide scale.

At Any Price

This movie was such an intimately, tragically disappointing endeavor that I can't even type more without getting pissed - which is a rare reaction from me since I typically don't mind seeing a bad movie.

Writers

Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Connelly are divorced intellectuals, he a novelist and their young adult children fledgling novelists as well in this heartwarming, sweet but not too sweet dramedy that I desperately needed at this stage of the festival. This movie won't change anyone's life but I found no harm in int whatsoever, and I can imagine a general audience being fairly taken with it. In the particular context of this being a first feature, it was even better.

Iceman

Michael Shannon and Winona Ryder being favorites of mine was really the only reason I sought out this mob hit man biopic. The performances were as good as you'd expect from these two, but the screenplay was unexpectedly devoid of any emotional peaks. The screenwriter whose name I am too lazy to look up right now decided for some reason to leave out almost all details of this guy's traumatic past which would have endeared the audience to him in some way. I'm glad I went, but was ultimately mildly disappointed in what seemed like a missed opportunity for a much better film.

#TIFF12 - Winona Ryder, Chris Evans & Michael Shannon, at Iceman Q&A

#TIFF12 - Annette Bening, Alessandro Nivola, Greg Kinnear

Here are some photos from Q&As.

#TIFF12 - My Thoughts on Watchtower, Ginger & Rosa, Eat Sleep Die, Mea Maxima Culpa, Yellow, etc

The dreaded (who am I kidding - the anticipated!) #TIFF12 six movie day has concluded, with mixed results, as follows.

Watchtower

I've never been to Turkey and I can't say I've seen all that much Turkish film, but this beautifully shot, intimate film made me want to change all of that.

It's a familiar enough premise - two broken people, strangers in a wayward town, working through their inner demons. A chance opportunity for redemption brings them together in a dramatic and ultimately satisfying conclusion. See it if you get the chance!

Ginger and Rosa

This movie made its way onto my list by virtue only of it being the most convenient film to see in its time slot. Thank goodness for that, because wow, what a good one. That Elle Fanning is not fooling, y'all.

Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God

Alex Gibney's new documentary, which dives into the personal stories of three adults who were abused as children by priests at a Catholic school for the deaf in Milwaukee, in the context of the broader history of scandal and cover-up at all levels within the Catholic church. It was a fine film, and made me think a lot about what I think of organized religion (frankly, very little).

Eat Sleep Die

Swedish. Great. One of the better films within the "here's a cast of non actors doing basically nothing but going about their daily lives" genre. This time, involving the a group of immigrants after they've been laid off from jobs at a local factory. In particular, a spirited young woman and her increasingly dependent father. I'd say this film features one of the most interesting, rich and dynamic characters I've seen in a long time. I wish this character, named Rasa, was real - I'd have a lot of fun hanging out with her.

Yellow

I'm not sure I like experimental film, overall. Say what you will about a blanket statement like that, but this film was really not for me. I get that it was meant to push boundaries, be inventive, make no sense, follow no preset structure, whatever. Was it also supposed to be poorly acted? I had a very hard time sussing out what choices were just really bad acting/writing and what choices were intentionally fucked up/jarring. It's very possible that this is a brilliant piece of art and I am just a philistine. I and the six other people I saw walk out of the theater (not counting the three fourths of the audience that was behind me and from whom I would not have noticed any walk-outs).

I will say it had a stunning soundtrack and that I am glad that we live in a world where a movie like this can exist and be seen. Even if it was really not enjoyable.

Hellbenders

As much as I love Midnight Madness and had a nice time with my friend, I did not find too many redeeming qualities in this movie, I'm afraid. Maybe I was just real tired after a six-movie day. Who's to say.

In Which I Gush About My Favorite #TIFF12 Film So Far - Far Out Isn't Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story

Far Out Isn't Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story, directed by Brad Bernstein, is one of the best documentaries I've seen this year and an early but legitimate contender for my favorite film of #TIFF12.

Ungerer is a man who is difficult to define. Award-winning children's book writer? Check. Political cartoonist? Check. Advertiser? At one time. Erotic illustrator? Yep. French? German? Alsatian? The beauty of this film exists in the exact point at which all of these things meet, in both conflict and perfect compliment of one another.

Watching this movie was an emotional experience for me. The hairs on my arms stood on end and in fact tears rolled down my face during completely unexpected/inexplicable scenes - not because the story was sad (though it surely was impactful in parts) but because I was completely overstimulated and a reaction needed to pour out of me in some way.

As odd as it is, as I watched Far Out Isn't Far Enough, I kept thinking about one of my favorite films, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and how both of these movies, though completely different in so many ways, had in common the focus on duality and identity. The thought of straddling two opposite cultures, worlds, states of being, whatever, and tapping into that to fuel this electric creative output.

It felt like every corner of my brain was abuzz. Reaching capacity. I developed a headache about ten minutes in that did not go away, but I didn't really care. I was cursing myself for not bringing a notebook because every five seconds, something was said that I was dying to jot down, or something occurred to me that I knew I would not remember later.

There was no part of this film that was not masterful. I feel like I could gush for paragraphs about each element. The fascinating subject. The narrative structure including the chapters / title cards with Tomi-isms. The perfect way the film paired Tomi's personal and artistic development against the backdrop of the ever changing cultural and political histories of Europe and the United States. THE ARTWORK ITSELF. The use in the film of inventive animation of Tomi's work, integrated so brilliantly that when it was discussed during the Q&A, I found myself surprised that it was actually commissioned and created by a third party, not something that just magically leaped out of the camera like an aria spilling out of the mouth of an opera singer.

My mind was racing as I watched, unable to quantify what I loved more - this quirky, devious, honest and fallible yet brilliant artist, the delightfully creative telling of his story, or the simple fact that I was lucky enough to be sitting here in Toronto, Canada being exposed to it. Introduced to a life I had never given another thought to. To a man I'm sure I could have happily lived the rest of my life not knowing about, yet whose wit, courage and introspection on identity will likely inspire me for a long time.

What a cliche to call a work of art an inspiration. But this movie itself energized me. As I watched, I entertained fantasies of quitting my job and dedicating my waking hour to consuming more documentary film. I lamented my own creative inabilities, juxtaposed with my great belief that more movies like this need to be made and seen by others. Not for their ability to energize the masses to rally around a cause, although agenda documentaries have their place and I appreciate that. But rather, for what they leave for generations of artists (and connoisseurs like me) whose knowledge of Ungerer's contributions might either be nil or limited to a chapter in a textbook, or a few wikipedia characters.

For that reason, and this may sound ridiculous, it occurred to me while I was watching that these filmmakers are doing God's work. If such a thing existed. Or, so to speak. It reminded me that there's a constant and emergent need for more art to be funded, cultivated and consumed. And seeing the Kickstarter "thank yous" in the credits made me so impatient for what I can only imagine is many more masterpieces hidden amongst the sea of projects seeking support online, eagerly awaiting their chance to come into being.

It's a great time to love documentary film.

#TIFF12: Reason #3,386 I love the Lightbox

#TIFF12 movie reactions - End of Watch, Cloud Atlas, Men At Lunch, etc.

Day three (Saturday!) was the first day I didn't have to go into work, which meant I could focus entirely on films. I dove right in, seeing five movies, all of which I enjoyed to at least some degree.

Far Out Isn't Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story:

Don't even ask me about this movie - I will gush so hard you will make fun of me or accuse me of hyperbole. If you get a chance to see this inventive and delightful documentary, do not miss it. I will post a longer review at some point, once I have finally picked my jaw up off the floor 'cause holy shit.

All That Matters Is Past

Love me some Norwegian films, y'all. This wasn't necessarily the best one I've ever seen, but it was certainly worthy of a viewing. Star crossed lovers since birth, Janne and William, reunite after a long period of separation, only to find that the demons haunting them in the past are very much real and very much present. I enjoyed the disjointed narrative structure that revealed key motivations slowly, maximizing intrigue and character development. There were a number of highly disturbing, graphic images. Which were no doubt necessary/symbolic, but still, whoa. Lots of grimacing on my part. Again, totally worth seeing.

Men At Lunch

You know that famous photo of the eight construction workers eating lunch on a beam high above Manhattan, from the late 20's? Did you ever want to know more about that photo? If so, look no further than this documentary, Irish-made (which makes more sense when you consider the men were all Irish immigrants) and narrated by Fionnula Flanagan. I am glad I saw this, if for my love of NYC history and all the shots of Rockefeller center today, which is very near my office. But I also kind of felt like I was watching what would be the product of a high school senior's History final paper, but set to film, and produced by PBS or something. The film spent 20-30 minutes hammering home poetic comparisons about the city's immigrant past, when I'm sure everyone got the point after about 60 seconds. I imagine a much tighter, more effective and ultimately engaging film would have been made if they'd brought it in at about 30-40 minutes instead of a full-length documentary feature.

Cloud Atlas

I don't see too many big-budgut, action/epic/adventure/time travel/sci-fi stuff and though I did like The Matrix (the first one) I would not call my self a Wachowski fangirl. Actually, Cloud Atlas wasn't even on my list of vaguely interesting films intil I read the New Yorker profile of the Wachowskis and the trajectory of making this film, at which point I became a lot more curious about how it ended up. Still, I probably would have been content to wait til theaters, were I not a total sucker for seeing buzzed movies early in order to be part of the conversation.

But what can I add to the dialogue here, I guess, really? I'm not sure I am the film's target audience - although actually now that I think about it, who is the films target audience? That said, I really enjoyed it. The reason I point out that I don't often see movies like this is because I'm not convinced that I could actually know the difference between good and bad with a film of its scale. All I can tell you is that I bought it all, and I was captivated/invested throughout.

I was most surprised by how well Tom Hank's familiar face pulled off all the different roles - stuff we've never seen him do before. I would have expected to roll my eyes.

It was pretty cool how versatile the different roles were that each actor played. Hugo Weaving as a militant nurse? Almost unrecognizable. Actually no - totally unrecognizable.

I'm super curious to see how this one does. I wonder if audiences will even know what to do with it.

End of Watch

Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena are both great actors, but I wasn't too psyched about this movie ahead of time 'cause I'd read some average to below average Twitter reviews of the thing. I suppose it helped to go in with low expectations because I ended up being surprised that it didn't suck at all. I'm not sure it changed my life in any meaningful way, but it held my attention, and was pretty decently acted.

I can't remember the last time I saw suuuuuch a pro-police film, though, which was totally confirmed in the Q&A when the director started out by saying "We approach our military professionals all the time and thank them for their service - why don't we ever do that to cops?" Huh. Interesting dialogue I guess.

The Q&A was mercifully awful. To the point where I wish TIFF would do something about it. I don't know what could be done, I suppose. Maybe say something about how people should keep their questions centered on the film, and should make sure they're actually asking a question, not just jockeying for the ear of a celebrity. At any rate - unbearable, guys.

#TIFF12 - End of Watch premiere photos of Jake Gyllenhaal, Anna Kendrick, Michael Pena, and America Ferrera

I saw and liked End of Watch. It wasn't the best, but it wasn't bad at all.

The actors were there for a Q&A, which is evidenced here in this very long list of more photos than anyone could ever reasonably want to see.

I will say that the Q&A was super awkward and annoying - someone asked if they could take a picture with Anna Kendrick, someone later asked the entire cast if they were already preparing their Oscar speeches, etc. C'mon people.

As you can see, the actors remained charming and calm.  Me, cringing in my seat, cursing my fellow moviegoers? Not so much.

Here are the photos....

#TIFF12 - Some snapshots from the CLOUD ATLAS premier - Tom Hanks, the Wachowskis, Tom Tykwer, Susan Sarandon, Halle Berry

I took a few pictures from my faraway balcony seat at the Cloud Atlas premiere.

By the way, I really enjoyed the movie! I actually changed my schedule in order to go to it, and I am so glad I did.

Anyway,  the photos....

#TIFF12 day two thoughts - Imogene, The Place Beyond The Pines, The Master

I only saw three movies today because I also went to work today.

The three went from OK to GOOD to AMAZING.

Imogene - starring Kristen Wiig & Annette Bening. My pals and I talked about this afterwards and we all agreed that the actual script was pretty "meh" and that the reason it was enjoyable on any level was due to the cast. I didn't hate it, but I would not actively recommend it.

The Place Beyond the Pines - the new one from the director of Blue Valentine. This was not originally on my list, but everyone seemed so psyched about it so I added it. I was super into it for almost all of it, but the damned thing went on and on.. I suspect there is a pretty decent movie somewhere inside of those 2 hours and 20 minutes, and that a couple rounds of testing will help it out a great deal. But the second half got real, real heavy-handed. Ben Mendelsohn and Ryan Gosling's performance get a big seal of approval from me. But honestly it was one of the first "longer" movies in a long time that not only felt long - it felt about twice as long as it actually was.

The Master - THE MASTER! Despite a stressful pre-show seating situation, I was SO jazzed when the black screen showed the simple white text of the title. Couldn't believe I was finally sitting down to see one of my most anticipated films not just of TIFF but of the year. It doesn't disappoint. Everything I'd heard about the performances was dead on. I don't really know what else to say other than I was delightfully in awe of every last frame. I am in utter agreement with everyone who is motivated to see it a second time. Also I am bummed there was no Q&A.

Tomorrow is going to be crazy. Waking up in six hours to go to a 9:30 film which will be the first of five. If I am lucky I will also find some time to eat food tomorrow. Today was not so great on that front. Oops.

YAY TIFF!

Photos from the #TIFF12 American Beauty table read - Christina Hendricks, Bryan Cranston, Adam Driver, Jason Reitman, etc.

Here are a few snapshots from the event, if you're into that sort of thing.  But you have to select "Read More."

#TIFF12 Thoughts on American Beauty Table Read

How strange to have my first TIFF movie... not be a movie at all! I'd originally planned to see Toronto's official opening night movie Looper but when I heard the Surprise Event at the Ryerson playing against it was in fact a Jason Reitman table read, I changed my mind.

I'd never gone to any of these that he's done in LA or the one in NY, but had it on pretty good authority that they rule. I bought a ticket but was on the fence as they slowly announced cast members - that is, until they got to who would play Carolyn and Lester Burnham -Christina Hendricks and Brian Cranston! AMC darlings that they are. Yep, good plan.

The event was pretty neato. Cameron Bailey introduced Jason whose allegiance to TIFF was evident in his exclamation "the fuckin' Ryerson, man!" which was a reference to many of his films premiering there - all but Young Adult, I think.

I enjoyed the experience. I am not an American Beauty hater. On the contrary. It was pretty interesting to hear the familiar words read by new faces, equally familiar but from other projects.

Some basic impressions:

* It seemed like the guy playing Colonel Fitts was doing a bit of a Chris Cooper impression, which was something I was actually expecting to see more of, but actually didn't

* Brian Cranston was just made for that role in one way or another. The audience totally ate up his every expression. His portrayal highlighted the humor more than I had remembered.

* Christina Hendricks had some big shoes to fill in my opinion, and she managed to make her individual mark on ground Bening had tread so well before. From the sex scenes with "the king" to the "I will sell this house today," she got tons of laughs and found a side to those lines that I hadn't seen before. When she cried out "Fuck me, your majesty!" Reitman even interjected "Worth the price of admission!" (Totally true.)

* There's a part where the stage direction describes Colonel Fitts leaning to kiss Lester. There was a person in the audience who let out a huge gasp when Reitman read that part. Then everyone started giggling, because really - who didn't see that coming? Was there actually someone at that reading who had never seen American Beauty?

* Adam Driver playing Ricky Fitts was eh. He got a huge applause from the ladies when he joined. But beyond that he was real monotone, and a bit disturbed. Which maybe was what he was going for. Eh.

* Overall, the tone was quite different from the movie. There was constant laughter, which sort of surprised me - even though I was laughing too. I realized that's because one key element of the film was absent here - the music. It didn't make it worse, just very different.

I took a ton of pictures at the beginning before they started reading, so perhaps I will post those tomorrow.

#TIFF Schedule: 48 films in 10 days. Crazy? Not for me.

Here is the list of films I am planning to see in Toronto.  The ones in red I do not have tickets for.

Thursday 9/6:

Jason Reitman's table read of American Beauty
Rust and Bone


Friday 9/7:

Imogene
The Place Beyond the Pines
The Master 



Saturday 9/8:

Far Out Isn't Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story
Stories We Tell
Men at Lunch
Cloud Atlas
End of Watch


Sunday 9/9:

Watchtower
Ginger and Rosa
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God
Eat Sleep Die
Yellow
Hellbenders


Monday 9/10:

The Act of Killing
At Any Price
Writers
Foxfire: Story of a Girl Gang
Iceman


Tuesday 9/11:

Byzantium
Detroit Unleaded
No Place on Earth
Sightseers


Wednesday 9/12:

Disconnect
Lore
Tower
Beyond the Hills

Thursday 9/13:

Shepard & Dark
Our Little Differences
Dormant Beauty
Reality

Friday 9/14:

In the Fog
The Attack
White Elephant
Do Not Disturb
Artifact


Saturday 9/15:

What Richard Did
Jackie
Argo
Everybody Has a Plan
The Time Being


Sunday, 9/16:

First Comes Love
Everyday
What Maisie Knew
Picture Day
Eagles

#TIFF12 - The Toronto International Film Festival may just be the best film festival out there, & here's why I say so:

 

'Tis the season!  Hold off on the chestnuts, and throw water on that open fire. It is indeed the most wonderful time of the year, but I'm not talking about mistletoe, and Cameron Bailey is no Santa Claus - although, that becomes less true the more I paw through the TIFF film guide like an eight year old expectantly shaking each present under the Christmas tree.

I've attend my fair share of film festivals. I got the bug when I was 18 -- some 500 years ago as a new resident of Los Angeles, obsessed with Clea Duvall (seriously) and hell-bent on seeing her new film, premiering at Sundance the next weekend. "Couldn't I just go?" my naive but adventurous teenage self pondered, to no one in particular. Priceline and a cheap flight to SLC was all the confirmation I needed (though remind me to blog about how my "oh I'll just find a hotel once I get there" plan ended up), and I was well on my way to a life-long devotion two the perfect combination of my two passions - travel and movies.

Fall 2006 found me less than a year into my love affair with NYC.  Living a mere seven-hour drive from Toronto, still having a car and a serious affinity for all things John Cameron Mitchell (which in fact was very few things at the time) meant it was a no-brainer to load up my Saturn with fellow film fan friends for the premiere of Shortbus at the Ryerson. Once we got all the Sundance comparisons out of our system ("WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE IS NO FREE SHUTTLE"), and despite the serious misstep of staying out by the airport, we found a giddy, "omg why haven't we done this before" appreciation for the great Canadian movie geek-out that has become my most recommended festival experience for the past eight years.

Skip ahead to today,  <coughwouldn'tyouliketoknow>  years into my film festival obsession.  I've live-tweeted Full Frame, found an excuse to SIFF it up in Seattle twice, meandered to Mill Valley, made several Tribeca appearances, hobbled in heels through Hollywood for AFI, filled up on countless Drafthouse cookies four years in a row at SXSW, and will even be venturing to Fantastic Fest this year.  And though Sundance will always have a special place in my heart as the most intense and exciting film-going experience one could have in a 10-day period, I stand behind this statement:  the Toronto International Film Festival is the best film festival and the one I would most easily and passionately recommend to just about anyone.

Here are six reasons why.

The weather

They could hold a film festival in the frickin' Arctic circle and if Lili Taylor were starring in a movie there and I could get the time off of work, I'd be packing my warmest coat without hesitation.   The more people I meet, though, the more I find that most sane folks have a breaking point when it comes to the elements.

If you're adverse to heatstroke and frostbite, never fear. Cram your most comfortable cardigan into your carry-on, guys. TIFF is the festival for you.

Wide Variety of Films

People always ask me what TIFF is known for.  What makes it different. Probably because a lot of my non-moviegoer friends understand Sundance's iconic position amongst the American indie film lexicon. But TIFF doesn't have that name recognition yet - not with my co-workers, my cousins, etc.  

As much as TIFF has become synonymous with Oscars in recent years, this isn't TIFF's legacy, not entirely.  "There's something there for everyone," I tell the inquisitor each time. "They've got it all."  The film festival with multiple personalities – each as dominant as the next!   I could meet someone every day there who says “I come here because TIFF is the best place to see documentaries” or “You just can’t beat their selection of international films.” Even the teenagers standing by red carpets would swear that TIFF caters specifically to them. And you know what – they’d be right, all of them.  

Midnight Madness

Ask anyone - I hated horror movies. Gore or violence in general? Not for me.  Disturbing in any way? Huh uh. Didn't even see Requiem for a Dream, for example, until a couple years ago.

To what do I owe the sudden acceptance, the total 180? Video games? No, I don't play them. Desensitization - sure, I'm sure that happened.  But it's more than that.

I suppose I can thank one Colin Geddes for my relatively newfound love of all things bloody, twisted, shocking, and fucked up.  My first midnight madness movie was probably something easy on the blood and guts - maybe A Town Called Panic.  Though, what I was exposed that night to was more than just the delightfully twisted world of Belgian animation.  I discovered a place where you can go and be surrounded by hundreds of similarly dorky, offbeat, night owls who oh yeah just happen to love genre films.  "This is awesome," said I. "I can withstand my squeamishness," said I. "I'll just cover my eyes if things get really scary," said I.

Then what happened?  With all the pirate "ARRRRRRR!!"ing and the blow-up-doll-beach-ball-tossing came something I wasn't expecting- an acceptance, approaching  appreciation, of scary movies.  Symbol, Super, Kill List, The Incident - I'm an expert now.  Or... at least I'm not a pussy anymore. I'm even venturing to Fantastic Fest this year - can those crazy Austin cats top the Toronto Midnight Madness insanity? Time will tell.

Ease of ticketing

I have few marketable skills. One of them is getting myself and my friends into sold-out events.  Hustling. Working it. Making it happen. Whatever you call it - I don't take no for an answer and I am rarely turned away.

That said, most people don't have the level of comfort I do to show up without a ticket. I would not send them to  Sundance (fun, but hard as hell to get into).  SXSW would be a sheer impossibility.  But TIFF might as well have a statue with "Give me your ticketless" engraved.  Stress-free, options a-plenty, and kind-hearted Canadians with extra tickets, around every corner? Yes, please.

The Lightbox

"I get around," I like to say, a play on words that is as purposely questionable as it is ultimately true.  You'd rack up more than one stamp on your passport visiting my top five movie theaters in this world, and one of those pitstops would be the corner of King and John, at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.

This mecca of film past, present and future seems custom-built for someone like me - a voracious consumer of movies, not to mention my love of merchandise, good wine, comfortable seats, pretty things, and popcorn topped with real butter.

The film community

Having grown up in the Twin Cities, I always knew of the thing called "Minnesota Nice," I just didn't realize until a few years ago that we may actually get that from our proximity to Canada.

Canadians have The Kindness to them.  On top of that, they love the hell out of some movies.  Go to enough Q&As and you'll memorize the filmmakers' mantra: "there's no better audience than the Toronto Film Festival."

You won't feel out of place here even if you're not wearing black and sporting sunglasses indoors.  This festival, unlike other top tier festivals, doesn't judge you by your IMDB page or how many Facebook friends you have in common with Harvey Weinstein.

What's more, I am convinced that the love of film and the communal experience of appreciating it is one that is just as palpable long after the orange signage has come down.