Toronto International Film Festival 2012

[Stay Puft]

The road to TIFF '12 starts this week. Cameron Bailey confirmed on twitter that the first batch of films are being announced this coming Tuesday, and on Thursday I have my first volunteer meeting. Hype get.

Info about this year's festival:

The festival dates are September 6 to 16.

The official box office this year is at the Metro Centre (225 King St. W).

This year's focus of the City to City program is Mumbai.

There are two new programs this year:
TIFF Cinematheque (free screenings of restored classics, including the former Canada Open Vault program)
TIFF Docs (formerly Real to Reel)

The newly renovated Bloor Hot Docs Cinema has been added as a new theatre venue for 2012. They probably needed another venue after we lost the Cumberland earlier this year. The theatre closed, much to my sadness. It only had four screens but it was a familiar home on TIFF closing weekends, and played some good films year round (I saw stuff like Summer Hours, Exit Through the Gift Shop and Certified Copy there).

Also announced, the Toronto Asian Film Summit at the new Shangri-La Hotel (I've been walking by the construction site of this building reguarly, don't know when exactly it's supposed to open though), an industry event with the aim of strengthening ties between the film industries in Asia and the West. Jackie Chan has been annouced as the guest of honour, and Senator Chris Dodd, Chairman and CEO of the MPAA, will be speaking at the event.

This probably doesn't mean a damn thing but I really, really want Jackie Chan to have a movie at this year's festival. Like, Chinese Zodiac. You know. I don't think that's terribly realistic but unfortunately he doesn't have any other movies in the pipeline at the moment.

Anyways, who's coming this year?

[Boner M]

I'll be there! Still waiting on news of media accreditation, which it looks like I probably won't receive.

Is it worth applying as a volunteer if that falls through? What are the perks?

[NickGlass]

I'll be there, too--whether it's in a film or simply hanging around Toronto.

Very much looking forward to any announcements; very happy to hear we'll find out more about the selection tomorrow morning.

Ian, I think it may be too late for your sign up as a volunteer--plus, you'd have to attended preparation meetings that you'll probably have to miss (being in NYC and Australia, and all). I don't think the perks are near the level of pass-worthy; perhaps a few free screenings when you're not working.

[Stay Puft]

Yeah, it's too late to register as a volunteer. They usually start that process in May and get swarmed with applications as I understand. And, no, it wouldn't substitute for a press pass.

The perks are good for the average joe, though. You get a reward voucher for each shift including all pre-festival meetings, and these can be redeemed for a few things but most significantly of course is free screenings. As a volunteer, you can also use the reward vouchers to get into press screenings, which certainly helps when you're trying to resolve conflicts with volunteer shifts and screening times for desired films (and that ended up being the only reason I was able to see Headshot last year, since the public screenings were cancelled at the last minute for whatever reason).

I got nine vouchers last year (two meetings and six shifts, one of which was a Midnight Madness shift which nets two vouchers) so that was nine free movies, but in the second half of the festival when screenings are not as busy you can redeem one voucher for multiple tickets for select screenings, so for example I got myself and my roommate into one of the Midnight Madness films midweek using only one voucher. It's also nice if you live in Toronto because you can redeem the vouchers year round at the Lightbox.

[Boner M]

Ahh well, call it Karma for the unlimited passport I was accredited for w/ MIFF (53 films in 12 days, whaaa).

btw, Variety article confirms(?) a dozen titles (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118056947.html?cmpid=RSS|Ne ws|FilmNews)

[Stay Puft]

Terrence Malick's "To the Wonder," starring Ben Affleck, Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams and Javier Bardem

PLEASE GOD

[Raiders]

Malick films released in back-to-back years is surely a sign that the Mayans were right. Five months to live!

[Boner M]

I keep forgetting Weisz and McAdams are in the film. This will be the most aesthetically pleasing of Malick's films, and by extension, all films.

[NickGlass]

I'm not really looking forward to Ben Affleck being the toast of the festival.

[NickGlass]

Malick made it in. Oh boy.

Annnnnd, we're off:

http://www.indiewire.com/article/tiff-list-2012-an-updated-list-of-all-films-at-the-toronto-international-film-festival

[number8]

Malick films released in back-to-back years is surely a sign that the Mayans were right. Five months to live!

Or that he believes it and wants to make as many films as possible before he dies. Maybe he's also shot other films cheap and dirty. Come December, we may see Terrence Malick's Paranormal Activity 4.

[Sven]

Ooooooo, new films from Neil Jordan, Chen Kaige, Costa-Gavras, Takeshi Kitano, and Billy Bob Thornton, AND an animated documentary about Graham Chapman.

I'd be excited if I was remotely near Toronto.

[number8]

Son of a bitch, I just realized I missed the press accreditation deadline. AGAIN. I am never going to this festival, am I?

[Stay Puft]

Outrage Beyond. LOL. What a title. Can't fucking wait.

Hoping for a potential Chen Kaige renaissance here, too. His previous film, Sacrifice, is supposed to open in theatres this week. The trailer looks lovely, and Fengyi Zhang is in it (they haven't worked together in over a decade).

[Stay Puft]

Huh. I'm surprised the opening film is Looper and not some milquetoast Canadian movie.

[Pop Trash]

Huh. I'm surprised the opening film is Looper and not some milquetoast Canadian movie.

In fairness, Looper might be some milquetoast American movie.

[Pop Trash]

I'm also surprised that Costa-Gavras is still alive.

[Stay Puft]

You get a reward voucher for each shift including all pre-festival meetings

Oh yeah, for the record (the meeting reminded me), one reward voucher for a short shift (usually 5.5 hours), two for a longer shift (usually seven to eight hours, or a Midnight Madness shift as I said since that requires you to volunteer until 2 or 3am, even though it ends up being only a three or four hour shift). I only did 5.5 hour shifts last year because of my school schedule so I forgot about that. Good deal if you can volunteer during the day. Whether or not my employer keeps me for the overnight shifts in the fall will determine whether or not I can do more this year or will be stuck doing four 5.5 hour shifts on the weekends (which would also royally screw up my ability to attend films this year, but I won't complain; I need the money).

[Stay Puft]

Anyways, next week we get film announcements for the following programs:

TIFF Docs
TIFF Kids
City to City
Midnight Madness

[Stay Puft]

Midnight Madness (copy/paste from the press release):

The ABCs of Death World Premiere
Kaare Andrews, Angela Bettis, Adrián GarcÃ*a Bogliano, Bruno Forzani & Hélène Cattet, Ernesto DÃ*az Espinoza, Jason Eisener, Xavier Gens, Jorge Michel Grau, Lee Hardcastle, Noboru Iguchi, Thomas Cappelen Malling, Anders Morgenthaler, Yoshihiro Nishimura, Banjong Pisanthanakun, Simon Rumley, Marcel Sarmiento, Jon Schnepp, Srdjan Spasojevic, Timo Tjahjanto, Andrew Traucki, Nacho Vigalondo, Jake West, Ti West, Ben Wheatley, Adam Wingard, and Yûdai Yamaguchi

Twenty-six directors... 26 ways to die! The ABCs Of Death is perhaps the most ambitious anthology film ever conceived, featuring segments directed by over two dozen of the world’s leading talents in contemporary genre film. With each director assigned a letter of the alphabet, they were then given free rein in choosing a word to create a story involving a tale of mortality. It’s an alphabetical arsenal of destruction orchestrated by some of the most exciting names in global horror including Ben Wheatley (Kill List), Ti West (House of the Devil), Jason Eisener (Hobo With A Shotgun), Adam Wingard (You're Next), Xavier Gens (Frontieres), and Nacho Vigalondo (Time Crimes).

Aftershock Nicolás López, USA/Chile World Premiere
In Chile, an American tourist’s vacation goes from good to great when he meets some beautiful women travellers. But when an earthquake ravages the underground nightclub they’re in, a fun night quickly turns to terror. Escaping to the surface is just the beginning as they face nightmarish chaos above ground. Starring Eli Roth and Selena Gomez.

The Bay Barry Levinson, USA World Premiere
A brutal and harrowing film about a deadly parasite, The Bay chronicles the descent of a small Maryland town into absolute terror.

Come Out and Play Makinov, Mexico World Premiere
Beth and Francis vacation before the birth of their child. Francis insists on venturing to a more serene island, Beth hesitantly agrees. They set out to a beautiful island, but soon discover it’s mysteriously abandoned, and the only people on the island are children. Beth and Francis are left to uncover the mystery of the disappearances, and a day in paradise quickly turns into a struggle for survival. Cast includes Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Vinessa Shaw and Daniel Gimenez Cacho.

Dredd Pete Travis, USA/United Kingdom/India World Premiere
The endlessly inventive mind of writer Alex Garland (28 Days Later) and director Pete Travis bring the iconic masked police officer Dredd to life in this futuristic neo-noir action film. Filmed in 3D with stunning slow-motion photography sequences, the film returns the celebrated comic book anti-hero to his dark, violent and visceral roots. Starring Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby and Lena Headey.

Hellbenders JT Petty, USA World Premiere
Hellbenders, an R-rated 3D exorcism comedy, follows the Order of Hellbound Saints (Brooklyn Parish), a highly secretive and profoundly blasphemous men of God, as they battle demonic forces too terrible to be cast out by traditional Vatican-approved methods. Cast includes Clancy Brown, Clifton Collins Jr., Robyn Rikoon and Andre Royo.

John Dies at the End Don Coscarelli, USA Canadian Premiere
In John Dies at the End, it’s all about the Soy Sauce, a drug that promises an out-of-body experience with each hit. Users drift across time and dimensions. But some who come back are no longer human. Suddenly, a silent otherworldly invasion is underway, and mankind needs a hero. What it gets instead is John (Rob Mayes) and David (Chase Williamson), a pair of college dropouts who can barely hold down jobs. Can these two stop the oncoming horror in time to save humanity? No. No, they can't. Adapted from David Wong's audacious trans-genre horror novel, John Dies at the End is written and directed by Don Coscarelli (Bubba Ho-Tep) and also stars Clancy Brown and Paul Giamatti.

The Lords of Salem Rob Zombie, USA/United Kingdom/Canada World Premiere
Heidi, a radio station DJ, receives a wooden box containing a record. Heidi listens and the bizarre sounds within the grooves immediately trigger flashbacks of Salem's violent past. Is Heidi going mad or are the Lords of Salem returning for revenge on modern day Salem?

No One Lives Ryuhei Kitamura, USA World Premiere
From the director of Versus and The Midnight Meat Train, No One Lives is a smart and original horror movie with, at its heart, a killer in the grip of a dark and twisted love affair. A ruthless criminal gang takes a young couple hostage and goes to ground in an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere. When the captive girl is killed, the tables are unexpectedly turned. The gang finds itself outsmarted by an urbane and seasoned killer determined to ensure that no one lives. Featuring Luke Evans, Adelaide Clemens, Derek Magyar, Lee Tergesen and America Olivo.

Seven Psychopaths Martin McDonagh, USA/United Kingdom World Festival Premiere
Written and Directed by Academy Award® winner Martin McDonagh, the comedy Seven Psychopaths follows a struggling screenwriter (Colin Farrell) who inadvertently becomes entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld after his oddball friends (Christopher Walken and Sam Rockwell) kidnap a gangster’s (Woody Harrelson) beloved Shih Tzu. Co-starring Abbie Cornish, Tom Waits, Olga Kurylenko and Zeljko Ivanek.

[Stay Puft]

TIFF Cinematheque (free screenings of restored classics):

The Bitter Ash Larry Kent, Canada
A landmark in Canadian independent cinema, Larry Kent’s jazzy, Nouvelle Vague–style chronicle of the sexual shenanigans of a young printer returns in a new restoration.

The Cloud Capped Star Ritwik Ghatak, India
A young woman desperately struggles to keep her family out of poverty in this fiercely moving masterpiece by the great, perennially under-recognized Indian auteur Ritwik Ghatak.

Dial M for Murder Alfred Hitchcock, USA
Alfred Hitchcock’s devilish drawing-room thriller, about a retired tennis pro (Ray Milland) who plans the “perfect� murder of his adulterous wife (Grace Kelly), is revived in a new, eye-popping 3D digital restoration.
Loin du Viêtnam Joris Ivens, William Klein, Claude Lelouch, Agnès Varda, Jean-Luc Godard, Chris Marker, Alain Resnais, France
The legendary, rarely-seen 1967 agit-prop classic from celebrated filmmakers mixes fact and fiction in an angry rebuke to the U.S. war in Vietnam.

Stromboli Roberto Rossellini, Italy/USA
Long circulated in severely truncated or re-edited versions, Roberto Rossellini's once reviled, now revered masterpiece — the first of an epochal trilogy of films starring Ingrid Bergman — returns in this glorious new restoration. Stromboli will be followed by Francesco Patierno’s new documentary, The War of the Volcanoes, the story of one of the biggest jet-set love scandals of all time, between the world’s most famous actress (Ingrid Bergman), the most appreciated director by Hollywood of his time (Roberto Rossellini) and Italy’s most beloved actress (Anna Magnani).

Tess Roman Polanski, France/United Kingdom
Roman Polanski’s gorgeous, sweeping version of Thomas Hardy’s classic novel Tess of the d’Urbervilles returns in a 4K digital restoration.

[Stay Puft]

TIFF Kids:

Ernest & Célestine Benjamin Renner, Vincent Patar, Stéphane Aubier, France/Belgium/Luxembourg North American Premiere
Giant bears and tiny mice don’t tend to mingle much, but when Ernest and Célestine cross paths, the two become inseparable friends and embark on an adventure of a lifetime.

Finding Nemo 3D Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich, USA/Australia World Premiere
Academy Award-winning film Finding Nemo returns to the big screen in thrilling Disney Digital 3D™ for the first time ever. Teeming with memorable comedic characters and heartfelt emotion, this stunning underwater adventure follows the momentous journey of an overprotective clownfish named Marlin (Albert Brooks) and his young son Nemo (Alexander Gould) –– who become separated in the Great Barrier Reef when Nemo is unexpectedly taken far from his ocean home to a fish tank in a dentist’s office. Buoyed by the companionship of Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), a friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish, Marlin embarks on a dangerous trek and finds himself the unlikely hero of an epic effort to rescue his son –– who hatches a few daring plans of his own to return safely home.

Hotel Transylvania Genndy Tartakovsky, USA World Premiere
Welcome to the Hotel Transylvania, Dracula’s lavish five-stake resort, where monsters and their families can live it up, free to be the monsters they are without humans to bother them. On one special weekend, Dracula has invited some of the world’s most famous monsters — Frankenstein and his wife, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, a family of werewolves, and more — to celebrate his daughter Mavis’ 118th birthday. For Drac, catering to all of these legendary monsters is no problem — but his world could come crashing down when one ordinary guy stumbles on the hotel and takes a shine to Mavis. A considerable portion of animation on Sony Pictures Animation’s Hotel Transylvania was completed out of the newly-expanded Sony Pictures Imageworks’ offices in Vancouver.

Igor & the Cranes' Journey Evgeny Ruman, Israel/Poland/Germany World Premiere
During his involuntary migration from Russia to Israel, 11-year-old Igor faces many challenges, just like the baby crane Igor observed hatching while he was still together

[Stay Puft]

Vanguard (films that - supposedly - defy convention and ride on the pulse of cutting edge cinema):

90 Minutes Eva Sørhaug, Norway World Premiere
Director Eva Sørhaug (Cold Lunch) reveals the rage and violence lurking beneath seemingly tranquil domesticity in her bold and uncompromising sophomore feature.

Beijing Flickers Zhang Yuan, China World Premiere
Beneath Beijing's dazzling economic boom exists the downtrodden and the forgotten “little� people who bear the weight of life's trials and injustices.

Berberian Sound Studio Peter Strickland, United Kingdom North American Premiere
Set in 1976: Gilderoy is hired to orchestrate the sound mix for the latest film by Italian horror maestro, Santini. As time and realities shift, Gilderoy is lost in a spiral of sonic and personal mayhem, and has to confront his own demons in order to stay afloat.

Blondie Jesper Ganslandt, Sweden North American Premiere
Three sisters, all adrift and in crisis, reunite at their childhood home as their domineering mother arranges a big birthday. But as the festivities come to an end, repressed conflicts rise to the surface. Old wounds are opened and a new family is born.

Here Comes the Devil Adrian Garcia Bogliano, Mexico/Argentina World Premiere
On a family vacation, a couple’s son and daughter disappear while exploring a cave-riddled mountainside. The children eventually return home seemingly unharmed, but are withdrawn and devoid of emotion. The parents fear they have fallen prey to something inhuman — and that this dark evil has come home with them.

iLL Manors Ben Drew, United Kingdom International Premiere
iLL Manors is the highly anticipated directorial debut by pioneering British music artist Ben Drew (a.k.a. Plan B). A unique crime thriller set on the unforgiving streets of London, iLL Manors follows six disparate lives, all struggling to survive the circles of violence that engulf them. Narratively linked through original music from Plan B, the film is a visually stunning and emotionally impactful experience laced with street-wise humour. The film’s soundtrack just topped the U.K.’s album chart.

Motorway Soi Cheang, Hong Kong North American Premiere
A cocky young cop on the city's top-secret, high-speed pursuit squad must learn the tricks of the trade from a grizzled veteran (Hong Kong action star Anthony Wong) as he prepares to take down a getaway driver in this super-charged, high-octane thriller from Hong Kong action auteur Soi Cheang (Accident) and legendary producer Johnnie To.

Painless Juan Carlos Medina, Spain/France/Portugal World Premiere
At the dawn of the Spanish civil war, a group of children insensitive to pain is locked in a sanatorium in the heart of the Pyrénées. In the present day, brilliant neurosurgeon David Martel discovers that he has a tumor and starts searching for his biological parents, in order to get the bone marrow transplant necessary for his survival. During his quest, he will exhume terrifying secrets about his origins, reanimate ghosts of his country and confront Berkano, the only fateful survivor of the insensitive children. From the writer of [Rec].

Peaches Does Herself Peaches, Germany World Premiere
On the advice of a 65-year-old stripper, Peaches makes music that is sexually forthright. Her popularity grows and she becomes what her fans expect her to be: transsexual. She falls in love with a beautiful she-male, but Peaches gets her heart broken and has to realize who she really is. Described as an anti-jukebox musical. Peaches writes, directs and plays the role of Peaches herself.

Pusher Luis Prieto, United Kingdom North American Premiere
As edgy and explosive as Nicolas Winding Refn’s (Drive) 1996 cult classic, this English language remake tells the story of a week in the life of Frank, a big time drug pusher in London. Frank’s life is a fun-filled rollercoaster ride that spins out of control. Friendships start to vanish, there is no longer room for love within his life, and violence takes over. Danger and chaos ensue, and eventually Frank is left with no one to turn to and nowhere to go.

Room 237 Rodney Ascher, USA Canadian Premiere
Room 237 fuses fact and fiction through interviews with ardent fans convinced they have decoded Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining’s secret messages regarding genocide, government conspiracy, and the nightmare that we call history. Ideas of five devotees of the film are braided together in a kaleidoscopic deconstruction of the horror classic.

Sightseers Ben Wheatley, United Kingdom North American Premiere
Chris (Steve Oram) wants to show Tina (Alice Lowe) his world and he wants to do it his way: on a journey through the British Isles in his beloved Abbey Oxford caravan. Erotic odyssey... Killing spree... Caravanning holiday... The trip taken by Tina and Chris in Sightseers is all these things and more.

Thale Aleksander Nordaas, Norway Canadian Premiere
Two crime-scene cleaners discover a mythical, tailed female creature in a concealed cellar. She never utters a word, unable to tell her story, but the pieces of the puzzle soon come together: she's been held captive for decades for reasons soon to surface.

The We and the I Michel Gondry, USA North American Premiere
It’s the last day of the year at a high school in the Bronx, and students pile on to the usual bus home. The raucous bunch of aggressive and superficial teens — the bullies and the bullied — develops and is transformed as the bus empties. Relationships become closer and more personal between students with absolutely nothing in common.

[Stay Puft]

And copy/paste-ing the TIFF Docs selections will probably be absurd (there are a lot) so here's a link to the press release:

http://s3.amazonaws.com/tiff-prod/press_releases/122/FESTIVAL%20DOCUMENTARIES_origi nal.pdf?1343746449

And here are the films in the City to City program:

http://s3.amazonaws.com/tiff-prod/press_releases/123/CITY%20TO%20CITY_MUMBAI_origin al.pdf?1343746436

And that's all the film announcements for today.

[Boner M]

Denis Cote's Bestiaire is the only title in Wavelengths at the moment... seeing it at MIFF next week, can't wait.


Visionary filmmaker Denis Côté (Curling) offers a strikingly beautiful contemplation of the caged denizens of a zoo in this intriguing cinematic inquiry into the mysterious rapport and inseperable gulf between animals and humans.

[Bosco B Thug]

Hellbenders JT Petty, USA World Premiere
Hellbenders, an R-rated 3D exorcism comedy, follows the Order of Hellbound Saints (Brooklyn Parish), a highly secretive and profoundly blasphemous men of God, as they battle demonic forces too terrible to be cast out by traditional Vatican-approved methods. Cast includes Clancy Brown, Clifton Collins Jr., Robyn Rikoon and Andre Royo. Yes! This one. Absolutely no buzz previously, but suddenly here it is. I hope Petty really brings it here.

[Stay Puft]

Clancy Brown is in two Midnight Madness films this year. That's pretty cool.

[Rowland]

The trailer (http://twitchfilm.com/news/2012/08/outrage-beyond-trailer-kitano.php) for Outrage Beyond. What is this, a remake? I found the first one little more than a stylish but ultimately wearying diversion (with a badass score (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64YFYGqudkw&feature=related)), and since this looks like the same damn movie, I can't say my hopes are all that high.

[Stay Puft]

What is this, a remake?

Kitano implied that this would be the case in early interviews, that he would be taking the same concept and attempting it again with hopefully better results, but it actually looks like a direct sequel now.

The musical score is the best part of the first Outrage, for sure. Blows my mind that it's the same guy who did the music for Nintendo's Earthbound games. I love that Kitano is working with him now, it's an inspired collaboration.

[Llopin]

I couldn't really tell a difference inbetween the trailers for both movies. Just a nunch of guys yelling at each other. The first Outrage was a fine film, but I'm worried about Kitano's rediscovered obsession with the gangster genre, yakuza-core, which leans toward Brother, rejecting any echos to his earlier films.

[Boner M]

Rowland you should come down to TIFF this year. You're in Buffalo, right? I'll cover your bus fare.

[Rowland]

Rowland you should come down to TIFF this year. You're in Buffalo, right? I'll cover your bus fare.Thanks for the invite, I'd love to meet up with you and any other attending MCers, but I can't cross the border. Legal reasons, long story. :frustrated: :cry:

[Stay Puft]

Just the Canadian films being announced today. Zzzzzzzz.

Short Cuts Canada:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/tiff-prod/press_releases/131/SHORT%20CUTS%20CANADA_original .pdf?1344443746

Canadian feature films (spread across different programs):
http://s3.amazonaws.com/tiff-prod/press_releases/133/CANADIAN%20FEATURES_original.p df?1344443821

High profile stuff includes Antiviral, Laurence Anyways, Stories We Tell. Not sure what else might be of interest.

[Stay Puft]

Next couple weeks should bring some more exciting announcements, though, one hopes. According to Cameron Bailey:

8/14 - Contemporary World Cinema, Wavelengths, Future Projections, and more Galas & Special Presentations

8/21 - Discovery, Mavericks, Masters, and the reveal of the full schedule for public screenings

There's usually some pretty good stuff hidden away in the CWC program every year, so I'm looking forward to that announcement.

[Stay Puft]

And I just noticed... what happened to the Visions program? It seems to be MIA this year, but I never heard anything about that.

[Boner M]

And I just noticed... what happened to the Visions program? It seems to be MIA this year, but I never heard anything about that.
"Elsewhere, the Visions sidebar will be folded into the avant-garde Wavelengths program, to be curated by Andrea Picard." (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/toronto-fest-gets-programming-shakeup-323937)

[Stay Puft]

I was going to say, how was that not in the official TIFF press release, then realized it was but only mentioned in a throwaway parenthesis. Damn. That program was always a bit of a curio so I can understand why they folded it, but I always liked it for that reason. It was like a festival net to catch some interesting films that didn't fit anywhere else.

Wonder what that's going to make Wavelengths look like this year. There was also discussion 'round the fest last year about Picard leaving her post, so I wonder what happened there (she's back this year like it's business as usual?).

[Stay Puft]

Wonder what that's going to make Wavelengths look like this year.

So it turns out it's still the same only now they're taking the Visions program and also calling it Wavelengths. So nothing really changes but in name? Okay.

Here are the Future Projections art installations for 2012:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/tiff-prod/press_releases/134/FUTURE%20PROJECTIONS_original. pdf?1344956206

And here are the Wavelengths films:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/tiff-prod/press_releases/135/WAVELENGTHS__original.pdf?1344 956462

New stuff from Ben Rivers and Nathaniel Dorsky will get Boner pumped, I imagine.

Of interest this year are also a series of film pairings, double features of moderate length work, including Joe's Mekong Hotel and new films from Tsai Ming-liang and Athina Rachel Tsangari.

The would-be Visions program of feature films consist of:

The Last Time I Saw Macao (João Pedro Rodrigues, João Rul Guerra da Mata)
differently, Molussia (Nicolas Rey)
Bestiaire (Denis Côté)
Far From Afghanistan (John Gianvito, Jon Jost, Minda Martin, Soon-Mi Yoo, Travis Wilkerson)
The Fifth Season (Peter Brosens, Jessica Woodworth)
The Lebanese Rocket Society (Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige)
Leviathan (Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Véréna Paravel)
Perret in France and Algeria (Heinz Emigholz)
Post Tenebras Lux (Carlos Reygadas)
Tabu (Miguel Gomes)
Three Sisters (Wang Bing)
When Night Falls (Ying Liang)

[Russ]

will get Boner pumped

The fun's never gonna stop, is it? :)

[Stay Puft]

More Galas and Special Presentations also announced:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/tiff-prod/press_releases/138/GALAS%20AND%20SPECIAL%20PRESEN TATIONS_original.pdf?134495652 0

GALAS

Song for Marion (Paul Andrew Williams)
Emperor (Peter Webber)
What Maisie Knew (Scott McGehee)

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

Arthur Newman (Dante Ariola)
Bad 25 (Spike Lee)
Disconnect (Henry Alex Rubin)
Do Not Disturb (Yvan Attal)
Greetings from Tim Buckley (Dan Algrant)
Lines of Wellington (Valeria Sarmiento)
Love is All You Need (Susanne Bier)
On The Road (Walter Salles)
Passion (Brian De Palma)
Rhino Season (Bahman Ghobadi)
Spring Breakers (Harmony Korine)
The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson)
The Paperboy (Lee Daniels)
The Son Did It (Daniele Ciprì)
The Suicide Shop (Patrice Leconte)
Thérèse Desqueyroux (Claude Miller)
White Elephant (Pablo Trapero)
Yellow (Nick Cassavetes)

[Stay Puft]

But the one announcement I'm always anticipating? The surprises in store in the Contemporary World Cinema program:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/tiff-prod/press_releases/137/CONTEMPORARY%20WORLD%20CINEMA_ original.pdf?1344956500

62 films announced, not gonna copy/paste that, but scrolling through the list here a few things that have caught my attention:

Yousry Nasrallah's After the Battle, featuring an extended Q&A with Janice Gross Stein, an internationally renowned expert on conflict management and director of the Munk School of Global Affairs (there are a few other films that feature Q&A sessions with Munk School political academics, a potentially interesting "unofficial" series they've got running here)

Christian Petzold's new film, Barbara

Sergei Loznitsa's Cannes film, In the Fog

World premiere of Sion Sono's new film, The Land of Hope, about the 3.11 earthquake

Ulrich Seidl's Cannes film, Paradise: Love

And the big surprise I never knew I was waiting for:

Motherfuckin' Kiyoshi Kurosawa's SHOKUZAI, screening as a 270-minute feature film. My body is ready.

[Boner M]

I'll post a full list soon of all the films I saw at MIFF (much TIFF crossover), but I'll single out Denis Cote's Bestiaire, which is one of this year's very best and a huge step up for Cote after the very fine Curling - it's a far bolder and more formally audacious film than the latter, which suffered only from familiarity for me.

[dmk]

I'll be there September 14.

Come at me Canadian matchfuckers. I'll be lonely.

[Boner M]

Oh shit media accreditation approved!! :pritch:

Didn't think 3 measly blog posts for an Aussie music site would be enough to warrant it, but like I'm complaining...

[Stay Puft]

That's awesome, Boner.

In potentially awesome news for me, it looks like I might still be working nights for the rest of year, which as I said needs to happen (I need the money) but would presumably interfere with my TIFF plans HOWEVER my boss said instead of starting night crew again on new contracts on September 4th (the current contract ends August 31st) they are going to delay it until September 17th. The day after TIFF ends. Everything's coming up Milhouse!

[Stay Puft]

Oh, and TIFF is extending their undying thanks to all returning volunteers this year by inviting them to a secret screening tomorrow. As in the movie is secret. No info, not even any hints, only that it's a special preview screening of one of the festival films programmed this year. Hmmmmm!

[Stay Puft]

Trailer for Soi Cheang's MOTORWAY:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyhHA_VpOIY&feature=youtu.be

Soi Cheang directed Accident, which as I recall impressed some fellow Match Cutters, though it remains unseen by myself.

Also noticed while perusing twitter, confirmation that TIFF will be screening The Master in 70mm. It opens a week after the festival, so ordinarily I'd skip it at the festival proper, but now...

[Boner M]

I'm probably the biggest champion of Accident here; I like it more than every Johnnie To film I've seen, actually.

Hey Puft, do you have any idea of how many of the titles get press screenings? Email doesn't say if press can get into public screenings for free - I'm assuming you can though.

[NickGlass]

Also noticed while perusing twitter, confirmation that TIFF will be screening The Master in 70mm. It opens a week after the festival, so ordinarily I'd skip it at the festival proper, but now...

I'm guessing that your preview screening tomorrow may be The Master, considering the amount of secret "pop-up" screenings recently (well, in Chicago and NYC, at least). Nonetheless, keep us abreast.

[Stay Puft]

I like it more than every Johnnie To film I've seen, actually.

I gotta see me this movie.


Hey Puft, do you have any idea of how many of the titles get press screenings? Email doesn't say if press can get into public screenings for free - I'm assuming you can though.

Most if not all, I imagine.

The only exception is short film programs, i.e. Wavelengths and Short Cuts Canada. I know that Wavelengths screenings are often public/press combined, so be aware of that (i.e. there is only one festival screening of Wavelengths I, and II, and III, and so on... though I imagine the feature films AKA defunct Visions program will behave like other films and have multiple press and public screenings).

You can get into public screenings for free, yes, but it's on a rush basis (the same way it would be for me to get into a press screening with a volunteer voucher). If the screening has not sold out, there will usually be a separate industry rush line for press to wait. If the film has already sold out, then I think you're just in the general rush line with everyone else.

[Li Lili]

I saw Accident a few years ago. I found it just ok, but very different from a couple of previous films I saw by him (which were more action and rather violent). I've heard about Motorway, it's with Anthony Wong and Shawn Yue who plays in many films at the moment.

[Stay Puft]

The rest of the films have been announced!

The Masters program:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/tiff-prod/press_releases/144/MASTERS_original.pdf?134555419 0

Amour (Michael Haneke)
Beyond the Hills (Cristian Mungiu)
Everyday (Michael Winterbottom)
Gebo and the Shadow (Manoel de Oliveira)
In Another Country (Hong Sang-soo)
Like Someone in Love (Abbas Kiarostami)
Me and You (Bernardo Bertolucci)
Night Across the Street (Raúl Ruiz)
Pieta (Kim Ki-duk)
Something in the Air (Olivier Assayas)
Student (Darezhan Omirbayev)
When Day Breaks (Goran Paskaljevic)

[Stay Puft]

27 debut and sophomore efforts from around the world in the Discovery program:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/tiff-prod/press_releases/142/DISCOVERY_original.pdf?1345554 164

And the discussion panels in the Mavericks program:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/tiff-prod/press_releases/143/MAVERICKS_original.pdf?1345554 180

In Conversation With... Jackie Chan! Includes a sneak peek at Chinese Zodiac! OMG!!!!!111

Also worth nothing that the TIFF Docs conference this year is expanding to two days and will now be open to the public:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/tiff-prod/press_releases/141/TIFF%20DOCS%20CONFERENCE__orig inal.pdf?1345562713

[Stay Puft]

And, most importantly, the full schedule is live!

http://tiff.net/thefestival/filmprogramming/schedule/day1

Apparently there's a free screening of Sans Soleil on the first day? I don't remember the announcement for that. Seems to have been added to the TIFF Cinematheque program after the fact.

[Li Lili]

In another country will be out here very soon. Isabelle Huppert plays in it!
So much films ! I guess it will be hard to make a choice afterwards !

[Li Lili]

Trailer for Soi Cheang's MOTORWAY:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyhHA_VpOIY&feature=youtu.be

Soi Cheang directed Accident, which as I recall impressed some fellow Match Cutters, though it remains unseen by myself.


Well, that's it, I saw Motorway, and seriously, despite it's a MilkyWay production (Johnnie To), and there are Anthony Wong, Shawn Yue..., well, it's just a random, average HK film, even less interesting than The Accident.

[Stay Puft]

Trailer for Kim Ki-duk's PIETA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBpEiDwNuN8

Kim Ki-duk is back, you guys! He's back!

Yeah!

http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/1150/2075901-tumbleweed.jpg

[Stay Puft]

Well, that's it, I saw Motorway, and seriously, despite it's a MilkyWay production (Johnnie To), and there are Anthony Wong, Shawn Yue..., well, it's just a random, average HK film, even less interesting than The Accident.

You're bringing me down, Li Lili.

Maybe I'll get my HK fix this year from TAI CHI 0:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-wrM3Ouhpg

Heard anything about this one?

[Qrazy]

What do you mean even less interesting than Accident? Accident was awesome.

[Li Lili]

You're bringing me down, Li Lili.
Sorry !:|
But seriously unless you are very into cars, then ok, I guess. Remember perhaps the film Initial D (2004) with Jay Chou, well you've got some almost the same kind of car scenes with the same locations.


Maybe I'll get my HK fix this year from TAI CHI 0:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-wrM3Ouhpg

Heard anything about this one?
I haven't, and not too keen on Stephen Fung. Saw the trailer, but I doubt I will watch it, if you do, tell me what you think.
I haven't seen a very good martial arts HK movies for a long time. :sad:

[Li Lili]

What do you mean even less interesting than Accident? Accident was awesome.
Accident was good, but I won't say awesome. The story is quite interesting but the film is a bit too flat and lacks of originality, it doesn't stand out enough from the HK production.

[Boner M]

I loved Accident so I'll check out Motorway... conventional ain't always a bad thing.

In worrying news, Sicinski tweeted this:


Two eps down and K. Kurosawa's PENANCE has no business in a film festival. Not even esp. good TV.
*sigh* Guess there's a reason it flew under the radar. It's the only thing playing on its timeslot on the last day of press screenings, so I'll still see it...

[Bosco B Thug]

In worrying news, Sicinski tweeted this:


*sigh* Guess there's a reason it flew under the radar. It's the only thing playing on its timeslot on the last day of press screenings, so I'll still see it... Hmm. Lol. He's a bit hard, and shows a kind of hysterical propriety over what "deserves" to be at a "film festival," but I can't say I disagree with him.

Having watched the entire thing before it started popping up at fests, I knew what I was watching. It's essentially an Asian Drama. The "My Girl" variety, except horror/thriller instead of romantic comedy. Gimmicky episodic narrative, chock full of teen idols, some sort of romantic appeal to the teen demographic... At the site I watched it at, there's comments likely by Japanese teen girls saying, "Oh, this is very different sort of drama! So creepy! Check it out!"

But it's worth watching, and you could see why Kurosawa was attracted to the themes. The first episode kind of sucks, but I almost completely embraced the second one. I was incredulous as f*ck when I saw it was repackaged as a 5-hour movie for fests, but hey, it's Kurosawa. If he wants to be at fests, let him be at fests along with the next Madagascar movie.

[Raiders]

In worrying news, Sicinski tweeted this:


Looks to me like he's bitter about a miniseries being repackaged as a five-hour film. Boo hoo.

[Boner M]

Looks to me like he's bitter about a miniseries being repackaged as a five-hour film. Boo hoo.
Dunno how you arrived at that based on his tweet.

[Raiders]

Dunno how you arrived at that based on his tweet.

"... has no business in a film festival."

[Boner M]

Well Mildred Pierce made his best-of list last year so I'm pretty sure Sicinski is open to festivals showing TV that's formally interesting, just not bad TV getting a free pass for its auteur's cachet, which is the category Penance allegedly falls into.

[Bosco B Thug]

Well Mildred Pierce made his best-of list last year so I'm pretty sure Sicinski is open to festivals showing TV that's formally interesting, just not bad TV getting a free pass for its auteur's cachet, which is the category Penance allegedly falls into.
I wouldn't worry. It's redolent with Kurosawa's style and visuals, and if it does slightly stink of 5 episodes of "Gossip Girl" being stuck together and shipped to Toronto, I also don't think Mildred Pierce is a fair analogue, as I suspect Sicinski is reacting to this TV production not exactly being a haute affair like Mildred Pierce. (In remark, since when is any Kurosawa film a haute affair? I'm kind of not surprised he decided to take on a J-drama.)

Yet I'll place my bets, though having not seen Mildred Piece, that it holds just as much, if not more, an auteurist value.

[Raiders]

Well Mildred Pierce made his best-of list last year so I'm pretty sure Sicinski is open to festivals showing TV that's formally interesting, just not bad TV getting a free pass for its auteur's cachet, which is the category Penance allegedly falls into.

I fail to see how his perception of a film's quality has any bearing on what should and should not be at a festival. I read his emphasis on film festival and scoffing at an (allegedly) mediocre TV miniseries being edited and presented at the festival.

[Boner M]

OK so I just read that it was intended to be a marathon theatrical experience, so nevermind all this then.

[Rowland]

*sigh* Guess there's a reason it flew under the radar. It's the only thing playing on its timeslot on the last day of press screenings, so I'll still see it...Sicinski's just one guy, don't let his reaction get you down so much. He may very well be right, but hey, do you always agree with him? Remember when he hated the shit out of one of your favorites from last year, We Need to Talk About Kevin? I respect the guy, but I rarely put a whole lot of stock in his judgements these days, at least in relation to how I'll respond to any given film.

If anyone's interested in context, he grades on a 1-10 scale, these being his scores for previous K.K. films: Seance (6), Pulse (7), Bright Future (6), Doppelganger (7), Tokyo Sonata (6), and while he has never posted a score for Cure, it's his third favorite film of 1997, so that's clearly his favorite by a wide margin.

[Rowland]

The only English review (http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/ff20120817a2.html) I can find for Penance is pretty positive. Pertinent quotes:

"Based on a novel of the same title by Kanae Minato, "Shokuzai (Penance)" will not dent that reputation, despite its TV-quality production values and a whodunit story line that, stripped down, wouldn't be out of place in a weekly network "Misuteri Gekijo" ("Mystery Theater") program.

The sense of creeping dread familiar to fans of "Cure" (1997) and other of Kurosawa's pioneering J-horror films is still present, however. Also, the series is created more with his usual artfully minimal means — plastic bags blown eerily by the breeze, a translucent plastic sheet making strange shadows on the wall — than standard genre effects."

"As for the concluding episode, I'll say nothing, only that throughout the series the Kurosawa style, minimalist but atmospheric, imparts an eerie, intimate tension to even the most mundane scenes, while revealing inner lives more by incisive suggestion than the usual TV-drama shouting."

*shrug* We'll see.

Also exciting is the announcement (http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/tokyo-sonata-pulse-director-kiyoshi-kurosawa-returns-with-sci-fi-drama-the-day-of-the-real-perfect-plesiosaur-20120718) that he's finally in production on a feature film set to debut next year, titled The Day of the Real, Perfect Plesiosaur. Although details are scarce, it's allegedly a sci-fi drama about "a neurosurgeon whose lover attempted suicide and now languishes in a coma. He develops a method of travelling into her subconscious in an attempt to discover why she tried to kill herself."

[Bosco B Thug]

*shrug* We'll see. Kurosawa fans will appreciate it to some degree. Sicinski doesn't seem like much a fan.


Also exciting is the announcement (http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/tokyo-sonata-pulse-director-kiyoshi-kurosawa-returns-with-sci-fi-drama-the-day-of-the-real-perfect-plesiosaur-20120718) that he's finally in production on a feature film set to debut next year, titled The Day of the Real, Perfect Plesiosaur. Although details are scarce, it's allegedly a sci-fi drama about "a neurosurgeon whose lover attempted suicide and now languishes in a coma. He develops a method of travelling into her subconscious in an attempt to discover why she tried to kill herself." Never surprised by the choices he makes. Did the early career stuff, did the horror thing, did a drama, now a fanciful fantasy-romance thing seems the logical progression.

[Stay Puft]

Yeah, what I've read of Penance suggests Kurosawa intended it both as a five-part miniseries and a 4.5 hour feature film.

Penance is also screening out of competition at Venice. First screening is two days from now, iirc, so more reviews should be coming in soon. The Venice website also has this director's statement from Kurosawa himself:


I think of “murder� as an impulsive and irrational crime. Yet, I suppose it must be a process that takes years, maybe decades to culminate... I’ve never directed a fi lm that chronicles such an extraordinary span of time. In this film, I had to grasp five such intervals at once, and it was staggering. How do I portray not one, but five such disparate lives? But in the end, I think this was the best way. When five tragic paths converged, I pictured a flowing, inevitable force called fate. Which of the five characters will viewers empathize with? Or will they just sit, mesmerized, holding their collective breaths? With a powerful story, amazing staff and dynamic actors supporting me, I may have captured true tragedy for the first time in my life.

For what it's worth, Penance is adapted from a novel by Kanae Minato, who also wrote the novel Confessions, the source for Nakashima's film from a couple years back.

[Rowland]

Never surprised by the choices he makes. Did the early career stuff, did the horror thing, did a drama, now a fanciful fantasy-romance thing seems the logical progression.And even that's grossly over-simplifying his career trajectory. I was always really annoyed when most critics referred to Tokyo Sonata as his first "drama" after a career of "horror," whatever those terms even mean in the context of Kurosawa's slippery genre experimentation. Honestly, Tokyo Sonata didn't strike me as much more of a conventional drama than Bright Future, License to Live, or even the more overtly surreal Charisma and Barren Illusion.

[Bosco B Thug]

And even that's grossly over-simplifying his career trajectory. Oh yes, I know. But he certainly hasn't made a Gondryan romance fantasy yet, which I'm imagining 'Plesiosaur' as, and which was my main point. He wants everything, as long as it's a little weird!

Is it wrong that I'm imagining it will look like a Park-Chan Wook film? I know, that's Korean, but that's kind of my point. The premise sounds like something made to turn into a super-commercial 'Eternal Sunshine' clone.

[Boner M]

Preliminary schedule. (http://tiffr.com/2012/schedules/IanB)

Lots of clashes, but I got most of my wishlist.

[NickGlass]

So far, I have these locked in:

Frances Ha (Baumbach)
Spring Breakers (Korine)
At Any Price (Bahrani)
Foxfire (Cantet)
To the Wonder (Malick)

Not sure about the rest.

[dreamdead]

Fiennes is doing a sequel to Pervert's Guide to Cinema with Zizek? I can get on board with that; even when Zizek restates what he's written a decade ago, I'm still entertained by the conceit of repeating classic films.

Few things will entertain me more than Zizek imitating Stewart's turn toward the newly made-up Novak in the first film.

[Stay Puft]

Okay, they've got my interest piqued re: LEVIATHAN


Somebody reassure me that LEVIATHAN is much more like the first half of SWEETGRASS than the second half.


It is really nothing much like SWEETGRASS. It is skull rattling bat shit cray. Fish. [9]

Anything that gets Sicinski punning on cray has got to be worth seeing.

(I haven't seen Sweetgrass, for the record.)

[Dukefrukem]

Oh shit! Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder, James Franco, Ray Liotta, Chris Evans. Love this cast.

hdxKdtt1PjU

[NickGlass]

Okay, they've got my interest piqued re: LEVIATHAN

Anything that gets Sicinski punning on cray has got to be worth seeing.

(I haven't seen Sweetgrass, for the record.)

I'm sold. Check out the director bios:

http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2012/leviathan

[Stay Puft]

Check out the director bios:

Haha, awesome.

I've been looking at the TIFF Cinematheue program again, and I think I'm going to try to make as many of these as possible. They added a screening of Sans soleil, as I mentioned, which sure why not, plus they've got a restoration of Loin du Vietnam (Marker with Godard, Resnais, Varda, Lelouch, Klein, Ivens), a 3D screening of Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder (which sure why not), and they're all free screenings! Free!

[Raiders]

Oh shit! Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder, James Franco, Ray Liotta, Chris Evans. Love this cast.

hdxKdtt1PjU

That trailer needed more spoilers.

[Stay Puft]

Single tickets on sale tomorrow! I'm currently debating how early I should head down to the box office. Gotta get me some tickets to see Jackie Chan.

Also, got my work schedule for the next two weeks. Every single day, huh? Well, that's fine, as I still apparently have the weekends off. I switched some volunteer shifts around and managed to pick up a couple Midnight Madness shifts, which is of great convenience for me (I can swing down to the Ryerson for my volunteer shift after I get off work, and I should have a few hours before work to catch a movie).

And I didn't realize until now that the last screening of To the Wonder is late enough on Sunday that it wouldn't matter if I was working or not. Hooray! Maybe! Now to cross my fingers that it's not sold out.

[Stay Puft]

YESSSS

http://i.imgur.com/o1UNa.gif

(Tickets secured for the Mavericks panel, In Conversation With... Jackie Chan. This is already the best festival ever.)

[Stay Puft]

And I didn't realize until now that the last screening of To the Wonder is late enough on Sunday that it wouldn't matter if I was working or not. Hooray! Maybe! Now to cross my fingers that it's not sold out.

Oh but of course this is the FIRST screening of To the Wonder that sold out. Toronto pls. This may present my greatest rush challenge yet.

I also got a ticket for the opening night Midnight Madness screening. Yeah, it's Dredd 3D. Not sure how I feel about that, but it's almost become requisite for me to kick off TIFF at Midnight Madness. I need that energy to carry me through the rest of the week. That it's the first 3D screening in the history of Midnight Madness, and given the Madness crowd, this should prove... amusing, to say the least.

[Stay Puft]

Tomorrow!

Oh and work has thrown more shifts at me, so I don't even have the weekends off anymore. I'm pretty much back to not being able to see much now. Had to cross Mekong Hotel off my list. Might not have enough time to rush To the Wonder, that remains tbd (unless tickets go back on sale). Hoping I can still catch a press screening of Leviathan.

After seeing Jackie Chan, though, I suppose the rest of the festival will be gravy this year. Still, must make note to book time off work next September...

[NickGlass]

So far, I have these locked in:

Frances Ha (Baumbach)
Spring Breakers (Korine)
At Any Price (Bahrani)
Foxfire (Cantet)
To the Wonder (Malick)

Not sure about the rest.

Those, and these:

Something in the Air (Assayas)
Laurence Anyways (Dolan)
Museum Hours (Cohen)
Leviathan (Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel)

[Boner M]

Kickin' off w/ Looper tomorrow morning. :pritch:

[Ezee E]

They probably only showed half the kills in that Iceman trailer.

An okay movie. Shannon is great. Evans steals his scenes.

[Stay Puft]

And so we begin.

Day -16
On the Road (Walter Salles) **

Day 1
Dredd 3D (Pete Travis) **

Weak start. Have to work all day tomorrow and Saturday. Nothing else, I suppose, until Sunday. My first volunteer shift and Jackie Chan! Hopefully brighten things up a bit.

[Boner M]

Tweeted reactions to A Place Beyond the Pines, Frances Ha, Something in the Air, No, The Pervert's Guide to Ideology, Looper, Motorway if any of y'all're interested.

I think the Cianfrance one will be (and has been) divisive; it's pretty overheated and melodramatic and some of the plotting in the last 1/3 creaks, but also admirably sprawling and structurally audacious, and for me it seals him as a real-deal filmmaker after Blue Valentine.

Also I figured it won't be long before everyone knows about the film's chief revelation, but I'd at least have expected a Variety review to keep it secret. Dick move.

[Pop Trash]

I'm going to assume I like the Baumbach more than you since both Greenberg and The Squid & The Whale are top fives of their respective years for me.

[Boner M]

I'm going to assume I like the Baumbach more than you since both Greenberg and The Squid & The Whale are top fives of their respective years for me.
Everyone else loves it.

[Stay Puft]

Brief thoughts posted in the 2012 forum for

On the Road:
http://www.match-cut.org/showthread.php?t=4208

Dredd 3D:
http://www.match-cut.org/showthread.php?t=4209

[Stay Puft]

Good luck getting into the press screenings for To the Wonderbread, Boner. I noticed they've been designated "priority press" which means even general press badge holders have to rush.

If you do manage to get in, though, I'll hate you forever. (I may or may not try to get in on Tuesday just for the hell of it, but I doubt it... not a chance that'll happen with the amount of press I imagine will be trying to get in).

[Watashi]

Anyone see Cloud Atlas? It just got out at TIFF.

[Boner M]

Good luck getting into the press screenings for To the Wonderbread, Boner. I noticed they've been designated "priority press" which means even general press badge holders have to rush.
I think that's just for the first press screening? At least according to my booklet. I'll try both if I end up having to.

[Stay Puft]

I think that's just for the first press screening? At least according to my booklet.

Ah, that's correct. May seriously try for Wednesday then.

[Boner M]

Ah, that's correct. May seriously try for Wednesday then.
btw where're you volly'ing? I'll say hi.

[Stay Puft]

btw where're you volly'ing? I'll say hi.

I'm at the Ryerson. Just got back from my first shift, actually (during which I worked the premiere of Byzantium and saw Clancy Brown hanging about before the premiere of Hellbenders), and I'm going to be there for three Midnight Madness shifts this week (The Lords of Salem on Monday, The Bay on Wednesday, and Come Out and Play on Thursday).

[dmk]

Anyone seeing Blondie on the 14th?

Also, what are the chances of rushing Spring Breakers? I don't know how these begging for tickets thing works...

[Spaceman Spiff]

Anyone seeing Blondie on the 14th?

Also, what are the chances of rushing Spring Breakers? I don't know how these begging for tickets thing works...

Where is it playing, and at what time is the film?

[Stay Puft]

Also, what are the chances of rushing Spring Breakers? I don't know how these begging for tickets thing works...

Just get in line early and there's a good chance you'll get in or even get a ticket from someone else.

I don't have any specific advice for the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, haven't been to that venue yet. I've never had a problem rushing a film, though, as long as I've been there early (how early I determine by film and venue, so again I don't know anything specific about the Bloor, but plan for a couple hours).

[Stay Puft]

Anyways...

Day 2
Nothing to report.

Day 3
Nothing to report.

Day 4
In Conversation With... Jackie Chan (Mavericks program) ****

Day 5
The Lords of Salem (Rob Zombie) *1/2


May seem weird giving a star rating to a Mavericks program but what the hell it was awesome. I could have sat there all day listening to Jackie tell stories. He's such an animated, engaging, and witty storyteller. I'll write more about this later, perhaps. The preview he showed of Chinese Zodiac blew my fucking mind.

Might write a more detailed reaction to the Rob Zombie later, as well, but for now, briefly, because I'm tired: Not without merit, and often effective in the moment, but just as often insufferable to sit through, and utterly crumbles in retrospect. The last twenty minutes are the stuff of literal nightmares (I walked out feeling like I should immediately seek therapy) but for the most part, frankly, it's garbage.

[Rowland]

Sorry to hear you didn't like Lords of Salem, Stay Puft. Thankfully most of the early impressions I've read so far have been much more positive. What was your impression of the overall audience reaction?

[Ezee E]

And what did you think of previous Zombie movies?

[Boner M]

My friend said RZ's is his favorite of the fest behind Tabu, so I'm still excited (the only press screening got cancelled, couldn't fit the public ones in).

[NickGlass]

I don't have any specific advice for the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, haven't been to that venue yet. I've never had a problem rushing a film, though, as long as I've been there early (how early I determine by film and venue, so again I don't know anything specific about the Bloor, but plan for a couple hours).

It's a moderately sized theater, but not massive. I did wait on a very long ticket holders line (stretched all the way down the street) and got decent seats. I would still say to get there early if you're rushing--the first two and last two rows have obstructed view for different reasons (apparently they deliberately don't sell those rows outside of TIFF.

The best thing about seeing Spring Breakers in Bloor Hot Docs is that they sell booze there, which is essential to the experience.

[Watashi]

For a whole lot of people at TIFF, there's hardly any reviews/thoughts here.

[Boner M]

For a whole lot of people at TIFF, there's hardly any reviews/thoughts here.
Twitter happened.

[Stay Puft]

It's a moderately sized theater, but not massive. I did wait on a very long ticket holders line (stretched all the way down the street) and got decent seats. I would still say to get there early if you're rushing--the first two and last two rows have obstructed view for different reasons (apparently they deliberately don't sell those rows outside of TIFF.

The best thing about seeing Spring Breakers in Bloor Hot Docs is that they sell booze there, which is essential to the experience.

That makes me not even want to bother rushing the Bloor, but then again, if they serve alcohol, could be worth it regardless.


What was your impression of the overall audience reaction?

The audience seemed to be into it. Much different crowd from the usual Madness folk, however, in that the majority of the people there seemed to be Rob Zombie fans exclusively (i.e. most had never been to Midnight Madness before, many have never been to TIFF before, etc.). Another volunteer and I were just discussing what film could win the award this year, and we were both thinking The Lords of Salem could take it due to that factor alone (i.e. loyal Rob Zombie fans throwing their support behind him).


And what did you think of previous Zombie movies?

This is actually the first of Rob Zombie's films that I've seen, which is a bit unusual in that I both love movies and consider myself a Rob Zombie fan (dig his music and so forth, and actually the music in The Lords of Salem is quite good and far and away the best part about it).

[Stay Puft]

And so...

Day 6
Nothing to report.

Day 7
The Bay (Barry Levinson) **1/2


Seven days into the festival and I've only seen three movies, and the best among them is a Barry Levinson joint. This has not been a good year.

I'm sitting here with seven reward vouchers and I haven't used one yet. At this rate, I might only use a couple before the end of the fest.

Anyways, The Bay was amusing. As usual, too tired at the moment for detailed thoughts (just got back from my final volunteer shift, give me sleep), but event also notable as I finally spotted Mike D'Angelo in the wild. It's been weird following his TIFF coverage on twitter over the years and noticing how many times we would be in the same screening, but I'd never actually seen him. Some people stalk celebrities; I stalk film critics.

[dmk]

It's a moderately sized theater, but not massive. I did wait on a very long ticket holders line (stretched all the way down the street) and got decent seats. I would still say to get there early if you're rushing--the first two and last two rows have obstructed view for different reasons (apparently they deliberately don't sell those rows outside of TIFF.

The best thing about seeing Spring Breakers in Bloor Hot Docs is that they sell booze there, which is essential to the experience.
I have an hour between Blondie and this screening, so that could mean 'if I'm lucky', but I'll try

[Stay Puft]

So, what else have I seen?

Day 8
Nothing to report.

Day 9
Nothing to report.

Day 10
Nothing to report.


http://i.minus.com/ixtpkWBLy4pXw.gif

I tried to see a film after work the last couple days, but everything has been sold out. WTF? In previous years, the last weekend was always great because the festival was dying down, celebrities and critics are gone, tourists are gone, and basically it's quiet and nothing would sell out. I have no idea what the hell is going on that suddenly everything is sold out this year. I went to the Lightbox after work today to see Outrage Beyond, sold out. So I'm like, I'll buy a ticket for anything. Anything that's playing. EVERYTHING is sold out. So I head up two blocks to the Scotiabank, my backup plan: something like five movies all starting at the same time. I'll see anything. Whatever isn't sold out. EVERYTHING is sold out. FFFUUUUUU-

Tomorrow is the last day, I'm not working, I have seven reward vouchers, I'm leaving bright and early for the entertainment district and I'm not coming home until I see a goddamn movie.

[Pop Trash]

Tomorrow is the last day, I'm not working, I have seven reward vouchers, I'm leaving bright and early for the entertainment district and I'm not coming home until I see a goddamn movie.

This was exactly my experience with San Francisco FF this year. The one movie I attempted to see (Compliance) went to rush and none of the volunteers could get in. Ultimately I wound up with a bunch of unused vouchers. I don't think I'll be volunteering again.

[Ezee E]

Come to Telluride!

[Stay Puft]

Come to Telluride!

If I can get the time off work next year I may seriously do this. It sounds like such a cozy, personable film festival. I'd love to attend.

[Stay Puft]

Anyways, guess I'm calling it for 2012.

Day 11
Penance (Kiyoshi Kurosawa) ***
Walker (Tsai Ming-liang) ***
differently, Molussia (Nicolas Rey) **


I'll write a bit about Penance tomorrow. It's flawed, but also extremely fascinating. When the intermission started, I became restless and anxious and eager to get back into it. So needless to say, it worked for me. Five hours ain't no thang.

Given the premise of Walker, I didn't expect to find myself laughing out loud, but then maybe I shouldn't be surprised with Tsai Ming-liang at the helm. This short finds him at his most playful, and while my immediate reaction is that it's little more than amusing, I did like the overall concept and I enjoyed it more than The Skywalk Is Gone (his only other short that I've seen).

My rating for differently, Molussia is tentative for a couple reasons. One, I nodded off during one of the segments. Two, the film is designed to be different each time you watch it, the nine different segments shown randomly, so it only seems natural that certain permuations may play better than others. For my own viewing experience, I found myself admiring the concept and I was particularly impressed with a couple individual chapters (including the "interlude" chapter, which is richly atmopsheric), but then others seemed altogether aimless in their construction, the footage too disconnected and at times even gimmicky (my eyes would roll harder than the camera would spin). Chalk it up to the viewing experience, at least in part, but I walked away feeling it was less than the sum of its parts; too much of a sketch, with lots of dull footage and only partially realized ideas.

[Boner M]

That was my impression of the Rey, too.

[Boner M]

OK final tally.

Looper (Johnson) ***
Motorway (Cheang) **
The Pervert's Guide to Ideology (Fiennes) **
No (Larrain) ***½
Something in the Air (Assayas) ***½
Wavelengths 1 (MVP Ernie Gehr's Departure)
Frances Ha (Baumbach) **½
The Place Beyond the Pines (Cianfrance) ***
Differently, Molussia (Rey) **½
Wavelengths 2 (MVP Mary Helena Clarke's Orpheus (Outtakes))
Room 237 (Ascher) ***½
Tower (Radwanski) **
Wavelengths 3 (MVP Dorsky's August & After... no surprise)
The Master (Anderson) ***½
The ABCs of Death (various) *½
To the Wonder (Malick) **½
Casting By (Dougherty) **
Ginger & Rosa (Potter) *½
Spring Breakers (Korine) ***½
The Act of Killing (Oppenheimer) ***½
Museum Hours (Cohen) **½
The Fifth Season (Brosens & Woodworth) W/O
Post Tenebras Lux (Reygadas) ***
Leviathan (Castaing-Taylor & Parevel) ****
Passion (De Palma) **½
Disconnect (Rubin) *
(s) Big in Vietnam (Diop) **
Mekong Hotel (Weerasethakul) ***
Eat Sleep Die (Pilcher) ***
A Hijacking (Lindholm) ***

Should've seen more w/ my press pass but I've been sick 'n bedridden in the last few days.

[elixir]

I'll never see a Dorsky film. (To be clear, I want to!)

Interesting to see high marks given to Mekong Hotel and Something in the Air, which even fans have not been all that enthusiastic over.

The one I knew nothing about and seems to have gotten a lot of buzz is Eat Sleep Die. (Leviathan I knew from that trailer.)

[Boner M]

There's been a lot of support for Something in the Air from mainstream-ish press, just the hardcore Assayas fans seem to find it a little blanched. Which I'd agree with, though I don't think it's a bad thing; it's like Cold Water seen from a distance. Excerpt from a post from my outlet's blog (http://themusic.com.au/blog/film/2012/09/14/tiff-2-ian-barr/):


...the most surface-level autobiographical film to date from the prolific and diverse French auteur. It tells of his artistic coming-of-age through the experiences of a Parisian teen (and obvious surrogate for the director), by turns inspired and disillusioned by the post-May ‘68 revolutionary activity amongst him and fellow youths. I was wholeheartedly on board with the film pretty early on, when a group of student protesters gather together at the top of a staircase after running from riot police, catching their breaths in unison as the image fades to black – a detail so quotidian but so right in its poetic force, and it’s the kind of scene that the film is ripe with; fluidly relating a tumultuous historical moment through an accumulation of detail that feels culled directly from memory, albeit observed from a place of wistful detachment rather than swoony nostalgia for the good ol’ days. If it is all a little ‘typically French’, to borrow that popular dismissal, it’s in the best possible manner.

Mekong, on the other hand, is strictly for diehard Joe fans; it's a sketch of a film, on a miniscule budget, but it's rather lovely even though I couldn't tell you why. The final shot's a knockout.

[NickGlass]

Brief thoughts, and echelons for now (and they're ordered within echelons):

Excellent

TABU (Gomes): Equally playful, inventive and elegant. My favorite of the fest.

Good

LEVIATHAN (Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel): Sublime; soundscape and unexpectedly experimental-looking visuals thrill. Thankfully curtails human profiling for nautical ontological research.

MUSEUM HOURS (Cohen): Sweet, unique and alternately super clear/shabby. On the nose when it needs to be, and casual when it counts.

TO THE WONDER (Malick): Fragmented Malick style works like a charm once again, this time observing the relationship/connection cycle, but added allegorical/spiritual subplot tries to compensate for thin central idea and fails.

Mixed bag, but growing on me

SPRING BREAKERS (Korine): Hahahahaha. Well, umm, yeah, hahaha. Pretty much mocks its own obviousness when attempting to transcend the ecstatically dirty MTV hyper-aesthetic. Characters mostly indistinguishable, but the transparent stunt casting consistently amuses.

FRANCES HA (Baumbach): High ratio of hit/miss humor and insight. Wants to be uber-freewheeling, but the mechanics are still apparent.

Not so good

LAURENCE ANYWAYS (Dolan): Dolan tries to make Almodovar's Eternal Sunshine and just literalizes everything.

SOMETHING IN THE AIR (Assayas): Channels empty characters listlessness into French political oblivion. Impeccably detailed with period flair, and interminably dull. Feels like a runway show for the Fall collection at Urban Outfitters.

Oof

FOXFIRE: CONFESSIONS OF A GIRL GANG (Cantet): We are FOXFIRE and we are nonactors who aren't trained enough to act out a bad screenplay. FOXFIRE.

AT ANY PRICE (Bahrani): Bahrani tries to make a Hollywood Message Melodrama but it's just crudely realized, risible, and soppy. Really over the top, clunky, and amateur-ish. Has Heather Graham played anyone other than a mistress in the past 5 years?

[Qrazy]

LAURENCE ANYWAYS (Dolan): Dolan tries to make Almodovar's Eternal Sunshine and just literalizes everything.


Wut?

[ledfloyd]

i'm still anticipating the assayas, but your take on the bahrani has me worried.

[Ezee E]

AT ANY PRICE (Bahrani): Bahrani tries to make a Hollywood Message Melodrama but it's just crudely realized, risible, and soppy. Really over the top, clunky, and amateur-ish. Has Heather Graham played anyone other than a mistress in the past 5 years?

Yes! Astonishing that people have been liking this. I hope Bahrani just had a hiccup here.

[ThePlashyBubbler]

Wut?

Like if Pedro had made it, I think

[Boner M]

My final TIFF dispatch (http://themusic.com.au/blog/film/2012/09/21/tiff-3-ian-barr/), mostly on Leviathan, Spring Breakers, Disconnect with a few others briefly mentioned.