So our trip and the Toronto International Film Festival is over. We had such a great time. I could live in Toronto. Seriously, we felt like locals after just a few days. Everyone was so nice. We saw some great films, and some rubbish (listed below) but that's the chance you take at an International Film Festival. But I would not have given up the experience for anything. Amongst the fantastic people we met and hung with regularly on our travels are regular readers and fellow bloggers Ryan McNeil, Courtney Small, Kurt Halfyard, Bob Turnbull, Matt Price and Max Covill, amongst many others.
In LA we stayed with Alex Withrow (And So It Begins), who was the best host we could have imagined. Not only did he let us into his house, but he drove us wherever we wanted. We went to Hollywood, Venice Beach, the Griffith Observatory and some of the funkiest bars and cafes in his home suburb. The weather was wonderful. Thank you Alex!
In addition to watching 49 films, I also read a pair of crime fiction novels - The Walker and Birdman - which were okay. Coming home to re-immerse myself in Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch has been welcomed, however. We have also started re-watching Entourage from the beginning. I never made it to the very end. From memory it loses the plot quite badly, but I am determined to stick it out and try and spot the sites in LA that I visited.
Favourite album at the moment: Kanye West's College Dropout and Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds, both of which we picked up on vinyl in Toronto for absurdly cheap prices.
Of course, I am now very behind what is now out in cinemas but what of it. I hope to catch The Boxtrolls, We Are the Best and Gone Girl (again) in the weeks to come. On Thursday we have The Judge booked in.
New-to-Me Films (In Order of Preference)
-------- Essential Viewing --------
Nightcrawler (Dan Gilroy, 2014) - This is such a bold and relevant film. In this exhilarating thriller we are sided with one of this grotesque disaster-media hungry societies super villains. This is an incredible performance by Jake Gyllenhaal. I said he was one of the best in the business after Prisoners, and since then I have seen this and Enemy, which separates him further from the pack. Considering the horrible things he does, the fact that we have empathy, and respect, for this guy is extraordinary. He's endlessly fascinating. It addresses a very prominent problem in today's media culture, but who is to blame? The person exploiting these victims and capturing the tragedies, the network buying the footage, or us consuming it? Very LA, it looks incredible courtesy of PTA's regular DP Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood), and ALL of Dan Gilroy's decisions hit the mark. The music. The casting. The ending. Following a car chase the audience at TIFF burst into applause. That is something I have never experienced. This is a morally stressful experience that was physically overwhelming, as only the great films achieve. IndieWire described Nightcrawler as a combo of Taxi Driver and Network. Collateral and Drive also come to mind. Comparisons are beside the point. It is in a league of greatness.
Foxcatcher (Bennett Miller, 2014) - Du Pont stabled the Shultz, a vulnerable victim of post-Gold obliviousness, and possessed the monetary power to use and manipulate him as he pleased. Then he learned that he responded only to his family-man brother Dave, a symbol of hardworking middle America. For Du Pont, who saw this as a chance to be worshipped and viewed as a father-figure, this was a rejection he could not accept. The complexity of the three relationships will long be bearing on my mind. Bennett Miller's best film, and Moneyball is GREAT, features amazing performances from Tatum, Carrell and Ruffalo. Especially Ruffalo, who received little comment post-Cannes, and seems to be in the shadow of his mighty colleagues. This is a heartbreaking story of compromise at the wrath of dynasty-inherited privilege and greed. It has been enriched with metaphoric commentary, and artisan creativity. Everything in this film feels like the real deal - the make up, the wrestling maneuvers performed by the actors, the wonderful detail in the Du Pont estate at the least. I had enormous emotional investment in this film. One of the few films I have seen that deserves award consideration and that may actually get it. Still, it may be too brooding for the voters to embrace. Ruffalo missing an Oscar for this would be a travesty.
In LA we stayed with Alex Withrow (And So It Begins), who was the best host we could have imagined. Not only did he let us into his house, but he drove us wherever we wanted. We went to Hollywood, Venice Beach, the Griffith Observatory and some of the funkiest bars and cafes in his home suburb. The weather was wonderful. Thank you Alex!
In addition to watching 49 films, I also read a pair of crime fiction novels - The Walker and Birdman - which were okay. Coming home to re-immerse myself in Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch has been welcomed, however. We have also started re-watching Entourage from the beginning. I never made it to the very end. From memory it loses the plot quite badly, but I am determined to stick it out and try and spot the sites in LA that I visited.
Favourite album at the moment: Kanye West's College Dropout and Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds, both of which we picked up on vinyl in Toronto for absurdly cheap prices.
Of course, I am now very behind what is now out in cinemas but what of it. I hope to catch The Boxtrolls, We Are the Best and Gone Girl (again) in the weeks to come. On Thursday we have The Judge booked in.
New-to-Me Films (In Order of Preference)
-------- Essential Viewing --------
Nightcrawler (Dan Gilroy, 2014) - This is such a bold and relevant film. In this exhilarating thriller we are sided with one of this grotesque disaster-media hungry societies super villains. This is an incredible performance by Jake Gyllenhaal. I said he was one of the best in the business after Prisoners, and since then I have seen this and Enemy, which separates him further from the pack. Considering the horrible things he does, the fact that we have empathy, and respect, for this guy is extraordinary. He's endlessly fascinating. It addresses a very prominent problem in today's media culture, but who is to blame? The person exploiting these victims and capturing the tragedies, the network buying the footage, or us consuming it? Very LA, it looks incredible courtesy of PTA's regular DP Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood), and ALL of Dan Gilroy's decisions hit the mark. The music. The casting. The ending. Following a car chase the audience at TIFF burst into applause. That is something I have never experienced. This is a morally stressful experience that was physically overwhelming, as only the great films achieve. IndieWire described Nightcrawler as a combo of Taxi Driver and Network. Collateral and Drive also come to mind. Comparisons are beside the point. It is in a league of greatness.
Foxcatcher (Bennett Miller, 2014) - Du Pont stabled the Shultz, a vulnerable victim of post-Gold obliviousness, and possessed the monetary power to use and manipulate him as he pleased. Then he learned that he responded only to his family-man brother Dave, a symbol of hardworking middle America. For Du Pont, who saw this as a chance to be worshipped and viewed as a father-figure, this was a rejection he could not accept. The complexity of the three relationships will long be bearing on my mind. Bennett Miller's best film, and Moneyball is GREAT, features amazing performances from Tatum, Carrell and Ruffalo. Especially Ruffalo, who received little comment post-Cannes, and seems to be in the shadow of his mighty colleagues. This is a heartbreaking story of compromise at the wrath of dynasty-inherited privilege and greed. It has been enriched with metaphoric commentary, and artisan creativity. Everything in this film feels like the real deal - the make up, the wrestling maneuvers performed by the actors, the wonderful detail in the Du Pont estate at the least. I had enormous emotional investment in this film. One of the few films I have seen that deserves award consideration and that may actually get it. Still, it may be too brooding for the voters to embrace. Ruffalo missing an Oscar for this would be a travesty.
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (Ana Lily Amirpour, 2014) - An Iranian vampire western with a romantic twist. Not something you see every day, and it is pretty special. In a small death-riddled town call Bad City, ruled by drugs and
illegal enterprises, the citizens are stalked in the night by a lonesome
female vampire. A young man, at the mercy of a drug dealer whom his
junkie father owes money, finds his luck turn through the circumstances
of her presence. This is sexy - gorgeously photographed in B+W and accompanied by a
funky soundtrack (which I hope exists somewhere) - and a remarkably
confident debut feature from Ana Lily Amirpour. It thrives on style and
atmosphere and is really fucking cool. Creepy too. Only Lovers Left Alive's shady cousin. A great year for Vampire films, this.
The Infinite Man (Hugh Sullivan, 2014) - An essential time travel film that successfully remains smarter than its audience, offering consistent twists and revelations, while actually making sense. This is micro-budget filmmaking at its very best, managing to inventively fuse elements of some of the genres great works in Primer and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Average-joe Dean creates a time travel headpiece that allows him to go back one year, to the date of his anniversary with his girlfriend Lana, to try and make the disastrous events of that day perfect and save the relationship. He is equipped with notes, he knows the obstacles that will arise and he is prepared with everything he knows Lana loves. But, when there are multiple Deans and Lanas in close proximity and dressed identically, and with Dean blindly obsessed with controlling Lana and the course of events, trouble ensues and be begins to battle his alter-egos for the woman he loves. The results are hilarious, mostly, but even a little upsetting. This is such a tight film, and Hugh Sullivan does a fantastic job at ensuring that the potentially confusing parallel timelines operating at once are sharply edited, extraordinarily avoiding continuity issues. THE Australian film of the year, and a future classic. Out now on limited release. Don't miss it.
The Infinite Man (Hugh Sullivan, 2014) - An essential time travel film that successfully remains smarter than its audience, offering consistent twists and revelations, while actually making sense. This is micro-budget filmmaking at its very best, managing to inventively fuse elements of some of the genres great works in Primer and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Average-joe Dean creates a time travel headpiece that allows him to go back one year, to the date of his anniversary with his girlfriend Lana, to try and make the disastrous events of that day perfect and save the relationship. He is equipped with notes, he knows the obstacles that will arise and he is prepared with everything he knows Lana loves. But, when there are multiple Deans and Lanas in close proximity and dressed identically, and with Dean blindly obsessed with controlling Lana and the course of events, trouble ensues and be begins to battle his alter-egos for the woman he loves. The results are hilarious, mostly, but even a little upsetting. This is such a tight film, and Hugh Sullivan does a fantastic job at ensuring that the potentially confusing parallel timelines operating at once are sharply edited, extraordinarily avoiding continuity issues. THE Australian film of the year, and a future classic. Out now on limited release. Don't miss it.
Clouds of Sils Maria (Olivier Assayas, 2014) - My first Assayas...and I now want to see more. Set in the gorgeous Swiss Alps a veteran stage star Maria (Juliette
Binoche) and her assistant Valentine (Kristen Stewart) hide out as she
prepares for her latest play - the same one that made her famous as a
young woman, but the opposing 'older' role. Unable to identify with this
character, due to her own concerns about ageing and being unable to
adapt this character into a new context, she turns to Valentine for
advice on the actress taking on her old role (Chloe Grace Moretz),
challenging her to rehearse the role with her at length. Tension mounts
when Maria is disagreeable with what Valentine brings to the role. As
the material and their relationship begins to merge, this takes a
Persona-esque twist that is quite a hook. This is a very pretty and bonkers look at performance as role
(Stewart's role is blurred every which way), textual interpretation
influenced by age (and how measures of age in the business have changed)
and 21st Century 'celebrity', and the opposition of personal privacy
vs. public openness. And very meta. All three women excel. Binoche
obviously, but the film, forgivably, drops the ball in the extended
Stewart-free epilogue (my only real criticism). She brings terrific
energy to film. The little details have all been carefully calculated (the fade-outs
are perfectly timed) and that night drive may haunt my dreams. This is a
film rich in ideas and subtexts. It is both funny and eerie, and most
of the second half is food for puzzling over.
Girlhood (Celine Sciamma, 2014) - Celine Sciamma is the real deal. My goodness. Girlhood is better than Boyhood. How's that for controversy. I don't know where to begin with this film, but it manages to be, extraordinarily, explosive and quietly intimate at the same time. The best use of music (Rihanna's Diamonds!) of any film at TIFF, and wonderfully performed by its non-pro cast. The film's finale is so brave, too.
While We're Young (Noah Baumbach, 2014) - Well, Noah Baumbach still hasn't made a bad film and this may become my favourite. And I am a big fan of the mostly despised Greenberg. Whatever. Stiller sure is at his best in this partnership, but Naomi Watts and Adam Driver (each in multiple films at this year's TIFF) are also excellent. This is such a funny and relatable study of the differences between Gen X and Y - a couple approaching middle age who become alienated from their baby-obsessed friends, and have long wasted time using their stilted professional ventures as excuses to not..live, find their sense of youth invigorated when they meet a carefree 20-something hipster couple with a whole different outlook on life. The evolution of documentary filmmaking (a pursuit of both Stiller and Driver's characters) is an avenue that doesn't quite work as successfully as the interweaving relationships and the satire of generations, but this is thoroughly enjoyable throughout.
Girlhood (Celine Sciamma, 2014) - Celine Sciamma is the real deal. My goodness. Girlhood is better than Boyhood. How's that for controversy. I don't know where to begin with this film, but it manages to be, extraordinarily, explosive and quietly intimate at the same time. The best use of music (Rihanna's Diamonds!) of any film at TIFF, and wonderfully performed by its non-pro cast. The film's finale is so brave, too.
While We're Young (Noah Baumbach, 2014) - Well, Noah Baumbach still hasn't made a bad film and this may become my favourite. And I am a big fan of the mostly despised Greenberg. Whatever. Stiller sure is at his best in this partnership, but Naomi Watts and Adam Driver (each in multiple films at this year's TIFF) are also excellent. This is such a funny and relatable study of the differences between Gen X and Y - a couple approaching middle age who become alienated from their baby-obsessed friends, and have long wasted time using their stilted professional ventures as excuses to not..live, find their sense of youth invigorated when they meet a carefree 20-something hipster couple with a whole different outlook on life. The evolution of documentary filmmaking (a pursuit of both Stiller and Driver's characters) is an avenue that doesn't quite work as successfully as the interweaving relationships and the satire of generations, but this is thoroughly enjoyable throughout.
Beyond the Lights (Gina Prince-Bythewood, 2014) - This beautiful and inspiring rom-drama deals with the mental strain
of celebrity superficiality and the process of re-learning and loving a
true self that has long been forcibly suppressed by a climate that
demands a mechanized product, not a free-willed creative individual. It also deals with the over-sexualization of female pop stars in a
world craving flesh, and how Noni, having long been stripped of her
identity and driven to suicide, is reinvigorated not by a 'man', but
someone who acknowledges that she is suffocating and needs some help. Gugu Mbatha-Raw, following her breakout performance in the lovely
period drama, Belle, is stunningly convincing in the role. She's going
to be huge. Nate Parker also brings a real generosity to his character.
Their chemistry is excellent. This is a powerful and uplifting film that never becomes too soppy,
and while clearly a female-centric story, it has universal appeal in
that Parker's character is also on his way down a path imposed on him by
his father, and he must consider what he really wants. Several years in the making, this is a very accomplished film from
writer/director Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love and Basketball). I hope it
is released theatrically in Australia. It would be a real shame not to
receive the exposure it deserves.
It Follows (David Robert Mitchell, 2014) - Loved the Goblin-influenced score (think TENEBRE-esque, oh yeah) and there is some inventive direction. A creepy ghost-stalker thriller with a sexual-transmission-anxiety angle. Interesting. There are some lazy jump scares, and an effects-heavy sequence that went a tad amiss, but this is a stressful film. The simplicity of the threat works in it's favour, and the performances from the youngsters are all pretty good. The horror film of the year, at least from what I have seen. Got pipped by The Babadook at Fantastic Fest, which is my #2.
Memories of Murder (Joon-ho Bong, 2003) - Unsettling, distinctively contextually-specific procedural thriller gets very good in a hurry. Jarring tone, big second half character leaps aside.
St Vincent (Theodor Melfi, 2014) - Murray and co. (Lieberher, Watts and O'Dowd are especially great) carry this charming unlikely hero-next-door tale that gradually reveals the layers beneath Murray's cantankerous war vet-turned-babysitter, with mirth and sorrow aplenty. It is a poignant celebration of sacrifice and features some great visual comedy.
Leviathan (Andrey Zvyagintsev, 2014) - Isolated in a desolate coastal boneyard, an aging patriarch battles a corrupt official seeking to purchase the land his home stands upon and then finds his cherished relationships begin to crumble around him as a result. Marvelously constructed and photographed, this is a gut-wrenching story of a proud everyman whose oppression grows increasingly closer, eventually enveloping everything he cares for and has stakes in. So. Much. Vodka.
Tales of the Grim Sleeper (Nick Broomfield, 2014) - I feared for the safety of documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield (and his son, the DP) in this distressing ground level, police-skirting guerrilla investigation into a notorious South LA serial killer, who had been plaguing the town for 25 years. It is quite an extraordinary film as Broomfield interviews many local residents, from family members and longtime acquaintances of the man eventually arrested as well as near victims, drawing enough evidence to suggest the perp is on trial, while indicting the LAPD for their class and race prejudiced treatment of the case. Kudos.
-------- Essential Viewing --------
It Follows (David Robert Mitchell, 2014) - Loved the Goblin-influenced score (think TENEBRE-esque, oh yeah) and there is some inventive direction. A creepy ghost-stalker thriller with a sexual-transmission-anxiety angle. Interesting. There are some lazy jump scares, and an effects-heavy sequence that went a tad amiss, but this is a stressful film. The simplicity of the threat works in it's favour, and the performances from the youngsters are all pretty good. The horror film of the year, at least from what I have seen. Got pipped by The Babadook at Fantastic Fest, which is my #2.
Memories of Murder (Joon-ho Bong, 2003) - Unsettling, distinctively contextually-specific procedural thriller gets very good in a hurry. Jarring tone, big second half character leaps aside.
St Vincent (Theodor Melfi, 2014) - Murray and co. (Lieberher, Watts and O'Dowd are especially great) carry this charming unlikely hero-next-door tale that gradually reveals the layers beneath Murray's cantankerous war vet-turned-babysitter, with mirth and sorrow aplenty. It is a poignant celebration of sacrifice and features some great visual comedy.
Leviathan (Andrey Zvyagintsev, 2014) - Isolated in a desolate coastal boneyard, an aging patriarch battles a corrupt official seeking to purchase the land his home stands upon and then finds his cherished relationships begin to crumble around him as a result. Marvelously constructed and photographed, this is a gut-wrenching story of a proud everyman whose oppression grows increasingly closer, eventually enveloping everything he cares for and has stakes in. So. Much. Vodka.
Tales of the Grim Sleeper (Nick Broomfield, 2014) - I feared for the safety of documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield (and his son, the DP) in this distressing ground level, police-skirting guerrilla investigation into a notorious South LA serial killer, who had been plaguing the town for 25 years. It is quite an extraordinary film as Broomfield interviews many local residents, from family members and longtime acquaintances of the man eventually arrested as well as near victims, drawing enough evidence to suggest the perp is on trial, while indicting the LAPD for their class and race prejudiced treatment of the case. Kudos.
-------- Essential Viewing --------
