The Cinematic Experience of Forizzer

So since they keep updating and I knew they would today, I was all prepared to update my blog… luckily, it was with some exciting titles and not some boring ones – though really, very few have been boring to talk about. More Gala and Special Presentation films! Lets go!

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!
The Damned United – starring: Michael Sheen and Timothy Spall. A movie I’m quite excited to see, if not only for the great cast. A Gala presentation, the film is about football manager Brian Clough and focuses prominently on his 44 day management of Leeds United – a team that loved their previous manager, Peter Taylor – a foe of Mr. Clough. Apparently it is darkly humorous and full of historical goodies, so count me in! Set for a September 25th US release. (An 8/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Dil Bole Hadippa! – starring: Rani Mukherjee and Tabu. A boring sounding film – a lot like countless features – a story about a girl who isn’t allowed to play sports who dresses up like a man to parttake in said activities. Not to mention that I’ve yet to be impressed by an Indian feature… it’s no doubt that I’ll be skipping this. Set for a September release in India. (A 2/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

The Good Heart – starring: Brian Cox and Paul Dano. The second feature by Icelandic filmmaker Dagur Kari, director of Noi Albinoi, seems to be a great one; a film I’ve been excited for for quite sometime. Starring the two men from 2001’s indie feature L.I.E. the story is about an elderly bartender taking a young homeless man under his wing. I really like Paul Dano and I do enjoy the concept, plus Kari has lots of talent… I’ll be sure to check this one out. No release date has been set for this yet. (An 8/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

The Hole – starring: Chris Massoglia and Nathan Gamble. Set for its world premiere at Venice, Joe Dante’s ‘The Hole’ promises to be atmospheric. Written by Mark L. Smith (Vacancy), the story is about two young brothers who find a hole in their basement. Within the hole are their deepest and darkest fears – the only way to close it is to confront them. I don’t really like the concept at all, but it might just be one of those great features that no one expected. Allegedly set for a 2010 US release. (A 5/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Micmacs – starring: Dominique Pinon and Dany Boon. Lots of people are very excited for this feature by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Although it’s lacking a heavy-handed cast, the concept is very amusing and I’ll be looking forward to seeing the world premiere at TIFF. A fantastical comedy that is very metaphorical in subtext, Micmacs a tire-larigot is about two men who plan on bringing down two big weapons manufacturers. I’ll look into some of Jeunet’s prior filmmaking (I’ve seen Alien 4, but I doubt that’s the pinnacle of his work) before making a definite decision. Set for a late October release in Belgium and France. (An 8/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Soul Kitchen – starring: Moritz Bleibtreu and Birol Ünel. Directed by Faith Akin (Head-on) his new feature is more comedic than dramatic – but the romantics seems to be intact. A young restaurant owner has various troubles – his love has moved to Shanghai and his restaurant is being boycotted. When a bunch of people who love the new culinary direction of his restaurant, he sets off to China to reclaim his love; leaving his ex-con brother in charge. Surprisingly, I really like this concept! I will check out Head-on later on to see if I’m down with Akin’s style, but as of now… this should be a great one. Set for a December 25th release in Germany. (An 8/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Up in the Air – starring: George Clooney and Vera Farmiga. I knew this would play – when I was asked about what would be most likely to play at TIFF this year, my first response would be Up in the Air. After premiering both Thank You for Smoking and Juno at TIFF in ‘05 and ‘07 respectively, director Jason Reitman brings Up in the Air, a story about a corporate downsizer who is about to have his love of traveling dashed as he’s about to reach his 10 million miles flown limit and who falls in love with the woman of his dreams. I’m very excited for this film and especially its cast. I’m so in. Set for a December release in the US. (A 9/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Who’s Your Raashee? – starring: Suzy Brack and Priyanka Chopra. Based on a famous Indian novel, a young man who has always wanted to marry for love finds out that he has ten days to do so before his family’s traditionalist view on marriage is set in effect and he’s to marry a woman chosen by them. Another movie I’m not at all excited for because it’s an alleged comedy. If it were dramatic, I’d be more enticed, but it isn’t so I’m not. (A 3/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

All in all, there are some titles I’m really ecstatic for and some I’m not excited for at all. I’ll post a Venice Film Festival update in a little while.

Like I assumed, TIFF added more titles on this Tuesday. Boy, these updates are going to be the death of me. Well, lets shoot – ten titles announced; two Gala presentations and eight Special Presentations.

Zero Down, Ten To Go:
Bad Lieutenant: Port of New Orleans – starring: Nicolas Cage and Val Kilmer. A remake of the 1992 feature Bad Lieutenant directed by Abel Ferrara, the latest from Werner Herzog is a tale about morality and the grittiness of the street that corrupts even the most noble men. A homicide detective saves a man from downing during Hurricane Katrina, but in the process injures his back. He’s put on medication and soon after finds himself becoming a drug addict. He then tries to take down a drug kingpin while trying to handle himself. I love Nicolas Cage – he’s got talent that people don’t respect because of films like The Wicker Man, so I’ll try and catch this, if not only for him. It should be a good one – I went out and rented Bad Lieutenant today, so my opinion of that will probably be the factor in whether or not I see this. Set for a December release in Belgium and France. (An 8/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Capitalism: A Love Story – starring: Michael Moore. I know the audiences are divided in the case of Michael Moore, but I gotta say, whatever he lacks in being an unbiased documentarian he makes up by making fun and emotional films. This feature will be about corporate America and how it destroys the everyday working class family – it’ll probably be just as good as his other features like Bowling for Columbine, so I’ll try and give this a go. Set for an October 2nd release in America. (A 7/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Dorian Grey – starring: Ben Barnes and Colin Firth. Yet another adaption of Oscar Wilde novel, this Gala presentation promises to be at least decent. Ben Barnes should perform well in his role – he has the look for the character at the very least. If you’re unaware of the plot, it’s simple: A man wants to stay young, rich and handsome for as long as possible, so he puts his soul into a painting of himself – so while it ages, he doesn’t. I’ve seen various versions of this and they’re all relatively good – I’m not sure about a new version of it, but I wouldn’t mind seeing it if nothing’s playing. Plus Rachel Hurd-Wood is in a role that I give Angela Lansbury a “top five of all time” placement in – and I really like Hurd-Wood, so that’s a bit of incentive. Set for a September 9th release in the UK. (A 6/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Harry Brown – starring: Michael Caine and Emily Mortimer. So this plot is easily the most wicked I’ve heard all day just because Michael Caine is the lead actor, but I know it’s going to be a very average film. I just know it, but I like the synopsis too much to think logically: An old ex-marine’s best friend is murdered by a group of drug-dealing teens. After the head drug-dealer is let off on a technicality, the old man goes after them to get his revenge. Now, that’s exactly what a film would be if you mixed Gran Torino with Death Sentence. It’ll be cheesy; it’ll be violent; it’ll probably be pretty lame, but I’m keeping my hopes high. Set for an October release in the UK. (A 7/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Perrier’s Bounty – starring: Brendan Gleeson and Cillian Murphy. The festival must have had it’s ears burning, because no more than a week ago  I was talking to my pal about how badly I wanted to see this and how I hoped it’d be at TIFF. Well, my wish has been answered and I’m going to see this. A man (Cillian Murphy) owes a kingpin (Brendan Gleeson) money and only has 24 hours to pay up. He takes his father and long-time friend Brenda that he loves on a little trip up a mountain – he tries to make amends with his father and tries to confess his love for his friend before the mobster finds him. Love the concept and love the cast – I’ll be there. No release date has been set. (A 9/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee – starring: Robin Wright Penn and Alan Arkin. This glorious female ensemble is the only reason why I’d bother seeing it, but not at TIFF. After Pippa Lee’s husband starts to grow increasingly senile and needs to move closer to an elderly retirement home, she becomes a boiling pot of emotions – feeling trapped in her home. She works herself into a situation where a nervous breakdown seems likely. As I said, only the cast of this interests me – I’ll wait for a DVD or something. (A 5/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

A Serious Man – starring: Michael Stuhlberg and Richard Kind. The latest from the Coen’s is a dark comedy set in the late 60’s. With a group of unknown actors, the Coen’s seem to be doing their most admirable work of the decade. What would seem like a vehicle for people like Josh Brolin and Tom Hanks is now being given to the unknowns and I’m sure with them being the clay in the Coen brothers’ hands that it’ll be a solid feature. The story is about a man who allows his brother to stay with him for awhile – after some time, the man’s wife gets annoyed and threatens to leave him, so the man must choose between his brother or his wife. It should be a good one! Set for an October release in the US. (An 8/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Triage – starring: Colin Farrell and Christopher Lee. The latest film from European filmmaker Denis Tanovic (No Man’s Land) is yet another political thriller about war. Mark, a war photographer returns from his brief tour in the middle-east without his best friend and colleague. It’s apparent that something is troubling Mark as he seems to be the only person that truly knows what happened to his pal. I really like Tanovic and his direction, so I’m willing to give this a shot. Especially since Farrell is back on track and headed to becoming the best actor of this generation. (An 8/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Whip It! – starring: Ellen Page and Kristen Wiig. The concept is adorable and could be full of laughs, but I’ll probably just wait for its theatrical release to catch it. A rebellious teen decides to become a roller-derby star against the will of her mother. Drew Barrymore is directing this – her first feature film. I’m sure it will be good – and I may see if nothing else is playing against it, but I could just as easily wait. Set for an October release in the US. (A 7/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Women Without Men – starring: No idea. The first feature-length film directed by Shirin Neshat, the story is about four seperate Iranian women and their encounters with a magical orchird – interwoven storylines emerge. I dislike this concept and as I said earlier, “I’m not really into multi-storylined films at the moment”, so this is a definite no from me. No release date has been set yet, but I believe it’s World Premiere will be at Venice. (A 2/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

So there’s a bit to think about – some features I’d love to see and very few that I’d like to skip. The Coen’s selection was obvious as they’ve never missed a TIFF event yet. I’m quite glad that Perrier’s Bounty is going to play – that’ll surely be a good one. Probably the one most people speak about after the festival is over – so I’m telling you now, get your tickets for that in September.

The Toronto International Film Festival has added more awards to its not-so-prestigious ceremony. With only the Cadillac People’s Choice Award (film chosen by the audience as the best of the festival via voting cards), the FIPRESCI prizes (one given for two separate programs – Special Presentations and Discovery – voted on by a few international critics), the Discovery award (I’m not 100% sure who gives this out, but I believe it’s voted on the same way as the Cadillac People’s Choice Award, but only for the Discovery programme) and a few exclusively Canadian awards (ie. Best Canadian Feature; Best First Canadian Feature, etc…) as awards, I (as many others) must have felt that for such a large film festival that they needed more awards to garner more credibility. This, of course, started after the People Choice winner of last year won the Best Picture at the Academy Awards last year (Slumdog Millionaire for those who stumbled upon my blog without any movie knowledge). So now they’ve added two more award categories – it’s the same as the Cadillac People’s Choice Award in the way it’s voted on, but exclusively for the Midnight Madness and Documentary films (separate awards, of course). This adds much more interest as the most fanatic programme is certainly Midnight Madness, so to see what the general Midnight Madness fan votes as best will be a very pleasant award. As for the documentary award, this will add much more authenticity and I suppose prestige to the festival. It comes off as an enlightened award and an intelligent move by the programmers – it’ll certainly give a bit more depth to the post-festival festivities. So I’m all for this – hopefully I’ll be able to vote on both with a fair and just grasp on both programmes this year.

Onto the genre I skipped yesterday – documentary. Primarily located in the Reel-to-Reel programme, I’ve not yet seen one of these films in my two years of attending the festival. This should change this year – or at least I hope so.

Lets Get Down and Dirty:
The Art of the Steal – (Don Argott, USA) This documentary is about Albert Barnes’ collection of Post-Impressionist paintings – the large and expensive selection he had that vanished and later became the subject of many debates over who controlled the rights to the riches. This sound like an exciting and interesting real-life caper/legal battle that I wouldn’t mind seeing. Certainly one of the more interesting documentary synopsis’ I’ve heard all year. (An 8/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Bassidji – (Mehran Tamadon, Iran) This is an account of filmmaker Mehran Tamadon’s attempt to learn the thought-process and reasonings behind extremist supporters of the Islamic Republic. It could be a very interesting tale that explores both the positives and negatives of the large group of men and women. However, most documentaries of this nature tend to be one-sided and bothersome. I’ll play it by ear and if I hear that it’s refreshing, I’ll give it a go on a second run. (A 6/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Cleanflix – (Andrew James / Joshua Ligairi, USA) An account of a sector of the Mormon religion in Utah demanding clean versions of R-rated films and the reaction of video-store owners that try and comply with their prompts and demands. It could be very interesting and lightly coated with humor, plus any film about film usually grabs my attention very easily. I’ll try and rent this later on, but I don’t see myself in a seat it its world premiere. (A 6/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Collapse – (Chris Smith, USA) OK, OK, OK… so here’s another film documenting the what-ifs and assumptions of our world in the future and how badly we’ll dismantle ourselves with a poor economy and even poorer environmental habits. I read and watch a lot of television that repeats the same perspective, and while most of it is important, rarely is there anything said that is impacting or stands out in my mind. The people, of course – not the message because that’s burned into my brain. Another film I’ll play by ear, but I doubt I will watch this. (A 4/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Colony - (Carter Gunn / Ross McDonnell, Ireland) “Ack! No! Not the bees!” – an infamous quote from 2006’s The Wicker Man. Well, in this documentary, the filmmakers try to grasp the knowledge of several beekeepers in America trying to find out the cause of the disappearance of millions of bees. Yeah, it sounds like the opening of The Happening, but don’t let the similarities impair your judgment on whether or not to see this interesting, if nothing, documentary. I might see this – especially since it’s supposedly shot with a beautiful lens. Could be a great one! (A 7/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Good Hair – (Jeff Stilson, USA) This sounds like a humorous and light documentary, but it certainly won’t be one I see unless I hear some raves. It’s Chris Rock’s documentary about black people and their hair. So it’ll probably be – at the very least – a fun parody of his own culture, which sounds very delightful to me. I could see it – I’m always down for a good laugh – but I probably won’t. I think it’s important to add that this is apart of the more prestigious Special Presentations programme at the festival. (A 6/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Google Baby – (Zippi Brand Frank, Israel) This film is the opposite of what I want to see in a documentary. It sounds sparse in personal interest, vacant of personal reflection and above all, boring. A film about surrogate mothers who breed children for those who cannot in the middle-east is an admirable profession (might be if they don’t charge much), but that isn’t at all for me. (A 2/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

How To Fold a Flag – (Michael Tucker / Petra Epperlien, USA) Alright, so this has caught my eye and caught it… hard(?). It’s a look at the different paths that several Iraq veterans take after they served their duty – one is a cage fighter in Louisiana and another is headed for political office in Buffalo. It seems like it’ll be all about the hardships of life and the different mentalities of soldiers after service – which is, in and of itself, appealing to me. I hope to see this one. (An 7/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

L’enfer de Henri-Georges Clouzot (Serge Bromberg / Ruxandra Medrea, France) Now, although I haven’t seen a Clouzot film yet (I will try to pack in a few before I see this film) this concept is beyond fascinating. The filmmakers uncover Clouzot’s unfinished film L’enfer and mix in footage of the feature with their story of uncovering it. It’ll be a visually seductive and have a simplistic dynamic to it – or, I hope so. I’m seeing this. (A 9/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers – (Judith Ehrlich / Rick Goldsmith, USA) After last years Frost/Nixon, I suppose that making this film was the right move – people have a re-ignited interest for the Nixon scandal and this film is entirely about it. A story about Daniel Ellsberg and his leaked documents about how the Vietnam War was a lie and how it was the snowball in the avalanche that was the Nixon scandal. Interesting topic – could be just as interesting a film. I’ll check my schedule to see if it fits in, but if it doesn’t I won’t regret missing it. (A 6/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Presumed Guilty – (Roberto Hernández and Geoffrey Smith, Mexico) A documentary about the dirty judicial system in Mexico, these two filmmakers shoot footage to help exonerate a wrongly convicted man – showing the sad politics in the process. Could be good, but I’ll probably skip it because it doesn’t sound much like my thing. (A 6/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags – (Marc Levin, USA) This film is about the garment district in New York and how it went from a small, prosperous industry to becoming an overwhelming success, back to its recent financial decline. I hear snippets about these issues on the television and more financial talk really isn’t for me at the moment. (A 4/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Snowblind – (Vikram Jayanti, USA/UK) This sound like a remarkable story and the photographs provided by TIFF for it look incredible. The story is that of a young, blind woman who competed in the Iditarod dog sled race recently – the 1,100 mile race in Alaska. It looks like an extremely beautiful film, but perhaps too sentimental on the documentary side. I might catch it – hopefully I’m wrong in thinking it’ll be “just another one of ‘those’ movies”. (An 8/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

The Topp Twins – (Leanne Pooley, New Zealand) Released in New Zealand on April 9th, The Topp Twins is the tale about a pair of twins: a comedy duo that is driven by their shared lesbianism and love of music. I looked over the trailer not a moment ago and it seems to be more of a soapy recount of their three decades in semi-obscurity and their struggles rather than just a day in the life of them and their humor. Not for me really. (A 3/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Turtle: The Incredible Journey - (Nick Stringer, United Kingdom) The first Sprockets film announced (Sprockets = family films) for the festival. A tale about a logger-heard turtle and the way that he affects the deep blue ocean. I’m not really for ‘Animal Planet’ esque features, so I’ll be skipping this… but I’m sure it’ll be adorable and a soothing feature. (A 4/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Videocracy – (Erik Gandini, Sweden) A look at Italy’s prime minister and his reality TV show empire full of bikini-clad women and how it affected his nation. I don’t really get what this documentary will be all about (other than the Italian prime minister), but I don’t care enough to find out. Sounds very trite. (A 4/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights – (Emmett Malloy, USA) Back-to-back years where Jack Black has presented a documentary at TIFF (last years being It Might Get Loud). A story about The White Stripes and their cross-Canada tour where they touch down in both small and large venues. It sounds like a road trip flick with The White Stripes, but following bands in a documentary tends to be a boring trip. Well, not boring, but not worthwhile. Could be great though – it is a Vanguard feature. (A 6/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

So that’s it for the documentary portion of the festival. Odds are I’ll see the Clouzot feature and perhaps I’ll be able to check out The Art of Steel and Snowblind as well. Nothing much happening on the documentary front, it seems, which is unfortunate because I really wanted to sink my teeth into a few features from here. Oh well, maybe next year!

This little post will just show the films I was interested in that were released in the first package – I won’t type out synopses for the films I don’t want to see from the 21 pack because it’s too much effort for an unnecessary post.

Throwing it Back
Air Doll – starring: Du-na Bae and Arata. The latest film from Japanese auteur Hirozaku Koreeda is ‘Air Doll’ – the story of a man ordering a blow-up doll, falling in love with it and it coming to life over night. I really enjoy this concept – it’s only bounded by the director’s imagination (he seems to have quite a large one) and the movie just sounds like a bundle of fun. I really liked After Life and am planning on seeing Still Walking, but he’s certainly one of the new Asian filmmakers that I truly admire. Hopefully I’ll catch this. Set for a January release in Russia. (An 8/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Fish Tank – starring: Michael Fassbinder and Katie Jarvis. Unofficially called “the most depressing film at Cannes”, ‘Fish Tank’ is bound to be something exceptional. The synopsis – a teenage girl falls in love with her mother’s new boyfriend – seems like some prime time soap-opera after school special, but apparently it’s much darker than the softly shot films of yesterday. If it’s truly depressing, I might have to see it because this concept can be truculent if in the right hands – and Andrea Arnold certainly has the skill to make harrowing cinema (see: Red Road). A September release is set for the UK. (An 8/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Gigante – starring: Horacio Camandule and Leonor Svarcas. Stalky! The story is about a supermarket security guard and his obsession with the late-night female janitor. Looking at her through security tapes and following her rather than watching the store, Jara is in love, but doesn’t have the proper equipment to express it. Very interesting concept, but it could get exhausting quick. Luckily it’s only 84 minutes long, so perhaps the director felt the same and made it as punctual as possible without treading boredom. I hope to catch it. It was released in Uruguay in May of this year. (An 8/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

The Happiest Girl in the World – starring: Andreea Bosneag and Doru Catanescu. If you know me, you know I love Romanian New Wave cinema. So I’m definitely going to catch this. The plot is just simple – a young woman wins a car in a lottery but her scheming parents persist and plan on selling it; a blend of comedy and drama. If it were Romanian New Wave, I’d probably skip it, but since it is, consider me excited. Released in Romania on May 8th of this year. (A 9/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Les Herbes Folles – starring: Mathieu Amalric and Emmanuelle Devos. Two of the best current French actors in another film together… directed by Alain Resnais? I don’t even need to read a plot to already be in. Here it is anyhow: A woman loses a wallet, a man finds it but he falls for her and doesn’t know how to express his love. So he helps her find the wallet (even though he has it) in hopes of finding love. Simply creative and wonderful – I’m totally down. Set for an October 21st release in France. (A 9/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Independencia – starring: Sid Lucero and Alessandra de Rossi. Get ready to be blown away with style – Raya Martin’s latest film is a throwback to silent films in an attempt to encapsulate his vision of the Philippines and the majesty it holds. Plus after seeing Melancholia I’m willing to give a 77 minute long Philipino film a go. Should fit into my schedule well! No release date has been set. (An 8/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Irene – starring: Alain Cavalier. A documentary from the Visions programme, ‘Irene’ is Alain Cavalier’s reflection piece – a film about the memories of his now deceased wife. A very touching concept. It also appears to be pretty visually engaging as well, which is what many documentaries lack. I’d very much like to see this, so lets hope it fits. Set for an October 28th release in France. (An 8/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

La Pivellina – starring: Asia Crippa and Patrizia Gerardi. Not completely willing to throw myself into a seat for this, but I’m almost convinced to make it more of a priority. The story is about a circus woman and her husband. One day, they find a two year old girl in their trailer park. They do what all goodhearted people would do and take the child in, take care of it and attempt to find her mother. The images TIFF are posting make the film seem like a very endearing and modest picture, which is what I’d be hoping to see given the plot. Set for an October release in Italy. (A 7/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Police, Adjective – starring: Dragos Bucur and Vlad Ivanov. More Romanian New Wave + a director I really like + two of Romania’s best actors = my most anticipated film of the year. If only Anamaria were to make an appearance… Well anyways, here’s the plot: A police officer refuses to arrest a young man for offering drugs to his friends. Simple, mysterious… I’m down like a clown. No release date has been set for this film yet. (A 10/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

The Time That Remains – starring: Elia Suleiman and Yasmine Haj. Nominated for the Palme d’Or, this Belgian film about the birth of Israel in 1948 growing into it’s current state isn’t an excessively intriguing film, but it seems like it’ll be a good feature nonetheless. Great reviews have been put forth about the film, so perhaps I’m not giving it enough credit. I’ll see it if I can, but I’m sure I’ll have another opportunity to see it if not. It will be released in France on August 8th. (A 7/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

That was just to give you all a little bit of insight into what else I’m looking forward to this year. I’m definitely not going to miss Police, Adjective or Les Herbes Folles.

Discovery – the programme devoted to the new filmmakers in the world. A noble little section of what makes TIFF a wonderful festival. Last year, Lymelife won the FIPRESCI prize for Discovery films – a solid feature by the Martini brothers.

Oy! I’ve Found It!
Angel – starring: Maria Bonnevie and Lena Endre. Welcome to Scandinavia, Toronto – the latest feature from Norwegian filmmaker Margreth Olin. Formerly only having made documentaries, this could be what breaks her into the fictional film making industry or what keeps her from attempting this once more. The film is about a young mother that struggles with her drug addictions while raising her children. I’m assuming Endre will be playing her mother or something and it’ll be meant to be a very affecting drama about family. It could be good, but as I’ve stated a billion times, I doubt I will see this at TIFF. No release date announced anywhere. (A 6/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Applause – starring: Paprika Steen and Michael Falch. Oh, I like this one! Starring Dogme Queen Paprika Steen, the story revolves around her character Thea and her recently concluded alcohol rehabilitation. Her job before wanting to be rehabilitated: acting. She faces a tough choice after leaving the clinic – does she become an actress again and turn to a life of drinking and basking in the glory of being a celebrity or does she settle down for a plain life and become bourgeois. Set for a September 25th release in Denmark (A 7/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Bare Essence of Life – starring: Kenichi Matsyuama and Kumiko Aso. So this might get the title for weirdest plot of the festival: A retarded farmer is the main character in this black comedy/surreal fantasy. Played by a Japanese heartthrob, he fights crime and also searches for love. What the hell? That is both crazy cool and terrible. There are too many combustible elements here for me to risk watching it at the festival, but I’d like to see it eventually. I dislike how TIFFG claim the main actor Kenichi Matsyuama as a heartthrob. Is that supposed to be a selling point for the film or something? Anyways, I’ll skip, but I hope those that see it let me know how it is. Released in Japan on June 8th earlier this year. (A 6/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Beautiful Kate – starring: Sophie Lowe and Rachel Griffiths. Coming from the outback, ‘Beautiful Kate’ is a mystery soaked in drama. I don’t expect much from this plot – Kate goes home to take care of her dying father and search for the killer(s) of her brother and twin sister – so I won’t see it, but it could be far less sentimental than I assume. Set for an August release in Australia. (A 3/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

A Brand New Life – starring: Sae Ron Kim and Ah-sung Ko. A recount of the directors life growing up, the story is about a young girls upbringing in an orphanage and the harshness of being abandoned by her father. This might be soap opera movie of the week or tearjerker of the month – either way, I don’t see this film manipulating my emotions well enough to make me adore it. If I can fit it in, I’ll give it a shot based on it being a deeply personal film for the director and that usually turns the film into something special for them – which does reflect on the viewer. No release date is set, but it played at Cannes. (A 7/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

The Day Will Come – starring: Katharina Schüttler and Iris Berben. I’ve seen this same concept in better sounding films – a young woman goes to find her mother that left for adoption only to find that she is living happily with a new family – so I’ll skip this. It has the potential to be a good one, but I have no faith in this. It is set for a late August release in Germany. (A 5/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

The Disappearance of Alice Creed – starring: Eddie Marsan and Gemma Arterton. This film sound very interesting and I’m sure I will see it – the story is about two criminals that kidnap Alice Creed. The film only has three actors, so I’m assuming it gets to the action quick. I tend to enjoy films with mini-ensembles – especially ones with three actors that I really like (well, two, the other has performed well in what I’ve seen him in – Martin Compston). TIFFG says it has plenty of twists and turns and that it’s a “terrific little thriller” – lets just hope they don’t mean in content and lasting memory. I’d like to add that the director/writer J Blakeson co-wrote the script for The Descent 2 (coming out later this year), so he must have some talent. No release date has been announced yet. (An 8/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Eamon – starring: Robert Donnelly and Amy Kirwan. I don’t like the plot of this much at all. Add onto that the fact that it’s a supposed comedy and you’ve got one disinterested Tyler. A family holiday brings to a head the destructive love triangle between Eamon, a little boy with behavioral problems, his selfish mother Grace and his sexually frustrated father Daniel.Yeah, not at all for me. No release date has been set for this film. (A 2/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Everyday is a Holiday – starring: Hiam Abbass and Manal Kahder. I don’t think I can describe the plot better than the IMDb page, so I won’t even try: It’s Independence Day in Lebanon: three women who’ve never met before are on the same bus heading to visit a prison situated in a remote area of the country. Traveling through an arid landscape littered with mines and decapitated dreams, the journey transforms into the women’s quest for their own independence. It sounds pretty damn good, to be honest. But then again, every film with a similar goal that I think sounds good disappoints me. I’ll eventually see this one (if not only for Abbass). No release date set. (A 6/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Five Hours From Paris – starring: Dror Keren and Helena Yaralova. I really like movies that thrive on interaction between two people and only two people – especially romantic encounters like Before Sunrise. This story sounds like another poignant love story, so lets hope the director doesn’t mess it up. The plot: An Israeli cab driver and a Russian piano teacher fall in love en route to him dropping her off at the airport. They have adjacent personalities – he’s afraid of flying and has no aspirations; she’s about to board a plane and gave up her dreams – so that will surely benefit the film in a 90-minute character study such as this. No release date set for this one either. (An 8/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Heliopolis – starring: Khaled Abol Naga and Yousra El Lozy. Yet another multi-storylined films – to be honest, I’ve grown sick of them. After two poor attempts at an Inarritu film in Winged Creatures and Crossing Over, I’m really not down for another one… even if this seems decent. It’s set during one day in a lively neighbourhood in Cairo, Egypt – eight storylines intersect in this film. Considering it’s only 100 minutes long, it appears that the film will be crammed and frustrating. Eh, it isn’t for me, but for fans of similar films I wouldn’t condemn you for seeing it. Set for a December 1st release in Egypt. (A 4/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Last Ride – starring: Hugo Weaving and Tom Russell. Another Australian film – this one has a very cool synopsis. We’ve all seen father-son bonding films, but rarely one where the bond was formed because the father is on the run from the law. And that’s also the plot – father and son bond in the wilderness because father is a fugitive. I really like Hugo Weaving – he’s a very talented character actor that is rarely given the chance to shine in a leading role, so he might really impress with his performance here. Unfortunately, I’m hardly a fan of “nature as a back drop” in films (apparently this films has oodles of reliance on the setting), so I’ll skip it at TIFF. I will check it out – it will be released in America eventually, I’m sure. It’s already been released in Australia. (A 6/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

My Dog Tulip – starring: Christopher Plummer and Isabella Rossellini. Alright, alright, I’m down with this – another animated film that hasn’t been relegated to the family section of TIFF. The animation style is reminiscent of the French feature The Triplets of Belleville and the content seems to be more for adults rather than children, so it has that going for it. The story is about a lonely and old man who forms a friendship with a German shepherd who he saves. It has yet to be released, but Cinemavault has purchased distribution rights to it, so it will be released soon(ish). (A 7/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

My Tehran For Sale – starring: Marzieh Vafamehr and Amir Chegini. Sentimental, but gritty? Sounds decent, but I’ll wait till I get some feedback from the public. The story is about a young actress in Tehran, Iran who is banned from being seen on the stage ever again which causes her to segregate herself from the authorities and hide underground. There, she meets Saman, a young man who offers her a way out from beneath the iron fist that is Iranian authority. I do like this idea and I’m sure I would enjoy it, but as I said, I’ll wait. No release date has been announced. (A 6/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Northless – starring: Harold Torres and Alicia Laguna. I dislike border-crossing films because they all seem to be telling the same story and devote more time to the tragedy that isn’t making it over rather than the reason behind leaving – there is never a personal feel to any of the feature I’ve seen. It sounds like more of the same with ‘Norteado’ where the main character Andreas discovers the complicated border world of Tijuana, Mexico. Yawn. (A 3/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Rwanda April 7th, 1994 – starring: No idea. I don’t know much about this other than that it is being directed by a cinematographer in Philippe van Leeuw and is about a first-person viewing of the carnage that snowballed in Rwanda. If it is what I think it is – a Dardennian type film, it is a Belgian production after all – then I am very excited. If not, I’m still mildly interested. I like first-person accounts of just about any story – they rely more on creating real experience rather than phony dialogue. No release date has been announced. (An 8/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

La Soga – starring: Manny Perez and Hemky Madera. I have no idea what this film is about – the TIFF synopsis is very, very dodgy and unhelpful, so I’m going to skip it based on their blatant attempts to tell me nothing about the movie. All they says is that it’s gritty and about love, death and politics. Thanks, TIFF. Set for an October release in the Dominican Republic. (A 2/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Shirley Adams – starring: Denise Newman. After a bidding war between Berlin and Venice, it seems TIFF reigns supreme with this British film by Oliver Hermanus. Set in South Africa, a tired and aged mother looks after her son after he is disabled during a neighborhood shootout. It’s supposedly a frail and well-executed drama with a powerful lead performance, so I might check it out just because there is some (not-so) new talent to be discovered. No release date has been announced yet. (A 7/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Toad’s Off – starring: Kôji Yakusho and Satomi Kobayashi. Also directing the film, Yakusho stars in this film about a cocky and self-absorbed man named Takuro – a man who can claim he can earn millions and millions of Yen in a single day. One day, his son dies and because the town believes that Takuro is a godsend, they give all their blessings to his son in hope for good faith to be bestowed upon them. This sounds alright, but honestly, I’m going to skip it. It doesn’t seem like anything that great in the first place and I’d like to go into every movie this year in hope of being surprised and blown away. This just doesn’t appear to have such potential. It was released in Japan on June 6th. (A 5/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Together – starring: Fridtjov Såheim and Odin Waage. Driving on their way to a vacation, a family of three – a father, mother and son – experience an accident and their beloved wife and mother die. The film follows the gathering of the pieces, if you will, of the other two members in the family after the tragedy. Norwegian cinema tends to be very affecting – O’Horten being a recent example – but also has a distance from me. I feel the emotions being evoked by the films, but they never dig deep. I may check this out, but only if the time slots are befitting to this feature. It had a Norway release in January of this year. (A 7/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

The Unloved – starring: Robert Carlyle and Susan Lynch. Samantha Morton’s first directed feature – a direct-to-TV UK film – is about the UK government and how they take care of their orphanages… from the perspective of a child. I might have been interested in seeing this at TIFF if it wasn’t relegated to British TV/available for me to see online or on cable TV soon(ish). The synopsis is pretty cool and it’d be nice to have the chance to meet Morton and Carlyle, but I’m not catching this one. Had a TV release in the UK in May. (A 3/10 on my Anticipation Meter)

So that’s what’s been announced in the Discovery section – not an amazing batch of movies but one or two that I might see.

Vanguard – TIFF’s programme devoted to bold filmmaking. Usually I’m too focused on Gala, CWC (Contemporary World Cinema), Masters and SP (Special Presentation) films to focus on many other programmes, but this year I’m trying to spice it all up. I’ve seen a few Vanguard films (Paranoid Park being a major one I recall from 2007’s TIFF) and they tend to be pretty much my thing. Hip, indie, bold and refreshing. TIFF has announced nine of these films, so I’ll give you the 411 and my thoughts on them!

Bold, Brash and Bouncy! VANGUARD
Accident – starring: Louis Koo and Richie Ren. TIFF and IMDb are giving me two totally different synopsis’ so I don’t know what to make of this film – I’ll trust TIFF’s one this one though. (For IMDb’s go here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1202514/) This film is about assassins who commit their murders by staging them to look like accidents/suicides. Flat out, that is an awesome concept. I do not know a thing about this film other than that simple idea and I love it. On the downside, there could be so much wrong with this film. Bad plotting; poor characterization/character development; an atmosphere that isn’t the one in my mind… I’ll try and give Dog Eat Dog a go to see what this director does with his films, but as of now… that plain concept is making me smile. (An 8/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

The Ape – starring: Samuel Haus and Olle Sarri. The story is about a man’s decent into his own shattered psyche after he wakes up finding that the world and life he knew only a day prior has left and has been replaced with something disturbing. I like this idea, but I’m weary of it. There’s something about it – I can’t place my finger on it – that just isn’t giving me the tools needed to make an informed decision. TIFF’s synopsis is eerily vacant of much film content, so I see it as a way for programmers to stray attention from the actual film. I don’t know – it could be a very, very depressing movie that I’ll absolutely love. Again, I’ll wait for more info before I form a solid opinion of this film. It is to be released on October 1st in Sweden. (A 7/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Bunny and the Bull – starring: Edward Hogg and Simon Farnaby. An imaginary trip, if you will. A story about two friends – a precocious young man and his boozehound pal – who relive a road trip that they shared a few years ago in the confinements of their basement. I’m not too keen on British humor – most of the time it goes over my head/I don’t like it – but this seems less of a sentimental, semi-humorous piece and more of a rank and fun one. I’d like to see it… just not at the film festival. No release date has been set anywhere. (A 6/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

The Dirty Saints – starring: No idea. This film is about five people who travel across the Fijman River in search of survival post-apocalypse. It could either be a grating and gnawing look into the frustrations and desperation that follows being one of the few survivors in the world, or a very trite and boring look at the same event. It’s bound to be short – the two other features directed by Luis Ortega have been roughly 80 minutes – so that’s a plus if it happens to be worst case scenario. I doubt I will see this, but it could just as well be a solid film. No release date has been announced for this anywhere yet. (A 5/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Enter the Void – starring: Nathaniel Brown and Paz de la Huerta. Oh, how wonderful! A well-received film at Cannes (and one that I’d like to see, but am not dying to) about a drug dealing teen in Japan who dies and watches over his sister as a ghost back in his hometown. I like Noe because he’s known to be a director that never holds back and usually exploits whatever he’s got, so it’s certainly fitting he’s found his latest feature in Vanguard. I also like that this film seems to be dedicated to its story – pushing 160 minutes in length – so I’ll give a Noe film a go before the festival and will probably see this. This has the making to be ‘best of the year’ type stuff. No release date as of yet. (A 9/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Hipsters – starring: Anton Shagin and Oksana Akinshina. The latest film from Russian, Hipsters is about a former soldier in the Communist regime who rid himself of a life for mother Russia in search of mother rhythm. With a saxophone and falling into friendships that contradict the Communist ideal, Mels is quickly becoming a hipster. It should be noted that this is also a musical, which is kind of cool. I wouldn’t mind watching this, but the concept is playing out in my head without a stern voice and seems very loose with its theme. It opened in Russia last December. (A 5/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

The Misfortunates – starring: Johan Heldenbergh and Wouter Hendrickx. I’m a sucker for Belgian cinema! This film is about the upbringing of a 13 year old boy in a very unconventional household. He is vulgar and turning into a mirror of one of his drunken uncles. Set in a village, this story is bound to show the contast between the peaceful outdoors and annoyed indoors that this teenager views on a daily basis. It’s meant to be darkly humorous, but quite dramatic as well. I like the concept and the fact that it won an award at Cannes, so I might pop this film in. It’s set for release in a few countries – The Netherlands being first on October 1st. (An 8/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

My Queen Karo – starring: Deborah Francois and Anna Franziska Jaeger. As much as I love Deborah Francois, I will pass on this at the festival. A simple, probably overly dramatic film about a young girl (Karo, played by Anna Franziska Jaeger, I assume) who is taken to a squatter community (wilderness people, I assume) by her parents and raised as such. More or less, she is surrounded by hippies and the film discusses the dilemmas of raising a child and growing yourself in such an enviroment. It sounds like a fine movie, but it certainly not one I’ll jump at the opportunity to see. Set for an October release in Belgium. (A 6/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Spring Fever – starring: Wu Wei and Hao Qin. Welcome to the most contriversial movie of the festival (and perhaps the year… apart from Antichrist). Get this: A film about a gay love triangle that spins out of control, adapted and inspired by prohibited novels written in the 1920 China. It also won Best Screenplay at Cannes, which is what interests me the most. I’ve seen very mixed things – some calling it a disaster and some calling it a masterpiece – so I might have to watch it to quench my curiosity. Certainly not the film I’m most excited for, but I’ll see if I can give it a go. Set for an October 1st release in Russia. (A 7/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

So those are some of the less conventional and inspired films that will be playing this year – I’m sure I’ll see Enter the Void (I’m currently downloading I Stand Alone to get a sense for the director’s style) and I hope that Accident is as interesting as the synopsis. Should be yet another good festival – I’m especially excited because this is the first year I’ve examined the films as much. Interested in any of the films? Post a comment, ya’ll.

So is it just me or is TIFFG (Toronto International Film Festival Group) listing off movies like a fat person would favourite foods? Last year they announced a couple small batches of movies to keep TIFF trackers excited, but this year they’re just throwing titles at us left and right – it’s hectic. At least it’s giving me something to keep up with on a more frantic basis. Well anyways, here are the eight films announced for the SP programme – other films for the Vanguard and Discovery programmes were also announced earlier today, but I’ll get to those at a later date. Oh and one of them announced was Glorious 39, but I was on that news over a week ago. So really, only seven will be in this post. Anyways, enjoy!

Oh My God, Charles Darwin:
Broken Embraces – starring: Penelope Cruz and Liuis Homar. The latest Pedro Almodovar film is here. Although I’m not large on him and his direction, the concept of this film might sway me to catch this one. It’s about a blind writer who revisits his past in search for closure and to heal the wounds he’s left unamended for 14 years. Like all Almodovar films I assume it’ll be passionate and have a quietly brooding atmosphere – not something I admire from the director as it gets old quick for me (at least his formula for it), but this story could really be the one that gets him on my good side. I won’t stray away from this when the schedule comes out, but if it fits it fits. Scheduled for a late November US release (in New York), so expect a mid to late December limited release in the US. (A 7/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

An Education – starring: Peter Sarsgaard and Carey Mulligan. I’m a fan of Sarsgaard and new talent, so this is already high up on my chart. The concept and trailer, however, haven’t done it for me. The film could easily be one of the better films of the year, but there’s something keeping me from jumping out of my seat about this (albeit, obvious) title being added to the TIFF lineup. It comes out only a month after TIFF, so if I have to put it neck and neck with a film of the same score, odds are I’ll see the other one. I’m sure it’ll be a good one, though. It is scheduled for an October 26th release in the US. (An 8/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

The Front Line – starring: Giovanna Mezzogiorno and Riccardo Scamarcio. If you haven’t guessed by now, this is an Italian production. Without thinking about it, I tend to catch an Italian film during the festival, and this certainly could be the token Italian film that I see. Plus I like the synopsis very much: a couple (Sergio and Suzanna) of radicals turn to the underground after a plan. Isolated from their family and friends, they are drawn closer to each other than ever. When Suzanna is caught by the gestapo, Sergio plans to get her out. I love this – I love this idea so much, but I’d be even more curious to see the man get arrested for once and the woman be the one with the know-how to put such a grand plan into motion. Regardless, I really hope I get to see this one. It could either be fantastic or one of the average films – no two ways about it. Set for November release in Italy. (An 8/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Kamui – starring: Ken’ichi Matsuyama and Koyuki. Another ninja tale coming straight out of Japan, Kamui is allegedly another crowd-pleaser in the subgenre. Personally, I love gritty and negative ninja tales that end in grimacing rather than glee – so this isn’t high on my chart. The concept is just about a ninja fighting for his land (although the TIFFG synopsis of the film makes it sound like Kurosawa was resurrected). I’ll skip it – if it ever gets released in North America theatrically I might give it a go. Set for a September release in Japan. (A 6/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Life During Wartime – starring: Allison Janney and Ciaran Hinds. Envelope-pusher Todd Solondz’ first film in five years is ‘Life During Wartime’ – a similar sounding story to that of Happiness’. The film is about a variety of people with sexual obsession and hollow love lives… except set with wartime as a backdrop. Solondz’ films are always good for a different and perverse view of the world, but usually nothing more. None of his films or morales connect to me and that is what’s keeping me from truly appreciating his work. I’m sure it’ll be hailed well by critics, but I doubt I’ll see this. (A 6/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Un prophete – starring: Tahir Rahim and Niels Arestrup. A Cannes favourite (always a good sign for me), ‘A Prophet’ is about a recently convicted Arab man who is sent to a prison in France. In confinement, he becomes a Mafia kingpin. Films with similar concepts are released often, but none of them ever sustain anything but a dark and boring atmosphere. The fact that this has been called refreshing and excellent by many gives me hope for the genre that has been left to wilt in the hot hands of dry directors. Plus the director Jacques Audiard is already a plus in my books (I’ve only seen Read My Lips but it was quite good). Expect to see a review of this on my blog after the festival. A Belgian and France release is set for August 26th. (A 9/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

The Secret of Their Eyes – starring: Ricardo Darin and Guillermo Francella.
I’m always down for a thriller! The film is about a veteran investigator who is just about to retire from the force and write a novel about a case that has tormented him for 30 years – a murder case he never solved. In writing the novel, he attempts to re-piece the mystery together and give solving the mystery one last go. I really like the concept, but I’ve not seen a film by director Juan José Campanella yet, so I’m unsure of how he’ll handle the material. I’ll be sure to check out at least one of his features before the festival before I truly make up my mind… but I’m sure I’ll give this one a go. (An 8/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

So yeah, a few more films I’m really excited to see. Damn TIFF programmers though – please hold back on the announcements so that there’s at least a bit of excitement come August 22nd. Plus it’s impossible to keep up! Cheers to anyone who read this, and as always, comments are loved.

Yes yes, the Toronto International Film Festival group has now announced the films scheduled for both the Midnight Madness and Wavelength programmes.

Midnight Madness usually consists of horror films, action films or very sexy comedies; sometimes even a blend. Last year, I saw two Midnight Madness films in JCVD (opening night) and Martyrs (later on in the festival). I’ve also just recently seen Not Quite Hollywood and saw Chocolate quite awhile back. So usually, they program good and fun movies for sold out audiences to view. No doubt that this year will please the masses as the programmers seem to have shelled out quite a bit for this occasion – grabbing two highly anticipated foreign sequels in Ong Bak 2 and [rec] 2. What does this mean? It means I’m more excited than ever to attend some midnight screenings.

Here we go with my anticipation for each of the 10 Midnight Madness films to be shown at the festival this year:
[REC] 2 – starring: Manuela Velasco and Leticia Dolera. Holy moly! This will be wonderful and extremely frightening. Although the first received an overwhelming hype wave before I stepped my foot in the water, I did like it quite a bit. It was well-crafted, not extremely innovative but quite refreshing, and above all realistic. Zombie movies are one of the most enjoyable types of films and to see the sequel in a packed crowd at midnight will be more of an honor than a privilege. This film is scheduled to be released in South American and European countries in the Fall/Winter of this year (A 10/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Bitch Slap – starring: Julia Voth and Erin Cummings. Alright, so this doesn’t look all that amazing – sure, I’ll rent it, but I certainly won’t see it at the festival this year. The story of three renegade women in a world that’s crumbling and falling out of morality sounds like a action-y and biting satire, but the trailer screams mediocre and nothing memorable. However, if sexy fun is your thing, I advise you to at least check out the trailer before dismissing the film like I have. No release date has been announced for this anywhere. (A 3/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Daybreakers – starring: Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe. Alright, alright – so vampire movies seem to be on their way out of the pop-culture door, but the Spierig brothers seem to be biding the sub-genre sometime to regroup and sustain itself. The story isn’t one that appeals to me, but maybe it will to you: The world is now over run by vampire, but the people don’t exactly know it yet. However, they’re running out of blood to sustain their civilization, so a drastic group of vampires suggest wiping out the human race to say alive – of course, others digress. So the story is basically a back and forth fueled by morality, and although I won’t be seeing it at the festival, I will check it out when it gets its theatrical run. A January 2010 release is scheduled for this film in the US. (A 4/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

George A. Romero’s Survival of the Dead – starring: Alan Van Sprang and Kenneth Welsh. OK, so George A. Romero films will always get an audience in me based on the fact that it’s George fucking Romero and he’s a God among the zombie fans. This concept is a tad better than the decent Day of the Dead and it goes as followed: A group of people attempt to simultaneously find a cure for their undead relatives back home while battling the zombies on the island they’re currently on in the medical search. It has a no name cast once again and is a Canadian production (apparently), so I’m not *too* excited for it, but if I’m up for another Midnight film during the festival, I’ll certainly give this one a shot. Currently without any scheduled release anywhere. (A 7/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Jennifer’s Body – starring: Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried. Alright, so Diablo Cody certainly isn’t my favourite screenwriter in history, but her movies do make me laugh, are enjoyable, and usually have a very lightly reinforced theme and purpose. OK, so I’m totally basing that on Juno, but Jennifer’s Body looks like more of the same. Although a comedy about a possessed cheerleader is much more fun than one about a quirky pregnant teen – a movie that I saw at 2007’s film festival. So I will certainly see this and adding the midnight factor certainly adds more interest. It does come out only a week after the festival concludes, which may make me hold back on seeing this one, but my snowballing excitement for this might push me over the edge and into a midnight screening of this. (An 8/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

The Loved Ones – starring: Xavier Samuel and Victoria Thaine. The concept, as well as my new found appreciation for Australian horror films, intrigue me a bit. Although the story of troubled young man becoming the focus of spiritual devastation and therefore horrific events has been done many times in many different countries, I might give this a whirl based on the quaint atmosphere the photographs on TIFF’s page provide. It surely won’t provide more than a few thrills, but I doubt the film aims to be more than that. If it does and succeeds, well, all the better. It has just recently been released in Australian cinemas. (A 5/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Ong Bak 2: The Beginning – starring: Tony Jaa. Well, I did enjoy the first quite a bit and these “real martial arts” films are very appealing, but I’ve only heard the same tired “much prefer the first” statement from many an internet pirate. Honestly, I’ll probably just watch one of several copies being offered to me by friends and not bother to see this at TIFF. I hope to be surprised, but the concept just isn’t doing it for me. An October 23rd release is scheduled for this film in the US. (A 3/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Solomon Kane – starring: James Purefoy and Max von Sydow. Alright, so I don’t really know who the star James Purefoy is, but the movie does sound very interesting – a throwback to the gladiator films of the 70’s. It’s even created by the man that brought us Conan the Barbarian, so it’s assured to be a fun movie. It’s about Solomon Kane, a man who owes the devil his soul and fights evil to redeem himself. So that’s pretty awesome in and of itself, but I’m not all that wild for historical epics. On the plus side, this film is sporting a pretty impressive supporting cast that includes Max von Sydow and Pete Postlethwaite (veteran actors and Academy Award nominees). All in all, this could be one of the gems that TIFF provides, so I might just be game for it. (A 7/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Symbol – starring: Hitoshi Matsumoto and Adriana Fricke. In 2007, Matsumoto’s first feature premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Its reception was rather warm, but its concept has yet to grab my attention as of late. To me, Matsumoto seems to be an eccentric and stylish new director from Japan, but his films do not seem to be for me. The concept is very abstract – a man wakes up in an empty room with only a pink toothbrush. His storyline alternates with that of a Mexican wrestler and his current focus: an important event. His humor is apparently very deadpan (totally my thing), so I won’t write it off just yet. If it gets a wild and positive reception, I may pop fit it into my schedule during a second or third screening of the film. No release date announced anywhere. (A 5/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Town Called Panic – starring: No idea, actually. OK, so this is the first stop-motion animation film to have ever been played at Cannes Film Festival. It sounds like a silly and absurd film – an assortment of toys burst from their captivity that is a treasure chest and go on to live a life of their own – that is apparently also quite good. I’m not sure if the film will be more adult or childish (I mean from the concept how can you not assume the latter?), but if it is a more risque film I will be sure to check it out. I’m not too keen on stop-motion animation, but apparently the film also sports slapstick humor… which I love. So it’s got a lot going for and against it, but odds are I’ll check it out based on my curiosity. No release date announced as of yet. (A 6/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

And onto the Wavelength portion of this post. Now, I’ve yet to see a Wavelength film at the festival, but I hope to change that this year. Known for it’s varied nature – mixed with shorts and feature length films with unusual concepts – Wavelength supports the lesser appreciate film makers. Since most of these have more than one focus (a bunch of shorts put together), I’ll point out the high points of each and then give a collective rating for my anticipation.

Here We Go:
Wavelength #1 – (010101, Hotel Roccalba, Puccini Conservato, Titan, Two Projects by Frederick Kiesler & Waterfront Follies) Alright, so Waterfront Follies looks the most sublime of the six shorts to be played – luckily, it is also the longest. Clocking in at around 40 minutes, this short documents the beauty of a singular Brooklyn harbourfront accompanied by simplistic music. I enjoy my share of simplicity, so I may see this just to try something new in the programmes. Of course, it all depends on timing. (A 6/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Wavelength #2 – (Corado Verde, Kafig, Lumphini 2552, Pro Agri & Tamalpais). So none of these really appeal to me – actually, the whole ambiguity about trying to express a million words with simplistic photography seems like a very tired occupation. The only short here that seems to be anything interesting is Kafig – a surreal black and white German film about dancing rhinos – and that isn’t even in the top two longest features in the five piece feature. (A 2/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Wavelength #3 – (Let Each One Go Where He May). Apparently this 135 minute feature contains just over a dozen rigorous tracking shots of two brothers traveling across a Maroon village in Suriname. It is also edited non-linearly, which is intriguing to me because a calm tale usually benefits from abstract composition (this is all I’m getting from the TIFF write-up. THANKS ANDREA PICARD). All in all, this could either be one very interesting film or one very boring one – I doubt there is any middle ground. Will I see it? Oh maybe. Timing plays a huge factor in my schedule (if it isn’t obvious by now), so it might be able to find itself somewhere in my lineup. (A 7/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Wavelengths #4 – (Une Catastrophe, Film for Invisible Ink: Case No. 142: Abbreviation for Dead Winter, A Letter to Uncle Boonmee, The Secret School & Le Streghe, femmes entre elles) This Wavelengths “film” clocks in at just under an hour, which is good because short films will help me use my 50 pack to its full purpose. Well, lots of people are excited for another Jean-Marie Straub short (it follows her two previous shorts; one played at last years TIFF), so I suppose that segment will be for those who’ve been devoted to her on-going short series as of now. Godard has a new short… it’s only 1 minute long though. The Invisible Ink film seems quite interesting (I’m going to go back and see as many as possible) and the Greek short The Secret School sounds like a very retro look at political and religious policies – a concept that I enjoy. I might throw it in based on the hype it’s getting, but if it doesn’t fit the part, I’ll skip it. (A 6/10 on my Anticipation Meter)

Wavelengths #5 – (In Comparison & S/T) Well, I can’t find much on S/T so I am very unenthusiastic about this Wavelengths feature. Plus In Comparison seems like a very humbled, but tiresome documentary about brick production in India. I shall skip this, but I hope that my buddy Eli loves it. (A 3/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Wavelengths #6 – (Flash Camera Movie, FM/TRCS, Greenpoint, Passage Briare, Polterabend & Snowing Chestnut Blossoms) Alright, so Snowing Chestnut Blossoms looks like the best of the bunch here. It sounds like a very tender and loving short documenting the passing of the filmmaker’s parents and his appreciation for them. The film as a whole doesn’t seem all that impressive, but it also a very short one – roughly 63 minutes long – so I might toss it in to use up my 50 passes. Could be a good one – definitely could be. Seems like the most warming group of shorts from the Wavelengths programme. (A 7/10 on my personal Anticipation Meter)

Alright, so it doesn’t appear that Wavelengths is exactly my thing, but I’ll be sure to try and fit one or two into my lineup this year. Above all, the news of [rec] 2 being added to Midnight Madness’ roster is worth the few days of my impatient excitement for today’s announcement. I hope you all have a good festival – I’ll be sure to keep you updated on what I think looks good from the announced lists. I do believe there were a few other films announced (as well as the Reel-to-Reel programme), so I’ll try to pop some insight on those later on this evening.

On that note, I’ve also added a contributor to my blog: tylosaur. He’s a very cool guy – also named Tyler – so for those reading, please welcome him in the comment section below! And of course, your thoughts on my thoughts are loved, so spit them as well.