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Matt's Wrap Of The 2011 Toronto Film Festival
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
My daily video blogs were available on my website throughout the Festival and I was posting reviews of all the films that I'd seen through my Facebook and Twitter accounts.
I thought it an opportune time to bring it all together in this week's Film Pie blog. Below, you can see all of my video blogs (day 5 is a particular favourite), a few photos and a quick review of every film I was able to see.
It was an exhausting experience (I only went to bed once before 3am) but still heaps of fun. I hope to be able to do it again sometime soon.
A few more photos are up on my Facebook group which you can view by clicking here.
You can also listen to my 45 minute show from ABC Digital which includes my inteviews with George Clooney, Seth Rogen, Geoffrey Rush, Charlotte Rampling, Alexander Payne, Fred Schepisi, Fernando Meirelles and Jonathan Levine. It can be downloaded from the 612 ABC website by clicking here.
On that note, here's my summary of the 2011 Toronto Film Festival...
Day 1 - Thursday, 8 September 2011
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It was an exciting start to the Festival for me. I flew in around 12pm, picked up my press pass and then had my first look around Toronto. You can find out more in my video blog above.
Films seen on Day 1...
Coriolanus is a great story. Ralph Fiennes (with his nose back) and Vanessa Redgrave are terrific. Sadly, the film's impact is lessened by the choice to use Shakespearean dialect in a modern day setting. Grade: B.
Restless is more greatness from Gus Van Sant. It's the story of two teenagers and their interest in death. It's a simple, heartfelt tale that Van Sant tells in a non-Hollywood manner. There are no unnecessary subplots or characters. It simply focuses on these two and their growing friendship. Grade: A-.
Day 2 - Friday, 9 September 2011
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Films seen on Day 2...
The Artist is so nearly a perfect film. Doesn't get much more original and creative. A silent film set in the 1920s about silent filmmaking and the transition to "talkies". The film gets a little too bogged down with drama in the later stages but the comedic elements more than compensate. Grade: A-.
Sarah Palin: You Betcha! is a poor documentary that offers very little fresh insight into the life of the 2008 Vice Presidential candidate. Many of the interviews were dull and the continual narration and references to himself left me thinking that director Nick Broomfield wanted to be the centre of attention (and not Palin). Grade: C.
Friends With Kids is a nice debut feature from Jennifer Westfeldt (who wrote and starred in Kissing Jessic Stein). It's a rom-com that does an admirable job in breathing new life into this familiar genre. The dialogue is intelligent, the cast is strong and the bluntness of certain characters will get plenty of laughs. Grade: B+.
360 is the latest from director Fernando Meirelles (City Of God, The Constant Gardener) and brings together a bunch of short stories to show how are lives are affected by the choices we make, both good and bad. It's a curious film but I felt a little empty at the end. Was hoping it would add up to more. Grade: B.
Day 3 - Saturday, 10 September 2011
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Films seen on Day 3...
The Hunter is a compelling Australian drama about a guy in remote Tasmania in search of a Tasmanian Tiger. Not a lot of dialogue in places but the setting is beautiful and the story keeps building towards a moving climax. This film sucked me in quickly and Willem Dafoe is great (as always) in the leading role. Grade: A-.
The Ides Of March fits in a genre I really love - political dramas. The pieces fit together a little too neatly at times but the cast is superb (especially Ryan Gosling) and the storyline will hold your attention all the way through. Grade: A-.
Moneyball once again proves the value of Brad Pitt as an actor. He's not just a pretty face and he continues to pick good roles. He plays the GM of a baseball team and tries to turn their fortunes around through unconventional means. It's a touch long and a few parts are glossed over but it still left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Grade: B+.
The Descendants is a thing of beauty. Director Alexander Payne (Sideways, Election) again proves his wizardry of mixing both comedy and drama to maximum effect. This is a touching story of a work-a-holic father who reconnects with his two daughters after their mother is badly injured in a boating accident. The best at TIFF so far. Grade: A.
Drive is a crazy action-thriller (and I say that in a good way). It starts out fairly innocuously and then takes a few unexpected turns (some of them quite violent). The soundtrack is one of the year's best and Ryan Gosling is perfect in the leading role. A shame his relationship with Carey Mulligan is underdone. Grade: A-.
Day 4 - Sunday, 11 September 2011
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Films seen on Day 4...
Take This Waltz was a funny, sweet, emotional and real experience. We've seen many films about people cheating on their spouses and whether it's the right thing but I love this level headed perspective from director Sarah Polley. Grade: A.
Dark Horse comes from the creative mind of writer-director Todd Solondz (Welcome To The Dollhouse) and is the story of a complete loser - both in his personal life and professional life. I laughed out loud a few times but I was expecting more from the story, especially the ending. Grade: B.
Eye Of The Storm has a superb cast but I found this story rather tedious. Perhaps it's because I can't relate. It's the story of a brother and sister and their attempts to reconcile with their eccentric mother in the final days of her life. Grade: C+.
Shame is a gripping, unflinching eye opener about a sex addict living in New York. The audience watched this film in stunned silence. The cinematography, editing and score are all excellent. Director Steve McQueen (Hunger) again shows he's not afraid to tackle issues which are kept from public view. Grade: A-.
The Student is an Argentinean film about a university student who gets caught up in the world of student politics. As an Australian, it was hard for me to understand their political system and terminology but I could follow it for the most part and it ends on an appropriate note. Grade: B.
Day 5 - Monday, 12 September 2011
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Films seen on Day 5...
Albert Nobbs stars Glenn Close as a woman who dressed as a man in 19th Century Ireland to conceal her sexual orientation. Directed by Rodrigo Garcia (In Treatment), this is one amazing character study. Close portrays Nobbs as a person who has completely lost her identity and social skills after having suppressed her urges for so long. Grade: A.
50/50 received the first standing ovation I've seen at TIFF and for good reason. It's about a 27 y/o guy (played by the wonderful Joseph Gordon Levitt) who battles cancer. The film left me appreciating my life and the importance of having great friends. Can't ask for much more. Grade: A.
Ten Year has about 4,000 characters and revolves around a high school reunion. It felt like I sober at a party where I didn't know a single person. Everyone looked like they were having fun but I wasn't in on it. Grade: C.
Day 6 - Tuesday, 13 September 2011
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Films seen on Day 6...
The Oranges features a large ensemble but this comedy about two families and their odd relationships felt too fake for my liking. It felt like I was watching a sitcom at times. The film deserves points for avoiding a cliched ending. Grade: B-.
Like Crazy is a nice, sweet, simple romantic drama about long distance relationships. It won the audience award at Sundance and the performance of Felicity Jones highlights her natural ability. I can't wait to see her in more roles. Grade: B+.
Sisters & Brothers is a low budget Canadian film that takes four short stories and uses them to illustrate the complex relationships that are shared between siblings. The film takes a while to warm up but the feel-good ending will resonate with audiences. Grade: B.
Day 7 - Wednesday, 14 September 2011
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Films seen on Day 7...
Damsels In Distress marks the long awaited return of director Whit Stillman (Last Days Of Disco). It's a quirky comedy revolving around a group of moronic guys and girls at a college. The writing is sharp but the strange storyline makes it hard to go along with. Grade: B.
Peace, Love & Misunderstanding isn't big on backstory but it's a warm, comforting crowd pleaser which sees a mother and her two daughters all find love in a short period of time. Jane Fonda is great as their hippy grandmother. Grade: B+.
Rampart is about an "old school" cop (Woody Harrelson) who becomes a PR nightmare for the LAPD after a series of indiscretions. It's a gritty drama from director Owen Moveman (The Messenger) but the lack of a resolution for most the characters left me empty at the end. Grade: B.
Day 8 - Thursday, 15 September 2011
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Films seen on Day 8...
Anonymous puts forward a theory that Shakespeare was never a playwright. Rather, it was another man who penned the famous works in an attempt to undermine the Queen. I didn't like this. The story jumps back and forth in time and I struggled to keep up with each character and their motives. Grade: C+.
That Summer is a sleepy French couple about two couples and their differing relationships. When I use the term "sleepy" I mean that the film almost put me to sleep. Zzzzzzzz. Grade: C.
Breathing is a German film that focuses the camera lens on a 19 y/o who is trying to get his life back on track after serving a lengthy stint in a youth detention centre. I found this honest, real and uplifting. Glad I found the time to see it. Grade: A-.
Violet & Daisy marks the directorial debut of Geoffrey Fletcher (the Oscar winning writer of Precious). It's about two teenage girls who kill people for a living. Mixing a myriad of genres, I'm not sure what to take away from it. The post film Q&A didn't help either with Fletcher very coy about his answers. Grade: C+.
Hysteria is a safe comedy set in the late 19th Century and centres on the man responsible for creating the vibrator (yes, that's right). The writers have tried a little too hard to make this a "feel good" flick but the charm of Hugh Dancy and Maggie Gyllenhaal will win the hearts of many. Grade: B.
Locking In Selections - Matt's Dream 2011 TIFF Program
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
I’ll soon be jetting off to New York and Washington DC for a quick holiday and then it’s off to the 2011 Toronto Film Festival. Can’t wait!
My media accreditation has been approved which will get me into the press/media screenings. Those times haven’t been released as yet and so if they are more suitable than what I’ve listed below, I may juggle some things around.
As I noted in an earlier blog, tickets for many of the films below are handed out via a lottery system. Hopefully I’ve given myself the best chance to get what I want with an upgraded membership. Some of the films though are special premieres and I’ll have to try to secure single tickets when released publically on September 3.
All of that said, I’ve sifted my way through the 444 page program (you can check out a photo here) and I’ve picked out my dream program.
I’ve gone with a few left field choices but for the most part, I’m sticking to the more commercial releases. I’d like to be at the forefront when trying to generate Oscar buzz for those films that deserve it.
There are hundreds of films that look great but I’ve had to limit it to 30 films over the 8 days. The list includes 17 world premieres and 11 North American premieres. Not sure how I’ll hold up in terms of stamina but if these movies are as good as they look, the adrenalin might help me get to the finish line.
In all, there are 268 feature films at the Festival. They include 112 world premieres and 98 North American premieres. That's a staggering number. 33 different screens across Toronto will be used to fit them in.
Sep 3 Update - This list has now been updated following the allocation of tickets. I missed out on a couple of films I was after and there were a few clashes but here in my locked in TIFF program for 2011…
Thursday, 8 September 2011
Restless
North American Premiere
9:00pm – Ryerson Theatre
Director: Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, Elephant)
Plot: Two young teen outsiders are drawn to each other through their fascination with death. Both have secrets from their past that explain this common bond and as their relationship deepens we come face to face with their separate tragedies.
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Friday, 9 September 2011
Friends With Kids
World Premiere
6:00pm – Ryerson Theatre
Director: Jennifer Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein)
Plot: When a few members of a close group of married and single friends start to have children, it has a big impact on everyone. Stars Kristen Wiig, Megan Fox, Jon Hamm, Maya Rudolph and Edward Burns.
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360
World Premiere
9:00pm – Visa Screening Room (Elgin Theatre)
Director: Fernando Meirelles (City Of God, The Constant Gardener)
Plot: Director Fernando Meirelles reunites with his Constant Gardener star Rachel Weisz, who stars opposite Jude Law, Anthony Hopkins, and Ben Foster in this uncompromising dramatic thriller fuelled by the notion of how sexual relationships can transgress social boundaries.
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Saturday, 10 September 2011
The Ides Of March
North American Premiere
11:00am – Visa Screening Room (Elgin Theatre)
Director: George Clooney (Good Night, And Good Luck)
Plot: George Clooney is back in the director’s chair for this edgy political drama set in the days leading up to a fictional presidential primary. Clooney also stars as a Democratic candidate who schools his idealistic campaign press secretary (Ryan Gosling) in the dubious machinations of modern politics.
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Moneyball
World Premiere
2:30pm – Visa Screening Room (Elgin Theatre)
Director: Bennett Miller (Capote)
Plot: Bennett Miller’s follow-up to 2005’s Capote stars Brad Pitt as Billy Beane, the Oakland Athletics’ general manager whose unorthodox approach to fielding a team had a major impact on the game. Jonah Hill and Phillip Seymour Hoffman co-star in this clever and compelling work of sports realism.
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The Descendants
World Premiere
6:00pm – Visa Screening Room (Elgin Theatre)
Director: Alexander Payne (Election, Sideways)
Plot: George Clooney plays the leader of a storied Hawaiian family as they are forced to decide what to do with their last, vast parcel of land. At the same time he learns a secret about his critically ill wife.
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Drive
Canadian Premiere
9:15pm – Ryerson Theatre
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn (Valhalla Rising)
Plot: Ryan Gosling plays a stunt driver by day, getaway driver by night in this lean and mean crime thriller by the director of Valhalla Rising that won Best Direction in Cannes.
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Sunday, 11 September 2011
Take This Waltz
World Premiere
12:00pm – Ryerson Theatre
Director: Sarah Polley (Away We Go)
Plot: Sarah Polley makes a welcome return to directing with her first feature since 2006 Festival favourite Away from Her. Luke Kirby, Seth Rogen, Sarah Silverman and two-time Oscar-nominee Michelle Williams star in this bittersweet story about a married woman struggling to choose between her husband and a man she's just met.
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Dark Horse
North American Premiere
2:30pm – Visa Screening Room (Elgin Theatre)
Director: Todd Solondz (Happiness, Storytelling)
Plot: Todd Solondz creates an intimate dark comedy about a manchild whose desire for a romantic relationship runs smack into reality.
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Shame
North American Premiere
7:00pm – Princess Of Wales Theatre
Director: Steve McQueen (Hunger)
Plot: Michael Fassbender plays a New York man confronting his sexual compulsions and the self-destructive acts of his sister (Carey Mulligan).
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The Skin I Live In
North American Premiere
10:00pm – Princess Of Wales Theatre
Director: Pedro Almodovar (All About My Mother, Talk To Her)
Plot: Pedro Almodovar's disturbing and gripping new thriller sees the director reteaming with star Antonio Banderas after 21 years. Banderas plays an accomplished plastic surgeon who creates a new kind of synthetic skin and uses his worst enemy as a guinea pig.
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Monday, 12 September 2011
Albert Nobbs
World Premiere
12:30pm – Winter Garden Theatre
Director: Rodrigo Garcia (Six Feet Under, In Treatment)
Plot: Glenn Close co-wrote and stars in this adaptation of the play about a nineteenth-century Irishwoman who disguises herself as a man and works as a butler for twenty years. Mia Wasikowska, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Aaron Johnson co-star in this intelligent and often surprising period drama.
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50/50
World Premiere
6:00pm – Ryerson Theatre
Director: Jonathan Lavine (The Wackness)
Plot: As far as movie formulas go, cancer and comedy shouldn't mix. But 50/50 defies these odds by finding the perfect balance of humour and honesty. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as a 27-year old nice guy who's been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Luckily, he doesn't have to face this dark journey alone: by his side are his best friend (Seth Rogen), his doctor (Philip Baker Hall) and a therapist-in-training (Anna Kendrick).
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Ten Year
World Premiere
9:00pm – Ryerson Theatre
Director: Jamie Linden
Plot: A group of high school friends meet again at their high school reunion and discover that the passing of time changes some things--and others not at all. It stars a large ensemble cast that includes Channing Tatum, Rosario Dawson, Justin Long, Kate Mara, Anthony Mackie and Chris Pratt.
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The Incident
World Premiere
11:59pm – Ryerson Theatre
Director: Alexandre Courtes
Plot: When a power outage hits a high security mental institution, three cooks working in the kitchen endure a cat and mouse chase with the maniacs on the loose.
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Tuesday, 13 September 2011
The Oranges
World Premiere
12:00pm – Ryerson Theatre
Director: Julian Farino
Plot: A guy falls for the daughter of a good friend, resulting in a massive upheaval for all the families involved. The cast includes Hugh Laurie, Catherine Keener, Oliver Platt, Allison Janney and Adam Brody.
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Killer Joe
North American Premiere
3:00pm – Ryerson Theatre
Director: William Friedkin (Rules Of Engagement, The Exorcist)
Plot: Emile Hirsch plays a desperate Texas debtor who plots to kill his mother, with help of his family (Thomas Haden Church, Gina Gershon). They hire a crooked cop (Matthew McConaughey) to do the job, but Killer Joe asks for their teenage daughter (Juno Temple) as a "retainer."
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Like Crazy
International Premiere
6:00pm – Ryerson Theatre
Director: Drake Doremus
Plot: Anna (Felicity Jones) notices Jacob (Anton Yelchin) in one of her college classes in Los Angeles. In a move worthy only of her youth, she scribbles a love poem and leaves it on his car. The pair soon catapults into that most potent brand of romance: naïve, pure and possibly fleeting.
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Sisters & Brothers
World Premiere
8:30pm – AMC 6
Director: Carl Bessai
Plot: Carl Bessai’s third installment in his familial trilogy is a bracingly funny look into the lives of four sets of siblings. Brimming with affection, hostility and a healthy dose of guilt, it is a rich and gratifying journey through siblinghood's love and dysfunction and features an impressive ensemble cast that includes Cory Monteith from Glee.
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Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Damsels In Distress
North American Premiere
9:15am – Scotiabank 4
Director: Whit Stillman (The Last Days Of Disco)
Plot: Damsels in Distress takes a unique look into the psyche of privileged American youth, focusing on a group of undergraduates at a leafy East Coast university that has only recently begun to accept female students.
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Peace, Love & Misunderstanding
World Premiere
11:00am – Visa Screening Room (Elgin Theatre)
Director: Bruce Beresford (Mao’s Last Dancer, Driving Miss Daisy)
Plot: Australian film veteran Bruce Beresford delivers a heartfelt comedy that centres on a conservative lawyer (Catherine Keener) who, after splitting with her husband, takes her two teenage children to meet their estranged, eccentric grandmother (Jane Fonda).
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Butter
World Premiere
2:30pm – Visa Screening Room (Elgin Theatre)
Director: Jim Field Smith (She’s Out Of My League)
Plot: Olivia Wilde and Hugh Jackman star in this deliciously unlikely comedy about a Midwestern misfit thrown into the hostile, high-stakes world of competitive butter carving. Also starring Jennifer Garner, Ashley Greene, Alicia Silverstone and cult-comedy favourites Rob Corddry and Kristen Schaal.
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Heleno
World Premiere
6:00pm – Scotiabank 1
Director: Jose Henrique Fonseca
Plot: Rio in the forties was an oasis in a world fraught by war. Its star was Heleno de Freitas, (a stand-out performance by Rodrigo Santoro), a footballer, whose violent temper both on and off the pitch led to his decline in the late fifties. Shot in luminous black and white, José Henrique Fonseca’s latest feature film evokes Heleno’s glory days when he was king of Rio’s night and day, to his lonely end in a sanatorium due to untreated syphilis.
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Jeff, Who Lives At Home
World Premiere
9:00pm – Visa Screening Room (Elgin Theatre)
Director: Jay Duplass and Jeff Duplass
Plot: When he leaves his house on a banal errand for his mother, Jeff discovers that the universe might be sending him messages about his destiny. Stars Jason Segel, Ed Helms, Judy Greer and Susan Sarandon.
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Thursday, 15 September 2011
That Summer
North American Premiere
12:00pm – TIFF Bell Lightbox 1
Director: Philippe Garrell
Plot: A couple living together in Paris, he a painter, she a film actress, befriend a couple of film extras who fall in love with each other. All four go to Rome where their relationships undergo profound changes as emotions shift and change.
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Breathing
North American Premiere
2:45pm – AMC 3
Director: Karl Markovics
Plot: An 18-year old boy incarcerated for accidentally killing a minor consistently fails to hold down a job through the day-release program as if he never really wants to get out.
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Violet & Daisy
World Premiere
6:00pm – Visa Screening Room (Elgin Theatre)
Director: Geoffrey Fletcher
Plot: Oscar-winning screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher's visually adventurous directorial debut is a brutal fable about a pair of teenage assassins, played by Saoirse Ronan and Alexis Bledel, who believe they've landed a straightforward assignment but soon find themselves thrown off their game when their latest target isn't who they expected.
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Hysteria
World Premiere
9:30pm – Roy Thomson Hall
Director: Tanya Wexler
Plot: Maggie Gyllenhaal and Hugh Dancy star in this cheeky romantic comedy about the invention of the vibrator. Victorian London is brought to life in vivid colour as a young doctor (Dancy) struggles to establish himself while confronting the gutsy daughter of his boss (Gyllenhaal). Rupert Everett and Felicity Jones play supporting roles.
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Getting Ready For TIFF - Sifting Through The Program!
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
The time has almost come. After months of planning, I jet off to the United States and Canada in 2 weeks time. I’ll run through my full itinerary in more detail soon but in this week’s blog, I thought I’d talk about some of the amazing film that will be featured at the Toronto Film Festival.
I wrote about a month ago about the ticketing process in Toronto and you can check it out here. The great news is that I’ve been selected for the online ticket courier service which means I can submit my movie preferences online as opposed to couriering them to the ticket office (which was always going to be tough time-wise from here in Australia). At this point, I’m still waiting to hear word about my media accreditation. Keeping the fingers crossed.
The full program with times will be released on August 23 but many of the galas and special presentations have been announced. Having sifted through many of the films, I’ve come up with a quick list of just some of the films I’m hoping to see. I have to admit that I’m pretty damn excited. Hopefully I’ll be able to secure tickets to many of these.
In a pitiful effort to make you jealous, here’s a look at what the 2011 Toronto Film Festival will have to offer…
The top 10 films on my early list…
The Ides Of March
Director: George Clooney (Good Night, And Good Luck)
Plot: George Clooney is back in the director’s chair for this edgy political drama set in the days leading up to a fictional presidential primary. Clooney also stars as a Democratic candidate who schools his idealistic campaign press secretary (Ryan Gosling) in the dubious machinations of modern politics.
The Descendants
Director: Alexander Payne (Election, Sideways)
Plot: George Clooney plays the leader of a storied Hawaiian family as they are forced to decide what to do with their last, vast parcel of land. At the same time he learns a secret about his critically ill wife.
A Dangerous Method
Director: David Cronenberg (A History Of Violence, eXistenZ, Crash)
Plot: For his third consecutive collaboration with Viggo Mortensen, David Cronenberg adapts Christopher Hampton's 2002 stage play concerning the turbulent relationship between Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and his mentor Sigmund Freud (Mortensen) as they struggle to treat a troubled patient (Keira Knightley).
Moneyball
Director: Bennett Miller (Capote)
Plot: Bennett Miller’s follow-up to 2005’s Capote stars Brad Pitt as Billy Beane, the Oakland Athletics’ general manager whose unorthodox approach to fielding a team had a major impact on the game. Jonah Hill and Phillip Seymour Hoffman co-star in this clever and compelling work of sports realism.
50/50
Director: Jonathan Lavine (The Wackness)
Plot: As far as movie formulas go, cancer and comedy shouldn't mix. But 50/50 defies these odds by finding the perfect balance of humour and honesty. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as a 27-year old nice guy who's been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Luckily, he doesn't have to face this dark journey alone: by his side are his best friend (Seth Rogen), his doctor (Philip Baker Hall) and a therapist-in-training (Anna Kendrick).
360
Director: Fernando Meirelles (City Of God, The Constant Gardener)
Plot: Director Fernando Meirelles reunites with his Constant Gardener star Rachel Weisz, who stars opposite Jude Law, Anthony Hopkins, and Ben Foster in this uncompromising dramatic thriller fuelled by the notion of how sexual relationships can transgress social boundaries.
We Need To Talk About Kevin
Director: Lynne Ramsay (Morvern Callar)
Plot: Based on the best-selling novel, Tilda Swinton gives a strong performance as a mother who always knew her son was different, angry and perhaps evil.
Albert Nobbs
Director: Rodrigo Garcia (Six Feet Under, In Treatment)
Plot: Glenn Close co-wrote and stars in this adaptation of the play about a nineteenth-century Irishwoman who disguises herself as a man and works as a butler for twenty years. Mia Wasikowska, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Aaron Johnson co-star in this intelligent and often surprising period drama.
Shame
Director: Steve McQueen (Hunger)
Plot: Michael Fassbender plays a New York man confronting his sexual compulsions and the self-destructive acts of his sister (Carey Mulligan).
Like Crazy
Director: Drake Doremus
Plot: Anna (Felicity Jones) notices Jacob (Anton Yelchin) in one of her college classes in Los Angeles. In a move worthy only of her youth, she scribbles a love poem and leaves it on his car. The pair soon catapults into that most potent brand of romance: naïve, pure and possibly fleeting.
A whole bunch of others I’m keen to see…
Butter
Director: Jim Field Smith (She’s Out Of My League)
Plot: Olivia Wilde and Hugh Jackman star in this deliciously unlikely comedy about a Midwestern misfit thrown into the hostile, high-stakes world of competitive butter carving. Also starring Jennifer Garner, Ashley Greene, Alicia Silverstone and cult-comedy favourites Rob Corddry and Kristen Schaal.
Coriolanus
Director: Fernando Meirelles (City Of God, The Constant Gardener)
Plot: Director Fernando Meirelles reunites with his Constant Gardener star Rachel Weisz, who stars opposite Jude Law, Anthony Hopkins, and Ben Foster in this uncompromising dramatic thriller fuelled by the notion of how sexual relationships can transgress social boundaries.
Dark Horse
Director: Todd Solondz (Happiness, Storytelling)
Plot: Todd Solondz creates an intimate dark comedy about a manchild whose desire for a romantic relationship runs smack into reality.
Drive
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn (Valhalla Rising)
Plot: Ryan Gosling plays a stunt driver by day, getaway driver by night in this lean and mean crime thriller by the director of Valhalla Rising that won Best Direction in Cannes.
Friends With Kids
Director: Jennifer Westfeldt
Plot: When a few members of a close group of married and single friends start to have children, it has a big impact on everyone. Stars Kristen Wiig, Megan Fox, Jon Hamm, Maya Rudolph and Edward Burns.
Hick
Director: Derick Martini
Plot: A Nebraska teen gets much more than she bargained for when she sets out for the bright lights of the big city. Stars Blake Lively, Chloe Moretz, Alec Baldwin, Juliette Lewis, Eddie Redmayne and Rory Culkin.
Killer Joe
Director: William Friedkin (Rules Of Engagement, The Exorcist)
Plot: Emile Hirsch plays a desperate Texas debtor who plots to kill his mother, with help of his family (Thomas Haden Church, Gina Gershon). They hire a crooked cop (Matthew McConaughey) to do the job, but Killer Joe asks for their teenage daughter (Juno Temple) as a "retainer."
Machine Gun Preacher
Director: Marc Foster (Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland)
Plot: The true story of Sam Childers, an American drug dealing biker who turned his life around and became a crusader for hundreds of Sudanese child soldiers. Gerard Butler (300) delivers a searing performance as Childers in Golden Globe®-nominated director Marc Forster's moving story of violence and redemption.
Peace, Love & Misunderstanding
Director: Bruce Beresford (Mao’s Last Dancer, Paradise Road, Driving Miss Daisy)
Plot: Australian film veteran Bruce Beresford delivers a heartfelt comedy that centres on a conservative lawyer (Catherine Keener) who, after splitting with her husband, takes her two teenage children to meet their estranged, eccentric grandmother (Jane Fonda).
The Skin I Live In
Director: Pedro Almodovar (Talk To Her, All About My Mother)
Plot: Pedro Almodóvar’s disturbing and gripping new thriller sees the director reteaming with star Antonio Banderas after 21 years. Banderas plays an accomplished plastic surgeon who creates a new kind of synthetic skin and uses his worst enemy as a guinea pig.
Take Shelter
Director: Jeff Nichols
Plot: Overwhelmed by visions of an impending apocalypse, a young father and husband (Michael Shannon) channels his anxieties into obsessively constructing a storm shelter in the family’s backyard. As he does this, the entire community begins to lash out against his erratic behaviour.
Take This Waltz
Director: Sarah Polley (Away We Go)
Plot: Sarah Polley makes a welcome return to directing with her first feature since 2006 Festival favourite Away from Her. Luke Kirby, Seth Rogen, Sarah Silverman and two-time Oscar®-nominee Michelle Williams star in this bittersweet story about a married woman struggling to choose between her husband and a man she's just met.
Ten Year
Director: Jamie Linden
Plot: A group of high school friends meet again at their high school reunion and discover that the passing of time changes some things--and others not at all. It stars a large ensemble cast that includes Channing Tatum, Rosario Dawson, Justin Long, Kate Mara, Anthony Mackie and Chris Pratt.
Twixt
Director: Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather, The Rainmaker)
Plot: Inspired by the gothic horror of Edgar Allen Poe, Coppola's latest tells the tale of a burnt-out mystery writer (Val Kilmer) who gets mixed up in murder and evil in a California town.
An Interview With Asif Kapadia, Director Of Senna
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
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Senna is one of the finest documentaries that I’ve ever seen and it’s guaranteed to appear on my top 10 list for 2011. It’s also the first A-grade film that I’ve seen in over 2 months. I’ll be very surprised if it doesn’t earn an Oscar nomination for best documentary next year.
When offered the chance to speak with director Asif Kapadia, I jumped at the opportunity! Asif is a 39-year-old filmmaker from London. His previous credits include The Warrior, The Return and Far North. The process behind the film is incredibly interesting so here’s how Asif went about it. You can listen to an extract of the interview and my review on 612ABC Brisbane in my special podcasts section by clicking here.
Matt: Two of my best friends went to see this film in London a few weeks ago and they both said it reduced them to tears. As soon as they said that, I knew I had to see it. Have you been getting similar reactions when showing the film yourself?
Asif: Yes. We’ve had an amazing reaction. Across the board we’ve been really lucky. People who are big fans of formula one and Ayrton Senna really love the film because it reminds them of their hero and shows him at his prime.
On the other end of the spectrum, people who have no interest in sport, have never seen a formula one race and have never heard of Ayrton Senna have really responded well to the film. There are moments when they laugh a lot and there are definitely moments towards the end of the film where they get very emotional.
Matt: So where do you fit on that scale? Did you know a lot about Senna before you got involved with this documentary?
Asif: I’m a sport fan. I was aware obviously of formula one and I remember the Senna and Prost rivalry. I remember that period of time and watching Imola live. It’s very clear in my memory about exactly where I was when it all happened.
That said, I would never consider myself an authority on formula one. I have never read lots of books on Senna or read articles and blogs on the internet. I knew enough to know he was a great driver but I didn’t know much about the “man” and that really came out through the process of making the film.
The more I learned about the man, the more interesting I thought he was and I realised it could be a really good movie. He is an amazing character. He is so charismatic, he stands up for what he believes in, his ideals are good ideals and you can’t help but like him. The ending therefore becomes much more powerful and emotional.
Matt: You mentioned that you learned a lot about Senna during the process but some of the other key players such as Alain Prost – we learn a lot about him too during the movie. Did you find your opinion of some of these people changed?
Asif: I remember from 20 years ago and I knew who Alain Prost was but I didn’t really have an opinion because I wasn’t that involved with the sport. For me, it became a process of working with the writer, producer and editor to try to tell the story and just show what happened at that particular moment in time.
By using real footage, we’re using what they really said at that moment and how they felt rather than telling the story in hindsight and having interviews from now. People change their opinion and the story changes over time so that was a key thing for me to just show what happened. As much as possible, we tried to cut down and edit this huge amount of footage and fit it into 100 minutes.
Matt: How much footage are we talking about? I believe there was a treasure trove of stuff within the F1 archives that isn’t accessible to the public. How did you get all that?
Asif: The producers (James Gay-Rees and Manish Pandey) initially approached Working Title who are one of the biggest production companies in Europe to finance the film. They then contacted the Senna family and we found out that many people in the past had tried to make formula one films, particularly about Ayrton Senna.
For one reason or another (thank god I would say), they never worked out. Generally, these people wanted to turn the story into a drama and get actors to play Senna and recreate the scenes. I think that becomes very expensive and the scripts very rarely work. When you try to dramatise sport, it often feels fake.
Once we had the family on board, they approached Bernie Ecclestone who owns the commercial rights to formula one. He pretty much owns all of the material during the timeframe of our story. Anything within the confines of the track on a race weekend or on a practice weekend, he owns. We had to deal with Bernie.
Initially, we made a deal to have access to 40 minutes of archive. There was so much amazing material. We were the first people ever to go into Bernie’s archives and that’s worth mentioning. The first cut we put together was about 7 hours long! The next cut was then 5 hours long which we showed in a cinema to a small number of people. From 5, we went down to 3, down to 2 and eventually we had to make many tough calls to bring it in under 100 minutes.
A lot of us had to lose favourite scenes but I think it’s important to make a film that is the right length. That’s why it works for people that are not hardcore fans. If it’s too long, it becomes a bit too much of a formula one racing fan’s movie.
Matt: One of the strongest parts of the film for me was the way it highlighted the rivalry between Senna and Prost. I know they didn’t like each other at times but it seemed this hatred helped fuel their passion and determination. I’m curious to know if Alain Prost was involved with this film, if he’s seen it and if he has any thoughts about it?
Asif: It was a pretty tough rivalry, a very bitter rivalry. It was one of those great sporting rivalries like Ali-Fraser or Borg-McEnroe because these two guys were brilliant at what they did and were both at the top of their game at a particular moment in time in the sport. Further, they were actually team mates for two years. The biggest rivalry in formula one is your team mate. You’ve got to beat the guy in the same car as you.
There was just something special about the two of them. They were very different characters and had very different styles of driving. It just happened to be a really amazing time.
We spoke to everyone. We met with Alain and we interviewed him for about 4 hours in his apartment in Paris. We made it quite clear at the beginning that we were making a film called Senna but it was still important that we talked to him. We had a really good conversation.
The problem in the film is that we don’t have enough time to always offer opposing points of view. When in doubt, we’re going to go with Senna’s actual opinion of what he felt was going on at that point in time. In the DVD version, we have more time to play with and Prost gets more of a chance to get across his opinion.
Matt: I look forward to seeing the additional footage! Senna comes off looking fairly well but there are others like Jean-Marie Balestre who don’t look quite so good. When you’re thinking about the footage to include do you think about those things? Do you not want to portray someone too well or too poorly?
Asif: That was Balestre. Anyone who was there says “yeah, that is a fair representation of what was going on.” He really was a character. If you had made him up then no one would have believed you. If you did dramatise it, people would say “you’re overdoing it, bring it down a tad” but that’s what’s so amazing.
I didn’t know that Jean-Marie Balestre even existed when I started making the film. He just came from scenes in driver’s meetings and seeing him and Senna argue time and time again. Some of the lines he comes out with are fantastic! Again, we were just trying to show what was going on. There was more that we could have put in and it was always a question of time.
When it came down to it, he was the guy who ran the sport. A lot of the decisions he made, particularly in 1989, were favouring his fellow Frenchman, Alain Prost and therefore they were working against Senna. I think that fact is important to show.
A lot of people didn’t understand the motivation of Senna in 1990 to get his revenge by crashing into Prost. Once you show what happened to him in 1989 and once you understand what was going on behind the scenes, you realise why Senna was so wound up and why he felt “this time I’m going to do it my way.”
Matt: I noticed like unlike many other documentaries, there is no narration track. We just watch the footage and hear interviews with some of the key players. What was your reasoning behind that?
Asif: I come from a drama background and this is my first feature documentary. My initial instinct was to never go off and shoot a “talking head” interview and to have a narrator. I felt I had to make a film that felt natural to me and my way is to show the images and tell the story through the pictures.
It wasn’t until we started looking at the material that we realised how amazing the images were and the fact that we could cut it like a drama. There were times when Senna was talking to someone and we’d have a reverse angle to show he was talking to. I can show a “two shot” and I then cut to a “helicopter shot” and when he goes to work I’ve got a camera right next to him.
My job as the director is to find the best way to tell the story. In this particular case, the best way to tell the story was to just show the footage. It’s so much more dramatic, exciting and thrilling than anything I could shoot now.
An interview of a guy with a bookcase and plant in the background where he says “oh that Senna, he was great” – we didn’t need any of that! We just show him. That was the reason and it was very much a conscious decision. We did interviews but we chose not to show them. You just hear their voices over the top of the footage.
Matt: The film has received ringing endorsements. It won the audience award at Sundance for documentaries. I saw on Rotten Tomatoes that it has 27 positive reviews from 27 critics. On a personal level, it must be really satisfying to receive this acclaim for a film you’ve put together?
Asif: It’s been great. It was a bit of a gamble because I was moving from dramas to a documentary. A lot of people do documentaries and then go on and do drama.
A lot of my friends wrote to me and said “why the hell would you want to make a film about a racing driver? We didn’t realise you were that obsessed with racing?” I’m not actually but I just think there’s something interesting here.
They’d ask “well, who’s playing Senna?” and I’d say it was a documentary. They’d ask “who is the narrator?” and I’d say nobody. They’d ask “who have you interviewed?” and I’d say nobody. Suddenly you start doubting yourself and you wonder if you’re doing it the right way. Every time I looked at the film I realised it was the only way to do it.
I’m really proud of the film as are all of the team who helped make it. Hearing the positive comments gives you a bit of strength and makes you feel like you made the right decisions along the way.
Matt: I should ask as a final question that if you’ve gone from drama to documentaries, what’s next? Have you got a rom-com in the works?
Asif: Hahaha. Yeah, a big sci-fi film. In all honesty, I don’t know. Part of the fun of being a director is to try different things out. I wouldn’t say no and at one point I probably will do a rom-com if I can find the right script. Right now, I’m happy to juggle the two genres.
Dramas take a long time to put together so it’s always nice to be doing something where you have a smaller unit and a smaller budget. Also, I love sport so if I can continue my two loves of sport and cinema together, that would keep me happy.
Matt: Asif, thank you for talking with us this morning. The film is brilliant and it’s one of the best films I’ve seen this year.
Asif: Thank you. Thanks for your support!
My review of Senna can be viewed by clicking here.