Countdown to TIFF: 2002 in Review

TIFF 2002

2002 was the year that I started to infect my friends with the film festival bug. I was able to share my knowledge in regards to the selection process, theatre locations, type of food and drink to have, etc. While 2001 had it far share of great films, 2002 completely blew it out of the water. The amount of exceptional films was simply staggering. On a personal note, this was also the year when the term “The Whale Riders” officially became a part of the festival lexicon between my friend and I.

While skimming through the program book to make our selections, my friend and I came across a film entitled Whale Rider. The picture in the book was of a young girl on a whale, and the description of the plot did not really peak our interest by any means. Instead we opted for a quirky Canadian film, Le Marais (The Marsh), which was playing at the same time. Even as we watched the director and cast of Whale Rider stroll into the Cumberland, while we stood in line for Le Marais, we were confident that we had made the right choice. It was only after sitting through that “weird goat-boy movie” that we realized we had made a grave mistake. Whale Rider not only turned out to be a phenomenal film but it was also the toast of the festival that year winning the People’s Choice Award for favourite film. We will always regret that decision hence the birth of “The Whale Riders.”

Total Number of Films Watched: 28

My Top 5:

Sweet Sixteen
Punch-Drunk Love
Spirited Away
Better Luck Tomorrow
Bowling for Columbine

Honourable Mention: Talk to Her, Secretary, In America, Dirty Pretty Things, Rabbit-Proof Fence, Blue Car, Phone Booth, The Magdalene Sisters, Laurel Canyon, Sex is Comedy

The Disappointments: Ginostra, Le Marais (The Marsh), Tycoon, Le Neg, Tuck Everlasting

The Whale Riders (aka. I regret passing on these films): Whale Rider, City of God, Far From Heaven, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Frida, Real Women Have Curves, Personal Velocity, Irreversible, Gerry, 8 Mile.

Memorable Moment: It is a tie between seeing P.T. Anderson and Adam Sandler at the Punch-Drunk Love screening and taking in my very first Midnight Madness Screening. When Adam Sandler arrived at the Uptown theatre it was absolute chaos. The media and fans were all trying to get photos of Sandler and ask him questions. The festival volunteers had to form two human chains in order to get the ticket holders into the theatre safely. Fortunately I was at the front of the line so I did not have to endure the madness for too long. Plus I was able to snag front row seats inside the theatre. After seeing Punch-Drunk Love the night before, I had five films lined up for the final day of the festival. It was a long day but I ended it off with a Midnight Madness screening of, a then unknown director, Eli Roth’s film Cabin Fever. I had heard stories about the Midnight Madness screenings before but nothing prepared me for the sheer fun that the experience brought. Cabin Fever may not be a great film, but I definitely had a lot of fun watching it with the Midnight Madness crowd.

Random Star Sightings: P.T. Anderson, Adam Sandler, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Duvall, Hayao Miyazaki, Roger Ebert, Joel Schumacher, Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Spader, Michael Moore, Sergi López, Niki Caro, Kesha Castle-Hughes, Peter Mullan, Lisa Cholodenko, Alessandro Nivola, Samatha Morton, Cliff Curtis, John Cho, Sung Kang, Justin Lin, Catherine Breillat, Chloë Sevigny, Vincent Gallo, David Strathairn, Agnes Bruckner, Philip Noyce

Is Sidney The Wiz At Afternoon Dog Running?

Is it blasphemous that I consider Sidney Lumet merely a good director opposed to a great one? This question has crossed my mind recently as this week marks a retrospective on Lumet career as part of The LAMB's wonderful series, LAMBs in the Director’s Chair. Before you run out and grab your pitchforks and axes, let me preface this by stating that a lot of my views toward Lumet stem from the fact that I have experienced more of his later works rather than his “classics”.

My earliest encounter with Sidney Lumet’s films was The Wiz when I was younger. I remember watching it one summer on television with a few family members. It was a big event that evening mainly because the all black cast featured both Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. Fast forward to present day and The Wiz still holds a special spot in my heart. It is not a great film by any means; in fact the unevenness of the film is more glaring now with than it when I first watched it over twenty years ago. I even had a tough time explaining my fondness for the film to my wife last week when we happened upon it on television. It is hard to point out the film’s strengths when giant trash bins, with oversized teeth, are gumming Michael Jackson’s arms on screen…believe me I have tried.

Many will cite Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon as examples of Lumet’s exceptional works and I would not disagree. I would even throw Running on Empty into the list as well. Those would be my top three selections, based on what I have see, of Lumet’s canon of work. All three films were stellar examinations of characters struggling with issues of loyalty. Whether it was the cop being true to his code of ethics in the face of corruption; the misguided criminal doing whatever he can to help the one he loves; or simply the young man who loves his family but must wants to be his own man; each one of those pictures left an undeniable mark on the world of film.

Loyalty is a theme that is constantly in all of Lumet’s films, although more often than not, it is never quiet executed as well as in the three films mentioned above. Just look at some of the films that people conveniently overlook when reminiscing about Lumet. Films like Guilty as Sin, which tried hard to be a sexy thriller but ended up being a sloppy mess. Don Johnson’s overacting matched with Rebecca De Mornay’s poorly written attorney was a recipe for disaster from the start. Halfway through the film you really could care less about De Mornay’s conflict of wanting to prove Johnson’s guilt while still having to represent him as her client. Or how about the generational comedy, and I use the term “comedy” loosely, Family Business. While some may have enjoyed seeing Dustin Hoffman, Sean Connery, and Matthew Broderick stumble around like buffoons, I could not help but think that the actors had signed up for the film script unseen. Let us also not forget the gangster’s girl with a heart of gold story, Gloria, in which Sharon Stone attempts to show off her softer side. One of the most shocking things about Gloria was that the formulaic story came from a John Cassavetes script.

Even decent films such as Night Falls on Manhattan, Q&A, Strip Search, and A Stranger Among Us fail to muster up anything more than a “well it was not a bad way to kill two hours” type of response. If I had to pick the one that stood out the most it would probably be the made for television feature Strip Search as I really loved the segment between Ken Leung, a vastly underrated actor, and Maggie Gyllenhaal. I like how the tension builds in the scene and the resolution is as equally unsettling as the interrogation.

Again I am not saying Sidney Lumet is a bad director, I just do not see him in the same light that many others do. Besides a handful of exceptional films the majority of Lumet’s body of work, based on what I have seen, is good but not necessarily great.

Crazy As It Seems, My Heart Was Not Into It

Crazy Heart

There is nothing worse than being indifferent to a film. Regardless of whether you love or hate a particular picture, the fact that it elicits a passionate response out of you is still better than nothing at all. It has been a long time since I really had that blasé feeling, and I was surprised it took Crazy Heart, a film that received high critical praise, to reawaken that mundane feeling.

After being upstaged by his former partner, Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell), former country star Otis “Bad” Blake (Jeff Bridges) is reduced to playing local bars and bowling alleys. Addicted to the bottle Blake can no longer find the ability to write new songs. While performing a show in Santa Fe, Bad Blake meets and falls for a local reporter, Jane (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Through Jane, and her four-year old son, Bad Blake experiences apart of life that he has neglected for so long. Yet can Bad Blake truly make a new life with Jane? Or will the temptations of alcohol be too great?

The funny thing about Crazy Heart is that it seems to go out of its way to defuse any form of actual tension. For example, the first act of the film alludes to the bitter relationship between Bad Blake and Tommy Sweet. Clearly something really terrible must have happened to sour their relationship. Yet when Tommy Sweet finally dares to show his face it becomes apparent that the whole issue is nothing more than a minor squabble. Tommy pretty much attempts to make amends within the first five minutes of being around Blake. There is never that moment where you question Tommy’s motives or loyalties. You never wonder if Bad Blake will ever be able to work with Tommy again. The tension is defused faster than you can blink.

Come to think of it, Crazy Heart is nothing more than a bunch of little moments that always find a way of being wrapped up with a neat little bow. If you eliminate the Tommy Sweet subplot, then all that is left is the Bad Blake’s alcoholism; and how it affects his relationship with Jane. Unfortunately, neither of these subplots can even muster up a faint spark. The whole deadbeat dad arc has been done better in numerous other films. Plus his plight with alcoholism comes off a little too Hallmark movie of the month for my liking. The defining moment that finally sends Bad Blake to rehab is, in my opinion, more a statement about Jane’s parenting than it is about Blake’s addiction to the bottle. I am not making excuses for his actions, I merely saw the moment coming early on based on how the role of Jane is written.

The character of Jane is nothing more than a quick device to get Bad’s character from point A to B. As much I love Maggie Gyllenhaal as an actress, I could not help but wonder why she was cast in this film. Jane is such a poorly constructed character that the role did not fit Gyllenhaal’s style at all. There were moments when I wondered if she was merely channelling her old Sherrybaby character. When Jane is not being forgotten for large chunks of the film, she randomly falls into long stretches where she acts like a naive school girl. It is hard to believe that she is even a journalist at times.

Crazy Heart is not a great film, nor is it a bad film, it is just there. The only thing that keeps Crazy Heart afloat is Jeff Bridge’s performance. Was it Oscar worthy? That is a tough call. He does carry the entire film on his back and is quite good. Yet I can think of at least three other performances from last year that left more of a lasting impression than this.