TIFF Picks - September 14, 2011

Generation P – Victor Ginzburg

TIFF synopsis: “After the fall of communism in Russia a young advertising executive seeks inspiration from hallucinogenic drugs and uses a ouija board to summon the spirit of Che Guevara for advice.”

Why I want to see it: A social satire akin to How to Get Ahead in Advertising that features the spirit of Che Guevara.

Screening Times

Wednesday September 14

AMC 6

8:30pm

Thursday September 15

Scotiabank Theatre 2

6:30pm

Friday September 16

Scotiabank Theatre 11

10:00am

Dark Girls – Bill Duke and D. Channsin Berry

TIFF synopsis: “In this emotional and heartfelt documentary, directors Bill Duke and D. Channsin Berry set out to examine why skin-colour bias persists among people of African descent, and how it affects the lives of women on the receiving end.”

Why I want to see it: I am always interested in documentaries that look at how a particular culture perceives themselves, as well as how they are perceived by others.

Screening Times

Wednesday September 14

Ryerson

9:15pm

Friday September 16

Scotiabank Theatre 1

6:30pm

Sunday September 18

AMC 10

4:00pm

The Student – Santiago Mitre

TIFF synopsis: “The graffitied halls, run down classrooms and surrounding streets of the University of Buenos Aires provides the ideal location for Santiago Mitre’s briskly paced debut, The Student. Mitre brilliantly exposes the backroom dealings and negotiations in the murky world of student politics, a microcosm for the world at large, in this fictional account of a young man’s discovery of his talent for politicking through his seduction of an assistant professor and activist.”

Why I want to see it: The film uses school politics as commentary for the world at large. Reminds me of Election though I know the two films are vastly different.

Screening Times

Wednesday September 14

AMC 9

9:00pm

Saturday September 17

AMC 7

10:00am

TIFF Picks - September 13, 2011

Hard Core Logo II – Bruce MacDonald

TIFF synopsis: “Bruce MacDonald’s post-modernist, wryly self-conscious Hard Core Logo II, the sequel to his celebrated punk-rock faux doc, doesn’t so much mock the notion of sequels as take a blow torch to it. Protagonist is “Bruce” (McDonald), the director in the original film. He’s been living the Hollywood life in Laurel Canyon, until his series is cancelled and the only gig offered him is a doc for Wiccan TV about a singer, Care Failure, who claims she’s been possessed by Joe Dick, the leader of the punk band Hard Core Logo and the principal in “Bruce”’s doc. The focus here is the filmmaking process, but the film also poses questions about the unavoidably invasive role of the documentary filmmaker -- and, more significantly, friendship and betrayal within the film world. ”

Why I want to see it: Bruce McDonald always makes interesting films and rarely misses the mark. I am curious to see how much of the film actually links back to the original Hard Core Logo

Screening Times

Tuesday September 13

Scotiabank Theatre 4

10:15pm

Saturday September 17

AMC 3

12:45pm

Damsels in Distress – Whit Stillman

TIFF synopsis: “Back after a thirteen-year hiatus, Whit Stillman returns with Damsels in Distress- a film that is distinctly offbeat, even manic, compared to his classic nineties comedies of manners, and yet retains his precise wit and refined dialogue. 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. ”

Why I want to see it: Finally, after thirteen-years of waiting, a new Whit Stillman film is released!

Screening Times

Tuesday September 13

Visa Screening Room (Elgin)

6:00pm

Wednesday September 14

Scotiabank Theatre 4

9:15am

Amy George – Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas.

TIFF synopsis: “A feast for the heart and mind alike, filled with tender moments of daily teenage life turned upside-down by clumsy desire and hormonal hiccups, Amy George tells the story of Jesse, the 13 year old only child of Riverdale intellectuals.”

Why I want to see it: A coming-of-age film that has faint a The Squid and the Whale vibe.

Screening Times

Tuesday September 13

AMC 9

6:00pm

Thursday September 15

AMC 2

9:15pm

Saturday September 17

AMC 10

12:30pm

TIFF Picks - September 12, 2011

Coriolanus – Ralph Fiennes

TIFF synopsis: “ As director and star, Ralph Fiennes brings William Shakespeare's visceral history play to the big screen for the first time. Coriolanus is a drama for the ages, a commentary on the precarious draw of war and an auspicious directorial debut from one of the world's great classical actors.”

Why I want to see it: If Ralph Fiennes in the director’s chair, tackling Shakespeare, was not exciting enough, the film also features the acting talents of Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Cox, Gerard Butler and Jessica Chastain.

Screening Times

Monday September 12

Visa Screening Room (Elgin)

6:00pm

Saturday September 17

Scotiabank Theatre 3

9:30am

Café de flore – Jean-Marc Vallée

TIFF synopsis: “ Jean-Marc Vallée returns to French-language filmmaking with this powerful and unconventional love story that weaves together two disparate narratives to create a tale of emotion and destiny. The stories center on a devoted mother (Vanessa Paradis) of a young boy with Down syndrome in 1969 Paris, and a successful DJ (Kevin Parent) who is going through an emotional divorce in present-day Montreal.”

Why I want to see it: Jean-Marc Vallée is currently one of Canada’s top directors. It is only a matter of time before he becomes a household name in America. If Café de flore is anything like C.R.A.Z.Y. then the film will be a treat indeed.

Screening Times

Monday September 12

Princess Of Wales

10:00pm

Wednesday September 14

TIFF Bell Lightbox 2

11:45am

Headshot – Pen-ek Ratanaruang

TIFF synopsis: “Tul, a hitman, is shot in the head during an assignment. He wakes up after a three-month coma to find that he sees everything upside down, literally. Then he meets a girl that turns his world even more upside down. Who was trying to kill him in the first place?”

Why I want to see it: Early buzz from the press screenings claim that this film is not to be missed.

Screening Times

Monday September 12

Scotiabank Theatre 2

5:30pm

Saturday September 17

TIFF Bell Lightbox 1

3:00pm

TIFF Picks - September 10, 2011

A Separation – Asghar Farhadi

TIFF synopsis: “Simin files for divorce from husband Nader when he refuses to leave the country in order to guarantee their daughter a better future, but the pair will soon join each other in course over a very different case. ”

Why I want to see it: This was high on my radar the minute the programme book was released. It seems to provide an interesting take on divorce and cultural practices. Something tells me that this film will be a big hit come award season.

Screening Times

Saturday September 10

TIFF Bell Lightbox 3

4:00pm

Sunday September 11

AMC 9

11:45am

Your Next – Adam Wingard

TIFF synopsis: “A family reunion spirals into a night of terror when mysterious assailants wearing animal masks lay siege against the clan in the new film by the director and writer of last year's Festival indie hit, A Horrible Way To Die.”

Why I want to see it: This film sounds even more disturbing than Funny Games and The Strangers combined.

Screening Times

Saturday September 10

Ryerson

11:59pm

Monday September 12

AMC 7

6:30pm

Friday September 16

TIFF Bell Lightbox 2

4:00pm

Free Men – Ismaël Ferroukhi

TIFF synopsis: “Set in German-occupied Paris in 1942, Younes, an Algerian black marketer, is arrested by the police and agrees to spy on a Parisian mosque suspected of helping resistance fighters and Jews. Witnessing the horrors of the Nazi regime, Younes stops collaborating to become a freedom fighter.”

Why I want to see it: I am always intrigued by stories where average people end up becoming freedom fighters.

Screening Times

Saturday September 10

AMC 6

10:00pm

Sunday September 11

AMC 1

10:00am

Saturday September 17

Scotiabank Theatre 11

10:00am

TIFF Picks - September 9, 2011

Think of Me – Bryan Wizemann

TIFF synopsis: “As things unravel for a struggling single mother, she must decide what she is willing to do--and to give up--in order to get by.”

Why I want to see it: The recent economic crisis is playing a large role in several of the films screening at TIFF this year. However, my fondness for Lauren Ambrose gives this film a slight edge

Screening Times

Friday September 9

AMC 6

5:15pm

Sunday September 11

AMC 7

10:45am

Saturday September 17

AMC 7

6:15pm

Summer Games – Rolando Colla

TIFF synopsis: “A beach holiday in Tuscany draws families and their children together. The youngsters soon join up into a little gang and engage in fun and games in a nearby abandoned shack. The two eldest find themselves attracted to each other despite their family problems.”

Why I want to see it: A coming-of-age tale set amongst a Tuscan backdrop. Hopefully this film will be beautiful on several levels.

Screening Times

Friday September 9

AMC 3

8:45pm

Saturday September 10

AMC 4

9:45pm

Friday September 16

TIFF Bell Lightbox 3

10:00am

Wetlands – Guy Edoin

TIFF synopsis: “After his remarkable short-film trilogy (Le Pont, Les Eaux mortes, La Battue, all shown at TIFF), Guy Edoin finally steps into "featureland" with this haunting faux coming-of-age story about personal longings and family obligations. Shot on Edoin’s family farm in Quebec’s Eastern Townships, Marécages tells the story of the teenage son of struggling farmers, who has to cope with the death of his father and resentment of his mother.”

Why I want to see it: This film stars Pascale Bussières who, in my opinion, is one of the finest Canadian actresses working today. If Bussières is in a film then you know it will be on my list.

Screening Times

Friday September 9
Isabel Bader Theatre
6:30pm

Sunday September 11

AMC 5

12:45pm

TIFF Picks - September 8, 2011

TIFF officially kicks off tonight. While I have already highlighted some of the films I will be seeing at this year’s festival, each day I will be drawing attention to some of the other films that have caught my eye via the TIFF Picks feature.

This is not a Film – Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb

TIFF synopsis: “ Iranian filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb’s startling documentary depicts a day in Panahi’s life as he appeals his conviction for “propaganda against the system” — which carries with it a jail sentence and a twenty-year ban from writing or directing.”

Why I want to see it: TIFF gives back to the public by holding two FREE SCREENINGS of This is not a Film. Free screening + TIFF = Heaven.

Free Screening Times

Thursday September 8

TIFF Bell Lightbox 2

9:45pm

Friday September 9

TIFF Bell Lightbox 3

4:45pm

Pina – Wim Wenders

TIFF synopsis: “German master filmmaker Wim Wenders shoots in 3D to capture the brilliantly inventive dance world of Pina Bausch and her company, Tanztheater Wuppertal. Excerpts from many of her most famous pieces are shot outside in the streets and parks of Wuppertal capturing the drama and power of her repertoire”

Why I want to see it: Unlike Step Up 3D, Pina is a 3D dance film that actually looks intriguing. The use of 3D is being compared to Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams, which is not a bad film to be compared to.

Screening Times

Thursday September 8

TIFF Bell Lightbox 1

6:30pm

Sunday September 18

TIFF Bell Lightbox 1

12:00pm

From Up On Poppy Hill – Goro Miyazaki

TIFF synopsis: “Following in his father's footsteps, anime director Goro Miyazaki creates a charmingly nostalgic, sometimes tragic story of young love and student protest against the period of revitalization before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.”

Why I want to see it: A Japanese anime with the name Miyazaki attached? Yep, consider me excited.

Screening Times

Thursday September 8

TIFF Bell Lightbox 1

9:30pm

Friday September 9

AMC 2

2:30pm

Saturday September 17

Scotiabank Theatre 1

3:15pm