This Movie Is Broken So Who’s Going to Fix It?

This Movie Is Broken

If you are a film lover who grew up in Canada then the name Bruce McDonald is as iconic as the names David Cronenberg, Guy Maddin, Allen King and Atom Egoyan. McDonald’s films, such as Hard Core Logo and Pontypool, have garnered worldwide attention and changed how others view Canadian cinema. If you happened to grow up in Toronto, like myself, and listened to a wide range of music then you would know of the band Broken Social Scene. As far as music goes, Broken Social Scene is to the Toronto music scene as the Maple Leafs are to the world of hockey…you cannot think of one without the other. So the idea of Bruce McDonald making a concert film around Broken Social Scene is music to my ears.

Set during the Toronto garbage strike of 2009, This Movie Is Broken is both a concert film and love story. Bruno (Greg Calderone) has had a crush on Caroline (Georgina Reilly) for 15 years. Caroline and Bruno only have two days to spend together before she returns to Paris. Bruno is hoping to turn their friendship into something more, while Caroline just wants to have fun. On her last night in Toronto, Caroline wants to see her favourite band, Broken Social Scene, who are performing a free outdoor concert. Bruno, with the help of his friend Blake (Kerr Hewitt), is determined to get Caroline backstage passes to the show. Bruno see this night as his last chance to win Caroline’s heart for good.

This Movie Is Broken follows a similar form to Michael Winterbottom’s 9 Songs, the major difference being the lack sexual intensity. McDonald continuously alternates between the couple’s moments together and footage of Broken Social Scene performing on stage. While 9 Songs is the most obvious comparison, there are also scenes that remind me of the film Chasing Amy as well. Greg Calderone not only sounds like Ben Affleck did in Amy, but the scene in which he finally professes his love for Caroline is very similar.

Regardless of the similarities, This Movie Is Broken still manages to find its own voice. Bruce McDonald finds a way to capture Toronto’s urban beauty even when a garbage strike is on and the city is at its worst. McDonald also does a good job of providing a sense of what a Broken Social Scene concert is like in Toronto, in fact, it brought back fond memories of when I saw the band perform at same venue a few years earlier. I also liked the song selection that McDonald used in the film, not only does he cover material from the band’s four albums, but he also includes the band performing some of its members solo works as well (i.e. Feist’s “I Feel It All” and Jason Collett’s “I Bring the Sun”). One of the fascinating things about Broken Social Scene is that they even find time to record albums or tour together. The collective group of musicians all have their own equally successful side projects.

It would have been nice if three main characters could have been fleshed out a little more. The script, written by actor/writer Don McKellar, provides just enough to make the premise believable. Still, as concert films go, This Movie Is Broken is a film that should appeal to a wide range of people. It serves as a nice introduction to Broke Social Scene for those who do not know the band. If you are like me and were already a big fan of the band, then This Movie Is Broken will serve as a pleasant reminder of all the things you love about the group.

Blue Valentine E-Card A Relationship Killer.

Blue Valentine

Yesterday I talked about the silliness behind Blue Valentine getting hit with an NC-17 rating, which at the time this review was written, was under appeal by The Weinstein Company who hold the distribution rights. So it is only fitting that talk about my views on the film itself. Directed by Derek Cianfrance, Blue Valentine is an intimate and honest look at what makes couples fall in love and fall apart.

Dean (Ryan Gosling) works his blue-collar job and takes pleasures in the simple things in life, mainly beer and his family. Although rough around the edges, Dean is a romantic at heart. Dean’s wife Cindy (Michelle Williams) is a nurse who is looking to further her career. Cindy is growing tired of Dean’s childlike ways and the distant between them begins to surface. In a last ditch effort to save their marriage Dean and Cindy decide to have a weekend away for just the two of them. Yet the trip hits a major bump in the road when Cindy runs into an old boyfriend, Bobby (Mike Vogel), at the store.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Blue Valentine was my favourite film at TIFF this year. In many ways it felt like I was watching the fictional version of another great film I saw at TIFF, Allen King’s A Married Couple. Some will liken the film to Revolutionary Road, but I think it is more along the lines of François Ozon’s brilliant 5X2 more than anything else. Still, make no mistake Blue Valentine is a film that charts its own path. The reason I allude to 5X2 is because of the way time is manipulated in the film and the secrets which the manipulation reveals.

Blue Valentine continually jumps back and forth between the present and the past. Cianfrance gives equal weight to both the couple’s happier times in the past and their current turbulent state. As the film progresses, key details from past relationships are revealed as well as the ramifications they have on the present. This not only impacts the characters in the film, but how the viewer reacts to them as well. The film, similar to relationships themselves, is never as clear cut as you think it will be.

The key to Blue Valentine’s success is in the astonishing performances by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. Gosling brings so many layers to the role that you wish the film went on for another two hours just so you can delve into Dean’s mind a bit more. The thing that I loved about Gosling’s portrayal is the fact that Dean never goes to the level you expect him to physically. This is most evident in the “infamous NC-17 inducing” scene. Despite the amount of times Dean is prodded, he always keeps his values in check even when he has reached his breaking point. Michelle Williams is equally mesmerizing as Cindy. It is only in the flashbacks that the cracks in Cindy’s character begin to show. At first it appears that she is just fed up with Dean’s immaturity, yet there are much deeper issues at play. The fact that I could not stop wondering where the characters ended up after the film was over is a testament of the wonderful work of both actors.

Blue Valentine does not hit theatres until December 31st and hopefully the NC-17 rating will be re-evaluated by then. This is a film that needs to be seen for both the story and the performances. It may have taken Derek Cianfrance 11 years to get the financing together for Blue Valentine, but it was worth it in the end. It was my favourite film at TIFF; and is one of my favourite films this year.

TIFF10 Review: A Married Couple

A Married Couple

To honour last year’s passing of legendary Canadian filmmaker Allen King, TIFF included one of King’s most profound, and controversial film, in their program. Originally released in 1969, A Married Couple examines the turbulent relationship between Billy and Antoinette Edwards. The couple constantly bickers over everything from the car to what their money should be spent on. These arguments may seem rather petty to some, but they are part of a much bigger issue that neither Billy nor Antoinette are willing to address.

A Married Couple was made during a time when Allen King was attempting to get over a bitter relationship of his own. The documentary is King’s way of dissecting what causes relationships to fall apart. In the case of Billy and Antoinette, the unspoken elephant in the room is their lack of true intimacy, both physically and emotionally.

Antoinette is going through the motions of daily life as she fell out of love with Billy years earlier. This is evident by the fact that she prefers to sleep in a separate room and openly flirts with other men in Billy’s presence. Her outlandish plans to renovate the house with items the couple do not need, is Antoinette’s way of forcing Billy to pull the trigger on a divorce. Billy, on the other hand, continually fights a losing battle to maintain the gender status quo in his home. Billy sees himself as the provider and expects a certain level of obedience from Antoinette based on this fact. When he gets abusive with Antoinette it is clear that he knows that he has lost the last bit of control he had in the relationship. Billy knows that he can never live up to the high expectations Antoinette had for him when they first got together.

The issues raised in A Married Couple may have taken place in 1969 but they are still extremely relevant today. King wisely leaves the audience to place judgment on the couple. He merely presents the facts as they were filmed. A Married Couple is a fascinating documentary that, 41 years later, still packs a punch. Frankly it can still rival many of the best documentaries made today. A must-see for couples, fans of documentaries, and cinema lovers in general. A special Criterion edition DVD of A Married Couple will be released later this month. Be sure to pick up a copy.