Casino Jack

In brief:
Kevin Spacey is great in this role but the complicated back room deals are not that interesting to watch.

Ramblings:
Might be of interest to those who are addicted to TV shows like "The Apprentice."

Small Town Murder Songs

Ed Gass-Donnelly

In brief:
I have to admit that I slept through part of this film and had to watch it from the front row -- not ideal conditions; however, what I saw were earnest characterizations by well-meaning actors with a tepid story. I would like to see it again in a more comfortable screening position. Jackie Burroughs is wonderful in one of her last film performances. Music by Bruce Peninsula.

Q & A with director, Ed Gass-Donnelly.

The way it was filmed.
The use of scripture.
Where did the idea come from?
The Mennonite setting.
The radio playing in the soundtrack.
The casting.

Addendum afer second (complete) screening:

As I said, it's much better sitting a bit farther back and you have to be awake for the whole movie to get the plot. We had it at our OS Reel Festival in January and it was well worth seeing, though not your traditional story-telling movie. Use of locale was evident -- it was meant to be set in Canada and didn't pretend to be elsewhere.

Route Irish

In brief:
Another Ken Loach winner. Excellent characters. Engrossing story. I could even figure out when the story was in flashback. Bitter ending.

Ramblings:

Conviction

In brief:
"Based on the inspirational life of Betty Anne Waters, Conviction tells the story of the unstoppable love between a brother and sister and the lengths to which one woman will go to save her family." And it works.
Ramblings:

Repeaters

In brief:
Glorious premise: the same day keeps repeating itself until the three main characters "get it right." It falters a bit in the middle when there are just a few too many repetitive days that don't further the plot that much and Richard de Klerk hasn't quite thrown off enough of his "Cole" persona to be believed as the out of control psychopath -- but the final scenes are enough to forgive these lapses.
Ramblings:

Armadillo

In brief:
Great photography and great access to what goes on in Afghanistan, this documentary about a group of Danish soldiers is unflinching in its portrayal of a seemingly unwinnable conflict.

Ramblings:

Whistleblower

In brief:
This is a harrowing story about sex trafficking in post-war Bosnia and the UN peace-keeper who brought the story of UN officers' part in it. For some reason, it's not as engaging as it might have been. Rachel Weisz doesn't engender any sympathy but comes off as an earnest and bull-headed protagonist.
Ramblings:

Even the Rain

Producer Juan Gordon

In brief:
It is early in 2000 during the protests in Bolivia in response to the the government’s decision to privatize the water company. A filmmaker is making a film about Columbus's first voyage to the New World. His actors and non-actors are caught up in both events.

Sounds complicated. But it isn't.

Very captivating story, this film makes parallels between the film makers' use of extras for their movie, the water company's treatment of the peasants, and exploitations past and present.

Q & A with producer Juan Gordon:
How did the scriptwriters collaborate?
Did the people of Cochabamba influence the script?
Did you have problems with the politicians currently in Cochobamba?
How did you cast the non-actors?
Weren't you afraid of exploiting the extras and actors?
What is the current situation vis a vis privatization of water distribution?

Jaloux

In brief:
"This tight psychological thriller was improvised during its sixteen-day shoot by Demers and his cast" according to the write-up on the TIFF website. Unfortunately the director did the editing himself and makes a mess of a good story. He might have had a better movie if he'd left some of the improvisations on the cutting room floor.
Ramblings:

High Cost of Living

Director Deborah Chow

In brief:
Zach Braff and Isabelle Blais are outstanding in this film about a car accident that brings them together: he, a drug dealer in Montreal, she, eight months pregnant with a neglectful husband.

Q & A with director Deborah Chow:
Was that the original scripted ending?
Do you find it easier or more difficult to direct a script you wrote?
Can you tell us about the body makeup for Isabelle Blais?
Locations used in Montréal.
At what point did Telefilm get involved?
How did you pay the bills during the five years of pre-production?
What is your next project?
Will this film be at any other festivals?
Can you talk about the weather problems of filming in February?
What are your influences?
How was TIFF convinced since you finished it two weeks ago?

L.A. Zombie

In brief:
Might have been better if they hadn't taken out the porn scenes. Certainly wasn't worth the 63 minutes spent at this year's festival.

Bruce LaBruce with producers.

Ramblings:
This is the version of the film that was banned at an Australian film festival ... but this was the soft-core version which we saw at TIFF. Not sure why. It's just a badly-made movie with lots of leaps in the action and bad continuity. I think there was one main character played by Francois Sagat, but his makeup kept changing. I'm not sure if there was more than one predatory gay zombie or several.

Three

In brief:
Excellent story. Well-acted and believable. A husband and wife have an affair with the same man and keep it a secret from each other. Lots of laughs and lots of twists in the story keep the audience guessing.
Ramblings:

Black Ocean

In brief:
The story of three sailors taking part in nuclear tests over the Pacific Ocean in 1972, this film is too long and too uninteresting.

Ramblings:

Blue Valentine

Ryan Gosling & Director/Writer Derek Cianfrance

In brief: Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams are outstanding as a couple in a rocky marriage. Flashbacks show them in happier times. Well-acted and thoroughly riveting portrayals.

Q & A with director Derek Cianfrance & Ryan Gosling:
How much of the script was written and how much improvised?
How was it edited since there was so much improvisation?
Where did the story come from?
What was the inspiration for using the Grizzly Bears music?
How close was the final film to the original vision?
Audience member admires Ryan's singing.

Bang Bang Club

In brief:
Too much story. Characters that look too much alike. Supposedly many of the extras are re-creating what they did during the civil war in South Africa before the end of apartheid. More time was spent on the re-creations than on character development so that, in the end, it's impossible to connect with any of them.

Q & A with director Steven Silver:
Why is this story relevant to you?
How was the story optioned and the process? How did being a documentarian help?
When to shoot and when to help?
What happened to the child?
How was it for the South African actors to revisit these events?
How do you balance your South African and Canadian identity?

Kaboom

Director Gregg Araki, TIFF staff,
actor Thomas Dekker

In brief: Billed as "outrageously over-the-top" this film went right over my head. I can't remember too much of the complicated plot and won't spend much time trying to think back on it.
Ramblings:

Cave of Forgotten Dreams

In brief: Well worth seeing in 3-D. Absolutely mesmerizing look at drawings in the Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc cave, created more than thirty thousand years ago. Since no one except archeologists are allowed in, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the drawings on the curved walls of the cave -- made all the more real by the 3-D cinematography.

Ramblings:

Blessed Events

In brief:
She has a one-night stand on New Year's Eve and when she runs into the man again and tells him that she's pregnant he decides he should marry her. Boring story. Unappealing characters. A waste of time.

Ramblings:

Buried

In brief:

How can a movie that takes place inside a box have the most inventive cinematography? When you build several versions of the box as the director did for this one.

Ryan Reynolds is outstanding as the buried truck driver in Iraq. It was impossible to take a breath as the story was told in real time.

As the final minutes unfold, there was a hush in the audience. Not for the claustrophobic.

Potiche

In brief:
Potiche is the French word for "vase" ... or in the case of a "femme potich" we would label it a "trophy wife." That's what this film is about and if you like Francois Ozon's films you'll love this one. It's told in his trademark stylized way. But the best thing in the film is Catherine Deneuve as the trophy wife and if you love her, you'll also love this film. The story might seem to be a light comedy but there is a feminist streak which keeps it from being overly frothy. Lots of laughs and Deneuve is excellent eye-candy throughout.

Ramblings: