Category: Toronto International Film Festival
TIFF 2011: Adam Wingard’s ‘You’re Next’ impales, smashes, and gouges
You’re Next Directed by Adam Wingard Written by Simon Barrett 2011, USA, 96 minutes It’s hard to really nail a slasher. It’s hard to make it visceral, to make a well-worn formula exciting, and to make it make sense, all … [Read the Rest]
TIFF 2011: ‘The Deep Blue Sea’ can’t improve on its source material
The Deep Blue Sea Directed by Terence Davies 2011, UK, 98 minutes Terence Davies introduced* this film by entreating the audience to watch his film “with an open heart”. On the one hand, that’s good advice for any film, or … [Read the Rest]
TIFF 2011: William Friedkin’s ‘Killer Joe’ a dark, ironic and deadly comic modern noir
Killer Joe Directed by William Friedkin Screenplay by Tracy Letts 2011, USA Killer Joe marks an unshakeable return for William Friedkin, the legendary director of The French Connection, To Live And Die In L.A. and The Exorcist. This vigorous mix … [Read the Rest]
TIFF 2011: ‘Shame’ – quite simply the best film of 2011
Shame Written by Abi Morgan and Steve McQueen Directed by Steve McQueen 2011, UK Shame, Steve McQueen’s sophomore film and second collaboration with Michael Fassbender, is a compelling and timely examination of sexual compulsion in the modern world. Fassbender is … [Read the Rest]
TIFF 2011: ‘Monsieur Lazhar’ – A trenchant portrait of loss and light seen through the globalized lens of school culture
Monsieur Lazhar Directed by Philippe Falardeau Written by Philippe Falardeau Canada, 2011 Monsieur Lazhar arrives at TIFF within the Special Presentations programme from festival darling Phillippe Falardreau (La Moitié gauche du frigo, Congorama, C’est pas moi, je le jure!) in … [Read the Rest]
TIFF 2011: ‘Salmon Fishing in the Yemen’ – a clever, crowd-pleasing delight
- Salmon Fishing in the Yemen Directed by Lasse Hallström 2011, UK, 112 minutes If you aren’t familiar with the book by Paul Torday, a title like Salmon Fishing in the Yemen sounds a bit odd. What is it? Nihilistic … [Read the Rest]
TIFF 2011: ‘Samsara’ is not to be missed
Samsara Directed by Ron Fricke Written by Ron Fricke & Mark Magidson USA, 2011 Covering TIFF has been a privilege for many reasons, but particularly for the opportunity to screen Ron Fricke’s awe-inspiring Samsara. The follow-up to 1992′s breathtaking Baraka, … [Read the Rest]
TIFF 2011: ‘Himizu’ – Even at his worst, Sono shows off his mad genius
Himizu Directed by Shion Sono Written by Shion Sono 2011, Japan Acclaimed director Shion Sono may still be fresh off the debut of his Guilty Of Romance, which premiered at Cannes earlier this year, but only four months later, he … [Read the Rest]
TIFF 2011: ‘Kill List’ / ‘Snowtown’
Kill List Directed by Ben Wheatley Written by Ben Wheatley UK, 2011 Apart from all else, Kill List features the best buddy-assassin duo since Quentin Tarantino treated cinephiles to the legendary Pulp Fiction pairing of Jules Winfield and Vincent Vega. … [Read the Rest]
TIFF 2011: ‘Carré Blanc’ showcases directorial flair, if not originality
Carré Blanc Directed by Jean-Baptiste Leonetti Written by Jean-Baptiste Leonetti France, 2011 Jean-Baptiste Leonetti’s Carre Blanc marks the arrival of someone who promises to be an emerging new talent in genre filmmaking in France. With that said, his directorial debut … [Read the Rest]
TIFF 2011 – Eight Days In: Ricky D’s Blog Plus Nine More Reviews To Digest
Well the Toronto International Film Festival has provided another incredible lineup again this year. Among the best of the fest is Steve McQueen’s Shame (so far the best of the year), Lynne Ramsay’s We Need To Talk About Kevin and … [Read the Rest]
TIFF 2011: ‘Alps’ offers more Buñuelian domestic absurdity but to mixed results
Alps Directed by Giorgos Lanthimos Written by Efthymis Filippou and Giorgos Lanthimos 2011, Greece The wild card in last year’s best foreign-language category at the Oscars was Giorgos Lanthimos’ sophomore effort Dogtooth, a provocative dark comedy about a husband and … [Read the Rest]
TIFF 2011: Lynne Ramsay’s ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ complex, true, and terrifying
We Need to Talk about Kevin Written by Lynne Ramsay and Rory Kinnear (novel by Lionel Shriver) Directed by Lynna Ramsay UK & USA, 2011 Hidden at the back of our mind is the darkness that roams the labyrinth. The … [Read the Rest]
TIFF 2011: ‘Outside Satan’ presents a disturbing spiritual vision
Outside Satan Written by Bruno Dumont Directed by Bruno Dumont France, 2011 The work of Bruno Dumont is not for the faint of heart. A filmmaker who consistently pushes the boundaries of “morality,” he challenges the audience’s expectations of acceptable … [Read the Rest]
TIFF 2011: ‘Miss Bala’ a frightening, claustrophobic crime drama
Miss Bala Written by Mauricio Katz & Gerardo Naranjo Directed by Gerardo Naranjo Mexico, 2011 Chance, for better or for worse, suggests circumstances beyond one’s control. Laura Guerrero aspires to be a beauty queen, in part because it means greater … [Read the Rest]
