Reviews

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TIFF 2007 Day 2

Yes, folks, I am starting to push out the reviews now that there’s a lull in events at the TTC.  If you comment here, please make it relevant to the film, not to the problems you had on the TTC getting to the theatre.

Reviewed here:

  • The Mourning Forest by Naomi Kawase 
  • Le voyage du ballon rouge by Hou Hsiao-hsien
  • Captain Mike Across America by Michael Moore
  • The Visitor by Thomas McCarthy

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TIFF 2007 Day 1

The Toronto International Film Festival kicked off last night.  For the next 10 days, I will be in festival mode spending most of my time in theatres.  Transit won’t disappear completely from this site, but my focus will shift as it does each year.

I will be posting reviews of the films I see, although keeping up on a day to day basis may be a challenge.

Reviewed here:

Fados by Carlos Saura 

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Revue Cinema Marquee Collapses

This post is for the benefit of those from afar who have an interest in theatres.  The Revue Cinema, closed since last June, suffered a horrible loss on Sunday when its marquee collapsed under the weight of snow and ice.  The Torontoist site has a full writeup and links to photos new and old.

I’ve always loved the Revue and remember learning all about “foreign” films there decades ago. 

http://www.torontoist.com/archives/2007/02/revue_cinema_ma_1.php

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Toronto International Film Festival Reviews — Part 5 of 5

And finally, we come to the end of it all.  Apologies for the delay — urgent family business has kept me pre-occupied and I am just starting to deal with the backlog.

This installment includes:

  • L’Intouchable
  • The Island
  • The Silence
  • The Magic Flute
  • When the Levees Broke:  A Requiem in Four Acts
  • Amazing Grace

Days 9 and 10 may look like I was really slowing down, but in fact one of those films (the documentary about New Orleans) is four hours long.  I wouldn’t want you to think that I was shirking.  Mind you, the sleep in on Saturday morning for a late start at the Festival was quite nice.

Another Festival over, but there’s always next year, not to mention the myriad other cinema, music and theatre events around town.  If you have come this far, thanks for reading!

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Toronto International Film Festival Reviews — Part 4 of 5

This installment contains reviews of:

  • Dixie Chicks — Shut Up and Sing
  • My Best Friend / Mon Meilleur Ami
  • Fay Grim
  • Grbavica
  • This Is England
  • Zwartboek / Black Book
  • Snow Cake

As the Festival wears on,  I sometimes run out of steam (only 3 films on Thursday), and there was always the fear that the best of the Festival was behind me.  No chance.  There are some excellent films in this group. Continue reading →