#TIFF13

TIFF 2013: Felony Review

Felony Special Presentation Director: Matthew Saville A little known fact about actor Joel Edgerton is that he’s actually quite the accomplished screenwriter. His latest effort (following several shorts and the sadly under-seen in North America Aussie noir The Square) as a scribe and leading man comes in this admirably even keeled cop drama focusing on […]

TIFF 2013: Life of Crime Review

Life Of Crime Closing Night Gala Director: Daniel Schechter It’s been a long time since Elmore Leonard was treated well on the big screen. Back in those innocent iPod-free days of the 90s, the author’s books became brilliant crime comedies like Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, and Out of Sight. Since then things have been a […]

TIFF 2013: Bad Words Review

Bad Words Special Presentation Director: Jason Bateman If Bad Words came out 15 years ago and starred Bill Murray, it probably would have been a massive hit. Released today starring (and weirdly, directed by) Jason Bateman, it’ll be a mid-level comedy release probably targeted at a niche market. That’s a bit of a shame since […]

TIFF 2013: You Are Here Review

You Are Here Special Presentation Director: Matthew Weiner There’s a movie starring Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, and Amy Poehler that was written/directed by Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner. It’s a film that Weiner has nursed along for years and was his dream project that he just had to make once he had some post-Mad Men […]

TIFF 2013: Dom Hemingway Review

Don Hemingway Special Presentation Director: Richard Shepard Jude Law delivers the best performance of his career as a boorish, loutish, foul mouthed, just released from prison London area safe cracker, but the film built around him isn’t even handed enough to do his work justice. It’s a choppy and episodic look at the titular career […]

TIFF 2013: Ida Review

Ida Special Presentation Director: Pawel Pawlikowski In 1960s Communist Poland, Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska) who, on the occasion of taking her vows, is requested by the church to visit her long-lost aunt Wanda (Agata Kulesza). Previously unaware of her aunt’s existence, Anna is doubly shocked by the jarring, alienating world outside of the coventry. It’s as […]

TIFF 2013: The Dog Review

The Dog TIFF Docs Directors: Allison Berg, Frank Keraudren Based on the true story of a man – who by his own admission is a loutish pervert – who tried to rob a bank to pay for his lover’s sex change operation, The Dog was already made into the vastly more intriguing Sidney Lumet fictional […]

TIFF 2013: Mary Queen of Scots Review

Mary Queen of Scots Special Presentation Director: Thomas Imbach Less of a sumptuous period piece (although those elements are there), Imbach’s look at one of the world’s most intriguing historical, female figureheads takes finely detailed historical fact and makes an emotionally resonating experience out of it. It’s a period piece for those who always wished […]

TIFF 2013: The Wind Rises Review

The Wind Rises Special Presentation Director: Hayao Miyazaki If this is indeed the final film from animation maestro Miyazaki, he’s not going out on his strongest work, but certainly his most ambitious and most adult oriented effort to date. Save for a brief opening bit involving dreams and aircraft bombers with payloads gnashing their teeth […]

TIFF 2013: Ningen Review

Ningen Contemporary World Cinema Directors: Guillame Giovanettie & Cagla Zencirci Japanese folk lore is whimsical, wide, weird, wonderful but heinously outlandish, overshadowing in alienation because of how odd and specific its supernatural inhabitants are. And much of that likely attracted Turkish filmmakers Giovanetti and Zencirci, nevermind that the film is, shockingly, mostly improvised by its […]

TIFF 2013: Fading Gigolo Review

Fading Gigolo Special Presentation Director: John Turturro Turturro can have some fun with you behind the camera, and as cult actor worth rooting for in front of. Fading Gigolo, Turturro’s New York flavoured rom-com, wears its influences on its sleeve. Actually, it wears it in the film, as the wit snapping Woody Allen stands side-by-side […]

TIFF 2013: Metalhead Review

Metalhead Contemporary World Cinema Director: Ragnar Bragason Thrashing, moshing, black, speed, doom, new wave of British and heavy, metal rules. It’s a vast collection of camaraderies and noise. And the usual arguments towards carpet bombing your ear drums is that it A) can help the troubled and frustrated vent their clogged emotions in a healthy […]

TIFF 2013: Night Moves Review

Night Moves Special Presentation Director: Kelly Reichardt Each film Reichhardt makes is stark but mysterious, amplifying nuanced emotions by keeping their heads to the ground of the human experience. Night Moves (which has nothing to do with Bob Seger no matter how much you hum the song to yourself) is Reichardt taking another half-inch towards […]

TIFF 2013: August: Osage County Review

August: Osage County Gala Director: John Wells Combing a collection of superstars slumming for awards, a TV director, and single location family dinner setting, August: Osage County sounds like easy awards bait worth dreading. That is unless you recognize the writer: Tracy Letts. He’s the man whose twisted imagination spun Bug and Killer Joe and […]

TIFF 2013: The F Word Review

The F Word Special Presentation Director: Michael Dowse While not the most original take on best friends becoming lovers, the latest film from Dowse (Goon, Fubar) has charm in spades, largely thanks to snappy banter delivered by two perfectly cast leads. Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) has recently crawled out from under his yearlong funk following a […]