Couch Time with Sheldon

Welcome to COUCH TIME WITH SHELDON, a brand new feature on Black Sheep Reviews. Well, it's mostly brand new. Essentially, this feature will replace BLU-TUESDAY. Rather than simply focus on the releases of the day, Black Sheep will take a look at a handful of titles each week, ranging from brand new releases to catalog titles, based on what Sheldon has actually watched recently. In case you don't know it, Sheldon is that little sheep you see everywhere on the site. He would also be my alter-ego I guess but that's not something I'm ready to deal with just yet.

We will continue to highlight what has come out on DVD and Blu-ray each week, as well as continue to look at what has been announced but the focus will be more on what Sheldon has seen rather than what he intends to.

Speaking of announcements, check these out ... Warner Bros. brings out two 1970's classics, ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN and NETWORK on February 15, 2011. Alliance will release the George Clooney film, THE AMERICAN, on December 28th of this year. 20th Century Fox has THE A-TEAM cashing in on the holidays on December 14th and the indie comedy, CYRUS (click for review) hits the week before. And here's the exciting news ... Disney will be releasing their superhero hit, THE INCREDIBLES, in the spring of 2011.

And now, I invite you to spend a little couch time with Sheldon ... Here's what everybody's favorite sheep saw in the last little bit.

FROZEN

I love indie films like this one, that get picked up (in this case by Anchor Bay Films) and manage to find an audience they would never have found, and actually deserve it. Horror director, Adam Green, has created a truly horrifying experience with FROZEN. Three college-aged skiers decide that they need to get one last run in before the end of their day. There is a lesson to be learned about being greedy though because the chair lift stops on their way up and before it gets going again, all the lights go out and everyone else goes home. There are no scary monsters or psycho killers with hooks for hands here. No, the only enemy here is nature itself and that level of reality is what had me freaking out for about a good hour straight. If you're looking for something offbeat to both scare and impress your Halloween guests, check out FROZEN. Be warned though, you might not go skiing for a little while afterward.

PLEASE GIVE

Don't let this atrocious cover art fool you. PLEASE GIVE is an excellent indie comedy that Sony Pictures is now just trying to push to as wide an audience as possible by capitalizing on the film's stars. This Nicole Holofcener film features Catherine Keener and Oliver Platt as a married New York City couple who run a trendy Soho furniture store. Keener's character has some issues with how they run their show though, as the majority of their pieces come from the misfortune of others. They buy pieces from people who have recently passed away and then resell them for exorbitant prices. They are also waiting for the elderly lady next door to pass away so they can take over her place and expand on their own. This fascinating exploration of white upper-class guilt is refreshingly honest and surprisingly funny. With the cast rounded out by Amanda Peet and Rebecca Hall, you can't go wrong.

LES AMOURS IMAGINAIRES (HEARTBEATS)

There has been a lot of talk recently on Black Sheep for Xavier Dolan's second feature, LES AMOURS IMAGINAIRES. After having the chance to interview him at TIFF (click here for interview), I feel like I have an all new approach to his work. Just from sitting across from him for 20 minutes, you can tell that Dolan is an insightful person who feels a great deal. Those personality traits are abundant in LES AMOURS IMAGINAIRES, now available to rent or own on DVD only from Alliance Films (with English subtitles). Fans of the French new wave and Wong Kar-Wai will love Dolan's latest work. Two great friends, Marie and Francis (Monia Chokri and Dolan) both fall for the same guy (Niels Schneider) and Dolan the director explores the highs and lows of falling in love, or more specifically, of falling in love with the idea of being in love. The results are honest, enlightening and will be understood by anyone who has ever chased after someone without really knowing why. (Click title in body for original review.)

Thank you for checking out the first COUCH TIME WITH SHELDON feature. The feature will run regularly on Tuesday's from here on in. In the meantime, here is a list of other titles available this week to rent or own ...

BACK TO THE FUTURE TRILOGY (Blu-ray)

ALIEN ANTHOLOGY (Blu-ray)

SEX AND THE CITY 2

(click title for review)

THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE

(click title for review)

WINTER'S BONE

(click title for review)

Source: blu-ray.com

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Black Sheep interviews Xavier Dolan

Different than I Imagined

An interview with Xavier Dolan

I want to know which one of you is responsible for this. You’ve clearly hurt Quebec filmmaker, Xavier Dolan’s feelings and I for one am not going to stand for it. He is only 21 years old and already he knows what it is to be tossed aside by critics who once purported to be his biggest fans. You built him up and just because he didn’t do exactly what you wanted him to do, you declared him a disappointment and your earlier proclamations of genius to be premature. While I applaud your ability to admit your faults (even though the point was to highlight another’s), I’m not sure you realize just how much damage you’ve done. You should be fostering genius, not trying to kill its spirit.

When I met Dolan at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, I expected him to sit with me and speak fondly of his second feature, LES AMOURS IMAGINAIRES (HEARTBEATS), which he wrote while attending the festival the year before. I had just seen the film, a cynically optimistic exploration of the ridiculousness we all put ourselves through when we think we’re in love. Cynical because we look like idiots; optimistic because we still put ourselves through it regardless. And even though I gushed about how much I admire him as a filmmaker right at the top of our chat, I was not met with fondness; I was met with skepticism. Friendly and polite but skeptical nonetheless.

“I never pretended HEARTBEATS would be as moving or as stirring as I KILLED MY MOTHER,” Dolan confides when I finally veer off the course of my planned questions and ask if he is having a hard time with the press for his second film. “I never said this is going to be a better film. I said it is going to be a different film.”

And different, it is. I KILLED MY MOTHER is a semi-autobiographical piece about a gay teenager who lives with his mother and cannot seem to get along with her no matter what he does. It is raw, emotional and oddly cathartic. There is also a lot of yelling. The film was praised for its gritty, honest look at a relationship that many can identify with. On the other hand, HEARTBEATS is being chastised for being too cold and disaffected. And while it might seem natural to compare a second and first feature, Dolan doesn’t see any need for this at all.

“For me, it’s a lack of judgment to compare,” he continues when we discuss the criticism he has endured just a year after he was lauded as Canada’s next big director. “You cannot compare these two films; they’re so fucking different. How can we compare and say that this one is inferior to that one?” The conversation had certainly gotten somewhat heated at this time but it was pretty obvious from where I was sitting that none of this rant was directed at me, but more so at the sky, as if he has been cursed undeservedly. I half expected him to raise his fists in the air in anger.

“I believe it can be inferior in the sense that the emotions it provokes are not as intense as in I KILLED MY MOTHER but it was not my mandate, nor my mission, nor my intention to provoke a torrent of emotions in you for this film.”

Intentions aside, HEARTBEATS did stir plenty of things in me. Dolan plays Francis and one night, both he and his friend Marie (Monia Chokri) fall for the same young man, Nicolas (Niels Schneider). Francis and Marie, two pseudo intellectual, neo-hipsters in Montreal, proceed to lose their senses while they pursue a boy who has done nothing to suggest he feels the same way as they do. While their motivations are calculated and controlled, the fury they are both experiencing internally is something anyone who has ever been in love can identify with. Cold on the surface does not mean empty on the inside.

“It is a movie about the various steps of the love downfall,” Dolan proclaims, without necessarily seeing what a downer his statement truly is. “It is literally a condensed journey through typical, impossible love.” The kind of love Dolan is talking about, the same kind of love that comes across on screen, isn’t real but rather imagined (which is more evident in the film’s original French title, which directly translates to “Imagined Loves”). “The movie ought to be as shallow and as empty as the encounter they have.” HEARTBEATS does just this but it does so with sumptuous imagery and romantic grandness. It is a farce after all.

As private as it could be, I can’t help but ask at this point if, when it comes to love in his own life, Dolan is still hopeful. “Unfortunately, I would say I’m an optimist,” he begins. I wasn’t sure whether he had said “fortunately” or “unfortunately” so he clarifies that he said the latter and explains, “This implies a certain amount of pain, but I’m always up for the challenge.”

I admire Dolan. Both of his films, regardless of how they compare with each other, are devoid of ego, an incredible accomplishment considering he wrote them both, directed them both and stars in both of them as well. His choices in all three of his roles on each film could easily serve his own self-interests but instead serve only the story and the overall success of the film itself. This requires skill and dedication that I would never imagine a 21-year-old to have but yet here we are. And at 21, he has also learned a couple of other hard lessons he didn’t need to know right away. He now knows how it feels to be criticized on an international level and he clearly knows a thing or two about love.

“HEARTBEATS is the perfect second film for me to have made. It’s a different film, different vibe, different emotions. Some people will say there are no emotions in HEARTBEATS. I am not one of them.”

And neither am I.

For further HEARTBEATS reading, be sure to check Black Sheep's 4-star review. Click here.

And be sure to check out this clip from HEARTBEATS, which arrives on DVD on October 26 in select markets.

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LES AMOURS IMAGINAIRES (HEARTBEATS)

Written and Directed by Xavier Dolan
Starring Xavier Dolan, Monia Chokri and Niels Schneider

(Click here for an interview with HEARTBEATS director, Xavier Dolan)

Ah, l’amour. They say the French know it best and, even though Quebecois is not quite the same as French, novice Quebec-born filmmaker, Xavier Dolan, seems to have a pretty strong handle on the whole thing. Not only does he know love and the many places it takes us in our heads but he also knows a thing or two about how to put together one fine film on the subject. His second feature, HEARTBEATS, confirms his position as one of Canada’s most promising filmmakers.

In this corner, Xavier Dolan!

At 22 years old, I knew nothing about love. Dolan at 22 however, knows that love is what we make of it. Repeating the impressive triple threat he blasted on to the Canadian film scene with in his first feature, J'AI TUE MA MERE (I KILLED MY MOTHER), Dolan also writes and stars in this part farce, part exploration of love’s depths. He plays Francis, a young, gay Montrealer who shares a friendship based mostly on cynicism with Marie (Monia Chokri), an impeccably dressed neurotic. One fated evening, they both meet Nicolas (Niels Schneider). He is handsome and captivating and it isn’t long before they are both trying to get him to notice them. As I’m sure you can imagine, this takes a toll on their friendship.

And the challenger, Monia Chokri!

HEARTBEATS is enchanting. Dolan channels the French “New Wave” and taps into his admiration for Wong Kar-Wai, creating a picture that is sumptuous and romantic but yet still realistic. His understanding of each step love takes upon its journey is uncanny, making it easy to remember exactly what its like to want a love that you can’t have and just how far people will go to realize it won’t work. Sometimes love may feel right in our hearts but Dolan reminds us that it might also just be entirely imagined.

The Black Sheep interview with Xavier Dolan is coming in the next week. Be sure to check back.

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TIFF BITS: Tuesday, September 14

Today is a very big day for me at TIFF and Day 6 starts rather soon so I can't chat long.  I have John Cameron Mitchell's RABBIT HOLE at 9:00 at the Bell Lightbox theatre, followed by interviews with Xavier Dolan, the Quebec writer/star/director of LES AMOURS IMAGINAIRES and Rodrigo Cortes and Ryan Reynolds, the director and star of BURIED (click title for review).  The latter has its big show tonight at Ryerson theatre while the former is today's only TIFF Bit.

LES AMOURS IMAGINAIRES
Varsity - 6:45
I first fell in love with Dolan's work with his heartbreaking J'AI TUE MA MERE (I KILLED MY MOTHER).  His latest was written while he was at TIFF with his first last year and now, just one year later, he has returned with a lovely film that also made its premiere at Cannes.  HEARTBEATS, as it is known in English, follows two friends, a guy and a girl, as they both fall for the same guy.  The direct translation of the title means the imaginary loves and Dolan's sensitive and charming film explores the places we go to in our hearts and minds when we are falling down that inexplicable road called love.  It was truly enchanting and I urge you to see it.

Last night's big gala was for Darren Aronofsky's BLACK SWAN.  Be sure to not miss the Black Sheep 5-star review!

Happy TIFF!

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TIFF'D: Monday, September 13

I might have withdrawn a little today from TIFF.  I began the day with Quebec filmmaker, Xavier Dolan's LES AMOURS IMAGINAIRES.  It was completely enchanting and nothing at all like Dolan's first feature, J'AI TUE MA MERE, which I will be watching again tonight in anticipation for my interview with him tomorrow.  Is it alright if I finish my interview by asking him out?  Is that crossing a line?

After my movie, I had just enough time to freshen up and head back to the Intercontinental Hotel for a roundtable interview with MIRAL director, Julian Schnabel.  There was no table though so that was a little odd.  He was very well-spoken, engaging man but I didn't really participate in the exchange.  I listened really because the backdrop of the film, the Israel/Palestine conflict, is not something I know enough about.  His perspective cleared up a great deal of my concerns about the film but also raised more questions.  I'm still on the fence as to whether I thought the film was a great success or not.

Past that, I canned both of my other movies for the day.  I had laundry to do!  And to be fair, I had to prepare for my interviews tomorrow and write tomorrow's review, BLACK SWAN.  The Darren Aronofsky film has its gala North American premiere this evening and be sure to get my take on it tomorrow morning.

Now, I'm going for drinks.  A bunch of other great film enthusiasts and writers I know will be getting together for a little mid-festival exchange and I have about two hours to kill before I need to get back to watch my movie.

Tomorrow is a much busier day.  I'll have a lot more for you.  15 more films to go!

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TIFF BITS: Monday, September 13

I decided that I had to cut back on my day today.  I am feeling much better this morning than yesterday but that does not mean I need to keep making life harder for myself.  I have decided to scale back from three movies to two.  I figured maybe I would get some writing in, maybe do some laundry.  It is TIFF Day 5 and I am running out of clean socks!

Tonight's big galas and special presentations are pretty impressive.  Get a ticket to BLACK SWAN if you can.  It is the best thing I've seen at the festival thus far. Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila
Kunis and director, Darren Aronofsky, are expected to attend.  I've not seen the other three but they are definitely hot tickets.  You've got RABBIT HOLE, directed by John Cameron Mitchell and starring Nicole Kidman.  French director, Francoi Ozon's POTICHE, starring Catherine Deneuve is at Roy Thompson Hall tonight.  And then that leaves Mike Leigh's ANOTHER YEAR at the Elgin.

I will be leaving shortly to see Xavier Dolan's HEARTBEATS and then I have an interview with Julian Schnabel.  I am finishing my screening day with Tom Tykwer's THREE so it should be an interesting day all around.  What about your day, you say ...

EVERYTHING MUST GO
Winter Garden Theatre - 4:30
Whenever a comedian plays something serious, it is always a big deal.  Will Ferrell chose this film because he just really liked the script, not because he was trying to do something intentionally dramatic for street cred, or so he said when I met with him the other day.  Here he plays a guy who loses his job because he is an alcoholic only to come home to find all his junk strewn across his lawn. His wife has left and the doors have been locked.  It is a great tale of redemption and Ferrell's performance is solid.

MIRAL
Ryerson Theatre - 6:00
Julian Schnabel is a hybrid of a conceptual artist and a film director.  Every frame always looks like a painting and here he decides to take a creative look at the Israel/Palestine conflict.  It is a decidedly political film but it also has a reassuring sensitivity to it, likely due to the nature of the story.  It follows a few strong Palestinian women who have been affected by the conflict in ways that they never imagined.  It does at times feel more about the cause than the characters but it is still an engaging and delicate experience.

LET ME IN
Ryerson Theatre - 9:00
Matt Reeves, the director of CLOVERFIELD, could not possible come away from directing this film as a winner.  Adapted from the Swedish film, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, this American remake is so loyal to the original, it is eerie but that won't matter.  Fans of the first film are loyal so it doesn't matter whether Reeves is successful or not, it shouldn't have been done.  I enjoyed his take but that being said, his take is the same as the first one, only now In English so North American audiences don't have to read the movie.  He did a good job but will that matter?

ALSO PLAYING AND RECOMMENDED

127 HOURS
Danny Boyle
Ryerson Theatre - 3:00

COOL IT
Ondi Timoner
AMC - 2:15

Also, don't miss my brand new TIFF review for BURIED, starring Ryan Reynolds.  I cannot wait to be sitting across a table from him.  I will try to stay seated calmly but I cannot guarantee this.

Happy TIFF!

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