TIFF Review: THE TOWN

Written by Peter Craig, Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard

Directed by Ben Affleck

Starring Ben Affleck, Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall and Jeremy Renner

By now, we all know that Ben Affleck is from Boston. His first film as director, GONE BABY GONE, is set there and he has now returned home for his second feature, THE TOWN. The titular town in question is Charlestown, a town in Boston that has seen more bank robberies than apparently any other in the world. Personally, I would think twice about even opening a bank there with statistics like that, but people need their money and other people need to steal it. In THE TOWN, Affleck gives us a delicate, albeit straightforward, balance between these people.

There is nothing particularly new and exciting about the premise. A group of four “townies”, including director himself, Affleck, and new “It” boy, Jeremy Renner, hold up a local bank and take the bank manager (Rebecca Hall) hostage. Affleck stalks her a little afterward to make sure she doesn’t know anything that the FBI can use to find them, but then something unexpected happens; he falls for her. It isn’t really unexpected for us but rather for him. All he’s known his whole life is crime; even his father (Chris Cooper) is doing time and proud of it. I think what he didn’t expect was that he might want something else from life, something more stable and meaningful – something that you actually can’t steal but rather have to earn.

Affleck is quickly becoming a more relevant persona as a director than as an actor, but it is his lead performance in THE TOWN that anchors the film. The supporting cast, including Jon Hamm without a cigarette hanging out of his mouth all the time, is stellar, but Affleck is the big winner here. He may not have found a way to inspire insight from his work as a filmmaker just yet but he knows how to control the story, command the audience’s attention and, most importantly, keep us entertained. My money says he is going to continue to grow on this path. I just won’t be putting that money in any townie bank any time soon.

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TIFF'D: Friday, September 10

Hey and welcome to the first ever Black Sheep Reviews video blog.  Each day during TIFF, or at least each day that doesn't end with me passed out and forgotten in some theatre somewhere, I will be posting a video blog about my day at the Toronto International Film Festival.  No sense in writing anything really past that.  I'll just let myself do the talking instead ...

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TIFF BITS: Friday, September 10

Today marks two very important things.  The first important thing about today is that it is my friend, Christopher's birthday.  I wish I could be spending it with him but he is far and there is the whole matter of the second important things about today that is getting in the way.  Today marks the first full day of screenings at TIFF.  So, I wish you well, Christopher, but duty calls.

The duty I am referring to specifically is my obligation to attend the a screening of Darren Aronofsky's BLACK SWAN this morning.  I could not be more excited about that.  Hopefully, it lives up to my expectations.  Past that, I am interviewing the director of BIUTIFUL, Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu today. I'm a wee bit nervous for this given that he is such a prolific director; this is the man who gave us AMORES PERROS and BABEL after all.  As if that weren't enough, I am also interviewing the film's star, Javier Bardem, the Academy Award winning actor of NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. Be sure to check out my TIFF'd video blog this evening for a full recap.

Now, as for you all, here's what you can expect at TIFF today.  Tonight's big galas are for Tom Hooper's THE KING'S SPEECH and David Schwimmer's TRUST, starring Catherine Keener and Clive Owen.  My full review for THE KING'S SPEECH is posted below and I am only seeing TRUST tomorrow morning so I can't really help you out there.  I can make these suggestions though:

BIUTIFUL

Winter Garden Theatre - 8:00

It isn't always easy to interview people when you don't like their movie.  Fortunately for me, I thoroughly enjoyed this Spanish language film.  Like most of Inarritu's work, it focuses on death and the kinds of perspective it gives you on your life.  Bardem is brilliant in the film and it lives up to its mispelled name in terms of aesthetics.  Both director and star are expected to attend this North American premiere.

I'M STILL HERE

Varsity Theatre - 10:00

I'm going to have to sleep on this one before I make up my full mind about it.  This is the Joaquin Phoenix documentary about his quitting acting and becoming a hip hop recording artist, as lensed by brother-in-law, Casey Affleck.  This documentary could be a hoax but the beauty of it is that you can never be sure as to whether it is or not.  It is vulgar, offensive, uncomfortable and oddly enlightening on the subjects of celebrity, ego and opportunity.  It will be released in theatres soon but check it out at TIFF if you get a chance.

Don't forget to check Black Sheep back at the end of the day for TIFF'd, a video blog about how the whole day went.  Please note that yesterday's TIFF'd had to come down due to some issues I was having with it.  They have been worked out though and video blogging commences again, if that's possible, today!

Bon cinema and happy TIFF!

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TIFF Review: THE KING'S SPEECH

Written by David Seidler

Directed by Tom Hooper

Starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter

There is no official poster for this film yet.

King George VI: Waiting for me to commence a conversation, one can wait a rather long wait.

When a king speaks, he must command attention. Though the British monarchy may be more iconography than anything else at this point in history, people will still look to their royal leader for guidance and reassurance in times of woe and doubt. That’s a lot of pressure for someone who may never have wanted to assume the responsibility to begin with. Unfortunately for King George VI, his birthright meant he did not have any choice in the matter. It’s not that he didn’t think he could do it; it’s just that he wasn’t confidant enough to think anyone would care to have him.

Forget the king; when director Tom Hooper speaks, he has my full attention. After his impressive first feature last year, THE DAMNED UNITED, Hooper continues his journey in regal fashion with THE KING’S SPEECH and delivers the goods right from the start. Colin Firth, who could easily garner another Oscar nod with his heartbreaking work here, is the Duke of York. It is 1925 and he is about to address the nation. The tension builds and by the time he gets to the podium, every ear in the land appears to be waiting to hear what he has to say. At first, there is nothing. What follows that awkwardness is a disjointed, passionless address that he stammers all the way through. It may not be as epic a global failure as modern day technology allows but enough people were listening to make it seem like a public collapse that he might never recover from.

He almost didn’t. King George VI went through many speech therapists before landing on Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Logue helps George break down the years of subtle abuse one suffers as the son of a king to see that his speech impediment is the result of isolation and lack of confidence, not something particularly physical. Their banter is at times hilarious and at others quite intense. Their immense combined talent, along with supporting turns from Helena Bonham Carter and Guy Pearce, give THE KING’S SPEECH even more depth and flourish than Hooper already has. Together, they created a film that will certainly resonate long after it’s said what it has to say.

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Black Sheep @ TIFF 2010

For the past couple of weeks, the Toronto International Film Festival has been looming over my head.  I've been making lists and schedules and spreadsheets just to make sure I don't miss anything.  As the days have been getting closer, the pressure has been mounting.  Am I seeing enough movies? Have I written enough reviews?  Do I have enough interviews booked?  TIFF to me was like this giant vortex of film that was sucking my entire life into it but I don't like getting pulled into anything unless I'm good and ready to go.  Last night, I got there.  Today is the first day of TIFF and instead of being a nervous wreck, I am a very happy guy.  I am ready to take whatever it wants to give me because whatever that is, is certainly going to be incredible.

Well, most of it will be anyway.  I don't want to poo poo this festival right off the bat but they bring it upon themselves when they decide to program embarrassments like SCORE: A HOCKEY MUSICAL as the opening night gala screening.  There will be no TIFF Bits today as there are only a handful of other screenings on the opening day but instead, I do have a full review of this painful Michael McGowan picture.  

If you will excuse me, I need to get to my first screening: COOL IT, a documentary about that pesky environmental problem we seem to be having.  Don't miss my first TIFF'd video piece at the end of the day.  Happy TIFFing!

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TIFF Review: SCORE: A HOCKEY MUSICAL

Written and Directed by Michael McGowan

Starring Noah Reid, Allie McDoanald and Olivia Newton-John

Canada is a different country after this year’s Olympic games in Vancouver. Its sense of pride was rediscovered through a collective rallying behind its many talented athletes. And one sport brought the country together like no other – hockey. In 2008, director Michael McGowan did something similar to enhance Canadian pride, albeit on a much smaller level, when he released his last film, ONE WEEK, a cross country road trip that showed how majestic Canada’s countryside truly is. And so it would stand to reason that combining McGowan’s filmmaking efforts with hockey itself should amount to a film that would resonate in the hearts of Canadians. Instead, SCORE: A HOCKEY MUSICAL reminds everyone why Canada isn’t famous for its movies.

Noah Reid, a homegrown Canadian from Toronto, where the film takes place, plays Farley Gordon, a 17-year-old with enormous hockey potential that has yet to be tapped. Personally, I never saw any of this supposed prowess on screen but his buddies sure think he’s got the goods. He is such an amazing force on the ice that he inspires his teammates to burst into song in celebration. You might think that hockey and musicals don’t really go together but after seeing SCORE, you will actually know for a fact that they don’t. That isn’t fair though. Perhaps if McGowan had bothered really pushing the skills on either the musical or the hockey front, it would have worked. Instead though, he treats us to some barely passable hockey playing, some fairly grating singing and some just plain pathetic attempts at dancing. If a director isn’t going to bother pushing anyone to excel, why should anyone bother showing up for his amateur effort?

Being home-schooled by pacifists (Olivia Newton-John and Marc Jordan, looking more annoyed to be there than I was), Farley has limited experience with team sports and somehow managed to miss that fighting is almost an integral part of playing hockey with a team. Farley must figure out who he is in a world that is pulling him in so many indiscernible directions at once. Unfortunately for him, he has to warble his way through some pretty nauseating lyricism to get there. Fortunately for us, it only takes him ninety minutes to get there. Damn overtime.

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Black Sheep @ TIFF 2010

After three years of trying, I can very happily say that I am bringing Black Sheep Reviews to the Toronto International Film Festival ... officially!  I've been before but only with limited access, my not being an actual member of the accredited press.  Each year, my coverage has gotten wider and this year, with a little help from the great people at Movie Entertainment magazine, Black Sheep will be covering TIFF like never before!  That is to say, I am fully accredited and will be floating in and out of movies from all over the world and interviews with some of the most celebrated filmmakers of my time.  I said a little help before but I wouldn't have this opportunity without Movie Entertainment magazine and I intend to do right by them by covering as much as possible and likely sleeping very little.

Each day of TIFF, I will post two features on Black Sheep Reviews, or at least I'll try to.  First thing in the morning, you can have some TIFF BITS with your morning coffee.  I will let you know what major films are premiering that day, my personal screening suggestions for the day and there will be one full review daily as well.  And if there's anything else exciting happening that day, I will let you know that too.  Then, at the end of the day, assuming I'm still standing, I will post a video diary of what my day was like - what I saw, who I saw, maybe what I ate for lunch.  It won't be fancy and hopefully it will not be a full on disaster.  That feature will be called TIFF'd, inspired by my brother who says nerds add the "'d" to the end of nouns often.  I thought it was cute so I'm rolling with it.  Aren't nerds adorable?  Nerd'd.

That said, I am going to do my best.  If I miss a post here and there, hopefully you will forgive.  I am but one man here.  Speaking of which, check this photo out ...

Here are the Top 10 films I am most excited to catch and cover this year at TIFF:

127 HOURS

Directed by Danny Boyle

Starring James Franco

BIUTIFUL

Directed by Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu

Starring Javier Bardem

BLACK SWAN

Directed by Darren Aronofsky

Starring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis and Vincent Cassel

BLUE VALENTINE

Directed by Derek Cianfrance

Starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams

BURIED

Directed by Rodrigo Cortes

Starring Ryan Reynolds and a Zippo

HEARTBEATS (LES AMOURS IMAGINAIRES)

Directed by Xavier Dolan

Starring Xavier Dolan, Niels Schneider and Monia Chokri

IT'S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY

Directed by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden

Starring Zach Galifianakis

THE KING'S SPEECH

Directed by Tom Hooper

Starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush

NEVER LET ME GO

Directed by Mark Romanek

Starring Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightley

RABBIT HOLE

Directed by John Cameron Mitchell

Starring Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhardt

YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER

Directed by Woody Allen

Starring Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin and Freida Pinto

Did I say 10?  Is that 11?  There are just too many!  I can't limit myself to such small numbers.  I will be screening somewhere between 30 and 40 films in the next 11 days and I've already banked nine or ten before the whole thing even started.  I'm telling you .. I'm going to need to stare at a wall after this is all done for a little while, just to refocus my vision.

I will be tweeting throughout the festival too about anything of interest I overhear or see.  Be sure to follow Black Sheep on Twitter if you aren't already.  Click here to follow.  If you're in the city and enjoyed something you saw, let me know.  Or maybe you want me to ask some hot celebrity a question for you if I happen to be interviewing them.  Just message me!  That said, if you're asking for Ryan Reynolds' phone number, you're dreaming if you think I'm not going to keep it for myself.

And there go my chances of getting an interview with Ryan Reynolds. Nah, that's not true.  I'm interviewing him on Tuesday!!

I hope you enjoy Black Sheep @ TIFF 2010.

I know I will.

For more information on TIFF, visit tiff.net.

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