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TIFF 07: Gala Presentations
by Stevie Wong
As part of my breakdown of TIFF 07, I thought it would be much easier to give you a quick overview of each film programme by talking about some their highlights.
Easily the most high profile showcase for world or North American premieres, the Gala programme is one of the most popular and hottest tickets around.
With the filmmakers and celebrities presenting these screenings, fans of cinema get to experience being in the presence of their idols. Of all the film festivals I've attended, Toronto definitely creates a wondefully casual interaction between the artist and the public.
Of the diverse list of 20 films, I'm going to be paying extra attention to:
Fugitive Pieces (dir: Jeremy Podeswa) - This Gala Opening film looks extremely touching with Stephen Dillane playing Jakob, a man who is haunted by the memories of his childhood during WWII in order for him to move on with his current life.
Rendition (dir: Gavin Hood) - A political drama featuring Reece Witherspoon as a housewife trying to get her falsely accused Eygptian American husband out of a US detention facility. The fact that Reece is trying something new with this role is definitely worth a look.
Michael Clayton (dir: Tony Gilroy) - George Clooney stars as Michael Clayton, a lawyer who fixes the legal woes of the rich and powerful. When he takes on his latest client, Michael finds himself in a tense potentially life threatening situation that's even he can't help fix.
Eastern Promises (dir: David Cronenberg) - Viggo Mortensen reunites with Cronenberg after their highly successful "A History of Violence" collaboration. Taking a dramatic look at the Russian underworld, the film also stars Naomi Watts as a midwife who finds herself caught in the violent crossfires of this menacing society.
Elizabeth: The Golden Age (dir: Shekhar Kapur) - Just look at this picture of Cate Blanchett! Do you need any more reason to watch the sequel to the film that started her career? I don't.
The Jane Austen Book Club (dir: Robin Swicord) - I'm a sucker for these female empowerment romantic dramedies, but this one actually looks like it might be a smart sassy one to boot!
Across The Universe (dir: Julie Taymor) - My love for the musical is not a secret, but when one is supposedly done in a creative and original way, I tend to get goosebumps from the anticipation of finally watching it. You can probably guess how high this star-crossed romance is on my list of movies to see. Featuring the music of The Beatles, completely reformatted to fit the plot of the film, the countdown begins now!
Cassandra's Dream (dir: Woody Allen) - Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell play brothers in this dark drama about siblings who dream of improving their lives only to find themselves in a sinister situation when an uncle asks them to do an illegal favor. Sounds wonderfully tense don't you think?
Of course there are load of other films in this programme that i'm curious to see (including the latest by acclaimed directors Sir Richard Attenborough, Paul Schrader and even action helmer Renny Harlin).
VIP Access goes to Toronto International Film Festival 07
by Stevie Wong
In two days I will be heading north to the wonderful city of Toronto to attend this years Toronto International Film Festival. Considered to be the biggest film festival in North America, 'TIFF' is also the launching pad for many of the prestige films that hope to claim prizes during the year end award season.
With 349 movies from 55 different countries and 10 days to sort through, I will try my darndest to not only cover the festival, interview as many celebs as possible, but also give you the buzz on which movies you should be keeping an eye out for. Sleep will not be part of my vocab!
Though the festival hasn't even started yet, pre-talk among the press includes movies by Crash director Paul Haggis ("In The Valley Of Elah"), Sean Penn's "Into The Wild" and Canadian cult filmmaker David Cronenberg's "Eastern Promises".
World premieres also include the sequel to Cate Blanchett's Oscar nominated performance as Queen Elizabeth, Reece Witherspoon in the political drama "Rendition" and a musical re-interpreting the songs of The Beatles called "Across The Universe".
Just remember to keep coming back, cause I'll be posting daily interviews with the organizers, meet some movie fans and who knows what else.
Also, if you're curious about some of the movies I'll be seeing, why not check out some of the trailers at the festival site here.
Like I said, it's going to be a busy 10 days for me!
Halloween kills the competition this weekend at #1
by Stevie Wong
Even though it was panned by critics, Rob Zombie's retelling of John Carpenter's classic horror film Halloween raked in a surprising $31 million over the last official weekend of the summer.
Doubling it's original $15 million budget, audiences flocked to check out out the origins of this twisted horror icon.
But if murder wasn't on your list of weekend viewing pleasure, the hilariously painful Superbad continued to bring audiences in at #2 with a tally of $15.6 million. The silly Balls of Fury ping pong-ed a #3 collection of $13.8 million buckaroos. While Bourne Ultimatum ($13.2 million) and Rush Hour 3 ($10.4 million) finished up the Top 5.
With the fall season beginning, studios will begin launching their more prestige adult fare in the coming weeks. But from the looks of what they have in store for next week, you'd think it was just a continuation of summer!
First up is yet another remake of the classic western 3:10 to Yuma starring Christian Bale (Batman) and Russell Crowe (Gladiator). The reviews have been glowing this past week and now I can't wait to see it!
The next is a cheeky blow em up action thriller Shoot em Up starring the unconventional Paul Giamatti (Sideways) going head to head with Clive Owen (King Arthur). For those who love their action funny and loud, this is a must see!
Check out some trailers and goodies of the awesome two contenders for #1 next week after the click.
(Scary) Trailer Park
by Stevie Wong
Boo!
With Halloween just around the corner, movie studios seem to be releasing trailers for their upcoming horror films in order to stem up some scary buzz. Not quite sure if the following work or not, but check them out and decide for yourself!
Saw IV (teaser trailer) (dir: Darren Lynn Bousman) - Jigsaw and friends return with yet another edition of their torturous horror franchise. Four years running, it's not really a Halloween unless this film is around.
The Mist (dir: Frank Darabont) - The 3rd collaboration between acclaimed director Frank Darabont and Stephen King (after The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption), this time it's an adaptation of a short story from the collection Skeleton Crew. I remember reading this story as a kid about a group of people trapped in a supermarket as they are surrounded by a deadly mist. At the time it scared the begeezus out of me. Will this version bring back my fear?
One Missed Call (dir: Eric Valette) - A remake of the now classic J-horror film of the same name, pardon me for noticing, but this version seems like a carbon copy with a bigger budget. Though it also stars Shannyn Sossamon and Edward Burns, so I'm kind of on the fence with this.
