parabola.ca

My schedule is mostly finalized, with just a small number of gaps to fill in after the advanced order process. We ended up in Box 27, and the lottery pulled #9 of 39, so we were at least in the first half. Including the tickets ordered for Sakina, I think I ended up [...]

Here’s my pretty-much-final schedule for TIFF 2010; a couple of tentative titles are highlighted in a different color. Be sure to navigate to the next week, where it gets really busy!

You can read a breakdown about (most of) my choices here.

Just a quick note to kick things off for this year’s fest. I have a draft schedule nearly done, which you can view here; so far I’ve slotted in 28 out of 30 films. Yes, I’m only going with the ‘lite’ Festival Pass this year. Since the second Thursday evening (U2 concert) [...]

Films seen Saturday, September 13th …

The Wrestler
While maybe not offering up anything as stunning or innovative as his earlier work, the latest from Darren Aronofsky is a very solid and enjoyable film. You get really invested in Mickey Rourke’s character, and despite his obvious failings you want to root for him. A sad, touching, [...]

Films seen Friday, September 12th …

Martyrs
Gory, disturbing, and thoroughly messed up … as advertised. But it was entertaining from the get-go.
7/10

Tokyo Sonata
I’m still having a hard time judging this one. It was an interesting story of dysfunctional family members dealing with their own issues, but something seemed off with how the story turns [...]

Films seen Thursday, September 11th …

Gomorrah
Explores the many reaches of an organized crime syndicate. The film was engaging, but there wasn’t much of an overall plot … just a bunch of stuff that happened, albeit often violent and tragic and worth the viewing.
6/10

The Brothers Bloom
A fun movie, but mostly memorable for the excellent cast [...]

Films seen Wednesday, September 10th …

Ashes of Time Redux
Not the film to see when you’re sleepy and can’t pay attention. I couldn’t keep track of who the brothers and sisters were, or the romantic connections. Nodding off here and there, I completely lots track of the story. Will have to re-evaluate this [...]

Films seen Tuesday, September 9th …

Maman est chez le coiffeur
Completed my trifecta of French-Canadian coming of age stories set in the 60s, each with different approaches and styles. This one was more family-focused and grounded/realistic, but not without many moments of humor. The three children of the film’s family each had their own issues to [...]

I’m pretty behind on these recaps as there just hasn’t been much down time to tackle them. So what I’m going to do is cut down a bit on the comments to just some essential notes; the longer I go without writing something then the more likely it is I’ll forgot what I watched!

Films seen [...]

Films seen Sunday, September 7th …

Lost Song
A sad and moving story of a family adjusting to life with a newborn baby and living away from the urban environment they are accustomed to. This was a late addition to my schedule; I had the slot open and I saw a few very good reviews for this [...]

Films seen Saturday, September 6th …

Edison & Leo
This is my biggest disappointment so far. The film is much more lighthearted than I anticipated and the character animation was poor to the extent of distracting. I can understand that in the tedious world of stop-motion that human mouths must be a real chore; it [...]