Movie Moxie Pocast 48: TIFF11, Warrior, Drive & Owned/Unseen Challenge

On this weeks episode of the Movie Moxie Podcast I do a TIFF post-mortem looking at several of the film I caught at the festival and also how I snuck out to see theatrical releases of Warrior and Drive as well as recent DVD releases. I also introduce a new feature on the podcast which is to get through "The Pile" of owned/unseen DVDs by the end of 2011 starting off with the biopic Attila.

0:00 - 1:05 Intro
1:05 - 18:05 TIFF 2011 Post Mortem
18:05 - 25:25 Warrior Review
25:25 - 32:05 Drive Review
32:05 - 45:45 Owned/Unseen intro & Attila Review
45:45 - 52:00 DVD Release Sept 13 & 20, 2011 and Upcoming this week
52:00 - 53:51 Outro

Show Notes:

• Link to all my TIFF 2011 Coverage
• TIFF 2011 Films mentioned: Arirang, Livid, Snowtown, Sleepless Night, The Raid, Tyrannosaur, Wuthering Heights
• I mention Kim Ki-duk's films Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ...and Spring / Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom 3-Iron & The Coast Guard
• I mention the Aussie crime films of Animal Kingdom, Cactus & The Square
• I mention that Iko Uwais did a martial arts demonstration during the screening of The Raid and you can see a video of it here.
• I mention not loving the book of Wuthering Heights, see my review of the here.
• My previous TIFF palette cleansing films have been Quarantine, Whiteout & The Protector
• I mention Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn's films The Pusher Trilogy, Valhalla Rising & Bronson
• I mention my 2011 Owned/Unseen list and my new incentive to get through "The Pile" by the end of the year by podcasting my way through it week to week.
• I've also had Owned/Unseen lists in 2009 (completed!) and 2010 (not so completed).
• I mention my Sword & Sandals marathon in 2010
• See more about Attila at IMDB
• DVD releases for Sept 13, 2011 and Sept 20, 2011
• DVD reviews of En Terrains Connus / Familiar Ground and Meek's Cutoff
• I mention my buddy The Mad Hatter of Matinee.ca

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TIFF 2011 Coverage

I got to see 15 films this year but as always the festival provides countless memories in just 11 days. Let's have a look at the experience from start to finish.

Pre-Festival Coverage
July 27, 2011 - TIFF 2011: Opening Night Film & First Set of Titles
July 27, 2011 - Movie Moxie Podcast 43: TIFF 2011, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 plus One Month of DVD
August 3, 2011 - TIFF 2011: Vanguard & Documentaries Announced
August 4, 2011 - TIFF 2011: Midnight Madness Unveiled!
August 9, 2011 - TIFF 2011: Canadian Titles Unleashed!
August 16, 2011 - TIFF 2011: Galas, Special Presentations, Contemporary World Cinema & Visions Films Announced
August 21, 2011 - Book to Film News: Women in Black Still & Trailer, Book Adaptations at TIFF, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Trailer
August 23, 2011 - Festival Goes Live!
September 8, 2011 - Day 1: TIFF Picks
September 8, 2011 - Movie Moxie Podcast 47: TIFF Picks 2011

Daily Coverage
Day 3 - Saturday September 10, 2011: Vlog, Write Up
Day 4- Sunday September 11, 2011: Vlog, Write Up
Day 5 - Monday September 12, 2011: Vlog, Write Up
Day 6 - Tuesday September 13, 2011: Vlog, Write Up
Day 8 - Thursday September 15, 2011: Vlog, Write Up
Day 9 - Friday September 16, 2011: Vlog, Write Up

Film Reviews
388 Arletta Avenue
Arirang
Extraterrestrial / Extraterrestre
Fable of the Fish / Isda
Headshot / Fon Tok Kuen Fah
i am a good person i am a bad person
Incident, The / 2011 Incident at Sans Asylum
Livid / Livide
Raid, The
Sleepless Night / Nuit blanche
Snowtown
Swirl / Girimunho
Trespass
Tyrannosaur
Wuthering Heights

Polls
Are You Going to TIFF this year?

Post-Festival Coverage
Awards
Wrap-Up

The Toronto International Film Festival 2011 ran from September 8 - 18, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.


Even the chairs are ready for a rest!

TIFF 2011 Wrap Up

The dust has settled and I'm looking back of the experience of this year's TIFF. I saw 15 films this year and had a really high success rate on films to enjoy, appreciate and discover. Many will stay with me forever (Snowtown and Tyrannosaur), many I look forward to seeing again and again (The Raid) and many have been added to the want-to-see-list that I'll have to keep an eye out for as the year goes by. Now let's look at of my favourite moments and films of this year's festival.

Favourite Film: The Raid

Overall Stand out Films: Snowtown, Sleepless Night / Nuit blanche and Tyrannosaur

Best Performances (ladies): Olivia Colman in Tyrannosaur, Cherry Pie Picache in Fable of the Fish / Isda and Simone Jackson in Wuthering Heights

Best Performances (gents): Peter Mullan in Tyrannosaur, Daniel Henshall & Lucas Pittaway in Snowtown, Nopachai Jayanama in Headshot / Fon Tok Kuen Fah, Nick Stahl in 388 Arletta Avenue and Jonny Powell in Wuthering Heights

Arthouse Awesome: i am a good person i am a bad person, Swirl / Girimunho and Headshot / Fon Tok Kuen Fah

Hardest Film to Watch: Snowtown

Biggest Surprize: Extraterrestrial / Extraterrestre not being a science fiction film, but a romantic comedy (and actually was really funny).

They made my cry: I think I was tearless this year.

They made me laugh: Extraterrestrial / Extraterrestre

Standing Ovations: Tyrannosaur

Best Experience: Midnight screening of Sleepless Night / Nuit blanche and daytime screening of The Raid.

Best Q&A's: Extraterrestrial (frantic), Headshot (dry & hilarious) & The Raid (enthusiastic audience)

Weirdest Q&A question: Did you know it would end that way? (Answer: Yes, it was in the script) in the Fable of the Fish Q&A.

Still has me thinking: Snowtown

Most impressive first feature: Paddy Considine's Tyrannosaur

Weirdest reoccurance in the films: Cut up animals. And not just in the Midnight Madness films, in several others as well.

Go Audience: Someone during the screening of The Incident came over to the guy texting in the second row and asked him to turn his phone off, and he did. Thank you guy! The guy who spoke up, not the texter...

Odd collective experiences: I'm surprized the anti-piracy 'Arggggggg!' still has it's hold outs. I wonder if they will always be there. And the sort of less enthusiastic clapping for the volunteer promo, because there isn't a moment where it says 'show appreciation for', which is usually does, but people still clap out of the ritual of habit.

Fullest Screenings: Most screenings were pretty packed, but 388 Arletta Avenue and Trespass were the fullest.

This looks familiar: I oddly ended up almost exclusively in the same theatres: AMC 2 & 7, Ryerson & The Elgin.

Random Learning: If I don't have a ticket, I won't go. I planned on seeing the free screenings of The Story of Film during the week, but even after hearing the screenings weren't full I didn't make it out.

New this year for me: Going to a 'Big Hollywood Movie'! at the festival with Trespass, which confirms it's not worth doing - especially if no one from the film is there. I also snuck out on the festival to see the regular releases of Warrior and Drive (which played at the festival but I saw it in the regular theatre), which felt like cheating on the festival.

Favourite Program: Midnight Madness and Vanguard, and I continue to find great Canadian films in the Contemporary World Cinema program.

Wish I hadn't missed: With only seeing 15 when I normally see 40, there are so many I wished I saw at the festival including The Hunter, Pina, First Position, The Day, You're Next, Lovely Molly, Kill List, Keyhole, Coriolanus, Juan of the Dead, Lena, Undefeated, Doppleganger Paul, UFO in Her Eyes, The Moth Diaries, Sons of Norway and the entire Canada First! program.

Unbelievable Moment: Being literally a few feet away from Indonesian martial artist Iko Uwais as he shared he's moves during the Q&A for the afternoon audience of the screening of the Midnight Madness film The Raid (see video here).

Overall it was quite a different year for me but still got to see a lot of amazing films. The first film I saw was The Raid and from my Day 3 Vlog I thought it would be my favourite and that held true after seeing an additional 14 films. I had lots of learning this year from not sitting super close at Scotia 2 if I want a good view for the Q&A to knowing I won't go to a screening without a hard ticket in hand. I did have a great time, especially watching the Midnight Madness films which most of which I went to daytime screenings of and it might be fun to try and see them all during the day to see what that is like as an experience. Ah, the dust has barely settled and I'm already planning next year's experience....

The Toronto International Film Festival 2011 ran from September 8 - 18, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Poll Results: Are You Going to TIFF 2011?

Results are in and the festival definitely is on most peoples schedule and radar with a whopping 55% answering Yes, It's a Yearly Tradition with most closely followed by 22% saying No, But I Wish I Was. It also sounds like it's either part of your plans for the year are not, with no occasional festivallers by the show of 0% of answers for Yes, I go occasionally.

Here are the results:

55% - Yes, It's a Yearly Tradition
22% - No, But I Wish I Was
14% - Yes, for the first time
7% - No
0% - Yes, I go occasionally

Thanks for voting!

The Toronto International Film Festival 2011 ran from September 8 - 18, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

TIFF 2011: Award Winners

The ballots are tallied and the juries have spoken now the 2011 TIFF Award Winners including People's Choice and Fipresci Prizes have been announced:

The People's Choice Award went to Nadine Labaki’s Where Do We Go Now?
First runner up is Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation and Ken Scott’s Starbuck

The People's Choice for Midnight Madness went to Gareth Evans for The Raid
1st Runner Up: You’re Next
2nd Runner Up: God Bless America

The People's Choice Award for Documentary went to Jon Shenk for The Island President
1st Runner Up: First Position
2nd Runner Up: Pearl Jam Twenty

The Prize of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for Discovery went to Axel Petersén for Avalon

The Prize of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for Special Presentation to Gianni Amelio for The First Man /Le Premier Homme

The Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film went to Nathan Morlando for Edwin Boyd
Special citation to Anne Émond’s Nuit #1

The Award for Best Canadian Feature Film went to Philippe Falardeau for Monsieur Lazhar

The Award for Best Canadian Short Film went to Ian Harnarine for Doubles With Slight Pepper
Honourable mentions: Mathieu Tremblay’s Of events (D'aléas), Ryan Flowers & Lisa Pham’s No Words Came Down.

In a bizarre yearly tradition, I've seen almost none of the award winners, but I'm thrilled to see The Raid win for The People's Choice for Midnight Madness as it was easily my favourite film of the festival.

The Toronto International Film Festival 2011 ran from September 8 - 18, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

TIFF Day 9 - Friday September 16, 2011

As the festival nears the end the schedule gets fuller and fuller of RUSH stickers.

Day 9 at the festival was my last day of seeing films, even though the screenings keep going strong for 11 Days the final weekend can be a bit of a madhouse and the last Sunday still feels too new to me, (I wonder how many years it will take until that wears off), and it doesn't really feel like it can be a day at the festival without a Midnight Madness screening. I actually started the day off a sneaking a non-festival screening of the festival film Drive which just opened and then stayed at Scotiabank to catch the afternoon screening of nail biting thriller The Incident which garnered the infamous honour of having not 1 but 2 fainters during it's midnight screening earlier in the week. Then it was off to meet my sister Jamie who joined me for an evening at The Elgin for a double bill of UK goodness with the formidable Tyrannosaur & then moody Wuthering Heights which may have been the most obvious date-night pick of the evening, and the festival.

Rather watch than read? Check out my Day 9 Vlog.



The Incident / 2011 Incident at Sans Asylum
Dir: Alexandre Courtes
Cast: Rupert Evans, Kenny Doughty, Joseph Kennedy, Dave Legeno, Marcus Garvey, Richard Brake
France

I went to The Incident knowing 2 things: premise of inmates taking over an asylum & the fact that people fainted at the midnight screening. I thought that would have me prepared for the film itself, but I didn't. It was pretty freaking brutal from a violence & gore perspective and I'm curious as to when the fainters fainted as there are lots of over-the-edge moments. The story actually centres itself around the kitchen staff who work together and play together, in a rock band which puts it lovingly set in the late 80's full on with long hair and handlebar moustaches. The shocks and gore weren't the only surprizes, because I was also taken aback that it's a French film but in English and I also felt the characters overly clearly depicted, they felt quite telecasted as to who was which 'type' in general even though there were rumblings below the surfaces. I loved that the name of the asylum was Sans Asylum, and how it's a play on words with 'sans' meaning 'without' in French. It's clever moments and choices like that that made me feel like I must be missing something during moments of confusion of the film. Overall it was pretty freaking brutal on the violence, gore and mayhem which is tied back to the inmates being crazy for reasoning, but it felt like a pretty light tie in unless I missed something. As it was a screening near the end of the festival I was sad to see that there was no Q&A, I would have loved to hear more about the film and some of the choices that might clear up a few confusions I have over the story and characters. If you are into cinema of the extreme, The Incident is definitely one to see as it's disturbingly bone chilling and crunching.




Tyrannosaur
Writer/Dir: Paddy Considine - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Peter Mullan, Olivia Colman, Eddie Marsan, Paul Popplewell, Ned Dennehy
UK

I knew I wanted to see Tyrannosaur from the sheer fact that Peter Mullan was in it, I've loved seeing him in film since True North from TIFF a few years back and always try to see everything he is in from Boy A to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and he delivers time and time again. Add that Eddie Marsan is in this film and it's Paddy Considine's feature film directorial debut and I couldn't get tickets fast enough. I didn't know much about the film going in other than the ominous title and drowning the sorrows image above, and the introduction by Cameron Bailey and writer/director Paddy Considine forewarned a hard ride ahead but I'm actually glad I didn't look too hard at the description and subject matters as I might have given a film this harsh a miss, but it ended up being hands-down one of the best films I saw at the festival this year. The film has lots of harshness in it, from violence to abuse which are subjects that are rather low on my consideration scale when selecting films, but in Tyrannosaur we see them through very human eyes and from an often empathetic perspective which makes it complicated and hard to watch but somehow the harshness is balanced by the films earnest portray and humble characters. There is also a strong sense of disempowerment through the use of violence, which I've rarely seen and was a perspective I strongly appreciated. The performance really drive home the emotional chords at the heart of the film and I was impressed by everyone involved here including both Peter Mullan and Eddie Marsan. I was also impressed by Olivia Colman, who I didn't realized I had even seen before (she plays the female cop in Hot Fuzz) and she is extraordinary here as a religious shopkeeper who reaches out to volatile local (Peter Mullan). Extraordinary. I'd highly recommend Tyrannosaur, it's not always easy to watch but it is worth every minute of the journey. And I'm not the only one that thought so, it was the only film I saw this year at the festival that garnered a well-deserved standing ovation for writer/director Paddy Considine - an amazing feat for his feature film directorial debut. Truly brilliant.


Tyrannosaur writer/director Paddy Considine at the Elgin



Wuthering Heights
Dir: Andrea Arnold (Red Road, Fish Tank)
Cast: Jonny Powell, Simone Jackson, James Howson, Kaya Scodelario, Steve Evets, James Northcote
UK

Wuthering Heights was another film that I knew I wanted to see at the festival, in part because I didn't know if it would get picked up (it has) and also because I actually really didn't enjoy reading the book last year and was looking forward to seeing Andrea Arnold's perspective on the story. The film is beautiful, vast and sparse. The huge landscapes and numerous nature shots give a strong survivalist and cycle of life feel to the film, often pairing images with themes in the story. I enjoyed that take on it and how it used those images often to convey the feelings, emotions and conflicts taking place under the surface. I also was very impressed by the performances of Jonny Powell & Simone Jackson who play the young Heathcliff & Catherine in the film. But, I do feel pretty conflicted on the film so several reason. First off, this really is the story of Heathcliff and not the story of Catherine & Heathcliff, and that choice suprized me especially coming from such a femme-centric director. I can see the allure of his character and wanting to be with him for so long but the odd thing this does is makes the character of Catherine less prominent. I'm still sitting with that one and still putting it to an interesting choice, but an unexpected one. But one choice I can't quite get behind is the choice to have Heathcliff & Catherine played by 2 sets of actors, a younger set for the majority of the film and then an older set as well. I really didn't understand this especially as the younger set do a great job in all aspects (including having great chemistry), and many of the other characters that would age are played by the same actors regardless of the time. I did find I understood that character of Heathcliff a lot better from watching the film, but I didn't always feel like I could follow Catherine's journey - perhaps that's intentional and perhaps we are suppose to feel confusion from the perspective of Heathcliff, and if so I certainly did. Overall, I loved the languid visuals and the chemistry between the young paid and I certainly feel like I understand the story better after seeing this version, but I'm still mystified at some of the choices and the general love for the heart wrenching, difficult love story.


The outside & in of the The Elgin.

The Toronto International Film Festival 2011 runs from September 8 - 18, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

TIFF 2011: Day 9 Vlog

Chatting up all about Day 9 at TIFF which will be my last day at this years festival, and on it I saw The Incident, Tyrannosaur and Wuthering Heights plus a bit of a cheat sneaking out to Nicholas Winding Refn's Drive at it's theatrical release.

The Toronto International Film Festival 2011 runs from September 8 - 18, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

TIFF Day 8 - Thursday September 15, 2011

Day 8 was a bit of an odd day, and my first jaunt this year to both The Elgin & Jackman Hall and it reminds me that although I love the ease of doing a day at AMC or Scotiabank, there is something special about both of those spaces. The Elgin is so beautiful and huge and it's wonderful to be in such a big space and I love the calm that eases over the space of Jackman Hall. In terms of films I couldn't have picked 2 more polar opposite selections of the Big Hollywood Movie choice of Joel Schumacher's Trespass starring Nicolas Cage & Nicole Kidman and the Brazilian film Swirl / Girimunho which was beautifully paced narrative based on the stories and lives of the people who portrayed them in the film. The home invasion thriller and life embracing meditations literally couldn't be more different.

Rather watch than read? Check out my Day 8 Vlog!


Post-Trespass at the beautiful Eglin Theatre, with no Q&A few stayed until the end of the credits

Trespass
Dir: Joel Schumacher (The Lost Boys, Flatliners, Tigerland, Number 23)
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Cam Gigandet, Nicole Kidman, Liana Liberato, Ben Mendelsohn, Dash Mihok, Jordana Spiro
USA

Trespass was one of my experiments in the experiential aspect of the festival. I've never seen a Big Hollywood Movie at the festival before, as they inevitable will be released here in Toronto anyway, but I thought I would give it a shot so I can talk and walk the walk of the talk. The film is a home invasion thriller following a family including diamond-seller Dad (Nicolas Cage), designer/stay at home (wasn't quite sure on that...) Mom (Nicole Kidman) and lightly rebellious daughter (Liana Liberato) and of course some thugs who are in it for the money. It actually ended up being a little better than I expected with some interesting takes on the genre, some great lines and a gorgeous house that it's set in but given the calibre of the actors I would have loved to see more. Much more. Not just Nicolas Cage & Nicole Kidman but also Ben Mendelsohn and Cam Gigandet - I think they are all great actors and wish they had a little more to work with. Sadly my experiment rang true that I didn't need to see it at the festival, it's a glossy home invasion thriller with a good story, good moments, some great lines and it kept my attention. I don't normally like to play the game of 'it was good but, this was better', but there are some films of this ilk that have really stuck with me, in particular The Disappearance of Alice Creed which set the bar extremely high and not much will ever come close to it. I did enjoy seeing Ben Mendelsohn (Animal Kingdom), but it took me a while to place him given the American accent and I'm still trying to figure out where I know Dash Mihok from. In terms of being a thriller and regular film, it's one that I'd likely see eventually but it didn't feel like a festival film. If anyone from the film actually came to the screening, it might have made a different impression on me but it was just the audience who seem to enjoy it well enough but no uproarious moments that I've felt with other films this year.



Swirl / Girimunho
Dir: Helvecio Marins Jr. and Clarissa Campolina
Cast: Maria Sebastiana Martins Álvaro, Maria da Conceição Gomes de Moura, Luciene Soares da Silva, Wanderson Soares da Silva
Brazil

Swirl is a beautiful, meditative Brazilian film that follows the lives of few women in their daily life with it's ups and downs and reflective on not only their lives but their philosophies on life as well. It's a very interesting and unique depiction considering it's a narrative based on the actual lives of the people in it, but then re-created and acted by the people it's about. I loved that extra level of authenticity and it really brings true a sense of welcome and home life of the women who have an interesting take on life and in particular the lead who has a beautiful joie de vivre spirit on all things. It was really lovely to sit down and enjoy this quiet & calm contemplative piece in the middle of the festival frenzy, it was welcome change of pace and beautiful reflective and inspiring vision of life and living.


TIFF Programmer Diana Sanchez with Swirl directors Helvecio Marins Jr. and Clarissa Campolina



The Toronto International Film Festival 2011 runs from September 8 - 18, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

TIFF 2011: Day 8 Vlog

Chatting up all about Day 8 including Trespass screening at The Elgin and Swirl at Jackman Hall which must be the strangest combination I've come up with yet!

The Toronto International Film Festival 2011 runs from September 8 - 18, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

TIFF Day 6 - Tuesday September 13, 2011

Day 6 was my late start, longest and latest day of festivalling this year packing in 4 films over 2 theatres and ending with the awesome that is Midnight Madness. I see a lot of the Midnight Madness films during their repeat screenings during the daytime hours, but I have to go to at least one late-night screening as nothing beats watching extreme films with the craziness of the midnight crowd. It felt only too fitting to pick Sleepless Night this year as it's set throughout a particular late night tromping through a club trying to set a wrong, right. Because I was going to be at the Ryerson late night, I decided to do back-to-back films in the theatre which landed my second last film of the day to be the gritty true crime drama Snowtown, which was amazing, but so very brutal. Before that I checked out a Livid, another selection from the Midnight Madness program and to keep with the working backwards theme I started the day off with the self-reflective/catharsis that was Kim Ki-Duk's Arirang. Pretty gruelling set of films now that I look at them together as a set, I think my next festival day will be a bit lighter. Actually, any festival day might be lighter than that!

Rather watch than read? Check out my Day 6 Vlog!



Arirang
Dir: Kim Ki-Duk (The Coast Guard, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ...and Spring / Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom, 3-Iron)
Cast: Kim Ki-Duk
Documentary
South Korea

I'm a huge fan of Kim Ki-Duk's work, first being introduced to his work with the amazing Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ...and Spring / Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom then 3-Iron and finally The Coast Guard. He brings an amazing sensitivity to very harsh emotional realism in a way that I've never seen before. I'm not a fan of films that just feel painful, but his film manage to portray, discuss and show not only the awfulness of pain but also the effect of it on anyone who is involved. Until hearing about Arirang, I didn't know that during his previous latest film Dream there was a accident during a hanging scene that turned almost fatal and since then he's had director's block. I can't even imagine what that experience would be like for any director, but for this particular director given his understanding of emotions I instantly empathized with the horror and impact it must have made. Usually I don't write long winded introductions to reviews, but with Arirang I think it's very important to have context otherwise you'll just be wondering what the heck is going on as it's a 100% one man show here of Kim Ki-Duk who through creating this film is coming to terms with the experience of what happened and how it's gotten him stuck. It's clear that we are seeing catharsis in process, but the wild thing is that he knows that and calls it out in the film time and again. It even feels overly constructed at times to let us know, that he knows it's a construct. I find seeing process in action interesting and that's very much what we are seeing here: seeing thought process, emotional process and development process as well. I knew it was a film I wanted to see from the moment that I heard of it, and I'm glad I saw it because I believe in Kim Ki-Duk as a director, as an artist and a person and I wanted to bear witness to what he has to say and needed to share about what happened. On a more woowoo level, film is a medium that needs to be seen for it to live and I want his films to live. Being stuck on creating your art is one of the hardest things there is, and therefore making this film is a brave step to get unstuck and for that I salute it. I hope that Arirang helps heal the wounds and sparks the ashy embers of the filmmaking fire I've grown to love over the years.


Livid directors Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury with TIFF Programmer Colin Geddes

Livid / Livide
Dirs: Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo (A L’Interieur / Inside)
Cast: Chloe Coulloud, Jeremy Kapone, Catherine Jacob, Felix Moati, Marie-Claude Pietragalla
France

It feels a little strange to check out Livid before seeing directors Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo's infamous film A L’Interieur / Inside which is continually paired with the term French New Wave of Horror, but that might have worked in my favour as this Livid is completely different being a classically toned gothic horror flick. There are elements of gore and certainly some visceral moments that the audience cheered for, but this film is really got the old school horror vibe going on with a protagonist with an unusual affliction, a group of friends to egg each other on and a fabulous mansion setting rich with deep, dark secrets. I absolutely adored the art director and cinematography (and it was awesome to see it in AMC7 - one of, if not the, largest screens in the city), the film was beautiful to watch and uses the gothic card well. Creepy settings and morbid situations, all with a bit of an aloof attitude that something bad can happen. In the film we follow Lucie (Chloé Coulloud) a trainee for home support for housebound patient that require medical attention, which provides us with the possibility of finding wealth from those seemingly unable to put up any kind of fight. Along with boyfriend and a buddy in tow, the mansion mayhem begins. The mayhem is pretty out there, and I appreciated that the story and it's horrors went in new and creepy places, but sometimes I found the logic of it hard to follow. Questions like sho (or what) was doing what, and why? and where are we in the house now, and how did we get there? kept on popping up in my brain. But when something crazy would happen and I just have that awesome reactionary horror movie experience of UGH!!! creepy!!! While I appreciated the creep factor and give kudos the crazy dance teacher inclusion, I did wish it flowed a little smoother and that the trio of friends characters were more developed, I didn't get a huge sense of their relationships which were filled in pretty quickly but I felt like they should care a little bit more about each other as a staple in the horror world is the reaction to the demise of others. It was gorgeous to watch though, from both perspectives of beauty and of horror and the creepy place where the can become one.


TIFF Programmer Colin Geddes with Snowtown director Justin Kurzel

Snowtown
Dir: Justin Kurzel - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Lucas Pittaway, Daniel Henshall, Louise Harris
Australia

Snowtown was hands-down the hardest film to sit through at the festival this year. It's a true crime film set in Australian in the 90's for murders so horrific and well known that director Justin Kurzel shared that they decided not even to include a 'based on a true story' during the beginning of the film. The film begins with a family of a single mom and her many sons, one of which is Jamie (Lucas Pittaway) who befriend his mom's new boyfriend John (Daniel Henshall) after the family goes through an upsetting experience, but this turns the film on a darker path of power, vengeance and ruthlessness in places we've never seen before. Lucas Pittaway is amazing as Jamie, and I'm even more impressed given the fact that it's his first role. The raw emotions he portrays are almost too much to watch. I felt to much for his character and you just want to someone save him from the situation he is in. It's one of the few films that I just wanted it to end, because I didn't know how much more I could take and that's something that rarely happens to me in film. Perhaps it's because it's a true crime film and through the dramatization you can feel with completely belief that the horrible things that you were seeing happen could happen. It's not just the actual events, which we see nowadays in lots of highly stylized horror films, but it's everything around them. It's the debilitating fear and the hopelessness, the twisted power dynamics and slow building poisonous relationships. It's all horrible, and I believed it. I believed it all. And I didn't want to because it was so horrible that anyone could do the things that were done. A truly harrowing film-viewing experience, but I am thankful for the fact that it's done exceptionally well. The slow build storytelling and fantastic acting from the entire cast which is a formidable feat considering only Daniel Henshall is professional actor. Although it was a hard film to watch, it was also one of the best films I've seen at the festival.


TIFF Programmer Colin Geddes with with Sleepless Night / Nuit blanche director Frederic Jardin and actor Tomer Sisley at Midnight Madness screening

Sleepless Night / Nuit blanche
Dir: Frederic Jardin
Cast: Tomer Sisley, Joey Starr, Julien Boisselier, Laurent Stocker, Birol Ünel, Serge Riaboukine
France/Belgium/Luxembourg

I'm been very excited to see Sleepless Night as any French action film set in club over one night is more than enough to catch my attention. I love club-culture films and the late night feel made it my pick this year to enjoy at the actual Midnight Madness screening and wow, that's really the best way to enjoy it with both the director Frederic Jardin and star Tomer Sisley were at the screening which just makes it all the more fun. As the film began and the credits start to roll over us I see that it's co-written by Nicolas Saada (who wrote & directed a great emotionally driven espionage flick Espion(s) / Spy(ies)), and that was icing on the cake and I nestled into my seat knowing there would be good times ahead. I was sold this one really gets it right as the film builds the club fills until both are just about to burst. In the film we follow Vincent (Tomer Sisley), who isn't perfect by any means, but he isn't overly ruthless either. He's put in a peculiar situation and his desperation drives his purely emotional journey that's amplified by club surroundings as he uses any resource he can to get through the night from being manipulative to subtle to all-out brawling. It's an action flick that keeps the tension high, the action visceral and all the while keeps you mind engaged and the heart of the audience beating from both the tension of the situation but also with hope for the characters in their plight. The frantic energy is held strong throughout which is amazing, continues to generate even more energy in the confined space well past the point where you think things have gone to far, that all options have been tried, and that the club itself can't get any fuller. And the it keeps on, and on, and on. I loved how the film keeps you guessing without even really knowing it, and I adored that the level of emotional resonance is just as high as the tension level and that both are maintained throughout the entire film. Brilliant. I absolutely loved it.

The Toronto International Film Festival 2011 runs from September 8 - 18, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.


The Midnight Madness Crowd gets ready for Sleepless Night

TIFF2011: Day 6 Vlog

Chatting all about Day 6 at TIFF on my longest, latest & official pink pant day of the festival. I chat about Kim Ki-Duk's doc-ish-drama Arirang, classic feeling horror film Livid, brutal but brilliant Australian true crime film Snowtown and the absolutely fantastic Midnight Madness screening of Sleepless Night.

• Other films mentioned include Kim Ki-Duk's films Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ...and Spring / Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom, 3-Iron and The Coast Guard
• And Australian crime films: The Square, Animal Kingdom and Cactus

The Toronto International Film Festival 2011 runs from September 8 - 18, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

TIFF Day 5 - Monday September 12, 2011

Day 5 was a quiet day ending up at just one film. I was initially going to to check out The Story of Film: An Odyssey the 15 hour epic doc which is playing for free at the festival in broken down chunks of 3 hour chunks on the weekday mornings and 2 long hauls on the final weekend, but I just couldn't do it. Not because I didn't want to see the film, I do but because it was free that means no advance tickets and you show up at the day and I had no idea how early to go. I heard some going as early as 2 1/2 hours and that's well... very early. So I copped out. And then I heard it wasn't sold out. Sigh. At least I know I'd always rather have tickets and take a chance at the door. That's how I roll! I also try and roll in a wildcard or two at the festival, and I did that on Day 5 with the 388 Arletta Avenue which fit nicely into my schedule (even though I ditched Story of Film... it still fit!) and was Canadian to boot, and I really enjoyed it. High creep factor, great tension and very engaging. It is playing as part of the Contemporary World Cinema program, which I find is often a great place to find awesome Canadian film. The screening was packed and had a great Q&A, and was one of the only ones I didn't take a video of, as after watching the film it felt too creepy! I do have the intro and will have it up over at the Movie Moxie Facebook Fanpage - I'm a bit behind on the vids as they take so long to upload but it will be worth the wait!

After the screening it was off to the pub for the annual film bloggers pub night and it was great to catch up with friends old & new on their festival experience. A huge highlight of the day was getting to sit down and chat with Melissa Silverstein of Woman and Hollywood and the Athena Film Festival. I've been reading her site for years and she's a continual inspiration. It was a total treat to meet her and chat all about film, the biz & the festival so far.

Rather watch than read? Check out my Day 5 Vlog!



388 Arletta Avenue
Dir: Randall Cole (Real Time)
Cast: Nick Stahl, Mia Kirshner, Devon Sawa
Canada

388 Arletta Avenue was one of my wild card screenings this year at the festival - it fit in my schedule, it's Canadian and that's good enough for me. It's a voyeuristic thriller that literally watches James (Nick Stahl) who honestly seems like a regular guy with a pretty regular life, but as the film goes on you start to wonder about him just as much as you wonder about who is watching him. I loved the wondering aspect of the film, which makes it a very engaging experience for the audience letting our eyes wander all over the screening looking for something to shed more light on him as well as the voyeur. The balance between the two was what really sold the film for me, who were we watching and who was doing the watching. And then as an audience, who are we? Could we be James? Are we the voyeur? Could we be both? Who are they, and how did they get to where they are? The film used the limitations of the fixed viewpoints of the voyeur extremely well, although it's technically a device it didn't feel like that at all. It takes a point of view that's literally one sided and makes it engaging and multidimensional, which is amazing. Although it has the visual style of a found footage film, it has the welcome opportunity to create it's own rhythm and provide an amazingly strong narrative with intriguing characters. I was initially hesitant of Nick Stahl in the lead, even though I've liked his work in the past I've never been wowed before but I was wowed here. He's perfect as James. Absolutely perfect. It's tense, it's unique and it's relatable in all kinds of scary ways. Big kudos to director Randall Cole for bringing a great story to life with fabulous grey characters and bonus points for creeping the audience out by putting us in hot seat.


388 Arletta Avenue director Randall Cole (right)

The Toronto International Film Festival 2011 runs from September 8 - 18, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

TIFF Day 4 - Sunday September 11, 2011

Day 4 of the festival was all Scotiabank 2 for me, which was kind of strange - I often do a day at one theatre location but to it literally to be in the same physical theatre over and over bit of odd, not that I really minded. The only thing is that Scotiabank 2 is now their AVX theatre which has been around I think just less than a year (seeing TRON: Legacy there last year was awesome!), but it means the seats are a bit of a different set up and where I'd normally sit for festival doesn't exist. I picked a new spot, which was great (although close) for the films, but not so great for the Q&A's which they did at the foot of the stairs as opposed to the front of the theatre. I think that works nicer for the majority of the audience though, as it's closer and therefore feels more intimate. Both Q&A's for Day 4 were excellent, although had polar opposite energy were both funny. Extraterrestrial director Nacho Vigalondo was very candid about it being okay to laugh during his film (at the funny bits, of course) and Headshot director Pen-ek Ratanaruang joked with us that he was going to make us wait so that a friend who was delayed could have a chance to arrive.

Rather watch than read? Check out my Day 4 Vlog.


Extraterrestrial director Nacho Vigalondo (centre)

Extraterrestrial / Extraterrestre
Dir: Nacho Vigalondo (Timecrimes)
Cast: Julian Villagran, Michelle Jenner, Raul Cimas, Carlos Areces, Miguel Noguera
Spain

I'll admit that I picked Extraterrestrial / Extraterrestre on title alone, I'm in for anything alien-centric, paranormal, spooky and the like. Only I saw that oodles of my buddies were heading out to it too that the light went on that it's from the director of Timecrimes, Nacho Vigalondo. That kind of freaked me out a I wasn't a fan of Timecrimes, but hey - I'm still up for aliens. Then, as it turns out it's not really about aliens, but a romantic comedy. Oh boy! Not quite my favourite genre, but I'm happy I stuck with it as it was a delightful film with a fun, frisky sense of humour. Although the extraterrestrial content is low, the impact of them on others is really the films focus. We follow a small group of people including the young and beautiful Julia (Michelle Jenner), along with several men who are interested and/or involved with her from the mysterious Julio (Julián Villagrán) to the carelessly imposing Tipo (Miguel Noguera) to watchful Ángel (Carlos Areces). The chemistry between the actors is magic, whether it's playful and flirting or confusing and accusing or even all out antagonizing. That was the true joy of the film, and I enjoyed every minute of it's craziness. I think because the humour comes across so well that fans of either romantic comedies or science fiction will get a kick out of it. I was very happily surprized.


Headshot director Pen-ek Ratanaruang (left)

Headshot / Fon Tok Kuen Fah
Writer/Dir: Pen-ek Ratanaruang (Last Life in the Universe, Ploy, Nymph / Nang Mai
Cast: Nopachai “Peter” Jayanama, Sirin “Cris” Horwang, Chanokporn “Dream” Sayoungkul, Apisit “Joey Boy” Opasaimlikit, Krerkkiat Punpiputt
Thailand/France

Now, Headshot was a little more literal when it came to use of title as in it we follow someone who literally does get shot in the head, and then sees things upside down. The guns alone let you know there is definitely going to be a fair amoungt of crime involved and even though I'm not a huge fan of that I am a huge fan of director Pen-ek Ratanaruang, therefore I'm willing to see anything he does and he really brings the goods in this film yet again. There is an intricate crime drama story woven throughout the film that's paired with the ideas of crime and justice and to an extent good and evil. Could we go as far to say right and wrong? Up and down? Perhaps. But what I love about it is that the film gracefully examines the different philosophies while showcasing them not just through the story and characters but literally through the journey of how Tul sees things, who is forced to shift will his change in point of view. The upside down vision isn't a gimmick and we experience it in different visual ways throughout the film including the brilliant physical performance from Nopachai Jayanama who carries the film. It's a dark look at dark ideas, but I found it fascinating to watch it unfold through an intense and graceful pace. Very well done, fascinating idea and story and huge kudos to actor Nopachai Jayanama for making the audience feel the bizarre experience of what he is going through. I loved it.

The Toronto International Film Festival 2011 runs from September 8 - 18, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

TIFF 2011: Day 4 Vlog

Chatting up all about Day 4 at TIFF which I spent very close to the screen at Scotiabank 2 aka AVX theatre while watching Nacho Vigalondo's Extraterrestrial and Pen-ek Ratanaruarg's Headshot which made for an awesome 2/2 double bill.

The Toronto International Film Festival 2011 runs from September 8 - 18, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

TIFF 2011: Day 3 - Saturday September 10, 2011

Day 3 of the festival was actually my first day attending and what a hell of a way to start things off with a intense Indonesian martial arts film The Raid starring Iko Uwais. Wow. I know it's early in the festival to say it, but I can easily imagine it The Raid being my favourite film of the festival. The afternoon screening was packed with an enthusiastic crowd for the screening as well as a Q&A with director Gareth Huw Evans and actors Iko Uwais & Joe Taslim. During the Q&A there was a giveaway of one of the vests used during actual filming, and what was really cool was that they gave it to the woman who was bold enough to mention that hearing about the choreography was one thing, but seeing it would be better. Proof that asking questions gets results...and you can see a video of the demo here. Thank you question lady! Along with The Raid I also got out to see the Filipino family drama with a magical realism twist Fable of the Fish plus I've also reviewed Ingrid Veninger's i am a good person i am a bad person.

Rather listen than read? Check out my Day 3 Vlog.



The Raid
Dir: Gareth Huw Evans
Cast: Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Doni Alamsyah, Yayan Ruhian, Ray Sahetapy
Indonesia

I absolutely adored The Raid. This Indonesian martial arts film was my most anticipated film of the festival, it was the first film I saw at the festival and I imagine it will be my favourite film from TIFF this year. Usually I'd never say that because it's be so tragic to have to step in later and say retract that prediction, but really, I can't imagine anything even coming close. The film follow and SWAT team who are heading into an apartment complex to take down a drug lord Tama (Ray Sahetapy) who is faithfully guarded by Mad Dog (Yayan Ruhian) and Andi (Doni Alamsyah). The team is led by focused and determined Jaka (played by Joe Taslim) and includes Rama (played by the formidable martial artist Iko Uwais), who is heavily invested in the mission and exceptionally skilled, but interestingly enough is not in a position of power. But one thing Iko Uwais brings to the screen is power in the absolutely astonishing fights throughout the film which showcase an amazing combination of flexibility, power and grace. The Raid features the martial art of Silat, and in the film we see is lots of kicking and hand-to-hand fighting as well as straight-up throwing people around, all while creatively using the confining environment and spaces. There is also a fair amount of weaponry with the action from knives to guns, but the most exciting action was definitely hand-to-hand. The fight sequences and absolutely phenomenal with high tension and high energy. The fights whether long or short are innovated, interesting, well executed and paired by great sound design giving added depth to each and every moment.

Although the action is clearly the highlight, I loved that the film also had a great story with compelling characters. I didn't always know what would happen next, nor what the characters would do or what their motivations were. That was a welcome surprize for an action flick, and works extremely well especially considering they keep the tension level really high, and you are constantly wondering who, or what, will break next. I loved everything about the film, from the fact that it kept me on my toes to it making me care about the characters. And of course provided the most exciting action sequences I've seen in a long time. The Raid is a truly inspiring film. I was floored by exquisite skills of Iko Uwais and the fantastic and continually creative use of the confined spaces and a great story to boot. Kudos to director Gareth Huw Evans from bringing this intensely entertaining film to life. I can't wait to see what these guys get up to next.

You can see Iko Uwais sharing he's moves during the Q&A for the afternoon audience of the screening of the Midnight Madness film The Raid. I'll have more videos up from the Q&A with The Raid director Gareth Huw Evans and actors Iko Uwais & Joe Taslim soon.


Midnight Madness programmer Colin Geddes with The Raid director Gareth Huw Evans and actors Iko Uwais & Joe Taslim (see more pictures from the screening here)

Fable of the Fish / Isda
Dir: Adolfo Borinaga Alix Jr.
Cast: Cherry Pie Picache, Bembol Roco, Anita Linda, Rosanna Roces, Evelyn Vargas
The Philippines

I knew I was going to see Fable of the Fish / Isda the moment I read the description that it revolves around woman who gives birth to a fish. How surprized was I when during the introduction of the film director Adolfo Borinaga Alix Jr. mentioned that the film is inspired but an actual news story from the 80's. Wow. I like how he, and the film, didn't judge or spend to much focus on the believability factor of the story is self, but rather centred it self on the emotions and human drama of the unusual situation. The film actually plays the story pretty straight forward and really stays with Lina, who plays the mother, and her emotional journey. The audiences is treated to a fantastic performance by Cherry Pie Picache as Lina, whom you can really empathize with and feel her love towards her offspring. This is contrasted by her husband Miguel, (Bembol Roco) who is much less accepting and tries to contain his complex emotions of the situation. The miracle of the situations is contrasted even more as it's set within an extremely poor community, which parallels yet another level of survival, family and community.


Fable of the Fish Director Adolfo Borinaga Alix Jr. (centre) and actress Evelyn Vargas (left)


i am a good person / i am a bad person
Dir: Ingrid Veninger (Only, MODRA)
Cast: Ingrid Veninger, Hallie Switzer
Canada

i am a good person / i am a bad person is a shoe in for a pick to see at a film festival because it's uniquely set around a filmmaker taking her film to film festivals with her daughter in tow. Given that directer Ingrid Veninger plays the lead and her daughter Hallie Switzer plays her daughter in the film, you can't help but ponder on how much if anything is autobiographical. But what I love about it is that you think about it from a curiosity perspective but I felt in no way did I need a definitive yes or no on the subject, which is one of the beautifully unique things about Ingrid Veninger films. They bring you in close enough to the characters that you really feel for them plus it makes you think on an emotional level as well as an intellectual level. I've really enjoyed Ingrid Veninger's previous works of Only and MODRA, and I'm happy to i am a good person i am a bad person to the love list with it's beautiful naturalism and quiet emotional intensity. I love how the film can portray the rawness of human emotions without making the audience feel like we've been through the meat grinder, but rather gives us emotional access to the characters through their flaws and fragility. i am a good person / i am a bad person is exactly the type of film that is best seen in a festival environment to fully appreciate the meta-level it exudes. I highly recommend checking it out.



See more pictures and videos over at the Movie Moxie Facebook Fanpage and for as it happens commentary follow me on Twitter.

The Toronto International Film Festival 2011 runs from September 8 - 18, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

TIFF 2011: Day 3 Vlog

In my first vlog of the festival I chat all about Day 3 including the awesome Indonesian martial arts film The Raid starring Iko Uwais, Filipino family drama/magical realism film Fable of the Fish and Ingrid Veninger's i am a good person / i am a bad person.

• Other films I mention include the Indonesian films The Forbidden Door / Pintu terlarang and Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly / Babi buta yang ingin terbang; and Ingrid Veninger's Only and Modra.
• Link to video of Iko Uwais sharing he's moves with the afternoon audience of the screening of the Midnight Madness film The Raid.
• I also mention my Facebook Fanpage (www.facebook.com/moviemoxie), where I'll be posting vlogs & videos throughout the festival as well as here at Movie Moxie, so swing on by and Like Me on Facebook and Follow Movie Moxie on Twitter for live at the fest tweets.

The Toronto International Film Festival 2011 runs from September 8 - 18, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Movie Moxie Podcast 47: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark & Fright Night

This week on the Movie Moxie Podcast Shannon talks all about what she'll be seeing this year at the Toronto International Film Festival plus reviews Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, Fright Night & Creature and as always takes a look at the weeks DVD releases.

0:00 - 0:55 Intro
0:55 - 14:50 TIFF Picks 2011
14:50 - 20:10 Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
20:10 27:15 Fright Night
27:15 - 31:45 Creature
31:45 - 35:30 DVD Releases Sept 6 2011
35:30 - 39:05 What's Out This Week & Upcoming on the Podcast
39:05 - 40:01 Outro

Show Notes

• See list of all my TIFF picks this year
• Reviews of films mentioned: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, Small Town Murder Songs, Hanna, The Good Heart and X-Men: First Class
• DVD releases for Sept 6, 2011
• I mention my Twilight Podcast Before the Dawn, and on September 12, 2011 Marina & I will have a spoiler-y Fright Night discussion up
• I mention my 2011 Owned/Unseen Challenge

You can also subscribe to the Movie Moxie Podcast here:
Subscribe through iTunes here.

I'm taking next week off for the podcast during TIFF but I'll be back the week after with lots of festival goodness and hopefully reviews of Warrior & Drive.

TIFF 2011: Day 1

Ah, Day 1! The late-starting day, the fresh crispness of the festival around town and accompanying newness of everyone finding their feet around each of the venues. It's quite a frenzy too, as it's one of the few times during there festival where almost everyone wants to start right NOW! but there usually just a few choices for screenings on opening night. My pick would definitely be The Raid which opens the Midnight Madness program, because an Indonesia martial arts film sounds like an awesome way to kick start the fest!

I'm actually kick starting my festival experience this year not today but on Saturday, and going for a shorter burst of festivalling in the middle of the festival and will pack in my 14-ish films to that time. Out of those 14, a whopping 4 are from the Midnight Madness program and I'm totally excited to see not only The Raid, but also the gothic-y Livid, crazed looking The Incident and super-excited for the Sleepless Night / Nuit blanche because anything that has club culture has me hooked and it looks totally slick. Wow, lots of confined spaces this year! That adds to the creep and frantic factor. I like that.

The remaining films are split pretty evenly across programs with 2 Vanguard, 2 Visions, 2 Special Presentations, 2 Real to Reel, 2 Contemporary World Cinemas and 1 Gala. I often went with directors I love like Pen-ek Ratanaruang's Headshot and Kim Ki-Duk's Arirang; and also with actors I love, in particular Tyrannosaur, which stars both Peter Mullan & Eddie Marsan... I can't wait for that. I also have a few subject matter like dancing in Swirl / Girimunho or the paranormal in Extraterrestrial. Overall my selection includes a lot of dark films, including Andrea Arnold's Wuthering Heights and the Australian film Snowtown, both of which feel pretty gritty. I think the only light pick I have this year is Fable of the Fish, a Filipino film about a woman who gives birth to a fish. Yeah. That's my light pick!

I always try and do something new each year, from checking out a film from a country I've never seen a film from before or going to a new venue, or even a new program. This year I did something I never do (because that's the point...) and picked big Hollywood film with the Gala pick of Joel Schumacher's Trespass starring Nicholas Cage, Nicole Kidman and Cam Gigandet. I have no idea what that will be like, but it will be a new experience! It's also the only American film I'm seeing at the festival, which isn't a never-done-before, but is pretty rare.

The one film I didn't get that I really wanted to see was the Australian film The Hunter, which went Off Sale just as I was purchasing my tickets. The film is based on the book by Julia Leigh and the film version starring Willem Dafoe as a mercenary in search of an extinct animal. I read the book early in the year as a possible Book to Film Club selection, but wasn't sure if we'd see it get released here and now I'm a little glum to missing the opportunity to see here. But there always seems to be one film each there that gets away, that's as much a part of the festival as anything else! I'm sure there will be many amazing films and unforgettable experiences thsi year as well.

It was a real challenge to only pick 14 this year, but I think I will fill up some time by checking out the epic 15-hour doc The Story of Film: An Odyssey that's screening for free and in parts. I have no idea how early to go for that one though, I think I'll head out early & bring a good book!

Be sure to come on back and check Movie Moxie for lots of coverage throughout the festival for reviews, pictures and likely vlogs too. Going to try something new, and hoping it will work! Fingers crossed! You can also find me on Twitter & Facebook where I’ll be happy to share excitement during the entire TIFF experiences.

Movie Moxie's TIFF 2011 List:

388 Arletta Avenue
Dir: Randall Cole (Real Time)
Cast: Nick Stahl, Mia Kirshner, Devon Sawa
Canada

Arirang
Dir: Kim Ki-Duk (The Coast Guard, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring, 3-Iron)
Cast: Kim Ki-Duk
Documentary
South Korea

Extraterrestrial / Extraterrestre
Dir: Nacho Vigalondo (Timecrimes)
Cast: Julian Villagran, Michelle Jenner, Raul Cimas, Carlos Areces, Miguel Noguera
Spain

Fable of the Fish / Isda
Dir: Adolfo Borinaga Alix Jr.
Cast: Cherry Pie Picache, Bembol Roco, Anita Linda, Rosanna Roces, Evelyn Vargas
The Philippines

Headshot / Fon Tok Kuen Fah
Writer/Dir: Pen-ek Ratanaruang (Last Life in the Universe, Ploy, Nymph)
Cast: Nopachai “Peter” Jayanama, Sirin “Cris” Horwang, Chanokporn “Dream” Sayoungkul, Apisit “Joey Boy” Opasaimlikit, Krerkkiat Punpiputt
Thailand/France

The Incident / 2011 Incident at Sans Asylum
Dir: Alexandre Courtes
Cast: Rupert Evans, Kenny Doughty, Joseph Kennedy, Dave Legeno, Marcus Garvey, Richard Brake
France

Livid / Livide
Dirs: Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo (A L’Interieur / Inside)
Cast: Chloe Coulloud, Jeremy Kapone, Catherine Jacob, Felix Moati, Marie-Claude Pietragalla
France

The Raid
Dir: Gareth Huw Evans
Cast: Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim
Indonesia

Sleepless Night / Nuit blanche
Dir: Frederic Jardin
Cast: Tomer Sisley, Joey Starr, Julien Boisselier, Laurent Stocker, Birol Ünel
France/Belgium/Luxembourg

Snowtown
Dir: Justin Kurzel - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Lucas Pittaway, Daniel Henshall, Louise Harris
Australia

Swirl / Girimunho
Dir: Helvecio Marins Jr. Clarissa Campolina
Cast: Maria Sebastiana Martins Álvaro, Maria da Conceição Gomes de Moura, Luciene Soares da Silva, Wanderson Soares da Silva
Brazil

Trespass
Dir: Joel Schumacher (The Lost Boys, Flatliners, Tigerland, Number 23)
Cast: Nicholas Cage, Cam Gigandet, Nicole Kidman, Liana Liberato, Ben Mendelsohn
USA

Tyrannosaur
Writer/Dir: Paddy Considine - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Peter Mullan, Olivia Colman, Eddie Marsan, Paul Popplewell, Ned Dennehy
UK

Wuthering Heights
Dir: Andrea Arnold (Red Road, Fish Tank)
Cast: James Howson, Kaya Scodelario, Steve Evets
UK

The Story of Film: An Odyssey
Dir: Mark Cousins
Documentary
UK

The Toronto International Film Festival 2011 runs from September 8 - 18, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

TIFF 2011: Festival Schedule Goes Live Today

I've said it before and I'll say it again, planning your TIFF experience all comes down to The Schedule and today is the day it goes live. I often have weighted lists of to see films and cross checked lists to try and get a balanced approach to touch on all the bases, themes, and must see films that I want to pack into each year. And then the schedule comes out and all the planning can fall into place - or you could have your top 3 must see films only play in conflict with one another.



That's when you put on your creativity cap and get to planning. I'm a pen & paper person myself (or more specifically graph paper, pencil and highlighters...), but I know people that have had great success using online tools as well. Know what works for you. That is the most important thing for scheduling as well as enjoying the festival: Know what works for you.



Want to see the stars? Your best chance to see them at an intro or Q&A is at the first screening, especially if the film is a World or International premiere. The list of guests has arrived (PDF Link) an it is full, full, full to the brim with people I'm sure we'd all love to see.



If you like Q&A's, give yourself time between screenings Often screenings will have Q&A's after the film, so give yourself a little extra time if you want to stay. Filmmakers and actors come from all over the world to show and share their films, so honour the opportunity to hear what they have to say. And, why not even ask a question if you're feeling brave!



Are you a completist? Join in the ranks of the Midnight Madness crowd and go to all the screenings in the programme, or pick another programme, country or even an actor and make your own completist experience by seeing as much as or all of those films at the festival that fit your own theme.



Like suprizes? Have someone else pick the films for you. Wow, that seems rather radical, I can't imagine doing it myself but you never know what treasure you may find.



Like meeting people? The lines at TIFF are a great way to connect with fellow films fans from Toronto and aboard. Be friendly and see what happens!



Know your pace If you know seeing 3 films is your max, work with that number as your base, if you can tack another one in that's a must see, try it but don't continually push your limits. or 11 days we'll be pushing a lot of limits, so choose wisely which ones to give into and which ones to let go. I know I'll happily sit through 6 screenings in a row, but it's not for everyone.



Know what works for you. Think of previous years, and which have been the screenings and experiences that you cherish the most. What was it that made it so special? Can you make that happen again? I sure hope so!



The Festival’s Official Film Schedule comes out today online but if you are more of a paper person it's available at The Festival Box Office at 225 King Street West (see hours & box office info here). Or if you have the patience to wait a few days check the Thursday August 25, 2011 issue of The Grid (formerly Eye) or the Thursday August 25, 2011 edition of Toronto Star for a 24 page section on TIFF including a full film schedule.



The Toronto International Film Festival 2011 runs from September 8 - 18, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Book to Film News: Women in Black Still & Trailer, Book Adaptations at TIFF, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Trailer

Image: Daniel Radcliffe in The Woman in Black



Book to Film Selection The Woman in Black: Image, Trailer & Release Date



I love this image release for the upcoming film The Woman in Black. The films is a supernatural thriller follows a young lawyer who goes to small town which has a menacing spectre and stars Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter series), Ciarán Hinds (The Eclipse) and Janet McTeer, directed by James Watkins (Eden Lake). The Woman in Black is part of the Movie Moxie Book to Film Club, and we will be reading the book by Susan Hill in the near future, and the film will be released on February 3, 2012. See more information about the film at the Official Website & Facebook Fanpage.



Woman in Black Official Teaser Trail:





Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - Trailer Released!



Trailer popped up for this espionage story set during cold war and following George Smiley an intelligence expert pulled out semi-retirement. Film stars Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Ciarán Hinds (The Eclipse), directed by Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In / Låt den rätte komma in) and is based on the novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré. This one almost made this years book to film club but we didn't hear a release date until very recently - too bad as it would have been great timing for it's November 18, 2011 (North American), September 16, 2011 (UK) releases.







More Book to Film Goodness Among New TIFF 2011 Titles

TIFF announced lots and lots of titles earlier in the week from Cuban zombies to Japanese monster flick, but these book to film adaptations were the ones that popped out of the mix to me:

• Wuthering Heights from director Andrea Arnold (Red Road, Fish Tank) starring Kaya Scodelario and James Howson. I read the book last year and found it a challenge but I'm very curious to see the adaptation.
• Killer Elite, will have it's World Premiere at TIFF, it's an action flick starring Jason Statham, Clive Owen, Yvonne Strahovski, Robert De Niro and Dominic Purcell directed by Gary McKendr. The film is an adaptation of The Feather Men by Sir Ranulph Fiennes and is centred on assassinations of members of the SAS an there iscontroversy over the 'based on true events' aspect of the novel it is noted here as "based on a true story". Regular release date for The Killer Elite is September 23, 2011
• The First Man, an adaptation of Albert Camus' autobiographical novel with from director Gianni Amelio.

One Day in Theatres From August 19, 2011



And of course we have one of our August Book to Film Club Films in theatres this weekend with One Day. I've pulled together some questions to ponder for book to film clubbers here, and I'm still in pondering the film myself, mostly in how much I liked it and felt it kept true to the book. You can share your thoughts on it here.



Love Book to Film Adaptations?



It's never to late to join the Book to Film Club! We are currently reading The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and will be watching it next when it hits theatres in October 2011. Our Fall reading & watching schedule will be announced this week. Check back here or sign up for updates here.