Author: Dan Dickinson

"It's your fantasy; I'm Canadian."

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Last night, tired and slightly bummed about our film festival lottery placement, we stayed in and watched a couple of Zip movies:

  • I’m Not Scared (imdb | rotten tomatoes) has been sitting on our shelf for a couple of months, and we finally got around to it. We both really liked it; it was interesting and well told, and the cinematography was amazing…it just cried out for a high-definition TV. Highly recommended.
  • Childstar (imdb | rotten tomatoes) wasn’t quite as good, but it was still a decent 90-minute distraction. I think Don McKellar can just do no wrong for me, and the same pretty much goes for Jennifer Jason Leigh (who, by the way does NOT look 44). A nice little dig at the film industry as well. Not bad.

[tags]i’m not scared, childstar[/tags]

Mediocre modern times

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

I’m not a big fan of the new Bob Dylan disc Modern Times. I certainly seem to be in the minority, and my own brother may disown me, but I only liked 4 of the songs (one of which was a cover). I just can’t get into mellower, jazzier, adult-contemporary-sounding stuff. The bluesy numbers, I’m all over; “Thunder On The Mountain”, “The Levee’s Gonna Break” and “Someday Baby” are great songs, and “Rollin’ And Tumblin'” is an adequate cover, but the rest just doesn’t do anything for me. It’s not bad music; it’s just not something I’d choose to listen to.

[tags]bob dylan, modern times[/tags]

Is that a vampire nun?

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

This post borrows liberally from two sites I pilfered from my brother.

First, after following the link in the weird little strip he designed, I decided to make my own. I suggest you do the same.

Second, this unsettling link from badscience — a site my brother pointed me to — talks about how the UK is changing regulation of homeopathic remedies to allow them to make medical claims without evidence. I’d hate to see Canada make a similar move, for fear that people would equate homeopathic remedies with actual medical treatment. More than they do now, I mean.

[tags]strip generator, badscience, homeopathy, mhra[/tags]

The lower 56

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Of the 82 movies on my “short” list, we could only pick the 26 listed below. Here’s why we didn’t choose the other 56:

My wife didn’t want to see them:

  • A Stone’s Throw
  • Deliver Us From Evil
  • Four Minutes
  • The Island
  • The Wake

They’re coming to theatres in the next couple of months:

  • A Good Year
  • All The King’s Men
  • Babel
  • Bobby
  • Borat Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
  • Catch a Fire
  • Cheech
  • For Your Consideration
  • Shortbus
  • Stranger than Fiction
  • The Fountain
  • The Journals of Knud Rasmussen
  • The Last Kiss
  • The U.S. vs. John Lennon

Schedule conflicts:

  • Amazing Grace
  • After the Wedding

We just didn’t end up choosing them:

  • 7 Ans
  • A Few Days Later…
  • Abeni
  • As the Shadow
  • Away From Her
  • Bamako
  • Black Book
  • Breaking and Entering
  • Cages
  • Cashback
  • Chacun sa nuit
  • Copying Beethoven
  • Dixie Chicks – Shut Up and Sing
  • Fido
  • Griffin & Phoenix
  • Jindabyne
  • Lake of Fire
  • London to Brighton
  • Love and Other Disasters
  • Out Of The Blue
  • Quelques jours en Septembre
  • Seraphim Falls
  • Severance
  • Shame
  • The Book of Revelation
  • The Dog Problem
  • The Last King of Scotland
  • The Last Winter
  • The Namesake
  • Thicker than Water
  • This is England
  • Un Crime
  • Un Dimanche à Kigali
  • When The Levees Broke: A Requiem In Four Acts
  • Zidane: Un Portrait du XXIe Siècle

There were various reasons why we didn’t choose these. Some just lost out to our 26, some — like Away From Her and the Dixie Chicks documentary — were galas that we figured wouldn’t attract the director or any of the cast (which, knowing they’ll be in theatres soon, removes a lot of the attraction). Some — like When The Levees Broke — were just too long.

There were some very tough choices in there, like Cashback, Fido, Lake Of Fire, Out Of The Blue, and especially The Last King Of Scotland. Given all the buzz around that last one I’m afraid it’ll be the hit of the festival and I’ll have passed it up. But, that’s how it goes. Nothing to do now but enjoy the 13 we get and wait for the rest to be released.

[tags]tiff, toronto international film festival[/tags]

The round mound of expound

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

I really, really, really hope we get to see this one. It’s premiering at the film festival.

.:.

I liked Charles Barkley as a player, but I don’t like him all that much as an analyst. I do, however, like him as a political commentator.

Charles Barkley was his usual outspoken self during a recent television interview in which he said, among other things, that he advocates gay marriage, believes Republicans have screwed up the country and is “struggling with my idea of what religion is.”

[tags]death of a president, d.o.a.p., charles barkley, tiff, toronto international film festival[/tags]

12

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

After an aborted attempt to drop off earlier this afternoon (we missed a single yellow highlight), I took the envelope back down to College Park. We’re in box #12.

Crossing fingers………………………………………………………now.

[tags]tiff, toronto international film festival[/tags]

Am I missing the goat? I mean boat?

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

The new Black Keys disc Magic Potion is very good. If you’re a fan of chunky, fuzzy blues/rock, you’ll like this.

I just can’t get into the new Mountain Goats disc Get Lonely. In general, I’m a little hot and cold on the band…actually, that’s not true. I’m more cold than hot. A lot more. This new disc is no different…despite all the love it’s getting, it just all sounds blah and meh to me.

[tags]black keys – magic potion, mountain goats – get lonely[/tags]

Distilled

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

We have winnowed the list of 82 films down to 13 (a friend of ours is taking 2):

  1. Thu Sep 7: The Bothersome Man *or* Requiem
  2. Fri Sep 8: Citizen Duane *or* Chronicle of an Escape
  3. Sat Sep 9: The Wind That Shakes the Barley *or* EMPz 4 Life
  4. Sat Sep 9: Rescue Dawn *or* All the Boys Love Mandy Lane
  5. Sun Sep 10: Candy *or* Retrieval
  6. Sun Sep 10: Kurt Cobain About A Son *or* 2:37
  7. Mon Sep 11: Diggers *or* Blindsight
  8. Mon Sep 11: Little Children *or* Fay Grim
  9. Tue Sep 12: The Half Life of Timofey Berezin *or* 10 Items or Less
  10. Wed Sep 13: The Hottest State *or* Day Night Day Night
  11. Thu Sep 14: The Pleasure of Your Company *or* Snow Cake
  12. Fri Sep 15: D.O.A.P. *or* Penelope
  13. Sat Sep 16: Outsourced *or* Macbeth

Nellie’s filling out the paperwork now. Tomorrow I’ll drop it off and lock my fingers into the “crossed” position.

[tags]tiff, toronto international film festival[/tags]