The fest is over. By the time we left our last movie tonight there were only two screenings left to go. Here, then, is our list of movies, ranked by my rating:

• Kurt Cobain: About A Son (9/10)
• Day Night Day Night (9/10)
• Blindsight (9/10)
• Fay Grim (8.5/10)
• The Wind That Shakes The Barley (8/10)
• Requiem (7.5/10)
• Rescue Dawn (7/10)
• Outsourced (7/10)
• Citizen Duane (6.5/10)
• The Pleasure Of Your Company (6/10)
• The Half Life of Timofey Berezin (5.5/10)
• Diggers (5/10)
• Candy (2/10)

Five of those films I’d classify as excellent and one as shit; the rest range from mildly disappointing to pretty good. Only a handful of them will ever play in wide circulation — probably The Pleasure Of Your Company and maybe The Wind That Shakes The Barley — while the rest will play the indie circuit if at all. Still, if you ever have a chance to see any of the first 10 on this list, I’d recommend it.
[tags]tiff, toronto international film festival[/tags]

So sweet my teeth hurt, Outsourced (tiff | imdb) was our final film of the festival. It was, as T-Bone advertised, cute. Very cute. Funny, in a gee-aren’t-American-and-Indian-cultures-different kind of way, cute, in a holy-shit-the-lead-actress-is-gorgeous kind of way, and pleasant in a no-violence-no-swearing-no-sex kind of way. Except the monkey pulling a turnip.

The film hasn’t been picked up yet, but it probably should be. It’s funnier than most of the stuff that comes through big theatre chains, and it’s clean enough to get a low MPAA rating (and therefore a big audience).

Sweet. Cute. Funny. Pleasant. Clean. I’m not trying to damn this movie with faint praise, it was actually pretty good. Not the edgy art I’d really want to close out the festival, but I normally have no time for this type of movie and I enjoyed it, so…there you go.

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

Last night we saw the twelfth of our thirteen films, The Pleasure Of Your Company (tiff | imdb), a slightly above average romantic comedy. Normally the genre turns me off, but this one was reasonably funny. Completely lowbrow in parts (snot jokes just don’t seem to fit at the festival, and a man eating his stepdaughter’s diaphragm doesn’t belong anywhere), but I have to admit it was nice to laugh again after seeing so many heavy films.

Jason Biggs has this character down to a shlubby science, Isla Fisher is haaaawwwwwwwwwtttt, and the supporting cast was good (except Joe Pantoliano, but it wasn’t his fault; his character was just so out of place), so I’d say this was an ok movie done very well. As far as romantic comedies go, this was a good one, but that’s kinda like being the best remedial student.

[tags]tiff, toronto international film festival, the pleasure of your company[/tags]

Last night we saw film #10, The Half Life of Timofey Berezin (tiff | imdb). We didn’t realize it was the premiere until…well, pretty much everyone associated with the film showed up. Producers, editors, and of course the actors and director. The plot moves in two parallel streams: the titular Berezin, a technician at a secret nuclear facility, becomes fatally irradiated and has only knows he will die within a day or two. Faced with no way to support his wife and son, he steals some Pu-239 and goes to Moscow in the hopes of selling it. The other stream follows an incompetent criminal and his bumbling friends around Moscow, as they basically act like jerks (they run over pets for profit) and try to save their own asses from various crime lords. Eventually their paths cross and the story takes a few turns.

The first stream — watching the amazing Paddy Considine (who played Berezin) and his wife (played by Radha Mitchell) play their delicate game, where he tries to protect her but she obviously understands what’s happening, and where they try to pretend for the sake of their son — was infinitely more interesting than the dumbass-gangster storyline, which kept trying to dip into dark humour but failed. I found myself practically begging the diirector to switch back to Berezin or his wife every time the camera left them. Ultimately I felt like I was watching half a film. It’s too bad; I had really high hopes for this one.

.:.

Tonight, it was #11: Day Night Day Night (tiff | imdb), a welcome return to top-notch festival fare. Granted, this isn’t the kind of movie for everyone; it was definitely of the Dogme 95 genre: one hand-held camera, no music, no special effects, and so on. It was interesting subject matter (I hesitate to say “controversial”, though a mainstream audience would likely label it so), but garnered our respect because it didn’t lapse into easy stereotypes or blow-to-the-head hints.

The form was so bravely stark and well-executed it defies belief that both the director and main actor were first-timers. The tension — and it was very tense at times — was expertly built, the settings were used to perfection (somehow a tiny hotel room seemed the same size as Times Square) and the long, quiet, detailed shots of the main character brushing her teeth, or eating an egg roll, or asking people for change showed us more about her than a movie full of exposition or voiceover could have. The ambiguous ending was perfectly cruel. Or cruelly perfect, I’m not sure.

On the way home my wife pointed out that — barring a huge surprise from our last two films — this is our real festival movie for the year: the one that sneaks up on you, the true art hidden among the red carpet preening and overhyped twaddle. I’m sure some people who watch this film will hate it, but they sure as hell won’t forget it.

[tags]tiff, toronto international film festival, the half life of timofey berezin, day night day night[/tags]

I shall have to make these reviews brief, as I am both tired and stuffed. You’ve been warned.

.:.

We started the day with Diggers (tiff | imdb) at the Cumberland, a light-hearted drama/comedy about New England clam diggers and their small-town goings on. It was a pleasant little movie, neither memorable nor offensive. It did seem like a dreadful waste of such a talented cast (Paul Rudd, Lauren Ambrose, Ron Eldard, Maura Tierney, Josh Hamilton and Ken Marino) though. Not a bad way to start the day, but nothing to set my world on fire either.

.:.

We dashed out of there to get in line for Blindsight (tiff | imdb) and scarf down gooey, sugary treats. The screening started quite late, thus blowing any chance we had of staying for post-film Q&A if we wanted to make it to our third film of the day. Too bad, too; we really wanted to stay around and hear what the “stars” had to say. The documentary was about six Tibetan blind children who, under the guidance of their German teacher and an American mountain climber (both also visually impaired) and some sighted climbers, attempt to ascend a 23,000 foot mountain next to Mt. Everest. The documentary also gets into a bit of the story behind each child; blind children in Tibet are treated as outcasts, as suffering for “transgressions in past lives” as the TIFF synopsis puts it. The story of the children’s paths to the school could be a documentary unto itself, and the life of their teacher — Sabriye Tenberken — could easily be another. Needless to say, the story of the climb was astounding and inspirational, and had the cinematography to match.

After the credits rolled the director called Tenberken and Erik Weihenmayer (the blind American climber) to the front, and the crowd gave them a long standing ovation. At that point we had to leave, which was too bad; one of the six children (named Kyila) was just arriving from Beijing, and arrived at the theatre just moments after we left, I suspect to another standing ovation. I’m sorry we had to miss it.

.:.

But, the show had to go on, so we bolted from the theatre and into a cab. One very speedy ride later and we were in line at the Ryerson for Fay Grim (tiff | imdb). Once we got past the Jeff Goldblum fan funniness, found some seats in the balcony and waited through all the delays that I can only assume were from Jeff Goldblum and Parker Posey being harassed on the red carpet, director Hal Hartley made a few comments and started the show.

First of all, I don’t now why I haven’t heard of Hal hartley before. I think that perhaps he was making intelligent films before I knew what those were, so I hadn’t seen any of his work, including Henry Fool, the prequel to Fay Grim. However, after tonight, I believe I shall be renting a good chunk of his oeuvre. Fay Grim was a blast, a funny, tricky, off-balance (literally; nearly every shot was as crooked as 60s-era Batman) bottle rocket that reminded every one what a genius Parker Posey really is. The only reason I didn’t give the film a 9 or 9.5 out of 10 was because, for the last third or so it took a very slow and serious turn, and so the humour and style of the first two acts disappeared. This was necessary to set up the third film, which Hartley all but guaranteed would eventually come, but it left the film on a bit of a downturn. Still, it was tremendous art.

.:.

Not a bad day at the festival. We’ve now see 9 of our 13 films; tomorrow we have most of the day off to relax. Or, in my case, to get a haircut and submit my final bit of work for this course.

[tags]tiff, toronto international film festival, diggers, blindsight, sabriye tenberken, erik weihenmayer, fay grim[/tags]

We were in line just in front of Jeff Goldblum climbing out of a limo. Some girl, who was obviously a fan, came running frantically from the other side of the line to shake his hand, but instead he grabbed and hugged her while her friend took a picture. A comical picture too, as it looked like her eyes were about to pop from their sockets and fall into her gaping mouth.

Downside: no sign of Parker Posey.

Aside: I love the signs on the Ryerson washroom doors that ask “Are you concerned about this washroom?” Uh, yes, but probably not for the reason you’re asking about…

UPDATE: Parker Posey was there after all. In fact, some guy in the audience asked her out.
[tags]tiff, toronto international film festival, fay grim, jeff goldblum[/tags]

We had to skip out of the post-Blindsight (which was amazing) Q+A to make it to our final screening. A kickass cabbie got us from the Manulife Centre to the end of the Ryerson lineup in under 4 minutes, at rush hour no less. We’re scarfing down a bite to eat as I type this; we’re both starving since all we had to eat for lunch was a Starbucks brownie. Festival diets rock!

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

We just left the screening of Diggers (which was ok, but not great) and scooted over to the Varsity. I’ve plopped myself in the line for Blindsight, which we’re quited excited about. The trouble will be making it from here to Ryerson for Fay Grim. We only have an hour from the end of one to the start of the other, so we’ll either have to skip any Q+A at the former or get crap seats for the latter.

[tags]tiff, toronto international film festival, diggers, blindsight, fay grim[/tags]