Vancouver International Film Festival 09Another year of VIFF has come to a close and I couldn't be more content! I caught some of the best features of the year.The Imaginarum of Doctor Parnassus I saw Lost In La Mancha the day before viewing this. Don Quixote would've been one hell of a movie if not for some insane inconveniences. Needless to say, I was in the right mindset for Terry Gilliam's latest (Heath Ledger's last) and if you've heard anything about this movie it's probably about its really trippy storytelling. It is nuts when it needs to be. It's about the importance of stories in an ever-increasingly cynical modern universe. The cast is eccentrically cool and they pull off working around Heath's exeunt without detracting from the story. The quaint dialogues were interesting, but sound dingy. I wonder if the audio work on set was terrible and they were planning on doing ADR but couldn't because Ledger had passed away. His moments in the movie were great and I would've loved to understand a bit more about his character. Things happen so fast by the end, it's too easy to muddle information after Colin Farrell shows up. A Prophet The film I was most excited about seeing. The bloody, powerful acting and life-or-death story reminded me of last year's Gomorrah, an Italian version of Traffic. Instead of interweaving POVs, we're presented with one viewpoint, a low-level Muslim convict, that matures over several years through the ranks of a brutal, Parisian prison gang. There's a lack of a message and I would've loved a coda but otherwise, Un Prophete delivers one of the strongest cinematic journeys of the year. One of the best of 2009! Broken Embraces People unfamiliar with Pedro Almodóvar's work will find this a good film to start with. It's a noirish thriller about filmmaking and has "movie in movie" moments that are hilarious. The mystery unfolds well in the first half and is buoyed by a warm atmosphere and colouful situations. There's uneven stretches between timelines, which is ironic given what it's about, and I would've concentrated more on a key plot point that only becomes clear later. I loved the nods to Almodóvar's earlier movies, even the viewers who didn't "get" them were laughing. Probably the most upbeat ending of the films I saw this week. The White Ribbon Surprisingly, I've seen none of Michael Haneke's films but I have heard they're all mesmerizing. This pre-WWI tale set in a small German village lives up to that expectation. The restrained pace, the lingering shots, the striking Black and White images all add up to an environment that is fascinating and quickly get under your skin. You know something is wrong but you just don't know what. Great at accomplishing more with less, one of my favorites of the year. The Damned United Peter Morgan's career (currently writing the next James Bond) includes well-received movies The Queen and Frost/Nixon, so I couldn't pass up this tale about British football history. The screenplay is formulaic but the cast is top notch. The life of this football manager is pretty well displayed through the energetic Michael Sheen. Where The Wild Things Are It's been a while since I viewed a studio movie about a kid that didn't feel bound by some stifling creative restrictions. The kind of fancy Harry Poter knock-offs that are running rampant. This movie will definitely connect with a lot of people for this reason. The acting by Max Records is damn familiar, and should be for anyone who has been a kid has known someone like this, if not in the mirror. I was amazed by how fast it all went and applaud Spike Jonze's boldness to explore at length through fantastic visuals what makes this kid tick. A beautifully realized adaptation. Ninja Assassin Not exactly festival fare, more a chance to see a ridiculous ninja movie a bit in advance. I liked the flair and its self-aware absurdity. Ninjas knocking governments off for thousands of years. What I didn't like was the Michael Bayhem School of Stylized Edits. Slow down some of those key shots. The audience in the screening was searching for THOSE action moments- the ones where the characters do something BADASS that we can all cheer for. These would often happen in the blink of an eye and from some awkward angle. They took us out of the experience. We want to buy into it, but each time a blurry, onscreen ninja eviscerates an opponent it's the same as stabbing us. I really want to see Paranormal Activity. Anyone had a chance to check that out yet? |
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