TIFF 2008 Wrap Up : Simon's Yay's and Nay's

Ah, the joy of attending a film festival for 2 days and a half ! The first time I read the line-up for this year's TIFF, I was salivating at the idea of watching so many promising titles. Because I was returning to school on the same week, I could only be in Toronto for a week-end and ended up watching 7 movies. That's right, 7 movies, not even enought to make a top 10. That won't stop me for giving my opinions on each of them and I put them in two obvious categories : the one I liked, the one I didn't.

The Yay's

Eden-Log

I'll agree with everyone else, this science-fiction film was an odd choice for a Midnight Madness screening. Being slow-moving and almost silent, there were many sleepy heads in the crowd. I personnally really enjoyed this film, it is far from being perfect but it has mind-blowing production values and a very involving story. Following the main character, we explore a strange and dark universe filled with mysteries and dangers. The closer he gets to the top, the more we find out about the sometimes confusing truth. Truly hypnotic, the film's major problem is in the acting, anytimes a character opens his mouth, he's so bad it almost breaks the magic.

Pontypool

Who would have thought a zombie movie based on linguistic theories could be so awesome ? Pontypool is easily one of the smartest horror film of the year. Stephen McHatty is fantastic as radio host Grant Mazzy. He gives a nuanced performance and remains hilarious as he slowly falls into paranoïa. The greatest achievement are the script and the mise en scène. Keeping everything in the same setting, the filmmaker manages to keep us scared by leaving the majority of the atrocities up to our imagination. About the theorical aspect, a great genre film usually has a subtext you can ignore fi you're just looking for a good time. Pontypool goes one step further and actually forces you to think about the situation without becoming dull or pretentious. It should get a release on Valentine's Day and if you love horror movies, this will be the perfect date flick.

Tokyo Sonata

It would be easy to class this one as a departure from Kurosawa's past work. The absence of any fantasy elements doesn't stop Tokyo Sonata from exploring themes cherished by the director. The movie could actually take place in the same universe than Bright Future where characters living Tokyo are on an impossible quest for happiness and redemption. The script masterfully builds a web of lies from which no protagonists can escape. But beneath all the desperation lies a powerful sense of hope enlightened by Kurosawa's unique sense of humor. The cinematography is fantastic with well-crafted shots and lightings. The cast is also perfect and, as Kurt said, they will make you cry during an outstanding ending. Beautiful film, the best I've seen at TIFF and one of the year's best.

Chocolate

Funny story, cute actress and impressive choreographies, fans of Ong Bak will get a kick out of this one. Too bad I'm not, Chocolate is a good movie, but it's really not my thing.

The Nay's

Sexykiller

A crowdpleaser I didn't like. The main actress does steal the show by giving a fun performance, but the whole movie tries so hard to be funny it becomes tiresome . The majority of the jokes falls flat and the many references to pop culture are there just to be cool and nothing else. When the film begins its third act, you can't help yourself but think the director didn't have any ideas where his story was going. But ya know, people were laughing in the room, so I might just be in the minority with everyone at ScreenAnarchy who has seen it.

Slumdog Millionnaire

This dud won the People's Choice Award ? Why ? Danny Boyle's new film is so heavy on melodrama I was afraid the screen would collapse. The story might sound good on paper, it certainly doesn't work on the screen. You simply cannot buy all the improbable coincidences going on. There is a limit to what the regular suspension of disbelief can take. To make matter worse, the film is overlong and extremly repetitive, up to a point where it just throw you the same pattern over and over again. Unengaging and boring, this is a major disappointment from a director capable of a lot better.

The Good, The Bad And The Weird

There's a lot to love and a lot to hate in Kim Jee-woon's new film. All the actors are good and the world the film takes place in feeds the audience with lot's of eye candies, thanks to stunning cinematography and setting. The final chase scene is also very impressive, making a good competitor to the one shown in Death Proof. Actually, the film has have the same problem than most of Tarantino's movies. It is technically perfect but it borrows so much from other works you begin to wonder if it's an hommage or an unassumed rip-off. The film drags and conclude on a very predictable ending, making the whole experience rather frustrating.