Yesterday we chatted about Midnight & Vanguard and the day previous it was Galas & Special Presentations. Today our preview of the Toronto International Film Fest 2014 marches on with some picks in the Contemporary World Cinema and TIFF Docs sections courtesy of Kurt Halfyard and Jason Gorber.
Kill Me Three Times
One of two Simon Pegg starring vehicles, and I suspect that this one is the better one if the mustache and James Bond wardrobe is any indication. Set in an Australian surfing town, the film has three different stories all connected together in a nonlinear narrative. Alice Braga, Luke Hemsworth and Bryan Brown also star. -Kurt Halfyard
Contemporary World Cinema
The Look of Silence
A few years on and Joshua Oppenheimer's The Act of Killing remains, as I dubbed it back in 2012, "one of this decade's most important and most harrowing documentaries," and "a shattering take on the nature of evil." Oppenheimer's follow up film finds a family who viewed the first film confronting the documentary subjects who murdered their son. Sure to be a metatextual plunge into some very uncomfortable truths, if this film is half of what the original one was, then we're once again in for something truly extraordinary. -Jason Gorber
TIFF Docs
Out of Nature
TIFF Rule #86: Never miss Norwegian comedies. Here an neurotic urban man goes for a jog in the country and gets lost, a situation that may or may not provide an opportunity to deal with all of his issues. -Kurt Halfyard
Contemporary World Cinema
The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness
With the recent announcement just a few weeks ago that Studio Ghibli is halting future productions due to the retirement of its principle talent, Miyazaki Hayao, this seems a perfect time to delve into the inner sanctum of this famed animation powerhouse. While we can hope for more than simply a PR piece, Sunada Mami's film will surely sate the many fans of the likes of Spirited Away, My neighbor Totoro and Princess Mononoke. -Jason Gorber
TIFF Docs
The Price We Pay
An exciting and provocative film about tax reform and off shore accounting? Leave it to The Corporation's Harold Crooks to provide a balanced yet provocative take on the highest echelons of our global economic systems. Tying the machinations of money to quirks of London's history and a Calgarian with a mission to avoid paying tax, this film is anything but dreary, and does a remarkable job at both having a point of view and giving voice to those that do not agree. -Jason Gorber
TIFF Docs
Cut Snake
Tony Ayres has made a name for himself in Australia producing Television and directing both documentary and fiction feature films. Here he tries his hand with a nourish thriller that seems play in the same space as A History of Violence -Kurt Halfyard
Contemporary World Cinema
Who Am I
This German hacker-thriller featuring a thumping soundtrack from Boys Noize from the director of The Slience, Baran bo Odar promises a lurid descent into crime and anarchy. -Kurt Halfyard
Contemporary World Cinema
The Dark Horse
Nothing at all like Todd Solondz’s film of a similar name (minus the preposition) from a few years ago. This New Zealand biopic of speed chess master Genesis Potini gives a big juicy starring role for prolific character actor Cliff Curtis, who got his start with Kiwi classic We Were Warriors. -Kurt Halfyard
Contemporary World Cinema
Roger Waters - The Wall
After hours and hours of subtitles and dreariness, why not kick back for a rockin' tale of fascism, drug addiction, and the horrors of popular entertainment? I've yet to see Waters in the flesh (seeing his former bandmates in the 90s was a treat I won't soon forget), but this IMAX presentation of his fourth best record will be a welcome respite. Despite the serious pedagogy behind a number of magnificent film entries this year, sometimes you simply don't need no education, and while I'll be saying goodbye to blue skies for the days of the fest, it'll be nice to kick back and remain comfortably numb watching and not caring if there's anybody out there. - Jason Gorber
TIFF Docs
The Lesson
Kristina Grozeva’s bleak slice of Bulgarian cinema has a woman being squeezed by money lenders to pay a debt and prevent the foreclosure of her house, while also dealing with the theft of a smaller amount of money in her classroom. -Kurt Halfyard
Contemporary World Cinema
Monsoon
A film about a big rain storm? More a love letter to a sub continent. Sturla Gunnarsson has crafted a beautiful portrayal of this seasonal deluge and its effect on almost the entire Indian populace. From farcical bureaucracy to the helpless gaze of the newly homeless, this is far more than a mere postcard from an exotic land, it's a penetrating and insightful look into the people and culture of India who are connected in part by a massive meteorological conflagration. -Jason Gorber
TIFF Docs
Still The Water
Naomi Kawase’s gorgeous looking teenage drama is shot on the island of Amami-Oshima, right after a Typhoon. It promises to be one of the most beautiful looking films of the festival. -Kurt Halfyard
Contemporary World Cinema
Red Army
I saw this (and loved it) already in Cannes, but cannot wait for a Canadian crowd to take in this film about Soviet-era hockey. Gabe Polsky's film is superb, detailing not only a quirky period of sports history, but also how it relates to the contemporary Russian political elite. Timely and timeless, this is a doc that might easily be dismissed as a mere frivolity, but under the veneer of a surreal interview, some remarkable historical and political stories are documented in a quite sublime way. -Jason Gorber
TIFF Docs
Sunshine Superman
Marah Strauch takes us on a wild ride in her feature debut docu about BASE jumping pioneer Carl Boenish. -Ryland Aldrich
TIFF Docs
The Grump
This Finnish fish out of water drama, based on the popular novel from Tuomas Kyrö, has a rural octogenarian farmer (Antti Litja) move in with his son in the city. Expect the film to be dark, and with a bone-dry sense of humour .-Kurt Halfyard
Contemporary World Cinema