Advertisement

Movies & TV

Festival Daily Reviews — Tuesday, September 12th

THE 25TH TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, September 7-16, various theatres around midtown Toronto. Box office/ticket information (416) 968-3456. Rating: NNNNN


SCARLET DIVA
DISC D: Asia Argento w/ Argento. Italy. 91 mins. Tuesday, September 12, 6:00 pm VARSITY 8 Thursday, September 14, noon UPTOWN 2 Rating: NNN

When you’ve sat on Daddy’s knee while he made Suspiria, when you’ve lurked on the set of Demons and starred in The Stendhal Syndrome (among the many films he exposed you in), it’s no surprise that a) you’d write and direct your own film b) it would be a thinly veiled autobiography and c) you’d pull off its Euro-centric cliche-hanging set-pieces with great aplomb. Asia Argento can act as good as she looks. And she’s so convincing as someone (we imagine) just like herself that we buy it, trash and all. PE

DR. T AND THE WOMEN
GALA D: Robert Altman w/ Richard Gere, Helen Hunt, Kate Hudson, Liv Tyler. U.S. 125 mins. Tuesday, September 12, 6:30 pm ROY THOMSON HALL Wednesday, September 13, 9:30 am UPTOWN 1 Rating: NNN

Gere stars as a Dallas gynecologist who attracts a maelstrom of insecure women, all of them apparently crazy but mostly just Texan — loud, funny and ultimately tiresome, which is not a bad description of the film itself. His wife’s in the bin, his oldest daughter’s getting married and his head nurse is in love with him. Good in parts, and featuring a supporting cast that includes Farrah Fawcett, Laura Dern, Janine Turner and Shelley Long, Dr. T. And The Women is a minor work from a major director, in the manner of A Wedding. It’s fun when the characters are caught up in a relentless swirl of activity, less so when it sinks into contemplation of Dr. T.’s lot. Gere, however, is very good. JH

TWO FAMILY HOUSE
CWC D: Raymond De Felitta w/ Michael Rispoli, Kelly MacDonald, Katherine Narducci. U.S. 104 mins. Tuesday, September 12, 6:30 pm UPTOWN 1 Thursday, September 14, 3:00 pm UPTOWN 2 Rating: NNN

De Felitta made this film as a loving tribute to his Uncle Buddy, a Staten Island dreamer who redeems himself after a string of failed schemes by caring for a young mother (Trainspotting’s MacDonald) ostracized by his wife and neighbours. Set in the 1950s, this old-fashioned morality tale keeps itself afloat with light comedy and a live-and-let-live attitude. The cast, half of whom are regulars on The Sopranos, fit into the period and milieu. It’s not deep, but it is noble.
KL

HARRY, UN AMI QUI VOUS VEUT DU BIEN
CWC D: Dominik Moll w/ Sergi Lopez, Laurent Lucas, Mathilde Seigner, Sophie Guillemin. France. 117 mins. Tuesday, September 12, 9:00 pm UPTOWN 2 Thursday, September 14, 4:00 pm UPTOWN 3 Rating: NNNN

NDominik Moll is worth keeping an eye on. The narratively challenged landscape of French cinema needs him badly. Harry, his second feature — which seduced Cannes audiences but was undeservedly ignored by the jury — is a wicked mix of malaise and delight. A couple on the verge of crisis, with two exasperating kids in the back seat, go on a hot drive to the summer house. Out of the blue (or, more specifically, in the washroom of a gas station) comes the outstretched hand, the caring smile, of old forgotten friend Harry. For sure, he is a little weird, but the prospect of relief quickly outweighs the unease, so they invite him and his plump girlfriend into their little life. Moll is a wonderful manipulator of emotions, dexterously leading us from laughter to uncomfortable smile, from underlying anxiety to outright fear. Dangerously pleasurable. JC

WHAT ABOUT ME: THE RISE OF THE NIHILIST SPASM BAND
PC D: Zev Asher. Documentary. 79 mins. Tuesday, September 12, 9:15 pm ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM Thursday, September 14, 6:15 pm VARSITY 7 Rating: NNN

Back in 1965 when these fellows started banging their instruments every Monday night in London, Ontario, being called a “noise band” was an accusation, not a label. They now show no signs of either slowing down or playing in tune. One looks like Alec Guinness in a fedora, which doesn’t prepare you for the sight of his roach and snake collections. This cheerful documentary spends too much time on the group’s Japanese tour and not enough on what their families think, but it wisely keeps the concert footage to a minimum. The band is delightful as a concept just don’t make me actually listen to them. KL

IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE
GALA D: Wong Kar-wai w/ Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung. Hong Kong/China. 98 mins. Tuesday, September 12, 9:30 pm ROY THOMSON HALL Wednesday, September 13, 1:30 pm VARSITY 8 Rating: NNNN

Wong Kar-wai’s sublime and enigmatic companion piece to Days Of Being Wild is a gorgeous and elliptical look at the consequences of an affair in 60s Hong Kong. Leung (best actor at Cannes) and the sizzlingly coiffed Maggie Cheung both play double roles — the cheater and the cheated upon. Even though they appear to be backing away one moment, they may be indulging the next. Dazzling stylistic effects. PE

EISENSTEIN
CWC D: Renny Bartlett Simon McBurney. Germany/Canada. 98 minutes Tuesday, September 12, 9:30 pm CUMBERLAND 2 Friday, September 15, 4:45 pm CUMBERLAND 2 Rating: NNN

Serendipitously, this pointillist biopic about the iconic Russian master is showing within days of the Alexander Nevsky screening at RT Hall, with Prokofiev’s score played live by the TSO. McBurney embodies Eisenstein as an antic creative zealot who masters theatre, picks up a camera and produces Strike! as if in a whirlwind. The more one knows about Eisenstein’s films, the more they are appreciated. Bartlett makes intelligent choices about which Eisenstein bauble to display, setting it all within the fabric of repressed sexuality and the killing weight of Stalinist bureaucracy. PE

POSSIBLE WORLDS
SPEC D: Robert Lepage w/ Tom McCamus, Tilda Swinton. Canada. 95 mins. Tuesday, September 12, 9:45 pm VISA SCREENING ROOM (ELGIN) Thursday, September 14, 3:00 pm VARSITY 8 Rating: NN

A missing brain, a mad scientist, alternate realities, star-crossed lovers — with such hot ingredients, why is this film half-baked? Can’t blame the actors. McCamus (the incestuous dad in The Sweet Hereafter) is appropriately hangdog as a murder victim who shifts through other realities, each time seeking out the same woman (Swinton, whose only flaw is her strained American accent). Instead, blame Lepage. His painstakingly composed scenes are pretty to look at, but all his philosophical mumbo-jumbo ends with the not-so-jaw-dropping revelation that “everything simply is.” And he has no idea how to create suspense.
KL

TWO THOUSAND AND NONE
PC D: Arto Paragamian w/ John Turturro, Katherine Borowitz. 90 mins. Tuesday, September 12, 10:00 pm UPTOWN 3 Thursday, September 14, 10:00 am UPTOWN 3 Rating: NNN

Tuturro plays an ornery paleontologist who, learning he has five weeks to live, decides to tie up some loose ends. While an ornery dying man is always more fun to watch than one who sobs into his pillow, this film is at times almost pathologically unsentimental. One brief, wrenching moment between Turturro’s character and his elderly aunt underscores how aloof everyone else seems. That said, the dialogue is sharp and the acting exceptional. Borowitz, Turturro’s wife and an accomplished stage actress, plays his bewildered ex. Many thoughts are provoked, just not enough emotions. KL

THE MECHANISMFri, Sept 15, 10:00 pm

CUMBERLAND 1

Sat, Sept 16, 4:30 pm

CUMBERLAND 1

MEMENTOSat, Sept 9, 6:00 pm

UPTOWN 2

Mon, Sept 11, 9:00 am

UPTOWN 2

MEN OF HONORThurs, Sept 14, 6:30 pm

ROY THOMSON HALL

Fri, Sept 15, 9:30 am

UPTOWN 1

MERCI POUR LE CHOCOLATThurs, Sept 14, 9:00 pm

VARSITY 8

Sat, Sept 16, 11:45 am

CUMBERLAND 1

THE MISSIONThurs, Sept 14, 12:00 am

UPTOWN 1

Sat, Sept 16, 5:30 pm

CUMBERLAND 4

LA MOITIÉ DU CIELWed, Sept 13, 7:15 pm

CUMBERLAND 1

Sat, Sept 16, 5:15 pm

CUMBERLAND 2

LA MOITIÉ GAUCHE DU FRIGOWed, Sept 13, 9:15 pm

VARSITY 1

Fri, Sept 15, 3:00 pm

CUMBERLAND 4

MONDAY WITH THE MARTINSTues, Sept 12, 6:30 pm

ROM

Wed, Sept 13, 3:30 pm

VARSITY 7

THE MONKEY’S MASKWed, Sept 13, 6:00 pm

UPTOWN 2

Fri, Sept 15, 12:00 pm

UPTOWN 2

MOON PALACETues, Sept 12, 6:30 pm

ROM

Wed, Sept 13, 3:30 pm

VARSITY 7

THE MOST FERTILE MAN IN IRELANDFri, Sept 15, 9:00 pm

VARSITY 8

Sat, Sept 16, 1:30 pm

CUMBERLAND 3

MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTEFri, Sept 8, 9:30 am

UPTOWN 1

MY GENERATIONMon, Sept 11, 9:00 pm

VARSITY 8

Wed, Sept 13, 4:00 pm

VARSITY 8

THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE CHICKENFri, Sept 15, 9:00 pm

CUMBERLAND 3

Sat, Sept 16, 3:30 pm

VARSITY 7

NEW NEIGHBOURSTues, Sept 12, 6:30 pm

ROM

Wed, Sept 13, 3:30 pm

VARSITY 7

NIGHT KISSSun, Sept 10, 6:15 pm

VARSITY 1

Wed, Sept 13, 11:45 am

CUMBERLAND 4

THE NINE LIVES OF TOMAS KATZSat, Sept 9, 4:00 pm

UPTOWN 3

Sun, Sept 10, 10:00 pm

VARSITY 4

Sun, Sept 10, 10:00 pm

VARSITY 5

NO PLACE TO GOFri, Sept 8, 9:45 pm

CUMBERLAND 1

Sat, Sept 16, 6:45 pm

CUMBERLAND 1

NOT IWed, Sept 13, 9:30 pm

VISA SCREENING ROOM (ELGIN)

Thurs, Sept 14, 9:00 am

UPTOWN 2

NUTS FOR LOVEThurs, Sept 14, 6:30 pm

VARSITY 2

Thurs, Sept 14, 6:30 pm

VARSITY 3

Fri, Sept 15, 3:15 pm

VARSITY 1

ONE WEEKFri, Sept 15, 6:30 pm

VARSITY 2

Sat, Sept 16, 5:00 pm

VARSITY 1

THE PAINTINGFri, Sept 8, 8:30 pm

JACKMAN HALL – AGO

PANDAEMONIUMFri, Sept 15,9:30 pm

ROY THOMSON HALL

Sat, Sept 16, 12:00 pm

VARSITY 8

PARAGRAPH 175Sat, Sept 9, 12:30 pm

UPTOWN 1

Sat, Sept 16, 1:30 pm

VARSITY 2

Sat, Sept 16, 1:30 pm

VARSITY 3

PARSLEY DAYSTues, Sept 12, 6:15 pm

CUMBERLAND 3

Wed, Sept 13, 9:30 am

ROM

PASSAGE DU MILIEUMon, Sept 11, 9:45 pm

CUMBERLAND 1

Fri, Sept 15, 9:00 am

VARSITY 4

PASSENGERSWed, Sept 13, 6:30 pm

ROM

Thurs, Sept 14, 10:00 am

VARSITY 7

PEPPERMINTSun, Sept 10, 7:30 pm

VARSITY 3

Wed, Sept 13, 10:00 pm

VARSITY 4

Wed, Sept 13, 10:00 pm

VARSITY 5

THE PERFECT SONWed, Sept 13, 9:45 pm

CUMBERLAND 1

Fri, Sept 15, 11:15 am

VARSITY 4

PERFORMANCEThurs, Sept 14, 2:30 pm

CUMBERLAND 2

PETITE CHERIESat, Sept 9, 7:00 pm

VARSITY 4

Sat, Sept 10, 7:00 pm

VARSITY 5

Mon, Sept 11, 10:00 am

UPTOWN 3

PLACIDO RIZZOTTOFri, Sept 15, 6:00 pm

UPTOWN 2

Sat, Sept 16, 9:15 pm

CUMBERLAND 1

PLATFORMThurs, Sept 14, 8:30 pm

VARSITY 1

Sat, Sept 16, 9:30 am

CUMBERLAND 3

PLAYSat, Sept 9, 12:30 pm

VISA SCREENING ROOM (ELGIN)

Tues, Sept 12, 12:00 pm

UPTOWN 2

POEMon, Sept 11, 6:30 pm

ROM

Tues, Sept 12, 10:00 am

VARSITY 7

POLLOCKMon, Sept 11, 9:45 pm

VISA SCREENING ROOM (ELGIN)

Wed, Sept 13, 3:30 pm

UPTOWN 1

POSSIBLE WORLDSTues, Sept 12, 9:45 pm

VISA SCREENING ROOM (ELGIN)

Thurs, Sept 14, 3:00 pm

VARSITY 8

PRELUDEWed, Sept 13, 3:30 pm

VISA SCREENING ROOM (ELGIN)

PRELUDES CAMERAWed, Sept 13, 3:30 pm

VISA SCREENING ROOM (ELGIN)

THE PRICE OF MILKWed, Sept 13, 9:45 pm

VARSITY 3

Fri, Sept 15, 4:15 pm

VARSITY 3

PRICK UP YOUR EARSSat, Sept 16, 7:15 pm

CUMBERLAND 2

THE PRINCE IS BACKFri, Sept 15, 9:00 pm

CUMBERLAND 3

Sat, Sept 16, 3:30 pm

VARSITY 7

PRINCES ET PRINCESSESThurs, Sept 14, 7:15 pm

VARSITY 4

Sat, Sept 16, 3:30 pm

VISA SCREENING ROOM (ELGIN)

THE PRINCESS AND THE WARRIORTues, Sept 12, 7:00 pm

VISA SCREENING ROOM (ELGIN)

Thurs, Sept 14, 10:00 am

CUMBERLAND 3

QUARTERED AT DAWNTues, Sept 12, 12:00 am

UPTOWN 2

Fri, Sept 15, 2:15 pm

CUMBERLAND 1

RAVEN’S ENDSat, Sept 9, 2:30 pm

CUMBERLAND 2

RED DEERWed, Sept 13, 6:00 pm

CUMBERLAND 3

Thurs, Sept 14, 3:30 pm

ROM

THE RED ONE: TRIUMPHSun, Sept 10, 7:45 pm

VARSITY 4

Sun, Sept 10, 7:45 pm

VARSITY 5

Wed, Sept 13, 4:15 pm

CUMBERLAND 1

REQUIEM FOR A DREAMWed, Sept 13, 9:00 pm

VARSITY 8

Fri, Sept 15, 10:00 am

UPTOWN 3

RISKThurs, Sept 14, 6:30 pm

UPTOWN 1

Sat, Sept 16, 2:30 pm

UPTOWN 1

ROCKABYSat, Sept 9, 12:30 pm

VISA SCREENING ROOM (ELGIN)

Tues, Sept 12, 12:00 pm

UPTOWN 2

ROCKS AT WHISKEY TRENCHFri, Sept 15, 6:30 pm

ROM

Sat, Sept 16, 10:00 am

VARSITY 7

ROUGH FOR THEATRE 1Sat, Sept 9, 12:30 pm

VISA SCREENING ROOM (ELGIN)

Tues, Sept 12, 12:00 pm

UPTOWN 2

A RUMOR OF ANGELSFri, Sept 8, 9:30 pm

VARSITY 8

Sun, Sept 10, 3:00 pm

UPTOWN 2

RUSKINSat, Sept 9, 8:30 pm

JACKMAN HALL – AGO

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted