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Can you guess which father of six is signing autographs for a slew of ladies above? (Photo via
Getty Images)
Though we're only a couple days into this year's Toronto International Film Festival, a few of the
more high profile films have already screened ... and we have the photos to prove it. In the
gallery below, feel free to peruse through images from the red carpet for films like RocknRolla (Gerard Butler,
ladies?), Appaloosa,Me & Orson
Welles and Burn After
Reading. When you're done, head on over to our official TIFF '08 Hub for reviews on films
like Rachel Getting Married, Burn After Reading, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and
more. Which film lit up Toronto at midnight ... and which veteran action star is poised for a major
comeback? Check it out ...
Cinematicalgoes to Cannes, so when
it comes time for the fall festivals, we mostly ignore the movies we've already covered there. But
since I didn't go to Cannes, the many holdovers from that festival are new to me, and a
big part of the fun. (Less fun: complaining about being conflicted out of a movie only to be met
with "oh, I saw that at Cannes." Thanks, jackass.)
One such holdover is the Dardenne brothers' very good Lorna's
Silence, an(other) study of guilt and self-deception. The Dardennes' approach can be
charitably termed "narrative economy," or less charitably "a pathological refusal to let important
events happen on screen." For that reason, Lorna's Silence plays like a mystery, except
that the mystery is what the hell is going on, with the filmmakers dropping tidbits of
information at their leisure. It's an unusual way of generating suspense - a bit tyrannical, but
also a recognition that real life generally does not contain expository dialogue. Though the film
contains plenty of conventional what-happens-next suspense as well, its nature makes virtually any
plot description a spoiler. If you like the Dardennes, or are just interested in the current art
film vanguard, don't read much about Lorna's Silence but just go see it. Sony Pictures
Classics will release it in North America.
As the director, co-screenwriter and star of Appaloosa, Ed Harris follows up
his Oscar-nominated work as an actor-director in 2000's Pollock with an adaptation of Robert B.
Parker's novel, revolving around two old friends and partners (Harris and Viggo Mortensen) in 1882
New Mexico trying to enforce the rule of law in a town threatened by a corrupt power-broker (Jeremy
Irons). Harris spoke with Cinematical in Toronto about working on Appaloosa, adapting
Parker's novel, co-starring opposite Mortensen and how hard it was to find financing for a
traditional Western like Appaloosa: "Pretty hard. I mean, it was very interesting; people
really responded to the script, and if the budget for it had been half of what it was, we probably
could have got it made pretty easily. ... But we needed the budget to serve the production values;
it called for that. I didn't want to make a little intimate art-house film. I wanted to make
something that respected the space that it took place in ... it deserves it; it calls for it; so,
it was pretty tough; it was a real battle."
Cinematical's podcast content is now available through iTunes; you can subscribe at
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As ever, you can download the entire podcast right here -- and those of you
with RSS Podcast readers can find all of Cinematical's podcast content at this link.
Paris 36 tries to do a dozen different things, and does none of them well. But even
that description may not be harsh enough, because it makes the film sound ambitious. It's not.
Director Christophe Barratier, whose The
Chorus was a quality rendition of an age-old formula, doesn't even pretend to give much
thought to any of the disparate elements he assembles here. This is one of those middlebrow
period-piece comedies that mistakes frenzy for energy and spotless soundstage gloss for visual
style. It may play well with certain audiences for whom "arthouse" is synonymous with "no
explosions," but there's really nothing to see here.
Well, in theory there's a lot to see, including but not limited to the following: a would-be
portrait of the French Popular Front in the 1930's; the story of a bunch of unemployed workers
banding together to put on a show and save a historic theater; the tragedy of an old workhorse
(Gérard Jugnot) who loses custody of his
accordion prodigy son to his cheating wife when the theater first closes down; a romance between a
communist rabblerouser (and stagehand, and actor!) and a singing ingénue (Nora Arnezeder) taken under the wing of a fascist loan
shark (Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu); the spiritual
rebirth of an old orchestra conductor who has spent the last 20 years alone with his radio; a
no-talent comic (Kad Merad) who sinks to
performing for the Nazis after being booed off stage by everyone else, though he is of course much
too lovable to actually be an anti-Semite.
Valentino, who has spent a career dressing the world’s most glamorous women for the red
carpet, walked it himself Thursday for the Venice Film Festival premiere of “Valentino: The
Last Emperor.” Tags: wedding music samples Bookmark to...
There's still an entire week left of this year's Toronto International Film Festival, and while
there are dozens of reviews to be written, we've got an early start. First, we've finally posted
our official review of Franck
Vestiel's sci-fi horror film Eden Log, which will be released
here in the States next year by Magnet Releasing. In addition to our review for Pascal Laugier's French
horror pic Martyrs, the
boys over at Twitch
Film have posted another raving review for the film that's guaranteed to be the talk of
Midnight Madness. Also added over at Twitch Film is a mixed/negative review of Fabrice Du Welz's
Vinyan (review here) and a
positive review of AJ Annilas Finnish "J-horror" pic Sauna (review here),
which was earlier blasted over at AICN. Click the links above for all of the reviews and watch for tons more
over the next week.
In addition to all of these
stills, we've been provided with an exclusive bloody and disgusting pic from Marcel Sarmiento
and Gadi Harel's (interview)
Deadgirl, which can be
found by reading beyond the break. Playing at this year's Midnight Madness portion of the Toronto
International Film Festival, the film is a horror/thriller about two teenagers who make a shocking
discovery that not only threatens their friendship but also their lives. In a forgotten room of an
abandoned asylum, they find a beautiful woman tied to a bed, and soon come to realize she is
anything but dead. Also, check here for
all TIFF news or here for details on all
films playing.
Während das Filmfestival von Venedig mehr und mehr an Glanz verliert, reichen sich Stars wie
Brad Pitt und George Clooney beim Toronto International Film Festival die Klinke in die Hand. Und
nicht nur der Stars wegen hat Toronto inzwischen die Nase vor dem italienischen Konkurrenten.
Long day tonight on about three hours sleep, but
somehow James and I managed to push through to make it to both the party for Richard Linklater's
film Me and Orson Welles and the Midnight Madness screening of Detroit Metal City.
The Orson Welles party was great by my personal film fest standards, which include
preferring not to be crushed in a crowd of starlet wannabes tottering in high heels. There was a
decent-sized, but not overwhelming crowd; appropriate, but not overly loud music; and tasty, but
not overly messy snacks being circulated on trays. The film's star, Zac Efron, was on hand, as
was Linklater. Geoffrey Rush was also there circulating around.
We had to ditch the party a bit early to allow time to grab a bite of dinner, then headed over to
the Ryerson; when Detroit Metal City director Toshio Lee and the film's star, popular
Japanese actor Ken'ichi Matsuyama, showed up, a pack of Japanese girls and women who'd been
allowed to gather to get an up close view went absolutely wild, screaming so loudly that a guy
passing by in front of the red carpet wondered aloud, "Who is it? Brad Pitt?"
That's right, folks, this
week we've gone recursive. Who says we can't be our own special edition? Here's what we'll be
playing this weekend. Be sure to let us know what games will be occupying your time!
Alexander
Sliwinski: With my upgraded PC, I've been checking out some higher end games from
the last three years. FEAR, not so bad. Black and White 2, gorgeous but
flawed. The big plan for this weekend is Spore ... now I just need to get a copy
somewhere.
Andrew Yoon:Braid. Second ending.
Christopher Grant: I've returned from a brief respite in the woods, but I
wasn't alone. Something else came back with me. Specifically, my appreciation of the
very portable Professor Layton & The Curious Village. I've got 30-some puzzles
left and an intense desire to crush them using little more than my carefully honed intellect
and a plastic stylus. Also: I've been winding my way through an advance copy of Star Wars:
The Force Unleashed - I should be able to wrangle a couple hours this weekend to polish
that one off. Still in various stages of completion, waiting to return to favor: Castle
Crashers, Siren, Fable 1.
Griffin
McElroy: My new roomie recently hooked up his slimline PS2 to our big screen,
so I've been playing some classics as of late -- Shadow of the Colossus, Tony
Hawk's Underground (you know, the last good one), and a copy of Chrono Cross I
recently found at this awesome used game store in Chicago. Also trying to hit the level cap
with Mr. Orange in Castle Crashers, and anxiously waiting for GameFly to deliver me
into pure pinata pleasure. ... Also, for the theme: perhaps something football related, as the
season just started? Or perhaps, the inaugural use of the Large Hadron Collider
in Geneva, which could ostensibly create a micro black hole, instantly destroying our world on
Sept. 10? WRUP: The World Ends with Large Hadron Collider Edition?
Kevin
Kelly: I will be playing this thing called "finish your damn PAX posts while
doing interviews and watching movies at the Toronto Film Festival." By the way I highly
recommend The Brothers Bloom. Great movie. If they made a game out of that, I would
die happy.
Kyle
Orland: I'm also looking for a copy of Spore to see whether it's a new
paradigm in gaming or, as the meta-review seems to indicate, a disappointment. Also hoping to
get some more time with The Last Guy and maybe finally take a look at Castle
Crashers.
James
Ransom-Wiley: Goin' down the shore for one last weekend. Friends are asking
me to bring that thing the kids are doing these days ... Wii.
Justin
McElroy: If I can bring myself to ignore the title, I'm going to be playing
some Infinite Undiscovery in between checking on my new and improved pinata garden.
Ludwig
Kietzmann: I hope to double my efforts in stopping the evil Count Waltz in
Eternal Sonata, provided I can even manage to switch on my Xbox 360 without instantly
firing up Geometry Wars 2. I also plan to feign struggle against and almost
immediately succumb to the desire to play through the post-Trophy Uncharted. Again.
Randy
Nelson: Like several of my fellow Joystiqers, I'll be tracking down a copy of
Spore (no, my attendance at last night's launch party hosted by Mr. Wright did not come with
"perks"). I also plan to brush up on my SOCOM skills thanks to the
Confrontation beta, although I won't be playing it with the benefit of Sony's nifty new
Bluetooth headset. Also: Castle Crashers (go orange!) and The Last Guy
(go Himalayan zombie hero!).
Ross
Miller: I've got a tough choice to make. I've finally caught up on school
work (thanks, PAX!) and PAX articles (thanks, school!), and my copy of Too Human came
in early this week - a bit late, yes, but now I get to play it without all the controversy and
anger and hype. So I'll finally be trying it out. In between hours-long sessions of
Spore, that is.
Filed under: Meta
(about Joystiq)
That's right, folks, this week we've gone recursive. Who says we can't be our own special edition?
Here's what we'll be playing this weekend. Be sure to let us know what games will be occupying your
time!
Alexander Sliwinski: With my upgraded PC, I've been checking out
some higher end games from the last three years. FEAR, not so bad. Black and White
2, gorgeous but flawed. The big plan for this weekend is Spore ... now I just
need to get a copy somewhere.
Andrew Yoon:Braid. Second ending.
Christopher Grant: I've returned from a brief respite in the woods, but I
wasn't alone. Something else came back with me. Specifically, my appreciation of the
very portable Professor Layton & The Curious Village. I've got 30-some puzzles
left and an intense desire to crush them using little more than my carefully honed intellect
and a plastic stylus. Also: I've been winding my way through an advance copy of Star Wars:
The Force Unleashed - I should be able to wrangle a couple hours this weekend to polish
that one off. Still in various stages of completion, waiting to return to favor: Castle
Crashers, Siren, Fable 1.
Griffin McElroy: My new roomie recently hooked up his slimline PS2
to our big screen, so I've been playing some classics as of late -- Shadow of the
Colossus, Tony Hawk's Underground (you know, the last good one), and a copy of
Chrono Cross I recently found at this awesome used game store in Chicago. Also trying
to hit the level cap with Mr. Orange in Castle Crashers, and anxiously waiting for
GameFly to deliver me into pure pinata pleasure. ... Also, for the theme: perhaps something
football related, as the season just started? Or perhaps, the inaugural use of the Large Hadron Collider
in Geneva, which could ostensibly create a micro black hole, instantly destroying our world on
Sept. 10? WRUP: The World Ends with Large Hadron Collider Edition?
Kevin Kelly: I will be playing this thing called "finish your damn
PAX posts while doing interviews and watching movies at the Toronto Film Festival." By the way
I highly recommend The Brothers Bloom. Great movie. If they made a game out of that, I
would die happy.
Kyle Orland: I'm also looking for a copy of Spore to see whether
it's a new paradigm in gaming or, as the meta-review seems to indicate, a disappointment. Also
hoping to get some more time with The Last Guy and maybe finally take a look at
Castle Crashers.
James Ransom-Wiley: Goin' down the shore for one last
weekend. Friends are asking me to bring that thing the kids are doing these days ... Wii.
Justin McElroy: If I can bring myself to ignore the title,
I'm going to be playing some Infinite Undiscovery in between checking on my new and
improved pinata garden.
Ludwig Kietzmann: I hope to double my efforts in stopping the evil
Count Waltz in Eternal Sonata, provided I can even manage to switch on my Xbox 360
without instantly firing up Geometry Wars 2. I also plan to feign struggle against and
almost immediately succumb to the desire to play through the post-Trophy Uncharted.
Again.
Randy Nelson: Like several of my fellow Joystiqers, I'll be tracking
down a copy of Spore (no, my attendance at last night's launch party hosted by Mr. Wright did
not come with "perks"). I also plan to brush up on my SOCOM skills thanks to the
Confrontation beta, although I won't be playing it with the benefit of Sony's nifty new Bluetooth headset. Also: Castle Crashers (go orange!) and
The Last Guy (go Himalayan zombie hero!).
Ross Miller: I've got a tough choice to make. I've finally
caught up on school work (thanks, PAX!) and PAX articles (thanks, school!), and my copy of
Too Human came in early this week - a bit late, yes, but now I get to play it without
all the controversy and anger and hype. So I'll finally be trying it out. In between hours-long
sessions of Spore, that is.
Always in the mood for a good laugh, Renee Zellweger was all smiles at the press conference for her
new movie “Appaloosa” at the Toronto Film Festival on Friday (September 5). Accompanied
by co-stars Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris, as w...
When the worlds of Washington, DC political intrigue, infidelity, fitness centers and internet
dating intersect and collide in a darkly hilarious fashion, you must be watching a film by the
Coen brothers. Burn
After Reading, Joel and Ethan Coen's follow-up to last year's critically lauded
award winner, No Country for Old Men, was actually written by the duo as they were
adapting No Country, but the two films couldn't be more different.
The colliding worlds in Burn After Reading involve a CIA analyst named Osbourne Cox
(John Malkovich), who's summoned to a
top-secret meeting only to find out that the secret is he's being demoted due to his drinking
problem. Cox blows a gasket and quits rather than taking the demotion, planning to spend his
new-found spare time working on his memoirs and refining his drinking. Cox is married to Katie
(Tilda Swinton), a icy pediatrician with the
worst bedside manner imaginable, and she's less than sympathetic to her husband's life crisis.
When you live in downtown Toronto, you quickly become accustomed to the people calendar -- when the
streets will be silent, and when they'll be buzzing. It starts when school lets out -- young kids
hit the playgrounds while the college kids head home and free up the late-night sidewalks. Every
third person is now a tourist, stopping every few feet for pictures or to look at a map. On the
weekends, the city often becomes a ghost town, as hordes head up north to cottages. But then it's
back to school, often marked by the eager new engineers running around the city painted purple.
And just a few days later, they're joined by slick stars and a million press badges as the Toronto
International Film Festival gears up. The stars are out, as are the press, the movie lovers, and
the eager onlookers. Teeny boppers buzz like packs of bees around the Four Seasons and other
Yorkville haunts for a peek at someone famous. It's movies and fans everywhere.
But reviews don't give you a taste of the city, nor do quick glimpses in films like
Chicago and Urban Legend. You can see it retro-style with SCTV, but that city is
in the past. The best way to get a taste of Toronto without being here is through Canadian
filmmaker Don McKellar. Between the films he's directed and those he's acted in, you can get many
tastes of this town, from exotic women to last nights on Earth. In honor of the fest, and of the
wonderful T-Dot, I offer you: Childstar and Monkey Warfare.
Cinematical has just received this exclusive poster for Happy-Go-Lucky
(click image to enlarge), directed by Mike Leigh (Vera Drake, Secrets & Lies). The
film, which premiered in Telluride and is currently screening at the 2008 Toronto International
Film Festival, stars Sally Hawkins as an eternally optimistic teacher living and working in North
London. Apart from the exclusive clip we
debuted on Cinematical earlier in the week, Kim had this to say about the film:
"All in all, I quite liked Happy-Go-Lucky; it's certainly one of Leigh's more
mainstream-friendly films, and will appeal to moviegoers beyond the dress-all-in-black,
gloom-and-doom cinephile crowd, while still retaining enough of the Leigh touch to satisfy most of
the purists."
Happy-Go-Lucky will
arrive in theaters with a smile on October 10.
In a lengthy article about the ongoing Toronto International Film Festival, THR writes that Sony
Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group acquired domestic (US) and Australian rights to
Vinyan, a film we have
been covering pretty heavily here on Bloody-Disgusting. Fabrice Du Welz's (Calvaire) film stars
Rufus Sewell and Emmanuelle Beart as a couple searching for their missing son in a jungle filled
with feral children. Click here
for links to all sorts of VINYAN goodies.
)
and reject those that you are not interested in
(
)
Long day tonight on about three hours sleep, but
somehow James and I managed to push through to make it to both the party for Richard Linklater's
film Me and Orson Welles and the Midnight Madness screening of 
That's right, folks, this
week we've gone recursive. Who says we can't be our own special edition? Here's what we'll be
playing this weekend. Be sure to let us know what games will be occupying your time!
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