Okay, so I need to have my fan girl moment here. I’m a huge Buffy, Angel, & Dollhouse nerd. So when I heard that Joss Whedon was coming to Toronto for the premiere of his new movie, Much Ado About Nothing, I was so there. (and so was the rest of Toronto. HUGE line!)
Much Ado About Nothing is a modern take on the play by Shakespeare. I’ve actually never seen the play, and know nothing about it, so I was a bit worried about seeing this. Joss had also said that he was using the original dialogue, but removing some text to make it more modern. He also filmed it in his backyard/estate in 12 days, because he’s just cool like that.
Claudio (Fran Kranz) and Benedick (Alexis Denisof ) have just returned home to Messina after a successful campaign abroad. When earnest Claudio announces his adoration for the lovely Hero (Jillian Morgese), daughter of Messina’s governor Leonato (Clark Gregg), the acid-tongued Benedick teases him mercilessly. Benedick’s scorn for love is matched by that of his long-time nemesis and verbal sparring partner Beatrice (Amy Acker), Leonato’s niece. As the lovestruck Claudio and Hero make plans to marry, Benedick and Beatrice resume the “merry war” of insults they have long waged. Yet there are many who believe that for all their antagonism — or even because of it — this pair of incessantly sniping cynics is surely meant to be a couple. As matchmaking schemes are put into play and disguises are donned, loathing and love soon prove to be close cousins.
This movie was amazing, and really, I shouldn’t have expected anything less of Joss! It was beautiful in black and white, I didn’t miss the colour at all. Beatrice and Benedick’s relationship was fascinating and hilarious. The film was very emotional, often leaping from sadness to hilarity. My favourite character was poor Claudio, and of course Beatrice and Benedick. The dialogue seemed natural after time, and the use of cars, cell phones and a modern lifestyle juxtaposed against the language was interesting. Jed Whedon did the soundtrack, and it was perfect and haunting at some points. The ending is lovely and satisfying. I hope this film gets picked up, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t…it’s Joss!
Tonight I saw one of my first TIFF picks of the festival, Picture Day! I love watching Canadian films, and was delighted to find that it was shot in Toronto!
Picture Day is written by Kate Melville, a scriptwriter for Degrassi and other shows. This is her first film.
Claire is a cheerful high school student doing her “victory lap” and failing miserably. She isn’t really going to classes, and doesn’t particularly seem to care. She also has some issues with her classmates (no one likes her, and there are some pretty nasty rumors) and things aren’t great at home either. Three weeks into school, Claire bumps into her old baby-sitting ward, Henry, is now in grade 9. She befriends him and tries to remake his image. Henry has a bit of a crush on her, but she can’t see it because she’s too busy falling for an older rocker (Jim) in his “Jesus year” and hanging out at his shows.
This film had hilarious moments juxtaposed in familiar Toronto spots. (Active Surplus, anyone?) It really captures what high school is like, and got the characters just right. Tatiana Maslany is a natural and fits right into the role of Claire. Spencer Van Wyck’s wide eyed, innocent portray of Henry was perfect. I’d also like to point out that Susan Coyne is fantastic and funny as Henry’s mom. Fun fact! Jim’s band actually exists! It’s a real Toronto band called the ElastoCitizens!
I really enjoyed the soundtrack of the film. During the Q&A, Kate told us that all of the songs from the movie can be found on the movie website, which is awesome, because I was trying to scribble down the titles of songs.
The thing that tied it all together for me was the end of the movies. As we exited the theater, we were handed a glowing LED light to add to the fence outside (tying into one of the best scenes in the film). It made for a magical ending of a memorable film. Go Canada!
Overwhelmed by all of the choices and film schedules for TIFF?
tiffr is a handy dandy web application that allows you to favourite (by adding a button to your favourites bar) your top films, and then it shows you all of your time options for just the selected films. You can then add your chosen screening to your schedule. Very easy, and way less of a headache then using the website.
The Brass Teapot
An impoverished young couple (Juno Temple and Michael Angarano) stumble upon an antique teapot that magically dispenses cash whenever either of them feels pain, inspiring them to ever-greater extremes, as they ascend the ranks of the nouveau riche. Director Ramaa Mosley eschews violence for a more whimsical, Tim Burton–esque treatment in this offbeat, darkly funny satire.
http://youtu.be/r-7u67VbxEk
Legendary Indian actress Sridevi returns to the screen after a fifteen-year absence in this funny and touching story about an Indian woman who struggles to learn the English language in order to overcome her insecurities.
In Another Country
South Korean master Hong Sang-soo teams with French superstar Isabelle Huppert for this formally inventive and wonderfully witty three-part film, in which three different but strikingly similar women — all named Anne, and all played by Huppert — meet and interact with the same group of people in a seaside Korean town, with each encounter producing a set of intriguing new outcomes and new possibilities.
Are we tired of super cutesty awkward indie films yet? Of course not. We hardly need dialog to sell the film!
In this coming of age comedy life for Esther Weary includes her well-intentioned grandpa, friends that suck, and a deeply depressing birthday. Gordon Pinsent and Jade Aspros star in this modern story of teenage angst.
Like Someone In Love
An elderly man becomes infatuated with a young Tokyo call girl in this entrancingly elliptical anti-love story from Iranian master Abbas Kiarostami.
My Awkward Sexual Adventure
A hyper-repressed and schlubby accountant (Jonas Chernick) strikes a deal with a worldly but disorganized stripper (Emily Hampshire): he’ll help her with her crushing debt if she helps him become a better lover. Sharp direction by the versatile Sean Garrity and a very funny script by Chernick ensure for an uproarious — and surprisingly educational — sex comedy.
Much Ado about nothing
Shakespeare’s classic comedy gets contemporary spin in Joss Whedon’s stylized adaptation. Shot in just twelve days using the original text, the story of sparring lovers Beatrice (Amy Acker) and Benedick (Alexis Denisof) offers a dark, sexy and occasionally absurd view of the intricate game that is love.
Midnight’s Children
Spanning decades and generations, celebrated Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta’s highly anticipated adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s Booker Prize®–winning novel is an engrossing allegorical fantasy in which children born on the cusp of India’s independence from Britain are endowed with strange, magical abilities.
(By the screenwriter of the original dragon tattoo!! Which was amazing. Way better than the american version!
) This sumptuous historical drama from writer-director Nikolaj Arcel (screenwriter of the original version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) chronicles the scandalous love triangle between a queen (Alicia Vikander), her German doctor (Mads Mikkelsen), and the mad King of Denmark (Mikkel Følsgaard).
Shit Girls Say
Everyone’s favourite viral Toronto video comes to the big screen. Yeah it’s a little weird. And a little awesome. A new episode will premiere during the festival.
Marion Cotillard (La Vie en rose) and Matthias Schoenaerts (Bullhead) star in this gritty, moving and emotionally raw love story from Cannes Grand Prix winner Jacques Audiard (Un prophète).
Whats this? not much. Just STEAM PUNK Kung Fu.
Martial arts meets steampunk in Hong Kong actor-director Stephen Fung’s (Gen-X Cops) slick, stylish pop-art take on the life of Yang-lu Chan (played by new martial-arts sensation Yuan Xiaochao), founder of the Yang school of tai chi.
Blurring the line between documentary and fiction, Nostradamos takes place on the eve of the end of the world. As hordes of people flock to the city of Amos, Quebec after it is identified as the safest bet for survival in the face of the coming apocalypse, a number of local residents conspire to profit from the sudden influx of tourists.
An architect from ancient Rome is propelled into a modern-day Tokyo bath house in this kooky time-travelling comedy based on Mari Yamazaki’s award-winning manga series.
One of the most charming and vibrant debut features by a Canadian filmmaker in recent memory, Kate Melville’s Picture Day features rising star Tatiana Maslany as Claire Paxton, a teenage girl who has all the freedoms of adulthood but none of the responsibilities. Forced to repeat her last year of high school due to bad grades and absenteeism, Claire still prefers to cut class whenever feasible and spends her nights clubbing, living on the fringes of the adult world she’s almost part of.
Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) stars in director Hur Jin-ho’s lushly sensual adaptation of the classic French novel, which updates Choderlos de Laclos’ devilish tale of sex, seduction and scheming to 1930s Shanghai.
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