Chloe's TIFF Adventure

Ghost Writer: Michele A.

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*SPOILER WARNING*

3 1/2 out of 5 shovels

The latest offering from TIFF’s favorite son, the iconic Canadian film director, Atom Egoyan, is a stylish, erotic thriller starring Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried (you may recall her as sweet-as-sugar Sophie in last year’s Mamma Mia – my, she has certainly grown up!) But there is another star, especially for TIFF audiences – the city of Toronto itself. Toronto has often been used as a filming site representing other cities. In this film, it is Toronto AS Toronto, and it is spectacular.

The film opens with a surprise birthday party – but instead of surprising her college professor husband David (Neeson), ob/gyn Catherine (Moore) is “surprised” herself. Out of town on business, David misses his flight home and, consequently, his party, and Catherine's suspicions are awakened by a suggestive picture/text message she discovers on his cell phone the following day.

Instead of confronting him, she broods. She is having lunch with friends, and while in the restroom hears a young woman (Chloe, played by Seyfried) weeping in the next stall. Her motherly instincts aroused, she attempts to comfort the girl and a casual acquaintance is formed. She ultimately learns that Chloe is an “escort” catering to well-heeled men.

At this point, you have to suspend disbelief.

Question: Would a successful doctor pay a call girl to attempt to seduce her husband and report back on what happens?

Answer: Probably not. But in the dark, while munching popcorn, anything is possible. And, in this case, highly enjoyable.

Chloe does as asked and reports back, in detail, on what transpires between herself and David. Catherine is understandably angry, but she is also…well…turned on by the voyeuristic nature of their conversations. There are some artistically shot scenes between Chloe and Catherine (I recall something similar in Egoyan’s 2005 TIFF entry, Where the Truth Lies) as their relationship progresses beyond “play for pay.”

But Catherine wants out. And Chloe wants more. (Cue sinister music – the Mychael Danna score is wonderful, by the way.) Rebuffed by Catherine, Chloe begins to insinuate herself into Catherine’s marriage and family, unpaid and uninvited. Catherine forces a confrontation with David and…

Major plot twist, which I won’t reveal here. Not only because it is too much of a spoiler even in a review with a “spoilers” warning, but because at this point in the film, you will have likely figured it out for yourself.

And therein lies the major weakness in Chloe – the revelation which wasn’t a revelation to me, nor to two of my three fellow filmgoers. (My husband swore he didn’t guess, but we were at a morning screening and sleep deprivation due to too much TIFF partying the night before may have numbed his brain cells.)

For this reason, a film that was unusual in its premise approximately three-quarters of the way through became something nearly formulaic towards the end. The somewhat disappointing conclusion, however, didn’t ruin the film for me nor does it give me any hesitation in recommending it. Chloe would have gotten 4 shovels from me were it not for the late plot weakness - I give it 3.5 shovels for titillating sexiness-without-seediness, beautiful Toronto views, and solid performances from the three leads.

Reviews - TIFF's Fish Tank

Ghost Writer: Michele A.

OHG EXCLUSIVE! Link but please do not repost.

*SPOILER WARNING

4 1/2 out of 5 shovels

In the best of all possible worlds, a parent guides a child through life, cushions her against life's bumps, and provides, to the best of her ability, a safe environment to develop and flourish.

15-year-old Mia (played by Katie Jarvis in an amazing acting debut) does not have that sort of parent. Her mother (Kiersten Wareing), a 40-ish divorcee, has little use for Katie or her pre-teen sister Tyler. She spends most of her time preening, dressing like a teenager, and going out dancing and drinking. They live in a depressing, dingy apartment in a run-down development. The two girls, left to fend for themselves, drink and smoke when their mother is out, which is most of the time. In contrast to her mother's provocative style, Mia covers up - sweatpants, track shoes, hoodies - as though in denial of her own femininity. She is easily provoked into physical altercations at the neighborhood parks, on one occasion bloodying another girl's nose. But underneath the toughness, there is a vulnerability that makes her a very appealing character.

Mia's life changes when her mother brings home a younger lover, Conner (Michael Fassbender). He moves in with them, explaining that he had been living with his mother, who threw him out. At first Mia is antagonistic toward Conner, but they soon drift into a tentative friendship, and you sense that Mia fancies him a father figure. At the very least, he is kind to her and encourages her in her desire to audition for a local dancing competition. Her mother is jealous of their developing relationship as Mia's feminity begins to flower.

One night, everything comes to a head. Mia's mother, intoxicated, falls asleep and Mia is left alone with Conner. They have both been drinking, she dances for him provocatively and their relationship becomes sexual.

When Mia awakens the next morning, Conner is gone. Angry and betrayed, she goes to his place of work, then to his home and discovers that he has been leading a double life. She is provoked into doing something dangerous, possibly lethal, and at this pivotal moment in the story you fear for her and for the innocent she has targeted.

Yet throughout all of this, you are rooting for Mia. She is unloved, with no direction, but she is a survivor. At the end of the film, she finds a solution that, in any other situation, you would think unsuitable, but for Mia, it is the only way out. You cross your fingers, say a prayer and wish her well.

Director Andrea Arnold, at the Q&A following the Toronto screening, revealed that Katie Jarvis had no acting experience or training when she was selected to play Mia. She was discovered on a train platform. Her boyfriend was across the tracks on the opposite platform, and she was yelling at him with such animation that it caught the attention of one of the film crew who was there. She was given a business card, she auditioned, and was given the role of Mia.

Katie Jarvis is a natural. She created a character that was both unlikable and, at the same time, lovable. Not an easy feat, for any actress.

This has just been released in the U.K. after doing well on the film festival circuit. No release date in North America as yet. It deserves to be seen by a wide audience - Katie Jarvis is an actress to watch.

Reviews - A Single Man at TIFF

Ghost Writer: Michele A.

OHG EXCLUSIVE! Link but please do not repost.

*SPOILER WARNING*

5 out of 5 shovels

Tom Ford, known for designing beautiful things, has made a beautiful first film starring a beautiful man, Colin Firth.

I was fortunate to see this film at the North American premiere in Toronto on Monday night, September 14, and again on Wednesday morning.

We knew something was up at the Isabel Bader theater Monday night. We had tickets we had purchased the first day they went on sale and the screening (in a small theater which seats only around 450) was "rush only." When we got there, there were only a few people on the ticketholders' line and loads of people on the rush line (that's the line for those who don't have tickets but hope to get in at the last minute if all ticketholders don't show up).

When the screening was about to start, the ticketholders' line was still much shorter than the rush line - most unusual. Well, just before they let us in, the "swarm" arrived. A huge crowd of industry people were let in first - these were representatives from the major distributors there to view this film, a true hot property since it wowed Venice a few days earlier with Colin Firth taking home the Best Actor nod. (In fact, when the person who introduced the film gave the customary "turn off all cell phones" warning, she smiled and added "AND all the Blackberries.")

If you've read the excellent book by Christopher Isherwood (who also wrote the Berlin stories on which Cabaret was based), you pretty much know the plot. George Falconer, played by Colin Firth, is a gay British professor in his early 50's who teaches at a university in southern California. It takes place in November 1962 (the Cuban missile crisis playing ominously in the background), and George's younger lover, Jim (Matthew Goode) was killed in a car accident eight months previously. There are a few brief scenes of their life together - they had been together for 16 years.

In one perfect scene, they are reclining shoeless on opposite ends of the sofa, facing each other, their dog between them. Their personalities are humorously expressed in their reading material, each gently mocking the other's choice. (George is reading Metamorphosis, Jim is reading Breakfast at Tiffany's). They argue comically over whose turn it is to change the record on the turntable, Jim gets up in deference to George's seniority (he lovingly calls him "old man"), and the scene ends in a chaste kiss. They are comfortable together, as would be expected in a couple married 16 years - not legally, of course.

The book had to be difficult to transfer to film, as so much of the narrative was in George's thoughts. Colin Firth has always been skilled in expressing emotion with facial expressions, and this film uses those skills to full effect. You simply can't take your eyes off him, particularly during the flashback scene where George learns of his partner's death on the telephone. The voice on the other end (one of Jim's cousins) matter-of-factly tells him that Jim, and their dogs, were killed in an accident while visiting family. Jim's parents do not know that the cousin has made the call; if it were up to them, George would not be informed. And, most heartbreakingly, George's wish to attend the funeral is rebuffed, as it is for "family only." Anyone, of any sexual persuasion, who has ever loved and lost and grieved can identify with George.

The art design, the kitschy '60s sets, the small details and nuances of behavior and physical appearance, are all so memorable, yet so fleeting and seamless that I found so much new in the second screening that I hadn't noticed in the first. There are some priceless scenes of the fastidious George interacting with neighborhood children (one precocious little girl tells him that her dad says George is "light in your loafers, but you don't even wear loafers.") Homosexuality, in the early 60's, is something that people know about, but certainly don't talk about overtly. George is an outsider in his world, and an outsider who is alone, now that Jim is gone.

He does have a female friend, fellow British expat Charlotte ("Charley"), brilliantly played by Julianne Moore. She is a divorcee who drinks too much, laughs too loudly, dresses flamboyantly and carries a torch for George, based on a long-ago experimental fling. George enjoys her company - one senses she is the only friend he has who knows what he is - and is firm but kind in putting off her advances. Their scene together - dancing and cavorting - is one of the film's highlights.

Impassive on the outside, heart breaking on the inside, George goes about the business of his day, planning for it to be his last. He thinks that no possibility of joy remains for him, and it is time to check out. Throughout the film we see him making serio-comic preparations for his suicide, getting his affairs in order, laying out his clothing (with a note next to his tie stating that it should be tied in a Windsor knot - Windsor being underlined. Bravo, Tom Ford!)

George connects with two others during the course of the day - a Latino James Dean-wannabe hustler (in a scene more significant for what doesn't happen than for what does) and a flirtatious male student from one of his classes (played by Nic Hoult). The encounter with the student leads to a late-night frolic in the surf, tying in with the scene that plays over the opening credits. This opens George to the possibility of happiness, making the film's climax even more moving.

This is a film you will want to see more than once. I've already seen it twice, and I wish I could see it again. Colin Firth is simply magnificent - it is the role of a lifetime for him. All the Oscar talk is richly deserved, and I hope it comes to fruition.

For its near perfection, I give this film 5 shovels.

Reviews - How to Festival TIFF 2009

Ghost Writer: Michele A.

OHG EXCLUSIVE! Link but please do not repost.

There are actually people who pride themselves in seeing more than three films in one day while attending TIFF - I am not one of them! I am from New York City, and while in Toronto, I like to see the city, sample its restaurants, do some shopping and mix with the friendly Torontonians.

This year was our fourth trip to the Festival. It is something I look forward to all year, even though we always plan our trip at the last minute. Our arrangements depend upon the cost and the film schedule. I am a big Colin Firth fan, so if he has a film or films screening, I want to be there for them.

In fact, my biggest gripe with TIFF is that they release the schedule so late in the game, generally around 3 weeks before the festival begins. The earlier you can make travel and lodging arrangements, the more you can get for the money. The moment the schedule is released, I am on the travel sites looking for the best package. Our first trip to TIFF was in 2005, and I knew nothing about the layout of the city. I made a big mistake in selecting a hotel that was a bargain, but too far from all the action. We rented a car, and after the rental and parking costs, it would have been more economical to stay closer to downtown and walk or take the subway or taxis to the TIFF venues.

Last year we stayed at the Westin Harbour Castle, situated on beautiful Lake Ontario, and just a 15 minute walk to the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres, two of the primary TIFF theatres. We loved the hotel and the location was ideal, so we booked the same hotel this year. I was able to get a great price for a five-night stay including airfare for my husband and myself. We try to get a very early flight into Toronto and a very late flight out (this year 8:30 a.m. and 8:45 p.m. respectively) so that we can schedule films on all days of our stay.

Once travel arrangements are made, it is time to pore over the film lists. The object is to first pencil in the "must-sees," in this case, two screenings each of Colin Firth's films, Dorian Gray and A Single Man, and then work in other selections around them. You have to look at the festival map to be sure you will have enough time to travel from venue to venue. (Eating and visiting a rest room would be nice, too!)

The cost of the tickets, particularly for gala presentations at Roy Thompson Hall, is quite high. Gala tickets are around $40 each, and regular screenings are around $20. Of course, there are also online or telephone order fees. It is more economical to order all your tickets at once to save on these fees, but it is not always possible to do so as tickets that are not available on the first day may become available later on. I was very lucky this year in getting tickets for both of Colin Firth's films on the first day of sales. I was on the phone the moment the box office opened - as usual, the online site was jammed and impossible to navigate.

The other way to order to tickets is to pre-order a package some weeks before individual tickets go on sale. You pay the cost of 10 tickets (there are larger packages as well) and a lottery system determines the order in which package buyers select their tickets. As I live in NY, I would have to do this through the mail, and there is still no guarantee to get your first ticket choices.

We have made friends over these past 5 years with other film fans, some of whom live in Toronto, and we meet up each year for the festival. It's great to have friends who can guide us through the city, recommend restaurants, transportation, etc. We walk whenever it is possible; if we are in a hurry, we take taxis. Yes, that can get expensive, but as we are usually 3 or 4 to a taxi, it sometimes works out to cost less than or equal to taking subways.

A big part of the festival experience is the fun of seeing celebrities in person, and not just at festival screenings. Try as you might to act blase, there is something about seeing George Clooney waving to fans or Colin Firth shopping in the bookstore that makes your day just a bit more exciting. (We did actually meet Colin Firth in front of the bookstore and he was gracious in signing autographs and posing with us for photos.) And this year George Clooney had two films at the festival, and we seemed to see him everywhere. (Our joke was that he was stalking US!)

Most days, we saw two films. There was one day I wanted to see three, but couldn't get tickets to see one of the films (An Education). This one was the only film I really wanted to see, but was unsuccessful in getting tickets. We even got on a rush line at 8 a.m. but only the first 10 got in. The screening was at 9, and a few hardy souls were there shortly after 6 a.m. When a film is totally sold out, there is a rush line in case some ticket holders don't show up.

I try to select films that are not likely to open in local theaters, even in New York City, soon after the festival. Unless I absolutely want to see a film immediately, there is no reason to pay more than $20 when I know I can pay $7 (using tickets I purchase at a discount from my employer) in a few weeks time

Here are the films we saw this year in Toronto. I will review them in detail later, but for now here are my quick ratings with 5 [shovels] being the highest possible score.

Friday Sept 11

Creation - 3.5

Dorian Gray (gala) - 2.5

Saturday Sept 12

Fish Tank - 4.5

The Vintner's Luck - 3

Sunday Sept 13

Dorian Gray - 2.5

Monday Sept 14

Google Baby - 4.0

A Single Man - 5

Tuesday Sept 15

Chloe - 3.5

Baaria - 4

Wednesday Sept 16

A Single Man - 5

Get Low - 4

How to Sell Literary Films

Staff Writer: Samuntha Mackenzie

Strange how literature and film go together but are sometimes unsellable. Take for instance, Dorian Gray, a literary icon sits while a buyer is sought. Natalie Brenner, Head of Sales for Ealing Studios, was interviewed about the dichotomy.

At TIFF the mission is clear: sell your film. Brenner states: "While we’ve sold [distribution] for much of the world, including Canada, we still have America to sell and a few of the [other] major territories. A gala is a fantastic way to present it, a fantastic platform. If you can generate a few good reviews and word of mouth, that is the best way for your film to be seen. Toronto’s very valuable to us."

OHG has wrote in previous articles about generating buzz, some good reviews, and fan support. These factors garner an advantage in a competitive market.

Ealing confirms this need in order to sell a property. Moreover for a literature adaptation because of its complexity to the viewing audience. Brenner adds: "We’re waiting to see how the reviews come out. With a literary adaptation, the reality check is they’ll probably be mixed. When you adapt such a well-known property, you’re probably not going to please everyone. Some people are going to love it and some are going to feel it’s not the Dorian Gray of the book."

Dorian Gray fans in the US: don't give up hope. Though the number of distributors have dwindled in the slow economy, there are other companies out there. Fans can make it happen.

For more of this interview, please check out our source.

Source: TheAmpersand

Top 10 to Watch at TIFF 09

Staff Writer: Grave Digger

Toronto is an informal grab bag of film distribution/rights in the northern hemisphere. Deals are made by cellular phone and in hotel rooms (not those kind of deals). Predictions about the economy's role in smaller fees and buyouts have left fans wondering if their indie film will go straight to DVD.

Here's a list of some of the hotter properties at TIFF:

Creation - Opening Night Film
Perrier’s Bounty - First screening: Friday.11th 5:45 Ryerson
The Hole - First screening: Sept.12th 3:00 Ryerson
Harry Brown - First screening: Saturday.12th 6:00 Visa Screening Room Elgin
Solitary Man - First screening: Saturday.12th 9:00 Varsity 8
Mother and Child - First screening: Monday.14th 6:30 Roy Thompsen Hall
Leaves of Grass - First screening: Monday.14th 9:00 Ryerson
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans - First screening: 15th 6:00 Ryerson
Love and Other Impossible Pursuits - First screening: Wednesday Sept.16th 9:30 Roy Thomson Hall
Mr.Nobody - First screening: Friday 18th - 9:00 Ryerson

Source: Ioncinema

Dorian Gray Movie Stills Part 2

Staff Writer: Samuntha Mackenzie

More and more pictures from Dorian Gray:





Can't get enough Dorian Gray? Then check out our Aft Tracker for more articles, reviews and news.

Press Conferences - TIFF 09

Staff Writer: Samuntha Mackenzie

Check the source page for updated information about the Press Conferences being held at TIFF. Here is today's completed listing:

Sept 11 2009 Press Conference - ANTICHRIST - Lars Von Tier(dir), Willem DeFoa Sept 11 2009 Press Conference - CREATION - Jon Amiel(dir), Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelley Sept 11 2009 Press Conference - JENNIFER'S BODY - Karyn Kusama(dir), Megan Fox, Adam Brody, Amanda Seyfriend, Johnny Simmons Sept 11 2009 Press Conference - THE INFORMANT- Steve Soderbergh(dir), Matt Damon Sept 11 2009 Press Conference - MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS - Grant Heslow(dir), George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges Sept 12 2009 Press Conference - SOLITARY MAN - Brian Koppelman (dir), David Levien (dir), Michael Douglas Sept 12 2009 Press Conference - UP IN THE AIR - Jason Reitman (dir), George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Jason Bateman, Melanie Lynskey, Anna Kendrick, Amy Morton Sept 12 2009 Press Conference - CRACKS - Jordan Scott (dir), Eva Green, Juno Temple, Maria Valverde Sept 13 2009 Press Conference - PRECIOUS - Lee Daniels (dir), Mariah Carey, Paula Patton, Sherri Shepherd, Gabourey Sidibe Sept 13 2009 Press Conference - THE ROAD - John Hillcoat (dir), Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit McPhee Sept 13 2009 Press Conference - GET LOW - Aaron Schneider (dir), Robert Duvall, sissy Spacek, Bill Murray Sept 13 2009 Press Conference - VINTNER'S LUCK - Niki Carro (dir), Keisha Castle-Hughes, Vera Farmiga, Jeremie Renier, Gaspard Ulliel Sept 14 2009 Press Conference - CAPITALISM - Michael Moore Sept 14 2009 Press Conference - INVENTION OF LYING - Ricky Gervais (dir), Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe Sept 14 2009 Press Conference - CHLOE - Atom Egoyan (dir), Julianne Morre Sept 15 2009 Press Conference - BAD LIEUTENANT - Werner Herzog (dir), Nicolas Cage Sept 15 2009 Press Conference - WHIP IT - Drew Barrymore (dir), Ellen Page, Eve, Landon Pigg, Andrew Wilson, Alia Shawcat Sept 15 2009 Press Conference - PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE - Rebecca Miller (dir), Keanu Reeves, Robin Wright Penn Sept 15 2009 Press Conference - ONDINE - Neil Jordan (dir), Colin Farrell Sept 15 2009 Press Conference - A SINGLE MAN - Tom Ford (dir), Colin Firth Sept 16 2009 Press Conference - YOUTH IN REVOLT - Miguel Arteta(dir), Michael Cera, Portia Doubleday Sept 16 2009 Press Conference - GLORIOUS 39 - Stephen Poliakoff(dir), Bill Nighy, Romola Garai, Julie Christie Sept 16 2009 Press Conference - LOVE AND OTHER IMPOSSIBLE PURSUITS - Don Ross(dir), Natalie Portman, Lisa Kudrow, Scott Cohen Sept 18 2009 Press Conference - WHITE STRIPES UNDER THE GREAT WHITE NORHTERN LIGHTS - Emmett Malloy (dir), Jack White Sept 18 2009 Press Conference - WHATS YOUR RAASHEE - Ashutosh Gowariker (dir), Priyanka Chopra, Harman Baweja

Or go to the Live Webcast Page.

Source: TIFF