TIFF10 // Black Ocean: A false beauty, Norwegian Wood: Lyrical look at love and sex

A pseudo-Malickan work, Black Ocean appears on first glance as if it may be a film of reflective meaning and contemplation. It follows several young French sailors on their ship in 1972 in the lead-up to nuclear testing.

On a scene-by-scene basis, Black Ocean strikes up an appropriate mood with its slow, steady camera and a mournful dirge-like score focusing on three of the boys in their daily life. The bulk of the film is comprised of scenes on the ship as they go about their routines - agreeable enough - but these pieces never cohere into much of an arc, nor do any of the characters develop much (if at all) throughout the film. Director Marion Hänsel's cinema is very much informed by the work of Terrence Malick and as such, tries to create a story in between the words, in the glances between characters, but the viewer is not given enough to deduce any kind of conflict, tension, or story behind these shots.

One of the boys in particular has a reaction to the nuclear testing that comprises the slight story there is in the last act but it feels forced and more like the director expressing her point than a natural development for that particular character. In any event, that little piece of story is too little, too late to justify the film (as beautiful as it may be shot-for-shot) that came before it.

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Norwegian Wood, by contrast, is a film which, despite some minor flaws, is dense with lyrical beauty and examines the gap between love and sex with a perceptive eye. It may be entirely too long and suffocatingly emotional for some, but the film has an honesty in its look at relationships that hits hard.

Based off the widely read book by Haruki Murakami, Tran Anh Hung's film is a coming-of-age story narrated by the main character, Watanabe (Ken'ichi Matsunaya) His best friend Kizuna commits suicide, leaving behind a girlfriend, Naoki (Rinko Kikuchi) who goes into severe depression and whom Watanabe falls in love with, despite her emotional turmoil. Simultaneously, a charismatic young woman, Midori (Kiko Mitsuhara), injects herself into his life.

Norwegian Wood is unusual in the way it lingers where other narratives would cut, leaving the viewer to explore Watanabe's relationships from a focus on sex and its ramifications, rather than love. While it has a bit of an episodic feel to it (no doubt due to the nature of adapting a book), the film builds its case and its power scene by scene, block by block so that it feels like a complete and exhaustive look into the mindsets of young people in love (or what they think is love) and lust.

It balances itself through the contrasts between Watanabe's relationship with the disturbed Naoki as well as the vibrant Midori. The development of all three characters feels honest and realistic throughout which allows the viewer to observe this triangle with a critical eye and see the repercussions it has on Watanabe.

One of the many highlights of the film is its observance of the relationship between one of Watanabe's friends, Nagasawa and his girlfriend Hatsumi. Hatsumi is aware that Nagasawa is cheating on her but continues to stay with him. In a heartbreaking dinner scene, she questions Watanabe's (and all men in general) need for sex despite his love for Naoki as Nagasawa looks on, indifferent to her feelings.

Jonny Greenwood scores the more lyrical shots with a beautiful guitar sound that could be an alternate introduction to Radiohead's Street Spirit (Fade Out). When necessary, his score has a discordant strength that may be overwrought to some but feels appropriate for the inner turmoil of the characters. It is as beautifully violent as the feelings they have, underscoring the dangers of their drowning obsessions with love and how it can affect them in such profoundly disturbing ways. By the same token, the film creates a violent poeticism in its gorgeous look and the camera movements (notably in the walking conversation shots), bringing the viewer into the world of these characters and their drowning obsessions but never leaving us adrift on the tidal waves that are their emotions.

TIFF10 // Armadillo and The Four Times: Two masterworks

There is a shot in the documentary Armadillo of a wounded soldier, wide eyes staring blankly past the camera that is gripping in its immediacy. This is just one of many harrowing images in a film that presents a intimate perspective and an understanding of the war to the viewer using only razorsharp editing and well-chosen compositions.

Following several Danish soldiers in a platoon as they go on their tour of Afghanistan, the picture takes the approach of narrative filmmaking in its structure - dropping documentary conventions of interviews and b-roll and relying instead on the stunning footage to carry the story through.

The film successfully conveys the drudgery of the soldiers' life and their need for the sporadic bursts of violence which break up their daily monotony. These gunfights inject a sort of terrified adrenaline that seems as addictive as it is dangerous.

Armadillo builds in intensity as it pushes forward, taking on the aura of a slowburn thriller and climaxing in a riveting gunfight sequence that is astonishing for the risks the director and cinematographer clearly took. This sequence places you right in the thick of the battle, lending the footage an immediacy and authenticity that few other war films can claim to.

Director Janus Metz also chooses wisely to follow the aftermath and repercussions of this gunfight on the soldiers which lends the film much of its emotional weight. It's not a definitive document of the war - the film's focus is very intimate and, as the director mentions himself, we get little understanding of the Taliban, but it does document one side of the war thoroughly and with a balanced but sensitive hand. This is a film that brings the viewer closer into the soldiers' world than any other film has previously. As a result, it is one of the most visceral documents of war and its effect.

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The Four Times is another film that takes maximum advantange of the cinematic form. Initally following a shepherd on his daily routine, the film takes a spiritual turn as the shepherd dies and is reborn as a goat, following through these cycles two more times. The film builds a quiet power in its minimalistic approach, using the power of imagery to convey its themes, allowing one to revel in sounds and sights one would miss otherwise. As bizarre as its main premise is and as difficult as the meaning of certain scenes may be to grasp on first viewing, the film is surprisingly accessible in a cinematic manner and never loses its audience's attention, even injecting a sly humour in its compositions. Several of these shots are astounding in their mastery, especially a single precise take of a Catholic procession, a dog and a truck that leaves one wondering just how each element was coordinated and choreographed so perfectly.

TIFF10 // Bunraku: Pretty style, little substance

Set in a paper-maché world Michel Gondry would be proud of, Bunraku is a strange little film revolving around two strangers who come to a town ruled over with an iron fist by the Woodcutter (Ron Perlman); one a samurai, the other a cowboy (in a world without guns), played by Japanese pop star GACKT and Josh Hartnett respectively.
Hartnett plays the same moody noir character he seems to have played over and over in Sin City and The Black Dahlia while Woody Harrelson gets the most amusing role of the film as the Bartender. In contrast, Demi Moore gets the most thankless role, a part that could easily have left on the cutting room floor but which is most likely still in the film for marketing purposes.

The sets of Bunraku are elaborately designed like a pop-up book come to life and the film has a vibrant colour to it that engages on a visual level. In its style, the closest comparison would be to Sin City, as Bunraku plays with a similar awareness of comic conventions.

Unfortunately, Bunraku's primary focus is the visual aspect, with the little story there is playing like an afterthought. Whereas Sin City has a clarity of vision and commendably weaves together a few engaging threads, Bunraku is a much simpler piece with fight scenes comprising the bulk of the film, connected by a bare semblance of story.

This would be more palatable if the fight choreography was varied and engaging, but it is very much a hit and miss affair, often lacking the brutal energy or elegant dance that makes martial arts films a thrill to watch. All sorts of quirky elements are thrown into the fights to engage the audience but the clutter and the kitchen-sink approach actually detracts from the experience, feeling like a whole lot of noise with little to show for it. It's no surprise that the one fight scene that elicited cheers and claps from the audience was an economical, stripped-down setpiece with a singular focus - a thrilling jailbreak fight in one shot that is like Mirror's Edge (the 2D version) come to life.

The relentless music and over-the-top sound design is simularly clunky in its onslaught and paring back some of its manic approach would help the film vary its tone and give its pacing more shape.

TIFF10 // SUPER: Seriously deranged dark comedy

Coming in the same year as Kick-Ass and with a similar premise, SUPER may initially seem to tread the same ground but it carves out a niche of its own. With wanton violence including beatings with a wrench, half-blown-off faces, and rape played for laughs, this is not a film that will resonate with a wide audience but those with a strong fortitude and an appreciation for depraved humour will find this to be an entertainingly crazy and often hilarious film.

SUPER shifts back and forth from being morbidly funny to thoughtful to batshit insane and back again, often in a matter of seconds. It could easily have fallen apart due to the sharp turns in tone, and it is a bit of a patchwork piece, but it feels surprisingly cohesive in no small part thanks to Rainn Wilson. He anchors the film in a difficult role that requires both a knack for comedic timing and dramatic gravitas and he delivers both in spades. He plays Frank, an antihero who has only had two moments in his life that he remembers fondly - the day he married former junkie Sarah (Liv Tyler) and the day he pointed out a criminal to a cop. When Sarah leaves him for Jacques (Kevin Bacon), taking her drugs with her, he is hit by a vision from the Holy Avenger (Nathan Fillion) inciting him to become Crimson Bolt, punisher of all that is evil. Wielding a trusty wrench as his weapon of choice, he fights evil on an incremental scale, leading to some seriously deranged scenes where he punishes the wrongdoers in increasingly violent ways.

Frank is undeniably a psychotic character but despite all the horrific things he does, director James Gunn (who also brought us Slither, an amusing piece of gruesome pulp that also walked a fine line) manages to bring the viewer into Frank's world, allowing us to understand and empathize with his character especially through his dedication to Sarah and his feelings of self-doubt. In turn, we are able to relate to Frank and remain firmly in his corner throughout the film despite the violence he visits upon many others.

It also helps that Gunn gives him a sidekick in the form of Boltie played by Ellen Page. At first glance, Page seems to be playing another variant of the quirky indie chick working at a comic store but as the film progresses, she reveals herself to be more of a sociopath than even Crimson Bolt. Page throws herself into the role 100 percent, relishing the freedom to play a character whose actions cross more than a few lines of good taste. Her arc is well-pitched as Page leaves her character's insanity to simmer underneath, peeking out on occasion in the first half of the film, only to let loose and shock (and delight) the audience on several counts in the latter half.

Suffice to say that SUPER veered into directions I didn't expect several times throughout the film, getting a kind of perverse kick out of its ability to confound and shock the audience. Despite a finish that could have been a little more satisfying, it is a true Midnight Madness film and as such, played the crowd perfectly.

TIFF10 // Passion Play: A trumpeter without soul

Mitch Glazer's Passion Play opens with Mickey Rourke's Nate, a trumpeter in trouble with the local gangster (Bill Murray, played with his usual comic acerbity), stumbling onto a woman with wings in a carnival in the middle of the desert and escaping the clutches of her carnie benefactor to a new life. Glazer attempts to deflect the absurdity of this premise with a throwaway remark but the material never elevates itself to a level where one can excuse the ludicrous nature of the hook.

The film moves at a slow, ponderous pace as Glazer clearly wants it to be a melancholy tonal poem and a reflection on redemption (note the religious reference in the name of the film) but just like Megan Fox's birdwoman, Lily, the beauty is all on the surface with nothing but vacuity underneath. Instead of the jazzy moodiness that Glazer so clearly is aiming for, we are left bored by the lack of passion and energy on display, with only Bill Murray's ridiculous but intermittently amusing gangster character, Happy Shannon, to liven things up on occasion.

The attempts at poetry in motion nearly all fail with an astounding lack of good judgment on Glazer's part, as we get slow-motion imagery of feathers falling, Lily framed by wings on a pane of glass (nevermind the hackneyed convenience of those wings in that particular place), and inexplicably terrible and fake-looking shots of Lily half floating in the air that look like they came out of a perfume ad's discarded takes.

The film glides along for a short while on Mickey Rourke's charisma but the increasing leaps in reason, logic, and motives on the parts of the characters (shocking for an established screenwriter) eventually leech any goodwill built up on his part.

Not content with sheer mediocrity, the film finally implodes with its own self-importance in a climax that had the audience chattering throughout the theatre. It is a sequence so ridiculous, absurd and laughable, complete with such cheesy, bad CGI that I wanted to reach over to Glazer's seat and slap him in the face for the sheer pretentiousness of it all.

And so it begins...

The film festival kicked off yesterday with a first screening of Godard's Film Socialisme at the Ryerson - without any English translation whatsoever (as opposed to the Cannes screening which had occasional snatches of English subtitles). Suffice to say, there were a few unhappy people including my friend Mark who was told by a TIFF volunteer halfway through the screening that it was the director's choice.

He pointed out to me that it does seem rather odd, however, that the program would not make note of the lack of subtitles as some people may feel cheated out of their money for the screening. And it did screen at Cannes with partial English subtitles (as per Godard's request) which leads me to wonder if this was an error and misunderstanding on the part of TIFF.

One of my other friends, Conor, kicked off his TIFF on the opposite side of the spectrum with an advance screening of David Fincher's highly anticipated The Social Network (not technically part of the festival). He wouldn't place it in Fincher's filmography as he felt it was too early to judge, but he was very enthusiastic about it, saying it was a very dialogue-driven film with an intensity he didn't expect.

I will be seeing my first two screenings at TIFF10 (Passion Play and SUPER) very shortly and will try to post quick thoughts on both tonight or else tomorrow morning after my Wasted on the Young screening).

TIFF10 Schedule

Every year, for a week-and-a-half duration in September, Toronto turns into Hollywood North as hundreds of actors, filmmakers, and critics descend upon the city for the Toronto International Film Festival.

Having done increasingly large amounts of movies every year, this is my most anticipated edition as I almost double the number of films I will be seeing from the previous year.

I generally try to mix it up between a fair share of Hollywood-type films, genre fare, world cinema, and unknown gambles. Here's hoping there's another Enter the Void or Symbol in the mix.

My line-up with brief thoughts on each film:

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
09:00PM: Passion Play // Mitch Glazer
                The film I want to see least on my list. Megan Fox counterbalances Mickey
                Rourke and Bill Murray. Thankfully, it's also first.
11:59PM: SUPER // James Gunn

                Could be silly fun but it's the talk of darker undertones and a certain degree of

                realism that has me curious.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
09:00AM: Wasted on the Young // Ben C. Lucas
                Gossip Girl meets Elephant? Hoping that means it has a bit of the 90s teen
                thriller running through its veins. But darker.

12:30PM: Bad Faith // Kristian Petri*

                You can't compare a film to Blow-Up and The Fourth Man and not deliver

                something incredible. That would just be cruel.

05:45PM: Armadillo // Janus Metz

                Everything I've heard about this war doc makes it sound like one of the most

                visceral experiences you can have in a theatre.

11:59PM: Bunraku (dir. Guy Moshe)

                It's a gamble considering Hartnett's track record has been (putting it nicely)
                spotty. Could be trash or mindblowingly fresh. I'm taking the plunge.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
02:15PM: The Four Times // Michelangelo Frammartino
                Comparisons to Koyaaniqatsi in reviews can't hurt. Sounds and looks like
                the visual stunner of the fest.
07:15PM: Black Ocean // Marion Hansel
                Trailer has an idyllic mood and picaresque visuals that feel true to the
                reference in the description (i.e. Terrence Malick).
09:30PM: Norwegian Wood / Tran Anh Hung
                Murakami, Kikuchi, a Greenwood score, a gorgeous still in the program, and
                a director I've been curious about for ages.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
04:30PM: Everything Must Go // Dan Rush
                Good script buzz. Willing to give Ferrell another try in dramatic territory.
                Stranger Than Fiction was a snooze but that wasn't his fault.
08:00PM: Brighton Rock // Rowan Joffe
                '60s gangsters with Sam Riley (last seen in Control) and Helen Mirren can't
                possibly go too wrong.
11:59PM: John Carpenter's The Ward // John Carpenter
                The return of the master. Granted, his latter day work was subpar but the
                man did make Halloween, The Thing and In the Mouth of Madness.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
11:00AM: Black Swan // Darren Aronofsky
                Psychothriller set in the ballet world with shades of Rosemary's Baby, Suspiria,
                and a general aura of mindfuck. Why wouldn't you be there?
02:30PM: Rabbit Hole // John Cameron Mitchell
                I trust the unusually bold director paired with some straight-laced material
                could make for something winning and not bland.
06:00PM: 13 Assassins // Takashi Miike
                Does anyone know how to spill blood as well as Takashi Miike? This sounds
                positively epic.
09:30PM: Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale // Jalmari Helander
                If you're not hooked by this still of a Santa in a cage...the review references
                to The Thing and Indiana Jones will surely do it for you.
11:59PM: Insidious // James Wan
                Not a fan of the Saw team but the cast is an upgrade and a haunted house
                movie at Midnight Madness should provoke some fun audience reactions.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
02:15PM: Essential Killing // Jerzy Skolimowski
                It's one big Gallo showcase as he plays a Taliban fighter on the run without
                speaking a word. Sounds like pure kinetic filmmaking.
06:15PM: Blue Valentine // Derek Cianfrance
                Coming out of Sundance, the film I wanted to see the most with two of the
                best working actors playing out a destructive marriage.
10:45PM: Promises Written in Water // Vincent Gallo
                Gallo is a charismatic egomaniac but despite what critics say, he has the
                talent to back it up (Buffalo '66 and The Brown Bunny are both great).

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
02:30PM: What's Wrong with Virginia? // Dustin Lance Black
                Jennifer Connelly with the writer of Milk is enough to get my butt in the
                seat.
05:30PM: I Saw the Devil // Kim Jee-Woon
                I asked earlier - who knows how to spill blood better than Miike. Kim
                Jee-Woon might be the answer. A Tale of Two Sisters proved his talent.
09:00PM: Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame // Tsui Hark**
                Tsui Hark had a big hand in my childhood (the best Jet Li kung-fu films)
                and I'm hoping he can take me back to that time again.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
02:30PM: Casino Jack // George Hickenlooper
                Spacey is overdue for a comeback. This looks like the perfect vehicle,
                slotting into his filmography very nicely with a welcome Wall Street vibe.
07:45PM: Three // Tom Tykwer
                Tykwer has blown me away time and again (notably with Princess & the
                Warrior and Perfume). He has benefit of the doubt for life.
11:59PM: Catfish // Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman***
                This is one of those trailers that immediately grabbed me...one of the most
                intriguing looking documentaries in a long time...or is it a documentary?

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
12:15PM: Kaboom // Gregg Araki
                Gregg Araki's return to batshit crazy storytelling revolving around horny
                teenagers with an added twist of paranoid dystopia. I can't wait.
03:00PM: 22nd of May // Koen Mortier
                Could be clunky. Could also be the Enter the Void/Symbol of this fest. I'm
                taking the chance.
05:30PM: Confessions // Tetsuya Nakashima
                Dark, fucked up films from the Japanese side tend to be more dark and
                fucked up than I imagine. A definite hook of a premise.
09:00PM: Cave of Forgotten Dreams // Werner Herzog
                Is anyone surprised this is a must-grab ticket? Herzog + 3D + caves. Did you
                just orgasm over those three tags? I think you did.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
12:00PM: Cold Fish // Sion Sono
                A killer premise. And it's all true. Sounds like a good entry point into cult
                favourite Sion Sono's work.
03:30PM: Our Day Will Come // Romain Gavras
                Redheaded gangs with Cassel directed by Costa-Gavras's talented progeny
                and the most ominous/badass title at the fest. Sounds bold and innovative.
06:00PM: Submarine // Richard Ayoade
                Wes Anderson meets Godard? My biggest gamble (it will be the last thing I
                see) but then I've always been a sucker for coming-of-age stories.

*I was unable to get a ticket for this film but will be lining up in the morning of the screening to add it to my slate.
**I may attempt to switch Detective Dee & the Mystery of the Phantom Flame for Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives on the day of the screening.
***Not technically part of the festival but it is opening in a midnight screening in limited release and my friend and I are going to make it part of our fest.

Other films that I was either unable to get or could not fit into my schedule that I think you should take a look at if you are doing the fest are: Julia's Eyes, Film Socialism, The Housemaid, Hereafter, Heartbeats, You Are Here, Meek's Cutoff, Womb, and The Strange Case of Angelica. Films that look promising but which I didn't do because they are coming out soon are 127 Hours, Monsters, and Never Let Me Go.

Single tickets are available starting tomorrow morning at 7am.

LADY BLUE SHANGHAI / David Lynch

Saw this linked over at IMDb today. Seeing as I've been pondering Lynch as of late, I decided to check it out.

 Gotta say, Lynch has a one-of-a-kind mind. And he's one of the few directors I can think of who have successfully taken the raw griminess of video and used it in edgy ways that take up that advantage. I still love his more precise cinematic work on 35mm better (you really can't top his melancholy visual poems for mood) but I've come to understand his fascination with video through his short films as well as his last feature, Inland Empire.

This film, made for Dior Perfumes, is a mix between the rough-hewn style of his video experiments and the lush romanticism of his cinematic films. It really shows off the potential of video for a more visceral immediacy than 24 fps film stock gives. It also means he has to work twice as hard to maintain the moody timelessness that film stock lends but he does it successfully, utilizing ambient music, a kind of step-printing effect combined with superimpositions, and the classy Marion Cotillard - who wouldn't have been out of place amongst the international icons of elegance in the '60s - to create a tale of deja vu, lost love, and the imprint of another time. He also leaves room for some classically sly Lynch humor with the line deliveries of the two hotel employees who search Cotillard's room for the intruder. Naturally, these are underlined by an unsettling offness that is the Lynch trademark (notice the shot below where one man searches the room in the right side of the background while the other man stands in the left foreground, his head cut off by the top of the frame).

One element of the short - the lost love, if you will, comes off borderline cheesy in his "I love yous" as the step-printing effect glides him away into the abyss of memory but the intensely mood-setting music and Cotillard's expressionistic face sell the moment. Ultimately, this short is more about the evocation of a tone, the creation of an atmosphere that's edgy and dark while simultaneously elegant and lushly romantic. It's a fitting advertisement for Christian Dior.

You can see the 16-minute short here.