My Week in Film: It's all about Closure

1001 days ago I came up with a list of 101 things I wanted to do in 1001 days ranging from things like drawing a self portrait to trying new foods to going to the zoo. Many of the items were film related and one of them was to see 101 films I can't believe I haven't seen. With the time coming to a close I spend a lot of this week catching up with the last few films and reflecting on the list as a whole.

I finished up by watching Gone with the Wind, which ended just before midnight. I had a few close calls along the way like having a heck of a time tracking down John Woo's The Killer, or Un Zoo la Nuit not having English subtitles, the tracking on The Wicker Man being so bad I could barely watch it and then almost loosing my lunch watching Un Chien Andalou.

Some insights that I had along the way:

It would have been a great idea to note the reason why I chose all the films somewhere. Lots are from the IMDb top 250, Genie winners, critically acclaimed films, genre favourites, etc. But there were times where I was sitting there going "Why am I watching this?"

I love Yul Brynner. From Anastasia to The Magnificent Seven to The King and I. Love everything I've seen him in, even Westworld which totally scares me (and wasn't on the list)!

I do not love comedies, but I seem determined keep trying. Annie Hall and Rushmore left me underwhelmed. Working through this list also reaffirmed that comedies don't always hold up to the test of time, Four Weddings and a Funeral and Grosse Pointe Blank I'm sure I would have enjoyed if I watched them closer to their release but 10 years removed, not so much.

The 100 titles represents a seventh of the films I've seen over the 1001 days (100 films out of 702 films total).

I'm glad I included so much CanCon on the list. There are many new favourites with Eve & the Fire Horse, The Saddest Music in the World and Seducing Dr. Lewis / La Grande Seduction.

I included some films that I knew I might not like, such as Raging Bull and The Graduate. I didn't like them. Yes, I know they are classics but I still didn't like them. There were also films I had no idea I would love so much include Gandhi, The Seventh Seal, The / Det Sjunde Inseglet and Lawrence of Arabia.

The films I left to the very end were all ones I owned. Two were VHS tapes still sealed in plastic that I've had for over 13 years. One of the weirdest things I came across was finding out that I'm the same height as Linda Hunt from The Year of Living Dangerously (which was awesome). It's totally weird to think "If I was standing beside Mel Gibson, that is how tall I would be".

Out of all the films I saw, two had an enormous impact on me. First was The Good, the Bad and the Ugly / Il Buono, il brutto, il cattivo I had no idea how freaking awesome this film was. It's three hours long but I watched it twice in the same weekend. It also led to an exploration on westerns last November which was a lot of fun and I ended up making my own list of favourite westerns.

The second film that had a huge impact was Rashômon. How had I not seen an Akira Kurosawa film until 2007? What a brillant and beautiful director. I instantly went on a search to track down and see as many of his films as I could.

Overall I'm thrilled to have made it though and that I saw all of these films. Kudos to the Toronto Public Library for having a vast collection of films, I saw roughly half the films through the library. I will definitely make more lists of films I want to see. However, after that many days of tracking down films, making time to see them, taking notes and updating my film database I'm looking forward to a bit of a list break.

See the complete list of films here.

DIY Entertainment Club

Tried YesAsia.com for the first time in October, slightly tardy posting this DIY! The reason I strayed from my usual amazon order was the search for the ever elusive John Woo film The Killer. I have had it on request from the Toronto Public Library (after 2 years, I'm 14/110 people for the *VHS* copy). I missed the a showing at the Bloor and finally enquired about it at HMV where I was informed it had no current North American release. On the Criterion site, it's Out of Print too! BOO to that! I needed to see it before December 1, 2008 to complete my 101 films I can't believe I haven't seen list, and I was determine to get it! I heard good things from others that used YesAsia, so I gave it a try. As I'm a sucker for getting free shipping, I picked out 2 other selections snagging Johnny To's Sparrow starring Simon Yam and Wong Kar-Wai's My Blueberry Nights.

Film Reviews - Philippines

Santa Mesa *
Yanggaw

*indicates co-production

Back to Countries List

Monthly Wallpaper - December 2008: Super Heroes

2008 was the unofficial "year of the superhero", so it is only fitting that the final Movie Dearest calendar wallpaper of the year is a salute to our favorite celluloid supers.

From the classic Christopher Reeve Superman and Michael Keaton Batman to more recent editions to the ranks such as Iron Man and the upcoming Watchmen, this legion of superheroes will keep your desktop nice and safe from marauding super villains, at least for the next few weeks.

All you have to do is click on the picture above to enlarge it, then simply right click your mouse and select "Set as Background". (You can also save it to your computer and set it up from there if you prefer.) The size is 1024 x 768, but you can modify it if needed in your own photo-editing program.

Film Art: Got Milk Edition

Sean Penn as Harvey Milk in Milk, as illustrated by Robert Risko for The New Yorker.

William Gibson: 1914-2008

William Gibson, who won a Tony Award for his play The Miracle Worker and an Academy Award nomination for adapting it to the screen, died Tuesday at the age of 94.

Gibson was also Tony nominated for his play Two for the Seesaw and the musical Golden Boy. His Golda's Balcony, which starred Tovah Feldshuh as Golda Meir, set a record in 2005 as the longest-running one-woman play in Broadway history.

Out in Film: Gus Van Sant

Idol worship: Gus Van Sant, director/writer/producer.

- He would begin exploring the major thematic subject of all his works, the lives of those living on the fringes of society, with his first film, the gay indie classic Mala Noche.

- Continuing that theme, he would find great success with Drugstore Cowboy and My Own Private Idaho, both of which won him Independent Spirit Awards and many other prizes.

- Following his flop adaptation of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, he bounced back with the acclaimed black comedy To Die For and his biggest box office hit, Good Will Hunting. He received his first Academy Award nomination as Best Director for the latter.

- After his infamous "shot-for-shot" Psycho remake and the Will Hunting-esque Finding Forrester, he would return to his indie roots with a string of often controversial art house fare, including Gerry, the Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or winner Elephant, Last Days (these three comprised his unofficial "Death Trilogy") and Paranoid Park.

- His most recent film Milk, the critically acclaimed biopic of gay icon Harvey Milk, marks his return to big budget filmmaking, but still bares his distinctly independent eye for telling the stories of those outside the mainstream.

Film Fan Fridays for Friday November 28, 2008

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday November 28, 2008! Can you believe it's almost December? I can't!

All the new releases are limited releases! Out of what we are looking at I'm most likely to check out the French thriller The Killer / Le Tueur. We also have the rather disturbing looking Restless. The biggest buzz for this weeks limited release is definitely for A Christmas Tale / Un conte de Noël, a Cannes charmer starring Bond's latest baddie Mathieu Amalric in a family drama. Oddly, even though it's gotten great buzz, no one I know personally liked it and I'm also a little leery consider for another reason: the film is French, but the trailer has a English voice over to 'walk you through' the set up. Weird.

There are no wide release this week hot off the coals are the mid week releases of Australia, Four Christmases and Transporter 3 all in wide release; or Milk in limited release.

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

Festival Watch

aluCine
Toronto Latin Media Festival
Continues until November 29, 2008 at various locations in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Brazil Film Fest
Continues until November 30, 2008 at the Isabel Bader Theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Eh!U European Film Festival
Continues until November 30, 2008 at various locations in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Special Screenings

Free Japanese Films at the Bloor!
Arrive early to check out films presented by the Japan Foundation at The Bloor this weekend:
Shangri-La (Dir: Takashi Miiki) Friday November 28, 2008 at 7pm
Breather In, Breathe Out (Dir: Tetsuo Shinohara) Saturday November 29, 2008 at 4:30pm
Half A Confession (Dir: Kiyoshi Sasabe) Saturday November 29, 2008 at 7:00pm

Wednesday November 26, 2008 Releases

Australia
Dir: Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge!, Romeo + Juliet, Strictly Ballroom)
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Bryan Brown
Australia/USA
Official Film Site (autoplays trailer), IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer site unseen - spoiler sensitive beware!

Four Christmases
Dir: Seth Gordon (The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters)
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn, Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight, Mary Steenburgen
USA/Germany
Official Film Site(autoplays trailer), IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer is spoiler free

Milk
Dir: Gus Van Sant (Gerry, Paranoid Park, Good Will Hunting)
Cast: Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, James Franco, Alison Pill, Diego Luna
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
You get the gist of the film by the halfway point

Transporter 3
Dir: Olivier Megaton (La Sirène rouge)
Cast: Jason Statham, Natalya Rudakova, François Berléand, Robert Knepper
France
Official Film Site (autoplays clips from film), IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer 2a spoiler free until 2/3rds of the way through

Friday November 28, 2008 Releases

A Christmas Tale / Un conte de Noël
Dir: Arnaud Desplechin (Kings & Queens / Rois et reine)
Cast: Mathieu Amalric, Catherine Deneuve
France
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

The Killer / Le Tueur
Writer/Dir: Cédric Anger - directorial debut
Cast: Grégoire Colin, Gilbert Melki
France
Limited Release
Film info on Evokative Films Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
You get the gist of the film at halfway point

Restless
Writer/Dir: Amos Kollek (Nowhere to Go But Up, Bridget)
Cast: Moshe Ivgy, Ran Danker
Israel/Germany/France/Canada/Belgium
Limited Release
Film MySpace Page, IMDb Page, Trailer (includes mature content)
Trailer is spoiler free

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of November 28, 2008**

Reel Thoughts: Wonder from Down Under

Okay, I admit that Baz Luhrmann’s sweeping epic Australia would have scored high marks from me for Hugh Jackman’s oft-shown physique alone. Fortunately, it has a lot more going for it and a lot more restraint than another Luhrmann film I loathe. Australia is a rousing but overlong classic that evokes films like Titanic, The African Queen and any of a number of old westerns I could probably name if I could stand the genre.

Of course, Australia doesn’t take place in the Old West – It takes place in pre-WWII Australia in sumptuously filmed vistas. Nicole Kidman plays Lady Sarah Ashley, an at-first fussy British noblewoman who comes Down Under to take care of and sell her husband’s cattle ranch. She is immediately offended by a man known only as the Drover (Jackman), the kind of gruff but stunning man’s man whom no one in their right mind could resist.


However, upon finding that her husband has been murdered and his ranch sabotaged, she needs the Drover’s help. She also becomes fiercely protective of a young Aboriginal boy named Nullah (the remarkable 12 year-old Brandon Walters), who, because of his mixed heritage, is threatened with becoming a virtual slave if caught. Many children like him were taken from their Aboriginal families forcibly and put into service for white families, gaining their own name, “the Stolen Generations”.

Of course, as WWII loomed, the city of Darwin (near to the cattle ranches of Lady Ashley and King Carney, the reining cattle baron played by Bryan Brown) became a vital base and target for the Japanese. We’re told at the outset that it was bombed just like Pearl Harbor, so the mystery is who ends up there and what becomes of them.


Luhrmann starts the film off with a typically heightened and humorous tone, pitting Kidman against the elements. Once the story is established, however, Australia becomes a serious-minded romantic drama that holds no surprises whatsoever. How you enjoy the film depends on how disappointed you are in that revelation.

I enjoyed Australia thoroughly, and marveled at thrilling set pieces such as a cattle stampede set on a vast precipice and the bombing of Darwin. Kidman and Jackman are both so exquisite looking and charismatic, I was not disappointed, and rather enjoyed the comfort of the film’s familiarity. I’ve always dreamed of going to Australia. After seeing Luhrmann’s version, I’m even more determined than ever — as long as I can find a similar “Drover” to give me the lay of the land!

UPDATE: Australia is now available on DVD and Blu-rayfrom Amazon.com.

Review by Neil Cohen, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Phoenix's Echo Magazine.

Time to Carve the Turkey ...

Tina, bring me the axe!

Happy Thanksgiving from Movie Dearest!

My Week in Film

There has been a bunch of big film stuff going on recently! I spent a glorious 5 days at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival which continues to impress with its selection of fantastic Asian film. See my complete coverage of the festival here.

Although I caught up on a several new releases, including heading out to catch JCVD in it's theatrical release, I think it is safe to say that *the* film of the moment is none other than Twilight (click through for full review). I went on opening night with my sister Jamie and it was one heck of a fun time. We were originally going to go to a mid afternoon show, but when I noticed it was in theatre 14 (at Scotiabank - good theatre, but one of if not the smallest there), I asked if there we tickets still available for the prime time showing. And there were. And it was in theatre 1 - the biggest house. I exchanged those suckers right then and there and then heard something I've not heard at a regular theatre for a while:

"It's going to be pretty crazy. I'd recommend coming 45 minutes early."

Oh course, I wouldn't have expected something other than craziness but being in a full theatre in a non festival setting happens to me so infrequently that it got me nostalgic and added to the fun of the experience. For the record, we ended up going 30 minutes early and sat 3rd row up on the side and those seats are just fine. It's exactly where I sat when I watched Mongol.

Other films I've taken in are the latest Bond instalment Quantum of Solace which I enjoyed a fair amount, likely due to revisiting many of the classic Bond films from Dr. No to Live and Let Die over the summer. I felt Quantum of Solace holds up well and it's refreshing to see that it continues where Casino Royale left off and that they chose to break the formula by showing the effects of events over time.

The last trip to the regular theatre lead me to what may very well be the best US release of 2008 that I've seen so far: Rachel Getting Married. The acting is was absolutely fantastic not only by Anne Hathaway but the entire cast, the story is compelling and the setting feels so real. For me it was a kleenex required screening and at one point I had pools of tears in my clavicles, and was hoping for a loud scene so I could sniffle away unnoticed. A stunning film that I highly recommend.

Hey, that's my 55 cents! Ticket prices have increased at some of the Toronto downtown theatres recently. From trekking to the theatre I found out that Varsity and Scotiabank tickets have gone from $11.95 to $12.50 and the Carlton lists new prices as $10.50 from $9.95. It does feel like ages since the price has been raised but those feel like odd numbers for tickets. But, 2 for $25 is a very convenience pocket price.

Odd to note is after the preshow (read: cycling adds) at the Twilight screening they actually had a slide that went up saying 'Thanks for watching the preshow'. I didn't know anyone but me referred to it as that. Weird!

How was your week?


One of the few times I've actually pre purchased tickets! Of course it was on the day of the first big snow.


Twilight crowd on opening night. Were you there?

The Latest in Theaters: From Oz to San Francisco

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, we bring you a special Wednesday edition of the Latest in Theaters:

• Milk: According to Chris' review of Gus Van Sant's long-awaited biopic of gay icon Harvey Milk (played by Sean Penn), it is certainly well worth that wait.
• Australia: Check back tomorrow for Neil's review of Baz Luhrmann's romantic epic starring our favorite Aussies, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.
• Transporter 3: Jason Statham puts on those driving gloves one more (final?) time as Frank Martin, here charged with transporting a kidnapped woman through Europe.
• Four Christmases: The unlikely coupling of Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn find their holiday plans changed when they are forced to visit their relatives -- all four households of them.

To find out what films are playing in your area, visit Fandango - Search movie showtimes and buy tickets!

Women We Love: Nicole Kidman

Object of our affection: Nicole Kidman, actress.

- This Australian actress first gained international notice in the high seas thriller Dead Calm, followed quickly by a string of Hollywood flicks, such as Days of Thunder, Billy Bathgate, Malice and Far and Away.

- She proved she wasn't just another pretty face with her chilling performance in To Die For, which won her the first of three Golden Globes. The next few years found her alternating between big budget action films (Batman Forever, The Peacemaker) and art house fare (The Portrait of a Lady, Eyes Wide Shut).

- 2001 was her year with two big hits, the atmospheric thriller The Others and the glitzy musical Moulin Rouge! She received two Golden Globe nominations, winning for the latter, which also garnered her first Academy Award nomination. She didn't win the Oscar for her sultry Satine, but for her suicidal Virginia Woolf in the following year's The Hours, which also gave her that third Globe, as well as several other prizes.

- Since her date with Oscar, she has also starred in Dogville, The Human Stain, Cold Mountain, The Stepford Wives, Birth, The Interpreter, Bewitched, Happy Feet, Margot at the Wedding and The Golden Compass.

- She returns to her homeland in this week's epic romance Australia. Next year will find her in another movie musical, Nine, as well as the recently announced The Danish Girl, wherein she'll play Lili Elbe, the first person to undergo sex reassignment surgery.

Castle Frankenstein to Close Up Shop

Mel Brooks' musical version of his Young Frankenstein will take its last "roll in the hay" January 4.

The high-ticket production, which failed to receive the plaudits and Tony Awards (not to mention the goodwill of Broadway) of its predecessor, The Producers, is planning to launch a national tour sometime next year.

The Latest on DVD: Sounder Come Home

Sounder, the classic inspirational drama about a poor family and their faithful dog, finally makes its debut on DVDtoday.

The Martin Ritt-directed film received four Academy Award nominations back in 1972, including Best Picture and lead acting nods for stars Paul Winfield and Cicely Tyson.

Check out the Latest on DVD widgets located in the sidebar for more of this week's new DVD releases available today from Amazon.com.

Dancing is the One That You Want

Last night was the finals for this season of Dancing With the Stars, which means one thing: the always-popular free-style dance. There are no rules in this round, so the stars and their professional partners get to go crazy and do whatever the want to; the results are often lift-filled crowd-pleasers like Brooke Burke and Derek Hough's spirited take on the Grease classic "You're the One That I Want".

The duo (who got a perfect score for that one) are favored to win, not surprisingly considering they have been the front-runners all season. However, I'm still rooting for our guy Lance Bass, who I think was hampered a bit by his showboating partner Lacey Schwimmer. Footballer Warren Sapp and his perky pro Kym Johnson round out the final three.

The results of the final vote will be revealed (as host Tom Bergeron says) "liiive" on tonight's two-hour grand finale, which will also feature the return of all of this year's competitors, including that wacky Cloris Leachman.

Reverend’s Reviews: Pour Yourself Some Milk

Allow me to cut to the chase: Milk (from Focus Features, opening in Los Angeles and New York City on November 26) is excellent, and timely. Viewing this long-in-development big screen biography the night before the recent election on California’s Proposition 8 made it seem all the more prescient. The final eight, politically charged years in the life of our nation’s first openly gay elected official come to vibrant life through Sean Penn’s extraordinary performance in the title role and Gus Van Sant’s passionate direction.

Harvey Milk was many things in his lifetime: business owner, boyfriend and lover, gay rights activist, opera aficionado and, ultimately, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Since his assassination in 1978 by a disturbed fellow Supervisor, Dan White (Josh Brolin, who follows his award-worthy portrayal of President Bush in W. with another fine characterization), Milk has been regarded by many in the GLBT community as a pioneering hero and even a martyred saint.


Illustration by Br. Robert Lentz, OFM
The late politico would likely consider his canonized status amusing, but he would also probably relish it. As Milk shows, he didn’t hesitate to take center stage whenever it would benefit his political rise and/or empower the GLBT community of San Francisco. Milk’s courage during what were still the fledgling years of the gay rights movement remains impressive, and inspiring.

Milk, with a great screenplay by Dustin Lance Black (writer-producer of HBO’s Big Love), is framed by and interspersed with scenes of Penn-as-Milk recording his real-life political journal, which he specified should be played only upon his assassination. The narrative proper begins in New York City, with Milk meeting the man who would become his long-term lover, Scott Smith (played by Spider-Man’s James Franco), on the night of Milk’s 40th birthday. Milk complains to Smith that he hasn’t accomplished anything significant in his life to date, and they drink a prophetic toast to change.


A year or so later, the two re-locate to San Francisco, where Milk opens a camera shop in the city’s Castro District. They initially experience discrimination as an openly gay couple, but soon the Castro has become the city’s gay center thanks to Milk’s community-organizing efforts. Still, the residents remain subject to gay bashings and regular harassment by the police.

Milk’s drive to stop this mistreatment propels him into political life. After three unsuccessful attempts at running for office, he is elected to the city’s Board of Supervisors in 1977 (along with White). Milk quickly finds himself in what would become the biggest fight for GLBT rights in his life, as Anita Bryant, conservative Senator John Briggs and other anti-gay crusaders target California. Briggs introduces Proposition 6, which sought to identify GLBT teachers in public schools and remove them from their posts.


It is in detailing the GLBT community’s fight against Proposition 6 that Milk most mirrors history as recent as one month ago. Although the battle to defeat Proposition 8’s attempt to amend California’s constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage wasn’t as successful (at press time) as the effort against Proposition 6, the movie nonetheless serves as a reminder to us and our supporters that we must not quit. As Milk himself would say, “You’ve gotta give them hope.”

Milk is a must-see, not only for its dramatization of critical GLBT history but also for the superb achievement of its cast and creative team. It is lovingly produced by Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen and Michael London, who between them have had a hand in such GLBT fave films as To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar; The Family Stone; Down with Love and American Beauty.


Out director Van Sant (My Own Private Idaho, Good Will Hunting) was a perfect choice to helm this production. In addition to his expert handling of the actors, he occasionally uses archival footage of locations and events to both heighten and blur the distinctions between Milk’s time and today. Van Sant and cinematographer Harris Savides capture daytime and nighttime moments with equal skill. Among other standout scenes, there’s a singular, brilliant shot of a gay bashing’s aftermath and Milk’s conversation with the investigating police officer, all reflected on the side of the victim’s bloodied but still-shiny alert whistle.

The movie’s only misstep is its somewhat heavy-handed approach to Milk’s death. First, it perpetuates the myth that Milk was killed the day after attending a performance of the opera Tosca, which in reality he did several days before. Then, as Milk is dying in the wake of being shot multiple times by White, he gazes out the window at the adjacent opera house. Milk was a lifelong opera fan and is even the subject of an opera, appropriately titled Harvey Milk. However, it is an unnecessary stretch to juxtapose his murder with the suicide of Tosca’s heroine, as the filmmakers are seemingly doing.


But back to Milk’s strengths and the film’s chief attribute: Sean Penn. The Academy Award-winning actor isn’t so much impersonating Harvey Milk as channeling his spirit. Penn hasn’t been this loose and purely enjoyable on screen since he played stoner Jeff Spicoli in 1982’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High. He effortlessly nails Milk’s gestures and charismatic ability to leaven seriousness with humor. Penn also isn’t afraid to get hot and heavy with both Franco and Diego Luna (Before Night Falls, Y tu Mamá También), the latter of whom plays Milk’s unstable lover Jack Lira. I have no doubt that Penn will be Oscar-nominated for his performance as Milk, and he might even win a “partner” for his Mystic River trophy.

Since Milk is such a gay-centric movie, I am anxious to see how it is received by non-GLBT audiences. It could be of great benefit and service to take a straight family member or friend who is relatively unaware of our community’s history with us to see Milk. We need all the allies we can get in our continuing struggle for equality. This film is a powerful and inspirational history lesson.

UPDATE: Milk is now available on DVD and Blu-rayfrom Amazon.com.

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

Twilight

Dir: Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen, Lords of Dogtown, The Nativity Story)
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Cam Gigandet, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Kellan Lutz, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Anna Kendrick, Rachelle Lefevre, Gil Birmingham
USA, 2008

Seen: Opening Night! Friday November 21, 2008 at Scotiabank

Reason to see: Teen vampire drama romance - of course I'm going to see it. Plus, I loved the book.

The theatre was certainly bustling on opening night of Twilight, the film adaptation of the novel by Stephenie Meyer that has taken people by storm. Were their screaming fans at the screening? Sure there were. Giddy laughter? You bet. But it wasn't all for Robert Pattinson who plays the male lead, Edward. There was a fair share of screaming for Peter Facinelli in his entrance as Carlisle. On the flip side the woman beside me that kept saying things like "oh, please!" and "settle yourselves!" during the audience eruptions.

The film itself is a faithful adaptation that is a sure to please its audience. I found the strength in the film to be the performance from Kristen Stewart as the protagonist Bella. A character that is amidst a time of great change yet shows a grace and strenght we do not often see in film. She is true to herself, kind to her friends and of course falls for the bad boy. Don't we all want to be her? Robert Pattinson does a solid job playing Edward, but falls to my only criticism of the film which would be the choice of some the special effects. I found they had the tendency to break the illusion of the world and when this occurred it affected his character, which is a shame. Also, the PG rating explains why the romance itself feels a little quieter than the book although I feel the relationship does come through strongly.

Another joy of the film is the supporting cast, who do a great job creating natural relationships. I particularly enjoyed Anna Kendrick as Jessica, Billy Burke as Bella's father Charlie, Taylor Lautner as Jacob (although looked a little older than should have) and Gil Birmingham as Billy. The casting for James (Cam Gigandet) and Victoria (Rachelle Lefevre) were brilliant choices, they had strong screen presence every time they appeared. Even though the supporting cast didn't get a lot of screen time, what they did with it was memorable with an understated beauty.

Overall, it was just what I was hoped the film would be. It is a film made for its fans, and if you are one of them you will be delighted with the result.

Shannon's Overall View:
I loved it
I'd buy it
I'd recommend to fans of the book and fans of vampire drama/romance.

14 minutes of preshow including 2 commercial and 5 previews: Confessions of a Shopaholic, Dance Flick, Inkheart, Fired Up and Know1ng

Return to Film Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2008

Toon Talk: Dog Star

Bolt, Disney’s latest attempt at replicating the CG success of Pixar, opens with an extended action sequence as thrilling as any from their sister studio. Here’s the set-up: “A brilliant scientist is captured by a nefarious villain and it is up to his daughter, a spy kid named Penny, to rescue him. But how can a little girl accomplish this seemingly impossible task, you say? Well, it helps that Penny’s loyal pet Bolt is actually a genetically altered super-canine with such amazing powers as super-speed, laser vision and even a “super-bark”. The evil villain’s henchmen bring out the big guns to stop them, but they are no match for the powerful pooch.”

And cut. It is here we discover that what we just saw (exploding helicopters, menacing motorcycles, child endangerment) was all part of the elaborately choreographed filming of a television action show. See, Penny (voiced, surprisingly un-annoyingly, by Miley Cyrus) is just an actress (and, apparently, a highly trained stunt person) and Bolt (voiced by a miscast, too old for the part John Travolta … wasn’t Zac Efron available?) is just a regular dog.


The twist, as revealed in an exposition-heavy monologue by the show’s manic method director (voiced, with a sly wink to his day job as host of Inside the Actors Studio, by James Lipton), is that Bolt doesn’t know he’s in a TV show. The reason being is that, if the dog believes the danger is real, his performance on screen will be more believable (in other words, a canine version of The Truman Show). However, ironically, this has the opposite effect on the film itself, as all believability is thrown out the window at this point.

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk review of Bolt at LaughingPlace.com.

UPDATE: Bolt is now available on DVD and Blu-rayfrom Amazon.com.

Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2008 Coverage

Pre-Festival Coverage
November 11, 2008

Daily Coverage
Day 1 - Wednesday November 12, 2008: Write-Up, Vlog
Day 2 - Thursday November 13, 2008: Write-Up, Vlog
Day 3 - Friday November 14, 2008: Write-Up, Vlog
Day 4 - Saturday November 15, 2008: Write-Up, Vlog
Day 5 - Sunday November 16, 2008: Write-Up, Vlog

Film Reviews - Features and Mid-length Films
Adrift in Tokyo / Tenten
Confessions of a Salesman
Daddy Tran: A Life in 3-D
Drummer, The
Everybody's Children
Flower in the Pocket
Hansel and Gretel
Long Story Short
Oh Saigon
Santa Mesa
Tiger Spirit
Twelve
West 32nd
Wonderful Town

Film Reviews - Shorts
Around the Corner from Solitude
Audience, The
Catalogue
Damn the Past
Discopedia
Machine with Wishbone (WSFF'08 Review)
Others, The
Parallel Adele
Playgrounded, The
Running (Heart, Mind, Body, Spirit)
Self Portrait
Summer Afternoon
What You Eat

Videos - Q&A's, Introductions, Awards
Lester Alfonso: Selections from Twelve
Kenneth Bi: Selections from The Drummer Intro and Q&A
Christine Choy and Jody Long: Selections from Long Story Short Q&A
Aram Siu Wai Collier: Selections from The Others Q&A
Selections from Q&A for Daddy Tran: My Life in 3-D
Selections from Full Boat Program Q&A
Michael Kang: Selections from West 32nd Q&A
Min Sook Lee: Selections from Tiger Spirit Q&A
Ron Morales: Selections from Santa Mesa Q&A
Randall Okita: Selections from Machine with Wishbone Q&A
Raging Asian Women Taiko Drummers Performance on Opening Night
Selections from Closing Night Awards Ceremony

Post Festival Coverage
Wrap Up
Awards

The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2008 ran from November 12-16, 2008 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2008 Wrap Up

I'm thrilled that in comparison to last year, this year I saw many of Reel Asian Award Winning Films. I agree with many of the selections but also have a few films I'd like to highlight, and because there were so many amazing films I could rarely narrow it down to just one.

Best Features: Adrift in Tokyo / Tenten, Flower in the Pocket

Best Mid-length: Oh Saigon, Twelve

Best Shorts (live action): Catalogue, The Others, Summer Afternoon

Best Short (animated): Running (Heart, Mind, Body, Spirit)

Best Experimental: Confessions of a Salesman

Best Program: Oh Vietnam on Day 5. Beautiful collection of documentaries. Definitely got me teary eyed though!

Best Q&A's: Micheal Kang at the West 32nd Q&A, the packed audience had great questions. Also Christine Choy and Jodi Long were very entertaining at the Long Story Short Q&A.

Best Experience: Seeing all the happy people during the Awards ceremony and then getting to see the lovely closing night film Adrift in Tokyo / Tenten

Fullest Screenings: The Drummer, West 32nd, Adrift in Tokyo / Tenten

Repeating themes: Portraits (self or others), bringing families together, reunification, home, use of found images from the Internet

Funnest collective experience: The rat toss yet really got people going, there were some competitive catchers out there! Especially for the make up / perfume prizes.

Wish I hadn't missed: Paul Wong spotlight

The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2008 ran from November 12-16, 2008 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Cinematic Crush: David Boreanaz

Crush object: David Boreanaz, actor.

- He first got our blood pumping as the broody, awesomely-haired "vampire with a soul" Angel on the cult classic TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. His onscreen romance with Sarah Michelle Gellar's title character remains one of the most popular love matches on television.

- After the third season of Buffy, his Angel moved from Sunnydale to Los Angels for his own self-titled series, which ran for five seasons and garnered him three Saturn Awards from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.

- He currently stars in another popular show, Bones, which features another popular romance, between his FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth and Emily Deschanel's Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan.

- Other television roles include a guest spot on Married ... with Children as Kelly's biker boyfriend and voicing Green Lantern in the animated Justice League: The New Frontier.

- Film roles include the slasher flick Valentine; the fourth Crow movie, The Crow: Wicked Prayer; and the upcoming sports drama Our Lady of Victory.

Selections from Reel Asian 2008 Awards Ceremony

The following video clips are from the Awards Ceremony on Sunday November 16, 2008 at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival. See a listing of all of the awards here.

Trinity Square Video Visionary Video Award presented to Aram Siu Wai Collier for The Others:


Doug Pringle and Chi-hui Yang present Centennial College @ Wallace Studios Most Innovative Film Production Award to Randall Lloyd Okita for Machine with Wishbone:


Presentation of the NFB Best Canadian Film or Video Award to Paul Wong for Perfect Day:


Lesley Loksi Chan announces the winner of the Animasian Award - Asa Mori's Up the Rabbit Hole:


Megan McPhee, Lesley Loksi Chan announce the winner of the Kim Orr Barristers P.C. Best Narrative Feature Film or Video Award – Liew Seng Tat's Flower in the Pocket:


So You Think You Can Pitch? Introduction by Nobu Adilman and presentation of the Charles Street Video and Reel Asian Pitch Emerging Artist Award to Ian Tuason for Continuity Problems:


Nobu Adilman presents the Charles Street Video and Reel Asian Pitch Professional Artist Award to June Chua and Christine Alexiou for Travels with My Brother:


Reel Asian Artistic Director Heather Keung and the final Rat Toss for the festival:


The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2008 ran from November 12-16, 2008 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Selections from Tiger Spirit Q&A with Min Sook Lee at Reel Asian 2008

The following video clips are from the screening of Tiger Spirit on Sunday November 16, 2008 at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival. See my review of Tiger Spirit here.

Tiger Spirit director Min Sook Lee introduces the film:


Min Sook Lee discusses the theme of the film:


Min Sook Lee responds to audience question on the possibility of a reunified Korea:


The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2008 ran from November 12-16, 2008 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Selections from Q&A for Daddy Tran: My Life in 3-D

The following video clips are from the screening of Daddy Tran: A Life in 3-D as a part of the Oh Vietnam program on Sunday November 16, 2008 at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival. See my review of Daddy Tran: A Life in 3-D here.

Daddy Tran: A Life in 3-D director Siu Ta and cinematographer John Minh Tran discuss how the film came to be:


Hai (Daddy) Tran responds to question regarding his favourite things to shoot:


Hai (Daddy) Tran dicusses further his love of photography:

The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2008 ran from November 12-16, 2008 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.