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Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
 I've been waiting for this movie for eight years. Subconsciously, that is. Let's face it - 'Elizabeth: The Virgin Queen' was not begging for a sequel. Sure, it was left open-ended, but it was a solid, finished story all by itself. The reason I was anticipating this sequel is simple. Back in 1998, director Shekar Kapur managed to reinvent a period piece genre - with more intrigue, politics, religion, medieval marriage, all kinds of hot issues thrown in. The film was great, but chronologically it only covered Elizabeth becoming the queen. The credits rolled after her coronation. I wanted to go back to that world, there was so much to mine there. So many conflicts, factual and 'added for dramatic effects'. I fell in love with Kapur's visual palette, his use of camera. And yes, I fell in love with Cate Blanchett's portrayal of Elizabeth and Geoffrey Rush as her advisor. And now they're back. Right off the bat, you can tell the movie's budget is bigger this time. Is it a good thing for a period piece? read more...
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Juno (2007)
 Jason Reitman has another unusual hit on his hands with 'Juno'. Why unusual? Because his last film, 'Thank You For Smoking' was a hilarious, biting satire about the tobacco business. And it's not an easy task to be satirical and likeable about such a topic. Jason got plenty of flak from people who thought he was supporting the tobacco industry. Yes, satire is hard to do these days - people tend to get upset by the face value of it before they 'get' the in-between-the-lines message. 'Juno' uses sorta the same idea - except completely different. It also deals with a delicate subject with reason, and with understanding. Not really picking sides, but rather exploring the human nature of a finicky situation. This time, the subject is unplanned teen pregnancy, and the approach is somewhat different. No cynicism, no satire. But so much love, and so much diffusing humour that you can't help but roar with laughter, even though the characters are going through some tough times. read more...
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Fugitive pieces (2007)
 Here's a fantastic movie that, even if it gets picked up for wide distribution, will be doomed. Even if the film gets an ideal release time (it's about Holocaust, gotta be a Christmas release, for all the award considerations), and the best marketing team to promote it, I'm afraid it will bomb. Well, how would you promote a Holocaust movie that's really not about Holocaust? How do you bring people into theaters if the book is based on a non-linear, rather lyrical novel of a Canadian writer? Don't you know if it doesn't rhyme with 'Larry Shmoetter' it won't sell, paper or film. How do you explain to people that wars have affected more lives than were listed as mere casualties, and how do you illuminate that those who don't know their history will repeat it, hence other wars, other bloodshed. Regardless of whether the affected people speak Yiddish or Tutsi or Russian or Chinese. The stories of survival are universal, and Fugitive Pieces demonstrates it with style, pride and a lot of local history. read more...
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TIFF 2006 - First few days
Wow, what a lineup this year. We thought Toronto Film Fest was outstanding in 2005 (Everything's Illuminated, Mrs. Henderson Presents, A History of Violence, and dozens of other films), but so far this year we haven't seen (or heard of) anything bad. Every screening we go to, every review we hear is just great. Stay tuned for in-depth reviews coming to the site, meanwhile a little tease. Babel is a multilingual drama, a tearjerker in today's ever-shrinking world; Pan's Labyrinth is a dark farytale, told in a background of 1944 fascist Spain, a fascinating parable of today's evils... read more...
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Toronto International Film Festival 2006
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is here again. After lazy days of August, right in the middle of the stressful "back to school" week, we're embracing the best (and possibly the worst) of film industry. Stars, media, suits and fans swamp Downtown Toronto area (Yorkville is never as busy as it is during the fest), and take in all the films and gossip. Stay tuned - we will be bringing you reviews of this year's most anticipated films. And we'll try our best to keep things fresh and live. Sorry, no gossip here - you can pick that up on ET. And if you have even a passing interest in movies, please visit their website, buy some tickets, see a few good films. read more...
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