Hey folks, Harry here with Dib's first report from Toronto... this one of the Anthony Hopkins... Nicole Kidman film... THE HUMAN STAIN - one of those Harvey produced flicks that happen to be really good. No spoilers in the review... except the one about Nicole Kidman's NUDITY!!!!! --- Aw shucks spoiled it... now you won't want to see the film. Dammit! Here's Dib...
Hey Harry,
Living here in Toronto and never having gone to the film festival before, I've never had anything scoop worthy to send you. But this year I finally got my ass in gear in time to buy some tickets, so I thought I'd drop you a spoiler-free note. Just got back from the North American premiere of The Human Stain and it was a great flick. Not to mention the end, we went out the wrong doors and ended up coming out where Sir Anthony and Nicole exited, so that was some excitement. I've always been a big fan of Nicole and my girlfriend of Hopkins, so it was quite a thrill. We shook hands with Hopkins but I froze up when Nicole came by... star struck, dumb struck, etc... she is a stunner, even in real life...
Anyway, the movie, as I said, was great. Nicole put forth a performance that, as usual, was Oscar worthy.. let's hope she gets the nod. And Hopkins was no slouch either. He plays Coleman Silk who has held a secret all of his life and we see how it developed and shaped who he is. We are shown this through seamless flashbacks of his youth. Through the flashbacks with the lovely Jacinda Barrett, we see one of the main reasons for his decision and come to understand Silk's character a lot better. (Fanboy note - yes, there is nudity of the Kidman and Barrett variety)
This is one of those movies that, for me at least, left me thinking about decisions or secrets in my own life, and how they've shaped who I am today. It's interesting to think about what might have been, had you made a different choice or taken a different path.
The movie was well paced and funny at times. Not the side-splitting humour kind that makes you miss half the movie while the audience regains their composure, but the quirky kind and more than I expected.
At any rate, it's certainly one I would recommend if you're up for something a little bit deep, sometimes confusing but wholely satisfying. And as I said, look for an Oscar nod towards Nicole at least.
I'll be seeing the premieres of In the Cut and Nathalie as well, so if you found this interesting enough to post, then I'll be sure to send reviews in for those, too. Our goal is to make the same mistake we made tonight and see if we can meet Meg Ryan. Until then...
Dib
