Hey folks, Harry here... And from the look of it, Ol Anton Sirius was on the money with STARDOM as I've now heard it from about 5 people so far... If it plays again, check it out. Here's Lucian's look...
Hello folks,
Well night one could have gone better. I missed 50% of my scheduled shows. Before I start in on my review of the film festival opener, Denys Arcand's Stardom, let me explain what happened.
Now perhaps it was overly optimistic to think a show starting at 7:15 and listed at one hour and forty-two minutes long would be finished in time for me to run across the street to reach a 9:15 show. The problem was the seating ran long, there were six or so people speaking about the film. That was followed by two rather lengthy preview pieces (more on those later in the festival) and a few other commercial type pieces. By the time the film actually started it was 7:52.
Needless to say I made it to the other theatre (as fast as I could go given the slow moving crowd) after the rush crowd had gone in and way too late to hope to get in.
Ok. This kind of thing happens. It was bad set-up on the part of the festival and hopefully will encourage them to start on time. There are going to be a few other times in the future this will be a concern and I'll know it may be a problem.
However, TIFF gave us not only a festival pass for another show (hard to schedule unless I can leave work early tomorrow) but also a pass to a regular Cineplex Odeon showing at any time, anywhere in Canada with no expiry date. That's fair. It's a decent compensation for an unfortunate mistake on the festival's part.
At least for me. Not for several of the other people waiting in the line as well. These people (and these were real @$#^ing winners let me tell you) refused to be satisfied and chose, instead to berate the volunteer staffing the door.
Rant begins (feel free to skip down):
Ok folks, let me explain a few things I know from my work experience in Customer Satisfaction Measurement:
1) The world does not revolve around you
2) Sometimes bad things happen, suck up and deal
3) Registering your complaint is a good idea; berating a volunteer with no power to fix it is stupid. Not only does it get you nowhere it alienates the volunteers making them less likely to volunteer next year meaning the festival will be more short staffed and more mistakes like this will happen. Can you understand that or are you a convincing argument against survival of the fittest?
4) If you'd read your program books you would know that preliminary talks are not included in the running length and you'd also know that fifteen minutes before show time your ticket no longer guarantees you a seat. Getting compensation worth more than what you paid for is very fair.
5) Yelling, or even trying to charge past the staff (I kid you not) is not only stupid it's actually illegal. You'll miss a lot more screenings if you're fighting trespassing and assault charges.
Ok deep breath, end rant.
And on to the review.
Stardom, 7 :15 (sort of) September 7 at the Uptown theatre one.
Surprisingly not sold out! In attendance director Denys Arcand and cast members Frank Langella, Jessica Palé and Dan Ackroyd (a man very fond of his maglight). Or at least they were there until the film actually started; at which point they raced out to attend the gala opening... Sort of makes you feel second class, eh? Ah well.
Thankfully this night included a very good film or it would have been a complete write-off.
The story focuses on the career of Tina Menzhal a Cornwall, Ontario young hockey player who is accidentally discovered and becomes a high fashion model. Her climb to stardom and life as a celebrity are shown through camera footage of her experiences culled from media and the footage of a photographer who becomes fascinated with chronicling her and the people around her. Her relationships are as much the focus as her work and media appearances and the film is an often biting look at modern celebrity (a topic approached less effectively in Woody Allen's film of the same name).
Models are often criticised as vapid or plastic but the film makes an interesting case that it is celebrity that makes them appear that way not those qualities that make them a celebrity. Usually when Tina has something important to say the various narratives conspire to silence her; only when she has nothing to say does the film let her keep her voice.
Though scattered early the film finds its groove within 30 minutes and tells a compelling tale. The targets are many: video jockeys, entertainment programs, interviewers, panel discussions, Canada, even my own profession of market research takes a few hits. Tina's initial attempts to resist objectification are repeatedly frustrated and initial setbacks lead her to accept the life, and its numerous benefits, and eventually embrace it.
The real power of the film is how it draws you into the experience of a media viewer. This is not a mockumentary though it has some elements of that genre. Instead it shows you how easily a person's life reaches a state where, as one guerilla reporter puts it, "there is always a camera". When your life is always on a viewfinder it's easy to get used to it. Soon we become glaringly aware of moments when the camera is absent or we are cut off from it. Even the production values of the film itself seem to rise along with Tina's star.
But there is more to the film than an expose of stardom. At its core this film has a real examination of abuse and the relationships it drives its victims to seek out. The film could have been a tear-jerker if this had been its real focus. Instead humour lets the audience mull over these concepts at their own pace and the truth dawns on us as it dawns on the characters themselves.
Newcomer Jessica Palé gives a superb performance, remember the name I'm sure you'll hear it again. Other highlights in the cast include Thomas Gibson of Dharma and Greg playing a media mogul who, though he plays it well, is little more than a dark mirror of his character from that series. The other surprise is Dan Ackroyd playing a dark role that could help him to expand his reputation as a dramatic actor much as Rushmore did for Bill Murray.
Watching the film I sensed one nagging weakness which, in the final scenes, became the film's greatest strength. I won't spoil it for you but I think you'll notice it for yourself.
Stardom gets a recommendation from me. Though not uproariously funny nor incredibly insightful social commentary the film strikes a fine balance that is both entertaining and provocative.
And with that day one concludes...
