Hey folks, Harry here with Taylor, who is up in Toronto where he's escaped from ape capture. And while his voice is still strained from the gunshot... his typing skills are impeccable. The film I was most interested in from this list was Kathryn Bigelow's latest... THE WEIGHT OF WATER... and according to this one opinion... whew... doesn't sound good... but let's wait and see what others think... Here's Taylor...
Sept. 9th, 2000
Hello there Harry. "Long time listener, first time caller".
Before I start.. this is for Anton.
"WHAT IS UP WITH THE MOOSE? "
Uhh... well it's the new tourism deal for Toronto. Lame nyah? You can blame our lovely Mayor for this stroke of genius. Most people I've talked to in the city hate them. WTH does Toronto have to do with Moose? It's like perpetuating a Canadian stereotype with the moose. How would the yanks like New York City to be smothered in big fiberglass Bald Eagles on every major street corner? Although it's a great way to showcase local art talent. They could have picked a better spokes-object. Totally weak.
Caught a few screenings at the Film Festival today (and one yesterday Friday), thought I'd share them with you and my fellow visitors
First movie this morning for us (significant other and I) was Best in Show. Not being able to see it last night at the Gala it was smooth sailing this morning. Showed up at the box office around 8:10am for the 10am screening and was about 15th in line for same days. One man was selling one to the line which I promptly picked up for a lovely $3 savings. And managed to get another single out once I reached the ticket counter (also managed to get two for Memento, which I'll get to in a moment)
Anyhow, first time to the Uptown theaters. Best in Show was in room 1, fantastic room, very comfortable. There didn't appear to be a poor seat in the house. Anyhow.. we managed to sit ourselves in spitting proximity to "reserved" seats. Alas, no one we could recognize ended up in those seats.
Christopher Guest however did show up prior to the screening to sort of, introduce the movie. At least someone showed up. I was hoping a little taste of what the Gala got, which was nearly the whole principal cast. Ahh well. As long as I get to see Pacino on Thursday... all will be forgotten, included the bore that was The Weight of Water (keep your pants on, I'll get to that too).
Anyhow... just my opinion on Best in Show as the other reviews on here pretty much say the same thing about it. It was hilarious. Just hilarious. Tawny (the significant other) said she hasn't laughed this much at a movie in a while. Very well done, very well acted, fantastic mockumentary. Good candidate for 'people's choice' I'm sure. I don't know what else to say... it was hilarious.
Jump back a little here to Friday, we saw The Swedish Beauty, directed by: Daniel Fridell, a very sweet film from (you guessed it) Sweden. It's about two mid-to-late teen friends in 1963 in a small town with not much to do but watch constant repeat screenings of the same film at the towns only THEATRE and wank off to nudes in skin mags in their spare time. That is until a Bridgette(sp) Bardot look-a-like steps of the bus and the boys are in heaven. Thinking of a way to "have her" they concoct an idea that they can make a film and get her to do a nude scene in it. Although this sounds horrific to some, it's done very innocently and ends up to be a very fun film. Utilizing a well used formula from countless American movies (NOT American Pie like, more innocent), it still has a good level of originality and spirit to make up for what is likely an unforeseen point (rehashed ideas) on this Swedish movie-making team. At the end of the screening there was Q&A with the director, whom was visually shy, somewhat how you would imaging yourself going to a foreign country and screening a year plus of your work then opening up the floor for criticism afterwards, but he handled it well. Unfortunately, the questions were pretty pointless but fit the mood considering the type of film we just watched. The biggest surprise was that the young actors and actresses in this film had not had any previous experience. The crowd applauded that because it was.. perfectly acted. A very pleasant surprise.
Back to today. 6pm. Memento (Dir: Chris Nolan), about a man how has a condition that rids him of his short term memory, so armed with notes and photographs, he tries to track down the man who raped and murdered his wife. I'll leave it at that as that's all I went in with and the following is what I got out of it.
First off, I spend the whole day wondering if we're going to have enough time to see this movie and get about a dozen blocks south to get a good spot in line for our first Gala for 9:30. I managed to convince myself that with the movie being only about 2 hours that that still gives us 90 minutes to make the trip. Never-the-less, we're not even allowed into the THEATRE until 5 minutes to showtime. Movie ends up starting about a half hour late. Which means we'll have to miss the Q&A session. Damn. Sitting and waiting for people to get their arses in the seats I look to my left and see Joe Pantoliano trying to find out where they want him to go. no one else except the people behind me seem to notice (and this is likely due to me getting pathetically over excited when pointing him out to Tawn). In what seems to be typical star fashion. he's wearing sunglasses in a basement THEATRE. :) Go figure. A few minutes later, someone that looks an awful lot like Elizabeth Pena from Rush Hour sits where he was standing. Now she's not in the film. But it really... really looked like her. Is she dating someone who might have been in the movie? Anyhow... they finally cram the theater and get things going. The Director is announced, then followed by the principal cast, which was Guy Pierce (I'd probably never have noticed it was him if I bumped into him on the street, facial hair.. the ultimate disguise), Carrie-Ann Moss (looked like herself on Camera), and Joe Pantoliano. Just a brief introduction of the movie and they start it. The cast doesn't appear to sit in the crowd (Where do they go, they committed to Q&A which I missed, so they must still be in the THEATRE... maybe they pig out at the concession then sneak into the seats when no one is looking? *shrug*) Anyhow... nice approach to telling the story... it kept it interesting the whole way through. Never a dull moment. It's a pretty dark picture, and might have a difficult time achieving a good box office haul. The story is interesting enough, I'm just not sure the general movie going public would embrace a film put together like this one. Christ, I still know people who find Pulp Fictions non-linear storytelling somewhat confusing. Memento, is likely to make their head explode. It really was enjoyable and I do hope it does well in the end. For some reason it felt very much like The Limey. Which I thoroughly enjoyed.
So Memento finishes. And we rush down to the Roy Thomson Hall. Long story short. We get in. and I wade by the red carpet velvet ropes hoping to catch a glimpse (and photo) of Elizabeth Hurley, as I read many a preview and article about the festival saying that she was coming. So a limo pulls up and out stands a 6 something tall brunette (so it looked from my viewpoint). The cameras are on her, he appears to get interviewed (see I'm already inside, and this is all happening outside, and is being observed through a couple of glass doors, so all is not 100% clear).
Anyhow... I start mouthing off. "hey... I think that's Liz Hurley"... "Where, where" go a couple of , thankfully shorter, ladies in front of me, cameras armed and ready. I point "over there... in front of the camera... it looks like her... well sort of... I've been told she's supposed to be here. And I know she's 6 something.... ahh what do I know...". then I get some encouragement from the people in my immediate vicinity. "yes I think you're right"... to which I reply "Well I don't know... stars seem to look so much difference in the flesh, I guess we'll find out in a minute".
"Well I'm going to take a picture anyway, just in case" the lady in front of me declares. To which I suggest "Well that way you can check the papers tomorrow and check the dress she's photographed wearing and compare it with yours.. Then you'll know for sure"... anyhow... few minutes past and here they come... she enters in talking with... someone... and the lady in front of me starts snapping pictures... "poor woman" I'm thinking... even it if is Elizabeth Hurley...
meanwhile I have my Digital Elph primed and ready. But up close... this woman looks a little too old to be her. It can't be her. I know makeup makes a difference.. but not that much difference.. but damn, this woman is tall. Hmm... maybe I better snap a picture too, just in case. (totally weak eh? :) So... her and an entourage of 4 behind her. I've never seen them before. Guess... that's it for red carpet entries.
So I proceed to find my way to my luxurious balcony seat. I get up there.. open the door to my section. GODDAMN the theaters big. "I've never been in a THEATRE this size (for a movie)." "This is insane... do they actually expect people to watch a movie from up here." "Like damn."
I find Tawny who left me to my attempted star gazing minutes earlier and have a seat. Tawn asks if I saw anyone. "Well there was this tall brunette who looked a heck of alot like Liz Hurley from a distance, but as she passed buy, I just wasn't convinced, but she was tall, and had the hairstyle. I dunno... it's not like she has perfect lighting or make-up... I guess we'll find out in a minute)...
We wait... then the lights are dimmed and a festival rep comes out and introduces the Director.. Kathryn Bigelow... "Oh... crap... that's her... I thought she was kinda short and... ample. (here I'm getting Bigelow confused with Debra Hill (don't ask why, but that's somehow how I remembered her)).
Bigelow proceeds to talk about how the movie was shot in "Halifax" (a home town for me). Ugh... (annoying Canadian patriotism remark warning).. the movie wasn't shot in Halifax. It was done a bit of a distance outside peggys cove. Oh well. Still, i'm thinking this should be interesting. Anyhow... I'm dragging on a bit here... I tend to do that.. anyhow.. she introduces 4 members from the cast... No Sarah Polly, No Sean Penn, No Elizabeth Hurley...
WTF am I doing in the nosebleed section for THIS? Man I'm royally annoyed at this point. So I just tell myself... "Man, this better not suck". And guess what... it sucked (Sorry Ms Bigelow, just write me off as I don't know what I'm talking about, which can often be true, as is pointed out already here). Like bigtime. This movie was so immensely boring. Not for one moment in this film did I have any feelings or compassion for any character in the movie. It was so slow, and uneventful I was checking my watch every 10 minutes. For those that don't know.. the movie is about some murders on an Island off New Hampsire in the late 1800's. Two women are found murdered, and there is a trial and conviction of the murder. I'm under the understanding that this is a true story. Anyhow... the movie takes place in what is being described in other peoples summaries for the movie as "parallel" times... present and past.
In my opinion, there is no parallel. There seems to be some hinting about the breaking point of sanity, but it's pretty vague and cloudy. Anyhow, In the present time a newspaper photographer gains, for some reason, not explained in the film, interest in this case and takes a small vacation with a close friend (who is also brother of her boyfriend) and his girlfriend on his boat to visit the island and photograph the scene.
And then... ugh. I don't know what to say. It makes little to no sense to me the flow of this movie. But in and out we go from the present day "investigation" which is so, lofty I wanna cry. (I did like 10 times more investigation when visiting New Orleans and photographing parts of the French Quarter referenced in the first Gabriel Knight game).
I'm just stunned this movie took 5 years to complete. I'm sure there's more to that story, at least, I hope there is. Anyhow... in and out of the present investigation and relationship circle occurring on the boat, and the life of the family of the two murdered before, during and after the murders. The movie really jumps all over the place. I'm sure there is a deeper more significant point with this movie... but you know what... I don't care. the movie doesn't make anyone really want to care. It was a real disappointment. And a similar opinion, I believe, was felt around the audience as they filed out of the THEATRE.
Good thing we've got about 15 more to go. With 3 goodies and 1 stinker , "I LIKE THOSE ODDS".
Take care.
Taylor
