34th TIFF

[Johann]

It's time to put up a thread for the 34th TIFF, the biggest film festival in North America. It will run from Thurs. Sept. 10th to Sat. Sept. 19th. Can't wait. Should be a really exciting event.

This year we have new films from:

Werner Herzog (Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans)
Neil Jordan (Ondine)
Pedro Almodovar (Broken Embraces)
Jane Campion (Bright Star)
Manoel de Oliveira (Eccentricities of a Blond Hair Girl)
Tsai Ming-liang (Face)
Bruno Dumont (Hadewijch)
Alain Resnais (Wild Grass)
Todd Solondz (Life During Wartime)
Bruce Beresford (Mao's Last Dancer)
Danis Tanovic (Triage)
Joe Dante (The Hole)
George A. Romero (Survival of the Dead)
Drew Barrymore (Whip It)
Apichatpong Weerasethakul (A Letter to Uncle Boonmee)
Jean-Luc Godard (Une Catostrophe)
and
we have the World-Premiere of Michael Moore's latest,
CAPITALISM: A Love Story. Awesome. Hope to meet the man and express my admiration for what he's done for the world.

And of course almost 300 other films will be shown. (That's a whole lotta film, BROTHER!)

I'm also looking forward to seeing the documentary on the White Stripes' cross-Canada tour.


Most excellent.
With almost 20 separate programs to choose from, filmgoers have a smorgasbord of films to indulge in. For listings, see the website linked below.

Go here for all news, events and programme information:

www.TIFF08.ca

[Johann]

Also screening is Terry Gilliam's still-without-a-distributer Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, one film I'm very keen to see.
We miss ya Heath Ledger...

And a brand-new print of Atom Egoyan's The Adjuster will be screened, along with his latest feature.

[Johann]

I read in the paper yesterday that Isabella Rosellini will be at TIFF (to showcase more of her Genius marine life pornos), and so will Neil Young, who will be performing free at Dundas square, to promote his new film with Jonathan Demme.

[oscar jubis]

A very exciting lineup. Toronto is so huge that no matter how many films you watch you grieve over what you missed. At least that was my reaction. Especially what you missed that might not get a chance to watch anytime soon, if ever. I missed SATANTANGO at Toronto '95 and I haven't quite forgotten myself for it (it didn't sellout). I figured it's 8 hours long (including the intermission) and I can see three movies instead. Now I dream of having a chance to watch it in a theater someday. It's a personal favorite and no TV set can ever do it justice.
Enjoy the fest!!!

[Johann]

I'm pretty excited about the festival, no doubt about it.
Yes, missing Satantango would be unfortunate.
But don't feel bad, my employer made sure I didn't get to use my already-bought tickets for Berlin Alexanderplatz at the cinematheque last december. 40 bucks down the drain...a night I would've never forgotten...what can you do?
I have to earn a living in order to support my movie addiction...

I'll be as "vivid" as I can be with my reporting at TIFF.
Glad you get something out of my scribbles.

[oscar jubis]

*Of course I meant to say that I haven't forgiven myself for missing the North American premiere of SATANTANGO.

*That's a very compassionate post. Missing BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ and 40 bucks feels even worse than missing SATANTANGO.

*Why is it that the best television series ever made in the whole wide world, BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ and THE SECOND HEIMAT, are German?

[Chris Knipp]

How about Dekalog? That was made for TV. Actually I'm quite happy with some TV series in English. Again, I'm not that into making lists and laying it on the line about what is "the best . . .in the whole world." I find that a bit stifling.

[oscar jubis]

I don't find it stifling. DEKALOG is great, no doubt. But I'd rather rewatch the two German series I mentioned. Or the expanded version of Dekalog's Fifth Commandment (Kieslowski opted for the numbering of the Commandments used by Catholics and Lutherans so the fifth would be "Thou Shall not Kill"): A Short Film About Killing (1988).

[Chris Knipp]

I'd rather watch "Skins." I like to be cheered up. Not that all episodes of "Skins" are upbeat. Now maybe "The Thick of It," the source of "In the Loop." My friend forced me to watch "The Wire," but I gave up early because it's too grim.

[Johann]

The more I read about Fassbinder the more I want to see all of his films. He died young (age 37) and Berlin A. is considered his masterpiece. There was a nice article in the Jarmusch (May-June '09) issue of Film Comment by Chris Chang:
Burn After Reading, Peer Raben's shock tactics.

In it he talks about "The Third Generation", a film "Shot on Kodak ECN II in West Berlin, from November 1978 to January 22, 1979".
I want to it see bad. There's an image of the poster along with the article and it looks awesome.
Peer Raben was Fassbinder's composer on nearly 30 films of his 43-film filmography. Apparently he had to explain to Fassbinder on the set of Berlin Alexanderplatz that the song "Radioactivity" by Kraftwerk wasn't sacred. Fassbinder thought it was a religious, Holy song. I love learning shit like that. That's why I buy Film Comment. For articles like Chris Chang's.

[oscar jubis]

I haven't seen this caustic, prescient political satire. It has Eddie Constantine and Bulle Ogier in addition to RWF's stock company. It's Fassbinder so any self-respecting film buff must watch it sooner or later. It's been available on German and British DVD for a while. So I think it's only a matter of time before it's released here. New Yorker Films had the North American theatrical rights but didn't bother to release it on home video. Shot in 35 mm but the original aspect ratio is 1.33:1, which I believe is meant to facilitate the satirical take on terrorism as covered on TV news broadcasts.

Film Comment is great. Maybe some day I will be publish something there. That would be a dream come true.
For the time being, I have just received my first serious assignment. Have you heard of Film International magazine? It was published in Swedish from 1973 until about five years ago, when it adopted English. The editor has assigned me to review BAD BOY BUBBY, Rolf de Heer's Venice-winner recently released here and in the UK in deluxe blu-ray editions. Have you seen it?

[Johann]

No. haven't seen it. or heard of it.
Looking forward to reading about it.
I like the title.

[oscar jubis]

It is a highly controversial film. It was not released in the States because of scenes of incest and animal cruelty. It has interesting experimental qualities. For instance, de Heer used 32 different cinematographers for this film. They were under contractual obligation not to meet with each other and not to watch the rushes of each other's scenes. The film was released in the UK in a censored version. However, the film has a strong cult following and it has a good reputation among critics and film academia, besides its Venice award.

[Johann]

Great. My kind of film project.
I like it when directors really take it to another level.
Since you recommended "Decasia" I've been trying to find it.
No luck. Or the Puppetmaster. Which I thought I could easily do in Toronto.


M. Night Shyamalan's newest film looked amazing from the trailer.
I haven't really liked anything he's done since "Sixth Sense".
He has immense talent, and this new film looks beautiful, like something I'll really dig.

[oscar jubis]

Since Film International prohibits me from publishing my review of BAD BOY BUBBY here or anywhere else, I will provide a link to it. If promises are kept, review will appear on the November/December issue of the magazine. Perhaps it would motivate members to check the film out.

Both are available on DVD, Johann. I would recommend to wait until Hou's THE PUPPERMASTER is restored and release in a version that adheres to the correct aspect ratio. The available DVD is a total fucking disgrace. Conversely, I do recommend the DECASIA dvd available here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00013F2ZY/imdb-button/ . The score itself is worth the price of admission. Perhaps the best of any film I've seen this decade. The Alloy Orchestra's score for Dziga Vertv's silent masterpiece MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA is its sole competition in my opinion.

Not a Shyamalan fan.

[Chris Knipp]

Good luck with the new Shyamalan. As I said the trailer looked chintzy to me. You see CGI differently from me.

[Johann]

tiff.


The star wattage for this festival is quite considerable:

Neil Jordan, Werner Herzog, George Clooney, Keanu Reeves, Margarethe von Trotta, Harmony Korrine, Guy Maddin, Terry Gilliam, Danny Glover, Demi Moore, Natalie Portman, Matt Damon, Nicolas Cage, Liam Neeson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Kevin Spacey, Oprah Winfrey (!), and scores and scores of other celebs.

[Johann]

Here's a list of more industry people who'll be attending the 34th TIFF:(compliments of today's Toronto Star)

Adam Brody, Aiden Quinn, Alfred Molina, Ally Sheedy, Amanda Seyfried, Amos Gitai, Anthony Lapaglia, Atom Egoyan, Bong Joon-ho, Barry Levinson, Brendan Gleeson, Colm Feore, Bruce Beresford, Bill Murray, Bill Nighy, Bruno Dumont, Carl Bessai, Christopher Plummer, Cillian Murphy, Claire Denis, Carlos Saura, Carter Gunn, Colin Firth, Clive Owen, Colin Farrell, Daniel Stern, David Duchovny, Danny DeVito, Diablo Cody, Edward Norton, Elias Koteas, Ellen Page

[Johann]

As well as


Don McKellar, Gordon Pinsent, Emily Blunt, Emily Hampshire, The Coen Brothers, Ewan McGregor, Frances o'Connor, Francois Ozon, Gaspar Noe, George A. Romero, Guiseppe Tornatore, Hugh Hefner, Jack White (yeah!), Jean-Marc Vallee, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Jeff Bridges, Jimmy Smits, Jennifer Garner, Jennifer Connelly, Joe Dante, Jon Amiel, Snoop Dogg, Julianne Moore, Juliette Lewis, Keisha-Castle Hughes, Kevin McDonald, Kristin Booth, Kyle MacLachlan, Lisa Kudrow, Lisa Ray, Michael Caine, Michael Cera, Marcia gay Harden, Megan Fox, Michael Douglas, Paul Bettany, Peter Sarsgaard, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ridley Scott, Rob Lowe, Robert Duvall, Robin Wright Penn, Sarah Ferguson (Duchess of York), Sarah Polley, Sissy Spacek, Steven Soderbergh, Ted Kotcheff (wanna meet him- big fan), Tilda Swinton, Tim Blake Nelson, Todd Solondz, Tsai Ming-laing, Viggo Mortenson, Willem Dafoe, Woody Harrelson and on and on and on...

Just amazing.

[Johann]

An article (also in today's Star) by Movies Editor Linda Barnard says:

TIFF also announced additions to various programs. Among them: "Mr. Nobody", Jaco Van Dormael, France/Germany/Canada/Belgium; North American Premiere: set in 2092, Jared Leto stars as Nemo, the world's oldest man.

"Anti-Christ", Lars von Trier, Denmark/Sweden/France/Italy; North American Premiere: Trier's controversial movie was the talk of Cannes this year with its groundbreaking, deeply disturbing and graphic nightmare vision about men and women and their relationships. Now Toronto film fans can judge for themselves.


"The White Ribbon", Michael Haneke, Germany/Austria/France/Italy; North American Premiere: Michael Haneke won the Palm D'or for Best Film at this year's Cannes Film Festival for his film set in Protestant Northern Germany on the eve of World War I, where strange incidents begin to occur in a village community and incresasingly take the form of a ritual of punishment.

[Johann]

And Peter Howell (Toronto Star film critic) had a nice article on the new tiff logo and how it "reflects a film fest that's going back to the people". Here's an excerpt:

The Toronto International Film Festival's new logo is a humble yet eager thing: lower-case, bright orange and with a period to stop it from leaping off the page. To TIFF director Piers Handling, it's as important a symbol as Woodstock's dove-on-guitar. It represents the fest's determination to remain a people's event, even as it continues to rise in stature as a global cinema showcase.

Piers Handling: I just liked it; I really responded to it viscerally. The colour felt bright, alert, and alive. The lower case gives it a younger, hipper feel. Less corporate. The whole thing felt right. Things have just really come together well this year. I'm impressed with the breadth of the festival, the depth of the festival, the quality of the films. I sat down with Cameron (Bailey, co-director of the fest) and said 'This is going to be a fantastic festival. I think this is going to excite the audiences

[Johann]

HOO-HA!
My Man Michael Moore has just released the trailer for his new film, CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY and Mamma Mia, does it fire off some serious rockets!
Can't wait to see it.
He's got the fire in his belly again.
"Where's Our Money?" he asks in it.
Some beaurocrat lady says "I don't know".

Time to rise up, America. Again.
Maybe you'll heed the message this time? Yes? No?
Surprise the world this time...


www.michaelmoore.com

[Jason Shier]

Everytime I post as Jason I get an e-mail saying I've received a reply from Jason. Freaky, man...

I just watched an interview on youtube that Willem Dafoe did with channel 5 radio (from England?) and he talks about how Anti-Christ is not about misogyny, that it's about men and women and how they deal with fear, how they deal with situations that are beyond them. He mentions how everybody will have a different opinion about the movie, take different things away from it. The genital mutilation has been overblown by bloggers and the media. (But that's OK by me- more press for the brilliant Lars von Trier!) This is one film that I CANNOT WAIT to see.

[Chris Knipp]

TODAY'S DEMOCRACY NOW!:

[From the TV/RADIO program "Democracy Now!" daily summary]

* No Celebration of Occupation: 1,500 Artists and Writers Sign Letter Protesting Toronto Film Festival Decision to Spotlight Tel Aviv *

A protest at the Toronto International Film Festival has taken center stage after a group of artists and writers signed a letter of protest against the festival's decision to spotlight the city of Tel Aviv. Activists say the TIFF spotlight plays into Israel's attempt to improve its global image in the wake of the assault on the Gaza Strip and the ongoing occupation of Palestinian land. Over 1,500 people have signed the letter, called "The Toronto Declaration: No Celebration of Occupation," including Jane Fonda, Viggo Mortensen, Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte. We speak with journalist and author Naomi Klein, who helped draft the letter.

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/9/14/no_celebration_of_occupation_1_500 (I don't know what this "spotlighting" of Tel Aviv means. Tel Aviv is of course where there is the most opposition in Israel to the country's repression of Palestinians. Maybe boycotting Israel just might be a more useful activity than boycotting TIFF. Naomi Klein has some ideas about the latter -- she is Canadian, by the way: http://www.alternet.org/world/142341/naomi_klein_shows_you_can_boycott_israel_without_c utting_off_dialogue_over_palestine/.)

[cinemabon]

I need to read this site more often. I take a week off and BAM! Johann is back and better than ever. This is a great post! Thanks my friend.

[Chris Knipp]

Johann's last post was a couple weeks ago. This last one was from me, Chris Knipp. So should I claim your praise?

[Johann]

I'm honored that you have Chris and I confused, cinemabon.
I'm not anywhere near his calibre.
But it's nice to think about it...

I have been at the festival since last Saturday. But not buying any tickets. I've been scoping celebs and catching the all the free films and schwag...LOL
Saw The CULT last night at Massey Hall.
Magnificent concert hall and magnificent show.
I'll post about it in my "Yo!" thread in the lounge.

[Johann]

The first thing I've gotta say is that tiff is hopelesly elite and hopelessly corporate. I'll explain why in near-future posts, but for now, let me just say that with what I've witnessed since the festival began, I can give you a unique take on it.
I'm here in the city and it's still roaring, as I'm typing.
It ends on Saturday with a great wrap party at Dundas square with Chuck D. of Public Enemy.

I've seen some wild shit in the last week, and it ain't from the citizens of Toronto...I figure you might want to hear about it.
I'm quite amused by it. Seeing as how were not deemed worthy to cover it, your ever-so-humble & unworthy scribe Johann will give the straight goods on this "festival of the people"...

[Johann]

Oscar was 100% correct in the elite tag for TIFF.
It is a total industry event, wall to wall "insiders".
So, I, the outsider, who was denied access to these "beautiful professional people" can tell you straight up that most of them are dicks.

Let start with Ben Lyons, shall we?
A guy who doesn't even KNOW he's a dick.
Why are you a dick, Ben?
Here's why:
-your douchey haircut and clothing "style".
I was able to inspect your horrifying visage not mere inches from mine own, as I stood waiting to see the cast of Drew Barrymore's directorial debut Whip It. See, a security guard that I was chatting with for almost two hours at the concrete stanchion gave me a tip on where the cast would be entering the stage from, with "Rick the Temp" of Entertainment Tonight. So I positioned myself there for the better part of the evening. It turned out to be a wise decision. I'll get to that later.
But Ben and a cameraman and another peep kept walking back and forth from the security barrier to the Blackberry tent for a while, and I observed Ben holding his pass in his hands, (not around his neck like every other "journalist" does and should)- I thought maybe he thought he was at a rave, with a glow-in-the-dark wristband or something. And his Gawd-Awful Nike sneakers and hair...WOW. He sure dressed up!
Multi-colored BRAND NEW Nikes (I mean, right out of the box Brand New! YEAH! JUST DO IT!) and a douchebaggy sweater.
You go Ben! You go interview the cast of Whip It! You get the INSIDE SCOOP! Huzzah!
Fuck off....I think Ben was sulking because no one seemed to know it was him. But he stood right in front of me, and I'm telling you: I cannot BELIEVE they picked that guy to be a co-host on "At The Movies". Can't believe it, don't believe it.

[Chris Knipp]

I am extremely glad that you've not gone totally underground....you flatter me. And your findings will most welcome here.

I hope you will not find the Filmleaf Festival Coverge threads Hopelessly Corporate and will set up a tiff thread there and set some of your remarks in amber.

Toronto is a selling place; most every festival is but that one particularly, for the all-important US market. And they're not buying, according to a story by Michael Cieply (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/movies/15fest.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper) in today's NYTimes, "Films Finding a Tougher Market in Toronto."

I'm in New York now, got here last night, and expect to begin attending the NYFF screenings tomorrow, though the festival's opening film won't actually be screened till Thursday, it appears (see the screening schedule (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=22904#post22904) I posted earlier).

[Johann]

I won't be doing any "coverage" per se.
I'm just gonna post about what I saw/see.
But I will give a couple reviews to films I've seen that were free.
After they dropped us so hard, they don't deserve a fucking dime. I never want to be accredited for Toronto now. They're not worthy. Sorry TIFF. You had your chance. And not only did you have your chance, you strung me along about it.
I don't like that at all. I was ready to go nova on film fest coverage. But you slammed the door on my foot. And you broke my big toe.
So while I heal, I'll fire away as I see fit.


Autograph hounds and some "professional photographers" need to be fucking shot. Yes, I'm saying it.
I've seen some astoundingly rude behavior from both.
Shocking shit, actually.
There was one photog from the U.K. who screamed at Colin Farrell's sister (not knowing who she was), shouting at her: "CLEAR THE RED CARPET!!!!!"
Colin laid into him and I was glad. He grabbed the guy by the neck and said "Don't talk to my sister that way! Don't talk to any woman that way!" The guy apologized, but then he recanted later (what a fucking assclown!).
He said "People block your view when your trying to get a good picture". OK buddy. It's all about your perfect picture of Colin Farrell.... Give me a fucking break...REALITY CHECK PLEASE!

[Chris Knipp]

Coverage is anything about the festival written from first hand, so you will be doing coverage and if you put it in a thread in the Festival Coverage section you will be contributing something permanently accessible.

Though observations about bad photog behavior don't specifically relate to the tiff. It's all about celebrity-obsession. Perhaps you should suggest the public be shot.

[Johann]

I'll just put non film reviews here and I'll post reviews in the fest coverage.

I avoided the festival for the first two days. Didn't go near the city centre.
Saturday I wandered over to Dundas square, where a "Zombie Walk" film was on loop. It was a five minute film that was boring as hell- no sound. (They had *unmatching* music playing through the square speakers). A five minute film, playing over and over and over, of regular folks dressed up as zombies, complete with blood make-up and rubber prosthetics. Yay.
It was on for what seemed like an agonizing eternity and I just sat there happy that the festival (so far for me at the time) seemed to be pretty lame-ass. THIS is what they programmed? For Yonge & Dundas square? Okay...Then I went over to the big glassed-in cubicle at the corner, where the information was.
I grabbed a brochure for the Yonge & Dundas square schedule, and I decided to stay because George A. Romero was supposed to be arriving, to promote his new film Survival of the Dead.

I went back to my seat and watched (like a zombie) the looping zombie walk "movie" for another agonizing half hour. Then an actual zombie walk arrival on the red carpet started to appear from I-don't-know-where. A steady stream of peeps dressed as zombies went through the seating area, and it was quite interesting, to say the least. Some of them looked really cool, and some looked like complete douchebags. And a few women were hot as Holy Hell in their "zombie" make-up! I started to feel as though it may not be so bad after all...George A. Romero is a Legend, no question, so I might as well hang around.
It was yet another half hour or so before George was introduced, and the zombie walk peeps may have helped to speed up his arrival, because at one point they all started moaning "George! George!", really loudly. A Toronto city councellor was brought on stage to present a special achievement award to Mr. Romero, who quipped that the zombies in the crowd looked just like city council. (YAWN).

George came out to big applause, and talked about how he loves Toronto (he lives and works here permanently now) and how when he sees Night of the Living Dead nowadays all he sees are flaws in it. (That classic film was shown right after he departed the stage). He thanked all of his fans "for continuing to watch this stuff" and accepted a trophy with the C.N. Tower on it and a big rubber zombie hand attached to it. This thing will give me nightmares! he joked...He had a big smile on his face and left to a standing ovation.

Not a bad night for me. I didn't hang around for the movie- I walked over to the Elgin theatre and waited with a massive throng who were hoping to see Michael Caine depart from the rear entrance. And he did. He was whisked into a black Cadillac SUV. I went right to the front of the truck, and saw him clear as a bell, with a young lady to his left. Then they peeled away, and three serious autograph hounds chased it all the way to the lights of an intersection. And it was a red, so they lucked out.
all 3 got 8 x 10 glossies signed as they waited at the lights....
Crazy man..

[Johann]

I decided to go back to the square the next day, because I'd never seen Woodstock on the big screen. I'll put a long review in the fest coverage section today.

After Woodstock, (which was excellent), I watched all the smokin' hot TORD roller derby girls get ready for the big match they were putting on at the square in honor of Drew Barrymore's new film (which she stars in and directs): WHIP IT, which seems like a cool "chick" flick. (VERY RARE THESE DAYS!)

It was awesome to see these tough chickies in their uniforms stretching and doing warm ups. Sexy stuff! They're all regular girls/women, some with 3 kids, who just get together and bang it up in roller derby matches, which are quite popular here in Canada.
"TORD" stands for Toronto Roller Derby, and it's a big league here in the city. The ladies all have mock names, (all made up), like "Bitchslap Betty" and "Eve of Smashtruction".
Drew Barrymore's character in Whip It is "Smashley Simpson"...
Even referees have wild names : "Elvis Freshly", etc..
It was a late start to the cast getting there- no one seemed to know when they were arriving at Yonge & Dundas square, just that were definitely coming. So in all I ended up waiting over 2 hours. But it was worth it because I had unobstructed views(photos are in the link below) of Drew (who introduced her cast members one by one), Eve, Zoe Bell (amazing stunt woman from Tarantino's Death Proof), Juliette Lewis, Marcia Gay Harden, Daniel Stern and the star of the film, Ellen Page. Juliette Lewis looked so badass and yummy up there!
Black tight leather pants, cool hat, bright red lipstick, she was incredible. She really posed it up for the cameras too... I wanted to take her home. But I'm not badass enough for her. I know it.
They did interviews, met with fans, Drew praised roller derby girls everywhere making a point about TORD, saying it doesn't matter what your body shape is, this sport is just for girls to have a rockin' time, be physically active, hanging out with your friends and living a good, fun life. They had roller derby girls skate around and give out sweatbands with "Whip It" emblazoned on them, wristbands, collector cups (mine was with Drew herself on it!) and collector cards and buttons. I also snagged a perfect condition poster that was laying by the sound booths.
I really want to see the movie after that night.(It opens wide on Oct. 2)
It seemed to be a really cool directorial debut by Drew Barrymore.
She was raving about the songs she was able to put into the film, and she urged everybody to buy the soundtrack.
I just might, Drew..
I just might.

www.whip-it.net

[Chris Knipp]

Good stuff, Johann.

[Johann]

I'll be finishing my review of Woodstock soon (gotta figure out how to say what I want to say) and I'll be posting reviews of Monterey Pop, Stop Making Sense, and Rattle & Hum, all of which were shown for the "TIFF in CONCERT FILM SERIES".

The red carpets are looking pretty nasty in some spots- really grungy. No maintenance whatsoever. Yay Toronto!

I heard that Terry Gilliam has been stuck here for over a week.
His new film with the late Heath Ledger is being shown for the first time tonight.
Colin Farrell was seen hanging out with Gilliam & Neil Jordan and Bono at a bar. (U2 played the 2nd of two big shows last night)

As I'm in town for this festival, I have to say that the vibe isn't all that glamourous or earth-shaking. (But, I've also been excluded from just about every major, important event that's gone down).
Aside from Roy Thompson Hall, spotting celebs is quite difficult.
I haven't really seen anybody.
The night of the Cult concert I very briefly saw Jennifer Garner and Rob Lowe near the Elgin, but who are they? Z-listers?
ha ha

[Johann]

Change of plans *again*.

Another Angel (this time family) got me two tickets for two screenings: Drew Barrymore's Whip It (which I just saw)
and an evening with Ted Kotcheff, Legendary director of films such as The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz and First Blood, (the first Rambo movie with Stallone).
He's presenting his "Life-Changing Picture" WAKE IN FRIGHT (a/k/a "OUTBACK"-1971) at the Isabel Bader theatre tonight at 7PM.
Can't wait to see what he has to say about that film and hopefully get an autograph...First Blood is one of my all-time favorite films, that was shot in Hope B.C. Canada in 1981.

"Wake in Fright" is Kotcheff's '71 film starring Donald Pleasance"that challenged the way Australians saw themselves and their environment" (TIFF "Dialogues With Talking Pictures" pg. 15- 2009 film schedule).

I'll post reviews in the festival coverage thread.

[Chris Knipp]

Glad you're getting some ins. WAKE IN FRIGHT I think is legendary.

I'm enjoying all your descriptions, and hope you get to review some more films. Will you review WHIP IT--or the scene surrounding the showing of it anyway?

Three NYFF films today--a lot for me to handle, since I write reviews of them ASOP in order not to get behind; but the weekend is free, no Main Slate press screenings.

[Johann]

I've reviewed Whip It and I'll be doing a review of Wake in Fright, which I'm still thinking about.
Astounding must-see classic of cinema. Met the director as well, a Hero of mine. (FIRST BLOOD RULES!)
I put them in the Festival Coverage section.

[Chris Knipp]

I have been hoping you'd warm up that thread. And you already have. I hope for much more though. Thanks.

[Johann]

The final bash at Yonge & Dundas is tonite and I'll be there.
Mainly to see Chuck D. which I'm sure I'll be waiting until the VERY end of the party....(of course). Plus the Bell Lightbox preview.

The Bell Lightbox is the brand-new hub for cinema in Toronto, and will be ready in about a year I heard. (It's still under construction on King street). Their first program will be THE ESSENTIAL 100, a series of 100 films (chosen by who or what criteria, I don't know) that represent the best 100 films of the last century or so.
Should be interesting to see how that goes.
Tonight is a montage clip of the 100 films.
I'll be sure to take notes...
Plus the TIFF Film Reference Library and Archive moves over to that location from where it is now at Carlton & Yonge.

[Johann]

Went to the final bash. Definitely off the hook, with Chuck D., the Funky Drummer Clyde Stubblefield (James Brown's drummer from 1965-70) and the Eclectic Method.
The black lady next to me got photos of herself and me with Chuck. (I got an autograph) I'll have 'em up on facebook soon.
I said "Miuzi Weighs a Ton" and he looked at me, while signing my notebook. He must've signed hundreds of autographs. The greatest of the great Rap Legends to me, he was the Man with a turntable band up there...Holy dogshit.

He praised Toronto and said we're the best even if we don't know it.

Clips from the "Essential 100 Films" were "re-mixed" behind them on a big screen:Star Wars (Obi-Wan & Vader in a lightsabre duel! Yeah!) Taxi Driver, Casablanca, etc. with Chuck freestyling over the incredibly legendary Funky Drummer's so-identifiable beats- the most sampled drum beat in the history of hip-hop, played Live. Chuck speaks in a documentary called Copyright Criminals, about sampling that drum beat for his band Public Enemy. He admits it's wrong. But he and Clyde worked it out. Last night was an incredible party and it almost makes not getting accredited worth it.

He rhymed over incredible sampling. It was, to borrow a phrase, "Sampling Mastery". They rocked it out.
Cranked through the Square's P.A.'s, of which there were STACKS. He sang P.E. lyrics, said "know your history", making sure everyone in the audience knew who the Sugarhill Gang were and why they are so damn important.

I'm buying some Bomb Squad CD's today...

[Johann]

Ted Kotcheff's next film project is on the "wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", a big Legend of a ship that sank during a bad storm in November 1975. (On Lake Superior).
That tragedy needs to be made into a feature, absolutely, 100%.
The Gordon Lightfoot song does it justice, but a film would be even better. And to have a Canadian like Mr. Kotcheff make it, that just seems VERY right...

When I said that tiff. is hopelessly corporate, I meant it.
Bell Telephone is the major sponsor.
And so is Starbucks.
And Royal Bank .
And Blackberry.
The lanyards for the press passes are green, with Starbucks' logo all over them. Blackberry had a sales tent at YDS the entire festival. Starbucks gave out free instant coffee samples.
Major studios took out full page ads in film guides and schedules.
Everyone in the city seemed to be on some level of "hustling" at some point during the festival.
At Ryerson University I noticed credit card companies giving away Ryerson schwag if only you'll sign up for a card...
Coca-Cola and FUZE drink companies handed out free cans on many days...it's corporate, Dude. Not cultured.
I have a real problem with Art Vs. Commerce...

[Chris Knipp]

Don't film festivals have to have sponsors, especially the big ones? They're costly and have underwriting. But the NYFF lanyards have nothing printed on them and the official coffee is classier than Starbucks; it's Illy. Other NYFF sponsors this year are American Airlines, HBO, Stella Artois, Agnes B. (a clothing line), GRAFF (a London-based jewelry dealer), the NY State Coucil on the Arts, WNYC radio, the New York Times, WABC (TV). But the NYFF being a smaller festival has fewer and less invasive sponsors. I don't know about anything with a brand name being given out free. Not at press & industry screenings. Except for the Illy coffee, which is very good coffee and has been available up till noon ever since I've been coming. The name is on the cups.

[Johann]

Do the big festivals have to have sponsors?
I don't know. Why should they?
They can't operate on funding from the cities they originate from?
How's that work?
Because then it isn't the Toronto film festival.
It would be the Bell Starbucks Blackberry film festival.

Now, I'm a patron of Starbucks. I like the Chai tea they have and I even bought my sister a bag of once-a-year Arabica Anniversary blend beans for her 8th wedding anniversary this past Sept. 10th.

But there should be a complete separation from corporations and cinema. (and I don't mean major film studios).
I really want to know why these festivals cannot be self-sufficient.
Something is not working. Not quite right...

[Johann]

I'm OK with the province of Ontario being a major sponsor (which it was) or Arts councils and the like. Hell, even the federal government can chip in massive cash for it. (which they did).
But brands.. it just seems so wrong for a film festival.
Even "classy" brands...I say no.

[Chris Knipp]

Some festivals have had sponsors in their names, as do major performance venues. The JVC Jazz Festival. Disney Concert Hall in LA. A lot of the workers on the SFIFF are volunteers. There isnt' enough money to cover the costs, though that festival has done will in funding scholarship programs and workshops, as doubtless has Sundance. The brands I have seen have not been obtrusive. They are given rapidly in the opening logo trailer of the NYFF, and then forgotten. They appear on the background when celebrities are photographed. But if it's the Sardinia Tourist Bureau, is that really going to rain on your parade? If you freak out every time you see a corporate logo, how can you walk through town, any town? Maybe Albania....? Or Cairo, where they're all in Arabic?

[oscar jubis]

I'm enjoying these posts a lot. Thanks Johann! I envy your meeting Chuck D. I did attend a PE concert but that was ages ago.

The major sponsors of the Miami fest are a newspaper, airline, hotels, restaurants. It costs a lot of money to fly filmmakers, actors, jury members, etc. in and out of town, and give them food and lodging. So the fest gets very reduced rates in exchange for the publicity and cache the fest gives to the sponsors. But the name of the fest has never been attached to a corporate entity. It has always been simply "the Miami International FF".

[Chris Knipp]

In David Foster Wallace's satirically futuristic masterpiece Infinite Jest, even the calendar gets corporate sponsors, and the current period of the action is known as "The Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment."
In the novel's future world, North America is one unified state comprising the United States, Canada, and Mexico, known as the Organization of North American Nations (O.N.A.N.). Corporations purchase naming rights to each calendar year, eliminating traditional numerical designations; for example "The Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment" and "The Year of Dairy Products from the American Heartland". Much of what used to be the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada has become a hazardous waste dump known as the "Great Concavity" to the Americans and as the "Great Convexity" to Canadians. --Wikipedia, "Infinite Jest". (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinite_Jest)

[Johann]

I'll send you 6 pics Oscar. (I'm drunk in the photos, but so what?) ha ha

[Johann]

And yes, the venues all have sponsors (most of them, anyway)
The Skydome (or at least that's what every Canadian knows and remembers it as) is now the Rogers Center. How lame is that?
It's the Skydome.
And it always will be.

[Johann]

Oscar: 4 of the pics are with me and Chuck, while he signs autographs, and one is of the director of Copyright Criminals and I forgot his name...

The other pic is of a classic car of course...

[oscar jubis]

Cool Pics, J! Thanks. I am glad you got to enjoy the fest. I can imagine the look in Chuck D.'s face when you said to him:
MY Uzi Weighs a Ton!. Cracked me up, man.

We're Brothers-of-the-same-kind: Un-blind

[Johann]

Yeah, when I said it he looked at me pretty quick, as if to say "You know "Miuzi Weighs a Ton"?? White boy?? ha ha

But he was the coolest, man...
I still can't believe he signed my notebook- a moleskin, by the way- best notebooks you can buy. Picasso and Hemingway used them. I got the $20 copshop type..

[Chris Knipp]

Picasso and Hemingway and Bruce Chatwin.

[Johann]

Yes, and Bruce Chatwin.

Here's the script from the quality control leaf that comes with it:

Moleskin is the legendary notebook used by European artists and thinkers for the past two centuries, from Van Gogh to Picasso, from Ernest Hemingway to Bruce Chatwin. This trusty, pocket-size travel companion held sketches, notes, stories and ideas before they were turned into famous images or pages of beloved books.

Originally produced by small French bookbinders who supplied the Parisian stationary shops frequented by the international avant-garde, by the end of the 20th century the Moleskin notebook was no longer available. In 1986, the last manufacturer of Moleskin, a family operation in Tours, closed it's shutters forever. "le vrai Moleskin n'est plus" were the lapidary words of the owner of the stationary shop in Rue de l'Ancienne Comedie where Chatwin stocked up on the notebooks. The English writer had ordered a hundred of them before leaving for Australia: he bought up all the Moleskin that he could find, but they were not enough.

In 1998, a small Milanese publisher brought Moleskin back again. As the self-effacing keeper of an extraordinary tradition, Moleskin once again began to travel the globe, a battery that stores discoveries and perceptions, and whose energy can be tapped over time.

Every notebook is handmade and it has been carefully checked for quality. This book is quality control no. 7474

[Johann]

And not to brag or anything, but after he went back to the freestyling after signing autographs, he did lyrics from "Miuzi Weighs a Ton". So I may have given him the idea to do it...
I ain't lyin'...ask any P.E. fan who was there.
Ain't no Toy, Boy!!!

The best dressing down ever done by an M.C. was Public Enemy's
"Son of a Bush"- look it up on youtube. "He's the Son of a BAAD Man...Son of a BUSH!" (released to help stop Bush from being re-elected in 2004 as an EP:


Have you forgotten?
I've been through the first term of rotten
Don't look at me, I ain't calling for no assassination
I'm just sayin' sayin'
Who voted for that asshole of your nation?
Deja Bush
If I fight for y'all
Then they get me
How many O y'all is comin' ta get me?
None!
Cuz it's easier to forget me!
Soul to the Bone

[Johann]

Here's a 10 minute video I found on youtube that a guy made of the final bash, after he waited in line at the AMC to see Werner Herzog's new film. I was at the very front, (near the stage). He was quite a ways back, near Yonge street.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGqvYrXZkR8

[Chris Knipp]

Nice subways.

[Johann]

They're nice, but they smell stale.
The smell when you enter a subway in Toronto is unmistakably STALE. Stale, underground air... ha ha