Movie Review: The Men Who Stare at Goats
In The Men Who Stare At Goats, Ewan McGregor plays Bob Wilton, a lowly reporter from Ann Arbor, Michigan, who finds himself stationed in Kuwait, waiting to cross the border into Iraq to cover Operation Iraqi Freedom. With his personal life in shambles after his wife left him for a one-armed man, Wilton figures that he can head to Iraq, look like a hero with some Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism and win back the love of his life. Wilton has no idea, however, how his life is about to change when he meets up with a character named Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), who claims to be a recently re-activated member of the U.S. Army’s New Earth Battalion, a unit that trained its soldiers to use paranormal powers on their missions. The men are made to believe that they can split clouds, become invisible, pass through solid walls and kill with a simple look – a practice they test out on goats. Cassady takes Wilton through the history of the classified military program, where we are introduced to characters like Lieutenant Colonel Bill Django (Jeff Bridges), the off-the-wall founder of the program and the man in charge of training the soldiers and Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey), a psychic soldier and Lyn’s former nemesis, who is now stationed in Iraq. As Wilton points out in the movie, he headed to Iraq looking for a story and Lyn Cassady brought him an adventure. Read more
TIFF Movie Review: Whip It
Whip It stars Ellen Page as teenager Bliss Cavender who, as the movie opens, is competing in a Miss Bluebonnet beauty pageant. It is something that her mother (Marcia Gay Harden) wants her to do, but beneath the gown lies a girl who is trying to break free. Later, while shopping with her mother, a group of roller derby players skates by, handing out flyers for an upcoming event. Bliss grabs a flyer and later secretly heads to nearby Austin with her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat) to check out the action. Soon, Bliss is breaking out her own pair of skates and trying out for the league. When she makes the cut, she must find time not only to play, but to also spend time with a musician named Oliver (Landon Pigg) who she met at a game. Bliss takes the name “Babe Ruthless” (all the players make up names the play under) and becomes a league sensation. But just when things are going well and it seems that our heroine has finally found her own personal bliss, it’s only a matter of time before things begin to unravel. Read more
TIFF Movie Review: The Invention of Lying
The Invention of Lying stars Ricky Gervais as Mark Bellison, a man who lives in a world where people are incapable of lying. In fact, the word “lie” doesn’t even exist. One day Mark heads on a date with his dream girl Jennifer (Jennifer Garner). Things look bleak from the outset when she tells him that a relationship is unlikely based simply on his looks and his lack of financial security. Sure enough, Mark gets fired from his job and, with only $300 in the bank, is faced with eviction. He heads to the bank to take out his cash to move his belongings out of his apartment, but the bank’s computers are down. Instead he tells them he has $800 in the bank — just enough to pay the rent. Since he couldn’t possibly be lying, the teller forks over the cash and Mark realizes he’s stumbled onto something big. Read more
Precious Wins People’s Choice
Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire has won the People’s Choice Award at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.
The movie is about an overweight, illiterate teenager who lives in poverty with her abusive mother and who is pregnant with her second child. She enrolls in an alternative school in hopes of turning her life around.
It is directed by Lee Daniels and stars Gabby Sidibe (as Precious Jones), Mo’Nique as the abusive mother, Mariah Carey as a social worker and Lenny Kravitz as a male nurse.
The movie received much attention at TIFF, partially because of the presence of producer Oprah Winfrey, who appeared on the red carpet and at the press conference to promote the movie.
I had the chance to see a screening of Precious (will have the review up later this week) and can assure you the attention this movie has received is well-deserved. I can almost assure you that it will get an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. Gabby Sidibe and Mo’Nique should also get some serious consideration for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. Hell, even Mariah Carey was very good and pretty much unrecognizable.
Precious will get a limited release in North America on November 6th.
TIFF Movie Review: Jennifer’s Body
Jennifer’s Body stars Megan Fox as Jennifer and Amanda Seyfried as her best friend Needy (short for Anita). The two have been BFFs since childhood (they have matching charm necklaces to prove it) despite the fact that at first glance they might not look like the kind of girls who would have anything to do with the other. Jennifer is gorgeous and popular while Needy is frumpy and bookish. One night, Jennifer invites Needy to see a visiting band at the local club. Actually, it’s a dumpy roadside bar which is as close to a club as their little town of Devil’s Kettle will ever see. When Jennifer heads to get a drink, Needy overhears the band’s lead singer Nikolai (Adam Brody) talking about Jennifer in a less-than-favourable light. She tries to intervene but Jennifer wants to stick around, so they do. Things go south when the bar catches fire and most of the patrons are burned alive. Jennifer and Needy miraculously escape and are met in the parking lot by Nikolai who takes Jennifer back to the band’s van and drives away. A few hours later, Jennifer shows up at Needy’s house covered in blood. And that’s just the beginning. Read more
Nicolas Cage Talks Green Hornet at TIFF
The big news earlier this week was that Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) had replaced Nicolas Cage as the villain in The Green Hornet starring Seth Rogen. Cage was in Toronto yesterday for the showing of his new movie Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans where he spoke about leaving the project. According to Cage, he “wasn’t interested in just being just a straight-up bad guy who was killing people willy-nilly” and Rogen and Gondry “had a different take on the character” and there wasn’t enough time to develop the script.” Hard words from a hard man.
The Green Hornet is currently scheduled for release December 17, 2010.
Keanu Reeves Talks Patrick Swayze at TIFF
We were in the press conference earlier today for The Private Lives of Pippa Lee at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. The movie, written and directed by Rebecca Miller based on her own novel, stars Robin Wright as the title character, a devoted wife and proud mother who follows her husband to a retirement community in Connecticut where the idyllic world and the persona she has built over the course of her marriage is put to the ultimate test. Keanu Reeves also stars.
While speaking to the press, Keanu Reeves was asked for his thoughts on the passing of Patrick Swayze, with whom he starred in the 1991 hit Point Break. Check out the video below.
Later, Reeves was asked to elaborate on his relationship with Swayze.
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee opens in limited release November 27th.
Canada at the Film Festival: Spotlight on Bruce Sweeney
Canadian director Bruce Sweeney contributes to TIFF’s 2009 Special Presentation lineup with his latest feature film, “Excited”.
Born in 1962 in Sarnia, Ontario, Bruce migrated to British Columbia to pursue his career in film. After earning his Bachelor of Arts in visual art from Simon Fraser University and his Master of Fine Arts in Film from the University of British Columbia, Bruce went on to take a master class under the helm of Oscar-nominated British director and screenwriter, Mike Leigh.
Bruce is no stranger to the Toronto International Film Festival. His first feature film, “Live Bait”, won the $25,000.00 City-TV prize for best Canadian Film at the 1995 Toronto International Film Festival. In 2001, his feature film, “Last Wedding”, was selected to be the opening night gala at the Film Festival. It went on to win the jury prize at the Bermuda International Film Festival, as well as a Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award and a Canadian Comedy Award. In 2007, his feature film, “Amercian Venus” screened as part of the Festival’s Contemporary World Cinema lineup.
Bruce’s contribution to the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival is ”Excited”, a comedy about a man trying to navigate the dating world to find the woman of his dreams.
“Excited” stars Canadian actor Cam Cronin as Kevin, a golf club owner who is emerging from an eight-year dating dry spell. He meets Hayaam (Laara Sadiq), a beautiful, funny and smart woman also searching for love. Unfortunately for Kevin, the prospect of a life together with Hayaam keeps leaving him a little too “excited” to actually consummate their relationship. Add Kevin’s nagging mother (Gabrielle Rose) into the mix, and you have one of the more amusing Canadian comedies to hit theatres this year.
Fans of Woody Allen will enjoy Bruce Sweeney’s “Excited”. For those of you in Toronto this week for the Festival, “Excited” is a great choice for your 2009 TIFF film schedule.
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