Film, Toronto Film Festival 2008
TIFF Reviewed: Part Six
The dreaded Wednesday of the Toronto International Film Festival is usually the day when festival-goers (such as myself) hit the proverbial 'wall' due to a disturbing lack of sleep, unhealthy food, over-reliance on caffeine and the like. This usually results in sleeping during or through screenings, getting impatient in line or foregoing films all together. I decided on the latter and took Wednesday off to collect my thoughts about some of the thirteen films I've seen so far. Toronto Film Festival 2008, Film
TIFF: Reviewed - Part Four
It's the afternoon of the fourth day of the festival and with five films down and at least a dozen to go, I'm already tired. I'm attempting to see films every day while working long days, which leaves very little time for sleep, healthy food, and friends. But my situation is not uncommon; depending on who you talk to, seeing 5 films by this point is more than most but much less than some. I stand in awe of those managing the Festival Package of 50 films, or the Festival "Lite" of 30. I don't think I'd be able to handle that much cinema even if I were logistically able to.Regardless, I've had good luck so far. Read further for mini-reviews of Treeless Mountain, All Around Us, and Sauna.
Film
This Week in Film: August 28th 2008
It has become increasingly difficult to concentrate on films lately, that is, films that aren't a part of the Toronto International Film Festival which opens exactly a week today. During that time period, This Week in Film will take a hiatus, but there will be more than enough coverage to keep cinephiles informed and aware of everything taking place at the festival. For this week however? We get to sift through the cast-offs in terms of summer releases, mixed with some excellent long weekend programming by our hard working alternative cinemas. Film
Cinematheque Ontario Launches Oshima Retrospective
Friday evening marks the launch of one of the most exciting programmes to hit Cinematheque Ontario this fall season. Along with a smaller retrospective for UK director David Lean, the gem of the fall season would have to be the huge retrospective of works by the widely celebrated Japanese director Nagisa Oshima. Not only is this the first major retrospective of Oshima's films in over 20 years, the programme is almost full of newly remastered and struck prints, many of which will be shown for the first time in Toronto, ever.
Film
This Week in Film: August 14th 2008
This week in film definitely runs the gamut in terms of variety and diversity. We've got an independent Aboriginal-Canadian feature film, shot in 17 days and for a shoestring budget of $25,000, but we also have a documentary about the seedy underbelly of Bollywood, an action-packed screening with some mean green turtles, a romantic romp about lovers in a tumultuous time and...Spaceballs. City
Fake Prom 2008: Out of This World
Everybody remembers prom in high school, whether you attended it with sweaty palms, wondering if you'd get lucky afterward, or were too cool and only attended the after-party, or even if you just grimaced at the idea and stayed home with a good book. But whether you loved it or hated it, here's a chance to relive the experience now that you are older, wiser and probably wear better clothes. Fake Prom has been a Toronto staple on the social scene for six years now and the wildly successful dance party is a 19 plus romp of nostalgia, fashion, music and more. Envisioned by Dylan Reibling, the event has outgrown venues such as Sneaky Dee's, the Gladstone Ballroom, Lee's Palace/Dance Cave and graduated just last year to the gorgeous Palais Royale. I spoke to "Superintendent" Reibling and asked for some of his favourite Fake Prom memories and why he promises that this year will really be out of this world.
