Working TIFF
I have been invisible for days… no writing… barely tweeting.
And yet, I haven’t slept more than 5 hours at a time, haven’t eaten lunch or breakfast for days, am often literally standing at the back of theaters so I can try to make the next event, and generally, have the candle burning at both ends.
One wonders whether TIFF is punching me (and all of us covering it) in the face or if I am just getting old.
Don’t get me wrong. I am still one of the luckiest people you will run into in the entertainment journalism game. I have spent most of the last 4 days talking to some really amusing and interesting people… or seeing their work. I get to bring back a little slice of the often unexpected history of people who are truly invested. And I am bound only by “what do we feel like talking about today?”
As for pumping out more about the movies… I can’t say that I don’t have insta-pinions of everything I see. I do. But I suppose that I am more reluctant to make them a matter of public record as I am also more reluctant to take anyone’s first-blush ideas on these films seriously. If I feel like listening to the instant barrage of bloviating within minutes of a film’s closing credits leads to shallow, unconsidered, brutally overstated argument that then has to be defended because to disagree with one’s “gut”—at least publicly—is unacceptable, then how can I feel good about being party to this phenomenon… even if I am always right about everything instantly (DUH!).
In 2012, the most valuable tool a critic has is perspective. It is becoming more and more rare.
That and, this week, sleep… and vegetables.
So half the critics call Cloud Atlas a masterpiece. The other half call it a piece of shit. Which side are you leaning towards?
>In 2012, the most valuable tool a critic has is perspective. It is becoming more and more rare.
so right now all the people who have reviews up fast on youtube – who talk about movies for 5-10 minutes are unvalid because they don’t have perspective ?
wondering how high your going to rate to the wonder by that Mallick guy … cause you sure did like tree of life …
– nobody really got a dp/30 where they explained the movie in some detail … you didn’t use your movie critic superpowers to get Brad Pitt to talk about it ….
now i’m wondering if anybody got an interview for to the wonder ….
if Mallick is some sort of genius film maker than so are the guys who made the saw movies.
Why bother going to the festival if you aren’t going to post and tweet reactions to the movies? Sounds like an excuse to let the hot blog run cold.
By contrast, over on H-E, Wells is killing it with reviews and shit-stirring. Very exciting online journalism happening there, visceral and on the cusp, at times, of madness. Here? (crickets) I used to enjoy your writing, DP. Miss it.
Off topic but Dave has not put up a BYOB and of course it’s a terrible weekend at the box office, but a record was set this weekend however, Oogieloves dropped by 90%.
The Possession will be profitable. Suck it, Oogieloves.
So will The Words and Hit & Run. Bradley Cooper knows how to slum.
September 21 can’t get here soon enough. It’ll be the first interesting multiple-choice wide-release weekend in a month.
I agree with GexL. David, I love your stuff. Always have. But you are, often, the ultimate example of, “criticism out of my mouth only applies to others….not me.” And I mean that with respect and dignity.
You are good at lecturing others how to do their jobs. Many opinions on others’ work. Sometimes I agree, sometime I don’t…but it’s your blog, so I’m cool with it.
But if the LATimes went to Toronto and filed nothing, you’d blast them. Or if Deadline went to Toronto and filed nothing…you’d blast them. But when you go to Toronto and file nothing…then it’s OK?
And maybe we’re wrong. If your intended goal was to go to Toronto for the purpose of filming videos, then great. That’s fine. But I don’t think you have to nick the notion of people having fast opinions. That’s what THEY are there to do. And it’s enjoyable. It’s a festival…that’s the point. Instant news/reaction/color…whatever one wants to call it. It’s not Pulitzer journalism, but it’s “that time of year.”
How about this…the bottom line is that in 2012, it’s ALL journalism. Some do it differently than others. And some cover things differently than others.
my guess is DP is watching 4 movies a day and doing 4 interviews – that’s 10 hours … DP can delay some stuff
cause all these movies aren’t opening that soon..
when things go back to normal around here – i figure DP will put up 16 movie reivew and 16 dp/30’s all in one week
and that’ll be one huge data dump for average people to sit through .
right now Looper movie is at 100% .. i’m guessing DP doesn’t like that. no movie should be that high.
what it means is – a lot of buzz and lots of sold out
screenings in the first week .. which is good for business side of things.
i watched siliver lining playbook press conference only because of Jennifer Lawerence dp/30 from last year –
a year makes a big difference – her look is different and she’s getting lots of great buzz for her movie .,.. she’s not a one hit wonder
“I don’t really feel that much pressure cause um either way you know what I mean, I’m gonna get paid.” -Jennifer Lawrence
DP Translation: PARRRRRRRRTTTTTYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!
I hate to complain about the rigors of covering a film festival because, what the hell, no one holds a gun to my head and demands that I attend. On the other hand, I have to admit that Toronto has always been one of the busiest (and, of course, best) film festivals on the entire planet, and that while you’re racing to see as many movies and do as many interviews as possible, it’s very easy to find yourself with little or no time for actual writing. Especially if you’re not set up in a hotel room in the immediate vicinity of the Bell Lightbox and Scotiabank Cinema.
But then again, you should take everything I just wrote with several grains of salt, because no one told me to hang out until past 2 am at the Ice-T bash the other night.
Yeah, add me to the chorus, DP. Feel free to give us those opinions you have, even if you would prefer having more time to mull things over. I never watch any of the videos…would love to hear what you think of the movies themselves…
Have to agree with the crowd here….we’re glad that you get to do fun stuff, DP…but who are you doing this for? You are talking to fun people and seeing interesting movies and telling us NOTHING about the experience. Everything I am learning about this festival is from other sites. When and if you finally get to it, it will be yesterday’s news. Maybe it means you miss a movie or a conversation with an interesting person….or maybe it means sending someone else to cover the festival.
– DP should put up the dp/30’s videos up just so they get some ratings on youtube – right now a lot of reviews are
by amateur people and DP don’t need none of that ..when the dp/30’s are way better …
– it’s not like nobody is doing reviews – other people on mcn are doing reviews but somehow people want DP movie review…
– i’m kinda spoiled by checking out the tiff press conferences – some of these actors / directors had something important to say about their movies – the exact
same thing they would have told DP in video
– it’s a good thing DP can take time cause there are no advertisers to answer too .
– there doesn’t seem any time for a dp/30 / mcn meetup with fans — with it being a people’s festival and all – there won’t be any video of the people – just actors who
want their oscars.
with the new tv season coming up – tiff 2012 will be soon forgotten a few weeks from now – all you need is a few hit tv shows and there will be lots of discusssion…
mildly smug, no? i know you have a shit-ton of movies to watch and a thousand DP/30’s to film but fucking-A-Christmas, please write something about MOVIES. this is coming from someone who has been checking your various columns for over a decade
Again, David doesn’t need and likely doesn’t want my defense here, but isn’t this direction to which he’s been heading for the past several months? That is: More video, less writing? It’s not like he suddenly sprang this change on us.
Besides, it’s obvious that Sanj now has him in his hypnotic thrall.
there’s probably a dozen new actors waiting for their dp/30 outside the hotel room – DP goes outside and tells them to leave cause he needs to watch the master for the 4th time so he can review it with perspective.,,,
watched iceman press conference – 45 minutes … Michael Shannon was alright but the highlight was 10 minute answer about Winona Ryder acting career .. she seems nice… 20 years of acting without a dp/30 .
awesome.
here’s some pictures –
David has always been bad about covering festivals while they’re happening. In his defense,, he does usually post some worthwhile summaries when he returns but it does make the blog a very dull place for a week or two.
My suggestion is to just come back next week when TIFF is done. HE has got lots of up-to-date coverage if that’s your thing.
“Again, David doesn’t need and likely doesn’t want my defense here, but isn’t this direction to which he’s been heading for the past several months?”
This is true. And the community involvement here has diminished greatly as a result.
– sanj will be taking over the dp/30
– nobody reads anymore on the web, just watch dp/30
– he should interview that pizza guy that lifted the president for dp/30
– dp/30
Hey, Joe, how does it feel to have Barack Obama’s website link to your 2016 review?
to be fair – there are 2500 + views just for the tiff 2012 quick 3 minute video . stick some video trailer ads on there and DP could be making some money towards more movie coverage.
i did notice that variety has a 30 minute show about tiff daily . it’s alright – could use way better graphics,,and its on tv .
tiff has major sponsors – audi /visa / rbc bank … its a place for rich people who have money to burn to watch movies months earlier – i figure every movie critic got a free audi car with a couple of thousand dollars in the backseat…
some of cannes and sundance 2012 movies aren’t out in wide release – i guess the average movie person forgets about that but the average movie critic can’t … lots of good films out there..
Between Wells yelling at an invisible Malick in a director’s chair and DP missing in whitesuit action, could this be the end of a restless blogging generation?
Krillian: That might explain the recent uptick in my hats mail.
Christian: Sounds like there may be a void itching to get filled.
Lucky Bastard. Sleep overrated/do it when you are dead. You have an amazing job. Enjoy.
Krillian: That SHOULD read: That might explain the uptick in my HATE mail.
Ok, I didn’t see how your 2016 would mean increased recommendations of caps, kangas and fedoras.
Anyone see Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing?
Anyone see Innocence of Muslims?
I watched a few minutes yesterday. I laughed at its craziness but it’s not funny anymore.
Seriously: Could it possibly be the worst movie ever made that literally got people killed? I know you can’t judge the entire film from that YouTube trailer, but jeez. It looks awful enough to leave a stain on a theater screen.
“We went into this knowing this was probably going to happen,” a consultant on the film, Steve Klein, told the Associated Press. So they intentionally incited violence against the United States? That’s f&*king repugnant.
Just like the Koran burners.
They want the same thing the islamist wackos want. Holy War.
And yes, George Bush called it a “Crusade” when we went into Iraq to kills thousands of Muslims, hundreds who were rounded up and tortured under our Christian liberation.
That excuses not the insane middle-eastern cowards who kill innocents in the name of God.
hey Joe – how many films have you seen at tiff …are they all super extra awesome ?
plus if you have time we can meet up somewhere if only for 10 minutes.
Joe, remember HOSTEL.
Just watched the trailer. Looks like it was made in a basement with green screen for about $200.
How many deaths did Hostel inspire?
Anyone else notice the announcement that Weinstein has moved “Killing Them Softly” from October 19th (when it was the only wide-release slated that I genuinely gave a damn about) to…November 30th.
Does that mean it’s getting a one-week “awards consideration” bow in NY/LA, with a wide release to follow early next year?
Or are they dumping it in the graveyard slot between Thanksgiving weekend and the onslaught of holiday movies?
Either way, it’s kind of mystifying.
The Weinsteins, even when they seem to have the goods, pretty much always behave as if they’re running their company hand-to-mouth, and don’t have the money or the resources to put out more than one high-profile movie every six or eight weeks without shifting some resources around temporarily or something.
No idea if this is true. But that’s how all of their strategic release-shuffling comes off.
Well, as it was, it was tracking almost even with Alex Cross and would’ve been buried by Paranormal Activity 4. Maybe there’s a method to their madness.
Aw, who am I kidding? November 30 is almost as bad as the fourth weekend of August.
We all know what happens to Weinstein films that get a “one-week-only NY & LA awards consideration” launch and fail to deliver on their awards promise: slow and painful deaths.
“Coriolanus,” “Grace is Gone”….the list is infinite.
In the press release I just read, Harvey insists November 30th is a great time to open “Killing” for maximum awards exposure.
And he also insists that it’s still going to be a wide release.
Gotta say it (i.e., a great time to open a film wide WITH legit awards potential) sure doesn’t look that way to me.
As Krillian said, the last weekend of November is the worst frigging time of the year to open anything wide–especially a good movie (hey there, “Cadillac Records”).
I’m wondering if Weinstein’s “Silver Linings” (this year’s “Descendants”?) gets pushed back to mid/late-ish December.
A Thanksgiving-ish release didn’t do the Payne film any favors last year.
It seemed to peak early and lose a good chunk of its awards momentum over the holidays.
“Killing” and “Lawless” both premiered in Cannes, and the former got marginally better reviews.
Am I crazy for thinking a contemporary crime film w/ Brad Pitt is–on paper anyway–a tad more commercial than a period flick about hillbillies and moonshine whose biggest name cast member is Shia LeBeouf?
killing them softely – watched trailer – seems like every other gangster movie – trailer pretty much has most of the movie – actually looks like a direct to dvd / tv movie
director Andrew Dominik needs a dp/30 – 3 films in like 10 years.
Pitt ain’t doing no dp/30 – why would you leave Angelina for 30 minutes ..no reason. unless DP can get both of them for a 2 part special dp/30 …
I just realized something:
Isn’t this the second time that Weinstein has monkeyed around w/ “Killing”‘s release date?
Wasn’t it originally slated to open September 21st?
It’s beginning to look like Weinstein’s only interest in the film is ancillary (i.e., how many dvds they can sell on Pitt’s name).
Krillian, isn’t Killing tracking the same as Alex Cross pretty OK? I mean, yeah, it has Brad Pitt, but you have to remember so did the director’s last movie, which I loved and few people saw. I know this is different because it’s a wide-release thing, and Tyler Perry as Alex Cross probably isn’t tracking through the roof but it’s also a popular star doing a popular character, whereas this movie is… Pitt and a bunch of character actors. It’s on my most-anticipated list with The Master, Looper, and Lincoln, but I gotta figure this is like one of those Damon or Clooney projects: $30-40 million is probably a mild win here.
patiently waiting for some insight from dp…avoiding his master review per instructions
toronto must be nuts. always amazed by how many films open there.
right now it sounds like harvey weinstein has a monopoly on basically every oscar
So what happens when this Bacille guy turns out to be nothing like is said here?
Sorry, Sanj: I’m back home in Houston.
okay Joe – i’m guessing you got 1000 messages about that 2016 movie review …
time is running out in tiff land …all the big movie stars will go away in a few days …
i dunno if DP has time for a quick meetup –
I do have to say the “You are here” tagline on MCN feels especially disingenuous. Not only is it not true but so far there’s almost nothing to show that DP is even there.
classic tiff – DP was actually there with video review
Actually, David is there. I ran into him the other day when we were loading up at the high-tech soda fountains at the Scotiabank Cinema. He agrees with me: It’s great to be able to have lime in your Coke Zero.
i watched the city to city tiff press conference – they had like 8 international directors … they talked about film critics in India and how worthless they all are …they also talked about the state of indie films there .
i’m guessing not too many indie films from sundance make to India and Indian indie films don’t make it to sundance .
movie critics are like …movies are global and i’m thinking not so much …
so i checked out whats playing in Mumbai right now and
arbitrage 2012 is playing there … for some reason they get it first.. kinda funny how Brit Marling who’s in the movie might be a big star right now over there and she don’t know it .
is anybody else watching the tiff press conferences – its on the internets for free….right now they have over 10 hours worth of videos.
i’m pretty much an outsider at tiff looking in …. cause sanj ain’t going to spend 20 bucks on a movie ticket.
DP missed out not bring LexG to tiff – he would have watched and reviewed a ton of movies and gotten a lot of traffic over here . LexG would have wanted like 10,000 or something but it would have been worth it .
can we get a new byob …
I saw those high tech soda fountains the last time I went to the theater and thought they were a terrible idea, sure its nice that you get your own refills and the fact that you now have 60 choices of soft drinks, but I can’t imagine the line moves smoothly on a friday night when the place is packed and some 8 year old is trying to decide which of the ten flavors of Sprite they might want.
But on the plus side it is the only place where I have ever seen Pibb Zero so that was a treat.
So in the abscence of a new byob and an unwillingness to get any of my work done I would like to start some conversation here.
I was thinking earlier about great or moving scenes in otherwise mediocore movies, say you are sitting there trudging through a movie and then bam! some bit feels quite moving.
Two that really stand out for me would have to be a) Australia, an ambitious, romantic mess of a movie where trouble with pacing and Baz’s hyperactivity undercuts what is supposed to be an old epic feel, but when they are on the Orphan’s Island and the music soars and Jackman’s buddy tells him to “Drive them home Drover”, I get all swept up and excited until the narrative returns to its muddle. and b) a small James Caan indie called This is My Father that is just this unengaging journey of a guy researching the man who was his father. There are no real interesting events, the flashbacks to the young romance are bland, and Caan’s natural prickliness doesn’t help you identify with his charecter, but the delivery of just two lines at this father’s grave brought tears to my eyes and made the rest of the film worth sitting through.
hcat:
Pibb Zero is great! Especially the Cherry-Vanilla flavor.
I do like the Pibb and Coke Zero’s though always feel like a cheeseball purchasing them since they have been marketed as “its ok for you to drink diet cokes guys, we’ll give it a BOLD name and it’ll be our little secret.” I’ve steered away from that new Dr. Pepper Ten just because the commercials are so absolutly stupid.
No one wants to add in on the other topic, fine, I’m still bored and have got the time.
After the significant misses of Carter and Battleship is next year going to be an even bigger bloodbath for the studios? After seeing the trailer for Hansel and Gretel I can’t imagine it passing 50 million (isn’t it basically an idea that has already failed twice with Van Helsing and Brothers Grimm?), and so many other titles on the schedule look like enormous risks. People have already mentioned 47 Ronin and I am sure hopes are not high for GI Joe: Procrastination, but Oz, the 300 sequel, and the tortured shoots of World War Z and Lone Ranger (which is going to probably draw huge comparisions to Wild Wild West due to star power and release date) all look like they will bleed significant red.
Cherry-Vanilla Coke is pretty cool, too…
Isn’t Cherry Pibb kinda redundant?
hcat – the moment in MEET JOE BLACK where Marcia Gay Harden starts getting upset because Tony Hopkins won’t sample the cake options she has selected for him. The way Hopkins takes a bite of the cake…the score swells, Hopkins is just such an unbelievable actor…it’s a very mediocre movie but I’ve always just loved that moment. If its on cable I’ll sit there for an hour waiting for it to come on.
Good call on Meet Joe Black, I fell in deeply in love with Harden immediatly upon seeing Millers Crossing and then she never really played that type of femme fatale again immediatly switching to either warm earthy women roles like Late for Dinner or out of their depth ugly duckling types in Meet Joe Black and Mystic River.
I like Hopkins work in the 90s but thouth she was the best thing in Black even though she was like seventh billed, and the best thing in Mystic River, even surrounded by all the heavy hitters.
I always liked Meet Joe Black better than most people. It has its faults. The entire Jake Weber trying to steal the company was unnecessary and added too much to the running time. Joe Black’s characterization was uneven (He either knows the feelings, sorrows, and knowledge of billions of the departed, or he’s completely ignorant of everything, and it rarely seems to be in-between). Still, when it gets to last 40 minutes, it’s a completely lovely movie that gets me every time. I did send a youtube video of the humerously overdone car accident to my girlfriend once to cheer her up. We’re an odd couple.
How long was Meet Joe Black? Longer than the original 1934 film version of Death Takes a Holiday AND its 1970s TV-movie remake PUT TOGETHER. Seriously.
I didn’t know that the remake of Death Takes a Holiday was called “Put Together”.
Pitt, who is my favorite movie star hands down, is not particularly great in the film, but Hopkins really does give a towering, amazing performance. I wish he would work more and do better stuff, but I love the guy so much I have trouble getting on him too much. I’ll go see pretty much anything he’s in at the theater.
In fact my number one all-time guilty pleasure movie is LEGENDS OF THE FALL, which I know I’m not supposed to like but intensely adore and have seen like 20 times and can quote word for word. Think I saw it four times in the theater when it came out. I’d love to see those two guys team up on something again.
HCAT – I tear up during the scene in “Mr. Saturday Night” when David Paymer, after a lifetime of abuse and playing second fiddle to Billy Crystal’s character, simply said, “You could have been nicer.”
It’s such an underrated movie, and nobody claims it as a favorite. But I will. The Academy realized Paymer was terrific, and nominated him. For good reason…he’s wonderful in it. And so is Crystal. The movie’s makeup sucks and detracts from what is otherwise a very sound and emotional piece of heartfelt storytelling.