The Torontonian Reviews: To The Wonder
To the Wonder was filmed in Oklahoma, but the suburban neighbourhood seen here is astonishingly close to what an updated 1950’s Waco, Texas might be. The subject matter is not exactly a drastic change, either: themes of love and family inform both of the films inherently. It’s generous to call this type of cinema “innovative” now, but at least in The Tree of Life audiences were treated to a veritable smorgasbord of beautiful music.
Read the full article »TIFF12 Review: At Any Price
Bahrani’s films are studies in character and heavy on symbolism: the former Pakistani rock star who’s selling coffee from a Manhattan push cart, moving his cart around the city in an endless sisyphean cycle in Man Push Cart; the Latino street orphan laboring in the rough-and-tumble grind of a questionable auto-repair/chop shop in the Iron Triangle area of New York City, in the shadow of Yankee Stadium in Chop Shop; the old man who’s decided to commit suicide, who tries to persuade a friendly cab driver to drive him to the mountain from which he intends to leap to his death in Goodbye Solo. Here, Bahrani’s clearly worked to open his storytelling up to paint on a broader canvas, but he’s still using the meticulous brushstrokes that have always defined his films.
Read the full article »The Torontonian Reviews: End of Watch
It’s a good thing the chemistry between Peña and Gyllenhaal is excellent, as the two are side-by-side on screen for the film’s entire duration. When the stakes are low, Taylor and Z crack jokes (mostly racial) and recount chestnuts (mostly graphic) with each other. But when lives are on the line, the pair command attention with their laissez-faire police tactics and level-headed cool. On the road, between these ups and downs, the two also wax poetic about life: working with the LAPD, their relationships at home, and the prospects of the future. These police cruiser conversations are engaging and thoughtful; at times bordering on profundity.
Read the full article »The Torontonian Reviews: Storm Surfers 3D
Storm Surfers was shot natively in 3D, and for once a film is better for it. The added dimension instills a greater sense of scale, reminding us of the inherent danger to this thrilling sport. Thankfully, none of this ever feels shoehorned: water spits at the screen like it would while boating; waves in the foreground seem touchable. This isn’t a gimmick, because the filmmakers have used the medium with legitimate intentions.
Read the full article »TIFF12 Interview: Tamara Podemski
Five years ago, Tamara Podemski got heaps of notice and won a Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival for her terrific performance in Sterlin Harjo’s Four Sheets to the Wind. A graduate of Toronto’s prestigious and highly competitive Claude Watson School for the Performing Arts (Sarah Polley was a classmate), Pademski’s strikingly lovely and multi-talented; with her Sundance breakthrough, she seemed on the verge of the sort of breakthrough that can happen for a young actress when she gets noticed at Sundance.
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