Is There Anybody There? [RY Sunday, 3pm]

Is There Anybody There? John Crowley, United Kingdom

World Premiere

From the director of Boy A, comes a wise and charming story of an unlikely friendship between a scruffy former magician and a little boy with a morbid streak Ten year-old Edward (Bill Milner) has become increasingly obsessed with death and the afterlife since his parents turned their house into a retirement home. Edward’s is a lonely and peculiar existence – until he meets Clarence (Michael Caine) who introduces him to wonders in the here-and-now.

The Country Teacher [AMC7 Sunday Noon]

The Country Teacher Bohdan Sláma, Czech Republic/Germany/France

North American Premiere

When a gifted young teacher takes a job at a grammar school in the country, he quickly forms a strong bond with Marie, a local farm owner. But their friendship is challenged by the arrival of the teacher’s jealous ex-lover from the city, who, upon discovering that the teacher is harbouring a secret affection for Marie’s 17-year-old son, plots to expose him. From the director of Something Like Happiness (TIFF 2005).

Faubourg 36 [SB1 Sunday, 9am]

Faubourg 36 Christophe Barratier, France

A dazzling musical from the director of Les Choristes (TIFF 2004), Faubourg 36 is set between December 1935 and July 1936 in a working-class neighbourhood on the northeastern edge of Paris. The springtime election of a left-wing government brings wild new hopes, yet also sees the rise of extremist ideas. Three unemployed stage workers decide to produce a "hit show "and occupy the music hall where they formally worked. The stage is set for a short-lived but wonderful adventure.

Laila’s Birthday [AMC2 Saturday 6:30pm]

Laila’s Birthday Rashid Masharawi, Palestine/Tunisia/The
Netherlands

World Premiere

A Ramala cab driver is intent on getting home in time to bring a gift and cake for his daughter’s tenth birthday. But the challenges of day-to-day life in this conflicted region will become formidable obstacles to his mission.

Machan [SB1 Saturday 3:45pm]

Machan Uberto Pasolini, United Kingdom/Italy/Germany/Sri Lanka

North American Premiere

Convinced that submitting a bogus application to the German Embassy is not the worst thing one can do, a group of young Sri Lankans set out to assemble the Sri Lanka National Handball Team from a mismatched collection of friends, colleagues,
creditors, policemen – anyone willing to stretch the truth in exchange for a one way ticket to the West. Based on a true story, Machan is the first film from The Full Monty producer Uberto Pasolini.

Three Monkeys [SB1 Saturday, 12:45pm]

Three Monkeys Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey/France/Italy

North American Premiere

Winner of Best Director at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Climates, TIFF 2006) tells the story of a dislocated family battling the odds to stay together by covering up the truth.

Appaloosa [SB2 Saturday, 9am (Opens: September 17)]

Ed Harris, USA

World Premiere

Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Renée Zellweger and Jeremy Irons star in the Western Appaloosa, adapted from the Robert B. Parker novel. Set in the Old West territory of New Mexico, Appaloosa revolves around a pair of hired guns (Harris and Mortensen) who come to clean up a dangerous town run by a ruthless, powerful rancher (Irons) and his band of outlaws. While boldly bringing new order to the town, the two fearless lawmen meet a provocative outsider (Zellweger) whose unconventional ways threaten to destroy their decade-old bond. Appaloosa is co-written and directed by Ed Harris.

Adela [AMC9 Friday 8pm]

Adela Adolfo Alix Jr., Philippines

International Premiere

Adela is celebrating her 80th birthday. She tries to treat it like any other day, going out on her normal daily routines. But, desperately longing for her family, Adela cannot hide her loneliness. Director Adolfo Alix Jr. has crafted a deeply compassionate portrait of the plight of the elderly in the Philippines, anchored by a bravura lead performance by veteran actress Anita Linda.

Three Wise Men [AMC6 Friday 5:30pm]

Three Wise Men Mika Kaurismäki, Finland

World Premiere

Acclaimed Finnish director Mika Kaurismäki (LA Without a Map, TIFF 1998) offers a raw and often hilarious drama about a trio of antiheroes – an expectant father, a ladies’ man and a failed actor – who escape their family woes for a karaoke bar on Christmas Eve.

Linha de Passe [RY Friday 2:45pm]

Linha de Passe Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas, Brazil

North American Premiere

In the heart of São Paulo, four fatherless brothers try to find a way out from their preordained paths. Reuniting directors Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries, TIFF 2004) and Thomas, Linha de Passe garnered Best Actress (Sandra
Corveloni) at Cannes 2008.

RocknRolla [RY Friday, 11:45]

RocknRolla Guy Ritchie, United Kingdom

North American Premiere

When a Russian mobster orchestrates a crooked land deal, millions of dollars are up for grabs, and all of London’s criminal underworld wants in on the action. Everyone from a dangerous crime lord to a sexy accountant, a corrupt politician and down-on-their-luck petty thieves conspire, collude and collide with one another in an effort to get rich quick. Written and directed by Guy Ritchie, RocknRolla stars Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton, Chris Bridges, Jeremy Piven and Idris Elba.

Passchendaele [RY Friday, 8:45am]

Passchendaele Paul Gross, Canada

World Premiere

Passchendaele, written, directed and produced by celebrated Canadian filmmaker Paul Gross. Co-produced by Niv Fichman, Frank Siracusa and Francis Damberger, Passchendaele stars Gross (Men with Brooms, “Due South,” “Slings & Arrows”), Caroline Dhavernas (Hollywoodland, Breach, Niagara Motel), Gil Bellows (The Shawshank Redemption, “Ally McBeal”) and Joe Dinicol (George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead, “Train 48”).Set during the height of the First World War, Passchendaele tells the story of Sgt. Michael Dunne (Gross), a soldier who is brutally wounded in France and returns home to Calgary emotionally and physically scarred. While in the military hospital in Calgary, he meets Sarah (Dhavernas), a mysterious and attractive nurse with whom he falls passionately in love. When Sarah’s younger brother David (Dinicol) – despite suffering from severe asthma – signs up to fight in Europe, Michael is compelled to return to the battlefield to protect him. Alongside thousands of other courageous Canadians, David and Michael are sent to fight in the third battle of Ypres. Commonly known as “Passchendaele,” it is a battle against impossible odds.

The Incredible Hulk

No, this movie wasn't at the film festival, but on the second last day I got a note from my parking lot that they would not be open the next day and would be closing for a week. Also, it was hard to miss the cables strung along the sidewalk around Yonge and Gerrard when going between the Ryerson Theatre and the Elgin Theatre.

But the most difficult thing to miss was the Apollo Theatre being "built" just south of Gerrard on Yonge Street.

This was all in aid of five days of shooting of a replacement for the Ang Lee version of The Incredible Hulk which was to be shot here in the coming week.

On Saturday, the parking lot where I used to park was full of production trailers and two New York City buses, one sadly burned out ... and the Apollo Theatre was advertising the Friday and Saturday appearance of the Harlem Gospel Singers.

More details at the IMDB page.

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

This was my last of 35 movies at this year's Toronto Film Festival. I so wanted to like it. The acting was very good ... and what a cast. But Sidney Lumet tricked me.

The first scene is an extended sex scene between Philip Seymour Hoffman and Marisa Tomei. Then the opening credits roll. Then we see a scene titled: "The Robbery." After that, we go back and forth in time as the story is told and more information about the robbery is revealed.

It was lots of fun trying to figure out what had really happened. As more was revealed in this out-of-order manner, the film was fun to watch and constantly surprising.

Then the last few scenes unrolled and the whole thing fell apart for me. The promise of the first scene was never realized. It was a red herring. We'd been had ... just like the scheming characters in the movie.

It left a bad taste in my mouth and I'm not sure the convoluted story-telling was necessary.

Details
Director: Sidney Lumet
Country: USA
Year: 2007
Runtime: 123 minutes
Music: Carter Burwell
Principal Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei, Albert Finney, Rosemary Harris

Then She Found Me

My second love story of the day, and one of my favorite movies of the festival.

What's not to love with a cast that included Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth, and Matthew Broderick. Each was given a meaty enough role. It's all about Helen's life and the twists and turns in it.

Not wishing to give any of it away, I do have to say that the very last scene -- which all American movies seem to want to have so they can tell us what happened to all the characters after the part of the story we've just seen -- was entirely superfluous and stupid.

Details
Director: Helen Hunt
Country: USA
Year: 2007
Language: English
Runtime: 100 minutes
Principal Cast: Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth, Matthew Broderick

Death Defying Acts

The night before the end of the festival, my friend Jeri asked me if I'd seen any love stories. I checked my list and found told her, no, I hadn't seen any. Then on this last day I saw two. Both she would like.

This one was the story of Harry Houdini, played by the fabulous-looking Guy Pearce, and his possible affair with a psychic, played with a proper Scottish accent by Catherine Zeta-Jones. But the star of the movie is the psychic's daughter, played by a young Saoirse Ronan.

She tells the story of Houdini's visit to Edinburgh and what happens there. Stunning visuals, scenery, and acting. A real period piece.

It was introduced by the director who told us she knew more about Harry Houdini than she would ever be able to use in the movie. It was not a true story but based upon what might have happened.

Harry's fatal visit to Montreal is thrown in at the end for good measure and a melodramatic twist.

Details
Director: Gillian Armstrong
Country: United Kingdom/Australia
Year: 2007
Language: English
Runtime: 97 minutes
Principal Cast: Guy Pearce, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Timothy Spall, Saoirse Ronan
TIFF07 Link

The Walker

I have mixed feelings about this one, but in the end I can't recommend it.

It's fun to watch and the dialogue is good, but I just don't buy the entire premise ... or Woody Harrelson as a gay man who escorts rich Washington women to events in the city.

And then there is the murder story that is supposed to be a thriller. In the end nobody really cares, including the characters to whom it is happening.

None of the relationships are fully developed. Does her husband love her or doesn't he? Does she love her husband or doesn't she? Does he love his lover or doesn't he? Does his lover love him or doesn't he? The answer to all these questions is, "Who cares?" The actors aren't letting us know and so everyone is on his or her own ... including the audience.

If you read the TIFF description linked below it says: At night, Page goes home to his (discreetly discussed) lover, a photographer named Emek (Moritz Bleibtreu) to cattily regale him with the day’s activities.

Huh? Either this scene didn't make the final cut, or I fell asleep and didn't notice.

Watch it on DVD.

Details
Director: Paul Schrader
Country: USA/United Kingdom
Year: 2007
Runtime: 107 minutes
Principal Cast: Woody Harrelson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lauren Bacall, Lily Tomlin, Ned Beatty, Willem Dafoe, Moritz Bleibtreu, Mary Beth Hurt

I'm Not There

This is the famous movie about Bob Dylan with six actors playing the part. Well, not quite. They are each playing parts of Bob Dylan's character, but each under a different name.

Todd Haynes introduced the movie and told us that Bob Dylan had so many personas that his friends would say he had transformed himself into another person if they hadn't seen him in a year or so. And each of the characters are interesting in their own right, but trying to see Bob Dylan over and over in each actor's characterization becomes fatiguing after a while.

I have to admit that I left half an hour before the movie finished because I didn't want to miss my next movie ... and I was fatigued, as mentioned above.

My favourite portrayal of one of Bob Dylan's character traits was done by Cate Blanchett as Jude ... with the young Woody -- the first actor in the role -- coming in a close second.

Details
Director: Todd Haynes
Country: USA
Year: 2007
Language: English
Runtime: 135 minutes
Principal Cast: Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Julianne Moore, David Cross

Reservation Road

It starts off well ... the story progresses and we get to meet the characters and feel for their situations.

But at a certain point, it all falls apart. People's characters change ... the plot thickens and congeals ... and in the end, it is not a very satisfying movie.

Details
Director: Terry George
Country: USA
Year: 2007
Language: English
Runtime: 102 minutes
Format: Colour/35mm
Rating: 14A
Cast & Crew
Production Company: Nick Wechsler Productions/Miracle Pictures
Executive Producer: Dean M. Leavitt, Gina Renick
Producer: Nick Wechsler, A. Kitman Ho
Screenplay: John Burnham Schwartz, Terry George, based on the novel by John Burnham Schwartz
Cinematographer: John Lindley
Principal Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Connelly, Mira Sorvino

Operation Filmmaker

This was an fascinating documentary about an Iraqi filmmaker who was offered the chance to work on a movie being made in Eastern Europe by Liev Schreiber ... and follows him after this experience and for another year or so. But the most interesting part of it was the story of the making of the documentary. It asks the question: "How involved does a documentary maker become with the subject of the documentary?"

The director spoke after the movie and said she had to get involved with the subject of her documentary because "you can't watch an accident about to happen and not do something." A side theme of the movie had to do with the relationship between a person receiving donations and the donor.

If you have a chance to see this ... do so. The YouTube video below shows selected scenes and tells part of the story.

Details
Director: Nina Davenport
Country: USA
Year: 2007
Language: English
Runtime: 92 minutes
Producer: Nina Davenport, David Schisgall
Cinematographer: Nina Davenport
Editor: Aaron Kuhn, Nina Davenport
Sound: Dave Ellinwood
Music: Sheldon Mirowitz