The first opportunity you get – go see ONCE UPON A TIME IN RIO (aka ERA UMA VEZ…). I’m actually going to refrain from trying to write about it, because I’m still so moved and shaken up from what I just watched. I will say this: The movie is a fable, but a fable that…
TIFF Reaction – NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU
Forward: NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU was brought to the Toronto International Film Festival as a work in progress. Please take my thoughts below with a grain of salt since the film is incomplete.They say there are a million stories to be told in the city that never sleeps, and here we stand witness to…
Wake Up (Thoughts on TIFF Day 3)
Before I get into the yin and yang that was my TIFF Saturday, I just want to say a quick hello to the woman I met in line this afternoon. Her name was Mary Lynn and it was a pleasure talking with her. Meeting film enthusiasts like her is one of the best things about…
TIFF Reaction: YOUSSOU NDOUR – I BRING WHAT I LOVE
Every once in a while, you have to go in blind. At the risk of sounding culturally sheltered, I knew precious little about Youssou Ndour before this afternoon. To be specific, I knew his name, and that he was a world renowned tenor. That’s it – I couldn’t tell you where he was from, couldn’t…
Heaven (More Thoughts on TIFF Day 2)
“Hey – Is this heaven?” “No – It’s Ryerson.” Coulda fooled me last night, because when three of the men who have wailed through your headphones endlessly over the years – The Edge, Jimmy Page, and Jack White -are walking right in front of you, it’s pretty darned close to heaven. I’ll apologize in advance,…
TIFF Reaction: IT MIGHT GET LOUD
Back when this selection was first announced as being part of TIFF ’08, I had one immediate thought: “I’m there!”. For those of you who don’t know me, if there’s anything I love as much as movies, it’s music. And when you cue up songs by U2, The White Stripes, and Led Zeppelin, you are…
TIFF reaction: ROCKNROLLA
I truly wish Guy Ritchie had stayed for a Q&A after this morning’s screening of ROCKNROLLA, simply because I would have liked to have said one thing to him: “Welcome Back”. After seven years off the grid making spousal vehicles and straight-to-dvd misfires, Ritchie went back to what he does best and gave fans of…