Places–and Horrors–in the Heart
Films by and about Iranians have provided some of the highlights of the Toronto International Film Festival in recent years. Offside , Persepolis , When Buddha Collapsed From Shame , and Two Legged Horse (set in Afghanistan but directed by Iranian Hana Makhmalbaf) have each offered glimpses into cultures that few Americans know much about but which, in light of recent post-election protests, continue to garner the world’s attention.
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Places–and Horrors–in the Heart
Ebert Reviews Christianity
Invoking journalistic ethics by saying he “adamantly” won’t review Creation till it releases to theaters, Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert then went on to “review” Christians in a recent blog post from the Toronto International Film Festival.
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Ebert Reviews Christianity
A Puzzling ‘Face’ and a Non-Story Nun Story
Tsai Ming-liang has thrice directed films that were nominated for the Golden Palm award at the Cannes Film Festival. Face lost out on this year’s prize to Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon (more on that film this weekend), but its subject matter (a loose retelling of the Salomé story) and setting (much of it was shot at the Louvre) could attract some viewers not normally game for a 140 minute art film in French and Malaysian. Continue reading …
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A Puzzling ‘Face’ and a Non-Story Nun Story
Toronto International Film Festival: Day 2
Tsai Ming-liang has thrice directed films that were nominated for the Golden Palm award at the Cannes Film Festival.
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Toronto International Film Festival: Day 2
Things That Caught My Eye This Week
What do John Wayne, aliens, hobbits and Japanese anime have in common? They all caught my eye this week… Continue reading ..
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Things That Caught My Eye This Week
Toronto International Film Festival: Day 1
The first day of the Toronto International Film Festival is usually very lightly programmed, presumably so that other films are neither competing with nor overshadowed by the opening night gala. The prestigious first Thursday slot at the Roy Thompson Hall was given to the Charles Darwin biopic, Creation , starring Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly. If you’re anxious enough to get to Toronto on the first day but not quite ready to spring for tickets to walk the red carpet, your best bet is usually the Ryerson theater which will generally have a premiere of an anticipated, studio-backed film–something capable of selling out one of the larger venues without overshadowing a marquee event.
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Toronto International Film Festival: Day 1
‘Bella’ Actor in New Role . . . for 20 Minutes
Eduardo Verastegui, the Hispanic actor who turned his life around and starred in the 2007 gem Bella , now has another starring role — albeit in a short film that will likely never make its way into theaters. Verastegui plays a ringmaster in The Butterfly Circus , one of ten finalists in The Doorpost Film Project , an annual competition of short films whose purpose is “to encourage truth-seeking visionaries by honoring their creativity as filmmakers, serving them in the context of building community and sharing their discoveries with the world so that others may have hope.” Also starring in the film are Doug Jones , who has played fantastical characters in Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy, and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer , and will also be playing a yet unannounced role in the upcoming Hobbit movies.
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‘Bella’ Actor in New Role . . . for 20 Minutes
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2009 Preview
The week before the opening of the Toronto International Film Festival is one of the longest of the year for the North American cinephile. Imagine getting an e-mail nine days before Christmas with a list of all the gifts you got–but not being able to open any of them yet. Add to the mix a trickle of early reviews for many of these films now playing at festivals in Venice and Telluride– The Road appears to be getting hammered, Life During Wartime is getting a lot of advance praise–and you can turn normally taciturn, middle-aged adults into giddy school boys marking days off their calendars.
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Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2009 Preview
MPAA Change a Concern to Parents
My colleague and dear friend Nell Minow of Beliefnet.com , wrote a story in today’s Chicago SunTimes about a policy change at the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) that many parents will want to be aware of, all the more so because that change has gone unannounced and unrecognized…until now. Continue reading ..
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MPAA Change a Concern to Parents
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By N2H