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TIFF Review: Up in the Air

Sean — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 07:55:04 +0000

Up in the Air Directed by: Jason Reitman Written by: Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner (screenplay), Walter Kim (novel) Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Jason Bateman, Anna Kendrick, Danny McBride Being the son of Ivan Reitman may have its advantages, but let's be honest here: Jason Reitman has more than proven himself to be a gifted director in his own right with his first two critically-acclaimed films, Thank You for Smoking and Juno. He's following in his father's comedic footsteps, but choosing edgier material and smarter scripts, and is now well on his way to becoming one of those directors that A-list actors will basically drop everything to work with. Still, there are some people out there who believe that the success of his movies have been more due to the writing and the acting than his direction, and while I don't necessarily agree, I am pretty sure that his third film, Up in the Air, will change that impression considerably. Sure, the movie is based on a book by Walter Kim and stars George Clooney, but the subject matter is such that it requires a true emotional investment in the characters and just the right tone to work. When all is said and done, this could be the movie that actually wins Jason Reitman an Academy Award. Ryan Bingham is a 35 year old man who works as a "termination engineer" -- ie. an outside consultant who is hired by other companies to fire their employees. He prides himself on his ability to live independently and without attachment, is able to talk his way out of any situation, and enjoys constantly being on the go. Sometimes he does speaking engagements where he explains the philosophy behind his carefree lifestyle. His jetsetting lifestyle is threatened, however, when a young go-getter at his company develops a computer system to handle layoffs and firings via webcam. Not only does this mean he may be permanently grounded, but it also means he may not be able to see the woman he recently met at an airport with whom he may or may not be falling in love. This simply will not do. Up in the Air is perhaps George Clooney's most defining role to date: he's smooth, self-assured and charismatic, but as time goes on we start to see the cracks in his armor. I seriously doubt that anyone else could have played Ryan Bingham with quite the same level of coolness and sensitivity. As much as he is selfish and smug, he is also fighting to maintain just a little bit of humanity in the workplace. Vera Farmiga (Orphan, The Departed) also turns in quite the impressive performance as Alex, Ryan's sexy and fun-loving counterpart "with a vagina"; she has great chemistry with Clooney which makes for plenty of playful verbal sparring. Meanwhile, Anna Kendrick, who I thought was great in Rocket Science, is dead on casting for Natalie, the smarmy yet naive young computer whiz who is at odds with Ryan's ability to do his job properly. There are plenty of other interesting faces who turn up for cameos and small roles as well. Danny McBride appears toward the end of the film (although we also see him earlier on as a recurring cardboard cut out) playing the average joe who is engaged to Ryan's sister, and proves that he can tone down the foul-mouth and attitude to do something a little more subtle. Zach Galifiniakis has a very brief appearance as an employee who is being let go, as does J.K. Simmons, while Sam Elliott has a great little part as a pilot, and Young MC even shows up at a corporate party to perform his '80s hit "Bust a Move". What more can you ask for? Some other people who have "cameos" in the movie include about 20 different non-actors who appear in short interview segments talking about their own recent layoffs and how they are coping with them. These people were told that they were being interviewed for a documentary about layoffs, and the resulting intercut footage is definitely a nice touch, adding a sense of realism and relevance to what is going on in the movie. There's little question that Up in the Air benefits from being so damn timely, and as a result, it's a movie that I think just about anyone can relate to in some way. Not only is the movie about downsizing, but it also has a lot of biting commentary on communication in the digital age. When you are able to take uncomfortable situations that so many people are suffering through and make them laugh about it without being insulting or presumptuous, you are doing something very special, delicate, and I think, necessary. Anyone who was turned off by Juno and is now dreading something equally as quirky can rest assured that Diablo Cody had nothing to do with the script. This movie more closely resembles the dark satire of Thank You for Smoking, although I think it is much more mature and a stronger film overall. Once again, there is no clear in-your-face style, but the aerial photography shots and the airport visuals are gorgeous. The only point at which it falters comes toward the end of the film, when you get a slightly cliched romantic comedy scenario involving the sister's wedding, which threatens to reinforce the status quo. Everything suddenly becomes drenched in sentimentality for a while and the indie folk tunes come out of the woodwork, but thankfully the movie throws a curve ball that avoids the easy way out. Make no mistake, Up in the Air is an indie comedy with a ton of mainstream appeal, but it also has a deeper, human element that draws you in. It's funny yet thoughtful, and it has so much to say about the current economic climate that we are living in, that it's impossible not to recommend. Years from now, however, the movie will still speak to universal truths about relationships, career paths, lifestyle decisions and the grey areas that they inhabit. You may or may not identify directly with Ryan Bingham, but we can all learn a thing or two from his journey. -- Sean

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TIFF Review: Whip It

Greg — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:25:38 +0000

Whip It Directed by Drew Barrymore Starring: Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, Eve, Jimmy Fallon, Daniel Stern, and Zoe Bell Whip It stars Ellen Page as Bliss, a bored Texas teenager who feels the need to escape her small hometown, her meaningless waitress job and the beauty pageants that her mother wishes she would take more seriously. On a shopping trip to nearby Austin, Bliss spots some roller derby girls delivering flyers for their upcoming games. The derby girls are covered in tattoos and piercings. They wear short skits, high socks (oh yeah) or fishnets. Bliss likes the style, grabs a flyer and heads home. With her best friend in tow, Bliss heads to the game and is introduced to a hard-hitting, take-no-prisoners sport for women. She meets some players Smashlee Simpson (Barrymore), Rosa Sparks (Eve), Iron Maven (Lewis), Bloody Holly (Bell) and Maggie Mayhem (Wiig), who invites Bliss to try out for the team next week. Bliss makes the Hurl Scouts team and begins attending practices and games all the while keeping it from her debutante mother (Harden) and oafy father (Stern). There's a very weak subplot involving a boy in a band that seems more like filler than storyline. Page has zero chemistry with the actor playing her love interest, there's no payoff and honestly, I felt a little cheated watching scenes with this because it took away from more roller derby action. Clearly, the roller derby scenes are the best part with actors doing their own stunts and the scenes were choreographed well. Like a good sports movie, the games are intense, yet because it's a comedy, still a little light-hearted. Speaking of sports movies, I knew I was going to get a training/music montage scene and did we ever. Speed skating drills, sit-ups, jumps and spins all to the tune of 38 Special's "Caught Up in You". That was awesome. The roller derby is really the only reason to see this film. Most of the other scenes fall kind of flat as much of the dialogue is hokey and predictable. When I first saw the trailer for Whip It, I was interested, not only because of the roller derby, but because I wanted to see if Drew Barrymore had any directing chops. Coming from the family lineage that she does, I expected maybe she had some talents other than acting. She's not the greatest actor, by all means, but for the most part she's passable. After watching the movie, I realize that Drew Barrymore's directing is pretty much like her acting. It's just....there. -- Greg

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TIFF Review: Vengeance

Greg — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 05:59:26 +0000

Vengeance Directed by Johnnie To Starring: Johnny Hallyday, Anthony Wong, Lam Ka Tung, Lam Suet and Simon Yam For those that have read my TIFF reviews and updates over the past few years, you may remember me mentioning a director by the name of Johnnie To. Not only is he a great action director in Hong Kong, but I think he's one of the best ever in the world. There's something to his style that I just love, so you can imagine how happy I was that his latest film Vengeance came to TIFF. Vengeance is the story of an older man with a failing memory named Costello (Hallyday) whose daughter is in a hospital struggling to survive, while her Chinese husband and their two kids lay dead after a gang hit. Who wanted them dead and why? Costello is immediately warned by police to stay out of the way and let them do their jobs. He crosses paths with some hitmen and hires them to find the ones responsible for hurting his daughter. As the mystery begins to be solved we are treated to a number of scenes that can only be described as bullet ballets. We get shootouts at a picnic, gunfights in an apartment complex, and duels in an open field using tumbling bales of compressed paper as shields. Can Costello and the hitmen exact revenge on those responsible for the deaths of his family? Will his failing memory be the cause of their failure? Does the word vengeance have the same meaning when you can't remember those that have wronged you or those that you've lost? Go see the movie to find out. Obviously, since I'm a big fan of Johnnie To, I had high hopes. I love his action style. I like the slo-mo fight sequences. I love the shots of the guns in each holster and then the shots of the hands reaching for the guns all the way to having the weapons pointed at each other. To me, there's an art form to it and I think Johnnie To has it mastered. Once the hitmen find those responsible, the film becomes non-stop action with gunfight after gunfight. Each time in a different location to keep it all fresh. His regular cast of actors are all here, playing the three hitmen (Anthony Wong, Lam Ka Tung, Lam Suet) and the crime lord (Simon Yam). Solid performances from this crew as always. The one problem I had with this film was Johnny Hallyday. If you don't know who he is, he's a pop star in France. He's been known as the French Elvis Presley. Not only are his singing chops nowhere near the caliber of the King, but he's even a worse actor. It looked like Johnnie To showed up at the nursing home, checked Hallyday out for a bit and put him in the movie. Even with the laughable and somewhat bizarre performance of Hallyday being the core of this film, the fired bullets, the blood splatters and the rising death count made this film enjoyable to watch. The back drop of Hong Kong is always a good setting for a hitman versus hitman war and with Johnnie To at the helm, this bullet ballet gets an extra curtain call or two. - Greg

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TIFF Review: Bitch Slap

Greg — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:21:26 +0000

Bitch Slap Written & Directed by Rick Jacobson Starring: Julia Voth, Erin Cummings and America Olivo What do you get when you take a blender and add three busty, gorgeous, sweaty women, $200 million in stolen diamonds, swords, knives, blood, guns, rocket launchers and a slow motion three-way water fight? You get Bitch Slap, Rick Jacobson's explosive, sexy, over-the-top, hilarious homage to the sexploitation films of the 60's and 70's. The scene is set in a desert landscape and our three ladies have put a diamond heist into play. We meet Hel (Cummings), the brains , Trixie (Voth) the vulnerable stripper with a big heart and Camero (Oliva) the very pissed off man-hating bad ass and they've got a person in the trunk who knows where the diamonds are hidden. From here on, everything goes to Hell. Because of the money that is at stake, nobody seems to trust anyone fully. As we move forward in the film, the past is explained through flashbacks and we learn how these three women came together to see through a plan to make themselves rich. We find out that two of them are involved sexually (naturally) and this plays out nicely on screen. The other girl catches the two of them and accuses them of 'gash bashing'. This is the kind of dialogue that is throughout this movie. I learned so many euphemisms for male and female body parts. I learned so many new insults. I learned that it's really hard to kill a smoking hot girl with big guns holding a...big gun. The girls are never quite actually what they appear to be and every time they get close to scoring the diamonds, someone from their past interrupts and it turns into a Pier 6 brawl over and over. The fight scenes were choreographed by the legendary Zoe Bell, who starred in Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof and was Uma Thurman's stunt double in Kill Bill. I think that's the best explanation why the fight scenes are really the only thing that doesn't have a layer of cheese on it. Some might say it's gruyere. Luckily,Bitch Slap never takes itself too seriously. Every scene that doesn't occur in the desert is very clearly shot in front of a green screen, the dialogue is hokey, vulgar and hilarious and the acting leaves something to be desired. You should know that director Rick Jacobson has directed over 100 episodes of Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Baywatch. That should give you another idea of what to expect. This film is not The Godfather, heck, it's not even The Godfather Part III, but what it is, is a hell of a lot of fun -- Greg

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TIFF Review: Solomon Kane

Greg — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:15:52 +0000

Solomon Kane Written and Directed by Michael J. Bassett Starring: James Purefoy, Pete Postlethwaite, Max Von Sydow and Rachel Hurd-Wood For those of you not familiar with Solomon Kane as a character, here's a quick lesson: Robert E. Howard, the legendary creator of Conan the Barbarian, created Solomon Kane back in the pulp-era. A 16th century Puritan, with a sombre outlook. A valiant leader and fighter armed with a rapier, a dagger and two flintlock pistols, pale skin, cold eyes, dressed in black, shadowed by a slouch hat. Solomon Kane was once a man of pure evil. Killing and stealing as he pleased. But this life of pillaging and plundering in North Africa in the late 1500's has got the attention of the Devil and the Devil has layed claim to Solomon Kane's tortured and lost soul. The only way for him to save his soul is to redeem himself, forget his past and take on a life of peace. That, however, does not last. After leaving North Africa and heading home to England, Solomon takes up residence in a church to begin his inner healing process. Forced to leave as his past is revealed, he is welcomed into a traveling family of good-hearted people and joins them on their journey. Sadly, it is discovered that England is in trouble. An evil sorcerer has built a demonic army and is destroying town after town. Enslaving the good citizens or leaving them with death and destruction. When the army attacks the good family that Solomon has taken up with, he renounces the good in him and takes up the fight to avenge them and rescue their kidnapped daughter. I didn't come into this with any expectations as I had never read anything about the character or any stories about him for that matter. Come to think of it, I've never read anything by Robert E. Howard. The main problem I had with this movie was that it was boring. It follows a familiar path that never adds anything new. Lost soul that finds the error of his ways? I've seen that a hundred times. It's a story criticsim and in an era of film making that is jam-packed with re-boots and remakes, I need a little more than that. In Solomon Kane, you get your swash-buckling fix. Sword fights and bloodshed aplenty. James Purefoy's Solomon has a little more depth than Ahnuld's Conan, but the style and themes are the same. Director Michael J. Bassett doesn't bring anything to the screen that we haven't seen before and Solomon Kane turns out to be typical fare of the genre. - Greg

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TIFF Review: Harmony Korine’s Trash Humpers

Jay C. — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:57:03 +0000

It's too easy to write off Harmony Korine's latest film as mere artsy fartsy film school bullshit. I'm the first to call foul on the self-indulgent and pretentious tendencies of some filmmakers, but there's a fine line between art and shart (shit+fart), and Harmony Korine's Trash Humpers tap dances its way right down the middle, eliciting a wide arrange of emotional responses from those who are willing to embrace the outright chaotic VHS aesthetics. Trash Humpers made its trash humping world premiere at the Scotiabank Theatre to a partially unsuspecting Toronto International Film Festival crowd. Luckily, Harmony Korine was in attendance and was sure to warn the masses that if they were 'prone to walkouts', they might as well do so immediately; a comment that was likely more sincere than the chuckling audience had thought. He then provided a bit of a preface to what we were about to see, insisting that Trash Humpers isn't so much a movie but rather an artifact of sorts. A fictional piece of found footage that one might come across at a garage sale or discover stashed away in the closet of an abandoned old house. I guess the easiest comparison would be The Blair Witch Project or Cloverfield meets Jackass, but I'm more reminded of the period in the 90's when it seemed like every TV news magazine show featured stories of wild teens going on crazy paintballing, mailbox smashing, home invading rampages, all caught on home video! It was under this premise that I felt Trash Humpers retained its credibility as something beyond a shitty art film. While it's certainly not accessible in any fashion, it does have its moments of humour, sadness and pure creepiness. For anyone left dumbfounded by the recently released 'trailer', you'll be pleased to hear that Trash Humpers does have a somewhat loose plot. A small gang of elderly folks -- and an apparent female burn victim played by Korine's sister -- document their reign of terror in a small neighbourhood, engaging in glass breaking, firework lighting, home invading, and yes, trash humping. Those curious about the meaning behind the title of the film will be pleased to hear that it's indeed quite literal. In fact, the first image we see is some vigorous garbage can humping, something I didn't think would be as hilarious as it was. It was the dedication to the act combined with the audible rhythmic banging that hit my sweet spot. There's also some great commentary provided by the man behind the camera; another elderly gentleman portrayed by Korine himself. His cackling laugh combined with some repetitive catch phrases may ride the nerves of some, but I found it to be quite funny. He actually gives a pretty great monologue in the third act, suddenly reminding me that yes, these are supposed to be human beings of some sort. Once you get past the aesthetics and the surreal nature of it all, Trash Humpers is pretty straight forward. A band of outsiders raging in a world that for whatever reason, has cast them aside, be it due to age, physical deformity or flat out social retardation. The VHS presentation is aesthetically unique, but more importantly, through Korine's sheer dedication to the conceit, supports the believability of it all. The film remains 100% commited to its concept. Due to our tight schedule of screenings, I totally missed out on a follow up Q&A session with Harmony Korine, which is unfortunate as I imagine it would've been hilarious, if not enlightening. Either way, Trash Humpers will go down as one of my more memorable TIFF experiences and it will be interesting to see what the future holds for this one. Direct to VHS release? -- Jay C.

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TIFF Review: Defendor

Greg — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:33:02 +0000

Defendor Directed by Peter Stebbings Starring: Woody Harrelson, Elias Koteas, Kat Dennings and Sandra Oh As the sun sets and moon glows, the lowest of the low, the scum of the earth, and the dregs of society scurry to the street to wreck havoc on the upstanding citizens of Hammer Town. There's only one person capable of stopping the carnage. One person who has the courage. It's Defendor! Woody Harrelson stars as our hero and mild mannered construction worker Arthur Poppington, a regular man who is a little slow upstairs. He lives in the workshop of the construction company where he works and this is also his hideout or Defendorcave if you will. He builds his weapons there and makes all of his plans to set right all of the wrongs. Why does he do this? For justice! The story that is set in the present is Arthur speaking with his psychiatrist (Oh) and we get flashbacks as the answers to the doctor's questions. This sets up the main plot. Defendor is trying to bring his arch enemy, Captain Industry, to justice. He's never met him, seen him or knows where he is, but he knows he exists because Captain Industry in one way or another is responsible for everything that has gone wrong in Arthur's life, including the death of his mother. Using weapons such as jars of angry wasps, marbles, sling shots and a billy club, Defendor takes his quest to the streets. He stumbles into a police sting operation against a drug lord, who he believes to be his villain. After an unfortunate defeat, he is helped by a prostitute (Dennings) that he had helped earlier and she uses Arthur for a place to stay. As the film moves on they begin to form an unlikely friendship due to Arthur's kindness, honesty and innocence. The film climaxes with a final battle between not only Defendor and his arch enemy, but between Arthur and his psychiatrist as he tries to convince her that he is not insane. There are some funny action sequences and the film does border on comedy and drama and at times seems to lose it's way. Woody Harrelson gives a decent performance and he is surrounded by a good cast. Overall, I liked Defendor. It wasn't great, but it wasn't awful. -- Greg

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TIFF Review: George A. Romero’s Survival of the Dead

Sean — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 06:13:43 +0000

Survival of the Dead Written and Directed by: George A. Romero Starring: Kenneth Welsh, Alan Van Sprang, Richard Fitzpatrick, Athena Karkanis, Devon Bostick, Philippa Domville, Kathleen Munroe By its very nature, it seems like horror should be a young man's game; a genre that requires the brashness of youth in order to keep things fresh and continually push the envelope. And yet, there are all kinds of aging filmmakers out there refusing to abandon their genre roots in order to pursue a more "dignified" career path. There's something inspiring about knowing that George A. Romero is almost 70 years old, and still cranking out low budget zombie flicks like nobody's business. The thing is, when you're a living legend, you've always gotta be looking over your shoulder, because there's a good chance that at some point the students will surpass the master, so to speak. What's more, if you're constantly riding on your past successes, you run the risk of simply repeating yourself ad nauseam and becoming completely redundant. Romero's last film, Diary of the Dead, attempted to bring the zombie movie to the digital age, and failed pretty spectacularly. Would Survival of the Dead be a return to form, or would it merely continue down the path to irrelevancy? Survival of the Dead is a spin-off/sequel to Diary of the Dead, in that it follows a different group of characters within the same approximate timeline. Col. "Nicotine" Crocket (Alan Van Sprang), who had a brief appearance in Diary, takes center stage as he leads a group of well-armed mercenaries across the zombie-infested U.S. of A. When they discover a video on the internet tipping them off about an island off the coast of Delaware that is supposedly free from infection, they decide to make it their next destination. Along the way they meet up with Patrick O'Flynn, a former resident of Plum Island who was banished by the current inhabitants. Before they know it, they find themselves caught in the middle of a feud between two rival Irish families, fighting to survive not only against the zombies, but also each other. Initially, Survival of the Dead shows quite a bit of promise, by mixing in a strong western element. There are some fun, campy characters, from the gruff military types to the Irish clansmen, and it feels like Romero is rediscovering the tone that made his comeback film, Land of the Dead, work. There are also some interesting new ideas, such as the moral disagreement over whether or not the zombies have a right to "live", and whether they should simply be rounded up like cattle or outright killed. The Hatfield and McCoy-esque family feud angle also brings something fresh to the horror genre, and with enjoyable performances from Kenneth Welsh and Richard Fitzpatrick as the two family patriarchs to help support it. It doesn't take long for the movie to start to fall apart, however. The stiff dialogue and endless one-liners get progressively worse to the point where they become almost unbearable, and the plot never really takes shape. Important story elements are discarded on a whim with no real justification, and there is a "twin sister" twist that is surely one of the worst eye-rolling moments in recent film history. Yes, there are some gruesome encounters with zombies along the way, but even these lack any sort of weight. All of the scuffles feel like moments conceived purely for the sake of showcasing special effects, most of which come off as cartoony rather than horrific. I mean, really... shoving a fire extinguisher in a zombie's mouth and filling it with foam until his head explodes? Is this what Romero's Dead series has become? There is far more reliance on digital effects here than I think most horror fans would like. The low budget aesthetic of 2009 is not nearly as eerie (nor as charming) as the low budget aesthetic of the '70s. In a certain sense, Romero has painted himself into a corner with Survival of the Dead. He is trying to do something different and avoid repetition, but by putting so much emphasis on the family rivalry subplot, the zombies are pushed to the background and are no longer a threat. Also, by trying to set up a mythology and a continuing storyline with his movies, he is leaving out some of the most interesting elements of a zombie film, such as the introduction of the virus and seeing how average people cope with the crisis. While there was plenty of debate over the merit of Romero's last two films, I think the man may have finally worn out his welcome this time around -- even among the hardcore zombie fiends. The question is not whether or not Survival of the Dead is a good film (it's not), but rather, does it at least outshine Diary of the Dead? My initial thought was yes it does, because it doesn't take itself quite so seriously and delivers some campy fun within the framework of a western. However, upon after further reflection (and the realization that I actually gave Diary of the Dead two stars back when I first reviewed it), I think Diary of the Dead did at least work as a horror movie at points, which is precisely where Survival of the Dead falls flat. At any rate, the bottom line here is that it's probably time for George A. Romero to give up on zombies once and for all. He has accomplished all that he can in this particular niche, and at this point it's clear that he is simply treading water, if not tarnishing his name. He should step aside for the new up-and-comers, and consider collaborating with other filmmakers and/or directing someone else's script. Of all people, the godfather of zombies should know that there's strength in numbers. -- Sean

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