Saturday Night at the Movies Blog

Blu-Ray Review: "We Need to Talk About Kevin"

Alexander Huls — Wed, 30 May 12 14:41:01 GMT

There are many things to praise in Lynne Ramsay’s dark and complex story of motherhood about a woman struggling with a son who becomes a school shooting perpetrator. There’s the gorgeous camerawork and staging, the engrossing performance from the ever-dependable Tilda Swinton, the refreshing (and maybe risky) exploration of the notion that motherhood may not guarantee a meaningful connection between mother and child. There are also things to potentially dislike.

The thing is, “We Need to Talk About Kevin” wasn’t one of those movies where it mattered to me what parts were good or bad.

All that is trumped for me by the fact that “Kevin” is one of those rare breeds of films that is finely crafted to allow enough interpretive breathing room for two people to experience it completely differently. It makes the movie so fascinating to watch because it’s just so malleable. And that “breathing room” isn’t just simple ambiguity and vagueness. Those are easy to achieve in movies. All it takes is a simple refusal to say things to an audience – whether it be plot, character, or thematic information. It’s why sometimes people throw the word “pretentious” at films like that, because an insistent withholding of meaning in order to create meaning can become easily frustrating What’s more, artistically that tactic might represent lofty ambitions, but creatively it’s dangerously simply. It is, after all, an act of omission, not an act of creation.

What’s much harder to achieve is what Ramsay does in “We Need to Talk About Kevin.” With deft writing and directing she gives you what could appear to be a straight-forward narrative. You can watch this movie and feel you didn’t have to work all that hard at it. But within that she also gives us the room to explore deeper, to find other ways to see this movie. You could conceivably watch this movie several times and use what it gives you to mold it into something different every time.

Sometimes when that happens it’s unintentional. Here it isn’t. Just watching the filmmakers discuss their views in the making-of-feature I found myself exposed to interpretations I hadn’t even considered, but which I immediately could find evidence for within the movie. It made me want to go back and see the movie Tilda Swinton or John C. Reilly or Ramsay see. Above all else though, it made me want to just go back and see just how well Ramsay shaped and constructed this movie. Because “We Need to Talk About Kevin” isn’t just a movie worth watching or exploring. It’s a movie worth admiring.

About the Disc: This is a gorgeously shot film with amazing cinematography by Seamus McGarvey which really benefits from the HD treatment on this Blu-Ray. There are also a good set of quality interviews on the disc, but most notable is the “Behind the Scenes of Kevin” featurette which runs almost half an hour and isn’t the usual fluff. The filmmakers really go in depth about the movie and its themes. Fair warning though, if you do like to leave your interpretation of the movie – whatever it may be – uninfluenced, then you may want to steer away. The folks involved at times remove some of the ambiguity and offer up more direct discussions of the movie’s intentions and themes.

A Live Tribute to Elwy Yost - Ticket Giveaway

Thom Ernst — Tue, 29 May 12 15:30:44 GMT

If you were raised in Ontario and watching television between 1973 and 2000 you know Elwy Yost. Elwy was the affable, knowledgeable and unassuming host of TVO's Magic Shadows and Saturday Night at the Movies.

The show premiered in 1973 and was an immediate success partly because it offered a themed double feature without interruption, but largely because of Elwy.

Elwy quickly became a household name. But more than that he became a companion to all who love cinema. Not only did he possess a remarkable ability to share his love of film, both old and new, but he opened the door so we could better appreciate cinema. It was never enough just to casually watch a movie and then, when the film was over, walk out of the theatre (or turn off the television). For Elwy, the movie experience began before the opening credits and lived on long after the final reel. A movie, whether good or bad, was worth discussing, reliving, embracing and loving - or hating, though the latter was an experience Elwy rarely had.

To say that Elwy was the movies is not just a convenient turn-of-a-phrase. There should be little doubt in anyone's mind that Elwy was the movies. It's unfortunate the sentiment can't be reversed where the movies were Elwy - if that were the case, movies would be even better than they all ready are.

To be around Elwy gave you the feeling that at any time a great story, a magnificent scene or an unforgettable movie moment would burst from him like a Bernard Herrmann film score. The films he saw, good or bad, became a part of who he was but never to a point where fantasy over-ruled good sense. If anything he was able to take fantasy and make it real. Movies always seemed a bit more sensible through Elwy's eyes.

One of his greatest gifts was his phenomenal recall that could summon up a film title triggered by only by a few key plot words. He could recite the names of stars, directors, movie dates with the confident flourish of a sports announcer citing statistics of the home team.

No question Elwy left a footprint in our collective appreciation for movies. In many ways those footprints will always be unfilled but there is no mistaking the path they leave as we’re guided further along a road where film isn’t just a pastime but an exuberant and fulfilling reflection of life.

This Saturday evening screenwriter and film producer Graham Yost and former Saturday Night at the Movies producer Risa Shuman are hosting a private tribute for family and friends plus a few fans of Elwy Yost, the original host and to an extent founder of TVO's Saturday Night at the Movies.

The evening features guest speakers, of which I'm honoured to be asked as one. There is will also be a memorable reel of great Elwy moments and interviews followed by a screening of one of Elwy's favourite childhood films, the original King Kong.

To win tickets to this exclusive event send your name and contact information to contest@tvo.org.

Good luck and I hope to see you there.

Can Director Wes Anderson Save The Hipsters?

Thom Ernst — Mon, 28 May 12 10:38:39 GMT

A few months back I made the grievous error of referring to someone I admire greatly as being a 'hipster'. The ruckus that followed was so stupefying that I, being of an age where trends rise and fall without my notice, rapidly backed down somewhat wounded and entirely confused by this sudden reversal of logic.

Somewhere, without my knowledge or permission, the word 'hipster' became a derogative term among a certain age group - the nefarious under 40 crowd. Why? Who can say, though I suspect it's a term handed over to those self-professed hipsters who adopt the label without earning it. We once called them posers while secretly wondering if they weren't calling us the same.

In a recent article Toronto Star critic, Peter Howell acknowledges that hipster is a "freighted word...which people (40) and older would take as synonymous with “cool” but which younger people tend to use as meaning completely “uncool.”"

But that latter definition barely registers with director Wes Anderson whose "Moonrise Kingdom" opened the 2012 Cannes film festival. “I’m not totally sure how I relate to being a hipster." Anderson tells Toronto Star critic Peter Howell, " I would like to know a little more about it.”

And so would we all, Mr. Anderson.

First stop: Webster, the dictionary, not that cute kid from the 1983 television show of the same name (no one is THAT much of a hipster as to have current contact with Emmanuel Lewis.

Webster (once again, the dictionary not the kid) defines hipster as: a person who is unusually aware of and interested in new and unconventional patterns (as in jazz or fashion). It seems that by Webster's very definition of what a hipster is, it would take a hipster to know that the term hipster is no longer hip. Just one more example of life's great ironic twists.

But the definition of a hipster sounds pretty good to me. Sounds even better when you take note of the synonyms: coolness, fashionable, hip, hipness, modish, stylish, trendy, vogue.

The antonym? One word. Unfashionable.

Pretty clear which side of the discussion Webster lands on. Clear too that Webster's descriptions suits, it not the director himself, than the abundant hipster characters who populate his films, some annoying, some cloying and some with improbable charm. But how can Anderson dismiss the hipster label when he keeps making movies like "Rushmore" (1998), "The Royal Tenenbaums" (2001), "Fantastic Mr. Fox" (2009)? Anderson's not just risking being a hipster, he's becoming the anointed Prince of the Hipsters.

But yes, back to the point, Anderson does remain reluctant to adopt a signature that might leave people with “... the impression that I live a much more cool life than I lead,” But that's a reluctance based on humility and not the sentiments of someone equating hipster with loser.

Whatever toll the revised definition of hipster has had on Anderson's creative muses it is not enough to spoil the acclaim accompanying "Moonrise Kingdom" opening in some cities this weekend.

And as for Anderson the hipster? If he is one, he's one of the good ones: A Webster defined hipster and not one recreated from a backlash of hipster overkill.

Saturday Features: Cold Turkey and Thank You For Smoking - Tobacco Wars

Fri, 25 May 12 12:21:34 GMT

originally published by Thom Ernst Friday, September 30th, 2011 - updated May 25, 2012

Alex Huls found this online clip we have of John Frankenheimer talking about the influence movies have, specifically on smoking., we have this clip online of John Frankenheimer talking about the influence movies have, specifically on smoking.

COLD TURKEY (1971)

Not much is written about Norman Lear in film journals and annuals. Television was his main domain and he served it very well through his talents as a comedic rabble rouser and visionary.

But Lear had some flirtations with movies as well. First, as a screenwriter with "Come Blow Your Horn" (1963) and "The Night They Raided Minsky's" (1968). Then eventually as a director, first with "Divorce American Style " (1967) and "Cold Turkey" (1971).

In keeping with life's little twists of ironies, while Lear changed the face of the prime-time network sit-com, his input into film seems - by comparison - minimal and surprisingly commercial.

"Cold Turkey" stars just about every face known to 60s television with Dick Van Dyke and Pippa Scott being the film's most experienced big screen performers

Roger Ebert (read his review here) gives the movie a 4/5 star rating applauding the film's comic use of stocky grumbling men, a point that is lost on me.

The film is about greed and uses smoking to establish it's theme.

Our theme is about smoking

And so we pair Lear's story of a town offered $25 million dollars to quick smoking with Jason Reitman's "Thank You For Smoking" (2005), a film about professional spin - and also about greed.

THANK YOU FOR SMOKING (2006)

Jason Reitman's film debut "Thank You For Smoking" has a lot to offer. The film is splendidly cast with Aaron Eckart in the lead as the disarmingly convincing spin doctor for the tobacco company.

Reitman makes a film that has the kind of theme pushing ideas that Lear's television programs did but his films did not.

That the two men operate generations apart is of course necessary to consider - however, the level of maturity processed to make the kind of film that "Thank You For Smoking" is puts it leagues above "Cold Turkey".

Reitman was in his 20s, while Lear was in his mid-50s.

Reitman you will find written up in the cinema journals and annuals. David Thompson in The Biographical Dictionary of Film says this about Reitman's feature film's (though at the time there were only three to choose from): "Thank You For Smoking" (2006), "Juno" (2007) "Up in the Air" (2009): "There's no doubting the merit of these film's, the sense of odd human behavior and the reaching for some larger perspective where America is revealed as a battleground between uniformity and anarchy"

That comment perfectly describes "Thank You For Smoking" and yet - despite it's broad farce and safe comedy - of the two film's "Cold Turkey" has the more clear sense of anarchy.

SNAM Twitter Talkback: "Thank You For Smoking" and How Do You Feel About Hollywood Nepotism?

Alexander Huls — Fri, 25 May 12 09:45:00 GMT

Here’s how this works. Be sure to follow me on Twitter @alxhuls and every week I’ll ask for your opinion on individual movies, genre, trends, and other fun film buff inquiries. You tweet me back your answers, and then every Friday I’ll post some of the responses you and others had in this blog post.

What do you think about Jason Reitman’s “Thank You For Smoking”?

Kate, @thebouncingbird:
One of my favourite comedies ever. One of the few movies to turn an easy villain into a protagonist and make him rational instead of sympathetic. Instead of turning him into some misunderstand American hero, Nick knows exactly what he's doing and defends himself. He's selfish, crafty, and gives reason to his motives. It makes for a more interesting character.

Astin, @AstinTO:
Like, don't love. The ice cream argument alone is worth the rental. It's been years since I've seen it, but I appreciated the satire, and attempt to anti-redeem the protagonist. That said, it could have been edited to flow more coherently if I recall. Felt disjointed.

Ross Miller, @rosstmiller:
LOVE that movie. Whip sharp, amazing to think that was his first feature.

David Neary, @DeusExCinema:
It's very fun, but it's lacking something. Not sure what. If I recall correctly I stopped caring in the last 15mins or so.

Joe Moore, @JoeMoore42:
Really sharp, smart and funny film. Eckhart is really good. It just lacks a bit of... Cohesion, like a series of jokes, not a story

In the wake of talking about “Thank You For Smoking” I got into this intersesting conversation:

Which promoted me to ask: Are you more critical of the first movie by the offspring of a famous filmmaker? Less? Does it matter who they’re related to?

Neil Mitchell, @nrm1972:
Couldn't care less - they're either good movies or not.

David Eng, @davideng:
I'm equally critical. But I think they get an easier ride – getting films made, into festivals, etc. while better stuff struggles. given two comparable works, one by a no-name, one with a famous surname, the no-name is the greater achievement to reach same level

PREMIERE: The Saturday Night at the Movies Audio and Video Podcasts

Alexander Huls — Wed, 23 May 12 14:57:11 GMT

You’ve probably noticed that Saturday Night at the Movies has been expanding to make itself an online destination, not just an on air one.

Our shows are posted online the morning after they air. We have a YouTube channel featuring short vignettes of unaired SNAM moments with people like David Cronenberg, Wil Wheaton, Henry Fonda, Oliver Stone, Jack Lemmon and more. We have online-exclusive interviews with actors and directors. We also recently started making movies available to stream for free from our site.

We’re proud to announce that now we also have podcasts.

There are a lot of podcasts out there, so what is it that SNAM is offering?

Many people don't know that the fragments of interviews you see in our shows actually come from lengthy in-depth conversations that run anywhere from 45 minutes to sometimes two hours. Now, we'll be opening up our nearly forty-year-old archive and giving you podcasts of these extended interviews which highlight some of moviemaking's best actors, directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, and more. You'll be able to have a SNAM experience we haven't offered before.

So, we encourage you to head over to iTunes where you can access our audio and video podcasts or you can listen to the most recent audio podcast without leaving our website (see that handy little “Podcasts” tab in the menu bar above?).

We’ve launched with a two-part 2007 interview with actor Wil Wheaton – he of Twitter and YouTube fame – discussing working on “Stand By Me” and Part One of our 1992 interview with writer-director James Cameron.

We will be updating with new podcasts on a regular basis, so be sure to subscribe so that you get all the latest notification about our new content.

We hope you enjoy the podcasts, and please feel free to comment or make suggestions.

Spoiler Alert! Snow White Eats a Poisoned Apple

Wed, 23 May 12 12:18:44 GMT

When I get around to seeing "Snow White and The Huntsman" (2012) I'll expect an evil queen, 7 dwarfs, a poisoned apple and a princely kiss to pop up somewhere in the story. To someone who has never heard of Snow White my expectations would be considered spoilers. Granted, the focus on the huntsman is new but if he's the twist in a familiar tale why is his name in the title?

But will knowing all that I do about Snow White before walking into the theatre alter my experience of the film?

I doubt it.

How do I know?

Experience.

By the time I was old enough to see "The Godfather" (1972) I knew pretty much everything that happens in the film. And yet, I still enjoyed it.

I enjoyed too "The Exorcist" (1973), "Night of the Living Dead" (1968), "Psycho" (1960), and "Citizen Kane" (1941) despite having them so vividly engrained in my cinematic psyche that there was no hope for surprise only the thrill of anticipation.

So when such scenes like the horse head appearing in Jack Wotz's (John Marley's) bed in "The Godfather" or Reagan's head spinning a full 360 in "The Exorcist" or the posse killing the only non-zombie left in the farmhouse at the end of "Night of the Living Dead" or the surprise ending of "Psycho", or the true meaning of Rosebud in "Citizen Kane" came to life on the screen, it was like a face-to-face meeting with an adored celebrity. These are the scenes everyone's been talking about. I was not disappointed .

END OF SPOILERS

Some movies should not have spoilers. How good would "The Sixth Sense" (1999) be if we were in on the ending? But once you've seen "The Sixth Sense" do you ever need to see it a second time?

And there's Robert Altman's domestic mystery "Gosford Park" (2001). The murderer is not revealed until the end, but the film is so well constructed that even knowing who the killer is does not damage the enjoyment from seeing the movie again and again. Arguably, "Gosford Park" is even better with a second viewing.

Adding to my curiosity about this abundant concern over spoilers is the popularity of films based on widely read novels: "The Hunger Games" (2012), "Twilight" (2008), "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" (2001), "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (2001), "The Help" (2011)...endless titles where success relies heavily on those who have read the book. Often they are devoted fans who are more likely to picket a film that alters their expectations rather than embrace a surprise twist or reinvention.

I get that people don't want spoilers. I get the appeal of going into a movie knowing absolutely nothing about it and being totally surprised (it's a luxury I rarely get to have as a programmer, host and film critic). But I also get that good films - really good films - are about the journey not the revelation.

Saturday Features: "China Syndrome" and "The Host" - Nuclear Panic

Thom Ernst — Fri, 18 May 12 12:15:01 GMT

Originally published by Thom Ernst Sunday October 18, 2009 - updated Friday May 18, 2012

""China Syndrome"" screenwriter, T.S. Cook

Used to be we were all afraid of the local nuclear reactors being built in our neighbourhoods. Now, only some of us live in that fear. During the recent labour day parade here in Toronto I was approached by an anti-nuclear lobbyist who was handing out detailed brochures and leaflets supporting his argument. He was not only well informed on the reasons he opposes further nuclear advancement, but also incredibly passionate . It's a tough combination to go up against. I was fresh from pulling together a show on nuclear fear and benefits. I had just recently interviewed both Mike Gray and T.S. Cook the authors and screenwriters of "The China Syndrome" and felt I was privy to some inside information.

Author of The Warning and "The China Syndrome"", Mike Gray

Gray in particular is not just a Hollywood dramatists. He began his career as a documentary filmmaker and collaborated on the book The Warning, an account of the Three Mile Island incident. His interest and knowledge of the industry is extensive. That the "The China Syndrome" began as a science fiction thriller and, within a week of its release, turned into a reality with the accident at Three Mile Island will remain one of the great, albeit unfortunate, coincidences of life imitating art. The theme tonight is on environmental monsters or rather, monsters of the environment. First there is The China Syndrome". Perhaps the nuclear scare has become a somewhat sedate topic as nuclear safety increases along with its benefits (and please...I invite all ideas and evidences that challenge that position - this is a blog after all and it works best when people use it to engage in conversation.).

But if "The China Syndrome" seems to you entertaining, but dated - you might get a kick out of the second film - "The Host". "It's a Korean monster flick that has the definitive creature spawned from hazardous waste. "The Host" may not be bang on to the evening's theme as family is more of an important theme to "The Host" than any environmental issues that may arise. Still, once this creature rises from the river and gobbles down its first taste of yummy pedestrian you will be thinking twice about what we toss into our waterways. And even though this is a film directly from South Korea by director Joon-ho-Bong (and if you get the chance, check out Bong's lthriller,"Mother") we still managed to get a couple of excellent interviews to help discuss the film. Critic Adam Nayman who took a special interest in "The Host" when it came out and wrote a remarkable essay on the film, joins us to elaborate on the style, meaning and ideas in Bong's monster masterpiece. Scott Wilson, ("In Cold Blood", "Monster") who shows up as a nasty American military type also joins us for the show.

We've interviewed Scott Wilson ("The Host") several times but he's never seemed happier than in this moment with producer Shereen Ali.

SNAM Twitter Talkback: âThe Hostâ & The Best Movies About Environmental Dangers

Alexander Huls — Fri, 18 May 12 09:34:05 GMT

I asked those who adore Bong Joon-Ho’s cult favorite “The Host” – airing on SNAM – to share why they love the movie and what makes it’s great. Here are some of the answers:

Travis Bean, @CinemaBeans:
It's not just monsters and explosions. In director Bong Joon-ho's hands, “The Host” is every bit as humane as it is thrilling. While a politically relevant film in the face of terrorism, “The Host” is an exercise in engaging action sequences, most comparable to “War of the Worlds,” in both human compassion and masterfully executed Spielbergian themes. South Korea is one of film's best-kept secrets, and Bong Joon-ho is one of the country's best.

John DeCarli, @filmcapsule:
Not my favorite Bong film, but “The Host” captures the unpredictability of his films, not just in plot, but in tone. From direct satire to action to the strange over-the-top mourning scene, anything goes at any moment. But it also doesn't forget the characters at the center, redeeming a weakling loser father and the whole family convincingly.

@janeythepainey:
One of the main reasons I love “The Host” is the humor is not lost in translation. Also, it's filmed wonderfully with a great variety. Small spaces like the snack shack an the creatures lair vs large spaces like the park and even the office building (all those people jammed in the smaller side office is hilarious). Also, the variety of stationary shots and long running action shots. Lastly, the end isn't the canned cheese you would find in a western creature feature.

I asked you what some of your favorite movies about environmental dangers, disasters, irresponsibility or monsters were. Here are some of the answers:

@hannarockhead :
“Soylent Green.” “The Hills Have Eyes.” [The latter is] radiation in the hills. Soylent [is] overpopulation which is an environmental disaster. [They’re] favorites because they both scared me at the time but [are] scarier now because neither seem implausible. We are already there re: overpopulation. Food chain is now pretty scary. And I'm sure there are creepy people in the hills somewhere.

John DeCarli, @filmcapsule:
“Princess Mononoke” is pretty spectacular. "Environmental," but it's not green porn, it achieves its own beauty in animation.

Deb M, @Cineaste77:
“On the Beach.” Fred Astaire, Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner. Enough said. It doesn't sugarcoat a whole lot. From Anthony Perkins showing his wife how to feed their baby arsenic pills to Peck's inability to accept reality to Astaire's pessimism and inevitable end, it's a brutally honest movie for its time.

@moviebungalow:
My "enviro dangers" picks: “Panic in the Streets” ('50) + “Outbreak” ('95): virus. “Silkwood” ('83): nuclear. “Still Life” ('06): 3 Gorges .

David Eng, @davideng:
“Godzilla” of course (Hiroshima bombing); “The Hulk”; “Contagion” (virus caused by industry).

Blu-Ray Reviews: "Albert Nobbs" and "Rampart"

Alexander Huls — Tue, 15 May 12 11:44:07 GMT

ALBERT NOBBS

I adore Rodrigo Garcia. I think “Nine Lives” and “Mother and Child” are two of the most grossly overlooked films of the last few years. I am admittedly a sucker for anthology hyper-link cinema, but that’s to take nothing away from Garcia’s directing, but – above all else – his thoughtful scripts. With a touch of soft melodrama he uses interconnected vignettes to delve compassionately into everyday lives of quiet desperation. His movies are often heartbreaking, but always sweet, kind and insightful. They somehow leave you feeling like you’ve understood just a little bit more what it’s like to be someone else.

“Albert Nobbs” is in many ways more quintessential Garcia. It very much puts you in a place to discover what it’s like to be someone else. In this case, that someone is a 19^th Century woman in Ireland who has dressed as a man for decades to make money as a butler at a reputable hotel. In other words, “Albert Nobbs” is also very much another Garcia tale of a life of quiet desperation. It’s probably his most quietest and desperate of tales.

A good deal of credit for that goes to Glenn Close and her phenomenal performance which imbues this character with the quiet tragedy of someone struggling to find her authentic place in the world and in herself. Garcia has worked with many fantastic – and overlooked – actresses, but there has never been a more perfect synchronization between his thematic interests and their performance-based manifestation than here. Albert Nobbs played by Close is the distillation of everything Garcia is interested in.

The problem with the movie is that while Albert Nobbs is what makes the movie so compelling, that effective core is muddied by everything that’s thrown in around it. It’s perhaps telling that Garcia isn’t working from his own script. The film is brought down by overly melodramatic and well-worn side plots that lack the emotional depth we’re used to with Garcia. The side story involving Mia Wasikowska and Aaron Johnson are just so painfully familiar and fumbled that you almost resent the movie for roping Nobbs into them. You find yourself perpetually waiting for those times where it lets her stand on her own, or bring her together for the mesmerizing scenes with Janet McTeer’s character – another woman dressing as a man.

All of this isn’t to say “Albert Nobbs” isn’t worth watching. It is. For Close’s and McTeer’s performance and scenes because it’s those moments that remind you of just how good this movie could be, and how good Garcia is at handing these kinds of stories. In the end, “Albert Nobbs” is a prime example of the kind of movie worth seeing for performances and moments while indulging the rest.

RAMPART

Coincidentally, Oren Moverman’s “Rampart” is another prime example. Between his off-camera personality and his frequent comedic roles, people have the unfair habit of seeing Woody Harrelson as basically a goofball. In fact, he’s an underappreciated and remarkable dramatic actor – something “Rampart” very easily reminds us of. He gives us a mesmerizing performance as a corrupt police officer involved in the Rampart scandals who is coming unraveled as his actions are finally catching up to him.

If this sounds like you’re classic bad cop movie, it’s not. “Rampart” is not exactly what you expect. It’s less “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans” and more artsy character study. The movie has no interest in bad cop archetypes. Instead it gives a more nuanced looked at a bad man doing bad things and the fallout from that. There’s no doubt the movie is presenting David Brown as a morally challenged guy, but it also probes deeper into who that person is – unbalanced, self-involved, self-victimizing, and without an ounce of regret. It’s about the broken man behind the actions, not the man as defined by his actions. It’s something that distinguishes “Rampart” from other cop movies, especially because Woody Harrelson so perfectly embodies every range along Brown’s borderline bi-polar personality.

Like “Albert Nobbs” the rest of the movie doesn’t always aid the central performance and characters. There are a lot of side-plots that prove as a reminder that sometimes the “less is more” approach can go too far and just result in “less is less.” There’s a lot here that feels like it was made intentionally ambiguous and murky to be “artsy” and in some cases it just feels like scenes were cut-out and/or should have been (all the stuff with Robin Wright). It may be an instance where because the central character is so fully realized and nuanced, there’s little room for those around him. Whenever Brown interacts with anyone else, what you get out of it is everything about him, and everyone else rings shallow. Yes, it’s a mood piece, and sometimes that’s collateral damage, but it can’t help but make the movie feel a bit too constructed – sub-plots that are there to enhance the character, as opposed to be able to stand effectively on their own.

But, just like “Albert Nobbs,” “Rampart” is still very much worth watching. In this case not just because of its central performance and character, but because it offers up something newer and deeper to an often exhausted sub-genre of cop movie.

Top 5 Same-Sex Partner/Marriage Movies

Thom Ernst — Mon, 14 May 12 14:30:01 GMT

Cinema can be a powerful tool for change. It can also be a phenomenal fence-sitter hedging its bets until audience test results come in. And while foreign and independent films tend to follow a set of rules all their own the standard for commercial movies can be somewhat reserved.

What then might we expect from Hollywood now that gay-marriages has presidential approval?

For a long time commercial movies didn't even acknowledge that gay people existed let alone feel comfortable enough to put them on screen. When they finally did it was in an innocuous 'are-they-or-aren't-they?' scenario.

Ironic that television, once the coward to cinema's courage, should take the lead in presenting regular positive gay characters and their partners. Even if we were to put aside such deliberately focused television series as "The L Word" (2004 + )and "Queer As Folk" (2000 - 2005) we would find that TV networks' push for gay characters has a better track record than that of the major studios.

Tony Randall played Sidney Shore, the first out gay character with his own series in the short-lived, "Love, Sidney" (1981 - 1983). "Roseanne" (1988 - 1997) had no problems introducing gay characters to the point where she wrote in an episode that has her widowed mother, Estelle Parsons, announcng her character as gay. "Ellen" (1994 - 1998) famously came out as gay both in character and in person. It took 81 episodes of "Mad About You" (1992 - 1999) for Debbie, Paul Buchman's sister, to finally come out. Joss Whedon in his ground-breaking series "Buffy, The Vampire Slayer"(1997 - 2003) allows Willow to discover that she prefers women over men. Then there was "Will & Grace" (1998 - 2006), "Arrested Development" (2003 - 2006), and currently "Modern Family" (2009 +)

With a few exceptions many of these television gay characters live in healthy and fulfilling relationships. Movies tend to play it differently.

Alfred Hitchcock created several characters popularly presumed 'gay' by many academics. Consider Robert Walker in "Strangers On a Train" (the British version is far more explicit in that assumption than is the American version) and Martin Landau in "North by Northwest". Both characters are depicted as evil, deceitful and villanous.

Joan Crawford's hard nosed, cowgirl, Vienna in Nicholas Ray's "Johnny Guitar" (1954) is oft disputed as being 'gay'. It might be unfounded but regardless of Vienna's sexuality, the film has become a cult gay classic due perhaps to it's campy dialogue and rumours of a tumultuous fued between the two leads, Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge.

Director Frank Capra leaves no room for mistaking Pierre as gay, a character who appears in both "Lady for a Day" (1933) and the remake "A Pocketful of Miracles" (1961). One scene in the remake has Pierre,(Fritz Feld) following a group of women into a change room. Dave the Dude (Glenn Ford) objects but Queenie (Hope Lange) tells the Dude with a wink, a nudge and a flick-of-her-wrist that there is no need to worry about Pierre... The gangsters are left in a gaped mouthed stupor as the impact of what she's telling them sinks in. Pierre is no villain, but he's fussy and fey and Capra enjoys making fun of his effeminate nature.

As time passes film grows less nervous about gay characters but keeps them segregated to fringe roles played mostly for shock or comedy.

The 60s and 70s saw "Staircase" (1969) starring Richard Burton and Rex Harrison, and William Friedkin's "The Boy's in the Band" (1970).

Ten years later director William Friedkin causes a stir with another gay themed film, "Cruising" (1980) a movie that does more harm than good by ghettoizing gay lifestyle as a deviant, menacing, and secretive subculture.

The late Ken Russell, though not American nor traditionally commercial, freely exploits the private life of composer Tchaikovsky in "The Music Lovers" (1970) (soon to be aired on Saturday Night at the Movies) and engages Alan Bates and Oliver Reed in a nude wrestling match in "Women in Love" (1969).

Screenwriter turned director, Robert Towne fared better with his film "Personal Best" (1982). It's star, the then 17 year-old , Mariel Hemingway , endured public criticism as being naive when responding to a journalist's asking, "what's it like to play a homosexual?" by answering that she doesn't think her character is gay. In retrospect, Hemingway's remark is far more insightful than it ever was naive.

"The Wild Geese" (1978) a film about a group of mercenaries attempting to topple a vicious dictator has the curious inclusion of Kenneth Griffith as a gay and ultimately heroic soldier for hire. Griffiths character might have been a refreshing exception to the testosterone driven genre were he not portrayed so flamboyantly over-the-top. Griffith does manage to salvage his character from overt campiness by portraying him with a self-assured certainty that wins over his comrades despite his daintiness - although he doesn't escape being treated like the camp mascot.

That same year gave us "A Different Story" (1978) an annoying and ultimately offensive (if not anti-gay) romantic-comedy that presumes a gay male and gay female can marry for convenience and yet fall madly in love. As romantic comedies go - this is one of the most absurd.

Director Arthur Hiller made a valiant attempt to add empathy and insight into same-sex relationships with "Making Love" (1982) a movie about a young doctor (Michael Ontkean) who leaves his successful wife (Kate Jackson) for a handsome gay novelist (Harry Hamlin). The film lost much of it's potential to be ground-breaking by setting the drama in L.A.. among television producers, and the kind of social elite of which mid-America was already critical and suspicious A year later the audience is far more accepting when "Silkwood" (1983) comes out replacing L.A. and New York with good old Oklahoma. When the film reveals Cher, who plays Karen Silkwood's (Meryl Streep) roommate, as gay no judgment or aspersions are cast, although the moment is played to add levity to an otherwise serious drama.

There is a more consistent move towards integrating positive gay characters into film such as, "In and Out" (1997), "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" (2005), "Kinsey" (2004), "Wonder Boys"(2000) and others. Still, there remains a resistance in allowing the character's sexuality to be irrelevant to the plot. And rarely do films allow the gay character to be part of a working, loving relationship.

There are exceptions and here are what I believe to be the top 5 films about same-sex relationships.

1/ "A Single Man" (2009). With heart wrenching empathy, understanding and a grievous sense of loss, Colin Firth shows us the depth that one man can have for another and the loneliness that comes when that love is lost.

2/ "Brokeback Mountain" (2005) avoids sensationalism and exploitation to simply tell a love story between two men who become lifelong partners even though they can never be together.

3/ "The Kids Are All Right" (2010) has actors Julianne Moore and Annette Bening so convincingly comfortable in their relationship as partners and parents that the audience hardly has reason to question their same-sex orientation. The film is about loyalty, fidelity and family and nothing more. The drama that occurs in this movie would occur in any relationship regardless of the partnership.

4/ "In The Family" (2011) You have yet to see this film unless you happen to have caught it at a festival. This is a gem. A brilliant depiction of a loving same-sex couple raising an equally loving little boy. When the boy's biological parent dies (his mother dies before the film begins) the surviving parent risks losing custody not because he's gay, but because of an outdated will. The film's writer, director and star Patrick Wang delivers the story in his own time which clocks in at nearly 3 hours . But the journey offers many great and unforgettable moments with a payoff that is magnificent. Truly one of the best films of last year.

5/ "La Cage Aux Folles" (1978) is almost a cheat since it's a foreign language film whereas the discussion up to this point has been strictly English language movies. Unfortunately the American remake "Birdcage" (1996) lacks the charisma and chemistry that makes "La Cage" so remarkable. The affections between Ugo Tognazzi as Renato and Michel Serrault as Zaza cannot be matched nor recreated even by the talents of Robin Williams and Nathan Lane.

Saturday Features: "Changing Lanes" and "Punch-Drunk Love" - Anger Management

Thom Ernst — Thu, 10 May 12 10:06:48 GMT

It's the last day of the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival.

A TIFF Press and Industry screening of "Punch-Drunk Love" is being held at one of the Cumberland theaters. It 's the last chance to see the highly anticipated Paul Thomas Anderson/Adam Sandler project before it's commercial release.

In the film Sandler is established as a sweet, beleaguered business owner who suffers on occasion from sudden burst of uncontrollable anger.

In the theater someone from the press (or an industry person's) phone rings. He answers. A second industry person (or someone from the press) asks him to get off the phone. He's not nice in the way he asks. The person on the phone is not nice in how he responds . A verbal argument becomes physical. And then, as if the whole thing is a staged publicity stunt, a fight breaks out between the men. It's an across the aisle, grabbing the shirt labels, all-out physical struggle.

Meanwhile on screen a fit of rage sends Adam Sandler's character into smashing a glass door .

Life imitates art.

It'd be disturbing if it wasn't so surreal and even a bit comical although it is not the least bit funny.

We are witnesses to anger so out of control that both men dismiss any concern they may have for public decency, protocol, etiquette, professionalism, reputation or just plain acceptable behavior.

No matter what side of their argument you're on (the man probably should know better than answer and carry on a conversation on his phone) neither man displays good judgment nor an ability to control their anger.

And I doubt anyone overlooks the irony that the film, in part, deals with anger management issues. In fact, the incident makes the anger management issues all the more relevant.

If this same incident occurred during a screening of Changing Lanes" the level of irony would be heightened. Whereas "Punch-Drunk Love" is not entirely about anger, "Changing Lanes" is.

The "Punch-Drunk Love" press screening incident was likely about much more than simply someone answering their cell phone during a movie. Neither man, one dressed in a tie and jacket the other casually adorned in a button shirt and jeans, seems prone to acts of physical violence, although appearances are never as reliable as actions,. Each man brought to that altercation their own history and experience. The phone talker may have had an argument with his partner or boss. The other man may have had his fill of people allowing their phones to go off in the theaters. Or it was something as innocuous as not having the chance to get their morning coffee. The only certainty is the inappropriateness of their actions.

I imagine both regret their hot headed responses. It's an assumption of course since I've no contact with either man to know what personal embarrassment followed. But do we condone them for their anger or for the way they expressed their anger?

One of our guests on The Interviews, a trained anger management therapist, clearly views anger not as an emotion to purge but one to embrace and learn to work with.

The ability to harness a force that can so easily become disruptive if left unfettered marks the difference between a healthy anger and unhealthy hostility.

In "Changing Lanes" we see anger at it's extreme being pushed out onto society. In "Punch-Drunk Love", the anger is internal, focusing on an inner-rage, but it is also an anger that can be harnessed to his benefit and safety. Maybe Sandler's character is saved by love. It's not called "Punch-Drunk Love" for nothing.

10 Movies That Made Me Think More Deeply About Mental Health

Alexander Huls — Thu, 10 May 12 09:02:01 GMT

Movies don’t have the best track record when it comes to promoting understanding of mental health issues. That’s mostly because they don’t have the best track record when it comes to portraying them properly. There are of course movies that get it right, but that’s not to say movies – whether wrong or right – can’t at least help make us think more about the issues.

What follows are ten movies that had that effect on me. These aren’t necessarily movies that are 100% accurate about mental health. These are just movies that inspired me to think more deeply and empathetically about those in the world who contend with mental health matters issues every day.

Note: These are all my own personal observations and thoughts, and inevitably some of them may be clinically wrong about the actual nature of mental illness or use problematic terminology. I encourage you to please correct me in the comments to help promote and enrich my own understanding.

“The Assassination of Richard Nixon”
Samuel Bicke is socially awkward, prone to constantly doing the wrong thing, incapable of assuming responsibility for his actions, and perpetually self-victimizing. The tragedy of Bicke is not seeing him try to turn things around (usually making it worse) but being unable to escape himself and his affliction. It’s seeing nobody around him try and understand the issue isn’t his behaviour, but what’s causing the behaviour. Watching this movie made me happy that since 1974 we’ve come enough of ways that someone like Bicke could get help and understanding now.

“Away From Her”
There are few people who walk away from “Away From Her” without feeling their heart break at the notion that someone whom you have loved and spent your while life with can just forget you and fall in love with someone else. “Away From Her” is about more than just that, but that made me think more deeply about how hard it must be for people impacted by loved ones with Alzheimer’s, but also how hard it must be for those who have it; how hard it must be to forget and be forgotten.

“Bug”
Considering it’s a movie about delusional parasitosis you would think what I’d take away from “Bug” is just how powerful the psychosis afflicted mind can be in creating delusions. What really stuck me about the movie was the vulnerability of the mind. Specifically, how Ashley Judd’s volatile emotional and mental state (due to the recent death of her son) left a crack in her psyche to let the delusions of Michael Shannon slip in and become her own. It reinforced the sad tragedy of trauma and what can happen when a struggling mind is left without help.

“Lars and the Real Girl”
The story of Lars and his unusual attachment to a sex doll might be a naughtier “Harvey” as if directed by Frank Capra, but for me it accomplished more than just being quirky and quaint feel-goodery. It made me really think about the simultaneous fragility and power of the mind to both shatter and repair itself to survive, and how far it will go to do so. Above all else though, what “Lars and the Real Girl” shows so beautifully is the positive impact an understanding, helpful support system can have on an individual struggling with mental illness.

“M”
There’s a powerful monologue (perhaps one of cinema’s greatest) that Peter Lorre gives late into the film, where he desperately explains to the mock-jury the compulsion that drives him to kill children. Now, before you get upset, I didn’t put this film on my list because it instilled in me a sympathy for child killers. It simply illuminated to me that what I previously had simply written off as evil –a deliberately maliciously force that hurts for its own satisfaction – is not necessarily that. That moment in “M” made wonder if evil is simply mental illness by another name that more destructively turns outwards instead of inwards.

“Melancholia”
Lars Von Trier’s beautiful masterpiece – as I have discussed in the past – might be about the end of the world, but it’s really about depression. It’s actually one of the most accurate, brutal and complex depiction of severe depression ever put on film, which makes it pretty nigh impossible to not think more deeply about those who suffer from it like Justine. It simply evoked so much sadness in me for those who go through what she does in this movie. It also made me frustrated that I knew there will still be people who watch this movie and fail to understand it’s Justine’s depression guiding her decisions. Instead they’ll just falsely think she’s a bad human being.

“Requiem for a Dream”
One of the easiest conditions that the general public misunderstands is addiction. When I saw “Requiem for a Dream” I was still in my late teens and was one of those who had little sympathy for addicts, falling into the problematic thinking of “Well, that’s the consequences for their lifestyle.” Darren Aronofsky’s brutally harrowing movie about the downward spiral of addiction snapped me out of that kind of thinking. Nobody deserved what happened to these characters, and it became clear to me that addiction is a far more complex issue than I had ever thought.

“Repulsion”
There’s been no end of people who have disputed the authenticity of Polanski’s portrayal of Carol’s condition in “Repulsion.” Whatever the inaccuracies, “Repulsion” was a movie that made me at least consider what it must be like to see the world through a delusion or psychotic mind. By putting me in Carol’s shoes it may not have been an accurate view of what someone might really see, but it did nonetheless make me empathize with those who do struggle with mental illness.

“Take Shelter”
The subject of someone suspecting they are losing their minds is not a foreign one to movies. What really struck me about “Take Shelter” is how it humanizes it perhaps more than I have ever seen. When Curtis decides to see a doctor because he suspects his mind is coming undone and a family history of schizophrenia is catching up to him, what struck me about that scene is just how difficult it must be to make that step. How hard it must be to realize something is going awry, and having the courage to seek out help before it gets worse. It was a poignant, heartbreaking moment that made me really appreciate the challenges those with mental illness face – not just the condition itself, but their relationship with it.

“There Will Be Blood”
You probably think I put this on here because of the anarchic murderous ending of the film, but you’d be wrong. There’s the perpetual struggle in society where many people who suffer from mental illness are labeled as jerks based on the behavioural symptoms of their conditions. I imagine most people see Daniel Plainview and see a cruel jerk, when really he is a man with antisocial personality disorder. He is a man incapable of emotionally and socially connecting with others. When Plainview gives his “I hate most people” monologue I can’t help but feel like I’ve never been closer to understanding how people with ASPD see the world. His cool total detachment in having no use for others made me realize that antisocial personalities aren’t about being mean, they just don’t care. It made me better appreciate the nature of the condition, but also the tragedy of it. All the more so when Plainview finally tries to let someone in, gives caring about someone a chance, and has all his conceptions about people confirmed.

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UPDATED: Your Guide for Streaming SNAM Movies For Free

Alexander Huls — Tue, 08 May 12 14:13:30 GMT

In Saturday Night at the Movie’s continual efforts to provide our viewers with the best possible experience on-air and online we have started adding something new to our repertoire: streaming movies.

When possible we now actively seek out to negotiate the rights to stream some of our SNAM movies right here on our website. Below you will find an up-to-date list of all the films currently available, with durations, synopses, as well as links to the movies and the relating The Interviews episodes.

So, if you happened to miss our movies on Saturday night, want to watch them again, or just want to recommend them to a friend, scroll on down to peruse your options.

Please Note: Some films may only be available online for a limited time. In those instances dates will be noted below.

Black Book
Duration: 145 minutes
Synopsis: Based on a true story, the WWII drama follows a young Jewish woman who is the only member of her family to survive after a murderous rampage from the Nazis. Soon after, she joins the Dutch resistance and risks her life when she becomes a spy and infiltrates the Nazi empire. The epic thriller was directed by Paul Verhoeven (Total Recall) who also co-wrote the script. Starring Carice van Houten and Sebastian Koch.

Watch Black Book.

Be sure to check out The Interviews show “Resistance” discussing WWII resistance fighters and Black Book right here.

Let the Right One In
Duration: 114 minutes
Synopsis: After a mysterious young girl moves in next door to 12-year-old Oskar, people in town begin dying in gruesome ways. When Oskar strikes up an innocent friendship with the girl, it's not long before he finds out that she is a vampire and the one responsible for the murders. But despite knowing this, he continues his unusual friendship with her. Directed by Tomas Alfredson (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), the Swedish horror film was written by John Ajvide Lindqvist, who also penned the novel.

Watch Let the Right One In.

Be sure to check out The Interviews show “The Art of Horror” discussing how horror can transcend its genre and legitimize it as art right here.

London to Brighton
Duration: 85 minutes
Synopsis: It's 3:07am and two girls burst into a run down London toilet. Joanne is crying her eyes out and her clothing is ripped. Kelly's face is bruised and starting to swell. Duncan Allen lies in his bathroom bleeding to death. Duncan's son, Stuart, has found his father and wants answers. Derek, Kelly's pimp, needs to find Kelly or it will be him who pays. Kelly and Joanne need to get through the next 24 hours alive... Directed by Paul Andrew Williams

Watch London to Brighton.

Be sure to check out The Interviews show "Accidental Mothers" discussing when women become mother figures when they weren't expecting it right here.

Mary & Max
Duration: 92 minutes
Synopsis: The clay animation film follows the friendship of two unlikely pen pals - a lonely eight-year-old Australian girl named Mary and a middle-aged, morbidly obese New Yorker named Max. Over the span of twenty years, the two continue to write to each other - sharing life's successes and disappointments - all while solidifying the depth of their friendship. Directed and written by Academy Award-winner Adam Elliot, the title roles were voiced by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Toni Collette.

Watch Mary & Max.

Be sure to check out The Interviews show “The Cartoon Grows Up” discussing the ability of animation to do more than just entertain children right here.

Mrs. Caldicot’s Cabbage Wars
Duration: 106 minutes
Synopsis: Thelma Caldicot is thrown in a rest home by her son and daughter-in-law after her brutish husband dies. After years of feeling imprisoned and staying quiet, she decides to stand up for herself and take charge of her life. Directed by Ian Sharp, the film stars Pauline Collins.

Watch Mrs. Caldicot’s Cabbage Wars.

Be sure to check out The Interviews show “ Senior Moments” discussing growing old in the movies right here.

Persepolis
Duration: 95 minutes
Synopsis: The animated film takes place through the eyes of an outspoken, young Iranian girl who grows up during the Islamic Revolution. Over time, her views on life and politics change as she tries to find where she belongs. Based on the autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi, the film was co-written and co-directed by Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud.

Watch Persepolis.

Be sure to check out The Interviews show “The Cartoon Grows Up” discussing the ability of animation to do more than just entertain children right here.

Blu-Ray Review: âThe Inkeepersâ (and Why Ti West is The Most Exciting New Name in Horror)

Alexander Huls — Thu, 03 May 12 15:27:16 GMT

The coolest, most exciting new name (figuratively and literally) in horror right now is Ti West. What’s ironic is that he hasn’t achieved that status by creating something revolutionarily new, but by loving and affectionately bringing back the old. West doesn’t just take on classic horror genre staples in a form that has been largely abandoned, but takes on the more sophisticated and effective filmmaking techniques of a pre-MTV era. What he is doing might not be new, but it is revolutionary in that he is willfully rejecting the helter skelter pacing and gorey mania of modern horror movies (which he sees as little more than titillating pornography now) for something better: well-paced, well-developed, well-shot, movies that remember horror needs real life elements, and that would make the auteurs of the 70s and 80s proud.

West’s style has been described as a “slow-burn” – a term he rightfully scrutinizes – and while his movies do feature marvelous pacing that’s evocative of the more artistic horror movies of yore they will be challenging for some people who will see them as just excruciatingly slow. But it’s West’s confident and assured control of pacing that make his movies such a thrill to watch. He has a refreshing ability to patiently let moments breathe, to let the tension in his movies build, to let his characters unfold before us like real people and get to know them before bad things happen to them. As he points out in his talk with Interview Magazine, his movies are about what happens when horrific things enter regular lives. That’s what makes them fantastic call backs to to older “art” horror gems (Polanski’s “Repulsion” and “Rosemary’s Baby”, Kubrick’s “The Shining,” Friedkin’s “The Exorcist” etc). It’s a classic case of someone bringing back the old to make it new again being a breath of fresh air. What’s more it’s enlightening to see that someone remembers what horror is and should ultimately be about and is trying to bring that back.

Now all of this means naturally West’s movies might not be for everyone – especially not every horror fan (especially not every modern horror fan). It takes a while to get to the actual horror. It’s why a lot of people found West’s “The House of the Devil” - an aesthetically perfect period piece recreation of the 1980s satanic cult horror movie a chore. Even non-horror fans have struggled with the building set-up of the movie, which is maybe why the just-now released on Blu-Ray and DVD “The Inkeepers” might be more palatable for first time West viewers, since it may be a slighter film, but it’s also incredibly charming, fun, and accessible.

What’s so fun about “The Inkeepers” is that it’s a loving modern take on the moody haunted house ghost story a la “The Innocents” and “The Changeling.” West takes a classic horror staple and plops two lovable nerdy characters in it, explores their lives, their relationships, all while they’re working the last night before a supposedly haunted hotel is closing. Despite its premise though it’s a weirdly sweet film about the awkwardness of Claire and Luke, both sort of stuck in a rut, both sort of trying to find their way and meaning in their lives. However much you are going into this expecting a horror movie, the best part of “The Inkeepers” is actually these people, their wit, their dorkiness and their friendship. You would think a director making a horror movie would cringe to hear me say something like that, but I feel Ti West would love it.

That’s not to say “The Inkeepers” isn’t scary. Like “The House of the Devil” there’s an engaging slow build towards the horror, but it’s there, and it gets unleashed in the third act especially. There are numerous creepy moments, and even when earlier on something scary isn’t outright happening, you sense the tension and atmosphere building, the sense that something isn’t … right. I won’t and can’t say much more than for fear of ruining things.

I said earlier that “The Inkeepers” was slight. It’s both a fair and unfair designation. Yes, it’s a less heavy, less ambitious movie than “The House of the Devil” but it’s also in many ways far more engaging and likeable. It’s the rare movie that I grow more fond of the more it rests in my memory. It may not be a complete classic of the ghost story, but its undoubtedly one of its best entries, and a good entry point for you to discover the movies one of the more intriguing new horror – and just general – filmmakers out there.

About the Disc: There’s nothing like a good transfer with good sound to make a horror film a good home experience, and “The Inkeepers” delivers on that. The seven minute Behind the Scenes feature is a bit light, but it’s made up for the two engaging and fun commentaries: one with Ti West and his production crew, and one with Ti West and his two leads.

Saturday Features: Gloria and London to Brighton - When non parents parent

Thom Ernst — Wed, 02 May 12 12:50:37 GMT

Movies have a hard time accepting that not everyone wants or is meant to be a parent so when a confirmed childless character comes along nothing pleases Hollywood more than to toss in a toddler just to shake things up.

The butt of this kind of humour is usually men because traditionally movies like to depict men as being inept caregivers. There is the French hit, 3 Hommes et uc Couffin (1985) which became the American hit "3 Men and a Baby " (1987) which turned into the follow-up " 3 Men and a Little Lady" (1990). There's " Big Daddy " (1999), " Mr. Mom " (1983), " Daddy Day Care " (2003) and the sequel no one asked for "Daddy Day Camp" (2007). There are the heart warmers: "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" (1963) and " Imagine That " (2009). There's " About A Boy " (2002) which Saturday Night at the Movies is airing next season. And even when the films take a dramatic turn, " 3 Godfathers" (1948), " Kramer Vs. Kramer " (1979), "Kolya " (1996), they can't help but toss in comedic moments of some guy dealing with a dirty diaper or awkwardly navigating kitchen duties.

But what happens when women take on the role of unexpected motherhood? There are certainly fewer films to choose from. Plenty feature single mothers, Cher in "Mermaids" (1990) and "Mask" (1985), Julia Roberts in "Erin Brockovich" (2000), Meryl Streep took her turn in "Music of the Heart" (1999) and "Mama Mia!" (2008) and Sally Field did in " Places in the Heart" (1984). But the single parent aspect of these films are secondary to the plot, and in each case these women begin the film as parents which is a significant difference from films where motherhood has otherwise been avoided .

The few movies that come to mind where women actually have motherhood thrust upon them are " Bachelor Mother" (1939)," Mame" (1974), " Auntie Mame" (1958), "Baby Boom " (1987) and the two movies airing May 5 on Saturday Night at the Movies, "Gloria" and "London to Brighton".

"Gloria" (1980) is director John Cassavetes most commercial and least personal project yet it still has that undeniable Cassavettes' tone.

It's the story of a tough woman ready to bail out and settle down into older (if not old) age. She's the kind of woman gangster films once referred to as a moll - a woman who befriends, dates, loves gangsters. But Gloria has a mind of her own. She's no one's glam girl and probably wasn't even when she was young enough to play the glam girl card

Gloria (Gena Rowlands) has saved up enough cash to live out her retirement (from what I'm not sure) in the peace of her own company.

Gloria isn't in the market for a companion. She relishes the idea of a future alone. She certainly isn't anguished about missing the deadline for having children.

Enters a 12-year old Puerto Rican boy, the only surviving member of a mob hit. Either Gloria's maternal instincts kick in or her sense of humanity but for whatever reason she begrudgingly takes on the care of this boy and protects him from her old mob buddies.

More recently is the film "London to Brighton" (2006). Here a woman still emerged in the world of crime, drugs and prostitution has a sudden change of heart, something close to an epiphany, when she rescues a young woman from a brutal fate of sexual and physical exploitation. Perhaps she recognizes herself in the child and the finds the need to break the cycle of abuse.

Both woman in these films bypass their child rearing years only to end up rearing a child. The films are entertaining and even thought provoking. But a more critical observation might suggest that these films are continuing along the notion that women aren't fulfilled until there are children in their lives and arguably the roles they take on are more masculine than feminine.

Are these films challenging the traditional roles of motherhood/fatherhood or merely confirming an age old belief that different sexes bring different skills to child rearing?

Top 10 Films Where Mental Health Matters

Thom Ernst — Mon, 30 Apr 12 09:49:32 GMT

There's an endless supply of films that gleefully misrepresent and exploit the issues of mental health. Some of them are quite good like Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" (1960), Roman Polanski's "Repulsion" (1965) and Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan" (2010). Then there are films that set out to be illuminating but are so wildly over-the-top that they can easily be categorized as entertaining curiosities like "The Snake Pit" (1948) and "Shock Corridor" (1963).

Other films are equally well intended without the melodrama and yet haven't escaped the sensationalizing of their character's illness, like the Oscar winners "A Beautiful Mind" (2001), "Rain Man" (1988) and the science-fiction drama, "Charly" (1968) none which are on my list, but are bound to me on someone else's. Also absent from the list are films like "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975), "Dominick and Eugene" (1988), "The Madness of King George" (1994), "The Three Faces of Eve" (1957), "Shine" (1996) and "Of Mice and Men" (both (1939) and (1992) versions), all note worthy explorations into the subject of mental health but are so prominent in popular culture that they stand apart.

Movies like "Harvey" (1950), "Arsenic and Old Lace" (1944) and "What About Bob?" (1991) might be public favourites but depends too much on looking at the illness as charming, loveable and cute - a great cinematic affectation but hardly enlightening.

There too are the documentaries missing on the list, but if docs were to be included "Grey Gardens" (1975) and "Best Boy" (1979) would be the first to come to mind.

The list is composed of films that have in one way or another explored mental health in a manner that is unique, revealing, and effective - and films you may not have considered.

"David and Lisa" (1962) directed by Frank Perry (uncle of pop star Katy Perry). A story of a young man institutionalized for his belief that human touch will kill him. He meets Lisa, a schizophrenic (one of the most misunderstood and over-used illnesses in film) who, under the guidance of a doctor, are encouraged to open up to each other. "David and Lisa" is a touching drama of youth suffering from emotional and mental illness who find in each other a valued community and friendship. Director Perry went on to make "Mommie Dearest" (1981) and the upcoming Saturday Night at the Movies feature, "Diary of a Mad Housewife" (1970) suggesting that he has long held a keen interest in mental health issues.

"A Woman Under the Influence" (1974) feels like a documentary as does many of the late John Cassavete's films. As a result the movie has a voyeuristic tone that almost leads us to believe we are sharing the struggles between a loving husband (Peter Falk) and his troubled wife (Gena Rowlands). Rowland and Falk turn in beautiful performances of a family dealing with mental illness in a caring, loving and ultimately positive fashion. Unbelievably good.

"Nashville" (1975) is not a film about mental illness but it does have one of the most heart wrenching and dramatic visuals of a public breakdown ever filmed. Country singer/actor Ronee Blakely plays Barbara Jean a highly successful country music singer who suffers a nervous breakdown during a concert. The scene is handled carefully by both Blakely and director Robert Altman progressing through an uncomfortable dialogue of false-starts and rambling incoherent confessions. The way the fans turn on her is an excruciating reminder of the lack of public empathy to symptoms of mental illness. Barbara Jean is said to be loosely based on real-life country singer, Loretta Lynn.

The Butcher Boy" (1997) by director Neil Jordan is a fantastical film about growing up in a family with a history of mental illness. The events in Jordan's film are extreme and are likely not to be fitting to all tastes. Some might find the violence and dark humour too much to take and even view it as a hindrance to our understanding of mental illness instead of a sympathetic eye-opener. But Jordan's direction keeps the movie from falling into exploitation. Perhaps it's the relentless hope that treatment is possible despite how deep the illness grows.

"Sweetie"(1989) and An Angel At My Table" (1990). Director Jane Campion made a remarkable film debut with "Sweetie" and followed it up with the equally remarkable "An Angel At My Table". The first deals with two sisters, one with a serious mental illness and the other whose life is constantly challenged by her sisters' debilitations. With "An Angel At My Table" a disturbed young woman is institutionalized but later becomes an award winning author. Both films are clear, astute looks into how mental illness affects the family as well as offering the potential for triumph over adversity. Worthy of several viewings.

"Away From Her" (2006) is director's Sarah Polley's film based on an Alice Munro short story. Polley expertly navigates the mental decline of an intelligent, outgoing and dynamic personality in a woman (Julie Christie) suffering from the outset of Alzheimer's disease. Much of the film focuses on her husband's (Gordon Pinsent) inability to cope with losing her despite his past indiscretions within the marriage. The sense of loss, of aging and of memories remembered and forgotten is perfectly captured by the two leads and further enhanced by a director whose sensitivity and awareness works well beyond her years.

"Sling Blade" (1996) Many have forgotten Billy Bob Thornton's "Sling Blade" maybe because Billy Bob who wrote, directed and stars is doing just about all he can to make us forget. But let's not. His film wonderfully portrays the depth of soul, compassion, contribution and sacrifice a of a developmentally arrested man who comes into town and befriends a young boy. From the first scene Thorton shows us that his character's limitations are in speech and emotional expression but his ability to understand and process thought is still active. A haunting film where the main character is not set-up as a saint or a victim, but as a man whose afflictions are just more obvious than the afflictions suffered by the rest of us.

"Keane" (2004) One of the easiest conversations via interviews I've had was with director Lodge Kerrigan and for the one simple reason that his film made me want to talk about it with anyone and everyone. That the person I do get to talk to is the director just happens to be a perk of the business. This ambiguous tale of a young man in his 30s desperately trying to deal with his schizophrenia while scouring a New York terminal for his lost daughter remains one of the most dynamic movie experiences I've ever had. Kerrigan never lets us be certain as to whether that man's search for a missing daughter is real or a figment of his illness. He carries with him a clipping of a little girl along with the story of her dissapearance but his ranting and panicky body language puts him off of the people he approaches. Things get complicated when he meets a little girl of about the same age as the child in the clipping. Kerrigan brilliantly landscapes a mental map of suffering through illness and assumed loss. An unforgettable and devastating film.

"Take Shelter" (2011) Cinema lovers were quite anxious anticipating the follow up film of Jeff Nichols whose previous movie Shotgun Stories (2007) gained quick and wide respect. "Take Shelter" does not disappoint. Michael Shannon plays husband/father haunted by terrifying visions of the apocalypse. But are these visions prophetic or merely the makings of a delusional mind - a mind that has suffered delusions in the past? As the film progresses so does his paranoia effecting family, friends and career. Relentless and fascinating. One of the best films of 2011.

"Birdy" (1984) is a bizarre entry into the post-war trauma genre where a young man (Matthew Modine) returns from Vietnam with an unusual obsession to turn himself into a bird. Director Alan Parker tracks the progression of his Birdy's growing instability as he morphs from eccentric to serious illness, through the eyes of his closest friend (Nicolas Cage). One of the most innovative directorial choices of the film is to cast Modine as the eccentric unstable one and Cage as the voice of ration and reason. The film is an oddity but works well within a post-war period piece drama.

Added Bonus List:

The scariest film about mental illness without falling into gruesome exploitation: "Frailty" 2001. A father convinces his young sons that God has spoken to him and wants them to kill earth's demons who just happen to be their neighbours.

The most touching depiction of a mentally ill character: Bo Radley in "To Kill A Mocking Bird" (1962) a gentle, simple man who was rumoured to be a monster but proved to be a friend.

The best real life biographical film involving mental illness: "Iris" (2001) starring Dame Judi Dench as novelist Iris Murdoch and her battle with Alzheimer's disease.

Saturday Features: Music of the Heart and In The Company of Men: Mentors

Thom Ernst — Fri, 27 Apr 12 15:56:38 GMT

Last week Alex Huls ( @alxhuls ) tweeted "We got angry letters for airing "Mysterious Skin" on (TVO, SNAM). I'm curious what kind of reaction "In the Company of Men" gets this weekend?.

Me too, Alex and we need wait but one day to find out.

But before anyone writes in consider this:

How did the film make you feel and why is it worth talking about?

"In the Company of Men" is a tough film. It's nasty, shocking, relentless and disturbing and it'll get you talking -even if it's just to let us know how the film affected you.

And like the aforementioned "Mysterious Skin" we understand that some may find the material or even the rationale behind presenting the material, questionable, we nevertheless remain proud to be able to show "In the Company of Men".

It's the first feature film by director Neil LaBute whose follow-up movies, "Your Friends & Neighbors", "Nurse Betty" and "The Shape of Things" appeared as if he was content to continue making movies that push people's buttons. The level of misogyny and heartless cruelty LaBute writes into his characters can be difficult to endure. What point he might be trying to make with this is tough to gage. His characters are so clearly unlikable that we can walk away from the film knowing LaBute does not celebrate such viciousness. However, he might be expressing an extreme cynicism of the way the world works. In the case of "In the Company of Men" it's a cynicism of the way office politics might work .

But we can't overlook the title. We are, throughout the film, in the company of men. Company could very easily refer to an office and probably does. It's the word men that stands out. It would be irresponsible to label LaBute as anti-male who believes that men are inherently committed to bad deeds and nasty games. This is not a film about bad dudes getting their comeuppance. It's about bad dudes and their never ending capability for evil. These are men whose crimes are traditionally criminal. Their crimes are against a common morality that cannot be legally punished.

So what on earth is LaBute doing?

We hope in the future to get Mr. LaBute in the studio or on Skype to respond directly to that question. Until then, I can't help but wonder if through films like "In The Company of Men" we are better able to comprehend the darkness because someone (LaBute) chose to shed some light.

Consider the words of author and musician Nick Cave; " The writer who refuses to explore the darker regions of the heart will never be able to write convincingly about the wonder, the magic and the joy of love...just as goodness cannot be trusted unless it has breathed the same air as evil"

"In the Company of Men" is LaBute breathing the same air as evil, and we get to walk away unscathed and better able to appreciate the light. Thank Goodness.

Why Are Movies Getting More Nostalgic?

Alexander Huls — Fri, 27 Apr 12 09:58:58 GMT

In Hollywood the trend of desperately plundering the past for anything that might scrape together a few bucks is nothing new. Where the studios can find a shortcut to a potential crash-grab with a built in audience, they will take it: Classic movies, not so classic movies, old TV shows, five year old franchises, self-help books and even classic board games.

It’s gotten to the point where you might as well just constantly keep your eyes rolled (blatantly ignoring your Mom’s warnings), because inevitably every day will bring a rumor or announcement that proves Hollywood’s continued lack of originality.

Which is why it’s easy to look at last year’s wave of deeply nostalgic movies like "The Artist," "Hugo," "Super 8," "Midnight in Paris," "War Horse," and "The Muppets" with a great deal of skepticism. It’s hard not to believe, like IFC FIX’s Matt Singer does, that this trend of backwards looking filmmaking is just the same good old Hollywood trick of making money off the past (i.e. “old is the new new”).

After all, the filmmakers behind some of these movies aren’t exactly innocents: J.J. Abrams rebooted “Star Trek” to blockbuster status, Spielberg executive produced all the “Transformers” movies, Martin Scorsese remade “Infernal Affairs” , and Hazanavicius built his success on James Bond spoofs.

That being said, these are not filmmakers who I’ve ever felt were preoccupied with making loads of money. That might be naÃ¯ve, but these have always been filmmakers who are passionate about pursuing their interests. Their interests just happen to be conducive to occasional money-making.

Even if you’re not as obliging as me, these directors’ most recent films are very different. Yes, there’s no arguing that the movies in question are in no way engaged in creating new ideas, they’re just revisiting old ones. But they are labors of love that don't so much exploit nostalgia as lovingly immerse themselves in it.

These projects might be self-indulgent, but shamelessly intended money grabs? I find it hard to believe that Hazanavicius thought a black and white silent movie would bucket him millions (let alone Oscars). That Scorsese wanted to make “Hugo” for any other reason than to compose a love letter to his daughter and the medium he adores. That Abrams cared about anything other than nerding out with Spielberg. That Woody Allen anticipated a movie about The Lost Generation would become his highest grossing movie ever.

Yes, as Singer points out, these movies did all become hits, but it seems easy to ascribe financial motivations to unintended results. It’s like saying Van Gogh intended that his pieces be worth millions someday and a print of “Starry Night” be hung in every suburban household’s dining room.

So if “cash grab” isn’t the answer that explains this nostalgic trend, what is? Because given the influence and talents these filmmakers have, one can’t help but wonder why they would invest so much time, energy, passion and creativity in recreating the past when they could pursue something new?

I think the answer lies not in asking why, but instead asking why now?

These movies suggest that filmmakers have become as frustrated as the rest of us with the state of commercial Hollywood. Filmmakers have hit a wall that has them turning back instead of going forward (and they’re exploiting the system to do so). After all, when times get bad, who isn’t instinctively inclined to fondly remember when times were good? Who wouldn’t – if they could – do their hardest to get back to that time?

Unlike real life, movies can do that. These nostalgic films aren’t acts of creative bankruptcy and financial exploitation, they are longing acts of re-creation, resurrection and return.

“The Muppets” is about returning to a time when those fuzzy puppets mattered to people and bringing them back for a new generation. “War Horse” displays an acute desire to be the kind of 40s Hollywood showcase feature David O. Selznik would have been proud of. “Hugo” is love letter to the magic of cinema that is as much a celebration as it is a mourning of how easily it gets lost.

“The Artist” centers on the new threatening to overcome the past and destroy its charm. “Super 8” – like “The Artist” – just flat out resurrects a fully-fledged, fully-formed movie style from the past. Finally, the lingering message of “Midnight in Paris” might be that we always think the past was better and cooler, but the way the movie invariably longs for the past and romantically celebrates it proves that message isn’t a criticism so much as a simple observation.

All these films feel like the filmmakers reached a point where they realized if they can’t make things better, they would just make movies about better (movie) times. So they forced the past back into existence to make themselves – and us – feel better about the present. As a result these movies are both nostalgic manifestations of the old adage “They don’t make ‘em like they used to” and eulogies for the state of the present.

Neil Gabler writes for The Los Angeles Times that these “movies are less about the lost past than they are about an unsatisfactory present.” In the end, I think these nostalgic films are about both: the unsatisfactory present has created a longing for the lost past. What remains to be seen is if these flurry of films have exorcised that longing, or whether more movies will pick up the trend to fondly recreate a perceived better past.

What do you guys think about the nostalgic trend in movies? Is it all about the money, or is there something more going on with the motivations behind these movies?

Follow Alex Huls on Twitter.

Follow @alxhuls

All The Stage's A Film

Thom Ernst — Wed, 25 Apr 12 10:57:31 GMT

I can't help but wonder what director Steven Spielberg was thinking when he went to see War Horse on stage. It's hard to imagine that someone like Spielberg so immersed in filmmaking could find the time to take in a stage production (or to have read the book). Once there, was he so engrossed in the play that thoughts of making it into a film didn't come until much later or was he constantly distracted by the play's potential as a 'Spieberg epic'?

I think of Spielberg in his seat watching the show with perhaps the onstage actors fully aware that one of Hollywood's biggest directors is watching. I think of Spielberg and then I think of Norman Jewison who tells us of sitting in the aisle to watch a stage production of Fiddler on The Roof before making the film. I think too of director James Foley attending the David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross and knowing that he was bearing witness to his next project. I think of hearing how Oscar winning director Tom Hooper takes a call from his mother who tells him , "I've just seen the next movie you're going to make" after coming out of The King's Speech .

What happens in these moments when the stage drops out of sight, the wall's expand and the visuals grow beyond the confines of the theatre? And what of the connection between audience and actors that allows for a grander scale of emotion on stage and yet a more restrained expression on film? It's a similar question that comes up when discussing the transition from book to film - Is the film respectful of the original material without being a slave to it?

In the extras of the newly released 4-Disc DVD and blu-ray of War Horse the journey from stage to screen is given it's fair due. Spielberg talks. So does a few of his long-time colleagues composer John Williams and producer Kathleen Kennedy. Spielberg and Kennedy cover most of the more interesting 'behind the scene' moments whereas editor Michael Kahn,(also a Spielberg regular) and sound designer Gary Rydstrom offers insights focusing to a more specific audience.

Spielberg conveys his initial attraction to the story including the themes within that are familiar to all his work. Human spirit mixed with human folly, the pride and authentic life-force of nature and animals, battles lost and battles won. It would be hard for even Spielberg to overlook that fact that War Horse is a ideal Speilberg project.

"The bones of the story of War Horse is a love story. That’s what makes it universal. It was that way in the book and it was certainly that way on the boards in the West End of London. That’s also what we hoped to create with our movie adaptation." says Spielberg

War Horse is a visionary epic of an old Hollywood standard of heroism and gallantry despite some reticent commentaries from critics and audiences. That it is about the friendship between a human and an animal, a man and his horse, might strike some viewers as a bit treacly, but such stalwartly storytelling cannot help but translate some genuine appeal along the way. But that's always the case with Spielberg. Even in his most hardened and darker projects, Amistad, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, Munich, A.I. Artificial Intelligence and Empire of the Sun Spielberg seems unable to avoid an instinctive need to overplay the drama. It happens too in War Horse. But would that matter if you've not seen War Horse on stage?

Some battle scenes and a few moments of peril and struggle might prevent some from sitting down as a family to watch War Horse but then again the overall message of friendship, dedication and empathy might be enough to smooth out the edges of the more disturbing scenes. Tougher still would be that War Horse, coming very near at 2 1/2 hours, night outlast the attention of some younger members of the family.

19 Noir Films In a Row: Who Needs Sleep?

Thom Ernst — Mon, 23 Apr 12 12:52:03 GMT

Carl Reiner's ode to noir, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982) is pretty much the noir connoisseurs dream movie project. Even more so if you are in to playing such games as name that movie or who's that star while watching Reiner inter grate classic 40s cinema into a contemporary plot that stars Steve Martin.

It's from Dead Men that inspires the The Toronto Film Society programming for this year's May Film Weekend Getaway appropriately titled The "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" Weekend. It sounds like it might be a murder-mystery outing and in a way I guess it is. Except the murders and the mysteries (although let's not confuse noir with mysteries) are on the screen. There are 19 films to either choose from or if you are a hardened noir junkie, ingest them all in one great weekend long marathon. (Buy entry to all 19 films and TFS will throw in the lunches)

With the exception of Reiner's comic homage and a screening of Nicholas Ray's In A Lonely Place (1950) all the films come from the 40s a notably pure decade for noir cinema.

Traditionally the festival draws weekend travelers willing to uproot themselves for three days and get lost in a era where femme fatales, demoralized men and shadowy figures dominate the screen.

According to theTFS brochure this is the first year the festival is staying in the city. Good news for the city, bad news for Northern Ontario. Of course heading up to northern Ontario sounds great, but lets face it, a film festival is not an event for those hoping to enjoy the outdoors.

So, for the first time in 45 years the TFS are screening all 19 films at the Carlton Theatre here in Toronto. The move is likely to see an increase of local attendance but It'll be interesting to note just how many of out-of-towners the festival lures into the city.

Unlike other festivals, The "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" Weekend is not a multi-cinema, multi-screening event. All films get one screening at one cinema unraveling in a momentum that is not unlike a 30 hour (give or take) epic crime drama. Of course, if you are not up to watching 19 movies in a row there are plenty of films to pick and choose from.

My picks are director Byron Haskin's I Walk Alone (1948) with Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas and Humoresque (1946) with Joan Crawford and John Garfield. And because I have never seen them throw in Johnny Eager (1941) and The Bribe (1949).

For those who like to keep their noir familiar, or those who are just setting out to discover the genre there are a few great standards, The Big Sleep (1946), The Killers (1946), Double Indemnity (1944), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), and The Lost Weekend (1945).

Festival runs from Friday May 11th through to Sunday May 13th.

Saturday Features: The Onion Field & The New Centurions: Joseph Wambaugh Speaks

Thom Ernst — Fri, 20 Apr 12 10:21:34 GMT

Joseph Wambaugh posing with L.A Police Dog, Hudson

It's amazing how many authors you get to meet while doing a movie show.

Currently, the SNAM team is preparing for an interview with author John Irving to go with the upcoming CIDER HOUSE RULES screening. We also had a chance to meet with Tom Perrotta whose books LITTLE CHILDREN, ELECTION and soon to be released THE ABSTINENCE TEACHER have all been turned into films. We even got to talk to Ambassador E.R. Braithwaite, author of his autobiography, "To Sir With Love" which became a movie he despised.

Wambaugh, the talk-show cop

Authors make for great interviews even when they don't care for the cinematic versions of their stories. Take Joseph Wambaugh for example - ask him about the film version of his book, THE CHOIRBOYS and you're not going to get a feel-good story about the pleasures of seeing your work on the screen.

But Wambaugh has been writing for a long time and nearly every film that has come from his words seems to have translated well (with the exception of THE CHOIRBOYS) to film.

I have just returned from a pre-screening of the Wambaugh show, otherwise known as "Behind the Badge". If you have never seen Wambaugh on the Carson show or otherwise have seen him interviewed, you might be in for a surprise. He served on the L.A. police force for 14 years - several of those years while also enjoying a certain celebrity status which included being a regular on the talk-show circuit. Not bad for a man in blue still nabbing the bad guys and then off to dinner to chat up George C. Scott.

You got to be tough to be a cop. It's not the only necessary quality - add to that a good sense of justice, negotiation skills and patience. The sense of justice, negotiation skills and patience are easy to detect in Wambaugh - his toughness comes through in small glimpses.

Actor Stacy Keach who stars in THE NEW CENTURIONS, Wambaugh's account of the early stages and then later stages of a police career, attests to Wambaugh's ability as a cop. He rode with him a few days before shooting began.

"Behind the Badge" is one of the shows I am particularly proud of. This is a real police story. Wambaugh is engaging, entertaining and straight forward. Some of the things he says may not be what you expect or even want to hear, but all of it is worth listening to.

Actor Scott Wilson talks about his role in The New Centurions

If by the end of the show you are still wanting more Wambaugh (and it's likely that you will) you can check out a feature article I did with him for Toro Magazine.

And when you're done that - go out and by a few of his books. You might be surprised. This is not just police drama - it's police literature.

It's an unwritten understanding that to ask for a photo or autograph after the interview is unprofessional. Here is a photo of me not caring about that unwritten understand.

Jumping on The Contraband Wagon

Thom Ernst — Thu, 19 Apr 12 10:23:24 GMT

Contraband lets you enjoy every little plot and ploy it has to offer.

It’s a heist film smuggled inside a drug lord gangster flick. It's a perfectly fitting camouflage given that the act of smuggling is what begins, propels and then ties up the entire story. But there’s a contrast here as well that pits two genres against one another: Heist films are light, slight-of-script con games that evoke a kind of breezy affectionate scam on the audience; Drug lord films, the ones with manic street-life gangsters ruling in a seedy underworld, are dulled with washed-out hues and given severe social authority through the use of a shaky cam.

So which is it? A heist film or the gangster flick?

Choose the gritty real-world social crime drama (i.e. Contraband as gangster flick) and you may find your experience challenged by a rank and file series of mean-street stereotypes. Choose the slick one-up-man ship con game (i.e. Contraband as heist flick) and you may wonder why all the punch lines are diluted in the dark hues and faded colours of the cinematography. But decide that it really doesn't matter, that there's room for both drug lord gangster flick and spirited heist film in the same picture, and you're likely to find the film both gripping and satisfying.

Mark Wahlberg is Chris Faraday, the now upstanding legit son of a career-convict poised to be drawn back into the fray, Kate Beckinsale is his street-wise but caring wife hanging on the hope her husband will remain clean, Giovanni Ribisi, rail-thin and hilariously over the top as the local scumbag is the threatening force setting everything in motion and Ben Foster steps in as the trustworthy life-long friend caught in the middle.

Just about the only character that doesn’t seem destined to end up animated on someone’s game console is J.K. Simmons. His Camp, the humourless Captain of a cargo ship gnaws through his scenes with a seething contempt and a smoldering grudge against Faraday. Like Ribisi’s take on Tim Briggs, the much feared neighborhood psychopath, Simmons’ take on Captain Camp will either strike you as hilariously inept or brilliantly funny. It’s hard to know what’s going on here, but given both performers upstanding pedigree, their comic book entries could be our first clue that director Baltasar KormÃ¡kur may not necessarily want to lead us into an authentic (if not traditional) world of a blue-collar crime family but rather into something far less reverent – like an action film.

There’s an initial fear in watching Contraband that KormÃ¡kur , an Icelandic director who still actively makes films in his homeland, may be relying too much on the traditions of the American gangster family movie and first time screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski may not be equipped with the skills to do anything but imitate what he suspects the genre requires. That fear becomes somewhat unfounded as the film progresses - slowly at first, in little moments that seem like mistakes, or misguided steps, but then the momentum builds into something surprisingly playful – not something you expect to experience in a film with gangland wars, and nasty henchman who threaten the lives of ten year old boys.

Contraband is far from successful by constantly teetering on the edge of absurdity without ever toppling over. But there’s skill in KormÃ¡kur’s direction and smarts in Guzikowski’s script, so much so that they bring the audience from a conflicted state of uncertainty (what the hell is going on?) to a crowd pleasing final act. And if none of it is particularly new, it is, at least, a satisfying trek into the familiar.

The blu-ray edition adds a an even sharper tone to some of the films 70s style washed out effects negating some of the contrast between the diverging genres of heist vs. gangster. The deleted scenes, as it is with most deleted scenes, offer nothing more than a nodding agreement that 'yes' those scenes are better off being deleted. Director/Producer Baltasar KormÃ¡kur does the commentary with producer Evan Hayes with rudimentary claims of technique and back ground story.

Get the film for the film. It's an entertaining genre movie that continues to build on a gaining reputation.

Saturday Features: The Dresser & Starting Out in the Evening: Curtain Calls

Thom Ernst — Thu, 12 Apr 12 12:08:52 GMT

Footage exists of an elderly Douglas Fairbanks Jr. clinging to the arm of his young wife as they pass along a line of photo journalists. Only a few camera take pictures as though uncertain as to who this gentle and unassuming man shuffling carefully along a red carpet might be. And then someone off-screen calls him by name. There's a beat of hesitation before a couple more cameras go off. Fairbanks nods graciously to the photographers but this acknowledgement seems more of a reflex from some vague memory of duty rather than an organic reaction to the event. Fairbanks looks as if he might still be playing the star but uncertain as to what exactly his role is.

It is a moment mixed with curiosity, respect, and ultimately sadness.

Fairbanks is unrecognizable as the suave gentleman of Hollywood that he once was. He no longer cuts the striking figure of the matinee idol, the movie swashbuckler or cinema's ageless man of heroism and victory. He has become someone so far removed from his iconic image that those who look on can barely come to terms with the memories of who Fairbanks was with the man he's become.

Everyone feels the loss, but it's a loss that is carried on Fairbanks' shoulders.

The Fairbanks incident is an extreme example of someone going from the height of fame and presumed glamour to a life of where anonymity is preferred over the risk of disappointing fans.

But Fairbanks was a star. He appeared on the cover of magazines, was the subject of gossip and an internationally recognizable big screen idol.

Not so the men portrayed in tonight's films, The Dresser and Starting Out in the Evening. These men have an arguably different experience than Fairbanks, though here too age rudely comes in to interrupt a well-planned, well-earned and well-lived career.

In The Dresser , directed by Peter Yates (Bullet, Breaking Away) we meet an aging stage actor known only as 'Sir' whose bombastic ego and dramatic arrogance feeds from the knowledge that he's at the top of his game, adored by theater goers for his studious interpretations of classic roles and tireless, though self-congratulatory, passion for the arts.

'Sir' is played with self-righteous flamboyance from Albert Finney. Finney's 'Sir' is a marvel of stagey self-assurance and over-the-top madness who bows to no civilities that would over ride his own agenda. But as the years progress, 'Sir' is growing less effective as a performer and yet becoming more affected as an actor. We may find this man unbearable and yet we cannot look away. He demands our attention and more often than not, he gets it.

But as the stage lights begin to dim, literally and metaphorically, so does Sir's influence. And without the stage, without the adulation, and without the free pass given for his outrageous behaviour, what does he have left? Theater is changing and so too is his brand of theatrics both on and off stage.

But Sir is falling prey to old age. His mind is slowing, his recognition fading and his opportunities ending.

The second man we meet is author Leonard Schiller, played by Frank Langella. Schiller differs even more from the Fairbanks example in that his sense of worth and well being is internal. The film is called Starting Out in the Evening and deals with a man who gained great adulation and some fame from the publication of his first novel. Following up with a second book is the torture facing Schiller.

Schiller is aging and he's concerned that his voice no longer reflects the times he's living. He teaches, he mentors, he does interviews, but mostly he sits unrecognized and unproductive in his New York apartment. The feeling of becoming insignificant overwhelms him.

Langella, along with director Andrew Wagner and screenwriter Fred Parnes, joins us in The Interviews following the first feature. Langella has been both a movie star and stage star and speaks on the duress that aging can put on a career that thrives on youth.

It might be too simple to suggest that a career in the arts - one that often pays in applause, recognition and approval - is a tougher career to grow out of than other careers. Certainly doctors, lawyers, teachers, mechanics feel a loss of identity and importance as their usefulness in their chosen careers dim. That our films happen to focus on two men in the arts makes this specific artistic slant relevant. But the idea that this cannot be translated to anyone's career is likely to be unfounded.

But then it depends on people define themselves. Is it by what we do or by who we are.

The artist might easily respond that there is no distinction between the creator and creating.

The TIFF Kids International Film Festival

Thom Ernst — Mon, 09 Apr 12 13:25:17 GMT

The TIFF Kids International Film Festival is a new film festival for young movie goers designed, structured and programmed by TIFF (The Toronto International Film Festival) and partnered with TVOKids. The collaboration between TIFF and TVOKids has been a while coming but now that it's here we can be assured of a standard of programming that goes beyond the mainstream Hollywood fare.

I plan on taking my daughter. It will be our first film festival together.

My daughter and I are likely to be somewhat distracted by the various events and activities, (there are dance parties, exhibits, live music, face-face visits with the TVOKids and Gisele) but after meeting Gisele, Drew, Kara and Dalmar, it's the films we are most interested in. Happily, my five year-old daughter's seems to share my keen love and appreciation of movies. Perhaps I read more into her interaction with film than there is, but it strikes me that her enjoyment goes beyond leisurely engagement . She is in fact able to be discerning, even critical of what she sees. It makes a poppa proud.

But as it is between all film lovers, my daughter and I don't always agree. After 20 minutes of sitting attentively and quietly through Mary Poppins, a film I touted as being one of the best children's films of my generation, she coolly announced, "Daddy, I just don't get what you see in this." And so it is that my little girl and I watch movies and talk about them afterwards. It's as important to me that when she watches movies she's also willing to discuss them in whatever capacity she is capable.

It's with this in mind I create the following list of my top eight anticipated films screening at TIFF Next Wave:

1/ Chimpanzee: This is an easy pick because who doesn't like Chimpanzees? And to make it even more irresistible, who doesn't like a baby chimpanzee? This is a narrative documentary (voiced by Tim Allen) about a loveable and playful 3 year-old chimp who gets into a bit of trouble when separated from his band. It is a dramatic and often comic real life account of an animal in rough terrain, but it is also a great analogy for what it is like to be different and feeling unwanted. Not only does the film incorporate a passion and understanding for wildlife, but it makes a subtle alignment to our own lives should we find ourselves feeling lost and abandoned. This film is shown in conjunction with the Opening Night Party as well as an onstage Q&A with the film's photographer, Bill Wallauer who attended The Jane Goodall Institute. The film is recommended for children 8 and up, but they don't know my daughter.

2/ The Pirates! Band of Misfits - 3D: There is no way I'll convince my daughter to see The Pirates! Band of Misfits - 3D. She LOVES Pirates. She HATES 3D. But with it's Wallace and Gromit style, this promises to be a rollicking special event. Yes, it will be out in theatres soon, but if that's what's stopping you than you really are missing the point of festival fever. See it at a festival before everyone else and on a Bell Lightbox screen. Plus, those attending will get to meet director Peter Lord. (Now I'll just have to find out if they'll let grown-ups in without a kid - either that or beg and pout until my daughter agrees to go with me.)

3/ Alfie, the Little Werewolf: Don't be afraid the your kids will be put off by the fact that this film comes from The Netherlands and is presented with English subtitles. They'll love the idea of a friendly kid werewolf and proper imagery goes a long way in conveying a story. A young boy (Alfie is pictured center with the white hair and glasses) starts to notice strange things beginning to happen to him - like turning into a werewolf whenever a full moon rises. It might be a great parable for puberty if the boy was a bit older than 7. As it is sounds like an enchanting tale of change, family support, and the occasional to turn the tables on a bully.

4/Le tableau: The only thing my daughter might like more than film is art and her ability to speak (limited) French. This film seems hand made for her. When an artist abandons his work, the finished drawings from another work take over where the artist left off. Although French with English subtitles, this one seems worthy of taking a five year-old with limited but a growing understanding of the language. I would never be too reluctant to take on a foreign film given that often images convey far greater meaning than dialogued. Between the art, the sophistication and the nuances of language with image, I think this might be the perfect film to stretch a young persons' cinematic boundaries.

5/ Sky Force - 3D - The last film director Tony Tang did was Beach Spike a kind of an American Pie gone Hong Kong about a team of female beach volleyball players. I'm curious about what Tang will do with this story where the animation appears to be a series of digitized snapshots straight from the toy box. If I can't convince my daughter to try out the opening night film, The Pirates! Band of Misfits - 3D perhaps I can spend the week convincing her to taking me to the closing night film, Sky Force - 3D. I might be able to win her over based on the film's theme of adventure and camaraderie among an elite emergency fighting team. If there's any sense of a super-hero or at least a larger-than-life hero, than she's in. I just won't tell her it's in 3D.

6/ SnowFlake - The White Gorilla - Normally I would warn against any film dubbed in English and not presented in it's original language, but since the characters in Snowflake - The White Gorilla are mostly computer animated (there is some live action), it really shouldn't matter. I'm attracted to this film from because one of the characters, is a Buddhist red panda who belives he's been reincarnated from a Black Panther. It's a tale that makes use of its story to incorporate ideas of animal rights and diversity.

7/The Blue Tiger: Environmental issues are important to most everyone in the family. In my family, it is my wife who leads the way. Perhaps my daughter might want to treat her mother to this particular film about a botanical garden being threatened with destruction by an insensitive city mayor. Living in this beautiful Czech garden is a mystical blue tiger. Combining live action with animation makes this a particularly stunning film about the triumph of environment over commerce.

8/ First Position: This documentary is recommended for those 9 and up. Basing the film by reputation and on the blurb that's available in the festival program, it's difficult to judge whether I might risk this inside view of the competitive world of classical dance on my daughter. On the one hand, it suits my daughter's taste for dance, ballet and dressing like a princess. The film promises to be a honest no-holds bar look at ballet competitions, schools, home life and the sacrifices it takes to succeed. It might also help my daughter to understand why I answerwed her question "why don't boy's wear tights?" with "Sometimes they do."

Programs and schedules and tickets are available by going to TIFF.NET/KIDS or calling 416.599.8433

Saturday Features: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum & Spartacus:

Thom Ernst — Thu, 05 Apr 12 15:43:10 GMT

Not long back Josh Mostel, son of Zero Mostel, came into our studios. He was up from New York to take in the opening stage production of a one-man play called Zero, based on his father.

Zero Mostel died in 1977. He was 62. But Mostel left behind a legacy that would forever characterize him in the roles of the fast-talking, fast-thinking con-man which Mel Brooks put to brilliant use in the original The Producers. Zero would also rise to the occasion to play a blacklisted comic in the under-rated Martin Ritt film, The Front starring Woody Allen. And he became known to many on Broadway as the original, and to some, the only, Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof. To Mostel's dismay, Norman Jewison would cast Topol as Tevye in the film version of Fiddler.

I recall Zero from a brief scene he had in the academy award winning documentary Best Boy where he met Philly, the 50 year-old man who stopped aging mentally at 5, backstage after a performance of Fiddler on the Roof. You see, Philly's favourite song was If I Were A Rich Man, the centerpiece performance from the play. Zero first met Philly and his parents (and camera crew) with the aloof respect that any performer might meet a fan in his dressing room. The moment Zero recognized Philly's limitations, as well as his warmth and gentleness, he let Philly in with open arms and heart. Together they sang If I Were A Rich Man.

There are many films to choose from from the canon of Mostel's work. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is not necessarily the best choice. In fact, Zero's son, Josh, doesn't even really like the film And the impression he leaves us is that Zero didn't quite care for it either. I was even publicly chastised by a Mostel fan (and Saturday Night at the Movies fan) for showing the movie.

The problems with Funny Thing are not obvious to me. It works. Perhaps as a tale of a conniving, plotting and self-centered slave (can a slave actually be self-centered) the comedy is too broad and bawdy to be consider tasteful. But with a cast like Mostel, Jack Gifford, Michael Crawford (who would, years later, show up in Toronto as The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera), Phil Silvers, and in his final film, Buster Keaton, how could you be anything else but broad and bawdy? The music numbers by Steven Sondheim are as catchy as they are hilarious from the opening credit sequence featuring the song A Comedy Tonight to the wonderfully campy Everybody Ought to Have a Maid.

The film boasts the talents of Richard Lester, who was accused of trying to use the same frantic, reckless pace that worked for him with The Beatles in A Hard Day's Night to a far lesser affect in this film. Its a valid criticism that I quite easily forgive. The film was shot by future director, Nicholas Roeg with a script co-written by Larry Gelbart and Melvin Frank.

If the film is a failure, and you will judge for yourself and let me know what you think, than it's a delightful, memorable, and wonderfully giddy failure.

The second feature tonight is Spartacus. Now we're in the hands of master director Stanley Kubrick. And it's not that Kubrick couldn't direct comedy, just take a look at Dr. Strangelove or even snippets of Lolita, but in this film Kubrick almost goes Hollywood. This is epic sword and sandal material that also deals with slavery just without the back beat.

Tonight we visit the Roman Empire - one as a satire, one as a social comment.

Enjoy. And have a great holiday weekend.

Saturday Features: I've Loved You So Long and What Doesn't Kill You - Life Out of Prison

Thom Ernst — Fri, 30 Mar 12 09:22:03 GMT

I was somewhat taken by surprised when CBC's Karen Gordon, filling in for Mary Ito on CBC Fresh Air, recognized Brian Goodman's name the moment I mentioned it. It was a sideline conversation with Karen asking me what was airing on Saturday Night at the Movies, something the Fresh Air team makes sure to do whenever I'm a guest. I told Karen that we're airing I've Loved You So Long, with Kristen Scott Thomas and What Doesn't Kill You with Mark Ruffalo and Ethan Hawke. "And as our guest in The Interviews, we have actor Angela Featherstone and the film's director/writer, Brian Goodman," I tell Karen.

"Brian Goodman?" Karen seems surprised. The writer? (He did write the script for What Doesn't Kill You with Donnie Wahlberg)

"Yes".

"The same Brian Goodman who went from crime to the movies?" I wanted to joke with Karen that some people might find little difference between the two careers , but thought better of it.

"Yes."

"Brian Goodman's story is a great story."

I agreed.

Here I was thinking that Brian was our discovery, a solid no-nonsense tough guy who went from a life of crime to a life of film. But it seems as if Brian's tale of turning his life around is pretty well known. As an actor he's appeared in television's Lost, NYPD Blues, Line of Fire and in film, The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift, Catch Me if You Can, Blow and The Last Castle. What Doesn't Kill You is his directorial and screenwriting debut. It's a personal story of the director's battle against an environment that breeds corruption. But the story of Brian Goodman is the story of a man who changed everything to be the kind of father he needs to be for his child.

Goodman joins us in The Interviews to talk about his life as it's depicted in the film and about his life as it was left out of the film. It's mostly a story of success. Brian was raised in an environment where criminal activities were the key to success, they were lauded and expected. Breaking free from that took time, courage and real grit. Brian had all of that.

Having Brian on the show is enough of a sell to get people to watch, but good fortune pointed us to others who too spoke of Goodman's perseverance and focus. Actor Angela Featherstone plays Katie in the movie. Angela might be best known as Adam Sandler's insensitive ex-fiance in The Wedding Singer but she is also readily recognized as Chloe the girl who lured Ross away from Rachel in the 'The One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break' episode of Friends, and delivers the best performance to be had in the little seen, Beneath the Dark.

Angela talks about working on the film and the kind of inspiration that came from just being around Goodman. So too boast the film's producer Marc Frydman who also joins the discussion.

And so marks both Brian Goodman's story and the story behind What Doesn't Kill You. Behind that tale is also a recognition of the power one person has over their own destiny (there too is the power of film, and the power of a sudden sense of responsibility). But far from being treacly, the film, and Brian are solid as a rock. Changing that which seems to come naturally is not for the weak or faint hearted.

Blu-Ray Review: A Dangerous Method

Alexander Huls — Tue, 27 Mar 12 16:20:35 GMT

Every now and then you watch a movie and as the credits role you think: “Well, that was a movie. It did enough to exist.” It’s not that the movie necessarily does anything wrong, it’s just that it doesn’t really do anything to distinguish itself, to poke its head out far enough to risk being anything worth really engaging with. It’s simply competent.

That’s David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method to me.

It’s certainly not that it’s a bad movie. In fact, head over to Rotten Tomatoes and you can be assured it isn’t. Or, stay right here to let me assure you it is expertly made. It’s well acted by the film’s three leads, it’s beautifully shot, it’s lovingly scored, it’s narrative structure is sound, and it’s meticulously designed to immerse you easily in its place and time. The problem is that it isn’t just made, it feels made. There’s an energy missing here. It feels like the movie is taking the little Lego blocks that can make up a film and dutifully following the pre-set pattern as opposed to creating something unique or inventive.

It’s a shame, because there’s little doubt that David Cronenberg is a director who has infused film with a distinct energy and inventiveness. But it seems A Dangerous Method is evidence of a particular decline for the director. For all its fan-fare, Eastern Promises was always a good gangster film, but never a good Cronenberg movie. A Dangerous Method dilutes Cronenberg’s Cronenbergness to the point where he almost disappears all together. The only thing that keeps him fresh in mind is that a filmmaker so famously fixated on the mixture of sex and violence would of course be a perfect fit for a story about Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and the birth of psychoanalysis.

That story is, of course, interesting and for all my quibbling it’s hard to not deny how fascinating it is to see the relationship of Jung and Freud – and the men themselves – explored. Plus, anyone who has heard the articulate Cronenberg discuss sex and violence can readily see the echoes – or more appropriately, the origins – of his thoughts running through both doctors conversations in the film. It’s equally interesting to see the creation of psychological concepts we now use every day presented at a point and time where it’s all so novel and revolutionary.

The problem isn’t ultimately that A Dangerous Method is uninteresting. It’s that it’s uninspired. A movie can be as interesting as possible, but without some force driving it beyond that, it will never amount to anything that is just blandly … there.

About the Disc: The gorgeous cinematography and settings of A Dangerous Method naturally lend themselves well for HD, and they do not disappoint on the Blu-Ray. The interviews featured on the disc are worth checking out if only to gleam a bit more about the interesting backstories of the real people being played here, and to hear the always articulate and entrancing David Cronenberg speak.

For The Love of Movies: How Critical are Critics?

Mon, 26 Mar 12 12:31:03 GMT

Bowsley Crowther was the most important film critic in America until it seemed as if he lost his taste for cinema. Bowsley reserved praise only for films that held a positive social message (one that appealed to his agenda) and despised that which championed an anti-American, counter-culture sentiment. Following a particularly scathing review of Bonnie and Clyde, a film now among the pantheon of American greats, Crowther was deemed out of touch with the current wave of cinema and was asked (or he decided) to withdraw from his post at The New York Times.

This is a bit of history that if you weren't already aware of, you would learn in the documentary For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism, a film that put film critics, in an unnecessary exercise in self evaluation, in front of the camera. It's difficult to know if director and Boston Globe critic, Gerald Peary, thinks what happened to Crowther was a travesty or an over-due comeuppance.

I can't fault Peary's film for not taking a side because I too am on the fence. On the one hand, Crowther seemed sorrowfully out-of-step with contemporary cinema of the 70s but on the other hand, it seems wrong to penalize a critic for doing his job, which is to express his valued opinion. Would it have been better if Crowther's have poled his fellow-critics or taken note of public opinion of the film before writing so he could adjust his views accordingly? What if he had poled John Simon, a notoriously grumpy critic who also hated Bonnie and Clyde?

I don't agree with Crowther's disdain for the film, but after reading his review, I get a clear, and entertaining notion of how the movie looked through his eyes. Crowther's review of Bonnie and Clyde will go down as one of the most ill-perceived and skewed visions of a film ever to be printed in a major magazine, and yet, it's fun to read.

But Crowther's review did pose a problem in that the film's distributor almost pulled Bonnie and Clyde out of cinemas based on Crowther's scathing attack. Back then, in 1967, critics had power. And maybe that's why it seemed important to take Crowther's out of the game.

Today critics no longer have the power to make or break a film the way Crowther did. Although widely respected, a thumbs down from Roger Ebert is not a death knell for a newly released film and not even the ever-so charming and popular Richard Crouse can get bums in seats to see Channing Tatum in Fighting (2009) no matter how much praise he heaps on it.

But a well written review is fun to read whether it denounces a favourite film or praises one you can't stomach. And there is still evidence that a good review can translate into ticket sales. Would The Artist (2011) have been the breakout Academy Award winning hit it was without critical acclaim?

It's been about 45 years since Bosley Crowther was deemed irrelevant. Has contemporary criticism suffered ever since or has it now been forced to pursue a more thorough regard for trends and new innovations?

There's curiosity among the modest crowd who gathers at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema as to whether or not For The Love of Movies will honour or negate a profession that, at the best of times, seems vague and subjective even to those who are in it. But far from being controversial, For the Love of Movies, with it's who's-who catalog of well behaved celebrity critics, delivers safe and familiar debates in a series of first-person nostalgia navel-gazing - and that's hardly what we want from a film critic. It's a film where the critics are the stars and there is some pleasant interaction between audience and screen as everyone gets to play a rousing round of place the faces to names although its unlikely Peary would appreciate that this be the one particular you take-away from his movie.

Along with an audience of those enticed by the nostalgic promise of the film's title there is a collection of notable local films critics and writers from the TFCA (Toronto Film Critic's Association), Denis Seguin, Brian Johnson, John Semely, Alice Shih, all there, presumably to support former Boston Globe critic Gerald Peary, the film's director, as well as a show of fellowship for their fellow critics who form a discussion panel following the movie.

It promises to be an evening of heated debate between film makers, critics and the audience about the nature and future of film criticism. But then again, we are all Canadian, and invariably we manage to sum up a stereotype that pegs us as being all-too-polite and accommodating. As far as profiling goes there are worse assumptions to be accused of but labels are misleading and often misread. Since when does polite equal ineffective or accommodating mean without opinion?

Certainly, the participants of the Hot Docs panel of critics, Jason Anderson (acting as moderator) Norman Wilner, Adam Nayman, and Liam Lacey, are polite and congenial Canadians, but none of them have set precedence suggesting a reluctance on their part to express a strong opinion whether it be popular or not. But for them to follow the lead given by the movie they've just screened left even that panel with no fuel for controversy. And so they risk coming across as polite and accommodating in the worse sense of the words.

Thankfully, we are in the hands of professionals who, under the guidance of Anderson, regaled the audience with tales of discovering a love for movies, the revised role of the critic ("I now champion lesser films rather than promote the blockbusters" , says Wilner ) and enchanted us with song (Liam Lacey courts us with a lovely commercial ditty from the drive-in movies half-time show). It turned out to be a fun evening despite the film inspiring more polite dissentations on the 'wonderful rise of fresh critical voices coming out of new media' and less stabs at the onslaught of knee-jerk commentaries from just avid bloggers and social media hounds.

I can't be too sour about the original new voices cropping up on line. There are some excellent ones. In Toronto, I personally love David Davidson's Toronto Film Review.

But the question remains: Do those of us who make a living at telling it as we feel at risk of becoming the next Bowsley Crothers?

Saturday Features: The Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner and The Magdeline Sisters - The Lonely Courage of Michele Ulriksen

Thom Ernst — Thu, 22 Mar 12 10:59:21 GMT

The following blog was written in 2010 a few months after inviting Michele Ulriksen to join us on Saturday Night at the Movies to talk about her book Reform at Victory - a survivor's story. A year later we call let her know how well her interview segement was received by our audience and that we're planning an encore presentation. But we learn that Michele is no longer with us. Whatever quiet desperation and pain she held inside finally became too much for her to carry. We are left with the memoirs of a brave and rebellious teenage girl who rose above a turmoltuous and refused to break under the pressure of a unlicensed locked-down school for troubled girls. And we are left with this, her final interview.

We asked Michele Ulriksen to watch THE MAGDALENE SISTERS before her interview with us. The effect proved to be stronger than what she was prepared for. She tells us that several times she had to turn off the DVD.

Ulrisksen knows something of what it is like to be incarcerated for behaviour that is deemed immoral, anti-social or otherwise inconsistent with a strict religious doctrine. Her book, "Reform at Victory" chronicles the years she lived incarcerated at the Victory Christian Academy, an unsanctioned home for troubled teens.

Were this another point in history the Academy might be considered a reform school. For Ulriksen it was a nightmare of humiliation, ridicule and abuse. She flew herself and her young daughter up from Oregon to tell us her story.

Through the films THE MAGDALENE SISTERS and THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER Saturday Night at the Movies: The Interviews looks at reform schools and the youth they attempt to rehabilitate. Of the two movies, perhaps MAGDALENE SISTERS is the toughest to endure, although endlessly captivating. The film deals with young girls who have, for the most part, committed no crime beyond what would be expected of young women with hormones. Indeed, there are those who manage to keep their impulses in order and still find themselves locked within this nest of holy corporal punishment.

Ulriksen's story, and that of THE MAGDALENE SISTERS is a case where the punishment is worse than the crime.

THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER is different in that here the young inmates, boys, did committ a crime. The question that arises from this movie is are these boys criminals or merely acting out according to an unfair class system and rudimentary impulse to act out.

Tonight we offer three powerful stories. None are easy but all speak to a level of human resilience and an ability to rise above insurmountable odds.

Michele Ulriksen comes to us as an author, a daughter, a mother, and a survivor. Her's is a difficult tale of finding herself by fighting through the wills of those who demand her to conform.

Are reform schools a nightmare from a dark age of forced conformity, or are they a chance to re-adjust the path of a young person headed in the wrong direction?

Blu-Ray Review: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Alexander Huls — Thu, 22 Mar 12 08:49:32 GMT

It would have been incredibly easy for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy to fail.

The very fact that someone would want to adapt a seminal John Le CarrÃ© novel as densely complex as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy into a two hour movie is enough to inspire skepticism. All the more so, considering a widely popular and critically heralded 1979 BBC mini-series adaptation starring Alec Guinness set the precedent that you need five hours to truly do the novel justice. The fact that the mini-series is good, naturally also inspires remake resentment over someone redoing a story that has already been done perfectly – with greater time restrictions no less. Especially when one of those “someones” is Tomas Alfredson, an incredibly talented Swedish director nonetheless taking on a very British spy story. and whose last project was a vampire movie (albeit, an excellent moody, complex, genre-elevating one).

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy far from fails. It is one of the best movies to be released in 2011. It may even be a contender for one of the best spy movies to come along in a long time – if not of all time.

These filmmakers get this story. They understand it. And while purists will naturally hold up the superiority of Guinness version for its nuances and more fleshed out story, Alfredson and his collaborators have unmistakably – and somewhat miraculously – succeeded in capturing the essence of Le CarrÃ©’s story in a two hour span. What’s more, they do it thrillingly.

Some might find the film’s pace challenging, but here’s a case where saying a film is deliberately paced isn’t code for “slow and boring.” Its pace is a marvel, as there’s a fabulous momentum that continually builds till you’re barreling towards its finale. It’s not just the pace, but the suspense the movie achieves, using silence, mood and spartan filmmaking to create unbearable tension. Alfredson seems to know less can be more, and it’s the signs of an incredibly talented filmmaker who not only knows that, but can pull it off to the degree Alfredson does here. He smartly realizes this story has endured so long for a reason, and need only a little help from him (even if you might need a bit of help and rewinding to understand the labyrinthine plot).

What’s more, where as it would have been easy to straight-up adapt only the narrative in its bare bones form, Tinker Tailor has greater ambitions than simply telling a story. In that sense the film does the original source material the greatest honor: it captures its purpose.

What Le CarrÃ© has always done so well – and what Tinker Tailor does too – is strip down popular culture’s inflation of spies as invulnerable demigods who are only human beings when a plot requires them to be between action/exposition sequences. The spies in his worlds are human beings – deeply and inherently flawed. They are petty, weak, broken, self-serving, deceitful, egotistical, and prone to failure and mistakes. Equally destructive is the organization they work for, clogged with personal politics and ambitions, and the job itself. Arguably more than the BBC version, this Tinker Tailor stresses how much this job demands of its members, and how badly it can exploit and then break them.

It’s in that area that Alfredson has found his justification for this version of Le CarrÃ©’s work and reasserted its importance for an entirely new era. The Cold War may have ended long ago, but there is still much to be drawn from it. As a result, Alfredson not only does justice to a thrilling story, but by probing deeper delivers a spy movie that matters.

It also be unfortunate to not mention how technically accomplished Tinker Tailor is. Generally talking about a movie's technical accomplishments is about as exciting as hearing about every scientific molecular detail about an Indian summer. But any movie buff knows how rare and remarkable it is to come across a movie like this that excels on every level of production, whether it be the performances (in particular, Gary Oldman), the direction, the cinematography, the sound design, the editing, or the uncanny recreation of 1970s England. I know I've already called this one of the best movies of 2011, but in my mind it is the best technical achievement in movies in 2011.

About the Blu-Ray Disc: There’s a solid transfer here, perfectly accentuating and sharpening the Cold War bleary look (and theme) of the film to make it resonate and immerse you that extra bit more in high definition. The features are good, with the Interviews with Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy and director and writer proving some good insights in their brief duration. The real highlight of the disc, however, is the thirty minute interview with author John Le Carre – a must watch.

Animated Hosts - Wallace & Gromit Are Inventing Ways to Take Over My Job

Thom Ernst — Wed, 21 Mar 12 14:10:28 GMT

When I heard that Wallace & Gromtt had something out on Blu-Ray I assumed it was a new film. Something along the lines of The Curse of the Were-Rabbit which so appealed to me when I first came across it at TIFF. Even when the blu-ray arrived on my desk a quick glance did nothing to divert me from my expectations. Then I put the disc into my player... Wallace & Gromitt's World of Invention is not a movie. It's a series of interviews, presentations and enthusiastic looks at the world of inventions. And guess who is hosting? None other than world-renowned inventor, Wallace himself.

It makes sense. There hasn't been one Wallace & Gromit outing where wild, make-shift contraptions did not play a part in the daily lives of Wallace and his faithful four-legged (though he functions quite will on two legs) sidekick,Gromit.

Now, with Gromit running camera and boom mike, Wallace turns to face the camera and becomes host to some real-life inventions and their inventors. I normally would not bother writing about anything that was not film related, and I certainly not anxious to promote the ideas that good hosts don't just need to be animated, they need to be actual animation.

I make the exception in part because of our recent trek into the animated world with Mary and Max and Persepolis, both which received glowing responses from those who sat down to watch them. (If you missed them this round, but caught wind of just how excellent these two films are, you can always catch then in an encore SNAM presentation )

I make a further exception because the series is so good.With six episodes Wallace guides us through the inventive minds and objects that take us to the sky, that transports us, that begin at home (this was my favourite episode as it features some remarkable, and rudimentary works reminiscent of Wallace's own inventions), that have been inspired by nature, and even one about safety and one about all those cool super-spy gadget thingys that may or may not be possible. There is still the patented Wallace & Gromit humour. And I'll admit that Wallace makes a good host, though I wouldn't want to see him sitting in my chair.

Blu-Ray Review: Why The Muppets is Cinematic Joy

Alexander Huls — Wed, 21 Mar 12 11:25:30 GMT

Movies can elicit a lot of reactions – enjoyment, disappointment, admiration, disdain, indifference, intellectual stimulation, and boredom to name a few. These are all common everyday feelings for a movie watcher. Joy isn’t. Joy is something of the proverbial holy grail of film emotions.

Now, I’m not talking about the joy that comes from enjoying a great movie. I’m talking about the pure unadulterated joy that springs up from something that blows right past all your objectivity and roots itself right in the essence of what makes you genuinely happy as a human being.

Watching The Muppets is that kind of joyful experience. It makes me happy. It fills up my chest with the warmth of freshly baked bread or shirts put on right out of the dryer.

Let me get the elephant in the room out of the way though and say this doesn’t mean my objectivity is entirely absent. Is The Muppets perfect? No. Whether as a movie, or a “true” Muppets movie – the latter being something not only film critics but also Frank Oz and the original performers have argued.

Whatever my nitpicks and complaints though – Walter’s underwhelming final talent, Kermit’s curious commitment issues, the forcedness of “Me Party” musical number and Jason Segel’s plots with Amy Adams/Walter – it’s hard to escape that feeling that sort of makes everything okay. My objectivity isn’t absent, it’s simply circumvented. After all, at the risk of testing your sentimental gag reflex, it’s like having a romantic partner/dear friend. Undoubtedly they have their idiosyncrasies and flaws, but it doesn’t ultimately matter because of how that person makes you feel and how you feel about them.

That’s not to say there aren’t a lot of things that The Muppets does right. It’s sweet, it’s funny, it’s charming, and captures the Muppets spirit in the same way a good adaptation is loyal to a source material, not a slave to it. It’s also a borderline brilliant script that is metatextual and layered in how the movie’s plot of the Muppets climbing back to relevance exactly mirrors what the movie is attempting to do (based on its box office success, it seems to have thankfully succeeded).

In the end though it keeps coming back to that feeling the movie and its lovable characters instill. There are many things The Muppets accomplishes, but few of them matter more than two in particular. One, for those of us who know them, the movie nostalgically reminds us why we love Kermit and the gang. Two, for those who don’t know the Muppets, the movie makes clear why these puppets have remained so beloved for decades through good times (The Muppet Show, Muppet Babies) and bad (Muppets from Space).

Because that’s what it comes down to: the Muppets and how loveable they are. We live in a time that makes it easy to succumb to cynicism about the world and those who live in it. The Muppets have always been about honest to goodness goodness –friendship, sticking together, believing dreams can come true, and doing the right thing. All the proof you need of that is all in their most famous song: "Rainbow Connection". Miraculously it’s never been treacly or sentimental, just always believable, admirable, and something to aspire to. The Muppets movie doesn’t just know that, it celebrates that.

That’s what makes The Muppets such a joyful experience. It’s not just my nostalgic love for or the endearment of the characters and their values. It’s that The Muppets themselves don’t just represent mere escapism, they might represent something close to hope. Which might be an even rarer movie emotion than joy.

About the Disc: Disney has a formidable reputation for producing some of the best Blu-Ray transfers and The Muppets is no exception. It is, however, a particular pleasure to watch in high definition simply because of the vibrant colors throughout the film that just cuddle your eyeballs.

As for the features, perhaps the cutest and most fun one comes up the moment you hit pause while watching the movie: an Intermission featuring the fun antics of our favorite Muppets. It can a little bit annoying getting in and out quickly, it’s still tempting to not want to watch the approx. 8 minutes of unique material the feature provides.

The “Scratching the Surface” making-of is an often hilarious unconventional making-of, the Deleted Scenes are the usual assortment of justified cuts, and the “Explaining Evil: The Full Tex Richman Song” gives you a bit more backstory if you care. The definite highlight is the Blooper Reel, solely for the reason to marvel at the puppeteers’ and voice actors’ ability to improvise on the spot with their puppets – facial expressions and all. You almost forget the Muppets aren’t actually real actors.

Stellan SkarsgÃ¥rd is King of Devil's Island

Thom Ernst — Tue, 20 Mar 12 10:58:39 GMT

Stellan SkarsgÃ¥rd has sang to Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia!, (2008) been shark bait in Deep Blue Sea (1999), a professor in Good Will Hunting (1997), a lousy guardian to Leelee Sobieski in The Glass House (2001), a paraplegic with a weird agenda in Breaking the Waves (1996), played the same role twice in The Exorcist: The Beginning (2004) and then again in Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist,(2005) played a prominent and suspicious family member in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011), acted in the controversial Melancholia (2011) (read Alex Huls' wonderful article: 10 tips for watching Melancholia) and will shortly be seen in the anticipated release of The Avengers (2012).

SkarsgÃ¥rd joins Saturday Night at the Movies to talk about the film King of Devil's Island, based on the true uprising of a turn-of-the-century reform school for boys.

King of Devil's Island, reportedly to be the most expensive film to come out of Norway, is directed by Norwegian filmmaker, Marius Holst. It's a stunning achievement told in bleak winter tones and great empathy through a cast of young non-actors, most who themselves live on a precarious social fringe.

Stellan SkarsgÃ¥rd speaks to us via Skype from his home in Sweden.

King of Devil's Island was brought to my attention by a friend who distributes film for Film Movement. SNAM coproducer watched it first giving it an enthusiastic apporoval. After watchin the film myself, I recognize it as a movie we would love to present to our audience.

King of Devil's Island was released yesterday in most cities. If you happen to be in Toronto, you catch it at the Carlton.

Saturday Features: Mary and Max and Persepolis - Animation Grows Up

Thom Ernst — Fri, 16 Mar 12 17:22:30 GMT

Your won't likely recognize any of the stars in either of our features this weekend on Saturday Night at the Movies. In fact, our first film, Mary and Max (2009), the two lead characters have only a vague resemblance to anyone we might encounter in our daily life. We recognize them as being one of us because they have arms, legs, a head, eyes, ears, nose and so on, but these features are so exagerrated and grotesque that they stand apart from being human. And yet we can identify completely with Mary and Max. In many ways Mary and Max come across as more real than many live-action performers who choose a rote and stereotypical interpretation of their movie characters. Toni Collette gives voice to Mary a sweet but troubled 8 year-old Australian girl who begins a 20 year pen-pal relationship with Max, a 40 year-old Manhatten shut-in with serious anxiety issues, played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Through their vocal talents it's the actors who provide the nuances of fear and hope felt by the character and it's the animators who sculpt the performances through telling facial expressions and body-language

Mary and Max is adult theme animated film told with gentle humour, pathos and tragedy without straying into the kind of adult animation that distinguishes Fritz the Cat (1972) and Heavy Traffic (1973) from children's animated fare. Mary writes to Max of her neglectful parents, her pet chicken ( the only animated conciet the film allows itself) her troubles at school and (eventually) her fiance. Max writes to Mary about his doubts, mishaps and offers the occassional insight life has provided him with to pass along.

Persepolis is our second feature. Based on the comic book (graphic novel if you insist on such a term) by Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi both who also directed and wrote the film. The story is based on Satrapi's experience as a young Iranian girl growing up in a time and country in conflict. It too shares a humour and pathos similar to Mary and Max though with a more decidedly political edge. The film features Chiara Mastroianni (daughter of Catherine Deneuve and Marcello Mastroianni) as Marjanne, and Catherine Deneuve as her mother.

Here the animation, mostly black and white in keeping with the artistry of the book, is sparse and simplistic and yet the characterization is dense and fully evolved.

The interviews feature several top Canadian animators including Robin Budd and Oscar winner Chris Landreth who speak to the importance of animation in cinema and why it quite often can acheive a kind of dramatic impact life-action films cannot reach.

This is the first time Saturday Night at the Movies has aired an animated double feature. It is also one of the most anticipated evenings for the SNAM team. It's not so much that we are experimenting with a genre and anticipating the results, rather it is an occassion where we've found two exceptional films and can't wait to share them.

Repertoir Cinema Changes It's Rep - True Story

Thom Ernst — Thu, 15 Mar 12 17:06:51 GMT

Toronto cinÃ¨philes love the Bloor Cinema. It's been the home of classic films, independent cinema, festival screenings, student films, second run features, foreign titles, cult favourites, genre movies and the occasional refuge for the experimental and the arty. The Bloor is as much home in the Annex neighbourhood as is Honest Ed's and just as unpretentious. It is the diametrical opposite of TIFF Bell Lightbox with the exception that both institutes celebrate great movies. (note: Toronto Underground Cinema is likely closer to being the diametrical opposite of TIFF Bell Lightbox just so long as we don't push the comparison to include the few 'adult-only' movies houses left scattered throughout the city - I'm talking about you, Metro.)

A few years back The Bloor broke away from the festival group which included the Royal, Revue, Kingsway, and Fox. It was a sad parting for festival group members who now had to scratch off the Bloor from their paper thin wallet sized membership cards. But the Bloor continued to thrive with less second-run film screenings in order to offer more exclusive independent cinema. Soon we became comfortable toting around two membership cards, one for the festival cinemas and one for the Bloor.

But the economy was not kind to repertoire movie houses. We watched helplessly as one theater after another began to close their doors. Some, like the Revue, were rescued by concerned neighbours to become community run non-profit theaters. There has got to be a documentary in that story.

When it came time for the Bloor to consider its options, we feared the worse. Close it's doors and erect a condo? Yikes.

We're all for inner-city development but a condominium in the heart of the Annex, so close to the Broadway lit lights of Honest Ed's, seemed not only wrong, but sacrilegious.

Along came Hoc Docs Blue Ice Group, who I suppose were scouting for a new home. I confess that I am foggy as to just exactly who the players are and I am unclear as to who approached who but the Bloor was saved, renovated and became the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema.

(Note: I attempted to call the number The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema provided to clear up these questions - but their mailbox was full. Frustrating, but certainly a good sign for the investors.)

The changes within the cinema are both familiar (same domed light fixtures along the walls, same small washrooms and balcony options, and same foyer entering the theater) and dramatic (a glass partition dividing concession booth and movie screen, comfortable seating, and new fixtures in the washrooms)

The big change, as you might suspect from the crowning title, The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, is that the theater now features documentary films. But if a theater can't keep afloat showing second run features, can it draw enough people in for documentaries?

Programmer Robin Smith (President of KinoSmith Inc ) has no doubt. "I believe this is almost an essential service for Toronto," says Smith. Smith cites the success of the Hot Docs festival and the increasing amount of docs showing up on other media outlets such as iTunes and Netflix. "Documentaries have always been a strong genre for Toronto movie lovers. Audiences are more hungry for docs then ever and developed a large appetite for real stories on real people, real events and real news."

Jane Jankovic, supervising producer and commissioning editor for TVO's documentary and drama unit confirms Smith's take, "Hot Docs is recognized as one of the leading documentary festivals in the world." says Jankovic, "Taking over the Bloor Cinema and dedicating it to documentary screenings is a clear indication of the relevance and growing popularity of documentaries today."

It appears that more and more people are able to reference a documentary film: Roger & Me (1989), Undefeated (2011), Manufactured Landscapes (2006), The Corporation (2003), The Times of Harvey Milk (1984), Grey Gardens (1975) have become familiar titles to all kinds of movie-goers.

Certainly TVO who has long been leading the way in airing documentary cinema in Ontario, has seen great success with Doc Studio.

But even this theater dedicated to honouring and showcasing documentary films leave the door open for other options. Example, the documentary featured tonight (March 19th) at 6:30 pm is Corman's World: The Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel. It is followed by a 9pm screening of Roger Corman's The Pit and The Pendulum (1961). Okay, Pit and Pendulum is not a doc, but a fitting companion to Corman's World, which is a doc.

Regardless. It's enough to get me out to the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema tonight.

10 Tips for Watching Lars Von Trierâs Beautiful Melancholia

Alexander Huls — Wed, 14 Mar 12 13:54:00 GMT

With Lars von Trier’s Melancholia – one of last year’s most heralded movies –out on Blu-Ray and DVD, many of you are probably going to check out what all the hoopla was about. If you’re anything like me, you might be going into it with a few misplaced preconceptions, so to ensure you are in the right place to fully appreciate and process Von Trier’s gorgeous, accomplished cinematic masterpiece, here are a few tips for watching Melancholia.

1. Forget about Lars Von Trier’s Comments at Cannes

Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way. Yes, Von Trier said some catastrophically stupid things at the Cannes Film Festival, but don’t let that affect your viewing experience. If ever there is a case where you should consider the art, not the artist, Melancholia is it.

2. Believe Kirsten Dunst Can Act

Kirsten Dunst hasn’t exactly cultivated a reputation of being her generation’s greatest actress. Forget all about that. Von Trier has many accomplishments in Melancholia, but perhaps none as impressive as the performance he excavates from Dunst. Who knew she had this in her? It isn’t just the best work of the actress’ career; it was some of the best work of 2011 – by any actor.

3. Be Patient with the Opening Overture

Von Trier begins the film with a Richard Wagner inspired visual overture that uses extreme slow-motion images over eight minutes to evoke works of art and foreshadow the movies events. It simultaneously visually sets up the film’s themes. It’s a visually stunning sequence, but those going into the movie anticipating a pretentious art film might have their suspicions immediately confirmed.

Don’t succumb to that. Don’t worry about the images making sense. Don’t worry about what the director is intending with them. Enjoy their visceral, stunning beauty. Take them in as you would a painting in the museum. Because what starts out as the movie’s most impenetrable part, ends up being one of its greatest moments as the film unfolds and those images start to make sense. Don’t be surprised if when you’re done watching Melancholia you’ll find yourself immediately going back and re-watching the Overture.

4. Know That the World Ends and Everyone Dies – And That’s Not a Spoiler

It’s really not a spoiler, I swear. It’s set-up immediately in the Opening Overture when the Planet Melancholia smashes Earth like an egg. In other words, Von Trier doesn’t want you sitting there in suspense waiting to see how the heroes will survive. Von Trier wants you focused on the emotions, the characters, and the heartbreaking intimacy of a few insular people coming to terms with the fear and the reality of the apocalypse. That, and Von Trier’s effective building towards the inevitable end make Melancholia one of the best apocalyptic movies ever made.

5. Laugh – You’re Supposed To

Yes, this is undoubtedly an art movie that invovles end of the world, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t funny. Despite all the conflicts and drama in Part 1 of Melancholia, it is undoubtedly funny. So if you find a hearty guffaw coming at the various shenanigans and scenarios that play out throughout the melodramatic (sometimes campy) wedding, let it out. Besides, when is the last time you had the pleasure of letting Kiefer Sutherland make you laugh? Well, in something that doesn’t involve a Christmas tree anyway.

6. Resist the Temptation to Judge Justine

For all the progress that has been made in establishing depression as the serious affliction it is, there are still stigmas, skepticisms, and misunderstandings. It might be easy to quickly dismiss Justine as a cold, selfish jerk in Part 1 of Melancholia based on her attitudes, behavior and decisions. Judgmental dismissal is unfair however because she is no more in control of her destructive tendencies than her metaphorical avatar in the film – the planet Melancholia. Her decisions don’t come from an unhappiness she chooses, but one she can’t escape. She tries to be happy, but her crippling depression makes that an act that she can’t maintain – whether for herself or others. Melancholia isn’t a movie about a bad person, but a heartbreaking portrayal of a woman who is trapped by an inescapable suffering that controls her more than she it. That’s why you should also …

7. Know That This Isn’t Really a Movie About the Apocalypse, But About Depression

As Monika Bartyzel of Movies.com excellent Girls on Film column put it, Justine’s actions – and by extension all of Melancholia’s – are a provocation for those who don’t understand depression. The movie is arguably one of the richest and most realistic depictions of the affliction ever put to the film, so much so that movie critics like Trevor Link can write amazing analytical (and bravely personal) pieces like this one, documenting just how accurate Melancholia is in representing depression. Frankly, it should be mandatory post-viewing reading for anyone who sees the movie.

This isn’t an easy movie, nor is depression an easy subject. But it’s important to know this is what Melancholia is about. There will be people who will be inclined to think Justine is a jerk, that she should just snap out of it, and that she can be as easily fixed as her brother-in-law believes. It’s not that simple – whether in the movie or in real life. Watch Melancholia knowing it’s about depression and you may understand the affliction better than you did before.

8. Know that Melancholia’s Two Parts Do Relate to Each Other

In the same way that some critics and audiences had trouble reconciling the relevance of the formation sequence in Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life with the rest of the movie, many also had problems finding the relevance of the Wedding Reception in Part 1 of Melancholia in the events of Part 2. They do relate though in the sense that where Part 1 sets up Justine’s melancholia and the actions that challenge you to understand her, Part 2 shows how it’s her affliction that makes her so well equipped to deal with the tragedy of the world ending. If Part 1 is the establishing of Justine’s depression and people’s unfair reactions to it, then Part 2 is the redemption.

9. It’s About the End of the World, But It’s More Optimistic Than You Might Think

Trevor Link also beautifully covers this in his article, acknowledging that through Melancholia Von Trier is in a way composing a supportive love letter to those who share his affliction. The end of the film seems to suggest that as difficult as depression is, there may be place for it, there is possible purpose and redemption to be found. Even if you remove that theme from the film, there’s still a sweet optimism to the movie’s final moments about family coming together in the ways they should – by casting aside all the tangled complexities of interrelationships and simply sharing love and space. It’s why the final destructive image of Melancholia is so beautiful, powerful, and lingering. It achieves a sort of euphoric, pure state of peace and acceptance that we so rarely achieve in life but constantly long for. You somehow walk away lifted, not defeated.

10. Watch it in HD/Blu-Ray

Just like last year’s Tree of Life, Melancholia is a movie so visually stunning you have to see it on Blu-Ray – even if only for the gorgeous Overture and final image alone. You must rent/buy/stream this in HD to truly be able to bask in the film’s visual splendor.

About the Disc: Though the featurettes on Melancholia do feature some of requisite, every-day behind-the-scenes, superficial chatter about intentions and process, they do surprise with more than that. Perhaps it’s because the film is such elevated material, but Von Trier and Dunst here talk quite openly about the movie’s themes and do a good bit of analyzing for the audience – including explaining the connection between the two parts. There are also a few glimpses into Von Trier’s processes, which given the man’s methods, is always a fascinating opportunity. The featurettes are short and well worth checking out.

Why Timecrimes Is the Best Time Travel Movie You Havenât Seen

Alexander Huls — Tue, 13 Mar 12 08:45:19 GMT

I love time travel movies. I love the inherent fun, coolness and universal appeal of the concept with all the what-ifs and what-would-I-dos it inspire. I love how they are cinema’s brain-teasers. Which is funny, because I suck at brain teasers, and ergo also at understanding time travel in movies. Every time I try, I can literally feel my brain stall in the middle of my neuropathic highway when I’ve reached the threshold of my limited cognitive abilities, feel the untold brain cells martyred due to over-exertion. Sounds unpleasant, but it’s another reason why I love time travel movies. It’s kind of like how people who are completely terrified by horror movies masochistically go to see them for precisely that reason.

All of this means I seek out any time travel movie I can, which is why when I stumbled upon some positive buzz about a low-budget Spanish time travel movie I immediately scoured the city to track down a copy to watch.

There’s a good chance you’ve never heard of Nacho Vigalondo’s Timecrimes, but let me assure you it’s one of the best time travel movies ever made.

Here’s the Timecrimes set-up: When Hector arrives home and after getting a strange phone call sees through binoculars a woman mysteriously undressing in the woods. When he goes into the forest to check on her, he suddenly gets stabbed in the arm by a man whose face is completely wrapped in bandages. In attempting to flee Hector stumbles upon a secluded research complex where a young man helps him hide in a machine. When Hector comes out he comes to realize he has traveled back in time.

Saying any more would give away all the fun twists and turns of the movie, but know that there’s no traveling to the times of dinosaurs, medieval knights, flying cars or hoverboards in Timecrimes. The movie smartly realizes that the only high concept it needs is the time travel itself – no big budget bells and whistles needed. It remains refreshingly simple by keeping its time-warping shenanigans low-scale and throwing in mystery, thriller and horror elements. There’s no lengthy expositional techno-speak, no end-of-the-world scenario. Time travel just exists – no explanation needed – and Hector’s relatively calm practical reaction to his situation lets us take it all in and suspend our disbelief quite easily.

The movie also smartly keeps things character-based by focusing on one relatable, unlucky man who stumbles into the unfortunate situation of having to desperately try to save himself without unravelling time itself. It’s his everdayness, and his recognizable motivations that let us realize something we often don’t in time travel movies: the inherent tragedy of the time traveler who can’t go home. As a result we’re invested in Hector’s journey.

Timecrimes isn’t just good at investing you in Hector and the story. The movie may be simple in its approach, but it isn’t in its ambitions and execution. It’s a tightly and intelligently scripted movie that is as smart as it is entertaining. What’s more Vigalondo enjoys creating a brain-teaser that deliberately toys with the audience, setting-up pieces you know are going to come into play later. The fun is trying to figure out how and then feeling the satisfaction when it clicks into place. The joy is when it turns out there’s still more than meets the eye. It’s a suspenseful tease that keeps you guessing till the end and trying to keep up with the time traveling twists and turns will contort your mind into a pretzel, but unlike other entries in the genre, there are no shortcuts to make everything work. It all fits. It all makes sense.

I think.

Like I said, I suck at understanding time travel movies. I like to think that what I don’t suck at is recognizing good time travel movies, and without a doubt Timecrimes is one of the best ones you’ll come across.

What do you think the best time travel movies are? If you've seen Timecrimes do you think it's worthy of being considered one of the best?

Saturday Features: Zulu & Four Feathers - How to Watch an Old Movie

Thom Ernst — Wed, 07 Mar 12 12:03:28 GMT

Social political awareness has a habit of interfering with my love of old films. Movies that maintain an antiquated sense of what was and what wasn't acceptable can make the experience of watching an old movie laughable at best, uncomfortable at worse.

Classic films like The Birth of a Nation may be a wonderfully constructed but it's unlikely it can be watched without cringing when the Klu Klux Klan rides in like heroes to the rescue.

Even director Preston Sturges who I adore uses unfortunate colloquialisms that were perfectly acceptable at the time but now come across as racially insensitive. No need to repeat them here. There's a running gag in The Miracle at Morgan's Creek (the movie I still list as my all time favourite) where the frustrated but lovable single father Constable Edmund Kockenlocker (William Demarest) gears up to boot his daughters in their backsides, misses and falls to the floor. It's funny, but as my friend Steve observed, "I suppose in the 40s child abuse was okay as long as your weren't good at it."

So how will we accept Zulu when it airs this weekend on Saturday Night at the Movies?

Zulu is director Cy Endfield's rousing adventure drama based on the real life battle between British soldiers and Zulu warriors on Rourke's Drift. It's a tale, not unlike the Alamo, where a group of soldiers are up against insurmountable odds. Being outnumbered is usually enough to gain an audience's sympathy except when the soldiers are outnumbered by people protecting their own land and their own way of life. The enemies in Zulu, if indeed the film has enemies, would be the Zulu warriors - a rather questionable status considering the film takes place in Zululand.

If you are able remove the politics from the film and push aside any distasteful imagery where 'might is right', than Zulu can be enjoyed with the zeal and excitement of a lad caught up in a copy of Boy's Own . But if you choose to take in account that colonialism, despite any good intentions of bringing in a infrastructure to a barren land, caused more issue than solutions, caused millions of lives to be uprooted and pushed into subservient roles, caused entire cultures to disband and disappear, than rooting for the British soldiers is bound to be difficult.

But Cy Endfield does something remarkable with Zulu - something made more remarkable considering he did it in 1964 long before anone dared to imagine that colonialism could be anything but positive. Endfield gives the warriors character, strength and honour. For the British he offers up Stanley Baker, Michael Caine (his first role) and Jack Hawkins as our guides as well as the men we are most likely to side with, but he also establishes the Zulu warriors as brave, valiant and worthy opponents.

These warriors are feared but not because Endfield portrays them as frightening caricatures of African savages. They are feared because they are men - passionate soldiers driven to protect their home and families. It's something that even the men they are attacking become aware of.

Zulu is told from the eyes of the British soldiers, but those eyes see not only the Zulus as the enemy, but also see how they themselves are an enemy to the Zulu.

The narrative does not completely allow for the kind of balanced ideology one might hope for were the film remade today. And indeed, a film called Zulu is set to be released in 2013 starring Orlando Bloom and Djimon Hounsou but that story is set in contemporary Zululand with no connection to the 1964 film. But Zulu stands out now, as it did in '64 because it's an action film without the cartoon-like villains. Zulu shows respect for the men who will do whatever they can to keep what is theirs - and a show of respect can go a long way.

SNAM at the 32nd Annual Genie Awards: A Night of Celebration, Appreciation and Encouragement

Alexander Huls — Wed, 07 Mar 12 09:00:00 GMT

Canadian Film has been suffering an identity crisis for a long time. It seems at least once a year – often around the time of the Genie Awards – someone writes an article about the various problems with our national cinema: the complicated financing, the unwillingness of Canadians to support their own movies, the rarity of getting our movies recognized on an international level, the struggle for English Canadian cinema to succeed in quality as much as its French Canadian counterpart, and the challenges of juggling art versus commerce.

There seems to be a constant cloud of defeatism over Canadian Cinema. It seems like we’re being perpetually reminded something’s wrong with it, whether it’s the Ottawa Citizen asking “Who’s afraid of Canadian film? We are” or the Times Colonist pointing out “[the] lingering problem with Canadian cinema may well be that it’s, well, Canadian.”

That’s why it was such a pleasure attending the 32nd Annual Genie Awards with our resident Saturday Night at the Movies host, Thom Ernst. Held at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto, the event was one of the few times and places where there were no doubts or hesitancy about Canadian film – only celebration, appreciation and encouragement. Whether it was the Cocktail Party prior to the Broadcast, the show itself, or the Gala Party afterwards, the evening seemed to be practically buzzing with excitement, mutual support and Canadianness. Everyone seemed to be proud of their work, proud of each other’s work, and proud to be Canadian filmmakers and film supporters – no ifs, ands, or buts.

It helps of course that Canadian films are making it increasingly easier to celebrate. The quality of movies in the last several years seem to be compounding into critical mass that might very well tip us into a full-fledged Renaissance and more attention. People seem to be starting to notice, whether it’s the critical success of Sarah Polley’s Away From Her, the Oscar Nominations for Incendies and Monsieur Lazhar (the former making many International Critics’ Top 10 of the Year lists), the critical success of CafÃ© de Flore and the box office success of Starbuck.

It was Monsieur Lazhar, CafÃ© de Flore and Starbuck that shone last night at the Genie Awards, in a memorable night that was deftly hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos. Monsieur Lazhar in particular cemented its reputation as the best Canadian film had to offer this year by winning Best Picture, Director, and Original Screenplay. There were many memorable moments throughout the evening – including Viggo Mortensen’s amusing acceptance speech that revealed him to be a Montreal Canadians fan – but the one that stuck the most appropriate note for the evening was Monsieur Lazhar director, Philippe Falardeau, acceptance speech for winning Best Director.

He shared his award with his fellow Canadian filmmakers, encouraging them to make personal films to “[be] persistent. Be wild. Be bold. Be a little delinquent. Take risks, and something good is bound to happen.”

With the debate around Canadian cinema all too often being centered on how to get a movie seen, and how to make it as commercially viable as possible, it was a refreshing reminder that we Canadian filmmakers should never lose sight of what is most important: making unique, good stories and films. If Monsieur Lazhar – along with Away From Her, Starbuck and Incendies – are proving, if you do that, then the appreciation will come.

For more on Canadian Cinema, check out Thom’s The Top 6 Canadian Films of 2011 List and his consideration of whether Canadian films are getting better or are we just learning to appreciate them.

Are Canadian Films Getting Better Or Are We Just Learning How to Appreciate Them?

Mon, 05 Mar 12 12:26:42 GMT

It use to be that when someone, usually a Canadian, would describe a film as being 'Canadian' we knew they thought the movie was earnest, self-important, bleak and basically a sub-par imitation of American cinema. The prevalent assumption was that Canadians were not equipped to compete in the bigger market. But then people, like the late Bob Clark, got the imitation right with Porky's, Black Christmas, A Christmas Story as well as Peter Medak's The Changeling (earning the first Genie Award in 1980 for best picture). .

Something else happened. David Cronenberg started making films and it was clear he was not interested in imitating anyone. The international world of cinema took notice. Cronenberg's films were distinct, maybe even distinctly Canadian, a term that could now mean, unique, non-traditional, impactful and smart. His films could provoke anger (Crash) confusion (eXistenZ), they could freak people out (Videodrome) and they could push us to the limits of our willingness to suspend disbelief (Shivers, Naked Lunch.) But through it all Cronenberg earned the reputation of being a master that even his fellow Canadians could appreciate

Other masters would follow; Patricia Rozema, Atom Egoyan, Bruce MacDonald and Guy Maddin all became names that as familiar to filmgoers in the U.S.A. and Europe as they are here. Today if someone were to grumble about a film being 'Canadian' we would have the right to assume that that person lsn't up on the current state of cinema.

Is this because Canadian cinema is improving or has it always been good and it's the filmgoers who're getting better?

Canadian filmmakers had time to grow within the industry and I assume budgets are better today than they were (although it does cost more to make so it might be a moot point). We now reap the benefits of having educated filmmakers coming out of York University, University of Toronto, The Weengushk Film Institute and The Canadian Film Centre to say nothing of the contribution that TIFF has made to Canadian cinema and, with apologies for the self-recognition, 38 years of Saturday Night at the Movies and The Interviews.

But does this advancement in technology, education and budget dismiss the works that came in the years B.C. (Before Cronenberg)? Not at all. If anything, the new voices of Canadian cinema have cleared the path for us to appreciate the classics. Goin' Down the Road, The Rowdyman, Who Has Seen the Wind? and Nobody Waved Goodbye, may have the same rudimentary look as they did when we first saw them, but now the effect seems less about a lack of resources and more about choices. Turns out it wasn't earnestness after all that was plaguing Canadian, it was sincerity. And the clearer the voices of Canadian filmmakers become the better equipped we seem able to understanding the voices of Canadian filmmakers past.

In a recent appearance on CBC's Fresh Air with Mary Ito, I was able to provide a list of top Canadian Films to revisit. I purposefully left out the films of Cronenberg and Egoyan to allow more room for 'lesser' known movies to get some air time. And for the same reason I also eliminated the temptation to include the classics.

But first, here are 5 films I forgot to put on the list that should definitely not be missed.

1/ Last Night - Don McKellar's brilliant treatise on the end of the World.

2/ Wetlands - Guy Ãdoin - a gripping and fearless family drama.

3/ Zooey & Adam - Sean Garrity - criminally underrated film about a couple who fail to conceive only to have the wife get pregnant after being rape. Tough but impossible to ignore.

4/ The Reflecting Skin - Philip Ridley - More David Lynch than David Lynch. A creeping story of a young boy who's worst fantasies seem to be integrating with his real life.

5/ In The Company of Strangers aka Strangers in Good Company - Cynthia Scott - Almost a documentary but it's not which makes this film about a group of stranded seniors all the more impressive.

And now here is the list I presented on CBC Fresh Air:

1/ Monsieur Lazhar (2010) and It's Not Me, I Swear (2008) Phillipe Falardeau

2/ Away From Her (2007) Sarah Polley

4/ Silent Partner (1978) Daryl Duke

5/ Incendies (2010) and Polytechnique (2009) Denis Villeneuve

6/ The Grey Fox (1983) Phillip Borsos

7/ C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005) Jean- Marc Vallee

8/ Small Town Murder Songs (2010) Ed Gass-Donnelly

9/ The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974) Ted Kotcheff

10/ You Are Here (II) (2010) Daniel Cockburn

Mutt See Dog Movies

Thom Ernst — Sun, 04 Mar 12 13:00:01 GMT

I'm not saying that Uggie, the cute Jack Russell Terrier is the reason The Artist won best picture, but I think he yelped - I mean, helped. The Artist requires that you buy into it's charm and certainly it has an abundance of perfectly quaint and charming scenes. But when Uggie steps in, even the most reluctant viewer will find it rough not to warm up to

It's been that way for years; if you want a movie to appeal to a wide audience put in a dog because it's not just how cute everyone thinks the dog is, it's how cute everyone thinks the people become when around the dog. No one played a better straight-man (beast?) to Nick and Nora Charles of The Thin Man (1934) series than their beloved wire-hair fox terrier, Asta and nothing touched us more than Timmy's love for his dog, Lassie.

In The Wizard of Oz Dorothy's dog Toto (played by a canine actor named Terry) didn't just roll over and play dead when he discovered he had to compete with a fleet of flying monkeys and a village of munchkins. Nope. Terry bit into the role of Toto without chewing up so much as a glass slipper let alone the scenery.

Even Stephen King manipulated the collective consciousness of our love for dogs when he messed up our sentiments with Cujo. Who among us didn't think Cujo didn't get a bad rap went he was bitten by that rabid bat. Now who does that to a loveable Saint Bernard? Shame on you, Stephen.

TVOKids very successful and popular Sunday Family Movie noticed a jump in viewers when Benji leaped up on the screen.

Recently Disney Studios released Lady and the Tramp, on blu-ray non-the-less. Lady and the Tramp has become iconic if only for the back-alley restaurant scene where, serenaded by two Italian restaurateurs, Tramp courts Lady with a spaghetti dinner that ends in an impromptu kiss.

Lady and the Tramp is the film we all think we've seen, even when we haven't. There are a lot of great things about being a parent of a young child and one of them is having the excuse to revisit our childhood films - or check out the childhood films we missed. And so, under the guise of entertaining my five-year old, I watch Lady and the Tramp for the first time and yes, even in animation dogs work. .

But the animated movie dog works differently than the live-action movie dog. In live-action films we love dogs for being dogs even though they might be capable of pulling off astounding tricks whereas our own pets act like getting down from the couch is a feat worth applauding. In animation the dogs take on human characteristics. That provides it's own kind of charm and fun. With very little alterations from the script Lady and the Tramp could have been an adult themed comedy the likes of which may have appealed to directors Frank Capra, Preston Sturges,or Mitchell Leisen.

My five-year loved the pooches smooching, the sultry Peg (played by Peggy Lee) and the (questionably racial stereotyping) of Si and Am (also played by Peggy Lee) the arrogant Siamese Cats.

There are no immediate 'dog' films coming up in the SNAM schedule. Dogfight (airing April ND) ironically does not have a dog in it, and the animated Mary & Max (airing March 17) has a pet chicken but no dog. It's a theme worth investigating - Mutt Movies.

There's just something about a dog in a movie that makes us feel like we have a new leash on life.

Saturday Features: Volver & All About My Mother- 10 Things I've Learned About Penelope Cruz That You Already Know

Thom Ernst — Fri, 02 Mar 12 15:18:13 GMT

I'll confess that celebrity news is not my thing. I know the basics like Christian Bale doesn't like his eye line blocked or that Tom proposed to Katie Holmes atop the Eiffel Tower (I'm told that my daughter looks like Suri in non-designer clothes) but even at those moments the details are compromised by my lack of interest. It's not that I think I'm too good to listen to celebrity gossip, it's just that there's so much of it I can't keep up. And besides, I always have my wife to fill me in on the details.

So it's not reasonable for me to blog about Penelope Cruz without some research. The search was easy. It's not that Penelope is trying to hide from us, and it's not likely she is withholding anything that needs to be hidden. In fact - you probably know everything there is to know about Penelope - It's me who's learned a lot.

1/ Penelope Cruz is an actress who takes her work seriously (even I knew that) but when it came time to star in Lars Von Trier's Melancholia, she backed out to play a secondary role in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

2/ Penelope's men have included Nacho Cano, Faiz Ahmad, Tom Cruise, Matt Damon, Josh Harnett, Matthew McConaughy, and now (husband) Javier Bardem. Seriously - I only knew about Tom.

3/ She was once in a David Copperfield illusion where she was sawed in half with an antique buzz saw - Apparently the same saw used by Orson Welles to saw Marlene Dietrich, Rita Hayworth and Marilyn Monroe. This is a double find since I didn't know Orson Welles was an illusionist. Or was he?

4/ Penelope and Javier are fans of the television show Glee...but I can only assume that tidbit of news came out in the early days of Glee...certainly not after The Rocky Horror Picture Show fiasco.

5/ Although currently married to long-time partner Javier Bardem (long-time? I didn't even know they knew each other) she once claimed to not believe in marriage stating. "I don't know if I believe in marriage. I believe in family, love, and children."

6/ Her younger brother, Eduardo Cruz, is a composer, performs in a rock band and is in a relationship with Eva Longoria

7/ Penelope spent a week volunteering at Mother Teresa's Children Sanctuary in Calcutta.

8/ Penelope spent 2 months in Uganda to do volunteer work.

9/ Will be in Woody Allen's next film project, Nero Fiddled.

10/ Her last name is Sanchez.

And now, like you, I'm up to date on my Penelope Cruz trivia.

You Say Oscar, We Say Genies

Thom Ernst — Tue, 28 Feb 12 13:58:46 GMT

There may be a pool somewhere going around predicting the Genie Awards but if there is, it's very 'inside industry'. That's okay because just as the better films of Canada don't need to imitate American cinema neither do the Genie's need to imitate the Oscars. Besides, picking a Genie winner is far harder than predicting who might win an Oscar. For one thing, the politics behind voting for a Genie hasn't quite gelled into something that one can sufficiently base an educated guess on.

Also, (and here is where the Oscars have it over us) there isn't so much buzz surrounding one film over another that guessing best picture becomes a no-brainer. Even having an internationally recogonized director such as David Cronenberg whose film A Dangerous Method is up for best picture, can't secure a vote that might considered a shoe-in.

As to who will win a Gemini, all bets are off. And when all bets are off there is usually no one betting therefore: No Genie pool.

But when two of the best films to come out in 2011 were Canadian than inside-industry or not, it's time to take the Genie to the streets.

Below is the complete list of nominations. I have bolded my choice to win (with a slight explanation) from the categories I feel I can offer a qualified guess choice to win.

BEST MOTION PICTURE

A DANGEROUS METHOD
CAFÃ DE FLORE
MONSIEUR LAZHAR: It's already won the Toronto Critics Association Award for Best Canadian Feature. Just missed out winning an Oscar.
STARBUCK
THE WHISTLEBLOWER

ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN

JEAN BÃCOTTE - Funkytown
AIDAN LEROUX, ROB HEPBURN - Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster
JAMES MCATEER - A Dangerous Method - Because it's a period piece that stands out from the rest.
EMELIA WEAVIND - The Bang Bang Club

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY

MIROSLAW BASZAK, C.S.C. - The Bang Bang Club: Tough category. This because it is mostly out doors on location and because it's beautifully shot.
JON JOFFIN - Daydream Nation
JEAN-FRANÃOIS LORD - Snow & Ashes
RONALD PLANTE - Monsieur Lazhar

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN

DENISE CRONENBERG - A Dangerous Method - could go to Keyhole but not enough people saw it. Again...a period piece seperating it from the rest.
FARNAZ KHAKI-SADIGH - Afghan Luke
HEATHER NEALE - Keyhole
MARIE-CHANTALE VAILLANCOURT – Funkytown

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTION

DAVID CRONENBERG - A Dangerous Method
STEVEN SILVER - The Bang Bang Club
PHILIPPE FALARDEAU - Monsieur Lazhar - One of the most seamlessly crafted films to come out in a long time - Canadian or otherwise. Falardeau owns every scene.
LARYSA KONDRACKI - The Whistleblower

ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING

JEAN-FRANÃOIS BERGERON - The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom
MICHAEL CZARNECKI - In Darkness
PATRICK DEMERS - Jaloux
STÃPHANE LAFLEUR - Monsieur Lazhar - Moments linger, moments pass quickly. A great sensibility of timing in this film that could only come from the editing.
RONALD SANDERS, C.C.E. A.C.E. - A Dangerous Method

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKE-UP (No pick. I wouldn't know where to begin to choose one over the other)

AMBER MAKAR - Amazon Falls
VIRGINIE PARÃ - BumRush
TAMMY LOU PATE - Snow & Ashes
LESLIE ANN SEBERT, DAVID R. BEECROFT - Take This Waltz

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC - ORIGINAL SCORE

RAMACHANDRA BORCAR - Jaloux
MYCHAEL DANNA - The Whistleblower - Danna 's score does exactly what a film score should do - compliment rather than subdue.
MARTIN LÃON - Monsieur Lazhar
PHILIP MILLER - The Bang Bang Club
HOWARD SHORE - A Dangerous Method

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC - ORIGINAL SONG

JAY BRANNAN - Cloudburst - My Love My Love
CAROLE FACAL - Starbuck - Quelque part
MALAJUBE - Good Neighbours - Oeil pour Oeil
STEVEN PAGE - French Immersion - A Different Sort of Solitude
JEAN ROBITAILLE, STEVE GALLUCCIO, KIM RICHARDSON - Funkytown - Waiting for your Touch - Because the film is called Funkytown. It better win best song.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE (P.S. - they all deserve their award but...)

FELLAG - Monsieur Lazhar
GARRET DILLAHUNT - Oliver Sherman
MICHAEL FASSBENDER - A Dangerous Method - He's good- He'd be great to see on stage and He got ripped out of a Oscar Nom for SHAME.
PATRICK HUARD - Starbuck
SCOTT SPEEDMAN - Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

ANTOINE BERTRAND - Starbuck
KEVIN DURAND - Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster
MARIN GERRIER - CafÃ© de Flore - The film is so touching that at least one of the performances, Marin's in particular, is bound to be recognized.
TAYLOR KITSCH - The Bang Bang Club
VIGGO MORTENSEN - A Dangerous Method

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

CATHERINE DE LÃAN - Nuit #1
PASCALE MONTPETIT - The Girl in the White Coat
RACHEL WEISZ - The Whistleblower
MICHELLE WILLIAMS - Take This Waltz - Williams carries this film with a grace that plays perfectly to the script and Polley's direction.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

ROXANA CONDURACHE - The Whistleblower
JULIE LEBRETON - Starbuck
SOPHIE NÃLISSE - Monsieur Lazhar
CHARLOTTE SULLIVAN - Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster

ACHIEVEMENT IN OVERALL SOUND

PIERRE BERTRAND, SHAUN NICHOLAS GALLAGHER, BERNARD GARIÃPY STROBL MonsieurLazhar
LOU SOLAKOFSKI, STEPHAN CARRIER, KIRK LYNDS - The Bang Bang Club - sound is an essential force in this film from gunshots to camera snaps.
FOREST SUSHKO, CHRISTIAN COOKE - A Dangerous Method

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING (Again - anything would be a guess...but do check out both You Are Here and Wetlands even if they don't win)

FRED BRENNAN, JAMES BASTABLE, GABE KNOX, MARILEE YORSTON, KEVIN SCHULTZ - You Are Here
WAYNE GRIFFIN, ROB BERTOLA, TONY CURRIE, ANDY MALCOLM, MICHAEL O'FARRELL - A Dangerous Method
JEREMY MACLAVERTY, DANIEL PELLERIN, GEOFF RAFFAN, JAN RUDY, JOHN SIEVERT, JAMES MARK STEWART - In Darkness

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

ANNE ÃMOND - Nuit #1
EILIS KIRWAN, LARYSA KONDRACKI - The Whistleblower
KEN SCOTT, MARTIN PETIT - Starbuck - One of the funniest scripts to make it to the screen in a long time. Quick, smart and Fresh.
RYAN WARD, MATTHEW HEITI - Son of the Sunshine

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

PHILIPPE FALARDEAU - Monsieur Lazhar - The choices made by Falardeau in his direction are surpassed only by the choices he made in adapting this to a screenplay.
RYAN REDFORD - Oliver Sherman
DAVID SHAMOON - In Darkness
STEVEN SILVER - The Bang Bang Club

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS

DENNIS BERARDI, MATHEW BORRETT, MIKE BORRETT, WILSON CAMERON, OVIDIU CINAZAN, JASON EDWARDH, OLIVER HEARSEY, JIM PRICE, MILAN SCHERE, WOJCIECH ZIELINSKI - A Dangerous Method - Visual effects are part of the film and more evident here than in the other nominees .
ÃVE BRUNET, JACQUES LÃVESQUE, PHILIPPE ROBERGE - Snow & Ashes
MARC CÃTÃ, STÃPHANIE BROUSSAUD, GARY CHUNTZ, VINCENT DUDOUET,
GEOFFROY LAUZON – Bum Rush
TOM TURNBULL, IAN BRITTON, ROBERT CROWTHER, TONY CYBULSKI - Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster

BEST FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY (I must leave this untouched as I have not seen any of these documentaries.)

BEAUTY DAY - Jay Cheel, Kristina McLaughlin, Kevin McMahon, Roman Pizzacalla
FAMILY PORTRAIT IN BLACK AND WHITE - Julia Ivanova, Boris Ivanov
THE GUANTANAMO TRAP - Thomas Wallner, Amit Breuer, Patrick Crowe
WIEBO'S WAR - David York, Nick Hector, C.C.E., Bryn Hughes, Bonnie Thompson

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY - Not Seen

75 WATTS - John Cullen
DERAILMENTS - Chelsea McMullan
SIRMILIK - Zacharias Kunuk, Joel McConvey, Kristina McLaughlin, Kevin McMahon,
Michael McMahon, Geoff Morrison, Ryan J. Noth

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT DRAMA - Not Seen

DOUBLES WITH SLIGHT PEPPER - Ian Harnarine
HOPE - Pedro Pires, Phoebe Greenberg, Penny Mancuso

BEST ANIMATED SHORT - Not Seen

CHOKE - Michelle Latimer
LA CITÃ ENTRE LES MURS / INNER CITY - Alain Fournier
MUYBRIDGE'S STRINGS - Koji Yamamura, Michael Fukushima, Shuzo John Shiota, Keisuke Tsuchihashi
WILD LIFE - Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby, Marcy Page, Bonnie Thompson

Saturday Features: Welcome to the Sticks and One False Move

Thom Ernst — Fri, 24 Feb 12 14:44:27 GMT

It may seem a curious pairing linking One False Move with the French comedy Welcome to the Sticks, a movie that’s not a police drama and is without a racial slant but does focus on the urban and the rural.

Both films are linked by theme of a die-hard bona-fide city person (or persons) plopped into a provincial setting. It’s just that Welcome to the Sticks sells its story soft with humour and pratfalls while the edge in One False Move is sharp and cutting.

It’s One False Move that gets most of our attention during The Interviews. We talk with director Carl Franklin, actors Jim Metzler and Michael Beach plus screenwriter Tom Epperson who penned the film with his boyhood pal Billy Bob Thorton (who also stars in the film).

The movie came out in 1990. Carl Franklin was a capable director-for-hire but Epperson and Thorton’s script (both men fresh and new to the Hollywood scene) gave Franklin a project he could really prove his skills.

Franklin is a magnificent storyteller and as an African American he knew of some of the issues facing a few of the characters in the film. And if he hadn’t then he would soon learn of those issues during the course of filming. Franklin tells a story in The Interviews of an incident where an inter-racial dance (so strange to write that) at a local bar where the film was being shot became a near life-threatening situation. And this isn’t 1960 – he’s talking late 80s early 90s.

But niether Epperson nor Thorton is black and One False Move is by no means a drama solely about what it’s like to be an African American living in the South.

Most of the story deals with a doe-eyed small town cop (Bill Paxton) who admires the big city delegates who’ve come to root out a trio of harden drug dealers hiding after committing a mass execution. Trouble is, the cops from the big city aren’t that impressed with the local law force and they do little to hide their condescending attitude.

Pullman’s cop is a simple, and for all purposes, good man. But he is given to uttering racial slurs as nonchalantly as clearing his throat. We don’t like him for it, but one suspects it comes from ignorance rather than a place of real anger or hate

Epperson and his now famous writing pal came from an area where conversations could get lazy and slip into outmoded colloquialisms.

What Epperson’s and Thorton’s script' does wonderfully and what Franklin is able to convey onscreen is that uncomfortable relationship between what we’ve been taught versus what we grew up with.

Rick Groen Reveals Our Payne

Thom Ernst — Tue, 21 Feb 12 17:19:04 GMT

The next best thing to seeing a great film is talking about a great film. It's the premise that has kept The Interviews on Saturday Night at the Movies alive for almost 40 years: Take a great movie and turn it into a great conversation. But just as a good film needs a strong focus and point-of-view, a good film conversations needs a strong and informed opinion. That's where critics and film columnists come in. Rick Groen from the Globe and Mail is one such critic.

In this past weekend's Globe Arts section (February 18, 2012) Groen writes a piece called Men in Payne. His timing could not be better, not because of the upcoming Oscar awards, but because lately I've been in need of a good argument as to why The Descendants deserves a nomination for Best Picture.

I'm of the opinion that there is no such thing as a bad Alexander Payne movie. Not everyone agrees.

I believe that the least of Payne's projects is still better than many director's best efforts. (As I was once able to say that of Woody Allen untilI stumbling upon Small Time Crooks ). There are those who would call that absurd.

I am paid to have a strong opinion about film and although I am ready and equiped to express such opinions, I've learned it's best to curb them with a courteous acknowledgement that film appreciation is a matter of taste and not an exact science. When it comes to whether a film is good or not no one comes out on top with an "I'm right, you're wrong" arguement. So when one of the higher ranking executives at TVO (someone whose film knowledge equals if not exceeds my own) tells me they didn't care for The Descendants (*gasp*) or when a co-worker wonder's why the movie is getting such acclaim I restrain my instinct to react passionately (aka poorly) and choose to simply agree to disagree.

With Groen's recent column I have another optionwhen asked why The Descendant's (or any of Payne's movies) should be recognized.

Groen writes, "Payne and his frequent co-writer, Jim Taylor are awfully adroit at serving up social tragedies as mannered comedies." That line is all the fuel you need to strike up a good conversation, but Groen gives us even more by pointing out an imbalance in the sexual politics of a Payne movie. "Payne is an equal-opportunity debunker and, in his social view, both sexes are similarly guilty of lies, deception, adultery and narcissism. It's just that women do it so much better"

To read Groen's article is not to change anyone's opinion, it simply arms you with a slant into Payne's work that may otherwise have not been considered, or considered but not acknowledge. Groen isn't asking us to like Payne, he's pointing out that there are complexities, layers and smarts in Payne's work - and that deserves recognition.

And am I small enough to quote (steal) that line in my next anti-Payne confrontation? Yes I am.

A note about Groen:

Rick Groen is not likely to appear on Saturday Night at the Movies. We want him to, and have asked many times, but the man prefers the anonymity of print. He insists that he works better with the written word rather than the glib, off-the-cuff kind of commentary required of the on-air personality.

Shame, really, because not only has he secured a reputation as one of our Canada's more renowned critics, he also has the kind of good-looks that the industry calls, camera-friendly. Perhaps he's harbouring a fear of on-air jitters, or it could be that Rick simply has no desire to be on television. As confounding as that kind of thinking is to someone like me who basks under the glow of a teleprompter, I'm forever grateful that I don't have to compete with Rick Groen for air time.

Saturday Features: The Assassination of Richard Nixon & JFK - Presidential Risks

Thom Ernst — Wed, 15 Feb 12 13:59:59 GMT

The Assassination of Richard Nixon stars Sean Penn as Samuel Bicke, loosley based on the life and death of Samuel Joseph Byck, who on 22 February 1974 attempted to hijack a Delta Air Lines DC-9 at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, in order to crash it into the White House and kill President Richard Nixon.

That the story has some truth to it is rather remarkable considering how little we know of it. When director and writer Niels Mueller, along with co-writer Kevin Kennedy, conceived of the story, they though they were dealing with something entirely fictional. Research brought to life the very real and very dangerous Samuel Joseph Byck.

There are the handful of historians out there who have always been in the loop on lthe Samuel Byck story and not knowing where he appears in history must be somewhat confounding to them...like I ge t sometimes when Canadians aren't aware of the our most notorious Mountie, Sam Steele (albeit, Steele was somewhat of a hero and not a potential assassin). Steele was the man who managed to coin the phrase "we always get out man". The quote is often better known than the man who said. it.

It's hard to imagine at what point in The Assassination of Richard Nixon where fiction steps in and fact runs out. The whole story seems so feasible and in keeping with the kind of mentality that leads to political ire and subsequently the kind of extremes exhibited by Samuel Bicke (as he is named in the film). Sean Penn pulls off one of his greatest performances since his appearance as the tightly-wound, about to spring ex con out to avenge his daughter's death in Clint Eastwood's remarkable Mystic River. Penn of course has had a stellar career of performing men on the edge. What's more, his performances, no matter how similar from one film to the other, never tires. He is always worth watching and in this film, a relatively small production that seem to come out of nowhere, his performance remains stunning.

Penn captures Bicke (Byke) as a man in a downward spiral. He lost his wife to divorce, is on the verge of losing his job, and will, within the course of the film, lose the respect and protection of his family. (Character actor Michael Wincott plays Bicke's exasperated brother in a scene that should be studied as an example of a two hander carrying the dramatic force of a full-fledge battle scene.) For Penn, Bicke is a man worthy of concern. The system seems to be playing against him, but his need to find someone other than himself to blame for this string of bad luck is easily his worse enemy. Bicke is a man who cannot help himself up. He's lost and instead of finding his way out of the woods, he's running full speed deeper into them.

Having the chance to speak with writer/director Niels Mueller offers a great deal of insight to a man history has pushed aside (even when it comes to criminals, America acknowledges only those who succeed). This may be a work of fiction - to an extent - but it is also a look into the mind of someone who is unable to seperate state from their own failings.

The Assassination of Richard Nixon should be seen. It's compelling drama that (not unlike the Titanic) is not spoiled by knowing the outcome. (You may be unaware of Samuel Byck, but you are probably aware that Nixon was never assassinated.)

This is a suspense film that relies on the intensity of it's characters. And when it comes to intensity, Penn delivers.

The Weengushk Film Institute - One More Reason to Love Manitoulin Island.

Thom Ernst — Sat, 11 Feb 12 13:59:00 GMT

It's somewhat of an Ontario past time to list the names of famous filmmakers and stars who were born in raised in our province.

Let's play: There's James Cameron from Niagara Falls, Jim Carrey from Newmarket, Rachel McAdams, Paul Haggis and Ryan Gosling from London, and Mike Myer's from Scarborough.

It's a short list I've provided, with only a few names and even less places. But to continue the exercise would require little effort. Filmmakers are popping up all across our province so I was hardly surprised to discover that our next batch of filmmakers might just come from Manitoulin Island.

The prospect are good now that Shirley Cheechoo has founded the Weengushk Film Institute

I met Shirley Cheechoo at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. We both had short films submitted into the festival but that year the show belonged to Shirley. Her short, Silent Tears, was getting the kind of acclaim and recognition usually reserved for breakout feature directors. The sold-out audience attending the short film program were there on the strength of the buzz around Silent Tears. Shirley was ecstatic and though I could be jealous that my film did not do as well, I was instead caught up in Cheechoo-mania. Silent Tears is really that good. So good in fact that if you follow a link for my film, Rosa's TIme you will find instead a description of Silent Tears - and I don't even mind..

Recently our paths crossed again. This time we were at Cinefest, Sudbury film festival that follows on the heels of TIFF. She was not there alone. With her were a number of students from the Weengushk Film Institute of which Shirley is the founder and creative director. In the time since I've last seen her Shirley not only continued to make films, both as a director and actor, but she took her passion - the one that is so clearly realized in Silent Tears - and is now sharing that same passion with young filmmakers in Northern Ontario.

It's at Cinefest that Shirley introduces me to her students. One student in particular stands out - Isaac kakegamic. The reason Isaac stands out is because he makes the effort to do so. Isaac is working on an online series as a writer due to come out sometime this spring or early summer and he wanted me to know about. Shirley is teaching him well.

Isaac tells me that the series is called Townehouse where the majority of characters are first nations. I perk up my ears. First nations filmmakers are on the rise and there is definitely a story here. But my enthusiasm is redirected somewhat by Isaac who reminds me that, despite there being a rise in First nation filmmakers, the school and Isaac himself, are interested in nurturing young filmmakers(and being nurtured as a young filmmaker) regardless of any cultural background. It's a gentle reminder how even those us with our best intentions can sometimes fall prey to a knee-jerk need to impose some sort of cultural segregation.

It's then that Isaac tells me in a bit more about the Weengushk Film Institute and suggest I visit their website. If I hadn't been sold before, I was now.

I look forward to following the path of their project - to hearing about the progress, bumps and success along the way. And I'm anxious to see where Shirley, Isaac and the Weengushk Film Institute will take the next generation of filmmakers.

Saturday Features: Big Night & Mostly Martha - Dinner in A Movie

Thom Ernst — Wed, 08 Feb 12 11:44:30 GMT

Dinner and a movie? Fine. Movie and then dinner? A great idea. But a full course meal in a movie theatre should not happen. Popcorn crunching, soft drink-sipping, and candy wrappers crinkling are bad enough but the nauseating smell of someone else's fast food taken out of the context of a food court, is just too much to endure. And so, thankfully, most people limit what they bring into a movie theatre.

However, those rules change when in the comfort of your own home, in which case, we say, "Eat Up!" particularly if you're sitting down to watch films like Big Night and Mostly Martha (airing February 11th on TVO Saturday Night at the Movies starting at 8 pm).

So in honour of great food films such as Like Water For Chocolate, The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, Babette's Feast, Chocolat, Tampopo, Eat Drink Man Woman and Soul Food, SNAM offers a list of great movies and the perfect meal to go with them!

We'll start with the obvious - the film's we are airing on Saturday and these, by the way, will be the only food related films on the list. Feel free to cook up something wonderful for yourself and who ever might be joining you...but do it before the movie starts.

1/ Big Night:(1996) No question; serve Italian. The brother's are Italian, their restaurant is Italian and even the accents are Italian (including Ian Holmes). If you're not serving Italian during this film, you should have a pretty good reason as to why not. We recommend a pasta dish which may not seem to inventive, but prepared and presented in the right way, as in this Spicy Parmesan Meatballs with Spaghetti, you can come up with a combination of great film with a new twist on the traditional meatball.

2/ Mostly Martha: (2001) Martha is feisty, controlling and in need of a companion so we've picked a meal that stands out dynamically on it's own, but is still wonderfully exquisite with a light salad, a mushroom sauce and a good friend. This one didn't take too much thought. It's easier when the film comes equip with it's only cultural references. This one is German. We suggest sticking with a traditional German dish which could mean sausage or sauerkraut but we're going with Weiner schnitzel. And don't forget the beer.

3/ The Assassination of Richard Nixon: (2004) This little gem of a flick starring Sean Penn is as underrated as the American Cheeseburger. With the right ingredients even the seemingly traditional can be spiced up to something worthy of a discerning palate. Consider director Neils Mueller's overlooked drama of a man's descent into madness and murder becomes more than just a political drama by adding incredible performances and unnerving suspense to a somewhat familiar story. The Assassination of Richard Nixon airs February 18, 2012 at 8p.m. (second feature: JFK.) Suggested drink: Coca-Cola or Pepsi. Your choice.

4/Welcome to the Sticks: (2008) French movie = French cuisine. This one might take a bit more time than the other snacks - actually, a lot more time. We suggest you go Provincial instead of urban for this French delicacy. The film is about a man moved from the city to a French rural location. So what better way to prepare yourself for re-location than to eat like the locals do. Here is a wonderful recipe straight from the backwoods of France: Confit de Canard. Welcome to the Sticks airs on SNAM February 25, 2012 at 8 pm. (second feature: One False Move) Recommended drink: You need to ask?

5/ All About My Mother: (1999) We could go two ways with director Pedro Almodovar's film: We can do Spanish cuisine or pick-up on the Mother theme and find some comfort food. But since we already have a hamburger on our list (a comfort food at my home) let's go Spanish. The meal can be as exotic, as spicy and as wild as befitting an Almodovar movie. Mixed Paella is by far my favourite but it does take FOREVER to make. If you don't feel like taking the time find your local Spanish restaurant and order it in. But homemade or pre-bought - it's worth it! All About My Mother airs on SNAM March 03, 2012. (second feature: Volver) Recommended drink: Wine or Beer.

6/ Zulu:(1964) There are two ways to look at this film; either as a story about British soldiers fighting a nation of Zulu warriors or as a story of Zulu warriors standing their ground against British soldiers. Zulu is an adventure film filled with the kind of surprises that might go against the expectations of the genre. As much as it can boast the heroics of British soldiers frightened and outnumbered it also features the gallant and brave fight the Zulu warriors put up against their would-be oppressors. Seems like the best meal to go along with this battle would come from South Africa. Try the Sweet Lamb For Ramadan. It's not nearly as difficult to make as it might seem - and you don't have to wait for Ramadan to serve it. Zulu airs on SNAM March 10, 2012 8pm. (second feature: Four Feathers) Recommended drink: Just about anything goes with lamb.

Alfred Hitchcock on Blu-Ray: Rebecca and Notorious

Alexander Huls — Wed, 08 Feb 12 11:44:30 GMT

Considering the depth of Alfred Hitchcock’s canon and the desire to see his work in high definition, the progress of the auteur’s films onto Blu-Ray has been a somewhat slow one. Psycho, North by Northwest, and The Lady Vanishes are the only ones to have made the transition so far, with MGM’s releases of Rebecca and Notorious now joining the fold.

Rebecca
Rebecca has remained a notable film in Hitchcock’s canon, largely because it marks his first American film and all the awkward growing pains that came along with that (mostly thanks to clashes with David O. Selznik as the special features on the Blu-Ray reveal). Rebecca is an interesting timepiece in the overall development of Hitchcock’s style and talent. The filmmaking confidence is certainly there, but the flair and tangible results aren’t quite as accomplished as they would be later. This is a Hitchcock still very much honing his craft within the Hollywood studio system.

Rebecca is good still, it’s just not perfect. It takes a while to truly get going as early on its more DeMaurier (and probably Selznik) than Hitchcock and so many scenes don’t have the efficiency and purpose of his later works. Plus, the performances aren’t as rich as those Hitchcock would get out of future collaborators. There are moments of note early on, but there’s tension lacking, and it isn’t truly till Laurence Olivier delivers a powerhouse over-five-minute long revelatory and exposition heavy monologue that things to settle into the quality everyone remembers Rebecca for. It’s the moment true stakes and drama and tension settles in, as do the actors into their performances (George Sanders in particular is amazing), and the film becomes quintessentially Hitchcockian and highly entertaining.

It’s hard to ultimately fault Hitchcock for Rebecca’s shortcoming since many of them seem to be influenced by Selznik, and it’s still very much watchable as both a marginally successful gothic film, but especially as a milestone in the development of Hitchcock in Hollywood.

About the Disc: Considering the age of the film, Rebecca’s transfer is sharp, clean and remarkable, in particular during the film’s grander and more gothic moments. The special features on the disc do a good job on introducing old and new Hitchcock fans to the problematic elements of the production, and the conflicts with Selznick.

Notorious:
Released six years and seven movies after Rebecca, Hitchcock’s Notorious represents a significant leap for the auteur. Directed and produced by Hitch, this film is uniquely the vision and product of the master we know him to be. Unlike Rebecca, there’s no fat here. It’s lean and thrilling, with a compelling morally grey spy story and remarkable performances from Bergman, Rains, and especially Grant. Anyone who thinks he can offer little more than abundant charm and gentle quips should watch this and prove themselves wrong .

What makes Notorious so remarkable – and perhaps one of Hitchcock’s best – is not just his mastery of efficient storytelling and tension here, but how surprisingly mature, complicated and grey it is. Even despite its censor mandated innuendos, it’s difficult to still not be acutely aware how Bergman is an alcoholic daughter of a Nazi war criminal whose past sexual promiscuity is used to literally pimp her out (via the man who loves her no less) to get undercover information from another Nazi. On top of that there’s the moral ambiguity of spy work that John Le Carre would evoke later, a general menacing indifference to life and individuals from both the war criminal and the official government, a dominant Oedipus Complex storyline, and a deeply complex and unsettling relationship between Bergman and Grant.

It all adds up to Notorious being fascinating viewing not just because it’s almost note-perfect, but because of the moral grayness Hitchcock probes and manages to get away with. This is the second time I’ve seen Notorious and where once it was a minor work in his canon in my mind, it’s now ascended to easily be one of his greatest accomplishments. In particular for a director who is often credited for his technical magic, it’s one of his most successful narratives.

About the Disc: Though Notorious has more blemishes in its transfer than Rebecca, it is nevertheless complimentary to Hitchcock’s efficient camera and lighting work, and does a great job highlighting the film’s visual virtues. The “Ultimate Romance: The Making of Notorious” is a solid making-of-feature, whereas the “Alfred Hitchcock: The Ultimate Spymaster” feature is a fun examination of how Hitch was one of the earliest filmmakers to establish the spy film genre.