Around the World in 24 Film – Part II

Published September 21, 2009 | By solotraveler

Travel by film. I do it every year at the Toronto International Film Festival. To report on my world tour, I have organized my film reviews geographically. Yesterday, they were from Ireland, the UK, Norway, Germany, France, Israel, somewhere in Africa and India. (Here’s a link.) Today, we go to Asia, the United States and Canada.

EHF – Excellent Hollywood Flick
MHF – Mediocre Hollywood Flick
LMS – Lousy Hollywood Flick

EIF – Excellent Independent Film
CIF – Creative Independent Film
UIF – Ugh Independent Film

EFL – Excellent Foreign Language
FFL – Fine Foreign Language
SFL – Sleepy Foreign Language

Above is my rating system. Here are the films:

Balibo – EIF – East Timor
The most important movie I saw at TIFF this year, Balibo is an Australian film that follows journalist Roger East (Anthony LaPaglia) as he searches for answers concerning 5 journalists that go missing during the Indonesian invasion of East Timor in 1975. In East’s time, as in the film, the focus has to be on the missing Australian journalists for the story of East Timor to be heard. A piece of history is illuminated by this effective film that is having an impact. It received a standing ovation.

Same, Same but Different – FFL – Cambodia
This is a German film that takes place mostly in Cambodia. David Kross from The Reader plays the lead, Ben, in this beautiful but painful film about HIV, survival and a bar girl named Sreykeo he meets while on vacation in Cambodia. Sreykeo is sweet and genuine but not above lying and manipulating Ben in this clash of cultures and strained responsibility.

Like You Know it All – SFL – South Korea
I didn’t actually sleep – this was my first film of the festival after all – but it was a sleeper. A film about filmmakers and film festivals, Like You Know it All certainly had a fertile subject but I found it long and slow. I can only hope that the film had virtues that were lost in translation.

Leaves of Grass – MHF – USA
I respect Ed Norton as an actor and for the films he selects but I was disappointed with this one. Essentially, the story of Cain and Abel is told once again. This time Cain is a drug dealer and Abel a philosophy professor. It was fine but nothing made this film extraordinary.

Up in the Air – EHF – USA
This is an excellent movie. Lots of creativity. Smart script with great dialogue. I wanted to applaud the opening credits they were so original and well done. Great sound track, performances, cinematography… I couldn’t find anything wrong with it. They even brought the point of the film home at the end in a very clear way – yet held strong to the character of the film.

Whip It – MHF – USA
I debated whether this film is mediocre or lousy but the performances of are too strong to be the latter. The main problem is the script – there’s no creativity in it at all. Production values are all good as one would expect given the money that went into the project. Direction by Drew Barrymore was fine.

The Informant – MHF – USA
Unlike Whip It, this is on the strong side of mediocre but it doesn’t quite make excellent. Certainly entertaining, Matt Damon did a great job as did the production design team – I especially loved his ties.

Youth in Revolt – MHF – USA
Michale Cera turns rebel in hopes of getting the girl. This is a truly mediocre flick. I believe I was mildly entertained during the screening but can remember little else making it difficult to review – not a good sign.

Leslie, My Name is Evil – EIF – USA
This is a Canadian film about the Manson family. The script is original and maintains the viewer’s awareness that this is only an interpretation of history – an important approach to history on film that is rarely taken. The performances are strong as is the direction and production values.

High Life – EIF – Canada
Life runs off the rails in this heist-gone-wrong film. The script is smart, the direction strong and performances exceptional. Originally a stage play, High Life is translated for screen very effectively. One line has stuck – “just because you hit someone and they die doesn’t mean you killed them.” This seemed ludicrous when spoken by the character but on reflection it’s a powerful statement.

All Fall Down – An Art film – Canada
Sorry. I have no idea how to review this film. I watched it but couldn’t tell you if it was good or not. Did I enjoy it? No.

Suck – MIF – Canada
Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, Carole Pope, Dave Foley and Malcom Mcdowell make this Vampire flick an entertaining romp. It’s one of those movies that could become a cult classic or fade into obscurity.

Well, there you have it. My 24 films from TIFF 09. Lots of variety. Some great and others not so. But add it all up and it was another great experience.

You can find additional reviews of films at TIFF here: http://TOfilmfest.ca

That’s a wrap!