Day 4 Tiff Blog

The Sisters Brothers is a western style movie set in the mid 1800’s in the west, Oregon and California. Great cast with a lot of promise, and it didn’t disappoint, but for an unusual reason. Joaquin Phoenix, John C. Reilly, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Riz Ahmed. Complete Francophone director Jacques Audiard was brilliant and funny in his Q and A, clarifying points about things like ‘I;m not really sure this is a western’, and discussing the unusual sensitivity in John C. Reilly atypical for western characters, who has a lead character part. Reilly bought the rights to the sceenplay it appears. This was an unusal western. Funny, sensitive, engaging, but not losing the fundimental violence which is requisite. It follows two brothers with the last name ‘Sister’, brutally efficient hired guns. Loved it. Lots of humour, Lots of gunplay. What a great ‘western’.

Donnybrook is a story woven about several characters headed toward a bareknuckle fight, with the backdrop of hardship and people living on the fringe of existance, beg borrowing and stealing to survive. It pits two brutal fighters together, one with a concience, the other without, is a battle for a $100000 prize. It’s title aside, and good and violent, the movie really isn’t (unexpectedly) about the fight, rather the journey these two in getting there.

Quincy. Quincy Jones was in Toronto, along with her daughter, directors and staff for a retrospecitive biography created over 6 years by his daughter Rashida and Alan Hicks. Lots of great music, and wonderful Question period with Quincy, the legend (his recent criticism of the Beatles and even Michael Jackson (both withdrawn and apologied) notwithstanding. The move itsef was just OK, 6/10, but the event was a 9/10. There was a short performance by some of his protégés, and a new piece sung by Shaka Khan and Mark Ronson (Uptown Funk fame), with albeit poor sound quality (but perhaps rush set up related) in the pow theatre.

A Star is Born was at Roy Thompson Hall, which stars Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper (also directing) in the 3rd remake of the film by same name. While the story doesn’t follow exactly the 2 prior Star is Born movies, this wasn’t an issue. The music is all new, and fantastic. Beautiful melodies, and wonderful performances on screen by Gaga and Cooper. This likely will be Oscar consideration, including picture, soundtrack, supporting actress etc. Gaga in first real acting job, and she was surprisingly excellent. The musicianship, and the performances within the performance were wonderful. Will give Hotel Mumbai a run I think for fan favourite.

Ok, after a wonderful day, the last Gala was a real stinker. High Life. The description talks about a ‘provocative sic-fi drama’. What crap. Looked cheesy, and low budget (first scene is main character fixing something in space outside ship, and you can noticable tell the non-gravity issue related to movement and bolts etc). The development is disjointed, the acting so-so, and plot nonsense, and uninteresting. Worse, it was slow and boring. The first minute was perhaps the best moments of the film, some beautiful footage of the hydroponic garden on the ship. You can leave after that scene. A Gala? Really TIFF?