Beyond the hype: a second look at Precious
Harrowing, challenging film ought to be watched for its cast, not its hype
by Naafia Mattoo, Staff Writer
One might say that I watched Precious in less-than-normal circumstances. Having come off a double win at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival, it won the People's Choice Award at our very own TIFF. I managed to catch the free screening this year, and the atmosphere was electrifying: open, friendly and determined to be pleased. The audience clapped, gasped and hooted when it was polite to clap, gasp or hoot. We have been reminded of the effects of the recession ad nauseum, and for a humble indie film this beginning is not merely a "good start," but more like a dream come true. Audiences aren't pulled in because of smart advertising, but due to that much more rare and sought after commodity: hype. And unlike advertising, hype cannot be bought. Just ask Robert Pattinson and his New Moon crew.
1 Commentby Brandon Tamane, Staff Writer
When I was told I had the opportunity to see a press screening of John Woo's Red Cliff, images of red-carpeted celebrity events came to mind. The Varsity theatre, while not the most desirable location, was in a central enough part of town that it could be possible. Then I noticed the show time: 10am. I knew then and there that it would be a humble turnout at best.
No cause for Friday night regret
The Wooden Sky proves more than your average folk-rock band
by Hilary Lynd, Staff Writer
Another Friday night, another local folk band: these facts can promise a mediocre evening at best. But when I arrive at Lee's Palace, the place is packed, and whispers of excitement suggest The Wooden Sky have a good show in store for Toronto.
Healing in Mongolia
The Horse Boy documents a family's unusual journey with autism
by Alex Griffith, Staff Writer
There is a happy wonder to Michael Orion Scott's The Horse Boy, with its disregard for clear-cut conviction. Though the film documents a family's struggle to find healing for their autistic child in the spiritual practices of Mongolian nomads, it does not rush to proclaim that shamanism can cure autism or that spirituality and animals can cure all human afflictions. Instead, it watches, like a patient observer (is that not what a documentary should be?) and considers the wonder of a touching and telling story.
Giving 'rock music' new meaning
Lucky Dragons shake the barrier between audience and performer
by Simon Frank, Associate Editor
Rising from the ashes of guerrilla performance organization Extermination Music Night, Bite Your Tongue is a Toronto Arts Council-funded series of unusual concerts in unusual venues. After a successful event in September that saw Final Fantasy playing in a park in Scarborough, the series returned on November 21st at Center of Gravity, a circus training school on Gerrard Street East. The show brought together acts spanning free jazz to synth pop, perfectly capped off by Los Angeles experimental duo Lucky Dragons.
by Cameron Kroetsch, Staff Writer
When doing a Google search recently I was confronted by the article I wrote about a Matthew Good show in 2007. Yes, the article that all of his loyal fans detested. It made me think that it might be time to reprise my writing on the once-rocking Canadian songster. Since he's put out a new album and has been giving interviews, material to comment on abounds.
by Natascha Malta, Staff Writer
It's 8 o'clock on a Saturday night, and I'm exiting the subway at the North York City Centre, excited to spend an evening at the public library.
Coming to terms with life's warts in Mary and Max
Adam Elliot's latest clayography doesn't shy away from its characters' struggles
by Annie Bender, Film & Music Editor
Mary and Max is not your average happy-go-lucky animated feature. Selected for the opening night slot at the 2009 Sundance Festival, it delves deep into the darker side of human experience, exploring the often painful repercussions of social difference and isolation. The film tells the story of two unlikely penpals in New York City and small-town Australia who forge a meaningful friendship over the course of two decades.
Love and Savagery: between a rock and a hard place
Canadian film fails to deliver on age-old 'forbidden love' trope
by Maddy Wall, Staff Writer
A Newfie rock enthusiast walks into a bar in Ireland in 1969. He falls in love with the local waitress, who unfortunately is destined to be a nun. Their relationship shakes up the 'sediment' that the town is resting on. Ba domp domp. All joking aside, the new film Love and Savagery, an Irish/Canadian collaboration, is nothing more than a series of clichés and tropes- making the film just as void of any sort of punch as my previous punchline.
