We went through the rules, spoke with last year's winner, and watched the teams head off to make their 3-minute films in the span of 24 hours and we have a winner! See our earlier coverage here.
A still from "Running Out Of Time"
Below is the winning film Benjamin Lappalainen and his team submitted to the 2014 TIFF 24 Hour Film Challenge sponsored by RBC. It features time travel, a few quirks, and that beautiful red beret that makes us think "Rushmore." One of the criteria was to include the red beret! Other stipulations were:
Films can not be longer than 3 minutes.
Each film must include a scene with a red beret (an ode to Rushmore).
Each film must include a 360-degree shot.
Extra points for including props from the cult-classics, like a hamburger phone (Juno).
2013 winner Nate Wilson gives some sage advice to competitors. Photo: Andrea Wrobel
The films are already done. The judges are in deliberation. And in a few days the next batch of emerging film makers will see their 3-minute masterpieces on the big screen. And this is only one part of TIFF's Next Wave Film Festival.
Beyond the 24-hour film challenge that started last weekend, Next Wave includes a marathon film-screening, workshops, and musical performances. In spirit of this year's theme "Cult Classics: Teen Rebels" TIFF will show movies like Juno, Donnie Darko, and the very Toronto-heavy Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.
The weekend of festivities beings Friday February 14th with a battle of the bands, continues on Saturday with workshops, talks, and the Cult Classics:Teen Rebels Movie Marathon. In addition to seeing other films on Sunday, the grand-spectacle will be a screening of select films from the 24-Hour Film Challenge. (Tickets are free for high school students thanks to the TIFF Annual Fund.)
At the 24-Hour Film Challenge kick-off breakfast last Saturday, participants were also made aware of the "rules" of the contest that were also inspired by the "Cult Classics" theme. Some of the rules included:
Films can not be longer than 3 minutes.
Each film must include a scene with a red beret (an ode to Rushmore).
Each film must include a 360-degree shot.
Extra points for including props from the cult-classics, like a hamburger phone (Juno).
From the moment the rules were announced the room became electric. Teens all around buzzed with ideas and they quickly rushed to grab their red berets, care packages, and any remaining food from the breakfast they could carry. Of course, there is a lot at stake. In addition to the possibility of having their film screened on Sunday February 16th, one team will also win the grand prize of $500 courtesy of RBC.
Last year's winner, Nate Wilson, was present to give some advice to this year's contestants. Once the young filmmakers had left we caught up with Nate to ask him about his winning film and what this 24-hour film challenge means to young filmmakers like him.
Here is Nate's winning film, Spaceman:
You can check out the full schedule of events and screenings for TIFF Next Wave, running Feb 14-16, here. And you can see some more photos from the launch here:
The Toronto Design Offsite Festival is an event that I look forward to every year. You get design. You get art. You get art about design and design about art—basically, if you enjoy art or design in any capacity, even if only during an annual, drunken stumble through Nuit Blanche, TO DO will have something for you. On top of all that, most of the exhibitions are either free or very affordable and feature a mix of established and emerging artists who engage with a diverse set of themes in eclectic settings. Here are some of the events I'm looking forward to this year:
Although it's not really billed this way, Come Up to My Room feels like one of the gala expositions of TO DO, and it's a personal favourite. This year, artists and designers will take over the Gladstone Hotel with installations and "unexpected prototypes" that engage with themes of "trust, risk, and collaboration." You can see and hear some of the exhibitors talk about their works in progress on the CUTMR website. It's a steal at $10 ($5 for students).
A documentary about the creative process screening for one night only at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. If you've ever wrestled with the wacky alchemy of designing, drawing, writing, coding, building, making (hopefully) awesome stuff, this might be for you. Plus, the Bloor is great. Any excuse to drink beer in a movie theatre is fine with me.
I have a strange fascination with couples who manage to work, play, and live together. In this documentary, the couple in question is Charles and Ray Eames, two of the most influential design thinker/practitioners of the last century. If you had a chance to see the film about the Vignelli's last year at Hot Docs, this will be an interesting counterpoint.
If, like me, talk of 3D printers and their potential for revolutionizing our material and social worlds sets your imagination alight with possibilities of self-manufacturing robots, "printed" limbs, and Star Trek-esque food replicators, you might want to see this show.
Maps are very "in" right now. We seem to be living through a period where people, especially urbanites, renegotiate their relationships with the built environments they live in. I enjoy placemaking in its many forms, from urban art installations like TO's own murmur to the Leslieville toque I got for Christmas. This exhibition by Nicole Tarasick, one of the designers behind STYLEGARAGE, is a series of prints on a 1957 Atlas of Canada.
The festival runs next week (January 20th to 24th) at venues all over downtown.
In 2009, Toronto film blogger James McNally invited a small group of friends over to his apartment to watch a program of short films and this little event has morphed into Shorts That Are Not Pants. Starting the year with screenings at Carlton Cinema on January 16th (inspiring and creative international shorts) and The Royal on January 22nd (Spanish sci-fi shorts - enough said!!), Shorts That Are Not Pants has a lot in store for audiences.
MAE AND ASH /Dir: Shuchi Talati / USA – 2013
Not only does Shorts That Are Not Pants screen films, they also accept submissions. Check out what James had to say on the state of short films, some films you can catch this month, and the opportunities the program brings to filmmakers alike. How important is this festival to the city of Toronto now that the Worldwide Short Film Fest has been 'cancelled?'
I'm a bit uncomfortable comparing our tiny festival in any way to the juggernaut that was WSFF. When we started out I was really hoping to work together and learn from them, so when I learned about their "indefinite hiatus" I was a little crushed. I do think it's important to have an outlet for short filmmakers to show their work in a city like Toronto, where audiences are so in love with film, but we are a long way from having the sort of influence that WSFF had. I dearly hope they'll return.
What are so great about shorts, anyway?
I love that there are so few limits on short film. You're not limited to a traditional three-act structure, for instance. You can make your film just as long as it needs to be to tell your story. There are fewer people involved (sometimes it's just one person!) so the filmmaker can work as slowly or as quickly as required. The budgets are usually small enough that the film can be funded more easily. Many short films are completely self-funded. That gives filmmakers a lot of freedom to try out things that wouldn't be possible in a traditional feature film. As a result, there's more potential for surprise, and that sense of discovery is something I have always loved about watching films in general.
Which films in the Shorts That Are Not Pants program are you most excited about this year?
It's a cliche but I don't really have favourites since I have a hand in picking all of the films that we show. But I will give a plug to our first themed programme which first showed in October and which we are bringing back on January 22nd at The Royal Cinema. It's called "El ataque de los cineastas españoles" and it's a collection of really weird little films from Spain which all have a bit of a sci-fi bent. Our first screening of these films was woefully underattended (probably because our date conflicted with the Toronto After Dark Film Festival), so I'm bringing it back and begging people to come this time. These films are really really great! And yes, of course, they have subtitles.
LOS REYES MAGOS /Dir: Alberto González Vázquez / Spain – 2011
This festival started in your apartment with your friends. Had you ever imagined nights at the Carlton when you first began?
Not at all! But one of the great things is that the core of the audience who shows up at every screening are still some of those friends who have been with me since the beginning. Sometimes I think they're just great friends for supporting me, but really I think I've just convinced them that short films are really worth watching. Watching the attendance grow over the past couple of years has been incredibly satisfying.
Considering your whole experience with the festival, what is your favourite memory or film thus far?
Again, I hate to play favourites, but one of the very coolest things happened just after we'd opened up the festival to online submissions from filmmakers. I received an amazing little film called THE CUB by Riley Stearns. He told me that it had been turned down by Austin's Fantastic Fest, which really puzzled me. He'd also submitted to Sundance but wasn't feeling very confident. I was so sure about the film that I told him I was certain it would get into Sundance, and maybe he'd like to premiere it there instead of at our little festival. He chose to show with us, so we had our first World Premiere! And yes, the film went on to play at Sundance, too.
Tickets are only $10/screening ($12 at the door) to catch a wonderful group of films and, this year, available for your viewing pleasure is a festival subscription for $60 which grants you access to the entire year's screenings. There are only 50 subscriptions available so get yours ASAP! January 16th tickets available here.
We hope to see you there! See this event and others play out on our twitter and instagram pages.
The people of the Book are pitted against the people of the Screen in the latest instalment of the Bloor Cinema's Doc Soup Series
From The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema: "In 2002 Google began to scan millions of books in an effort to create a giant global library, containing every book in existence. They had an even greater purpose—to create a higher form of intelligence, something that H.G. Wells had predicted in his 1937 essay “World Brain”. But over half the books Google scanned were in copyright, and authors across the world launched a campaign to stop Google, which climaxed in a New York courtroom in 2011. Google and the World Brain is a film about the dreams, dilemmas and dangers of the Internet."
Google and the World Brain opens tonight at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema (504 Bloor Street West). The director, Ben Lewis, will be in attendance and fielding post-screening questions.
It is a universal story with a
classic, comic presence that easily translates to suit the economic and
cultural position of Newfoundland as we know it, explained McKellar during a post-screening Q&A at TIFF.
The humourous and heartwarming film
is set in a small fishing community whose residents line up every month to cash
their welfare cheques only to go on day by day. When the opportunity to build a
petroleum repurposing facility in the town surfaces, it means the town has a
chance to restore their job market and their individual dignity. When the mayor responds half-heartedly by
sneaking off in the night to take a job in the city, protagonist Murray French
(Brendan Gleeson) is hit hard by this escape, especially considering his own
wife leaves him to take a job in St. John’s. He loves Ticklehead. It’s his home
and he believes whole heartedly in its people and its potential, which is why
he’ll do just about anything to keep the town alive.
Murray steps up as mayor and takes
on the task of convincing the big wigs that Ticklehead is the best place for
the new plant. The only catch? There
must be a resident doctor, and Ticklehead has been searching to fill this void
for over eight years. Conveniently, the displaced
mayor is working as airport security at the airport when a Dr. Paul Lewis (Taylor
Kitsch) comes through hungover and triumphant, trophy in hand after a cricket
tournament complete with cocaine, some of which he has hiding in his carry-on
luggage. When Dr. Lewis attempts to
bribe Ticklehead’s previous mayor with free plastic surgery, he ends up
agreeing to spending a month in Ticklehead as their resident doctor to make up
for the airport drug slip.
Murray and the locals become
obsessed with humourously attempting to rig the town towards every tiny interest
Dr. Lewis may have in hopes of convincing him to stay. The film’s ability to take viewers on this
journey, torn between truth and necessity, is an uplifting, emotional, and a positively
relatable experience.
The chemistry
between Gleeson and Kitsch is earnest, encouraged by the written relationship
they portrayed. It also wouldn’t go
without mentioning Liane Balaban who charmed my 15 year old heart by reappearing
in this east coast tale much like her role in New Waterford Girl (1999) which
was also set in Newfoundland. To add that Toronto local Matt Watts and
Newfoundland local Gordon Pinset were organic additions in the parts they
played, and played well, would only be a start to the commending performances
by their fellow townspeople; a true character study with the province of
Newfoundland as their biggest and brightest star.
“We had to make
sure that Newfoundland was the other character in the movie,” Gleeson explained
during the Q&A after the screening. He added and emphasized that, coming
from Ireland, “it was twelve thousand times better” than he’d imagined.
Kitsch felt the
same about the experience. “I love
[Newfoundland]… It was by far the best location I’d ever shot in and I’ve shot
in a lot of locations,” he said as McKellar piped in, “Like Mars…”
It was clear,
listening to McKellar, Kitsch, and Gleeson, that their chemistry spread
beyond the screen and is perhaps one reason the film is so enjoyable to watch.
When asked how
Kitsch chose an independent Canadian film like this one, he replied in jest,
“Little do you know this was a 125 million dollar budget. All shot it studio.
All green screen.” He added, “It was
just the right fit. It’s rare to laugh
out loud when you’re reading script,” and this laughter surely translates well
to the screen.
Mad Men and Sopranos writer Matthew Weiner premiered his feature film debut You Are Here at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival - a genre-lost film filled starring comedic actors Owen Wilson, Zach Galifianakis, and Amy Poehler who are simply... not funny.
It is not unforeseeable to feature a primarily comedic actor in a
film favouring more dramatic elements; Adam Sandler and Jim Carey are well
acquainted to this practice. Matthew Weiner'sYou Are Here, unlike films likePunch-Drunk LoveandThe Majestic,
invites viewers into a film that teeter-totters between a discernible comedy
and a half-hearted drama, never allowing viewers enough time to invest
themselves in the characters or story of either spectrum.
The film is about long time friends Ben (Galifianakis) and Steve
(Wilson) who return to their hometown after learning Ben's father has passed.
Back in town, Ben's sister Terri (Poehler) loses her cool when the group learns
Ben, a distracted and unsuccessful businessman, has inherited their father’s
farm, land, and business. Thrown into the mix is a one-dimensional New
Age stepmother Angela (Laura Ramsey), now widowed, and who happens to be the
same age as both Ben and Steve.
The A-list actors shine (faintly) through
their sloppily structured characters simply because of their
established place in the comedic atmosphere.
Their veracity, however, is limited by the vague and tangled plotlines
that are meant to evoke a sense of awareness and longing for days when we, as
humans, were more connected to the earth and all it could provide for us. Perhaps the film is an indication itself of how disconnected we are to what we're trying to communicate at times.
In any case, this attempt at remembrance employed situations that were explored
only on the surface. To represent pure cultivators we are shown an Amish family
who, when Ben attempts to connect with them, are reduced to pacifists, devoted
to religion. To signify Steve’s recognition of food procurement we see Angela’s
innocent encouragement for Steve to go out to the backyard and kill their
chicken dinner (which he does, and which blatantly illustrates how a chicken still
lives after its head is chopped off. To signify Ben’s re-connection with the ‘old
world’ he creates the Omega Society.
Unfortunately, Ben’s attempts in forming the group (even naming the
group) aren’t taken seriously from the get go, especially when he’s diagnosed
with bipolar disorder (another plot-point that isn’t explored or mentioned
thereafter). My only hope was that the
film would use Angela’s positive and supportive presence as a guideline for Ben
and Steve to get their substance-abusing and, for Steve, womanizing habits
under control. This, however, did not
happen.
Angela’s interest in cultivation and “feeling” (versus the very
black and white comparison of smoking marijuana and “not feeling”) and her
defense in marrying a 90-year-old man for true love is unabashedly thwarted
when she gets sexually involved with both Ben and Steve for no definable reason
with no obvious outcome. B-story
characters are also introduced that have little to no significance in proving
the point the film is trying to make. In the last act, Jenna Fischer appears
playing a (seemingly single) mom who lives in Ben’s new complex. As her and her son wait for the rain to stop
outside a grocery store, she gets a phone call, passing her meek son off on Ben who puts him on a mechanical horse at the film’s end. Weiner juxtaposes the mechanical horse and the
Amish family’s real horse while Ben draws conclusions that aren’t entirely
clear. On this note, the almost two hour film is over.
It is clear that Weiner’s talent at TV writing does not structurally
translate into the feature film realm. “I
don’t pay attention to genre,” he claimed during the Q&A portion after the
screening, and it’s made quite clear in You Are Here.
Ten years of work for director Shane
Salerno to whittle a celebrated three and a half hour cut into what is now an
epic compilation of interviews and stories about J.D. Salinger’s life. Fans and lovers of the writer’s work can finally peek behind a curtain that’s
been tied tight for longer than we have ever wanted.
I met Holden Caulfield in grade 10. My English teacher held a small white book in front of our class and told us that it was one of the most controversial books ever written. She said it's been banned in numerous schools because of its content and effect but that it also held strong as one of the best-selling stories of her lifetime. She encouraged us to form our own opinion and it was then that I fell in love.
“Like a whole
generation, I thought he was writing about me.” Robert Towne
A last minute addition to the festival roster, Salinger, Salerno's documentary about writer and "recluse", J.D. Salinger, had its world premiere at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival on September 5th to a half-packed theatre (half-packed more a result of the last minute screening than a reflection on the greatness of this film). The doc showcases a landslide number of never before seen photos that will make your heart flutter - he was a handsome man! - and incredibly intriguing stories told by the multiple women and friends that loved "Jerry" and who openly offer insight into the life of a man the world never got to know.
The biggest shock? Salinger wasn't a recluse at all... but more on that later.
I hesitate to refer to the women interviewed in Salerno's doc as Salinger's lovers or friends; their relationship to Salinger somewhat undefinable to me after seeing this film. Simply "lucky" (or unlucky) enough to experience the man on a personally intimate level, all with different views and experiences, Salinger's brilliant mind and wholehearted dedication to his characters clearly allowed him to exist in the modern world with an insatiable need for youthfulness.
It was as though writing would strip away layers from his soul, explained Jean Miller, an old flame of Salinger's who he picked up on Miami beach in 1949, then at age 30, when she was only 14 years old. Miller admittingly made the first move after a five year friendship with Salinger, kissing him when their planes home from Montreal were delayed. He responded by changing her flight and sending her off, ending the relationship altogether. Miller confessed she knew she had gotten between his work and their relationship, and his work always came first.
“He was put on this earth to work. To write." Jean Miller
The film opens with Michael McDermott recounting his time at Newsweek Magazine when he was assigned the task of photographing Salinger in 1979, almost 20 years after he seemingly disappeared from the public sphere. The photo (left) was one of only a few photos of the writer and the hype around its publication quickly labelled Salinger a recluse. Salerno's doc, however, takes you through the writer's life and shows viewers that - surprise! - he wasn't a recluse at all.
Stories from friends paint Salinger as a jovial and social butterfly, constantly inviting them out for a beer at Chumley’s where he would
talk about his characters as if they were real people. He showed no guff in proclaiming that no better writer than him had ever come out of the town, and his friends didn't hesitate to agree.
Salinger began his writing career at Valley Forge Military School in 1934, making his first wages publishing a piece in Story Magazine. His ultimate goal, however, was to get his work published in the New Yorker, the only publication that made Salinger feel as though he could deem himself a real writer and, after years of rejection and persistence - even writing the editorial team letters on the content they should be publishing - his hard work paid off. His dedication to this goal and to his work, especially the construction of Holden Caulfield's life, took precedence. Going into battle on D-Day, Salinger carried six chapters of Catcher In The Rye with him. He had to.
The juxtaposition of Salinger’s experience as a soldier and this influence on his writing is both harrowing and powerful.The
weight of what Salinger experienced overseas is graphic and difficult to digest,
but integral to understanding Salinger’s psyche and the way he
approached the world. Salinger became troubled emotionally and spiritually, harbouring a definitive family of fictional characters instead of embracing the outside (and real) world with openness. Salinger existed as Holden Caulfield, except Holden Caulfield wasn't real.
The film stresses
that 200 days of combat for a soldier regardless of mental, emotional, or
physical strength was enough to drive any person insane. Salinger was in combat
for 299 days.
It is at this point that the Glass family, fictional characters in multiple stories by Salinger, began a virtual combat against his real family - his wife, son, and daughter. When asked why Salinger’s children were not interviewed in the documentary, Salerno had a vague and "legal" answer.
"It didn't pan out."
In 1950, Salinger’s short story, “Uncle Wiggly in Connecticut,” was made into feature film “My Foolish Heart” that, for Salinger, also didn't pan out. It sparked a violent response in him to which he vowed never to sell any of his work to Hollywood again.
According to Salerno's documentary, Catcher In The Rye will not be made into a movie.
Salinger drew back from fans and friends after the war and eventually built a hideout in the backyard of his New Hampshire home where he'd put on a jumpsuit - a uniform - each morning before going to work at his typewriter.
Contrary to popular belief, even at this point he was not a "recluse".
"You’re born with the right of anonymity," explains actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who presented a total understanding for Salinger’s break from the limelight. But Salinger still went into town, attended events and nightclubs, and spoke to visiting fans. In 1974, Salinger called up Lacey Fosburgh, a reporter in San Francisco, to talk about why he’d been so silent in the written world. He explained that "there’s a stillness that comes from not publishing," ensuring her, and the world, that he was still writing. He was very aware of the way he was living his life.
Two years earlier, in 1972, author Joyce Maynard received a letter from Salinger after being featured on the cover of the New Yorker. She moved into his home shortly after where they ate frozen peas drizzled in warm water and meditated – Well, she says, he meditated and I tried to meditate.
Maynard's relationship with Salinger, however, was not at all as jovial and admirable as others describe in the film. When she realized her fascination of the world was in direct disagreement to Salinger’s societal outlook, their relationship soured. “I think he was indulging in a fantasy of innocence,” she surmises. Perhaps an indication of how greatly the war effected him, Maynard recounted Salinger's stern words to her: "The problem with you, Joyce," he told her, "is you love the world."
The documentary makes it clear Salinger believed that you should not know anything personal about a writer; you should only know them through their work. Despite feeling as though I've dug through a box of personal treasures I was specifically told not to look at, I can't help but feel lucky to know that Salinger wrote long and lovely letters to women - multiple women; that he met Ernest Hemingway, gave him a copy of Catcher, and Hemingway loved it; and that, when Jean Miller spent time with him,
he listened "like you were the
most important person in the world."
Salinger fan & doc subject congratulates director
Shane Salerno (left) after the world premiere of Salinger at #TIFF13
After the screening, I asked Salerno if he felt guilty making this film knowing that Salinger didn't want to be known and he replied with an easy "no." Salerno explained that, if he did not interview some subjects or piece together this puzzle when he did, the world would never have it, and Jerry Salinger is such an important figure that we need to hold on to as much of him as we possibly can.
The documentary lists the upcoming work to be released under the rules Salinger set out in the J.D. Salinger Literary Trust. My heart skipped a few beats, hoping this information is accurate. Set to begin publication between 2015 and 2020, this little lowly fan can captively wait alongside all the others who hold Holden Caulfield in their hearts, with the author's blessing, hoping he'll come back to life in new and heartbreaking ways.
The 2013 Toronto International Film Festival is hitting the city starting Thursday, September 5th until the 15th and critics, film lovers, and celebrity gurus couldn't be more excited. This year the festival is showcasing 288 feature films and 78 shorts, bringing a total of 366 film works to our eyes. How many will you see?
While artists, fans, friends, and business folk attend screenings, parties, conferences, and meetings, TSR will be out and about getting a glimpse of whomever and whatever we can.
Here is a list of a few films we're looking forward to:
Giraffada | A film by Rani Massalha | France/Germany/Italy/Palestine
Ten year old Ziad is able to communicate with two giraffes at the Qalqilya Zoo, a place himself and other children find to be a safe haven from the harsh realities of Palestine. Ziad's father is trying actively to protect the zoo against authorities which is located in the occupied West Bank, but when an Israeli airstrike kills one of the giraffes, Ziad must travel to Tel Aviv to secure a partner for the surviving giraffe who refuses to eat after the loss of her partner.
The F Word | A film by Michael Dowse | Canada
As straightforward and funny as Fubar and Goon are, Michael Dowse is delving into the romantic comedy genre and word on the street is that it was a good choice. Harry Potter... I mean, Daniel Radcliffe plays hopeless romantic, Wallace, down and out on his luck until he meets Chantry, played by Zoe Kazan (remember the awkward daughter in It's Complicated?). The "funny" part is that Chantry is living with her boyfriend (Is this funny? I guess we'll have to see it to find out...!) so Wallace opts for best friend status.
Palo Alto | A film by Gia Coppola | USA
I can't help but be interested in the abilities (or non-abilities, depending on your taste profile) of the Coppola family. The grand-daughter of Francis Ford makes her directorial debut with an adaptation of short stories written by James Franco who also stars in the film. The stories are based on the lives of adolescents living in California - a place I could use a fantasy or two about as the weather here gets cooler and cooler (and I get older and older).
Around the Block | A film by Sarah Spillane | Australia
A non-American feature with Christina Ricci (forget Pan Am... I believe she's still got it in her). Another directorial debut but this time by Sarah Spillane. Also written by Spillane, Around the Block is about a first-time teacher - Ricci - who mentors a rebellious teen from Redfern, a Sydney suburb. Dealing with their individual hurdles of societal pressures, race, and identity, the film explores the student-teacher relationship in a - hopefully - dramatic and emotional journey.
Ida | A film by Pawel Pawlikowski | Poland
Set in 1960s Poland, Pawlikowski explores the historical and cultural issues that faced Poland as he depicts the life of a young nun about to take her vows within the Catholic Church. Before she is able to, she meets her aunt, Wanda, who reveals family secrets to Anna that she is unable to ignore. Shot in black and white, I'm hoping Pawlikowski is able to beautify these deep cultural and historical roots through story in a similar manner of Haneke's The White Ribbon (2009).
Gravity | A film by Alfonso Cuarón | USA/UK
If you haven't seen Y Tu Mama Tambien, watch that. Then watch all the in-betweens (Children of Men and the 3rd Harry Potter to name a couple.. heck.. even A Little Princess. Watch that.), and eventually you will arrive at Gravity. Gravity is pegged as a game-changer when it comes to films set in space. It's essentially about two astronauts played by George Clooney and Sandra Bullock who run into troubles while completing their tasks outside the station. Buzz is that the opening scene is incredible.
The Toronto International Film Festival is back in town. Like taking out that pair of thigh-high leather boots, TIFF is a much-anticipated menagerie of breaking films, parties, alcohol, freebies and random Clooney-lookalikes stopping traffic.
Last year we sent out agents to crash the scene. This year we'll provide a list of all the hotter-than-hot spots, and giving you the power. Now, you all know where to go. We'll bring you the scoop live through Twitter as we bust out our Blahniks to bring you shots from beyond the velvet rope, follow us on @tosocialreview for info [like the surprise set by DJ Ryan Hemsworth at The Drake on Opening Night]
UPDATES: Gansevoort Pop-Up at C-Lounge, of NYC and Las Vegas fame, promises to be THE hook-up spot with a pool and casino. Patio and this weather will make it a wicked combination for a good time. Late Night with MOMOFUKU DJ Party - Johnny Hockin, Kings of the North - NO COVER, need we say more? Beautiful venue in the heart of downtown Toronto. VICE Party at The Drake on Sept 9 with Matty Matheson of Parts and Labour, screening the newest episode of Matty Matheson's Hangover Cure + serving deep fried things on sticks, made by Drake's Kevin Gilmour, sponsored by Dillon's Distillery!
Fashion Meets Film TIFF Party by www.itsallstyletome.comJoin Editor Spiro Mandylor on the rooftop of the Thompson Hotel Toronto on Wednesday, September 11th for the It's All Style To Me, Fashion Meets Film party during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Music: Dirty Dale Dress Code: Cocktail
Revolver 30th Anniversary Party
Toronto-based Revolver Films announces its company re-launch and celebration of its 30th anniversary with a party during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 11 at C Lounge.
ESHISH LAUNCH PARTY - TIFF Closing Night Party at Cube NIGHTCLUB
At the end of #TIFF13, expect a tonne of photos from our intrepid party warriors, crown the king and cast a vote on the hottest TIFF 2013 party venue, taking it home to where libations are flowing and time stands still for you and your shiny friends.
CONVERGE is a unique, modern take on a networking event. Now in its third edition in Toronto, taking place during TIFF season on Thursday, September 12th, CONVERGE 3.0 TIFF Edition brings together true influencers and cultural innovators in the realms of entrepreneurship, crowdfunding, music, real estate, sustainability, law, film, gaming, food, fashion, politics, finance, technology, philanthropy, sports, and more.
In honour of this world renowned film festival taking place in our city, CONVERGE 3.0 will be themed on film with all four panelists being accomplished and recognizable individuals in the film industry including:
Dani Weinstein: President of Publicity, The Weinstein Company
Stephen Bruno: Director of Marketing, The Weinstein Company
Nicholas Tabarrok: Executive Producer, Darius Films
Hill Harper: Actor
As with previous CONVERGE events, following the exclusive 2 hour panelist session from 7-9PM, attendees will have the opportunity to partake in a decadent and upscale social gala where they will have the opportunity to mix and mingle with 500+ influential guests, VIP’s, celebrities, media and of course the panelists. Headlined by guest DJs Ellingson of Young Empires andMarktoshi, guests can expect a good party with special prize giveaways and take-away gifts for our exclusive guests.
Autumn is the season for galas, film, art and receptions, so lend your senses to the latest exhibit at MOCCA, featuring David Cronenberg: Transformation in their Main Space, and the North American premier of Venice Biennale Silver Lion winner Camille Henrot’s Grosse Fatigue in it's smaller Project Space.
We attended opening night and were glad to see a whole bunch of people immersing themselves in the exhibits, sticking their heads through brick walls, zoning out with headphones and LCD panels and sitting, mesmerized, in dark rooms. We don't want to give it away too much; MOCCA is host to a truly participatory exhibition where all senses are assaulted; you arrive slightly shocked, become bemused and leave with a pit in your stomach knowing something genius has occurred.
David Cronenberg: Transformation features six new, TIFF-commissioned artworks from leading Canadian and international contemporary artists who share Cronenberg’s inspirations from literature and philosophy—writers such as McLuhan, Burroughs and Ballard—and his fascination with biological horror, the human psyche and the merging of humans and media.
Our favourite was the collaborative work with Candice Breitz, which involves audience members to watch two screens set against each other, one featuring voice talent shot on a stark background and the other, an alternate reality where the script thoroughly comes to life. Watch closely.
Others include James Coupe, Marcel Dzama, Jeremy Shaw, Jamie Shovlin, and Laurel Woodcock. David Cronenberg: Transformationis co-curated by David Liss, Artistic Director & Curator, MOCCA, and Noah Cowan, Artistic Director, TIFF Bell Lightbox; presented and organized in partnership with TIFF; and supported by the Government of Ontario, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Hal Jackman Foundation.
Multidisciplinary artist Camille Henrot won the Silver Lion for best young promising artist at this year’s Venice Biennale for her heady “encyclopedic” video Grosse Fatigue, which mixes slam poetry-style narration with a percussive soundtrack as it describes an increasingly breathless excursion through the history of the universe. Camille Henrot’s Grosse Fatigue is curated by Andréa Picard, TIFF, and presented in collaboration with TIFF Future Projections, with support from the Hal Jackman Foundation and the Canada Council for the Arts.
Toronto Social Review is growing! Thanks to our new masthead, we're opening a section dedicated to FILM and all things screened. Lookout for more in the coming weeks as we send out an intrepid team of journalists to find the best that Toronto has to offer.
#LOVELOCAL this weekend:
The film opens with Michael McDermott recounting his time at Newsweek Magazine when he was assigned the task of photographing Salinger in 1979, almost 20 years after he seemingly disappeared from the public sphere. The photo (left) was one of only a few photos of the writer and the hype around its publication quickly labelled Salinger a recluse. Salerno's doc, however, takes you through the writer's life and shows viewers that - surprise! - he wasn't a recluse at all.
Our favourite was the collaborative work with Candice Breitz, which involves audience members to watch two screens set against each other, one featuring voice talent shot on a stark background and the other, an alternate reality where the script thoroughly comes to life. Watch closely.