Eli's TIFF Mini-Reviews

Well, it's here.

For film fans like myself the annual Toronto International Film Festival is the highlight of the year.

Here's a list of some of the films that stood out from the early previews I attended.  Enjoy, and I'll see you in the dark.

AN EDUCATION ****

From a screenplay by Nick Hornby comes a British coming-of-age story set in the early sixties. Carey Mulligan plays Jenny, a sharp and pretty gal obsessed with the finer things in life, namely anything French. A soggy walk home one day brings her into the arms of David (Peter Sarsgaard) a music lover who admires Jenny's cello and the hands that play it.

Glamorous trips to jazz clubs and concert halls soon follow, with Jenny questioning the drudgery of high school. But becoming a grown up is more than chic cigarettes as Jenny quickly finds out. 

The conviction of Carey Mulligan, like a young Audrey Hepburn, is what sells this story, with strong support from Alfred Molina (Doc Oc from Spider-Man 2) as the sweetly striving father.

SUCK ***

Suck is a little of "Hard Core Logo" crossed with "Spinal Tap" with extra red stuff. 

A struggling rock band gets an adrenaline shot when their bass player (a luminous Jessica Pare) hooks up with a vampire who looks like a cross between Carrot Top and Robert Smith.   Soon the band is quickly climbing up the charts and over dead bodies.  Close behind is Eddie Van Helsing, a vampire hunter who is afraid of the dark and carries a flashlight instead of garlic (played by Malcolm McDowell).

That should give you a feeling of the level of sophistication we're dealing with.  Luckily, when the band vamps it up on the stage the movie comes alive. And the parade of Rock n Roll cameos doesn't hurt. Keep your eyes out for Moby as a metal head with a taste for meat! 

Suck is a B Movie that knows it.  Weak stuff for horror aficionados, but some good snacking here for music fans.

COLE ****

Cole is a big movie about a small town.  Our eyes and ears are Cole, an aspiring writer struggling with multiple problems including a catatonic mother and his sister's useless drunk of a husband.

Then, life gets more complicated when Cole meets another aspiring writer played by Kandyse McClure (seen recently in Battlestar Galactica.)

The pedantic plot doesn't do justice to this extremely moving film.

Imagine a tone poem filled with summer skies, long drives and an absent mother's eyes.   To quote Cole himself it's "definitely beautiful."

PRECIOUS
Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire ***1/2

There's a definite theme of rebirth at TIFF this year and many of the stories come from a dark place. Precious is one such film.

This is an unflinching look at the ugly underbelly of America's inner citie.  No need for bogeymen here, the monsters are all too real.

Shouldering it all is the stone-faced Precious. She's overweight and already pregnant with her second child.  It seems her story has already been written but it's her own sense of self that finds a way to shine in the dark.

Look for some surprising performances by both Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz.  And yes, comedienne Mo'Nique has an Oscar nomination in her future for her role as Precious' mother.

COOKING WITH STELLA **

Director Dilip Mehta is the brother of Deepa Mehta and a renowned photographer in his own right.  Co-writing with his sister, Dilip creates a slender farce about a Canadian couple that move to the embassy in New Delhi.

While the wife heads off to work the husband, a chef, stays at home to learn how to cook authentic Indian dishes.  His guru in the kitchen is Stella, the head housekeeper who is running her own scam on the side. 

The movie opens with the words "Based on a story that is true...almost."  Well that may be, but it doesn't feel authentic. The Canadians are too kind, too gullible and Stella herself may be a great con artist, but she doesn't charm the audience.  Shifting from comedy to high drama abruptly, Stella's stew is a little hard to swallow.

THE ROAD***1/2

The Pulitzer prize-winning book by Cormac McCarthy is now a movie - a long, slow, frightening movie.

It's the end of the world and no one is feeling fine.  With nothing but what's on their backs a father and son struggle to make it to the southern coast. Forest fires erupt without warning.  Hunger and cannibals are constant foes.

With little explanation and an atmosphere of dread this is almost an existential experience.  The Road puts the question of what it takes to be good to the test.  It's a long slow march but worth the journey.

DEFENDOR ***

There's a lot of buzz from the geek brigade about Defendor.  Spoofing the super folk is a tough job and many bigger and more expensive movies have failed.

I'm happy to report Defendor works.  Woody Harrelson plays Arthur. He's not that bright, but every night he duct tapes a "D" to his chest and heads off to fight evildoers. 

When Kat (Kat Dennings) a hooker with a heart of gold hooks up with him, Defendor finds his nemesis: Captain Industry. 

Like the hero this movie is simple but gets the job done.   Call it Superhero Noir.

THE TROTSKY ****

Here's a film for all you CanCon haters out there.  Nowhere else in the world could a high school comedy about a teen who thinks he is the reincarnation of Leon Trotsky make it to the big screen.

Jay Baruchel stars as Leon, a young Montreal teenager who has a four-point plan to relive the life of Trotsky the Russian revolutionary. 

The plan is equal parts rebellion and romance since it turns out the original Trotsky married an older woman. So while wooing an older law student Leon sets out to unionize his fellow students.   Don't miss the Battleship Potemkin dream sequences that will have film students rolling in the aisles.

The Trotsky is a revolution of sorts.  It shows that Canadian films can be smart and fun at the same time.

MY YEAR WITHOUT SEX ***1/2

Finally, a real family on the big screen.  From Australia we get the story of Natalie, a mother of two who hits a rough patch when illness strikes.

  Anyone who is a parent will recognize the cluttered chaos on the screen, the frustrations over birthdays and missed bedroom romps. It's cute and cutting at the same time. 

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