September 30th was Canadian triumph, with screening of two Canadian films written and directed by creative Quebecers. The screening I attended opened with the Canadian short film, The Chaperone by Fraser Munden and Neil Rathbone and was followed by Ricardo Trogi’s 1987.
The short, The Chaperone, is about an African-American schoolteacher fighting off a drugged-up motorcycle gang in '80s Francophone Canada after they invaded the student dance he was chaperoning.
Seemingly with a vendetta to be the most heart-wrenching film you’ve ever seen, Xavier Dolan’s fifth feature film Mommy (2014) plays out like the most twisted Freudian melodrama, whilst still maintaining a tone of sincerity, hope, and sweet nostalgia.
Susan Sontag was an American writer known for many works, including On Photography, Illness as a Metaphor, and The Way We Live Now. I had heard of Susan Sontag and read snippets of her work prior to attending Regarding Susan Sontag on September 30th, which is being shown as part of VIFF. From what little familiarity I had, my interest in Susan was initially tied to her relationship with photographer Annie Lebowitz, an iconic American portrait photographer.
I am not going to lie; sometimes I wonder why an aspiring filmmaker would choose to do delve into the art-house genre. Is it the appeal of ambiguity? The cool, leitmotif filled imagery, the all-encompassing realism that embodies the genre? Regardless, with the current trends of “twee”, superhero movies, and dark-realist postmodern comedies taking the stage amongst the modern audience, art-house should be the equivalent of social-suicide.
It might be enough to describe The Strange Little Cat as subtle and contemporary, yet this minimal-themed film is a little too quaint to settle with a simplified observation. Its characters don't beg to be analyzed, although they reflect the passive-aggressive attitude which the film portrays. This compels their spectators to continue watching, and waiting for the next offbeat response.
Given that he’s best known in the media for having a fatwa against him [a price on his head] , readers of this review may not realize that Salman Rushdie is a very funny writer. Actually, that’s why he does have a fatwa against him – because his famous book The Satanic Verses is to Islam what Monty Python’s film The Life of Brian is to Christianity.
This film really gives a great behind the scenes look at the pop making process and is believed to be loosely inspired by the life of Carole King
Directed by: Allison Anders
Cast: Illeana Douglas, John Turturro, Matt Dillion, Eric Stolz, Bridget Fonda, Chris Isaak
The film is superbly acted by the two leads which is crucial for the film’s success as 95% of the movie is just two of them on screen.
This film was amazing. No One Killed Jessica is touching and it has real meaning.
The closest North American peer that comes to mind would be Milk (which I also recommend checking out).
By focusing on the case of the murder of Jessica Lall, it tells an important story of the corruption and hypocrisy of the courts in India but speaks to each legal system in the world.
This film can not just simply disappear from your memory but will linger for a long time to come.
Honey Pupu is a truly remarkable feature which was a delight to watch. Winning four Taipei Film Awards in cinematography, soundtrack, as well as acting (lead actress) and direction, while viewing it you can see how each of these aspects truly are deserving.
