Month: August 2016

TIFF 2016 Movie Review: ZOOLOGY (Russia/France/Germany 2016) ****

festreviews 2016 movies, Movie Review, TIFF 2016 Movie Reviews, Uncategorized , , , , , , ,

Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2016. Go to TIFF 2016 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.

zoology_.jpgZOOLOGY (Russia/France/Germany 2016) ****
Directed by Ivan I. Tverdovsky

Starring: Masha Tokareva, Natalya Pavlenkova, Aleksandr Gorchilin

Review by Gilbert Seah

My personal favourite of the festival so far, ZOOLOGY which won the Special Jury Prize at this year’s Karlovy Vary Film Festival is part comedy of errors, part social satire, and part tender love story.

The film follows Natasha (an excellent low keyed performance by Natalia Pavlenkova), a lonely middle-aged woman who still lives at home with her mother, unfolds in an ordinary, uneventful manner at first. Stuck behind a desk at the local zoo, ignored by her malicious, clucking colleagues, Natasha lives her solitary existence in withdrawn defeat.

That is, until something unexpected turns her life upside down: one day she discovers that she has grown a tail. The comedy comes from how she reacts with the tail. She tucks it in her panties and dances with it. It is hilarious how it does not bother her though rumours are going on about the town of a demon human with a tail.

The satire comes from the runarounds she is given when she gets X-Rays for her tail as well as her work at the zoo. Her love arrives unexpectedly from a hospital staff who has a tail fetish. Funny, intelligent and totally unpredictable, this surreal comedy is a total delight from start to finish.

Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
Great way to get your story out: http://www.wildsound.ca/logline.html

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca

Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month: http://www.wildsoundfestival.com

TIFF 2016 Movie Review: JEAN OF THE JONESES (Canada 2016)

festreviews 2016 movies, Short Film Movie Review , , , , , ,

Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2016. Go to TIFF 2016 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.

jean_of_the_jonesesJEAN OF THE JONESES (Canada 2016) **
Directed by Stella Meghie

Starring: Mamoudou Athie, Gloria Reuben, Shailyn Pierre-Dixon

Review by Gilbert Seah

Writer/director Stella Meghie’s comedy concerning three generations of vibrant, vociferous, unforgettable women in the Brooklyn-based Jones family is the kind of film that is too smart for its own good.

Likely set in Brooklyn in order to be more commercial, the film would do better to be more originally set as an African Canadian film in a black Canadian neighbourhood. The film is slanted black all the way. When a man who shows up at the family home dies, the paramedic, Ray (Mamoudou Athie) who shows up in the ambulance is black. Whites are clearly a minority here and other minorities are absent.

The lead character is Jean (Taylour Paige) who falls for this annoying paramedic. The question is what she sees in him, or vice versa. Jean cannot get along with her sister or anyone she is trying to get a free place to stay with.

There is hardly anything to be learnt nor anything really humorous in this so-called comedy about an annoying family no one wants to meet. The only funny part is the segment where the sisters are caught smoking up in the car by their grandmother (Michelle Hurst) outside her house.

 

Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
Great way to get your story out: http://www.wildsound.ca/logline.html

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca

Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month: http://www.wildsoundfestival.com

TIFF 2016 Movie Review: CHRISTINE (USA 2016) *** Directed by Antonio Campos

festreviews Movie Review, TIFF 2016 Movie Reviews, Uncategorized , , , , ,

Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2016. Go to TIFF 2016 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.

christineCHRISTINE (USA 2016) ***
Directed by Antonio Campos

Starring: Rebecca Hall, Michael C. Hall, Tracy Letts

Review by Gilbert Seah

Based on real life on the suicide of Christine Chubbuck (Rebecca Hall) a Sarasota (Florida) news reporter, this realistic but grim account of events leading to her death is a hard watch. “If it bleeds, it leads.” – is is the newsroom’s unofficial motto for successful news ratings.

What begins as an ordinary person’s struggle for recognition leads to her downfall after many failures. Director Campos also shows failures in Christine’s personal life with her inability to get a date, her lost love with anchorman, George (Michael C. Hall), her virginity and her relationship with her mother, Peggy.

It turns out that she lets out all her troubles to work, finally coming head to head with her boss, Michael (Tracy Letts, delivering another winning performance after playing the Dean in INDIGNATION). Hall delivers a knock-out performance especially in the confrontation segment with Letts. Credit also should be given to the creation of the outstanding period atmosphere of the 70’s.

But one does go away with the feeling that the film has been over-dramatized in an otherwise humourless film. It would be interesting also to watch the documentary on Christine Chubbuck called KATE DOES CHRISTINE, also released this year.

Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
Great way to get your story out: http://www.wildsound.ca/logline.html

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca

Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month: http://www.wildsoundfestival.com

Died Today (August 26th): Ted Knight

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tedknightTed Knight (1923–1986)

Born: December 7, 1923 in Terryville, Connecticut, USA
Died: August 26, 1986 (age 62) in Los Angeles, California, USA

Married to:
Dorothy Knight (14 September 1948 – 26 August 1986) (his death) (3 children)

Knight eventually starred opposite Nancy Dussault in his own television series, Too Close for Comfort (1980), which had a healthy run despite the fact that Knight, as the lead, was more subdued than on the Mary Tyler Moore classic. Renamed “The Ted Knight Show” after it became a syndicated series, the series finally ended in 1986 only due to Knight’s terminal illness. The actor’s sole post-Ted Baxter movie role was as a judge in the golf-themed comedy, Caddyshack (1980), in which he continually bumped heads with the film’s star, Rodney Dangerfield.

Died Today (August 26th): Lon Chaney (1883–1930)

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lonchaney.jpgLon Chaney (1883–1930)

Born: April 1, 1883 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
Died: August 26, 1930 (age 47) in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

With the exception of Charles Chaplin, Chaney was the last major silent film star to make a talkie. Assaying five different voices in his first talkie, Chaney signed a notarized statement attesting to the fact that the different voices were his: “I, Lon Chaney, being first duly sworn, depose and say: In the photoplay entitled The Unholy Three (1930), produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corporation, all voice reproductions which purport to be reproductions of my voice, to wit, the ventriloquist’s, the old woman’s, the dummy’s, the parrot’s, and the girl’s, are actual reproductions of my own voice, and in no place in said photoplay or in any of the various characters portrayed by me in said photoplay was a ‘double’ or substitute used for my voice. Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 19th day of May, 1930, J. L. Hendrickson, Notary Public in and for the county of Los Angeles, State of California.”

One of the most difficult characters I ever played from the make-up standpoint was that of a blind boy. All through that picture in order to look blind I had to roll my eyes clear up in what seemed to me to be the very top of my head. Did you ever try to do that? Try it, and then at the same time try to act naturally. You’ll get my idea then.

Happy Birthday: Brett Cullen

festreviews Happy Birthday , ,

brettcullen.jpgBrett Cullen

Born: August 26, 1956 in Houston, Texas, USA

He graduated from the University of Houston in 1979. He spent four years with the Houston Shakespeare Festival. He owns a production company, with Meat Loaf, called “The Yellow Rose, Inc.”.

THE GUILT TRIP
dir. Anne Fletcher
Stars:
Seth Rogen
Barbra Streisand		 MOVIE POSTERMONTE CARLO
dir. Thomas Bezucha
Stars:
Selena Gomez
Leighton Meester

The Runaways Movie PosterThe Runaways
dir. Floria Sigismondi
Stars
Kristen Stewart
Dakota Fanning		 FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTSFriday Night Lights
2004
dir. Peter Berg
starring
Billy Bob Thornton
Lucas Black
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
2012
dir. Christopher Nolan
See over 80 pages of photos and videos!		 THE REPLACEMENTSThe Replacements
2000
dir. Howard Deutch
Starring
Keanu Reeves
Gene Hackman,
GHOST RIDERGhost Rider
2007
dir. Mark Steven Johnson
Starring
Cage
Peter Fonda		 MOVIE POSTERRED DAWN
dir. Dan Bradley
Stars:
Chris Hemsworth
Isabel Lucas
Best of PERSON OF INTEREST
TV SHOW		 Best of NCIS
TV SHOW
DAMAGES Season 2
Starring:
Timothy Olyphant
Marcia Gay Harden		 FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS SEASON 1FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Season 1
Starring:
Aimee Teegarden
Taylor Kitsch		 MOVIE POSTER42
2013
dir. Brian Helgeland
Stars:
Chadwick Boseman
Harrison Ford

 

Happy Birthday: Keke Palmer

festreviews Happy Birthday , ,

kekepalmerKeke Palmer

Born: August 26, 1993 in Harvey, Illinois, USA

I’m happy with who I am inside. I’d hate to have accolades and all that and not really be happy with who I was. So I’m really thankful for my family and for the support system that I have for being the person that I am today. I’m proud of who I am.

MOVIE POSTERJOYFUL NOISE
dir. Todd Graff
Stars:
Queen Latifah
Dolly Parton
MOVIE POSTERMADEA’S FAMILY REUNION
2006
dir. Tyler Perry
Stars:
Blair Underwood
Lyn Whitfield		 MOVIE POSTERAKEELAH AND THE BEE
2006
dir. Doug Atchison
Stars:
Angela Bassett
Laurence Fishburne

 

Happy Birthday: Macaulay Culkin

festreviews Happy Birthday , ,

macaulayculkin.jpgMacaulay Culkin

Born: August 26, 1980 in New York City, New York, USA

[on his friendship with Michael Jackson]: Michael and I had an understanding about my father. He knew what that was all about. He’d lived it. It’s not like I can just bump into people on the street and say, Oh! You too! It doesn’t happen that often. Michael’s still a kid. I’m still a kid. We’re both going to be about 8 years old forever in some place because we never had a chance to be 8 when we actually were. That’s kind of the beautiful and the cursed part of our lives.

movie posterTHE GOOD SON
1993
dir. Joseph Ruben
Starring:
Macaulay Culkin
Elijah Wood
movie posterSEX AND BREAKFAST
2007
dir. Miles Brandman
Starring:
Macaulay Culkin
Kuno Becker
HOME ALONE
1990
dir. Chris Columbus
Stars:
Macaulay Culkin
Joe Pesci		 MOVIE POSTERHOME ALONE 2
1992
dir. Chris Columbus
Stars:
Macaulay Culkin
Joe Pesci

 

Happy Birthday: Amanda Schull

festreviews Happy Birthday , , ,

amandaschullAmanda Schull

Born: August 26, 1978 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

“Last year was certainly a year of record for me. Not long after being offered a place in San Francisco Ballet, which had to be one of the most exciting moments in my life, I was offered a leading role in a movie. It was amazing. In my wildest dreams, I never thought I’d be starring in a movie” – On being cast as “Jody Sawyer” in Center Stage (2000).