Year: 2019

2019 TIFF Movie Review: ZANA (Kosovo, Albania 2019)

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Zana Poster
Haunted by her long suppressed past and pressured by family to seek treatment from mystical healers for her infertility, a Kosovar woman struggles to reconcile the expectations of motherhood with a legacy of wartime brutality.

Director:

Antoneta Kastrati

Writers:

Casey Cooper Johnson, Antoneta Kastrati

Stars:

Adriana Matoshi, Astrit Kabashi, Fatmire Sahiti

Things never seem to be going well for a Kosovar woman and her husband.  After bearing a first child that is accidentally killed by soldiers in the war, she is infertile, unable to bear another child.  The child killed is called ZANA which is the film’s title.  

Haunted by her long-suppressed past and pressured by family to seek treatment from mystical healers for her infertility, she struggles to reconcile the expectations of motherhood with a legacy of wartime brutality while slowly succumbing to madness.  Director Kastrati spends a lot of screen time on the woman’s demise and suffering.  

No matter what she does, she begets the wrath of all around her – from her husband, mother-in-law, own mother and father and even her witch doctor.  Kastrati cannot decide whether to go for a happy or sad ending as evident near the close of the film thus leaving her film without purpose (except the message of suffer, suffer, suffer!) despite the feminine trials.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/354587606

2019 TIFF Movie Review: MARRIAGE STORY (USA 2019) ****

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Marriage Story Poster
Trailer

Noah Baumbach’s incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together.

Director:

Noah Baumbach

Writer:

Noah Baumbach

Stars:

Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, Laura Dern

The master of dysfunctional dramas, Noah Baumbach’s (THE SQUID AND THE WHALE, THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES) latest outing is a break-up story of two people still very much in love.  This premise has made wonderful films in the past such as Paul Mazursky’s 1973 BLUME IN LOVE where George Segal spends the whole film wooing his ex-wife.  MARRIAGE STORY tells both points of view of the love an break up of Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) and Charlie (Adam Driver).  The story takes most often Charlie’s side. 

They wish to separate on friendly times but things get ugly when they hire lawyers (Ray Liotta and Laura Dern) to what they think might easy the breakup process.  A subplot involving child custody brings to mind Robert Benton’s 1979 KRAMER V.S. KRAMER.  Director Baumbach reveals both the heartbreak and glory of love in a very dramatic and sensitive portrait aided by excellent performances by Johansson and Deriver.  

But it is Driver who steals the show especially in the confrontation seen that might just win him the Best Actor Oscar.  An additional bonus is the excellent written and executed court scene where their two lawyers battle it out.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y1HhAlAOTs

2019 TIFF Movie Review: UNCUT GEMS (USA 2019) ***

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Uncut Gems Poster
Set in the diamond district of New York City, Howard Ratner, a jewelry store owner and dealer to the rich and famous, must find a way to pay his debts when his merchandise is taken from one of his top sellers and girlfriend.

Directors:

Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie

Writers:

Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie | 1 more credit »

Stars:

Adam Sandler, Julia Fox, Kevin Garnett

UNCUT GEMS is a crime drama with Adam Sandler in serious dramatic mode displaying a totally frantic and unstable character.  Howard (Sandler) is a determined jewel dealer determined to prove himself a champion in his day-to-day life,. 
 He idolizes his client list of famous athletes procured for him by his middleman, Demany (LaKeith Stanfield).  Ever scheming with things always going awry, Howard intends to sell a mined chunk of rock full of embedded gems at auction — after it’s shipped to him from Ethiopia inside a fish carcass.   Josh and Benny Safdie’s film is often as annoying as the protagonist who has very few redeeming qualities.  
The main plot gets distracted.  Howard’s mistress subplot could very well be cut out from the film with little effect.  So can a few other things like his Jewish family gathering and a few other subplots all of which leads to the film’s over 2 hour running time. 
Initially annoying and deserving of good beating-up which Howard gets a couple of times, the audience eventually grows to love this dirtbag by the last reel – which shows how good an actor Adam Sandler can be.

2019 TIFF Movie Review: SEA FEVER (Ireland/Sweden/Belgium/UK 2019) ***

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Sea Fever Poster
The crew of a West of Ireland trawler, marooned at sea, struggle for their lives against a growing parasite in their water supply.

Director:

Neasa Hardiman

Writer:

Neasa Hardiman

Stars:

Connie Nielsen, Hermione Corfield, Dougray Scott

SEA FEVER is a cross between mystery and horror similar to the ALIEN film franchise.  The film is set in the sea where a bizarre creature hitches a ride on a departing trawler. 

 The assorted crew is comprised of a young female red-haired scientist Hermione Corfied), a couple who needs a big haul of fish to pay their debts (Dougray Scott and Connie Nielsen) and others waiting to be disposed off by the creature and its living microbes. It does not help that the crew believes that the red hair will bring bad luck on the trip.  It is assumed that the boat leaves Ireland since most of the characters speak with an Irish accent.  

The horrors come fast and furious aided by some effective and scary special effects.  All works rather well except for the loose end that the creature is still in the waters after everything is over, ready and able to eradicate the human race when it attacks the next boat.

2019 TIFF Movie Review: DIRT MUSIC (Australia/UK 2019)

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Dirt Music Poster
The stunning landscape of Western Australia is the backdrop for an impassioned tale of love and grief in Gregor Jordan‘s adaptation of the acclaimed novel by Tim Winton.

Director:

Gregor Jordan

Writers:

Jack Thorne (screenplay), Tim Winton (novel)

Stars:

Garrett Hedlund, Kelly Macdonald, David Wenham

DIRT MUSIC is based on the acclaimed novel by Tim Wintin adapted to the screen and directed by Gregor Jordan.  It is a tale of three luckless people entangled in a relationship set in the backdrop of stunning Western Australian coast captured beautifully by cinematographer Sam Chiplin.  

Georgie, (Kelly Macdonald) stuck in a loveless relationship with legendary local fisherman Jim Buckridge (David Wenham) becomes enamoured with Lu (Garrett Hedlund), a young poacher who is encroaching on her tyrannical partner’s territory.  Georgie has an affair with Lu. But Lu takes off to the wild coast island while Georgie searches for him.  The trouble with this tale is director Jordan’s desire to stylize his storytelling that unfolds in flashbacks in a non-chronological order.  Or perhaps he is following the novel.  

But it is not only confusing but frustrating and takes a while before one can figure out what is going on.  How British actress Macdonald got sucked into doing this Aussie piece is also intriguing.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHLRgAWEeaU

2019 TIFF Movie Review: DISCO (NORWAY 2019)

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Disco Poster
When a champion dancer begins to falter, her family questions her faith and prompts her to search for more radical solutions.

Director:

Jorunn Myklebust Syversen

Writer:

Jorunn Myklebust Syversen

Stars:

Josefine Frida Pettersen, Nicolai Cleve Broch, Fredericke Rustad Hellerud

DISCO is the opposite of the Christian faith movies.  By showing the practices of fanatic Christian groups, the harm that over zealousness does to the individual is recorded. 
 The trouble is that everyone knows of the fact, except perhaps the fanatics themselves, so taking the story to its predictable end shows neither insight or novelty.  DISCO follows a young dancer, Mirjam who fails to reach the heights of her Christian parents expectations.  Her step-father is an over easy target being the leader of the church and also having a history of child molestation. 
 The film that never ends up going anywhere after the long toil has only good thing going for it, which is the spirited disco music. 

2019 TIFF Movie Review: THE TWENTIETH CENTURY (Canada 2019) ***1/2

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The Twentieth Century Poster
Renowned for his mesmerizing, gonzo biographical shorts Mynarski Death Plummet and The Tesla World Light, Matthew Rankin doubles down on his signature blend of historical and aesthetic …See full summary »

Director:

Matthew Rankin

Writer:

Matthew Rankin

Stars:

Dan Beirne, Sarianne Cormier, Catherine St-Laurent

In Mathew Rankin’s feature debut THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, he draws his inspiration from the old movies in terms of German impressionism and from more recent fellow Winnipeg filmmaker Guy Maddin’s gothic films.  The film has a refreshing humour and it a laugh-out loud moment every minute or so, that one does not want the film to end. 

 In short, the film is a bizarre biopic of William Lyon Mackenzie King (David Beirne), which reimagines the former Canadian Prime Minister’s early life as a series of abject humiliations, both professional and sexual.  Though cartoonish in its looks, beware as there are segments of S&M, violence, sex, humiliation and other assorted nasties that should all be taken with a grain of salt.  

The film is set in Toronto and likely with too Torontonian references like the Baron of of Mississauga and Ossington Apartments that might be over the heads of audiences not living in Toronto.  Still the film is a most original delight.  

2019 TIFF Movie Review: HUMAN CAPITAL (USA 2019) ***

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Human Capital Poster
The lives of two different families collide when their children begin a relationship that leads to a tragic accident.

Director:

Marc Meyers

Writers:

Stephen Amidon (Novel), Oren Moverman

Stars:

Maya Hawke, Marisa Tomei, Peter Sarsgaard

HUMAN CAPITAL the 2019 version is based on both the 2004 Stephen Amidon novel and the Paolo Virzi’s 2013 film, so one would expect some exceptional storytelling.  Director Meyers keeps the audience on their toes with a suspenseful and dramatic retelling, that one should not complain.  

There is an intersecting timeline in the story which is a bit confusing at first till one realizes that it is what it is – i.e intersecting timeline told through 3 chapters each depicting one character’s version of the events.  The story follows  Drew, a real-estate agent who hastily invests with Quint, a powerful elite operator of an “invisible” high-risk/high-reward hedge fund; Carrie, Quint’s wife, who wants to use her family’s money to save a heritage theatre from development. A hit and run accident ties in the events.

The multi-start cast Liev Schreiber, Marisa Tomei, Peter Sarsgaard, Maya Hawke and Alex Wolff each deliver excellent performances that help make the movie.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSez9W0a2Hc

2019 TIFF Movie Review: DESERT ONE (USA 2019) ***1/2

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Desert One Poster
Using new archival sources and unprecedented access, master documentarian Barbara Kopple reveals the story behind one of the most daring rescues in modern US history: a secret mission to free hostages of the 1979 Iranian revolution.

Director:

Barbara Kopple

Writer:

Francisco Bello

Stars:

Jimmy Carter, Ted Koppel, Walter Mondale

In 1976, director Barbara Kopple made the Oscar Winner HARLAN COUNTY, USA about unionization of coal miners which is one of the most moving documentaries ever made.  DESERT ONE is the named of the failed operation endorsed by then President Jimmy Carter to rescue the American hostages held in the American Embassy in Iran under control by Ayatollah Khomeini. 

Khomeini would release the hostages only if the U.S. return the Shah which the U.S. refused.  In the accident during the execution of DESERT STORM several soldiers lost their lives and the rescue aborted.  

The film pays tribute to the dead soldiers.  Director Kopple recognizes that women are just as important as men are the unsung heroes themselves.  She organizes the pick of the interviews for the wives of the deceased as she did centring on the wives of the coal miners, many widows after mining accidents in HARLAN COUNTY U.S.A.  

Kopple also has a heart for Jimmy Carter who graces the film with lots of screen time.  A moving film that demands to be seen.

Film Review: DOWNTON ABBEY (UK 2019) ***

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Downton Abbey Poster
The continuing story of the Crawley family, wealthy owners of a large estate in the English countryside in the early 20th century.

Director:

Michael Engler

Writers:

Julian Fellowes (characters), Julian Fellowes (screenplay by)

Stars:

Matthew Goode, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery

DOWNTON ABBEY is a British historical period drama/comedy written by Julian Fellowes and directed by Michael Engler.  It is a continuation of the television series of the same name, created by Fellowes, that ran on ITV from 2010 to 2015.  Much of the original cast returns, including Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Michelle Dockery, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith and Penelope Wilton.   If nothing is known of this series, all is not lost.  The film stands on its own.  However, for those familiar and for those with a keen admiration for the series, a lot of nostalgia will be in place.

DOWNTON ABBEY works as the kind of pompous British fare that common audiences (like myself) like to look up to and to admire the British wealthy and royalty.  

The film is set in the fictional Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey in 1927, where it depicts the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their domestic servants in the post-Edwardian era—with the great events in history having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy. 

TV series transitioned to film need a particular special event.  For the majority of TV series transitioned to film, a vacation abroad seems the most common excuse to warrant a full length feature film outing, examples being MUNSTER, GO HOME, HOLIDAY ON THE BUSES, KEVIN AND PERRY GO LARGE and most recently, ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS.  The excuse here for DOWNTON ABBEY is a royal visit to Downton Abbey by King George V and Queen Mary.

The film is grounded by the main plot of the King’s visit and the extensive preparations that go with the visit.  This main plot is not sufficient to hold the entire movie and several subplots are quite obviously inserted to support the story.  Among them are the gay exploits of the butler as he grows brave enough to eventually find romance in the times when gays were outlawed, the abuse of the Abbey household at the hands of the over-prude royal staff, the attempted assassination of the King, the quarrel of the Smith and Wilton characters and of course, some romance thrown in for good measure.  All work quite well just as the cooperation of the DOWTON ABBEY staff.

Academy Award Winner, Maggie Smith (way back when from THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE) is given the script’s best comical punch lines and thus steals the show.  The apt supporting cast do not fare much badly either.

This reviewer who sees more than 350 films annually with no time left for television, has not seen a single episode on TV, so take this review with a grain of salt.  However, a fellow film critic who is a total fan of the series was pleasantly pleased with the full length feature.  DOWNTON ABBEY is a pleasant enough feature on the TV series and with some luck, should win over a few converts as well.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu3mP0c51hE