Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2017. Go to TIFF 2017 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.
Director:
Shot around Kuala Lumpur, the capital of West Malaysia in Mandarin, English, Malay and a bit of Cantonese, all these languages of which are spoken by the people there, SHUTTLE LIFE is family drama.
Teenage son, Zi (Jack Tan) is living in a small flat with his mentally ill mother (Taiwanese actress Sylvia Chang in a very unglamorous and admirable role) and younger sister. He has low education, not completed his high school ‘A’ Levels nor a proper job. He hangs out with friends that drink and break into cars for odd change.
He shuttles around on his bike trying to make ends meet for is mother and little sitter. But a bike accident on his sister’s birthday causing her death with him unable to retrieve her body leads him to his limit.
SHUTTLE LIFE is a film with no happy ending but one that offers audiences on the lives of many who are stuck with poverty and unhappiness. Tan’s uncompromising film is scary, well-shot and unfortunately very real.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYYzxBhn-OE
TIFF 2017 Movie Review: C’EST LA VIE (LE SENS DE LA FETE) (France 2017) ***
Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2017. Go to TIFF 2017 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.
Directors:
Stars:
Gilles Lellouche, Suzanne Clément, Jean-Paul Rouve
Directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano can best be remembered for their bubbly comedy LES UNTOUCHABLES.
The target this time is an extravagant wedding at a chateau where all the servers have (and forced to wear) valet costumes including white wigs. The story is told from the point of view of the the wedding caterer manager, Max (Jean Pierre Bacri) a battle-weary veteran of the wedding-planning racket.
This gig turns out to be a hell of a fête, involving stuffy period costumes for the caterers, a vain, hyper- sensitive singer who thinks he’s a Gallic James Brown, and a morose, micromanaging groom determined to make Max’s night as miserable as possible.
His personal life also comes into chaos as Joisette (Xavier Dolan regular Suzanne Clément), seems to have written him off, coolly going about her professional duties while openly flirting with a much younger server. This is an ensemble work, like Robert Altman’s THE WEDDING, but more commercial, more French but less of a biting satire.
The comedic set-ups are funny enough, most of them working and keeping the audience happy with laugh-out loud humour.
TIFF 2017 Movie Review: THE CHINA HUSTLE (USA 2017) ***1/2
Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2017. Go to TIFF 2017 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.
Director:
Writer:
Produced by Alex Gibney who directed ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM about the last 2008 stock market crash, THE CHINA HUSTLE could be considered a sequel as well as warning to all stock traders.
As in his previous film, THE CHINA HUSTLE is an unsettling and eye-opening Wall Street horror story, though this time the target being the Chinese companies listed on the American stock market. The film opens with the main subject, whistleblower Dan David confessing: “There are no good guys in this story, including me.”
After the 2008 stock market crash, David — like almost everyone else in finance — was looking for ways to make big gains quickly. China became an appealing target. Hundreds of Chinese companies entered the US stock market through reverse takeovers with American companies. They boasted tremendous growth, had little oversight, and created a stock-market feeding frenzy. It seemed too good to be true and it was.
The film follows the same pattern as EVRON, interviewing the whistleblowers, with the subject of fraudulence revealed and angering the audience to boiling point.
Again, he has on camera, the poor unsuspecting investors, usually the retirees who have lost all if not a fair portion of their hard earned savings. The film is not as tight or strong as ENRON, bout it is till an engaging informative documentary. All investors should put this doc down as a must-see!
TIFF 2017 Movie Review: THE HOUSE BY THE SEA (LA VILLA) (France 2017)
Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2017. Go to TIFF 2017 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.
Director:
Writers:
Robert Guédiguian (screenplay), Serge Valletti(screenplay)
Stars:
Ariane Ascaride, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Gérard Meylan
Robert Guédiguian’s films always make it to TIFF but never get shown otherwise. Those familiar with him can expect more of the same though his latest is a bit of a disappointment not for want of trying.
Three grown children gathered at the picturesque villa of their dying father in Marseille (where most of his films are set) reflect on where they are, who they have become, and what they have inherited.
His political stand as a committed leftist and former Communist can be observed clearly in many scenes where his characters verbally express their dissatisfaction on certain issues like the military and the refugee situation. His wife Ariane Ascaride and Jean-Pierre Darroussin are two of the elderly characters who manage to attract younger suiters.
The film does not successfully combine the dysfunctional family, love relationships and refugee statements.
Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt3wVETIfWs
TIFF 2017 Movie Review: UNDER PRESSURE (Brazil 2017)
Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2017. Go to TIFF 2017 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.
Creators:
Stars:
Júlio Andrade, Marjorie Estiano, Stepan Nercessian
UNDER PRESSURE is not really a film but two episodes of the series out of a total of 9. From the 2 episodes, UNDER PRESSURE looks like a soap opera happening in the hospital where the staff all interact with each other in one way or other, including romance and conflict.
The main character is the overworked Dr. Evandro who is the chief surgeon and goes above and beyond his means to save patients in the overcrowded hospital in Rio de Janeiro. He has an affair with Dr. Carolina (Marjorie Estiano) while stealing medication to satisfy his drug habit.
In the midst of all this, the ambulance would pull in at regular intervals with an assortment of emergencies that includes a girl who has popped in too many pills or a kid that choked on candy. As expected, there is more to it. The girl is being abused by the dad and the candy is in fact wrapped up blow.
While all the actors do their best to demonstrate chaos in the hospital, the film looks too set-up with the drama too sentimental. After watching Dr. Evandro tend to an assortment of emergencies, the drama wears down just like an anaesthetic.
TIFF 2017 Movie Review: UNDER THE TREE (Iceland/Denmark/Poland/Germany 2017) ***1/2
Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2017. Go to TIFF 2017 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.
Director:
Writers:
Huldar Breiðfjörð (story and screenplay), Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson (screenplay)
Stars:
Steinþór Hróar Steinþórsson, Edda Björgvinsdóttir, Sigurður Sigurjónsson
This is dark comedy am its blackest. A simple story that unfolds in all its unpredictability and horror. It is trouble for two neighbours, something that many can relate to. The shade from a front yard tree brings tensions to a boil for two families in an Icelandic suburb.
The husbands have a small argument over trimming the big tree as one of the wives likes to lie in the sun and does not want the shade from the tree. But the wives argue. The tires of a car are slashed followed by rude gnomes ornaments placed in the front of the house. Then when the cat goes missing, all hell breaks lose.
Amidst the arguing, there is a subplot of the son losing custody of his daughter after cheating on his wife. Sigurdsson keeps his film engaging from start to end by making his characters real, reacting and doing things that normal people all over the world might end up doing, when pushed to the limit.
The ending comes with a good twist that leaves audiences satisfied that they have seen a really black comedy/drama.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU7KeDwJCAc
TIFF 2017 Movie Review: CANIBA (France 2017) ***
Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2017. Go to TIFF 2017 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.
Directors:
Directed by duo Véréna Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor (LEVIATHON), who are also anthropologists, CANIBA is about Issei Sagawa, the notorious Japanese cannibal now living a reclusive life as a paralytic and seeking atonement for his gruesome crimes.
The film begins with his confession, his face in extreme closeup so, that one can also see all the defects in his face, with him talking about his crime and the reason for it. Issei was deported from Paris in 1981 after being held in prison for two years for murdering and cannibalizing Dutch student Renée Hartevelt (as told in voiceover).
The film is extremely slow and the action or non action is unveiled grainy, cinema-verite style. The brother now takes care of Issei and now semi-paralyzed, housebound on the outskirts of Tokyo, and seeking atonement.
The link between sexual fantasies and cannibalism is also examined in the film. Not for everyone! The film ends, appropriately, with a karaoke song about madness!
TIFF 2017 Movie Review: REVENGE (France 2017) ***1/2
Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2017. Go to TIFF 2017 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.
Director:
Writer:
Stars:
Kevin Janssens, Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, Avant Strangel
REVENGE borrows from many classic films like MAD MAX, THE HUNTING PARTY and female stalker movies to provide another gore fest in which victim becomes hunter with a few more tricks on display. This is Carolie Fargeat’s debut feature and an impressive one at that.
A rich businessman, Steve takes his mistress )Italian model Matilda Lutz) on a getaway in a gorgeous mansion by a desert. His two hunting friends show up and abuse her while he goes off for two hours. Instead of being on her side, Steve takes his friends side. When she threatens to tell his wife, Steve’s pushes her off a cliff. She survives. They hunt her down while she, turns the table on them.
The film is the real BATTLE OF THE SEXES, not the one with the same title centred on tennis, also at this year’s TIFF. A few gory set-ups include one where a man extracts chards of glass from the base of his foot and another with her tending to her wounds with the metal of a red hot beer can.
The climatic scene is full of inventive cat-and house chasing complete with Steve applying Saran wrap around his wounds. REVENGE is perfect Midnight Madness fare and had the theatre howling during the screening.
TIFF 2017 Movie Review: DARK RIVER (UK 2017) ***1/2
Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2017. Go to TIFF 2017 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.
Director:
Writer:
Stars: Ruth Wilson, Mark Stanley, Sean Bean
Director of one of the best films five years ago, THE SELFISH GIANT, DARK RIVER is another drama set in the poor north of England. The setting here is a sheep farm in Yorkshire.
Slice (Ruth Wilson) returns to the farm after a 15 year absence. She left as she was abused by her father, as shown in flashback throughout the film. Her bother, as the neighbour says, is an idiot, and not only does he no listen to reason or Alice’s advice to improve the farm, which we assume does, he is abusive and at one point attacks her while drunk.
Things get worse when he wins tenancy of the land and orders Alice out. It is a tough life for anyone working a farm, made worse with rising working tensions. Barnard’s DARK RIVER shows the emotional anguish Alice goes through.
DARK RIVER is not as satisfying as THE SELFISH GIANT, as it has less story, but the film is no less dramatic. Ruth Wilson is really good as Alice and deserves the BFTA Award for Best Actress.
Clip from the sets: https://teaser-trailer.com/dark-river-movie/
TIFF 2017 Movie Review: ANGELS WEAR WHITE (China/France 2017) ***** Top 10
Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2017. Go to TIFF 2017 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.
Director:
Writer:
Stars:
Le Geng, Mengnan Li, Weiwei Liu
A brilliantly told tale full of emotional angst that also reflects China’s unknown beach culture. The huge statue of Marilyn Monroe at the beach which is finally taken down for repair serves as a metaphor of the film’s broken characters in need for a better life.
It all begins when a seedy hotel worker witnesses on closed circuit camera a man trying to force himself into the room rented by schoolgirls. An assault occurs and the cops are trying to pin the crime on Commissioner Lu. Lu is rich and has connections with money and the local mob. Writer/director Qu weaves an engrossing tale involves multiple layers, all of whom have something to hide.
The truth of Chinese culture where what appears on the surface is always unclear is clearly reflected by the goings-on. Broken marriages, hotel fronts, the under-aged sex trade and illegal employment are just a few issues on display here.
The actress playing the attorney, the super-efficient, caring and brilliant mind steals the show. Top marks credited to all departments in this excellent and powerful debut by Vivian Qu, a film force now to be reckoned with.
Trailer: (unavailable)
Festival Reviews 