Dispatch from TIFF. The festival so far has been a mixed bag, but an interesting one. The screening I had the most fun in so far was with Steve McQueen's Widows, which is a real barn-burner. It's a heist movie in structure but has all kinds of personal and political complexities adding dimensions to it. The dialog is great and the acting is fantastic. Viola Davis spends a bulk of her screen time holding an adorable puppy, while not losing an ounce of her badassery. It's gonna go over like gangbusters when it opens.
This morning was Barry Jenkins' If Beale Street Could Talk, which is as ravishing as the trailer promised. I don't think it is quite as soul stirring as Moonlight (a tall order) but I liked it very much.
More later when I am not on the phone.
Thanks for the teaser. Enjoy!
An excellent day of movies yesterday during TIFF. In addition to Beale Street, I watched Paul Dano's directorial debut, Wildlife, a film about a disintegrating American marriage in the 50's featuring an excellent performance by Carey Mulligan, followed by a lovely low-key Canadian movie about a teenage boy grappling with his sexuality called Giant Little Ones.
The capper of the day was a NGO documentary, Free Solo, centered on this climber named Alex Honnold trying to achieve a frankly INSANE feat of climbing the 3000-feet high El Capitan rock face in Yosemite Park without any gear -- no rope, no carabiners, just a dude in his shoes with pocketful of climbing chalk. It's directed by the team who did Meru a few years back. One of the directors, Jimmy Chin, is himself a renowned climber and a good friend with Honnold, and there is some frank discussion in the film about the ethics of filming someone about to do something so crazy dangerous and how the presence of the film crew on its own might influence the outcome (i.e. almost certain death of its subject). The actual free solo-ing climbing sequence, when it comes, is un-fucking-believable -- awe-inspiring and nerve-wrecking. TIFF had a great idea to screen this movie in the giant IMAX theater in Scotiabank, and watching this on a screen that big in a sold-out showing with the cast and crew in the room was an amazing experience. Both Chin and Honnold stayed on for a Q&A at the end. Honestly one of the best times I've had during the festival in the past 3 years of attending it.
Trailer for Free Solo: [link]
It's generated enough buzz that it'll be getting limited release at the end of the month. See it on the biggest screen possible if you can.
My hands and feet started sweating just reading about that!
I'm already excited about Widows.
Eeep, I would have to have my hands over my eyes too much of it. My fear of heights is great.
I saw a documentary a few years ago about a tightrope walker who went across the Grand Canyon with no safety gear. It was riveting and terrifying. I enjoyed it, so I'd probably enjoy the Honnold documentary. Wish I could remember that guy's name; he's a famous tightrope walker.
Wish I could remember that guy's name; he's a famous tightrope walker.
One of the Wallendas, probably?
eta link - [link]
Yep, Nik Wallenda! Thanks!
So many members of the Wallenda family have died after falling from the wire. It's hard to understand why they keep on doing the highwire acts.
um ... not TIFF, but there are Aquaman posters out
