Faces Places and Loving Vincent - Movies

Bell Blue Lightbox
November 4, 2017

2 Outstanding movies we watched last November 2017 at the Bell Lightbox were Faces Places and Loving Vincent.

Loving Vincent was a story depicted in oil painted animation, a young man comes to the last hometown of painter Vincent van Gogh to deliver the troubled artist's final letter and ends up investigating his final days there. I wanted to watch it for the technicality of the movie which is composed of thousands of commissioned oil paintings much like Van Goghs'. I ended up loving it more for the way the story was told like an impressionist whodunit.

Faces Places.
Agnès Varda and 33 year old muralist JR have things in common: a passion for and the exploration of images in general, and more precisely, for places and for ways of showing, sharing, and exhibiting them. When Agnès and JR met in 2015, they immediately wanted to work together, to shoot a film in France, far from cities, during a trip in JR's photographic (and magical) truck. Through chance encounters and prepared projects, they reached out to others, listening to them, photographing them, and sometimes putting them on posters.  A lovely documentary of images, people stories and friendship.

I will surely miss the movies at the Bell Lightbox as I am not renewing my membership this year.

Casablanca and Hostiles

2 Movies I watched lately were Hostiles (released 2018) and Casablanca (released 1943 - my 2nd or 3rd time to watch the movie though). 75 years in between the two movies but I could not help but see the similarities/parallelism.

Hostiles follows Christian Bale as the US officer who must escort a Cheyenne war chief and his family back to their home in Montana in 1892.

Casablanca is set during World War II with the story of Humphrey Bogart the American who must choose between his love for a woman, Ingrid Bergman and helping her and husband escape.

Both movies had 2 leaders who are at odds with each other. In both movies one leader/character is the key to bringing the other one home. Both leaders have their own beliefs, leadership styles and values, both head strong. In the end they accomplished what needed to be done and earned the respect of the other leader. In both stories the leaders gave up on love.

It made me ponder that after 75 years of movie making, movie themes rarely change. Though presented in different ways - it is still the same human struggle, life stories and lessons.

The best film review  I have read of Hostiles, I have read here.   Meanwhile forCasablanca nobody can do it better than Roger Ebert himself. Read his review on Casablanca here.

While I watched Hostiles at the Scarborough Town Centre, my recent Casablanca experience was made more unforgettable with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra playing live at the Kitchener Main theater.


Casablanca - January 19, 2018, Kitchener Main Theatre
Hostiles - January 18, 2018, Scarborough Town Centre

Godless and The Shape of Water

When the weather outside is not anything conducive to going out, so glad there is NetFlix. Recently binge-watched "Godless" a 7 episode Netflix original. Don't let the title mislead you - it is not anything about religion. It is actually a Western with a female twist. And for a person like me who is not a Western fan to keep me still and really watch the 7 episodes one after the other is saying something.

Some episodes were dragging, but the superb acting of everyone in the cast made up for it. From Jack O'Connell, Jeff Daniels, Michelle Dockery to Merritt Wever. Storyline was easy to follow but the cinematography was beautiful showcasing the beauty of the American West. The series had its flaws but for all the almost 7 hours I was glued on the TV set - I had no regrets. I enjoyed the show and would recommend it.

The weather was still cold and streets mushy with snow. Decided to head to the nearby mall and watch Guillermo del Toro's "The Shape of Water". I had no idea what the story was but since it had 13 nominations for the Oscars we decided to give it a try. I think this was my first Guillermo del Toro movie though I know Guillermo's genre is on fantasy and horror. Well, the movie did not turn out as horrifying as I thought it would be. In fact it was a fantasy-romance much like the Filipino folklores were read back home. Musical score, production design and acting stands out. I wonder how it will fare in the Oscars.

And to top it all it was fun to watch out for a lot of Toronto places where the scenes were shot. Check them out here. 

TIFF 2017

Short break from all those Summer Trip 2017 postings. 

Here the 5 Toronto International Film Festival movies I watched this year. Yes 5 is a low number and in the 11 years I have been watching movies during the festival this is one of our leanest years. We decided on the early part of the game we are not taking days off and will only have weekends to watch. For that reason alone - we limited our movies. 

So here goes the movies and reviews from different movie critics (why should do it when others can do it better). 

The Motive (Country : Spain)

Hubby and I watched this movie. We both liked it. 7/10
Subject was very close to my heart - writing.

Click here for a REVIEW from Hollywood Reporter. 

Rainbow - A Private Affair (Country - Italy)

Friend Cindy and I watched this one and gave it a 3 out of 10. A total failure.

Click here for a REVIEW from Hollywood Reporter.

Downsizing ( Country - USA, Special Presentation)

All 3 (hubby, son and me) liked the movie. 7/10
Hong Chau was brilliant in here, stole the show!

Click here for a REVIEW from Keith Loves Movies.

The Third Murder (Country - Japan)

All 3 (hubby, son and me) liked the movie. 7/10
It was like a John Grisham novel.

Click here for a REVIEW from IndieWire.

Short Cuts 05 was one presentation we watched. Shortcuts 05 was not actually a movie but 7 short films under the Short Cuts Program of TIFF. We rarely miss presentations from Short Cuts because we get to see 6-7 short films from different filmmakers and countries. It is always a treat.

And so another season has come and gone. This year did not feel like a TIFF year for me. I did not volunteer, I only got to see 5 presentations, I did not take a day off from work to line up and have small talk with other film buffs. This year however we had 2 "guests" in the form of the Gonzales couple. Them watching 2 movies at TIFF was not planned and was so spontaneous but they said they want to do it again next year. Sounds interesting!!



Toronto International Film Festival - Sept 7-17, 2017

Thornbury - A Winter Break

Scheduled a break in the middle of February hoping to enjoy snow and winter. But nature happens and the week turned out to be one of the warmest in the 2017 winter. Oh well - it was still a fun and memorable one. The break started with only me and my forever companion aka hubby then the Gonzales and Ocampo couples joined us later in the week.

Date : February 19-25
Stayed at : Royal Harbour Resort, Thornbury, Ontario (20 minutes from Collingwood)

A Thornbury sunrise.

Places we visited : Webwood Falls, Ingliss Falls and Walters Falls. Craigleith Provincial Park, towns of Meaford, Collingwood and Clarksburg. The Blue Mountains, Wasaga Beach.

A sampler of the roads we traversed.

Food Trips and Restaurants :
At Thornbury we tried Orchid Restaurant for breakfast where the pancakes were fluffy and food was reasonably priced and tasted homemade.
We had lunch at Bruce Mill Wine Bar and Kitchen where service was excellent and food was not too bad. 
A little snack at Thornbury Bakery Cafe. The sandwiches were huge and I got some baked products which were sold at 50% off 30  minutes before closing (4 pm).

In Collingwood we did not miss Heavenly Cafe with its delectable sweets.
Lunch at Lakeside Resort and Grill. A really good place for great food, service and view.Just right for some friends bonding before we parted.
We also tried PIE Wood Fired Pizza. On the outside the place looked so quiet but inside it was a very busy place. The pizza was okay but did not really impress.

Also visited : Country Affairs Candles (Meaford)  - huge inventory of candles and country arts, Grandma Lambes (Meaford) for apples, pies and the ever so yummy bread fruit. Ice cream at Grandma's Beach Treats (Wasaga). The Collingwood Museum right at the heart of Collingwood.

Duncan's Cafe in Collingwood is now a new favorite place not only for the art lined walls 

but also for the quesadilla and veggie/pork rolls.

Movies watched while in the resort : Red 2 (Bruce Willis, all star cast), Unanswered Prayers, The story of Adele H. (Isabelle Adjani), Les Miserables (Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman), One Day (Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess).

Places for next time : Thornbury's Cheese Gallery, Ashanti Cafe, The Corner Cafe and Grill - all in Thornbury.

Now Showing : Re-runs

Between me and the hubby, he loves chick flicks and love story movies more than I do. In our latest get-away, he brought along copies of his favorite movies for reasons I certainly do not know. Thus for a few nights all he watched (actually, all we watched) were reruns.

The 1994 remake of the 1939 movie "Love Affair" and 1957's "An Affair to Remember" starring the real life couple Warren Beatty and Annette Benning. Beatty looking so handsome and Benning so regal, I wonder how hopeless romantics still cry over this "happy ever after movie".

Hubby's all time favorite "Serendipity" set in New York complete with jet setting searches and the giving up of present lovers to give fate a chance. Ahhh...what more can be romantic than this?

Finally - "The Bridges of Madison County". This is MY favorite love story. Even at the 57th time watching this movie I still cry buckets. BUT...I don't want to watch this movie with somebody else. Anybody. It is the movie I watch when I want to cry. For no reason. Watching this with another person (no matter how close to me) - just minimizes the effect. It is NOT the same. I am just wired that way. I endured though until closing credits.

So glad we also watched "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". After all those tear inducing movies - I really needed some humor. And some Windex.

Gerard Butler

I am really not sure if I am a Gerard Butler fan or not. I just saw "London Has Fallen" which I enjoyed. I was entertained though I think the storyline was a bit too unrealistic. But then, it is just a movie, right?

Which made me remember that I did like Gerard as the Phantom in the 2004 movie version of "The Phantom of the Opera". I was convinced he was an accomplished singer even though I read he had no singing experience before this movie. He was very convincing as Phantom, I even watch my Blu-Ray copy ever so often.

This also lead me to that movie "Law Abiding Citizen". Again another movie that seemed unrealistic  yet it entertained and I enjoyed Gerard Butler's acting (or the character he played).

So it got me into thinking, am I beginning to be a fan? Will I be excited to see his next movie?

Not convinced yet.

Old Movies Like New

How to Train Your Dragon 2. The 2014 sequel to the original which still stars Hiccup and most of the cast five years after the first movie. For an easy relaxing movie night. Nothing much to digest nor analyze - just pure family bonding fun.

Die Hard "the Original", filmed in 1988 yet still heart thumping and exciting after 27 years. Watching the movie is like revisiting an old home. It reminded me of how things were back then - the big PC monitors with the green cursors, ham radios, cassette tapes (if someone still remembers them), smoking is allowed anywhere and guns can still be carried on planes. Of course, it counts much that Bruce Willis looked so trim, toned and young then. Yes, 27 years ago. (This one courtesy of TIFF volunteer office as a Christmas treat).

Zero Dark Thirty. This 2012 action thriller of how Al Qaeda's leader was traced and found was a superb and interesting movie.Critically acclaimed and nominated in several award giving bodies - well made and well acted.

The exception to this post is Sicario. This is a 2015 released film which was shown in the recent TIFF but did not get to watch. Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro and Josh Grolin stars. There is nothing much to say about the film except WOW! Fast pacing, cinematography, acting, storyline - nothing to ask for. No wonder people who saw this movie in TIFF were raving about it. Well deserved.

Back To The Future : October 21, 2015

In the 2nd installment of the Back to the Future trilogy, Marty McFly and Doc Brown rode the Delorean time machine to the future. The movie was released in 1989 and the future they drove to was OCTOBER 21, 2015.

What was I doing/what was happening in October of 1989? For one, I had an 11 month old son and we were still in Iligan City, Philippines then. Corazon Aquino was president and we were gainfully employed as engineers at National Steel Corporation.

25 year later and the FUTURE has arrived.  We are now Canadians and have long forgotten how to be an engineer. The Philippines still has an Aquino as president, the son of the first Aquino president. 

The son is now almost 27 years old and traveling alone across Canada and the US. Barely a year old in 1989 - yet Back To The Future is one of his favorite films (if not his favorite). He must have seen the movies more than 10 times and that is not including the time I watched them with him. He has the VHS, DVD and Blue-Ray copy of the movies. He even has a photo shaking the hand of Christopher Lloyd (who played Doc Emmet Brown) while Doc was in his DeLorean time machine.

I wonder where will I be/what I will be doing in 25 more years? And where will my 27 year old big  fan of the movie be in 25 years? Back to the Future : 2040?

Movietime : On The Job

After watching Erik Matti's "Honor Thy Father" at the recently concluded Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), I searched for another movie by this director. I have heard/read about his movie "On The Job". Good thing Netflix had it.

I was not disappointed. Not a moment! "On the Job" (OJT) now becomes my standard for Filipino action, crime-thrillers. I never watch Filipino action movies. I always had the feeling instead of fear or thrill - I feel like laughing at the action or of the story. OJT erased all these. Proving that with the right script, editing, directing and casting Filipino movies do have something to show. Filipinos are unique, there are so many facets of our uniqueness that can be made into movies plus our characters are rich with emotions.

The movie was a bit long at 121 minutes - but I was never bored or felt some scenes were too long. Casting was perfect. Sound track and cinematography were superb.

One great Filipino movie.

4oth TIFF Movies - Part 3

Last but not least the 3 other movies I watched.

 HONOR THY FATHER. Of course I cannot miss a Filipino movie on any TIFF. The best Filipino movie I have seen in 8 years of TIFF for me. Well edited, scripted, acted. If there is one thing that would have made this good film great - I have to say it was the lead star John Lloyd. Though I say it was well acted, but that only goes for everyone in the cast, even the brothers who had very short roles. I just don't feel John Lloyd had the depth and the anger the role needed. (Sorry, JL fans). Over-all, a very good Filipino movie.

 THE MISSING GIRL. A fitting last movie for this season. Light, funny, concise. There was nothing much to think while viewing the movie. It was entertaining.

TRUMAN. While in the line up, a guy asked me "Are you a Ricardo Darin fan?". I said, No, who is he? Guy said - he is Argentina's George Clooney. Me: Oh, well maybe I am. But truly, I chose this movie for the theme of friendship and losing a friend. The movie tugged everyone's heart. Beautiful.

40th TIFF Movies - Part 2

This year I watched a total of 9 full length movies and 1 featuring 7 short films. The first 3 were already mentioned in Part 1, here comes the next 3.

KILL YOUR FRIENDS. This British black comedy stars Nicholas Hoult ( About A Boy, Mad Max). At the end of the movie I still was not sure if I liked it or not. But then I never liked Wolf of Wall Street which this movie reminds me so much of. Click here to know more.

 MUSTANG. A coming of age movie but set in a Turkish village where everything is done so differently from most of the world. Beautifully cast and worth watching if only to learn something about other cultures. Click here for review.

THE HERE AFTER. Slow family drama yet it still captured me.
Click here for more.

My apologies for just linking the reviews here. I leave the reviews to the more qualified. I only watch movies.

40th TIFF Movies - Part 1

I have to write this post to record the movies I have seen on this year's Toronto International Film Festival. Not doing this would ultimately mean they will be lost in this confusing, maddening, forever on-going project of trying to catch up on my blogs.

"BEAST" from director Tom and Sam McKeith.  Australian production but set in Manila.
Read review from Hollywood Reporter here which I tend to agree a lot. 

"BROOKLYN". One movie anyone who has experienced being away from home can relate to. Add a little romance, family issues and a wonderful cast - you certainly have a movie worthy to watch.
Read more about it here.

"DESIERTO". What more can I say aside from it made me a certified Gael Garcia Bernal fan. Boy! the guy got me in the short Q & A after the movie. Beautiful cinematography. Read more about it here.

Movies : If Ever There Is a Sequel

I was excited to watch The Avengers and had high hopes but these hopes and expectations came crashing to the ground after the movie. Except for eye candies Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans, I have nothing more to say. There were too many things going on, too much special effects that it tired me out. I am not sure if I will watch another Avengers movie for a while.

Mission Impossible : Rogue Nation delivered! Looking back, I never thought Tom Cruise could sustain the Mission Impossible franchise/movie/storylines - but he did. I have watched all 5 MI movies and so far it has never failed me. For me the movie (and all MI movies) are well thought of, they invest much on it to come up with a great product, it never bores and it leaves you wanting to watch the next one. Even if it takes 5 years of waiting.

 

Inside Out was a revelation. This Disney-Pixar 2015 movie was an unexpected gem. Considered a family or even a children's movie - but it is not. The kids may love it for the color and the cute faces but the grown ups can relate to it more. The movie really does border on a children and an adult film. It is hard to decide. Maybe I will just say - it is a movie with a heart. I wonder where the writers will take this movie next if ever there is a sequel. And I would be sad if there is none. Truly delightful.

3 Movies

It might seem funny to drive 6 hours to beautiful Lake Placid only to do a movie marathon. But then, sometimes it is the only time we have to enjoy them. And it is snowing and cold anyway.

Popularity is the slutty little cousin of prestige.~ Mike

It’s not what you did, son. It’s who you did it to.~ Viggo

 

We are only here briefly and in this moment I want to allow myself joy. - Amy

That's a wrap. Tomorrow we go out and enjoy the snow.

TIFF 2014 - Day 3

CONFESSION
When a faked robbery ends in a real death, three long-time friends have their fierce loyalty to one another put to the test, in this noir-ish action thriller from South Korean director Lee Do-yun.

WHERE I AM KING
When his fortune is wiped out, an arrogant, self-made tycoon is forced to return to the slum tenement where he grew up, in this vibrant, socially-aware comedy from Filipino master Carlos Siguion-Reyna.

All descriptions from TIFF website

TIFF 2014 - Day 2

THE DARK HORSE
A former speed-chess champion struggling with bipolar disorder (Cliff Curtis) takes over as coach of a chess team for at-risk youth, in the inspirational true story of New Zealand chess legend Genesis Potini. Intense,powerful, emotional. 5 out of 5

 WHO AM I (No System Is Safe)
A young, friendless computer geek becomes a most wanted man after he joins a crew of daredevil hackers, in this fast-paced techno-thriller from hot young German director Baran bo Odar (The Silence). Heart pumping - 5 out of 5.

TIFF 2014 - Day 1

GUIDANCE

Discovery Canada Programme

Fabricating credentials to score a last-ditch job as a high school guidance counsellor, a boozing, drug-addled former child star becomes an improbable hit with his students by dispensing the worst advice possible, in this hilarious reprobate comedy from writer-director-star Pat Mills. 

(Description from TIFF website)

 

First movie for this year after a 6.6 hour volunteer shift at Bell Lightbox. 2.5 out of 5.

Movies, Lately

Some movies I have seen of late.

August 16, 2014 - At last I completed my Richard Linklater's "Before Trilogy.

 July 27, 2014 - Richard Linklater's epic 12 years in the making film. Brilliant.

 

Forgot date, but a very entertaining. Something I'd totally recommend. 

Of course that is coming from a Wes Anderson fan.

 

 August 10, 2014. An entertaining fantasy, sci-fi film of hodge-podge superheroes. 

The special effects got me.

 

August 16, 2014. Then I realized I do like Celtic, country, and some other music from the 60s.