Fresh on the heels of winning the Cadillac People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, Tom Hooper's The King's Speech is set to be a gala presentation at AFI Fest. My write up of the film for AFI FEST NOW is now up at that site. Read more
The pitch sounds like a “can’t miss” movie, and Minnie Driver, Juliette Lewis, and Melissa Leo combine with Swank and Rockwell to give the film a cast that is truly impressive. That the film is not more engaging can be attributed to two script and direction problems. Read more
In which Cindy helps Ken talk himself off the fence and into appreciating Blue Valentine. Also, when a film's characters seem to violate your personal moral beliefs, what the NC-17 film has in common with Easy A, and suggestions for how to get the most out of a film festival experience. Read more
Director John Curran made two perhaps inadvertently telling comments to the Toronto Film Festival audience following the festival screening of Stone. He said that when Edward Norton originally read the script, he passed on playing the title character with the comment that he “just didn’t see it.” Read more
Marwencol is a fascinating blend of two different genres, the artist documentary and the therapy film, with Mark acting as his own therapist--probing and prodding and--this is key for me--moving towards an end. Read more
The film is as much about the relationships between these women and how they are ennobled and encouraged by one another as it is about their political struggles. Read more
Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher are not two creators I would have instinctively paired, but upon reflection, watching The Social Network, and more reflection, I do see a connection. Each has a body of work permeated with deep melancholy born of a dark, cynical view of human nature. Read more
In Part II of our Toronto International Film Festival wrap up, Cindy and I discuss two political films--John Sayles's Amigo and Xavier Beauvois's Of Gods and Men--becoming a victim of your own success, and whether or not its fair to compare a director's films to his previous work instead of the rest of the playing field. Read more
In Part I of our Toronto International Film Festival Wrap for 2010, Cynthia L. Morefield discusses space, grief, transformation, her favorite film of the festival and two films that have stuck in her memory. Today's primary focus is on the Sophie Fiennes documentary of Anselm Kiefer's work, Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow. Read more
If anyone out there is writing a history of film making over the last 30 years I sincerely urge you devote a chapter to the influence of music videos on feature films. Read more
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