Two nights ago here in Venice, John Woo received a Golden Lion lifetime-achievement award, which may not mean much to people who have seen only his American movies. In fact, while waiting in line for a screening the other day, I heard one badge-holder (speaking English, though I couldn't tell what country he was from) explaining to another who he is. I would have thought anyone in the world who'd managed to get accreditation to a major film festival would know John Woo, but apparently not.
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I don't know about you, but even when I haven't been immersed for days in the beauty and sophistication of a city like Venice, I want to head for the hills whenever I see sunbonnets in the opening shots of a movie. For that reason, the early moments of Kelly Reichardt's ultra-quiet period drama Meek's Cutoff had me worried. The picture is set in 1845 along the Oregon Trail -- Reichardt's home territory -- and in its early moments we watch as three women in calico dresses cross a river on foot. One carries a basket on her head; another, a birdcage with a parakeet inside. As the third emerges from the water, we see that she's pregnant. The other members of this little troupe include the women's husbands and the pregnant woman's preteen son, as well as a know-it-all guide who may, they fear, be leading them down the wrong path.
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Film festivals aren't always the glamorous affairs they're made out to be. Aside from the usual red carpet action, at most festivals it's unusual to see famous types out and about, potentially rubbing shoulders with mere mortals. And as much as I love the occasional random surprise celebrity sighting, that's fine with me. The downside to most festivals is that there's too much to see in an extremely short amount of time, and I need some real life banked around my movies.
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The hardest thing about being an American critic covering a European festival is that almost anything you write is bound to smack of "I'm here, in a fantastic European city, seeing things that you can't." So here I am in Venice, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, looking at brand-new movies that many of you won't be able to see for weeks or months, or maybe ever.
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Because New York moviegoers shouldn't have to endure this ordeal alone, organizers at the Toronto International Film Festival have confirmed they are fighting bedbugs at the Scotiabank Theater -- the primary venue for press and industry attendees from around the world. "Before bedbugs becomes today's meme: we're on it, we're talking to Cineplex & are planning for an itch-free #TIFF10," tweeted TIFF co-director Cameron Bailey. Mm-hmm. Sorry, Europe! Good luck, Asia and Latin America! Bring your duct tape and bug spray, Los Angeles! We're all blood brothers now. [THR]
Good news, finally! The sure-to-be-WTF-inducing Essential Killing, featuring Vincent Gallo as an escaped Taliban soldier in Europe (?) who "must use his wits to evade his pursuers whilst battling bitter winter cold and lack of food," is set to have its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival -- which means it's all that much closer to reaching screens in the States. Maybe. Probably even closer: The Whistleblower, the Rachel Weisz drama about a Nebraska cop on the trail of a sex-slave ring in Bosnia. As predicted, that'll be a world premiere up north; more to come here about this and many others... [TIFF]
So: In less than month you'll officially have your first impressions of the films in which James Franco saws off his own arm, Matt Damon has a brush with death, Joaquin Phoenix gets crapped on, Mickey Rourke and (a winged) Megan Fox flee gangster Bill Murray, and Ed Harris loses control under the rookie directorial eye of Dustin Lance Black -- all of these scenarios are coming to the Toronto Film Festival, organizers officially announced today. This is what fall looks like! Uplifted yet? Click through for a complete rundown of new announcements from up north.
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As befits its name, the Toronto Film Festival's Midnight Madness program took to Twitter in the wee hours of Tuesday to announce a few additions to next month's slate. Among them: The world premiere of Super, the James Gunn-directed, Rainn Wilson-starring comedy about a guy who adopts a superhero persona after his wife takes up with another man. Ellen Page co-stars as his "cute psychopath" sidekick; much wrench-swinging ensues. The Josh Hartnett fantasy/martial arts/Western/whatsit Bunraku is in as well. Developing... [@mmadnesstiff via /film]
The Film Society of Lincoln Center this morning announced its selections for the 48th New York Film Festival, which includes the U.S. premiere of Clint Eastwood's mortality drama Hereafter among other work by Jean-Luc Godard, Mike Leigh, Olivier Assayas, centenarian Manoel de Oliveira and this year's Palme d'Or winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul. And while we're importing from Cannes, we might as well include that notorious Mexican cannibal flick while we're at it. Click through for the full line-up (Including previously announced opening-night and centerpiece selections).
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Will Ferrell's adaptation of the Raymond Carver story Everything Must Go will have its world premiere next month at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film features Ferrell as a recovering alcoholic who tumbles off the wagon and is forced to sell his belongings while exiled on his family's front lawn. He may very well be the first actor to have a No. 1 box-office opener in August while attempting to sell an indie at Toronto in September; I'll check it out in a few months and let you know how he fares... [THR]
The Toronto International Film Festival just announced the line-up for its Real-to-Reel documentary slate as well as its experimental Wavelengths program, both of which could probably stake at least some claim to Werner Herzog's 3D spelunking extravaganza. But the docs side has the world premiere, along with other new efforts by Errol Morris, Ondi Timoner, Alex Gibney, and a revealing look inside the studio with old-school Bruce Springsteen. Read on for the complete program.
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Remember Promises Written in Water, the film whose reins Vincent Gallo was said to have seized during its troubled early days as The Funeral Director? And which was rumored to be headed to a Cannes sidebar premiere in May? That didn't materialize, and now we can deduce why: It's debuting in competition next month at the Venice Film Festival alongside new ones by Sofia Coppola, Darren Aronofsky, Monte Hellman, Julian Schnabel and others. Read on for the full slate.
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The gang at the Toronto International Film Festival has passed along its first main, high-profile round of selections for this year's event, which includes 25 world premieres by the likes of Robert Redford, John Cameron Mitchell, Mark Romanek, Michael Winterbottom and... David Schwimmer? And wait until you hear about that one. (Hint: Look for the one with the pedophile.) Woody Allen, Stephen Frears, Mike Leigh, and many more are also represented among the full 50 after the jump.
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The Toronto International Film Festival drew scorn in 2009 not only for choosing a British production for its opening-night gala, but also for choosing one of the year's most uninspired films -- Creation -- of any origin. No need to worry about that in 2010: The fest has selected new opener Score: A Hockey Musical for its official return to form. And Olivia Newton-John's invited to boot!
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In today's superhero-saturated world, do we really need a return engagement with a whole bunch of putative crusaders who almost never use their powers? That was NBC's thinking when the network snuffed the low-rated Heroes, and though creator Tim Kring has been trying to muster up support for a wrap-up movie, he admits to EW that he network has yet to pull the trigger. "Movies sometimes need a little distance from the television show," he rationalized. Sorry, Tim. We've already moved on to Ant-Man. [EW]
