#TIFF13: “PRISONERS”
Review by: Jonathan Godfrey for Mr. Will Wong
It is not very often that a Studio permits its Artists free reign, but then again Warner Bros. is far from the norm. With three potential Oscar Contenders out this weekend, Prisoners opens-up this weekend as the Leader of the Pack.
The Film is a departure from the Zeitgeist, a dark narrative about dark matters. Crafted by the Quebecois Renaissance Man Denis Villeneuve, Prisoners is a Movie about the array of affects that occur after a Child is ...
Read more
#TIFF13: “LOVE PUNCH”
Fans of 2008's Last Chance Harvey will be excited that Director/Writer Joel Hopkins once again re-teams with Emma Thompson in Love Punch, which premiered at TIFF '13. The Comedy centers around a divorced Couple, Richard (Pierce Brosnan) and Kate (Emma Thompson) who team together to recover their retirement funds after the money is stolen from them. With some Costumes and Texan accents, they plot to steal a Diamond Necklace worth a considerable sum from the young ...
Read more
#TIFF13: “THE RAILWAY MAN
Based upon Eric Lomax's Memoir about his experiences as a World War II Victim forced to work on the Thai/Burma Railway, The Railway Man from Director Jonathan Teplitzky premiered at TIFF '13. The Film recalls the torment he experienced during the War in his younger years (played by Jeremy Irvine) at the hands of the Japanese, after it is learned that he had built a secret Radio to receive news on the homefront to give his fellow Soldiers updates.
The emotional torture however doesn't ...
Read more
#TIFF13: “AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY”
A Family Crisis brings the Women of the Weston Family together once again and it isn't long before they realize why it is that they have distanced themselves from the one Woman responsible for raising them and how it is they each are a reflection of her dysfunction. Based upon the Pullitzer Prize-winning Play by Tracy Letts, August: Osage County made its World Premiere at TIFF '13 and after being in awe of its Trailer, I can say the Family Drama delivers almost on every level.
Violet Weston ...
Read more
#TIFF13: “TRACKS”
In 1977, a then 27-year-old Australian Woman named Robyn Davidson (Mia Wasikowska) began her 1,700 mile Trek from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean. Partaking on her Adventure also were her Dog and four Camels. Needing the funding to embark on her Journey, National Geographic Photographer Rick Smolan (Adam Driver) recommends she contact the Magazine for a sponsorship and despite the hesitation of having it documented and photographed, she agrees to the aid. Director John Curran takes us ...
Read more
#TIFF13: “DEVIL’S KNOT”
On May 5, 1993, three eight-year-old West Memphis Boys: Stevie Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers went missing. Their bodies later were found bound, beaten and sexually mutilated after an intensive search. Convinced that this was the work of a Satanic Cult, the local Police Department arrest three Teenage Boys: Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr., taking them to trial. All but the latter maintain their innocence, although it is learned that the latter is mentally ...
Read more
#TIFF13: “THE FIFTH ESTATE”
Based on the Books Inside WikiLeaks by Daniel Domscheit-Berg and WikiLeaks by David Leigh & Luke Harding, Director Bill Condon's The Fifth Estate opens the Toronto International Film Festival this year in as explosive a fashion as the Website which it centers upon operates. The Thriller raises several questions, among them the implications of both sharing highly confidential information and also keeping it secret in this Age of Information.
Perhaps not the most flattering portrayal of ...
Read more
#REVIEW – “ADORE”
Who doesn't enjoy a good, tangled mess once in a while? Adore from French-based Director Anne Fontaine (Coco Before Chanel) gives us just this in her Adaptation of the Novel The Grandmothers, by Doris Lessing. The Australian-set Drama's subject matter on paper might appear slighty off-putting, but the matter could not have been treated with any more grace and dignity than it is here. Highlighted by an outstanding Ensemble, Adore just might be one of 2013's juiciest secrets.
Lil (Naomi ...
Read more
#TIFF13: “PARKLAND”
November 22, 1963 is a day which forever which change American History - the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. With great detail Writer/Director Peter Landesman recounts the series of events following the shooting from the desperate and bloodied attempts by Doctors Jim Carrico (Zac Efron) and Malcolm Perry (Colin Hanks) to resuscitate him at Dallas' Parkland Hospital; to the Man who by chance recorded the shooting on his camera in Abraham Zapunder (Paul ...
Read more
#TIFF13: “ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE”
Vampires in recent years have proven engaging at the Cinema, especially for younger, female Moviegoers. Writer/Director Jim Jarsmusch however, goes against the grain in delivering an ultra-stylish Romantic-Horror geared to the Arthouse Crowd in Only Lovers Left Alive, set to premiere at TIFF '13.
Centered upon Adam (Tom Hiddleston) and Eve (Tilda Swinton), a Vampire Couple who have been married for centuries, their bond remains inseparable despite being continents apart. He, a ...
Read more