A LITTLE TRIP TO HEAVEN
6/10
My rating for this is possibly unfair/harsh. I’m not sure though. I had a hard time following the plot in this film and really, it wasn’t till afterwards that I was able to piece together what had been going on. I suspect that I must have vagued out at a critical point near the beginning of the film and therefore was trying to play catch up for the rest of it. This is a very coen brothers like film (think fargo) which revolves around a nice enough woman who’s unsavoury brother is trying to commit large scale insurance fraud. The initial scene is quite horrific and very well done though. One other point was that it was hard to understand some of the dialogue, especially from Forrest Whittaker who was playing his part with a strong (Minnesotan?) accent

TOUGH ENOUGH
7.5/10
This was a good film, great job done by the young actor who played the lead. The film is based on the life of a young guy (around 15) who’s mum is a bit of a floozy, mooching off her boyfriend at the time and not really making a way for herself in the world. When a doctor kicks her (and her son out) they drop down a couple of notches in accommodation and suburb. The story shows how the boy makes his way in the new environment, initially being bullied until he starts associating with a local crime figure. This could easily have been a bad film, but it really was enjoyable, not pushing too far towards melodrama. I particularly liked an early scene when the boy arrives at his new school – the director really managed to transfer to the big screen the feelings of starting somewhere new where everyone is a stranger.

FUNNY HA-HA
4/10
I mean, you know, it’s not… Umm, you know, i mean… the acting and scripting and editing is… you know. I mean, it’s not good. it’s umm bad. you know? i mean, yeah… Imagine watching/listening to dialogue like that for a couple of hours with poor acting and you’ll get the drift. Some people watch horror movies just to get scared. People who are enthralled by uncomfortable/awkward conversations will like it a little more. This is the first film by the director of Mutual Appreciation, which I’m also going to at MIFF – let’s hope he’s improved for that one.

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
9/10
Another documentary about the state of the world and how it’s going to hell in a hand basket, this time in relation to global warming. You’d think that we’ve had enough of these over the past few years, but this one was freaking great. It had enough statistics and fact to ensure that you didn’t necessarily become swayed by emotive outpourings. It was well made and cut together to provide a high level of interest and enterainment – Al Gore is a great speaker. And, it actually told us what we can do to make a difference – and it’s not that hard. A must see – I’m calling my electricity company this week to convert to green energy. Check out the website at http://www.climatecrisis.net/ to see what you can do.

PUSHER
6.5/10
When this Danish film was released in the mid-90s it was very well received. It wasn’t an awful film but given I never saw it till now, it just feels a bit run of the mill – think pulp fiction/lock stock/etc, except without the polish of those films. The main issue for me really was that I didn’t feel sympathy for the (anti)hero in the film. I wasn’t really rooting for him. Worth a look if you like drug/mob type flicks.

AL FRANKEN: GOD SPOKE
6/10
My first film at the Greater Union. I really dislike that cinema. Anyway, this was a watchable film, but was really directionless. It’s about Al Franken the Saturday Night Live comedian and his political leanings/activity. I wasn’t really sure what the point that was trying to be made was, and I suspect the filmmakers didn’t know either. If you’re a big fan of Al Franken, maybe it’d be more interesting, as it seems to be a mish-mash of things that he was involved with leading up to the last US election. You can see that he’s passionate about the politics of the country and may be more closely involved in the political system in the future. I suppose another factor is that that the US elections that this film leads up to were nearly two years ago, so what it’s meant to be doing for us in 2006 is another point to consider. Probably worth a look if it shows up on TV.

SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL
5/10
Well, this film wasn’t that great for me, which is likely to mean that it’s too arty for my little brain, or that’s it’s actually just not that great, or maybe it’s a bit of both. Interspersed and somewhat (to me anyway) unrelated crossing sections of the film are done between the Rolling Stones recording Sympathy for the Devil, some Black Panthers hangin’ out in a car junk yard reading out loud, playing with guns and feeling up white women, and a woman graffitiing slogans around London. Oh, and the occasional other scenario in a bookshop or an interview of a woman in a forest where every answer is ‘yes’ or ‘no’. I would have dozed except for the fact it was my first film of the day and I’d just had a coffee. So, anyway, for me, not my bag. I reckon if they just showed all the Rolling Stones excerpts and made it about 30 mins long it would’ve been great. Some of the scenes with the stones were pretty magic.

A SCANNER DARKLY
8/10
This story was written by Philip K Dick who also wrote the short story that Blade Runner (one of my fave films) was based on. It was directed by Richard Linklater who’s directed some of my favourite films (Dazed & Confused, Before Sunrise). So, what could go wrong? Luckily, nothing much. I had a good time watching this film – it was a little confusing at points but ultimately I understood enough by the end to feel that it paid off – certainly one I’ll want to see again. A special mention should also be made of the incredible job done animating the entire film. It’s a visual style slighly reminiscent of some of Waking Life, but nothing I’ve seen before is quite like this. So, a mixing the story and the great visuals, a must see. How’s that – three films in three days all getting my two thumbs up – let’s hope this level is maintained throughout the festival!

FEARLESS
8/10
Fearless is a wushu film (that’s martial arts) starring Jet Li. While I find most of Jet Li’s american made films almost watchable, I’ve really enjoyed a lot of his Chinese made films. This one falls into the latter category and was excellently done. The story is based on Huo Yuan Jia who was the creator of a sports federation in China. The film was introduced by the director who claimed that this will be Jet’s last wushu film (though not last action film). Highly recommended for fans of martial arts flicks.

UNITED 93
4/10
I’m rating a film here, and this film was just plain shoddy. I feel for the victims of the sept 11 attacks on the US and by no means belittle the impact that it had on the world in general, but really don’t feel that this film was worth the time. It’s a film about the 4th plane that landed in a field on Sept 11 and is based on what events they know along with filler where they’re unsure. So far so good, but the execution was terrible. The entire thing is filmed as if it’s a live action filming as it happened and the constant shaky handheld camera was enough to make me close my eyes for brief periods to avoid nausea. The acting was terrible – I don’t know where they found these people but the only performance worthy of mention was the leader of the military command at NORAD – the rest just seemed like amateurs. Additionally, progression of the story was at times slow and repetitive. Several times we’d be shown one Air Traffic Control room in one location where they find a plane isn’t responding, and then would have to sit and watch as the same information is repeated time and time again through the other control towers, etc. We (the audience) know the planes gone, so why do we need to watch the other characters in the film discover the facts time and time again? Anyway, the film’s impact is great at times, but really, that’s based on the horror of the event rather than any noticeable achievement by these filmmakers.

SARAH SILVERMAN: JESUS IS MAGIC
7/10
Pretty much a live stand-up show by this American comedienne with a few interlaced dream sequence/musical numbers for variety. Fine enough time to be had with several funny moments. She really targets the taboo though – I don’t think any minority or sensitive subject was left untouched in this 72 minute film. I am in two minds about comedy of this type – jokes about subjects like religion/race/genocide/mass-starvation/rape/terrorism can be humourous and I laughed, but at the same time, I kind of wonder how necessary it is… It’s just a personal decision for everyone to make I guess. So, if you’re into offensive humour, check it out. If you’re strongly against politically incorrect comedians avoid at all costs!

THANK YOU FOR SMOKING
8/10
Wow! What a great start to the film festival. Had a great time watching Thank You For Smoking which was a tongue in cheek comedy where the protaganist is the american cigarette industry’s main lobbyist. His job is to defend cigarettes and does a great job doing so. It’s a little weird taking the side of the guy who you know is fighting for the wrong side. Lots of familiar faces in this film too; Wiliam H. Macy, Rob Lowe, Robert Duvall, Katie Holmes, etc – will definitely need to be doing some IMDB checks to try and recall where I’ve seen some of them before. Highly recommended, hopefully I havent hit my highlight for the festival in the first film this year :-).