TIFF, Day Three
Sep. 6th, 2008 09:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
przedDay three of the fest, and one where both of my films were second choices. One of those choices paid off big time, and it wasn't even the one I was expecting.
Title: Detroit Metal City
Director: Toshio Lee
Country: Japan
P's Rating: Okay
Negiri is a nebbishy college student who just wants to play sensitive love songs that inspire other people to dream. Unfortunately, the only musical job he's been able to get is fronting death metal band, Detroit Metal City. When he runs into the girl he had a crush on in college who hates death metal, he has to keep his alter ego, Sir Krauser, under wraps. Of course, wackiness ensues. I was hoping that this would be another Wild Zero, another Japanese entry that played midnight madness in 2000. That film has aliens, zombies, romance (between the hero and a transexual character) and the real band Guitar Wolf who appear periodically to dispense wisdom to the hero. That was a work of demented genius. Detroit Metal City, alas, is not. It's fun, it's okay, but it's missing the vital spark that would kick it into overdrive. That said, I adore the scene where Negiri visits his family in full Sir Krauser makeup to straighten out his little brother who's become a boorish death metal fan.
Title: Every Little Step
Director: James D. Stern & Adam Del Deo
Country: U.S.
P's Rating: Highly Recommended
This documentary follows the audition process for the 2006 remount of A Chorus Line, and it's amazing. And I say that as someone who loves theatre, but not musical theatre, and has neither seen nor had any previous interest in seeing A Chorus Line. (That's changed now, but it was never on my radar before. And I really only picked this film, as a second choice, because it fit my schedule, and I'd liked the doc the same two directors did on Yao Ming's first year playing basketball for the NBA. Now, basketball I do like.) It goes from the initial cattle calls, where they saw about three thousand performers, down to the final audition where the director and his crew make the final decisions on who will play each role. And it's all utterly gripping. You follow a number of performers from the first big cattle calls through to that final audition, and you're totally invested in finding out who gets the roles, and devastated when people are cut. And running through it all are the original taped interviews with dancers that the creator of the show, Michael Bennett, turned into A Chorus Line.
Title: Detroit Metal City
Director: Toshio Lee
Country: Japan
P's Rating: Okay
Negiri is a nebbishy college student who just wants to play sensitive love songs that inspire other people to dream. Unfortunately, the only musical job he's been able to get is fronting death metal band, Detroit Metal City. When he runs into the girl he had a crush on in college who hates death metal, he has to keep his alter ego, Sir Krauser, under wraps. Of course, wackiness ensues. I was hoping that this would be another Wild Zero, another Japanese entry that played midnight madness in 2000. That film has aliens, zombies, romance (between the hero and a transexual character) and the real band Guitar Wolf who appear periodically to dispense wisdom to the hero. That was a work of demented genius. Detroit Metal City, alas, is not. It's fun, it's okay, but it's missing the vital spark that would kick it into overdrive. That said, I adore the scene where Negiri visits his family in full Sir Krauser makeup to straighten out his little brother who's become a boorish death metal fan.
Title: Every Little Step
Director: James D. Stern & Adam Del Deo
Country: U.S.
P's Rating: Highly Recommended
This documentary follows the audition process for the 2006 remount of A Chorus Line, and it's amazing. And I say that as someone who loves theatre, but not musical theatre, and has neither seen nor had any previous interest in seeing A Chorus Line. (That's changed now, but it was never on my radar before. And I really only picked this film, as a second choice, because it fit my schedule, and I'd liked the doc the same two directors did on Yao Ming's first year playing basketball for the NBA. Now, basketball I do like.) It goes from the initial cattle calls, where they saw about three thousand performers, down to the final audition where the director and his crew make the final decisions on who will play each role. And it's all utterly gripping. You follow a number of performers from the first big cattle calls through to that final audition, and you're totally invested in finding out who gets the roles, and devastated when people are cut. And running through it all are the original taped interviews with dancers that the creator of the show, Michael Bennett, turned into A Chorus Line.
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no subject
Date: 2008-09-07 03:21 am (UTC)And many thanks for the advice re: Passchendaele. Having *some* idea what to expect was beyond helpful :)
PS - congrats on getting a ticket to "Appaloosa". I know you really wanted to see it (it's Viggo - what's not to like?? ).
no subject
Date: 2008-09-07 05:15 pm (UTC)So, was Passchendaele awesome? Did you have fun at the party? Inquiring minds want to know.
no subject
Date: 2008-09-07 10:12 pm (UTC)I can't wait to see it again :)
The party was interesting - lots of people, tons of food and drink, and I'm sure quite productive for those in and around the industry. Me? I didn't recognize a soul but one, and I couldn't recall his name. Didn't see any Hollywood types, but then we also didn't crash the sit-down dinner they had in one of the other rooms (sometimes we're just way too polite...) Would have stayed later, but it was a work night, and my date {grin} was getting tired. Did manage to make it in to work on time, though (the quick walk from Kay's to the office is very handy).
Will keep my eyes peeled for more of your reviews...
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Date: 2008-09-07 06:41 am (UTC)Thank you for information though!
no subject
Date: 2008-09-07 05:13 pm (UTC)