TIFF 2009, Day Nine
Sep. 18th, 2009 11:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
przedWell, it had to happen: I saw my first crappy film today. Which still puts me at 14 to 1 for the fest.
Title: Prince of Tears
Director: Yonfan
Country: Taiwan/HK
P's Rating: Not-so-good
This one is set during the fifties in Taiwan, a period of severe political repression, when thousands were executed as Communist spies. Li and Zhou are two sisters whose lives are torn apart when their parents are accused of treason. There is a good story in here, and the first half isn't horrible, but it all falls apart in the end, trying for magical realism and descending into silliness. And the director's decision to use a brief slo mo effect every five minutes all the way through the film starts off interesting and quickly becomes merely an irritating tic.
Title: Ondine
Director: Neil Jordan
Country: Ireland
P's Rating: Highly Recommended
Colin Farrell plays an Irish fisherman who pulls a woman out of this trawling net. His daughter is convinced the woman is a selkie, and he's half-convinced she's not entirely of this world when his luck seems to change with her appearance. Jordan has managed to weave a story that mixes the magic of fairy tales with the grit of the real world. Extremely well done and very enjoyable.
Title: Prince of Tears
Director: Yonfan
Country: Taiwan/HK
P's Rating: Not-so-good
This one is set during the fifties in Taiwan, a period of severe political repression, when thousands were executed as Communist spies. Li and Zhou are two sisters whose lives are torn apart when their parents are accused of treason. There is a good story in here, and the first half isn't horrible, but it all falls apart in the end, trying for magical realism and descending into silliness. And the director's decision to use a brief slo mo effect every five minutes all the way through the film starts off interesting and quickly becomes merely an irritating tic.
Title: Ondine
Director: Neil Jordan
Country: Ireland
P's Rating: Highly Recommended
Colin Farrell plays an Irish fisherman who pulls a woman out of this trawling net. His daughter is convinced the woman is a selkie, and he's half-convinced she's not entirely of this world when his luck seems to change with her appearance. Jordan has managed to weave a story that mixes the magic of fairy tales with the grit of the real world. Extremely well done and very enjoyable.
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Date: 2009-09-19 07:48 pm (UTC)Farrell was actually quite funny and charming at the Q&A for Triage this year. Though he then spoiled it when on leaving the stage he was surrounded by about 30 volunteers and security people who whisked him away before any of the audience was allowed to leave the theatre. That sort of behaviour at the Toronto fest is ridiculous, since most of the stars leave the auditorium with the regular paying public beside them.