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TIFF 2011, Day Five
The three films I was supposed to see were cut down to two when Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's Headshot was cancelled due to the dreaded "technical difficulties." Which would have been nice to know ahead of time as I would have used that big chunk of time between 4 and 9 to go home to give Ros a hug, have a nice home cooked meal, and take a nap, rather than to stand fruitlessly in line and then try to find a reasonably healthy meal that didn't involve huge lineups and a crowded restaurant. Ah, well, that's film festing for you.
Of the two remaining films, one was a hoot, and one interesting but not quite as good as I'd hoped.
Title: Extraterrestrial
Director: Nacho Vigalondo
Country: Spain
Zed's Rating: Recommended
When Julio wakes up hungover in a strange girl's flat, the worst thing he seems doomed to suffer is the awkwardness of the day after a one night stand. But then he and the girl, Julia, notice the deserted streets and the flying saucer hanging over Madrid. Julio and Julia try to find out what happened while they were passed out as they deal with Julia's creepy neighbour and her on again, off again boyfriend. Extraterrestrial is deadpan funny throughout, and the two leads, Jullian Vilagran and Michelle Jenner, are charming with fantastic chemistry.
Title: Life without Principle
Director: Johnnie To
Country: Hong Kong
Zed's Rating: Okay
Hong Kong action master Johnnie To takes on the world economic crisis, following a banker, a cop, the cop's wife, and a low level gangster as they deal with the fallout of the 2008 recession. The film takes a while to get started, and the beginning bits where the young female banker tries to explain investing to a bewildered older client feel more like a Finance 101 class, but once the various plot threads start twining together it becomes much more engaging. It's also fun seeing the always fantastic Lau Ching Wan, whose characters are usually a combination of smart and dangerous, play a slightly dim bulb gangster struggling to get by.
Of the two remaining films, one was a hoot, and one interesting but not quite as good as I'd hoped.
Title: Extraterrestrial
Director: Nacho Vigalondo
Country: Spain
Zed's Rating: Recommended
When Julio wakes up hungover in a strange girl's flat, the worst thing he seems doomed to suffer is the awkwardness of the day after a one night stand. But then he and the girl, Julia, notice the deserted streets and the flying saucer hanging over Madrid. Julio and Julia try to find out what happened while they were passed out as they deal with Julia's creepy neighbour and her on again, off again boyfriend. Extraterrestrial is deadpan funny throughout, and the two leads, Jullian Vilagran and Michelle Jenner, are charming with fantastic chemistry.
Title: Life without Principle
Director: Johnnie To
Country: Hong Kong
Zed's Rating: Okay
Hong Kong action master Johnnie To takes on the world economic crisis, following a banker, a cop, the cop's wife, and a low level gangster as they deal with the fallout of the 2008 recession. The film takes a while to get started, and the beginning bits where the young female banker tries to explain investing to a bewildered older client feel more like a Finance 101 class, but once the various plot threads start twining together it becomes much more engaging. It's also fun seeing the always fantastic Lau Ching Wan, whose characters are usually a combination of smart and dangerous, play a slightly dim bulb gangster struggling to get by.
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Your critiques are awesome.
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And ya know, a lot of these films won't play theatres in North America, but digital distribution is making it far easier to get hold of even obscure foreign stuff.
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I follow Nacho on Twitter, but 80% of his tweets are in Spanish (as is to be expected).
Would have loved to been at that screening. Colour me jealous.
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