Larry Gopnik is a loser.

Am I supposed to feel sorry for him?  Maybe.  Do I?  Not at all. This is the issue I had with A Serious Man, the latest ‘masterpiece’ from the infallible Coen Brothers.  It’s a story about a Jewish mathematician who has his life unravel in front of his eyes through a chain of events, ignited by his wife’s desire for a divorce.

Gopnik is bossed around by nearly everyone he encounters, and he does little, if anything, to try and stop them. Not only that, but he questions whether he’s supposed to complain or not. This is just not a character you can feel sorry for, nor one that you can cheer for.

By the end of the film, I was left wondering, who am I supposed to agree with?  Larry’s pot obsessed son? His daughter and her quest to endlessly wash her hair? The creepy and childish Uncle Arthur (played by the great Richard Kind)? I couldn’t connect with any of them.  Actually I really disliked them all. After all, there really was nothing to like about them.

This film felt like it was a passion project for the Coen brothers as it was quite a departure from their normally engaging story lines. Was it driven by past personal experiences of the Coens?  Was their dad a big, unloveable loser?  Did they smoke pot in the bathroom at school? Who knows, although it felt like a script that woudl have been very close to their own experiences.

While the film’s pacing was incredibly slow, there is no doubt you are in the 1960’s.  The set design, clothing and props reeked of the swinging decade.

It’s just hard to recommend this to film to anyone but the most diehard Coen Brothers fan. I am very open to unique filming styles, touchy plot issues, and nearly anything else, but I just could not connect with anyone in this film in order to develop a point of view.

As for dark comedy, there are definitely moments where you may chuckle under your breath, but you’ll immediately wonder if you should be or not. If you are as big of Coen Brothers fan as I am, do yourself a favour and submit your own opinion.

Synopsis : A departure from the normally engaging and creative writing/directing style of the Coen brothers. Very slow pacing, very unlovable characters and questionable focus make for a film that is tough to watch. If you can relate to any of the situations or characters, you will definitely take more away from it.

Yes, I know it’a LONG overdue for an update, but it’s been a busy month!

It’s become an annual tradition to attend the Toronto International Film Festival, and this year was no different. The long lines, the thousands of tourists, the amazing cars, the never-ending ‘Arrrrrr’ during the Piracy warning before EVERY movie… all make for a very interesting atmosphere.

I was only able to see 3 films this year, but I always love the chance to see a premiere, or perhaps even a film that would never normally see the light of day.  This year however, all 3 films are basically guaranteed release, at least in a few hundred theaters across North America. I have included reviews for all 3 films viewed at this years TIFF.

Capitalism : A Love Story
Directed by Michael Moore

Love him or hate him, Michael Moore knows how to entertain and he will get his point opinion across no matter what. His latest foray into the entertain-mentary genre (yes, I just made that up) is a more focused and fair film than one would come to expect.

This time around, he focuses on explain what exactly capitalism is, and why it’s so evil. Plain and simple.  You have probably heard the startling fact : The top 1% of Americans are wealthier than the bottom 99%…. combined.

He has chosen to focus more on the human factor. The film focuses on families directly effected by the recent downturn in the american economy, but also those who are able to profit from it (Condo Vultures for instance). It begins by showing, firsthand, a family being evicted from their home, with quite a bizarre level of force by local law enforcement.

When Moore began pulling his hi jinx, such as demanding the money back from the bailout banks, by backing up a truck to the front door, he kind of lost me.  I’m not sure what he was trying to do, besides be silly and catch a few laughs. It took me away from the film and felt very out of place.  The President Bush clip with the computer generated effect behind him, which I’m SURE you will remember, was just ridiculous.

I really feel as if this film was Moore’s tamest, as he opts for jokes over stretched truths this time around. It was also, unfortunately, his least serious.

The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus
Directed by Terry Gilliam

I’m an enormous fan of almost all of Gilliam’s past work, such as Brazil, Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas, Twelve Monkeys, the list goes on.  I admit, there was a bias walking into this film, one that would definitely sway my opinion.

Thankfully, the critiques of everyone around me were unanimous.  It was an incredibly bizarre, visually stunning and magnificently acted film.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with this film, it was Heath Ledger’s final role, as he died during the filming. His friends gave a helping hand in order to help complete the movie.  Those friends being none other than Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell. Without spoiling too much of the very unique and captivating plot, their roles make sense almost immediately, and as Gilliam said in his Q&A session after the screening, it was almost as if it was meant to happen.

Many of the images from the film are still in my mind today, which will be what most are left with from this film. Some of the architecture, costume design and cinematography was just remarkable.

This film provided a very magical journey through the streets of London, and a trip through the mind of Doctor Parnassus himself. Trying to explain the plot is… well, difficult.  So I will let you decide for yourself. All you need to know is, you will not be able to take your eyes off the screen.

Up In The Air
Directed by Jason Reitman

I’ve always admired George Clooney. All he ever seems to do is smile, yet no one seems to care. No, I’m not swooning over the ‘Cloon’, but throughout the entire film, Up In The Air, his smug grin never seemed very far away.

Now, the film doesn’t exactly deal with heavy material, but can anyone really be THAT happy?

Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a guy who is in the air or hotel, for 300+ days a year. Due to the slow economy, his services are needed more than ever. See, he fires people for a living, so their bosses don’t have to. (Which is a rather strange co-incidence, especially after the review above!)

However, upon meeting a woman (played by the surprisingly good Vera Farmiga) in a similar professional situation as his, things get a bit interesting.  This is especially true when they begin comparing frequent flyer cards, something I KNOW my own father does, being a travelling salesman and all.

The director, Jason Reitman, creates a fantastic sense of isolation, yet Bingham retains a strange feeling of accomplishment, especially when he “hits the number he has in mind” on his frequent flyer miles. It’s almost as if this is HIS world, and everyone around him is in the way.

Let me just begin by saying “No, I did not see this in 3D.” During its theatrical run (which lasted a pitiful 56 days), the film featured 3D visuals (with the purchase of 3D glasses of course) in an attempt to have the action ‘leap out’ at the audience and add to the scares. Whether or not this added anything to the film, I can’t say, however I’m quite certain it would have novelty, short lived or otherwise.

What I CAN say, is that this was a surprisingly well acted, well shot film, with an unfortunate plot. As the story goes… 10 years ago, a miner decided to go crazy and kill his co-workers while working deep in a mine. He was presumed dead, only to return a decade later to kill again. For what reason? I was never entirely sure, even though the film drags you back through the entire film putting together the pieces of the puzzle and showing why everything happened. Watching a horror film for the plot though is like eating taco bell because of the fibre. The gory death scenes are what shine here.

With the exception of the Final Destination films, the deaths in this film were some of the most creative I’ve ever seen. At one point (I’m not joking) you see a jaw FLY towards the screen as its pulled off the victim. This definitely isn’t for the squeamish, however Peter Jackson may get a kick out of it as Bad Taste and Dead Alive are two films that quickly come to mind regarding original death scenes.

The performances were surprisingly decent, especially with a relatively unknown cast working with such tongue-in-cheek material. The dialog helped to fill the gaps between the inevitable murders, of which there are plenty.

SYNOPSIS : If you are looking for a very basic horror film with some extra gruesome murder scenes and to have a laugh with your friends, give this a whirl. If you are looking for ANYTHING beyond that, don’t bother. The story is absurd and there will be the occasional groan as the plot holes start to show up.

After finally hitting wide release, this latest depiction of the Iraq “war” delivers one of the most exhilarating films of the year.

Led by an amazing performance by Jeremy Renner and sharp direction by Kathryn Bigelow, you aren’t so much shown a day in the life of a bomb defusal unit, as you are dragged through it whether you like it or not.  Speaking of which, after briefly looking around the theater, I can’t remember the last time I saw so many people lurched forward, eyes locked on the images on the screen, literally sitting on the edge of their seats.

It’s difficult to pinpoint a plot to the film as it’s more of a visual diary, showcasing the emotions of soldiers on the front lines, as well as the inner demons that come with the jarring imagery and choices they make every day.  Will (Brenner) is the new addition to a team and does things his way, which never really gels with Sanborn (played by Anthony Mackie).  He’s a wild man that gets the job done, but with a price as he feels like it’s the only thing that gives his life meaning.

Whenever he’s hovering over a bomb examining the components, the sequences are often tightly shot and you are brought as close to the action as possible.

It must be said that there is a degree of predictability during certain portions of the film, however it really didn’t take anything away from the package as a whole.  It was just a shame to see such obvious blemishes, as slight as they may have been, on an otherwise perfect slate.

SYNOPSIS : An incredibly intense and at times humorous look at the lives of a group of special team soldiers, one of which likes to live on the edge and shows you the repercussions of his actions.  There are predictable scenes from time to time, but you will be glued to the screen waiting to see how Will (Renner) gets himself out of his  current jam.