Lead character "B" (Bobby Del Rio). Image from tiff.net

Written & Directed by: Mio Adilman
Starring: Bobby Del Rio, Jean Yoon, Paul Hyung Sun Lee

“Unlocked” is a dramatic comedy about an average, but nice guy named “B” who is trying to get his life back together after some not-so-happy experiences. However, he has to overcome many obstacles throughout his journey into living and rebuilding a normal life.

This film highlights the difficulties downtown Toronto cyclists face with other fellow cyclists, as opposed to the cars versus bikes dilemma we’re all aware of. It just shows how much integrity and tenacity it takes to be a long-term cyclist. It’s not just about riding a bike in your neighbourhood or park just for fun; neither is cycling simply just a mode of transportation. It is, rather, a type of lifestyle for many in Toronto and especially around the U of T campus.

This film is fun, funny, witty, and even a little bit spiritual, although some may disagree. (more…)

The Toronto International Film Festival has just ended and I thought I’d review some movies for blogUT. But I’m not going to. Why? Well, you’d think a volunteer would have had the chance to see a lot of films, but the truth is I only actually saw one film the entire time. Oh, sure, I saw lots of bits and pieces of films during the “make sure people are not illegally recording the movie” shifts, most of which involved extreme sex or extreme violence, but the actual full-length film I saw was the viewers’ choice.  It was screened at the Elgin on Saturday, and entitled “Precious” (which, come to think of it, involved extreme sex and extreme violence too). It was the film Oprah came into town for. I figured that since it’s coming out in wide release soon, I’ll save you my opinion and you’ll be able to read about Roger Ebert’s thoughts.

So today, fellow blog readers, I’ll instead give you the down low on what it is like to be a volunteer for TIFF. You begin by signing up to volunteer. If you are chosen, you will go for orientation sessions and sign a simple contract which involves you promising not to stalk the famous or becoming star-struck when they arrive. You get one of those ubiquitous totes with little freebies, such as: shaving cream, a Stella Artois glass, coffee and a volunteer shirt. On the shirt is the logo of NBC Universal, the main sponsor, so you become its walking billboard.

When the time comes, you sign up for shifts online. ID is needed at all times when picking up TIFF-related stuff. There have been horror stories in which some people steal volunteer shirts and sneak in repeatedly for free films and, mostly, celebrity-stalking.

There are various theatres you can sign up for, ranging from: Roy Thompson Hall, where all the major premieres and gala screenings are held; Ryerson, famous for midnight madness films; Scotiabank, AMC and Varsity, which handle press and industry screenings or public screenings. First-timers (i.e. me) are mostly allocated the latter three theatres.

So what do you do at a theatre? (more…)

Veteran director Manoel de Oliveira marked his 100th birthday with the adaptation of José Maria de Eça de Queiroz’s short story. It is a fascinating tale set in 18th century Portugal about a young accountant named Macário who, while peering through his office window above his uncle’s cashmere store, instantly falls in love with Luisa who lives in the building next door. He rushes to pursue her only to have his uncle prohibit the relationship and making his employment conditional upon this command. But of course, love must have its way and Macário travels to Cape Verde where he could raise funds to ask for Luisa’s hand. It is unquestionably a romantic premise although with an interesting twist that proves Macário’s efforts to have been in vain.

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With over 300 films playing at this year’s Toronto Film Festival, the likeliness that you’ll find that one gem in the haystack is, well, highly unlikely. You’ll probably see more lacklustre films than anything else, but if you’re lucky enough, you’ll find that one film that’ll make your entire Film Festival experience absolutely unforgettable. So let me tell you, I’ve been lucky enough to find that treasure in Rebecca Miller’s wonderfully woven film, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee.

Adapted from her own book, director Rebecca Miller chronicles the life of the enigmatic Pippa Lee, played by the always beautiful and never disappointing Robin Wright Penn. But who exactly is Pippa Lee? It’s a question that’s on the minds of everyone…the audience, the characters within the movie, and even Pippa Lee herself. Though at first glance, so seemingly inexplicable and impenetrable, Miller masterfully sheds the various masks Pippa Lee wears, layer by layer allowing the audience to learn more and more about the twists and turns this modern woman’s life has taken.

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It seems to be just my luck this Film Festival season to be picking films of such obscurity that leave me absolutely flabbergasted once the credits roll in on the screen. But alas, I must give credit where credit is due…this film, Les Herbes Folles, is one that is light, comedic, and, despite many surprises that will leave you scratching your head, simply delightful. Based on a book by Christian Gailly, Les Herbes Folles tells the unique tale of a rather eccentric romance that blossoms over a lost wallet.

The beginning of the movie is incredibly encapsulating as it shows Marguerite, a fiery and single dentist, and how she first loses her purse with that all important wallet inside it. It then goes on to show Georges, an old married man with a tinge of crazy inside, and how he comes across that same wallet in a shopping mall parking lot. Instantly attracted to the photographs he finds inside, Georges agonizes over if and how he should contact Marguerite. What follows is, as the TIFF synopsis so wonderfully puts it, “their elaborate dance of attraction and rejection, hesitation and impulsiveness”.

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Oh those flashing lights! The celeb-stalking! The paparazzi! The crowds! The red carpet! This could only mean one thing…the return of our beloved city into the cinema world spotlight! That’s right, the 34th Toronto International Film Festival  began just last Thursday, and as always, I’ve been basking in the glory of all the festivities.

I kicked off the Film Festival season with Sharin Neshat’s adaptation of Shahrnush Parsipur’s novella, ‘Women without Men’. Set against the political backdrop of the 1953 Iranian coup d’état that brought down the democratically elected Mohammed Mossadegh, the film tells the interconnected tales of four women struggling to find freedom in their own personal lives.

Critically acclaimed and even nabbing the Silver Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival (the second highest honour), I naturally had high hopes and expectations for Neshat’s supposed masterpiece, but instead, the film left me hopelessly confused all throughout. I went into that theatre expecting a story of empowerment, a story of how women in the Muslim world could rise above the patriarchy and its many barriers and achieve more, demand more. But all I saw was the slightest form of liberation that still left the women desperately unhappy with their lives (Warning: spoilers ahead!). (more…)