TORONTO?A happy ending, after all. Romalito ?Rome? Mallari and Francisbrew Reyes, lead actor and musical director, respectively, of Mike Sandejas? ?Dinig Sana Kita (If I Knew What You Said),? were given Canadian visas at the last minute, paving the way for the duo to join the ?Dinig? delegation here in the film festival. Rome and Francisbrew were expected to fly to Toronto last Friday, just in time for the film?s screening schedule.
* * *
Among the offerings at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF): Men who can kill a goat by just staring at it; a stunning film co-produced by Oprah Winfrey but is painful to sit through; Megan Fox as a cheerleader who literally eats boys; and an excellent turn by Matt Damon as a pathological liar.
First, let us report on the films we?ve already seen so far. We?re betting our peso that Mo?Nique will earn Best Supporting Actress nominations left and right as an angry mother (make that very angry) in director Lee Daniels? ?Precious: Based on the Novel ?Push? by Sapphire.? Yes, that?s the complete official title. This film co-produced by Oprah is painful to watch not in a negative way. It?s because the story of an illiterate African-American teenager who is sexually abused by her father (she begets him two children) and physically and psychologically tormented by her mother (Mo?Nique) is a harrowing tale.
In a superb cast, even Mariah Carey as a social worker is commendable. We predict that it will be a busy awards season for Mo?Nique. She plays a monstrously cruel mom but viewers see the humanity beneath her rage.
Matt Damon is excellent as a corporate whistle-blower in Steven Soderbergh?s ?The Informant!? It?s the kind of movie that doesn?t win you over right away. But this film about a pathological liar who labels himself as Agent 0014 because he is ?twice as smart as James Bond? grows on you. Matt, who gained 30 pounds for the role, is pitch perfect. The fine cast includes a nomination-worthy Scott Bakula.
There is a clever, witty feminist idea somewhere in Diablo Cody?s ?Jennifer?s Body? script but she does not quite nail it. Karyn Kusama?s direction doesn?t help either. Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried do their best to keep us interested. Many viewers may still want to see the stunning Megan as a cheerleader who eats boys ? literally.
Ledger?s last film
The opening scene of Heath Ledger?s final film, ?The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,? elicits joy. Watching the much-missed actor on the screen again is like seeing him come back to life. But then his character does something which reminds us of the tragedy that befell the talented actor. We thought Heath filmed only a few scenes, but it turned out he has considerable footage in the movie. And we liked the idea that director Terry Gilliam and company came up with to enable Heath?s character to be assumed by not one, but three, equally charismatic actors: Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor.
Bring your hankies or a box of tissue paper when you watch Clive Owen?s moving ?The Boys Are Back.? Based on the memoir by Simon Carr, the film is anchored by Clive?s performance as a widower who raises two sons alone. For someone so young, Nicholas McAnulty uncannily matches the acting brilliance of Clive. The film is directed with admirable restraint by Scott Hicks (?Shine?).
We love films with quiet grace and unhurried pace but Jane Campeon?s ?Bright Star,? a drama based on the love affair between beloved English poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish) is maybe too stately in its pace for some moviegoers. There are, however, scenes of lyrical beauty.
Some of the entries we are looking forward to watch:
Of course, we can?t wait to see ?Dinig?? and Raya Martin?s ?Independencia.?
?The Men Who Stare at Goats,? a dark comedy with George Clooney and Ewan McGregor about an experimental US military unit that employs paranormal powers, including an ability to kill a goat by simply staring at it.
Reviewers have proclaimed Michael Moore?s ?Capitalism: A Love Story? as his best documentary in years.
Lone Scherfig?s ?An Education,? a coming-of-age story in 1960s London, is being bruited about as a front-runner for the Best Picture award in the coming film derby season.
After his ?No Country for Old Men? was successfully adapted to the big screen, author Cormac McCarthy is back with ?The Road.? The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is fleshed out in cinema by director John Hillcoat, with a cast led by Viggo Mortensen.
Will ?Juno? director Jason Reitman hit it big again with his George Clooney comedy, ?Up in the Air?? The tale of a downsizing expert who is hired to fire people in companies around the globe looks promising.
By its title alone, ?Kirot? has our attention and curiosity. No, the TIFF did not choose a bold movie from the Philippines as a surprise entry. ?Kirot? is an entry from Israel, France and US that stars James Bond girl Olga Kurylenko.
Other notable entries: Atom Egoyan?s ?Chloe,? Marco Bellocchio?s ?Vincere,? Bong Joon-ho?s ?Mother,? Tsai Ming-liang?s ?Face,? Bruno Dumont?s ?Hadewijch,? Todd Solondz?s ?Life During Wartime,? Francois Ozon?s ?The Refuge,? Jacques Audiard?s ?A Prophet,? The Coen Brothers? ?A Serious Man? and Ricky Gervais? ?The Invention of Lying.?
E-mail the columnist at rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com and read his blog, ?The Nepales Report,? on http://blogs.inquirer.net/nepalesreport.
