2004 - From Dusk Till Dawn

I wanted to re-watch this since I’ve been watching the TV series (which isn’t great but somewhat addictive).  This film is such a ride.  It’s one of the best genre-mash-ups - I doubt you could get away with a film nowadays that takes such a hard left turn half-way through, that in and of itself is quite the feat.  This film features one of my favourite George Clooney performances, and Tarantino in an acting role that works quite well.  This film is edging in on 20 years, which is crazy to me - especially seeing Juliette Lewis so young.  It’s a vampire flick that’s fun and unpredictable.  If you’ve never seen it then do yourself the pleasure, it’s on Netflix.  And if you’re curious what they’d do with a vastly expanded version of this film than check out the tv series, also on netflix.  Very different from this.  I’ve also never checked out the sequels, which I might try to get my hands on.  Anyway, check it out, it’s a blast!

1898 - August: Osage County

When you've got an all access pass to TIFF, it's difficult to not just use it to see all the big films that are being released for Oscar season, and while I don't avoid them entirely, I try to see a good mix-bag to keep me honest.  This is, clearly, not one of those - this is oscar bait through and through.
It's a powerful ensemble that comes to give powerhouse performances - there's a, roughly 25 minute living room scene, which that allows every single performer to have a moment all of their own including several reversals.  It's delightful.
For years I've been dancing around a dysfunctional family film of my own - but now I'm not sure I've got anything to say that this film hasn't.  So good on them for that.  It's not an easy film to make - none of the characters are super likable, but that isn't the point - the point is that they're interesting.  We want to know what makes them tick - we want to see what they'll do, how they'll end up.  Making a character do unlikeable things isn't enough to make them someone interesting and this filmmaking team nows that.
Expect to hear a lot about this film in the upcoming months.  For those who love character dramas - it's a muse-see.