1910 - Fading Gigolo

When I was first looking into this year's TIFF line-up this quickly became a must-see for me.  The premise alone had me sold: Woody Allen decides to become a pimp for John Turturro to help them out of a financial drought.  I'm in!
I wasn't expecting it to be a mad comical romp, by any means, but I have to say that the tone of the film was a lot more sentimental and slow than I would have imagined.  In the end, while I still enjoyed this film, I didn't love it as I was really hoping to.  There was a lot going on that didn't quite make sense to me, including a sub-plot with the always-fantastic Liev Schreiber that had Woody Allen going off to Jewish Court for reasons that were not all together clear.
The ending left a lot to be desired as I'm not quite sure what the film was getting at with it, what the point of it was, really.  Maybe I'm just spoiled by the current state of high-stakes story-telling, but the film lacked a sense of urgency and purpose that I think would have made all the difference.
By all means it's still worth checking out, it's very sweet, I think I was just hoping for something different with it.

1749 - Goon

I've been wanting to see this film for a long time but just kept missing all the opportunities - but thanks to the beauty of Netflix here it is!  First off, I'm a big fan of a lot of people in this film - Baruchel, Schreiber, Pill, and the director Michael Dowse, so I was primed to enjoy this film.  Despite being a Canadian I'm not really into hockey or sports in general, although growing up in the house of a guy who loved the Leafs I picked up enough to be able to appreciate the game - and my family was close with Marty McSorely so I know a thing or two about hockey goons (no offense, Marty!). 
This is a big fun film and told a great hockey story in the way that I think Score: The Musical wishes it had.  Nothing personal against that other recent Canadian hockey flick, but it was a tad hokey for my personal sensibilities, and Goon gived more with my personal tastes. 
Sean William Scott is pretty damn great here as a lovable loser who just wants to do best by those that he cares about.  He's dumb as a puck, but he'll stick by you till the end.  It's impossible to not love this character.  I like that the film never becomes a typical sports film and really just focused on the aspect of Goonery as it's main focus.  There was some geniune winces that came out of me whilst watching.
If you're Canadian and a lover of all things hockey, this ones a no brainer - check it out and spread the word damnit.  It's the kind of film our country needs to make more of in term of it's wide appeal and pure enjoyment.  Good on ya, Baruchel.  Good on ya!

1525 - Party Girl

 When I first started learning more about independent cinema back in high school this film was mentioned several times however I never got a chance to see it.  Years ago I found a VHS of it in a random used video store place but by the time I got around to watching it I'd found that the tape didn't work and I couldn't recall where I'd gotten it.  Needless to say, I've been meaning to watch this for a long ass time.
The story is pretty by the numbers - it's about a party girl who grows the hell up.  And that party girl in question is played wonderfully by Parker Posey.  I know that there are people out there that dislike her for her voice - it's got a nasel thing going on - it's never bothered me.  The film itself is by no means perfect however through her charm Parker Posey makes it work - I care about her character and I want to spend time with her.  She's charming, funny, and pretty damn beautiful here.  It's no surprise that this is one of those films that helped launch her career.
A fun little film, but by no means is it the kind of film that you absolutely have to watch.  If you like coming-of-age tales and Posey in general, then this is probably going to be right up your alley - otherwise you might just find it a bit on the overtly-quirky side.
Party Girl 

1514 - Taking Woodstock

 

I had a geography teacher who made us watch the film Woodstock over and over and over again.  I can't remember if he'd been there - I'm sure that he wanted to be if he didn't.  Either way, because of that man, I've always had at least a minor interest in this festival.  

This is an interesting film in terms of the people that have come together to be a part of it.  Ang Lee is a bit of a surprise - although if you look at the man's filmography there is no rhyme or reason to it - he's all over the map in terms of the kinds of films and subjects that he gets involved in.

There's a wonderful supporting cast here: Liev Schreiber, Paul Dano, Eugene Levy, Imelda Staunton, Emile Hirschto name a few.  I can't imagine that they got involved with the film because the script gave them an amazing role to play - they were all good, but none of them are playing career making performances - they got involved because of what the project was about.

I'm a bit neutral on this film.  I enjoyed it, but it's not something I'm going to find myself raving about as a 'must see'.  It's what it is, a small document of a person who got involved in something extraordinary.  Take that for what you will.  The one irony is that, for a film about one of the greatest musical festivals of all time, I can't say that the soundtrack particularly stood out.

Taking Woodstock   Taking Woodstock [Blu-ray]