film festivals

The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film is pleased to join with the INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL BOSTON (IFFBoston) once again to co-present two films as part of the festival’s 10^th year.  We are particularly pleased to have a second opportunity to present the films of two acclaimed directors, Canadian Guy Maddin's KEYHOLE, and I WISH, the latest from Japan's Hirokazu Kore-eda. | Read more »

The CHLOTRUDIS SOCIETY FOR INDEPENDENT FILM (CSIF) is pleased to announce its sponsorship of MANGUS!, at the PROVINCETOWN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (PIFF), to be held June 15 - 19.   The film will have two screenings, 9:30pm on Thursday 6/16 and 7:30pm on Friday 6/17, both at the Provincetown Theater. | Read more »

Celebrated author, Dad, Chlotrudis member, and as of this year's tour de force Awards Ceremony - Chlotrudis performer, David Valdes Greenwood,had the opportunity to visit the lovely city of Toronto recently, and fortunately his trip coincided with the wonderful documentary film festival, Hot Docs.  David has written a nice round-up of the films he caught while there.  It's on our film festival review page, so go check it out!

Chlotrudis is pleased to announce its sponsorship of I KILLED MY MOTHER, at the PROVINCETOWN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (PIFF), to be held June 16 - 20.   The film will have two screenings, 7pm on Friday 6/18 and 7pm on Sunday 6/20, both at the Provincetown Theater. | Read more »

The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film (CSIF) is pleased to join with the BOSTON LGBT FILM FESTIVAL once again to co-present two films during the festival’s run. Inspired by the German film RUN LOLA RUN, AND THEN CAME LOLA will play on Friday May 7th at 8:30pm at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. WILD ABOUT HARRY, starring Tate Donovan and Adam Pascal, will play at the Brattle Theater in Harvard Square, Cambridge, on Sunday May 9th at 7:30 pm. | Read more »

Hello, Chlotrudis Members!

This week's Chlotrudis Movie of the Week has gotten a lot of attention because it caught the eye of Ms. Oprah Winfrey, and we all know what that means. Still, director Lee Daniels (a friend of Chlotrudis Board member Bruce Kingsley) is getting some pretty high marks for PRECIOUS, BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE, even despite it's clunky title. This week Chris Kriofske has selected the 7:20pm screening of that film at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. Dinner beforehand will be announced closer to the event (although I'm going to put my two cents in for the Regal Beagle!)

Precious Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) is a high-school girl with nothing working in her favor. She is pregnant with her father’s child—for the second time. She can’t read or write, and her schoolmates tease her for being fat. Her home life is a horror, ruled by a mother (Mo’Nique) who keeps her imprisoned both emotionally and physically. Precious’s instincts tell her one thing: if she’s ever going to break from the chains of ignorance, she will have to dig deeply into her own resources. [Synopsis courtesy of Sundance Film Festival].
Director: Lee Daniels
Cast: Gabourey Sidibe; Mariah Carey; Lenny Kravitz

Check out the trailer:

It's the final week of the Eye Opener and it's a great opportunity to provide input for a work in progress. This week's film, DO IT AGAIN, is a great documentary, made locally, about the classic rock band, The Kinks. Check it out, meet the filmmaker, and give him some valuable input while he finishes editing the film. The fun starts at 11am, Sunday, November 22 at the Brattle Theatre.

The 8th Annual Boston Latino Film Festival has begun and it features three weekends of shorts, movies, and documentaries from Latin America, USA and Spain. Sixty films and fifteen directors from eighteen countries will be featured at the following locations:

• NOVEMBER 19 – 22 AT THE HARVARD FILM ARCHIVE, B.U. AND CAMBRIDGE COLLEGE
• DECEMBER 4 – 6 CAMBRIDGE COLLEGE
• DECEMBER 11 – 13 CAMBRIDGE COLLEGE

This weekend head out to Cambridge College to see the first round of films:

Friday, November 20
Luchadores: Fighting for a Dream
Intimidad
Tumaco Pacifico

Sunday, November 22
Rita of the Sky
Ni Aqui, Ni Alla
Shorts Program 1

And on Saturday, November 21, head over to BU's GSU Auditorium for:
Code Name: Butterflies
Bienvenidos a Fleischmanns- An Immigrant Community in Rural America
Animas Perdidas

Please check the BLIFF website for details. The Boston Latino International Film Festival (BLIFF) aims to present the latest films produced by Latinos and the latest films dealing pertaining to social issues of Latino communities in the US and Latin America. The festival also focuses on alternative films with social content from Latin America in addition to films addressing with Latino issues in the United States.

See you at the Movies!
Michael

Playing this week, November 20 - 26, 2009.

Brattle Theatre, Cambridge
Special Return Engagement
Ponyo (Fri. - Sun.)
The Bicycle Film Festival!
Train Trip & I Love My Bicycle: The Story of FBM Bikes (Sat.)
Made in Queens & Where Are You Go (Sat.)
Shorts Program (Sat.)
Folk Music Month in Harvard Square!
Festival Director Murray Lerner in Person! (Sat.)
Sunday Eye Opener
To be announced (Sun.)
Epstein Brothers Centennial! Sponsored in Memory of Peggy Yntema!
Mr. Skeffington (Wed.)
Casablanca (Thu. & Fri.)

Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call, New Orleans (Wed. & Thu.)
An Education
A Serious Man (Fri. - Tue.)
The Maid
The Yes Men Fix the World
Midnight Madness!
Black Dynamite (Fri. & Sat.)
The Room (Fri.)
Johnny Cupcakes Presents Hook (Sat.)
Europe's Grand Opera
Cosi Fan Tuite (Sat.)
Kid's Film
Spirited Away (Sat.)
Goethe German Film Series
Lulu & Jimi (Sun.)
Special Screening
Blazing the Trail: The Story of the Kalem Film Company in Ireland (Wed.)

FEI Theatres Capitol Theatre, Arlington
The September Issue

Somerville Theatre, Somerville
Pirate Radio
Paranormal Activity

Harvard Film Archive, Cambridge
Gordon Willis, the Man Who Shot THE GODFATHER
Manhattan Cinematographer Gordon Willis, Appearing in Person (Fri.)
Pennies from Heaven Cinematographer Gordon Willis, Appearing in Person (Sat.)
The Parallax View (Sun.)
The Purple Rose of Cairo (Mon.)

Hollywood Hits Theatre, Danvers
Precious, Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
A Serious Man
Coco Before Chanel

Landmark Theatres
Kendall Square, Cambridge
Bronson
Precious, based on the novel Push by Sapphire
The Messenger
An Education
A Serious Man
Capitalism: A Love Story
Coco Before Chanel
(Untitled)

Embassy Cinema, Waltham
Precious, based on the novel Push by Sapphire
An Education
(Untitled)
Paranormal Activity
Pirate Radio

Loew's Harvard Square, Cambridge
Paranormal Activity
Pirate Radio

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
New Japanese Cinema
Big Man Japan (Fri. & Sat.)
Crime and Punishment (Sat.)
Restored Print
Word is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives (Fri.)
Family Film
Little Fugitive (Fri.)

The Newburyport Screening Room, Newburyport
Pirate Radio

The Stuart Street Playhouse, Boston
The Damned United
A Serious Man

West Newton Cinema, West Newton, MA
35 Shots of Rum
Paris
A Serious Man
Bright Star
Coco Before Chanel
Amreeka

Michael R. Colford
Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, President

Hello, Chlotrudis Members!

It's all about the Boston Jewish Film Festival this week so please join us on Tuesday evening for the 8:30pm screening of HE'S MY GIRL at the Kendall Square Cinema. This delightful French farce receives it's North American debut at the festival. The late starting time of this short, 90 minute film will allow us for a nice, leisurely dinner beforehand, so hopefully we'll see you there!

HE'S MY GIRL
Director Jean-Jacques Zilbermann checks in on Simon and Rosalie, the stars of his MAN IS A WOMAN (1998 Festival) ten years after their marriage breaks up. Simon’s Ashkenazi mother accepts that he’s gay, but doesn’t realize that her pretty nurse is the Arab cross-dresser who steals her son’s heart. In the midst of this farce, Rosalie returns to Paris to star in “Fiddler on the Roof,” with her new family in tow: a husband and the precocious son whom Simon hasn’t seen in a decade. It’s a bit of a tzimmes, of the tastiest sort. It also features Elsa Zylberstein, a Chlotrudis nominee from last year's I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG.
Director: Jean-Jacques Zilbermann
Cast: Antoine de Caunes; Mehdi Dehbi; Elsa Zylberstein

Check out the original French language trailer:

THE WOLBERG FAMILY (LA FAMILLE
WOLBERG)
If you missed this week's screening of THE WOLBERG FAMILY, for which Chlotrudis is a Community Partner, don't worry, so did I! But you have another chance to join me on Thursday, November 12, 9:00 pm, Museum of Fine Arts. This East Coast premiere was a highlight of this year’s Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. THE WOLBERG FAMILY is actress and screenwriter Axelle Ropert’s first feature film. She labels it a “family melodrama.” Simon Wolberg is mayor of a French provincial town, crazy in love with his wife, a nosy father to his lovely young daughter and dorky son and a bit of an annoyance to his own father. Will his obsession with family cause him to unravel? When is it time to let go – or to leave?

I plan on catching a few other films at the Festival if I can squeeze them into my schedule, but I really want to urge you to try to catch JAFFA, Saturday, November 7, 9:30pm at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. Directed by Keren Yedaya, who was responsible for one of my favorite films of 2005, OR (MY TREASURE), JAFFA again stars the magnificent Dana Ivgy and the multiple Chlotrudis-nominee Ronit Elkabetz, this time in an Israeli/Palestinian Romeo & Juliet. I caught this film in Toronto, and it's pretty powerful stuff. You should also consider the animated Australian film MARY AND MAX, featuring the voices of Toni Collette and Philip Seymour Hoffman. It's a comical claymation feature film that spans 20 years and 2 continents. Look for MARY AND MAX on Thursday, November 12 at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. It's a great line-up... do yourself a favor and check it out!

After weeks of admittedly fascinating documentaries, I'm pleased to report that this week's Sunday Eye Opener is a narrative feature! Join us on Sunday, November 8, at the Brattle Theatre for an 11am screening of WELCOME TO ACADEMIA. Director Kirk Davis assembles a hip indie cast including James LeGros (THE LAST WINTER, LOVELY & AMAZING, SAFE), Jess Weixler (TEETH), and Callie Thorne (HYSTERICAL BLINDNESS, NEXT STOP, WONDERLAND) to explore the dark, comedic twists of academia. Sex and power games go hand in hand in WELCOME TO ACADEMIA, a dark satire that uses the university as a metaphor for personal and professional relationships. In this dark comedy that takes place at fictional Victorian University, faculty and administrators jockey for power in the classroom, the boardroom, and the bedroom. Amidst all their petty intrigues, a young graduate student is forced to experience a life lesson not offered on the regular curriculum.

For this week's film, the Sunday Eye-Opener group is going to be a test audience! Like COLMA, THE MUSICAL! a couple of years ago, this week's Eye Opener screening is being provided directly by the filmmaker so that they can get our feedback on their film. They are very excited to hear what you all think. We will be distributing a survey after the screening to capture your thoughts. Come be a part of the making of a film!

If you're a fan of "The Office" (and who isn't?) you'll want to check out the evening screenings of BRIEF INTERVIEWS WITH HIDEOUS MEN, Friday and Saturday, November 6 & 7 at the Kendall Square Cinema because director John Krasinski will be in attendance to introduce the film and answer questions. Adapted and directed by Krasinski (THE OFFICE, AWAY WE GO), BRIEF INTERVIEWS WITH HIDEOUS MEN is a darkly funny and disturbing exploration of men and their complex relationships with women. Based on the book by David Foster Wallace, the film features an all-star cast that includes Timothy Hutton, Ben Shenkman, Christopher Meloni, Ben Gibbard, Will Arnett, Chris Messina, Bobby Cannavale, Will Forte, Dennis O'Hare, Lou Taylor Pucci, Max Minghella,
and Julianne Nicholson.

Below is the schedule for John Krasinski's in person appearances:
Friday:
7PM Intro & Q&A Following the show
9PM Intro

Saturday:
7PM Intro & Q&A Following the show
9PM Intro

See you at the Movies!
Michael

Playing this week, November 6 - 12, 2009.

Brattle Theatre, Cambridge
Special Engagement! Area Premiere!
American Casino (Fri., Sun. - Tue.)
Classic TV on the Big Screen! 50th Anniversary!
The Twilight Zone (Fri. & Sun.)
Python-A-Thon!
Wind in the Willows (Sat.)
And Now For Something Completely Different (Sat.)
Monty Python's Life of Brian (Sat.)
Monty Python & the Holy Grail (Sat.)
Month Python's The Meaning of Life (Sat.)
Sunday Eye Opener
Welcome to Academia (Sun.)
Harvard Bookstore Presents!
Lidia Bastianich and Judith Jones (Sun.)
Special Veterans Day Premiere Screening!
The Good Soldier (Wed.)
Special Engagement!
The Bicycle Thieves (Thu.)

Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline
An Education
A Serious Man
The Yes Men Fix the World
The Beaches of Agnes
Found Footage Festival (Fri.)
Midnight Madness!
Dirty Dancing (Fri. & Sat.)
Donnie Darko (Fri & Sat.)
Boston Jewish Film Festival
Zrubavel (Sat.)
Jaffa (Sat.)
Leap of Faith (Sun.)
Leaving the Fold (Sun.)
Sons of Sakhnin United (Sun.)
Broken Lines (Sun.)
Gdanski Railway Station (Mon.)
Off and Running (Mon.)
Shorts Program (Tue.)
Maharal (Wed.)
Pizza in Auschwits (Wed.)
The Jazz Baroness (Wed.)
Mary & Max (Thu.)
Breaking Upwards (Thu.)

FEI Theatres
Capitol Theatre, Arlington
The September Issue
Bombay Cinema
Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani (Fri. - Sun.)

Somerville Theatre, Somerville
Zombieland

Harvard Film Archive, Cambridge
No Man’s Land – The Cinema of Lisandro Alonso
Los Muertos Director Lisandro Alonso, Appearing in Person (Fri.)
Fantasma Director Lisandro Alonso, Appearing in Person (Fri.)
Liverpool & S/T Director Lisandro Alonso, Appearing in Person (Sat.)
La Libertad Director Lisandro Alonso, Appearing in Person (Sun.)
Special Screening
United Red Army (Mon.)

Hollywood Hits Theatre, Danvers
A Serious Man
Coco Before Chanel

Landmark Theatres
Kendall Square, Cambridge
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
The Horse Boy
35 Shots of Rhum
The Boondock Saints II: All Saint's Day
Gentleman Broncos
An Education
Antichrist
A Serious Man
Capitalism: A Love Story
Coco Before Chanel

Embassy Cinema, Waltham
The Men Who Stare At Goats
The Box
The Damned United
Capitalism: A Love Story
An Education
More than a Game

Loew's Harvard Square, Cambridge
Zombieland

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Women in Film
She is the Matador (Fri. & Sun.)
Independent Film
Severed Ways (Fri. - Sun.)
Documentary
Crude (Fri. - Sun.)
Music on Film
Bad Boy Made Good: The Revival of George Antheil's 1924 Ballet Mecanique (Sat.)
Boston Jewish Film Festival
Eli & Ben and Gefilte Fish (Sat.)
He's My Girl (Sat.)
Killing Kasztner: The Jew Who Dealt with Nazis (Thu.)
The Wollberg Family (Thu.) Chlotrudis Community Partner!

The Newburyport Screening Room, Newburyport
A Serious Man

West Newton Cinema, West Newton, MA
The Beaches of Agnes
Paris
A Serious Man
Bright Star
Coco Before Chanel
Heart of Stone

Michael R. Colford
Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, President

Hello, Chlotrudis Members!

Gil and Amanda have chosen an outstanding selection of next week's Chlotrudis Monday Night at the Movies. Please take this opportunity to join them in screening Claire Denis' masterful 35 SHOTS OF RUM, at the Kendall Square Cinema, 7:25pm on Monday, November 2. This one's got lots of rave reviews on the Chlotrudis page, so check it out! Watch of an announcement about dinner before the movie at The Friendly Toast on Monday.

Set among a small circle of friends and neighbors in a Parisian suburb, 35 SHOTS OF RUM is a gloriously delicate and sublime new film from the great French filmmaker Claire Denis (BEAU TRAVAIL, CHOCOLAT). Lionel (Alex Descas), a metro conductor, lives with his daughter Josephine (Mati Diop), a beautiful university student, in a bustling apartment complex. They have been sharing the same space for many years and have grown accustomed to one another's company. Josephine has begun spending time with Noé (Grégoire Colin), a handsome young neighbor, while Lionel is being drawn into a romance with a longtime friend, taxi driver Gabrielle (Nicole Dogué). As their lives are pulled in different directions, father and daughter realize they must confront a painful aspect of their past in order to embrace what lies ahead. Sumptuously shot by frequent Denis collaborator Agnès Godard, this warm, funny and enchanting film casts a lovely spell unlike any other movie this year. Original music by Tindersticks (Denis's TROUBLE EVERY DAY and NENETTE AND BONI). (Fully subtitled)
Director: Claire Denis
Cast: Alex Descas, Mati Diop, Nicole Dogué, Grégoire Colin, Jean-Christophe Folly, Djédjé Apali, Eriq Ebouaney

Check out the trailer:

Has a year gone by already? The 21st Annual Boston Jewish Film Festival kicks off next week on Wednesday, November 4 with the Massachusetts premiere of ELI & BEN, 7pm at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. As usual, the BJFF serves up an incredible line-up of films playing at 9 different venues in Greater Boston. I'm also please to announce that Chlotrudis is a community partner once again, this time working with the BJFF on the film THE WOLBERG FAMILY.

THE WOLBERG FAMILY (LA FAMILLE WOLBERG)
Thursday, November 5, 7:45 pm, Institute of Contemporary Art
Thursday, November 12, 9:00 pm, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
East Coast Premiere
Director: Axelle Ropert, France, 2009, 80 min., Narrative, 35mm
A highlight of this year’s Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival, The Wolberg Family is actress and screenwriter Axelle Ropert’s first feature film. She labels it a “family melodrama.” Simon Wolberg is mayor of a French provincial town, crazy in love with his wife, a nosy father to his lovely young daughter and dorky son and a bit of an annoyance to his own father. Will his obsession with family cause him to unravel? When is it time to let go – or to leave? French with subtitles

I also want to mention a couple more films playing the festival that you should make note of. Playing on Saturday, November 7, 9:30pm at the Coolidge Corner Theatre is JAFFA, directed by Keren Yedaya, who was responsible for one of my favorite films of 2005, OR (MY TREASURE). JAFFA again stars the magnificent Dana Ivgy and the multiple Chlotrudis-nominee Ronit Elkabetz, this time in an Israeli/Palestinian Romeo & Juliet. I caught this film in Toronto, and it's pretty powerful stuff. THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN is the latest film by André Téchiné (WILD REEDS; STRAYED; CHANGING TIMES) who returns with a family drama starring Catherine Deneuve and Emilie Duquenne. Ronit Elkabetz is also featured in this film that's sure to be a thought-provoking work. THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN plays Sunday, November 8 at the Institute of Contemporary Art, and Thursday, November 12 at the Kendall Square Cinema. Finally, you should check out the animated Australia film MARY AND MAX, featuring the voices of Toni Collette and Philip Seymour Hoffman. It's a comical claymation feature film that spans 20 years and 2 continents. Look for MARY AND MAX on Thursday, November 12 at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. It's a great line-up... do yourself a favor and check it out!

See you at the Movies!
Michael

Playing this week, October 30 - November 5, 2009.

Brattle Theatre, Cambridge
Special Engagement! Theatrical Premiere!
Trick R Treat (Fri. & Sat.)
Special Family Event! Brattle Trick or Treat!
It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (Sat.)
Special Engagement!
Evil Dead 2 (Sat.)
Special Live Music Event! World Music/CRASHarts Presents!
The Hidden Cameras w/ Gentleman Reg! (Sun.)
Special Engagement! Area Premiere!
American Casino (Wed. & Thu.)
Classic TV on the Big Screen! 50th Anniversary!
The Twilight Zone (Wed. & Thu.)

Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline
An Education
A Serious Man
The Yes Men Fix the World
The Beaches of Agnes
No Impact Man
The Darkness Within (Thu.)
Midnight Madness!
The Thing (Fri.)
9th Annual Halloween Marathon: The Blob, Night of the Creeps and four others! (Sat.)
Kid's Film
Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit (Sat.)
Europe's Grand Operas!
Maria Stuarda (Sun.)
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Film Series
Hear and Now (Tue.)
Boston Jewish Film Festival
Opening Night Film: Eli & Ben (Wed.)
Hello, Goodbye (Thu.)
He's My Girl (Thu.)

FEI Theatres
Capitol Theatre, Arlington
(500) Days of Summer
The September Issue
The Hurt Locker (Mon. - Thu.)
Bombay Cinema
Aladdin (Fri. - Sun.)

Somerville Theatre, Somerville
Zombieland

Harvard Film Archive, Cambridge
Debonair: The Films of Stanley Donen
Movie Movie (Fri.)
Staircase> (Fri.)
Bedazzled (Sat.)
Damn Yankees (Sat.)
John Marshall’s Explorations in Ethnography
Selection of short films of the !Kung Bushmen - Introduction by Cynthia Close, Documentary Educational Resources (Sun.)
Selection of Short Films from the Pittsburg Police - Introduction by Brittany Gravely, Documentary Educational Resources (Mon.)

Hollywood Hits Theatre, Danvers
Amelia
A Serious Man

Landmark Theatres
Kendall Square, Cambridge
35 Shots of Rhum
The Boondock Saints II: All Saint's Day
The Canyon
An Education
Antichrist
A Serious Man
Amelia
Capitalism: A Love Story
Coco Before Chanel

Embassy Cinema, Waltham
The Damned United
Capitalism: A Love Story
An Education
More than a Game

Loew's Harvard Square, Cambridge
Zombieland

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Halloween Program
American Movie (Fri. & Sat.)
Hagstone Demon (Fri. - Sun.)
Jon Springer Shorts (Sat.)
Boston Palestine Film Festival
Curfew (Sun.)
Laila's Birthday (Sun.)
Women in Film
She is the Matador (Thu.)
Documentary
Crude (Thu.)
Boston Jewish Film Festival
Room and a Half (Thu.)

The Newburyport Screening Room, Newburyport
Paris

West Newton Cinema, West Newton, MA
Amelia
Paris
A Serious Man
Bright Star
Coco Before Chanel
Heart of Stone

Michael R. Colford
Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, President

TIFF 2009 was slightly smaller than it has been in past years but there were still 335 films to choose from, an absolutely impossible task. This year seemed generally higher in quality than past years but that could be simply the luck of the draw. At the end of the festival I had four clearcut 5 cat favorites:

DOGTOOTH - this Greek film makes one painfully aware that many interesting films rarely see the light of day in English speaking countries. This dark comedy is the story of parents who have succeeded in raising three children in a fortresslike compound. The three teenagers, a boy and two girls, have never seen another person other than their parents. When the father hires a sex worker to satisfy the biological urges of the son, things begin to unravel.

THE GOOD HEART - reunites Brian Cox and Paul Dano, this time in a black comedy from Iceland directed by Dagur Kári. No, Cox and Dano do not speak Icelandic as the film is in English and is set in New York City. Cox, a curmudgeonly bar owner, rescues homeless man (Dano) after the two end up as roommates in hospital. Each changes the other profoundly and things go swimmingly until a woman (Isild Le Besco) enters the picture.

LES HERBES FOLLES - this French absurdist comedy is the latest from master Alain Resnais (LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD, HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR, PRIVATE FEARS IN PUBLIC PLACES). A stolen handbag leads a middle aged man into an adulterous affair with an emotionally unstable avaitrix. I totally agree with a critic who said the cinematic agility of this film seems more likely the work of a 27 year old than an 87 year old. The film won the Palme d'Or at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

VISION - veteran director Margarethe von Trotta succeeds in making the 12th century fascinating,with her tale of nun Hildegard von Bingen: the mother of herbal medicine; a composer,poet and the person most responsible for resuscitating dramatic arts which had laid dormant for one thousand years since the time of the ancient Greeks. Hildegard wrote liturgical musicals which the nuns in her convent performed and her music is very much alive today. Barbara Sukova is magnificent as the nun who had visions, a fatal attraction to one of the nuns in her order and a wily tactical ability to manipulate the chauvinistic leaders of the Catholic Church who held great power over the people. She even convinced the Archbishop and Pope that science and religion were compatible.

Other excellent films include: AN EDUCATION, LESLIE MY NAME IS EVIL, CHLOE, J'AI TUÉ MA MÈRE, POLICE ADJECTIVE, LIKE YOU KNOW IT ALL, CAIRO TIME, I AM LOVE and WHITE MATERIAL.

I scheduled less films than usual this year to make time for some of Toronto’s more notable attractions (CN Tower, Casa Loma, and the Bata Shoe Museum, among others), but I did manage to see ten of the former.

AN EDUCATION
In a London suburb in 1962, Jenny, (Carey Mulligan) a teenager preparing to apply to Oxford University meets and falls in love with a worldly, seductive man (Peter Sarsgaard) more than twice her age. With director Lone Scherfig (ITALIAN FOR BEGINNERS), an adapted screenplay from novelist Nick Hornby (HIGH FIDELITY) and an excellent cast including Alfred Molina, Dominic Cooper, Olivia Williams and a tart cameo from Emma Thompson, it’s no surprise that this film received a glowing reception at Sundance earlier this year. Although a little clichéd at times (especially when it cues the Serious Music) and verging-on-implausible at others (Jenny’s parents are wildly inconsistent in their behavior), this is still an enjoyable, bittersweet coming of age story and a likely indie hit to boot. Most exciting is how it recreates and examines a particular place and time—Britain just before the Beatles ushered in the swinging Sixties. Expect Mulligan’s whip-smart Jenny to be this year’s buzzed-about breakthrough performance. 4 cats

FACE
The latest from Taiwanese auteur Tsai Ming-Liang (WHAT TIME IS IT THERE?) plays like a greatest hits album. It’s brimming with all of his favorite obsessions: the prevalence of water (culminating in his most hilarious Buster Keaton homage to date), manipulation of time and space, delightfully absurd musical numbers and preferred actor Lee Kang-sheng in the lead. However, he also includes a few worthy new tracks to the playlist: most of the film is set in France, with such celebrated actors as Jean-Pierre Leaud, Fanny Ardant and Jeanne Moreau playing more or less versions of themselves (and don't miss Mathieu Almaric's cameo); additionally, the plot hinges on the making of a film within this one, encouraging viewers to question what’s real or a façade. Stunningly gorgeous (the mirror-filled forest sequences will take your breath away) but challenging, it may prove too obtuse for some viewers, but it was my favorite film of the festival. After seeing it, you will never look at crushed tomatoes the same way again. 5 cats

CRACKS
The arrival of an aristocratic Spaniard student upsets the delicate hierarchy of an elite, remote, all-female 1930s British boarding school. Eva Green stars as a flamboyant, idealistic, controlling teacher. A slightly overcooked directorial debut from Jordan Scott (daughter of Ridley), all this has to recommend it is lovely cinematography (packed with foreboding, nighttime lake shots) and the continuously shifting alliances among the characters in the film’s first two acts. A genuinely shocking twist then arrives, but it doesn’t prevent CRACKS from lapsing into a lesser version of HEAVENLY CREATURES; nor does it dissuade Green from ravenously chewing up the scenery. At least it was the only truly mediocre film I saw at TIFF this year. 2.5 cats

FISH TANK
Director Andrea Arnold’s follow-up to RED ROAD is decidedly less ambitious but no less captivating, suggesting she could prove a female heir to Mike Leigh and his working class, actor-focused domestic dramas. Its tough teenage protagonist, Mia (impressive newcomer Katie Jarvis) uses her love of hip-hop dancing as a means of escape from her rough housing project home and also her young, immature, uninvolved mother and exceptionally foul-mouthed little sister. Tension mounts as Mia and her mother’s charming boyfriend Connor (Michael Fassbender) develop a mutual attraction. Arnold redeems this not entirely original plot with strong performances, a poetic pace and an inspired, dense visual composition (shot in TV-like 1.33 aspect ratio, which gives the film its immediacy). The penultimate scene is exquisite in its simplicity, resonating with movements rather than words. 4.5 cats

YEAR OF THE CARNIVORE
This comedy from Canadian media personality Sook-Yin Lee (best known in the States as the lead actress in SHORTBUS) lays bare its quirkiness from the opening shot of a clucking chicken alarm clock. Sammy (Cristen Milioti), a tomboyish grocery store detective in charge of exposing shoplifters is attracted to Eugene (Mark Rendall), a musician who busks in front of the florist next door. When inexperienced Sammy finds herself sexually incompatible with Eugene, she aims for carnal fluency with a variety of partners. If this all sounds insufferably precious, it’s not. Lee proves herself an adept writer/director, while Milioti is a real find, resembling a more likable, approachable Sarah Silverman. It’s also a treat to see Canadian comedic legends Kevin MacDonald and Sheila McCarthy show up as Sammy’s parents. Although not as novel, soulful or graphic as SHORTBUS, this is a better acted and at times, much funnier film. 4 cats

SHE, A CHINESE
Gau Xiaolu’s film (a Golden Leopard winner at the Locarno International Film Festival) defies categorization. Markedly dissimilar from most contemporary Chinese cinema, it alternates between stylistic allusions to the French New Wave and a naturalistic, documentary like feel, with passages that conjure up states of mind rather than narrative momentum. It charts the journey of Mei (Huang Lu), a young provincial woman who moves to a large Chinese city and eventually ends up in London. She meets a series of men, all of whom add varying sorts of conflict into her life. Presented as a series of titled chapters, the film’s pace fluctuates, often deliberately jumping past a major plot point while occasionally stretching out time to an impressionistic degree. An intellectual and at times inscrutable work, but also an original, lyrical character study with a surging and wonderfully loud rock and roll soundtrack. 4 cats

APPLAUSE
The terrific Danish actress Paprika Steen (THE CELEBRATION) is absolutely harrowing and brilliant as Thea, an alcoholic actress in this intense drama from director Martin Pieter Zandvliet. Although John Cassavetes already covered this territory decades ago in his films which starred his wife, Gena Rowlands (particularly OPENING NIGHT), Steen is so riveting and her character’s persona so all encompassing that whether the story is second hand soon seems irrelevant. As the film follows Thea’s attempts at sobriety, it folds in scenes of her onstage (and backstage as well) as raucous, boozy Martha in a production of WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF. Martha and Thea’s similarities are obvious, but Steen’s grasp on both roles lends depth to the connection. Throughout, Thea emerges as an intriguing (if deeply troubled) blend of personality tics, constantly speaking her mind only to immediately rescind. At one point, she nonchalantly blurts out, “I hate ordinary people,” and then quickly apologizes; it’s to Steen’s credit that you could spend an hour debating whether Thea is sincere or just merely defensive. 4.5 cats

AIR DOLL
For Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda, this is certainly not an obvious follow-up to masterful familial drama STILL WALKING. After all, the main character here is an inflatable sex toy that one morning magically comes to life. It sounds incredibly silly on paper (and I dread any potential American remake), but Kore-eda is a serious filmmaker, and this foray into pure fantasy is affectionate and rather poignant. A lot of the credit goes to Korean actress Doona Bae (THE HOST), who is perfectly cast as the titular character. Cute as a button in her tentative movements and little maid’s uniform, she plays the role as an innocent discovering a strange new world, learning by mimicking everything around her. Kore-eda stretches the premise by introducing additional characters to symbolize the philosophical implications of what it’s like to be an air doll: isolated and expected to serve a function. As a result, for me, the film loses some of its mojo along the way; I would have almost preferred two hours of Bae just bouncing around Tokyo—in those moments, AIR DOLL is as light and graceful as a feather but compelling enough to hold your attention. 4 cats

CAIRO TIME
Sometimes, an actor’s presence alone convinces me to check out a film and Patricia Clarkson is the main reason to see this one. She plays Juliette, an American magazine editor who arrives in Egypt hoping to meet up with her husband, a Canadian diplomat. Unfortunately, he’s held up in the Gaza Strip due to an escalating conflict, leaving her to wonder the streets by herself, where she’s seen as an oddity by the country’s Muslim men (and women). Tareq, a local man and an old friend of her husband reaches out to her, and they find themselves attracted to each other. Although not a towering performance by any means, Clarkson is charming and provides a good surrogate for the audience. To her credit, director Ruba Nedda is not afraid to build momentum with subtlety and silence, and the growing affection between Juliette and Tareq exudes class and restraint—perhaps almost too much, as CAIRO TIME is a perfectly affable film that could benefit from a bit more tension. 3.5 cats

LESLIE, MY NAME IS EVIL The Manson Family trial re-imagined as a farce? That’s the gist of Reg Harkema’s follow-up to his anarchic comedy MONKEY WARFARE. Here, he gives us the twin tales of Leslie, a runaway who falls under the wild influence of Charles Manson, and Perry, a young, sheltered chemist who becomes obsessed with her while serving on the jury for her trial. At the premiere, Harkema introduced the film as “anti-realist” and he wasn’t kidding: LESLIE plays like the love child of late John Waters and Charles Busch (minus the drag), gleefully sending up late-1960s America. While often crude and always over the top (don’t miss the ultra-groovy virgin sacrifice sequence!), the film is also a hoot in how it comically inverts a tragedy without managing to entirely trivialize it. Mostly avoiding garishness and almost approaching wit, Harkema’s palette is nonetheless an acquired taste, and this one could use more of the previous film’s discipline. Still, it’s hard for me to hate on a farce that’s actually quite sincere in how it secretly holds up a funhouse mirror to the real, modern day world. 4.5 cats