Filmsy - Movie Reviews Blog

The Toronto Film Festival Up Close and Personal

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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie flew in on a red eye. George Clooney arrived to show off his new flick, The Ides of March, and his new girlfriend, lady wrestler Stacy Keibler. Sarah Palin was roundly booed. But nothing as outrageous as Sacha Baron Cohen’s 2006 appearance, when the actor turned up on the red carpet in character as Borat, inside a cart pulled by four women in Kazakhstanian peasant garb, occurred at the 2011 Toronto Film Festival, preserving intact TIFF’s reputation as one of the world’s most civilized film showcases.

Two hundred and sixty eight feature-length films and 68 shorts will be shown this year. What have been the standouts so far?

Moneyball: While the movie itself may not sound like a must-see unless you’re an Oakland As fan or own every season of the West Wing on DVD, Brad Pitt’s performance in Moneyball as baseball general manager Billy Beane has generated considerable buzz. Some TIFF insiders are lobbying hard for a Best Movie nod. Directed by Bennett “Capote” Miller and scripted by the indomitable Aaron Sorkin, Moneyball – which also stars Capote’s Philip Seymour Hoffman and Get Him To the Greek’s Jonah Hill – goes into wide release on September 23 at many theaters near you. [Read more…]

Sundance Film Festival 2009

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The festival should be well under way as I write this blog entry. The Sundance Film Festival has a long, colorful, and proud history and this year, the tradition continues. This year’s festival runs from the 15th of January to the 25th, with a lot in store for participants.

One distinct attribute of this year’s Sundance Festival is that the films that are being shown are not specific to a single genre. According to Geoffrey Gilmore, the director of the festival, “This year’s films are not narrowly defined. Instead we have a blurring of genres, a crossing of boundaries: geographic, generational, socio-economic and the like. The result is both an exhilarating and emotive Festival in which traditional mythologies are suspended, discoveries are made, and creative storytelling is embraced.”

He couldn’t have put that in a more attractive way, could he? A wild mixture of stories and styles – that’s what you can expect from a visit to the festival. If it is too late for you to head on over there, you can still keep yourself updated by visiting the official Sundance Festival web site, where you can read up on all things Sundance. They also have news articles and video clips, which will keep you up all night, making you feel as if you were there yourself.

In case you still don’t get it – Sundance is not for those who are only into mainstream movies. You will not find Dark Knight and the similar movies here but make no mistake, you will be in for excellent viewing experiences.