Monthly Archives: September 2015

TIFF 2015 – one last film

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Unfortunately, Julianne Moore stood me up. As Moore’s go, I had to settle for Michael. I had hoped she would at least show up and smile at the showing of Freeheld today. Maybe we would have a moment of eye contact. But no, she didn’t. Nor did Ellen Page or the director of the movie. I know they are in town as the were photos in the papers of them at the premiere of the film last night. Maybe they were too hung over today. But really, a few moments at two in the afternoon to acknowledge the enthusiasm of their movie fans? Not too much to ask in my opinion.
This film was the last of seven I have seen over the past few days. A touching but somewhat melodramatic documentary about Laurel Hester’s struggle to get her pension benefits transferred to her partner when she inevitably dies of lung cancer. Based on a true story, the film chronicles a significant piece of LGBT history in the U.S. to achieve equality for same sex couples.
Ms. Moore (we are no longer on a first name basis) walked her way through the role as a maltreated lesbian detective dying of cancer. I did not feel that her heart was in it. I actually wondered if she and Ellen Page got along when the camera was not rolling. I found the dialogue a bit trite and mechanical and there was nothing special about the cinematography. Steve Carrell brightens the film up as a self-described “very gay Jew” who leads the protests and public outcry to reverse the decision of the Freeholders.

This film felt  more like a made for TV movie than one for the big screen. It also dawned on me why I have found Ms. Moore so attractive in the past. If she had brown eyes instead of blue, she would bear some resemblance to my late wife. Watching her dying of cancer, losing her hair, becoming pale, losing control of her life…well maybe it was just a bit too close for comfort.

The bottom line is that I didn’t find anything special about this movie other than the historical content. It was kind of a love story, sort of a documentary, partly a celebration of movement toward equal rights for same sex partners, partly about a woman dying of cancer. Lots of parts but for me it missed the whole. Wait for it on Netflix. Won’t be long. 3 out of 5


I am on the train on my way home. TIFF shows over 300 movies. I only saw 7 so my sample size is pretty small. Of those I saw, I would recommend seeing Youth and The Danish Girl. And please see both of them in the theatre to appreciate them best. I will likely go to them again when they are released.

After 5 or 6 years of TIFF, I think I have the hang of it now. It would be fun to have company at movies and in line but when I go alone there is always someone to chat with. (I had a great conversation with a woman from Texas this morning in line, touching on politics, film, travel and in the theatre beside me was a fellow from New York City and originally from China.) TIFF recharges my extravert batteries. Lots of vitality in the city, people around, enjoying a movie in a packed theatre in the dark with others who are doing the same thing.  Join me next year?

TIFF – Day 3

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I thought, when I chose my films for today that they would be emotionally challenging. I was right. Today’s movies have put me through the wringer.

Director Tom Hooper was overwhelmed by the warm and emotional reception that his film, The Danish Girl, received af a showing at TIFF today

I will start with Tom Hooper’s The Danish Girl, a poignant story about a transgendered transformation based on the life of Lili Elbe and set in the 1920’s.  If you can even remotely imagine the challenges of being transgendered today, think about what it must have been like in the 1920’s.  Tom Hooper’s last two movies were Les Miserables and The King’s Speech and once again he has constructed a winner.  Eddie Redmayne plays the troubled Lili as she comes to grips with the realization that she is a woman in a man’s body. His portrayal is sensitive and emotional and will certainly win accolades. To me he has always had a boyish charm and delicate, vulnerable side to him that makes him a natural for this role.  This is not like Tootsie of Mrs Doubtfire or Some Like it Hot.  He needs to become a woman, or more to the point, show the torment of struggling to find who you really are and then how to detaining how you can live you life your life as that person. And he accomplishes this acting feat remarkably.

The stronger performance, however, comes from Alicia Vikander, who plays the spouce who must process all of this, be supportive and strong and show unconditional love.  Her performance is Oscar worthy.

The color palate of the film was beautifully synced with the plot. At the beginning there were almost no other colors than muted grays and blues.  Blue is my favorite color (except when worn by Stephen Harper) so I found this quite pleasing.  As Lili’s transitional journey happens we gradually get the introduction of yellows and golds and browns, bringing more warmth to the austere, cool and claustrophobic blues.  This film deserves an award for Art Direction. I mentioned how music played such a significant role in Youth where the main character is a maestro. In this film the main characters are artists and so the construct of having many of the scenes and settings look like art compliments the story being told.

I found one scene particularly disturbing. It was when two young men beat Lili up on the street. Bashing, bullying.  To me it represented how society has treated people who are “different” and is still brings me to tears when I think about this scene.  So I warn you bring Kleenex.  And lots of it.  Another one that gets 5 stars. Opens November 27 in theaters.

(2015 seems to be the year of transvestites and transsexuals for me – and I guess with Caitlyn Jenner, for everyone.  I enjoyed Kinky Boots in July, took in this film today and am in rehearsal for the Rocky Horror Show, where the main character is a “sweet transvestite, from Transsexual Transylvania. My trans trilogy for 2015.)

By stark contrast but also disturbing was Beasts of No Nation, a Netflix film – first for TIFF –  a fictional tale about a child soldier in an unspecified African country.  Based on a book by the same name, this story could have happened in one of several countries but Uganda and Congo come to my mind immediately.  It was distressing  for many reasons, not the least of which was that this kind of exploitation and manipulation of vulnerable kids happens at all.  The violence was graphic and relentless.  The young boy, Abraham Attah, who is in the title role of Agu, was seemingly plucked out of school to take this part and his portrayal of the boy drawn into this horrible circumstance was intuitive and real.  The other main part was of the commander of his rebel unit, played by Idris Elba.

IMG_8239Although I found the subject matter to be quite repugnant and disturbing, for some reason I did not get caught up in the film as much as I thought I might.  The movie was a bit too long, then  seemed to come to a rather abrupt resolution after seemingly endless scenes of guns and explosions and blood.  I may have wanted to distance myself from this violence and that distancing might have also put up a bit of a barrier to keep me from engaging fully with the characters.

It is  interesting that Netflix is entering this movie realm and I think that this film will be seen in selected theaters and on Netflix, at least in the U.S. starting in mid-October.   I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars with a caution for graphic violence.

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Guess who was sitting in the row in front of me I’m the theatre tonight, eating popcorn and enjoying the movie with the rest of the TIFF audience. Michael Moore.

TIFF 2015 – Day 2

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Although I always consider cramming in three movies a day while at TIFF it might be the equivalent of cinematic bulimia.  For each movie you have to stand in line for about 60-90 minutes to get into the theatre.  This is never as bad as it sounds as there are always interesting people to chat with and talk about what other movies and celebrities they have seen. Then you always hope for a question and answer after the film which extends the time. The screenings are at different venues around downtown Toronto so it takes time to get from one showing to the next.  Some of the movies are emotionally draining or take some time to properly digest.   So I passed on my initial impulse to add a 9 pm film to my schedule today and am glad that I did.

This afternoon I saw The Martian, a space science fiction film starring Matt Damon. It was a “big” picture. And in 3D to boot.  It will, no doubt, be a box office favorite.  There were some incredibly beautiful visuals of space and the surface of Mars accompanied by swelling French horns and violins. Oh, yes, and synthesized choir voices.   Matt Damon is always easy to watch and there were lots of gratuitous moments where he took off his shirt and one scene ( what was the point?) with his bum in it.  Within the first fifteen minutes we were subjected to the mother of all storms on Mars – in 3D – Matt’s assumed death, desertion and resurrection and then him doing surgery on himself.   At any point was I really worried that he would get home, despite the overwhelming odds?  What screenwriter would kill off Matt Damon and leave him to desiccate on Mars?  I could appreciate the visual effects but not the continuous flow of brilliant ideas from one character or another to solve the insurmountable odds.  I am too pragmatic to do preposterous, I am afraid.  3 stars out of 5 and this was for the visuals.

Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Jane Fonda and Paul Dano at a TIFF 2015 screening of Youth

This evening’s movie was Youth.  An exquisite film written and directed by Pablo Sorrentino and shot in Italy. It stars Michael Caine (who at 82 put in an Oscar nomination performance for sure), Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weiss and Jane Fonda (who also had only about ten minutes in the film but they were incredibly well done.)  And bonus, the stars were all at the screening and stayed for a question and answer time after the film. 

It is really hard to describe this film.  It takes place at a holiday spa in the Italian Alps where to old men reflect on their aging, their past and their future.  There is an intergenerational contribution and interaction that is quite wonderful.  Every shot is set up impeccably.  The sound track is phenomenal and integral to the story – Caine’s character is a composer and conductor.  It is beautiful to watch. I was mesmerized.  

The cast and director got a long standing ovation after the film. Not sure that I have seen that in other TIFF screenings.  I will definitely see it again when it is released.  There were a lot of vignettes that ended in a statement that I wanted to think about more before it went on to the next.

There was a lot of bare skin, many very close up shots of faces, old and young.  I would advise you to see it on a big screen, the bigger the better, as it would be underserviced on Netflix.  The final musical scene also needs to be experienced with big sound.  I loved this film.  My only 5 star film so far.

TIFF 2015 – Day 1

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I had hoped that when I came to the Toronto International Film Festival this year that I would actually appear on one of the big screens.  But this is not to be.  The Guillermo del Toro film, Crimson Peak, that is scheduled for release in October surprisingly does not appear on the TIFF schedule. I had hoped to be in the audience of an early screening to catch my Where’s Waldo appearance as a background performer in one of two scenes from the movie shot in Kingston in April 2014.  My TIFF debut will have to wait.

Nevertheless I am back in Toronto this weekend to take in some of the vital atmosphere that pervades during the festival and see a few movies and get a glimpse of some “stars”.  (I am hoping for Julianne Moore at a Monday noon screening of Freehold. Wish me luck.)

 

Michael Moore at his people’s TIFF party.

 My 2015 TIFF adventure started today with another Moore, Michael not Julianne.  The movie was a premiere showing of his latest documentary, Where to Invade Next. And Moore was there as big as life. He eagerly engaged with the audience both before and after the movie and wander down to sit in the fourth row with some other patrons to watch the film with the rest of us. It almost felt like seeing Santa Claus and believing that he was indeed real. He even invited everyone in the theater to a “people’s TIFF party” as a bar down the street. Free food and a drink ticket for everyone. So my 2015 TIFF started with Michael Moore buying me a beer! Pretty cool.

I was in his other documentaries, Moore looks critically about American society. He explores how other nations deal with many of the problems that are plaguing America now. In this movie, he goes to several European countries and that each one looks at the way they deal with different aspects of their society. He talks about holidays and nutrition and education and treatment of prisoners and the death penalty. He plants American flag in several countries, claiming that he has invaded them to steal their ideas. The movie ends in a fairly optimistic note – he referred to it as his happy film. He points out that change, indeed, it is possible. He gives the example of how three or four years ago same-sex marriage was rejected in many parts of the United States but now it is sanctioned in a federal law.  There was lots to think about in this film. Life lessons to be learned.  It made me feel a bit sad for the U.S.  This Canadian audience seemed to embrace the message but I really wondered if much of America is really interested in learning from Portugal, Iceland or Tunesia.  

The theatre officials wanted us to stay in our seats while security hustled Moore out but he wandered down into the audience to chat, saying he didn’t fear getting killed in Canada.  4 Stars/5

Read more about the Moore and this film in today’s Globe and Mail.

  The second film was called Our Brand is Crisis. This was produced by George Clooney and Sandra Bullock and I could tell from the screams rising from the hundreds gathered in front of the theatre from my place in line around the corner that they had arrived.  The film tells a story of how spin doctors manipulate and present a candidate in an election in Bolivia. Apparently this is based on true events around the Bolivian 2002 election.  We see the development of message tracks that the politicians present, their negative ads and their manipulation and empty promises.  The people beings the scenes making the decisions about how to sell their candidate, not really caring about the issues, but doing this as a game and money-maker for themselves.  Cooney said that this film had been several years in the making. I think it is no accident that it will be released in the year prior to an American federal election. I also couldn’t help but think about our own federal election campaigns as I watch the movie.

I much preferred Sandra Bullock in this role as compared to her astronaut appearance in Gravity last year. I think she has great comedic timing and despite the serious subject of this film, there were lots of humorous moments.  Like the Moore film, this film allows  us to reflect on how things work in our society.   I think Bullock’s performance is solid and partly because of her star-power in addition to her obvious talent, it will draw some acclaim come Oscar time. I will give it 3.5/5. It was good but didn’t grab me.

Bubbles II…an answer perhaps?

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As a result of my last blog entry, friends have responded with information about a local organization that is working to help Syrian refugees come to Canada – Kingston area in particular.

The group recommended by two of my friends is the Four Rivers Presbytery at Seeley’s Bay.

Lori Rand reports:

A small group of us here in Kingston are mobilizing.  We are partnering with a local organization that has brought one family to Kingston in July, and are in the process of getting ready to receive another family at the end of September.  They are currently in a bunker in Lebanon.  Learn more about who they are and their story here.

This incredible work has been done by Dawn Clarke, a Minster at the Perth Road United Church, and a team from the Four Rivers Presbytery in Seeley’s Bay, and the Kingston Islamic Society.  They still need $25,000 to make this happen – to sustain the financial one-year commitment to the current family, and have the funds for the second family.  The hard work of receiving approval from Citizenship and Immigration Canada is already done, but missing link is the financial resources.

Here’s where you can donate.  This money goes directly to getting this family to Kingston and supporting the family that just arrived.  If you are more comfortable writing a cheque, information can be found here in the left hand column. 

Rick Cairns adds this information:

John, I can assure you that aside from the cost of printing some pamphlets and setting up a website, this group is putting every single dollar raised toward sponsoring and settling these families.
An overpaid CEO, you ask? In fact, Save A Family From Syria is a 100% volunteer group.
As far as having “a concrete plan in place to actually bring a refugee family or families to Canada”, you’ll be pleased to know that one family is here, with children starting school next week, and another family (with 4 children) will be arriving in the last week of September.
It is the intention of this group to continue to sponsor more families in the future.

I have reviewed all this and made a donation to this group.  I will await other responses to see if there are more local groups doing something similar.  I encourage you to look into this one, however, and open your hearts and your wallet to help them achieve their goals. It’s the Canadian way, is it not?

 Once again – Here’s a quick link where you can donate right now using a credit card to a local group actively sponsoring Syrian refugee families to come to Kingston area. Tax receipts are issued for donations to this cause.

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As the crisis in Syria enters its fourth year, the Aljalim family needs your help.

Bubbles, not bodies, on the beach…please.

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I would like to think that there is something that I could do to help the Syrian refugee situation that seems to have suddenly burgeoned into a major humanitarian crisis.  Of course, this is not really the case. The situation has been escalating for months, if not years, and the bandaids that the western world has applied to this gaping wound have done little to save the thousands who are scrambling for safety and security or the many who have already died in their attempts to find freedom for themselves and their families.

It is almost embarassing to see our Canadian electioneering politicians using this as campaigning opportunities.  I am definitely not a Conservative or Harper supporter, but our collective anger toward the current government, expressed as “why has our Canadian government done more already?” is counterproductive and also answered by the reality that most of its citizens, you and I, have been somewhat oblivious to the problem, sidetracked by the millions of our tax dollars that are being  spent to investigate and prosecute Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallen.  Pathetic, isn’t it?

I am not that confident in the promises of any of the political parties running in the upcoming Canadian federal election. They all promise more. Those promises are a bit hollow given past government aid and the obvious logistical legal hurdles that any refugee or immigrant has to jump to get into Canada. We are not the country with open arms and hearts that we would like to think we are. And it doesn’t matter if individuals are willing to donate to local initiatives to help bring refugee families to our communities if the government red tape is impeding that.

I have looked at several charity websites but can find no specific plans that would assure me that my donated dollar is going directly to help a refugee family from Syria.  I have written a letter of inquiry to one local initiative but received no response yet.  I have found a couple of websites of groups that say they are motivated to help Syrian refugees but exactly how they plan to do it or what their financial is to accomplish this is not evident.

In the past I have donated to the Humanitarian Coalition but I think that this is appears to be a clearing house for donations to Care Canada, Oxfam and Save the Children.  They take their cut for promotion and it would seem to make more sense to select the other charity directly and donate to it without the 15% cut that this group takes just to be a relay.  FYI, in 2014, Care Canada had a revenue of over $100,000,000, 31% of it from government.  It spent over $35,000,000 in salaries (one is over $250,000) and another $4,000,000 on consulting and professional services. Oxfam had revenue and expenditures in 2014 in the realm of $23,000,000 with four employees making more than $120,000, $1,800,000 in fundraising expenses and about $650,000 in professional and consulting services.  I run an unrelated charity funding infrastructure work in Africa and I know that admin expenses are definitely necessary in order to carry out the charitable work. I am also aware of the need for accountability to donors and disciplined accountability for expenditures.  I think that folks should take some note and be aware of where exactly their money is going when they donate to a charity.  You can search for current information on any registered Canadian charity on the CRA website ( http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/chrts-gvng/lstngs/menu-eng.html)  It is worth a look.

I wonder how I can best help people fleeing from Syria as refugees.

Now.

Please help me by suggesting a registered Canadian charity with a track record of spending at least 80% of their money directly on their charitable programming (in this case, the direct support of a refugee family or families),  don’t have a CEO making $100,000, and  have a concrete plan in place to actually bring a refugee family or families to Canada (not just the will to do so).  I will be happy to investigate it, lend support and encourage my friends to do the same if I can be assured that my support will be effectively spent.

Bubbles in the sand on Ellington Beach, PEI

Bubbles in the sand on Eglington Beach, PEI

Feeling proud…

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When my grandson turned six, he decided that, instead of having kids bring him presents for his birthday party, he would have them bring a bit of money that he gave to me to take to Kenya to share with school kids there.  I was able to buy a soccer ball and books for three schools with the money he collected.  I also took a photo of him to each school.

When I returned to one of the schools a year later the children asked me “How is Noah Budd?”  They knew that he had helped them and were wanting to send greetings.  Last year it took me by surprise when I was in the office of yet another school and saw Noah’s photo on the wall.    I was delighted to make Noah aware that these children were grateful and appreciative of his generosity.

Maia 3In May, Noah’s sister, Emma,  sent me $10 of her birthday money and this afternoon, in the mail, I got a note and $10 fromtheir sister, Maia, who turns five today, money for the CanAssist African Relief Trust.

I am so proud of these kids (and their parents) for sharing their good fortune with others.

I have also gone to elementary schools where the kids have been very enthusiastic and motivated to help others in Africa.  Ms Paré’s Grade 4-5 class at Glenburnie School gathered $1300 this spring and this money is now being put to use to construct school furnishings for the St Catherine School in Kenya.

CanAssist  has also had generous support from children at Sweet’s Corners School, Rideau Vista School,  and Inglewood School in Toronto.

These kids seem to just realize that with really very little effort and sacrifice on their part (mainly enthusiasm and motivating others) they can make a really significant difference to the lives of children in Africa.

I am moved and proud of all of them for their altruism and I hope that their parents and neighbours and aunts and uncles can take a lesson from them and reach out to help others both at  home and in the developing world – because we can assist.

Kids at the Kanyala Little Stars School in Mbita Kenya sing a song for Noah Budd.