TIFF TUESDAY 2016

I've never been less excited for the film festival than I have this year, which is saying a lot if you know me.  I talk about TIFF all the time...to a degree that it's probably annoying for those around me.  My standard response to "what are you doing this summer?" is "just counting the down the days until TIFF." 

I'm not sure what the issue is, whether it be the new website design that I want to put my fist through every 5 minutes (seriously....seriously no words for how NOT user friendly that thing is. What was the user testing process? "It's visible and the films are somewhere on the site, good enough for me"???  Also fuck anyone using a mobile device!)

My membership renewal that "never arrived" (much like when I stood in front of an agent for about 20 minutes last festival to add another person to my membership account and was told a separate card would be send to me in the mail.  It's a year later and I'm still waiting on that.  No problem sending me countless packages through the mail asking me for more money but something I'm paying for?....just breathe. Calm down Alex), which has resulted in me getting a later selection window.   

Or maybe it's just the films in general. 

For the first time in years, I actually have time off from work so I really WANT to be excited for TIFF 2016. 

Whatever the reason is for my lackluster feelings, I'm uploading this post to try to get myself excited.  And to force myself to review the film list.  Seriously, it's three days away from my selection window and I've done no work to prepare.  Never in the history of my festival experiences have I not had at least three schedule options prepared by this point.  I have at least sixteen films that I need to select, so I'd better start planning.

Without further ado, here is a selection of the films I'm looking forward to seeing this year (I also know that some are already off sale....frowny face): 

 Lion

This film stars Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara.  It's about the true story of Saroo Brierly and his journey to reconnect with his birth mother after being separated from her for 25 years.

 

 

Snowden

Joseph Gorden-Levitt stars as NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden. The film is directed by Oliver Stone and also stars Shaliene Woodley, Timothy Olyphant and what I'm hoping is mass amounts of Nicholas Cage.

American Pastoral
Ewan McGregor's directorial debut is an adaptation of Philip Roth's Pulizter Prize - winning novel, about a "perfect" American family that is torn apart by the social and political upheavals of the 1960s.  Plus I got to listen to Mad World world while watching the preview.


Free Fire
One of my festival favourites, Ben Wheatley, is back again this year with Free Fire.  The film about a 1970s gun deal gone bad, stars a mustache-y Cillian Murphy, Armie Hammer and Brie Larson.

Loving
Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga star as Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple who waged a decade-long legal battle that eventually led to the overturning of the state of Virginia's law prohibiting interracial marriage. I teared up just watching the trailer.

Arrival
This is a sci-fi drama about the panic that follows a wave of mysterious spacecraft landings across the globe.  To be honest, I'm a little bit on the fence with this one.  The synopsis you just read has potential, but the actual trailer looks kind of ridiculous.  It's directed by Denis Villeneuve who also directed Prisoners, Enemy and Sicario, which are all great movies.  I was completely enamored with the Sicario soundtrack at last year's festival and it sounds like it may have been scored by the same person.  I also think that Amy Adams, Forest Whitaker, and to an extent, Jeremy Renner have made some really great films.  Fingers crossed.


 

Manchester by Sea  

Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams and Kyle Chandler star in this emotionally overwhelming and critically acclaimed drama from writer-director Kenneth Lonergan (You Can Count on Me, Margaret), about a reclusive handyman who must face his painful past when he returns to his Massachusetts hometown after the sudden death of his beloved older brother.

The Belko Experiment
Office politics turns into a real-life survival of the fittest when a group of co-workers are forced into a sick game of kill or be killed by sinister forces who lock down their building, in this gruesomely funny horror thriller from director Greg McLean (Wolf Creek) and writer James Gunn (Slither, Guardians of the Galaxy). 

If any of you haven't wanted to kill at least one of your coworkers at some point, you haven't had a true office environment experience.

Into the Inferno
Werner Herzog teams up with volcanologist Clive Oppenheimer for this globe-trotting tour of some of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes.  It's Werner Herzog, man.  If you can get tickets to a screening where he does a Q&A, that's worth the admission alone.


I think I'm going to stop here for tonight.  Is there anything that you're looking forward to seeing?  Let me know.

Night!

Alex & Arthur

TIFF TUESDAY - 2015 Edition

First, guess who is still alive? Me!

Now that we've established that I'm still living, let's get into this blog post about my favourite time of the year....TIFF!  According to the countdown clock on the website there are 22 days until the festival begins.  So excited.

For those of you who have been following my blog (for more than a year), you may remember that I LOVE TIFF and that in preparation for the festival, every Tuesday I post two films that I'm hoping to see.  These are in no particular order:

The Lobster 

In his first English speaking film, Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, tells us a tale  of a near dystopian future where single individuals are sent to "The Hotel" where they must find a mate within forty-five days.  If the individual is unable to find a mate within the designated time frame, he or she transforms into a beast and is sent off to live in "The Woods".

While it sounds absolutely bizarre, I'm a sucker for any sort of sci-fi movie especially when it's set in the future.  Also it stars Colin Farrell (love!), Rachel Weisz and John C. Reilly (who I also love, particularly when he's trying to be serious.  Who are you kidding Dr. Steve Brule?).  

The film won a Jury Prize at Cannes and was nominated for a Palme d'Or so I have high expectations for this one.

Legend

This movie is based on the real life English gangsters Ronald and Reginald (Reggie) Kray, who terrorized London during the 1950s and 60s.

The Kray brothers are played by Tom Hardy. I've taken a look at the trailer for this movie and it looks like Tom Hardy has enough material to properly showcase his range as the twins seem to have very different personalities.  Reggie is portrayed as the level-headed, brains of the operation whereas Ronnie is portrayed as the aggressive, loose canon/muscle. I'm always intrigued when an actor takes on dual roles in a movie, particularly when they are playing the lead(s) because it can go one of two ways, success or failure. (I'm also intrigued because Tom Hardy is not hard on the eyes)  

The film also stars Emily Browning, David Thewlis, and Christopher Eccleston.

Next week I will be showcasing two more films that I'd like to see at this year's festival.  I had a bit of a late start this year in terms of blog posting so as the festival gets closer these posts may turn into "Three Tiff Tuesday".

Bye for now,

Alex & Arthur

Friday Five Fave - January 9, 2015

First post of 2015! I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year.

1. Got One Friend in My Pocket by Modcloth

Yes, please!

2. Inherent Vice

I really want to see this film.  When I heard it premiered at the New York Film Festival a mere month after the Toronto International Film Festival, I was pretty bummed that it didn't come to Toronto.   Hopefully I'll get to see it this weekend.

3. January Television!

A new year means new seasons of my favourite television shows.  Season 6 of Archer started yesterday (January 8th) and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia returns on January 14th for its 10th season.  If you're not watching either of those shows, please start!

I'm so happy that Archer is back, although yesterday's episode just made me sad that we don't have a photocopier named Milton that makes toast roving around my office.  Oh well...

The other delightful aspect from yesterday's premiere was H. Jon Benjamin's (voice of Archer) live tweeting during the episode.  He watched the episode with a special guest (Christian Slater).

4.  This little dude and Santa 

He looks so happy to be sitting with Santa.  This photo was taken by Eastlake Photo at Arthur's daycare Spaw Boutique.

5. Downloadable Box templates from Claudine Hellmuth

Make your own Cupcakes

Camper

Retro Ovens

I know I haven't been posting very much as of late but I would like to thank you all for sticking with me.  I'm hoping to increase the frequency of my posts this year.

Much love from Alex & Arthur

St. Vincent

For today I thought I'd do another summary of a film I saw at TIFF.  It will also give me a chance to talk about a film that isn't Whiplash, because I feel like I do that a lot.  (but seriously, if you have a chance to go see it, please do.  The soundtrack came out a few weeks ago and it is addictive.)

Today I want to focus on the film St. Vincent and the awesomeness that is Bill Murray.  I only cried a handful of times at the festival but two of those times it was caused by the man pictured below.

ST. VINCENT

I saw a lot of really good films this year and St. Vincent is definitely within my top five.  It opened in select theatres on October 10th but opens everywhere else on October 24th.  I urge you to go see this film.

Those of you who read my blog, know that I'm very much into British comedy/England in general so I'm bummed I didn't get to go to the premiere and see Chris O'Dawd from the IT Crowd.  He's always funny in interviews, but add to that Melissa McCarthy and Bill Murray and I bet the Q&As were hilarious.  I am grateful that I managed to rearrange my schedule and was able to see St. Vincent the next day.

While slightly predictable, St. Vincent is an enjoyable film that, as the Los Angeles Times states, is "Impossible not to love."  Totally agree.  Bill Murray shines as the cantankerous Vincent.  A character who is a stark contrast to the lovely man I saw the previous day (see below for my recount of Bill Murray day)

Melissa McCarthy was also great in this movie but the other stand out performance is from newcomer Jaeden Lieberher, who plays Vincent's neighbour Oliver.   Oliver is polite child, who takes a liking to his grumpy neighbour and helps us all see past Vincent's grumpy exterior.  The movie was funny, heart-warming, and I had tears in my eyes by the end.

Go check out the website for more information and while you're there, take the time to Saint Yourself. Here is mine.  You have the option of adding different filters, borders, and stickers.  I didn't select a border but I chose to be pals with Vincent's beloved cat Felix.

BILL MURRAY DAY

Friday September 5th was pronounced Bill Murray Day in Toronto.  As celebration, three Bill Murray films were screened at the Bell Lightbox.  These screenings were free, first come first served, and included: Stripes, Groundhog Day, and Ghostbusters.  

Fun fact about me: Ghostbusters is one of my favourite movies.  (Remember when Arthur and I went as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and Slimer for Halloween?)  I found it a little overwhelming to be watching it on a big screen and paired with the fact that I knew Bill Murray was meandering around backstage....well, let's just say more than a few tear drops fell from my eyes. 

Bill Murray, Ivan Reitman, and Mitch Glazer did a pretty lengthy Q&A session after the Ghostbusters screening but for the first 5-10 minutes all I could hear was my brain yelling, "OH MY GOD, IT'S BILL MURRAY"

See this man right here?  I touched him and it was incredible (in a non-creepy way).  Actually just being in his presence was incredible and for the duration of the Q&A session he felt like me own personal life-coach/therapist.

He was asked a few questions about his personal philosophies and what it was like to be him.  His responses on his outlook on life were inspirational, and actually just what I needed to hear at that moment (issues were happening at work and even though it was my day off, I was having a hard time letting go... well, at least until I heard Mr. Murray's sage advice on being happy).

All around, my 2014 TIFF experience was fantastic and I'll definitely be sharing more with you over the next couple of weeks.  Bill Murray day and St. Vincent were definitely some of my favourite experiences from this years festival.

Alex & Arthur

Friday Five Fave - October 10th, 2014

Butter Flavo(u)r Cookies Purse from Modcloth

I carry around a lot of junk in my purse, so I'm not sure a clear portion is the best option for me.  However, this purse is adorable.

Sherilyn Fenn

So I met this beauty (my girl crush) in August at the Toronto FanExpo.  She's still super gorgeous and incredibly sweet.

I'll write more about my encounter in a future post because I was able to catch an awesome Q&A panel with Sherilyn Fenn, Sheryl Lee, and Ray Wise. 

Hey, did we all hear about Twin Peaks 2016?  So, excited!

Dinosaur Rolling Pin by Vatek Rolling Pins

Hello Shanghai Cruz Purse by Kate Spade

The Enchiridion by CuteCraftsEtc

Alex & Arthur