Competition matches up teams against players who may be very skilled and those who need to work on their game. Every game is unique: a team which has a clear physical advantage in the first game of a tournament might only be evenly matched with their second round opponent. Certainly, practice and training can improve physical performance factors. Another way to generate an advantage on the court is to establish a mental edge. Teams that get into the heads of opposing players benefit from errors due to frustration, aggressiveness and resignation. Move Constantly: Fitness is a physical performance factor but …
T.I.F.F. 2011, Part V: Into the Abyss
Werner Herzog returns to the Toronto film scene with Into the Abyss, another existential work strangely similar yet totally unlike his last documentary, Cave of Forgotten Dreams. The documentary is both a rumination on the meaning of life and a true crime story, a version of In Cold Blood for the twenty-first century. Herzog recounts a triple-homicide in Conroe, Texas in 2001 when Michael James Perry and Jason Burkett killed three people in order to steal a Camaro. Interviewing friends and family of the victims and perpetrators, Into the Abyss exposes the audience to lives impacted by poverty and marred …
T.I.F.F. 2011, Part IV: Carré Blanc
A dystopian vision of office life in the future, Carré blanc is combination of George Orwell’s 1984 and Delicatessen. Jean-Baptiste Léonetti spent nearly five years putting together his stark film that combines ubiquitous corporations, sycophant co-workers and greed. The planet resources have been consumed and world is controlled by a single-minded company which seems to be a combination of Apple and Starbucks. Humanity faces a paradox: the population is plummeting but people are most valued as food. Philippe is a mid-level manager who is charged with performance evaluation, delivering tests which vary from sadistic to absurd to his colleagues. Earlier …
T.I.F.F. 2011, Part III: The Kid with a Bike
The Kid with a Bike (Le Gamin au vélo) tells the story of Cyril, a child who is struggling with the realization that his father does not want to take care of him. Directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, the film focuses more on the young protagonist rather than a storyline. Cyril experiences some difficult times but the film progresses based on how he reacts to the events rather than the events itself. At first he is angry, in a state of denial about his father’s abandonment, later struggling to fit in and find a father figure and later accepting …
T.I.F.F. 2011, Part II: J’aime regarder les filles
Set in 1981 against the backdrop of the election of François Mitterand to the presidency, J’aime regarder les filles profiles the life Primo, a student trying to achieve his Baccalauréat diploma and become accepted by a group of rich friends. The film proves charming, albeit incomplete. Pierre Niney, who plays Primo, the unfortunate protagonist, engenders the audience’s sympathy despite behaviour which ranges from naïve to deplorable. Primo wishes to fit in but seems unable to take any responsibility for his actions which hurt himself, his friends and his family. Primo lives in Paris, working at a variety of poor jobs …
T.I.F.F. 2011, Part I: The First Man
Based on Albert Camus’ unfinished last work, The First Man is an semi-autobiography, balancing tales of the author’s upbringing in a fatherless home with scenes from 1957 Algeria. The film’s twin timelines succeed in profiling author Jacques Coméry and his time in Algeria during two separate times, the 1920s and the 1950s. Scenes from his childhood and the path that led him to become a writer and make a career for himself are juxtaposed with a recent trip to the country to visit his family and speak on the subject of the independence movement. As Coméry speaks to integral figures …
The Debt
Sometimes, a non-linear storyline serves a purpose. It can unravel a mystery piece by piece and keep the audience guessing. Sometimes, it just appears contrived. In The Debt, the non-linear storyline revealed how a trio of ex-Mossad agents had been living a lie since a seemingly high-profile arrest of a Nazi war criminal. The narrative gimmick also caused the film to drag, separating a clichéd spy story from a more interesting drama. The cast who portrays the characters in the current day are compelling, although barely featured. One of the premises of the film is that the lies told by …
Defend the Pass
When the criteria of what makes a great defender is discussed, statistics like blocks, steals and charges taken are usually considered. Bill Russell focused on changing the opponent’s shot. Some coaches grade the quality of shot taken. Even against excellent defense, if the ballhandler gets a slight advantage, help is needed or the shot taken, the ball can still get inside. When the player never gets the ball, they can’t score. Steals that result in lay-ups and dunks at the other end of the court result from stolen passes. Picking someone’s pocket is as likely to result in a foul …
The Guard
I saw The Guard because I was curious as to why Don Cheadle would star in a film with Brendan Gleeson and a number of Irish actors. Cheadle is very selective in his roles and always delivers a thoughtful and convincing performance. The idea of an American/Irish odd couple story could be mishandled by a daft screenwriter but this film must have had something about it to catch Cheadle’s interest. Most audience member seemed to enjoy the film wholeheartedly. The dialogue was witty, the characters were compelling and the story was memorable. Two disparate personalities, forced to unite in order …
Page One
Page One is a documentary about The New York Times as it struggles to remain relevant in the twenty-first century. The documentary originally chronicles how editors debate and decide what should be featured on page A1 although the paper itself later becomes a story itself as it addresses issues such as new media, subscriber fees, layoffs and media ethics. Advertising and classified revenue has plummeted and subscribers are choosing to access the paper online. Blogs, YouTube and Twitter provide a new way for consumers to access the topics that interest them but they do not provide much review to the …
Senna
Ayrton Senna was considered one of the best drivers ever, a wizard in the rain and someone who could push a car beyond its capabilities. He was not a driver who relied on tactics but one who would use his intensity to impose his will on his opponents. Senna combines race and archival footage from the 1980s and 1990s with some voiceovers to paint a portrait of an emotional yet exceptional athlete. Though his career in Formula 1 barely lasted more than a decade, Senna won three World Drivers’ Championships, dozens of races and countless pole positions. He became a …
Results Oriented Work Environment
Last week, during an friendly with the Lost Angeles Galaxy, Manchester City forward Mario Balotelli received in a ball in the clear and elected to spin around and attempt to kick it backwards towards the net. He missed badly, fans jeered and teammates threw their arms up in exasperation. Coach Roberto Mancini substituted the striker immediately, which led to a blow up on the touch line (using Italian words which should not be repeated) and a tantrum by the twenty-year old player. For Balotelli, it was another incident in a tumultuous career.
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Computer animation and 3-D technology have bestowed upon the public a bevy of blockbusters and dozers of disasters. Some soared atop the box office charts while others faded quickly out of sight. 3-D is capable of more than merely blowing up every landmark in the world; it can also transport the views to locations they would have otherwise been unable to visit. Cave of Forgotten Dreams is one of those films which endeavours to transport the audience where no man has gone before. Filmed in Chauvet Cave, in southern France, a series of Lascaux-like caverns which had been concealed for …
Brock and the Deathly Hallows (2/2)
On one hand, this final film is far better than the disappointing book upon which it is based and it redeems its predecessor. Nobody will claim that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II will evoke the same emotions as classic series like Star Wars but a late-night screening at the Varsity Cinemas ended amicably, without any audience member feeling compelled to vandalize the theatre in rage or inspired by fierce apathy to set the screen ablaze. The film does its job — no more, no less. The hero mythology resolves itself adequately. Harry must face his past, his …
Star Trek Leadership, Part III: Starfleet Academy in the Delta Quadrant
Star Trek remains extremely popular because of how the stories are analogous to many modern situations. It is a science fiction genre that does not overwhelm the viewer with technology; the characters – and humanity – remain the focal point. During a syndicated episode of Voyager entitled “Learning Curve”, Lieutenant Tuvok encountered Maquis crew members who were unwilling to follow Starfleet routines. The renegades were incorporated into Voyager’s crew after both were stranded in the Delta Quadrant although the partnership was not working entirely smoothly. Starfleet demanded strict adherence to procedures which was a stark contrast to the Maquis philosophy …
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
In literature, Holly Golightly is a contradictory: she wants everything but doesn’t treasure anything; she doesn’t know what she has until it is gone. In film, she is more of a dilettante, playing the female lead in the first romantic comedy. The book by Truman Capote and the film starring Audrey Hepburn are certainly opposites although I kind of liked both works. Breakfast at Tiffany’s – chosen as a title because of Holly’s proclivity towards daft comments echoed some of Capote’s friends and illustrated in the film when Hepburn ends an evening by having coffee and a pastry in a …