Harvard Beats Yale 29-29, named after the infamous headline on the Harvard Crimson paper, is a basic but thorough documentary. There is the original game footage, supplemented by commentary from players – including Tommy Lee Jones who played Guard for Harvard – and some simple photos and cartoons by a pre-Doonesbury Gary Trudeau who was enrolled at Yale. The beauty of the documentary is how the directory Kevin Rafferty used simple storytelling to transport the viewer to a game which was played over forty years ago. Firstly, Rafferty establishes the context of the game. Vietnam and civil rights were issues …
The Hidden Fortress
The Hidden Fortress is a great action comedy movie that puts all others to shame. It’s scandalous that today’s audiences have to tolerate clichéd Lethal Weapon-type dialogue and excessive explosions; this film shows that a director can do both well, along with the usual Akira Kurosawa theme of how does one act morally in an immoral world. Is the ultimate goal profit or the greater good? Each character tries to discover this during the film. Is the ultimate goal DVD sales, audience enjoyment, or greater a work that stands out as one of the greatest of all time? Kurosawa accomplishes …
Red Beard
Akira Kurosawa’s last black and white film, Red Beard, follows a storyline similar to Bernard Émond’s La Donation. The themes are similar, although the Japanese work develops more slowly and is more lyrical. A doctor with aspirations of serving Japan’s royal court is sent to a small clinic in a poor village. Unlike Dr. Dion, who chose to accept a one month posting in Normétal, Dr. Yasumoto is tricked into reporting to the iconic Dr. Niide (a.k.a. “Red Beard”) and initially refuses the position. Over time, he comes to respect Red Beard, his pragmatic viewpoint, and his effective manner of …
Double Bill at the Bloor Cinema, Part I: Late Hitchcock
One of the prominent aspects Vertigo and Psycho, as with all Alfred Hitchcock films, is the musical scores by Bernard Hermann. It’s not so much the intensity of the music during climatic moments – although that aspect is present as well – but the many other scenes when a more low-key score builds the tension and foreshadows what is to occur later. For every scene at the top of a church bell tower or in a shower, there are several scene on the roads of California that serve as rising action. The audience knows something is about the go wrong …
Pizzeria Libretto, Part II
My third and fourth visits to Pizza Libretto proved to be a mixed bag, less satisfying than the first two trips. One pizza, the Pingue Prosciutto, was a complete waste. The tomato sauce was overwhelmed the rest of the pizza. The finely sliced ham could not be tasted due to the potent tomato taste. They could have served cured Iberian pork and nobody would have noticed; one might as well have ordered the Margherita pie. Chile oil or thicker slices of prosciutto would have enhanced this pizza. The Sardines pizza boasts a variety of flavours. At times, it was somewhat …
T.I.F.F. 2009, Part V: The Disappearance of Alice Creed
The Disappearance of Alice Creed is an atypical film, a kidnapping film made from the perspective of the kidnappers; sort of a “Low” version of High and Low. There are only three characters: Alice, Danny, and Vic. A compelling script by talented screenwriter (and first-time director) J Blakeson creates audience sympathy for all of the characters, especially Danny the protagonist who is a tragic hero. There are no scenes involving the police or the victim’s family, so it is not known how close the authorities were to solving the case. Blakeson simply shows the victim and her two captors, who …
T.I.F.F. 2009, Part IV: Face
Face (also known as Visage for the French translation) would have significantly benefited from a Q & A session, which was cancelled because the director could not make it to Toronto. Speaking to him would have answered the two meaningful questions in the minds of audience members: “What just happened?” and “Did they ever recapture that escaped stag?” This film should not have been selected for the festival and should not have been green lit by a studio for numerous reasons. Firstly, the film wastes excellent cinematography. Close shots where characters were reflected in mirrors or windows, long fixed shots …
T.I.F.F. 2009, Part III: La Donation
Bernard Émond’s final film in his trilogy about the three theological virtues, La Donation, attempts to find a secular meaning for the philosophy. Even if one is a non-believer, like M. Émond, he would like them to use nearly two thousand years of teachings in order to do well for themselves and others. La Donation follows Jeanne Dion as she first moves to the small town of Normétal in Abitibi in order to replace an old doctor named Yves Rainville for a month and later documents her decision about whether or not to stay after he suddenly dies. Since the …
T.I.F.F. 2009, Part II: Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass may be the best movie that I have seen out of the 2009 crop to date. On the surface, it is very similar in style to the Coen brothers in that it features average characters who find themselves in dangerous situations which force them to confront their morals, bizarre supporting characters, and black humour including scenes of absurd violence but it is more than that. Tim Blake Nelson wrote an excellent screenplay and directed the film admirably. Edward Norton plays both feature roles, a professor of classical philosophy in Rhode Island and his twin brother who grows …
T.I.F.F. 2009, Part I: Les Herbes Folles
Les Herbes Folles is an odd film. The first part of the film is replete with deadpan humour and bizarre situations. The second half of the film channels a bit of Pierrot le Fou and tries to leave the audience guessing. Director Alain Resnais leaves the audience guessing, providing a Hollywood ending followed by the “real” ending five minutes later. Two random strangers are connected by a lost wallet and become infatuated with each other. There is a sense that Georges, who found the wallet, is hiding something but it is never totally revealed, only suggested. Marguerite initially wants nothing …
Caplansky’s Deli
The first sandwich that I ordered at Caplansky’s new deli was a little underwhelming. I was expecting more flavour from the smoked meat (medium) and it was a little dry, especially when served with the house mustard made with whole mustard seeds. It was superior to a run of the mill sandwich shop but a letdown relative to the deli’s reputation. The fries were excellent, the oil had been recently changed and hand-cut potatoes were well-seasoned. On my second visit, I ordered the breakfast special and the smoked beef bacon was delicious. It was smoky and just a little crispy …
Four Forgotten Alfred Hitchcock Films
Rebecca moves slowly but picks up speed as it progresses. It is one of the first films that Alfred Hitchcock made after crossing the Atlantic and the only one which won him a Best Picture Oscar. Shot along the Côte d’Azur in black in white, it lacks the brightness and clarity of To Catch a Thief, which was filmed in Technicolor. The film features tight angles that focus on the leads, Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine and wide, chaotic shots that emphasize how the Second Mrs. de Winter and Mrs. Danvers are losing their heads. At this point, Hitchcock had …
Flame and Citron
Flame and Citron is a Danish film chronicling the exploits of two members of the Copenhagen resistance movement during World War II. I watched the film alone in an empty cinema but the work deserves far more credit and recognition than it has received. Aside from the fact that the piece is very historically accurate – in terms of costumes and locations – it requires the viewer to ask sophisticated questions of themselves. Flame and Citron are the code names of two hitmen who are working underground against the Nazi regime in Denmark. It is uncertain whether they are merely …
2004 Academy Awards Revisited
Recalling the controversy over the Best Picture selection at the 2004 Academy Awards, I think it was much ado about nothing. Brokeback Mountain (***) had won numerous awards that year, including the Best Director Oscar for Ang Lee but I think Crash (****)- which was little known at the time – rightfully won the big prize. Brokeback Mountain was very scenic and featured a very appropriate soundtrack, transporting viewers back to Wyoming in the 1960s. The film carried the positive message that love isn’t limited by gender or race but a far deeper emotion. But although the film was enjoyable, …
Dead Poets Society
The schoolmen were schoolboys fist, Stephen said superpolitely. Aristotle was once Plato’s schoolboy. Previous graduates of Welton Academy go one to teach English Literature, run the school, and eventually pass on and merely occupy a place on the wall. The current students face numerous challenges trying to live up to the expectations of the school, their parents, and the ghosts on the wall. Occurring in the 1960s, Dead Poets Society accurately captures the clash between generations. Only Mr. McAllister, a self-described realist who teaches biology, seems to understand and appreciate what is happening. Society, the school, the students, and finally …
What I Learned this Summer, Part III
Earlier, I wrote about trying to learn as much as possible from other sports. According to a moderately recent study, the skills and attributes that volleyball coaches believe are important to success are not necessarily those that determine the winning team during each match. For whatever reason, the coaches put more value on physical attributes and experience when victory was actually primarily determined by the ability to pass the ball, agility to change direction, and shoulder flexibility (Marey, Boleach, Mayhew, & McDole, 1991, p. 163). This is not merely an indictment of volleyball coaches but an advisory that coaches of …