Day 8: September 12

Sandler Mania at the Uptown - people going NUTS for the boy. Go figure. PTA, meanwhile, saunters up Bloor street unnoticed by the crowd. Who ever thought that the brightest star of this year's fest would be Happy Gilmore himself?

Magdalene Sisters
Directed by Peter Mullan


Yet another fest film that in less capable hand would be nothing short of trite and pedantic. Instead, Magdelene proves to be touching, potent, and incredibly human in its emotional complexity. The tale of "fallen" girls sent to a convent after toying with the evils of boys (encounters that weren't always of their choosing), this is a strange mix of a coming-of-age film and prison drama, a female Great Escape without the banter (or motorcycle). A film I was very trepidations about that instead proved to be a memorable film experience.
Grade: B+

Punch Drunk Love
Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson


This film surprised me a lot.

Sure, the casting alone is worthy of much copy, and, yeah, it's coming off two huge critically successful films, but, hey, I just feared in my gut it wouldn't be so good. Oh, it's good. And really, well, short.

PDL is a 90 minute PTA film, which is basically just warming up for his other pics. Someone described it beautifully as a story thread from Magnolia that probably would have taken up about 10 minutes of screen time in that epic piece. Punch Drunk never feels stretched, however, and is a taut meditation upon love and rage.

Watson is simply radiant with her goofy and beautiful smile, while Sandler's psychotic nice-guy schtick makes for some really great moments. The blue suit alone makes the film worth seeing, and there are some really lovely bits of photography and music that makes this a fine addition to the young boys filmmaking canon.

If I have one complaint, it's the damn trailer - it spoils basically all "plot" from the film in a concise three minute burst, removing many of the pleasant surprises. Avoid the trailer, see the flick.
Grade: A

Dolls
Directed by: Takeshi Kitano


A tripy, fascinating film mixing puppeteering with live action. Based on the traditional art of Japanese Bunraku theatre, this tale of love and madness has incredible stark visuals, strange and distant performances, and a kooky story. The constant switch between the artifice of puppetry and the "realism" of cinema makes for a very compelling experience. Kitano continues to march to his own beat, and, while missing the kinetic action of his more visceral films that deal with Yakusa, this still makes for a great viewing.
Grade: A-/B+

Alive
Directed by: Ryuhei Kitamura


Sadly, Alive didn't keep me, well, awake. It's no doubt a better film with a good night's sleep. It's far too "interior" of a film, with sporadic action and much brooding, in order to be a great MM flick. Too bad, can't wait for the next one that's as fun as Versus.
Grade: C-