Am I ... Back?

Talk about a hiatus.  It's been years.  YEARS.  Where have I been, you may ask.  Who the hell am I, you're likely wondering.  

I've been nowhere and everywhere, and quite honestly I am no one and everyone (yikes, how Game of Thrones).

Let's see what happens.  But for now, I'm back. 

Olga.

tiff2016 - it's what we do

Blind Sun

Directed by : Joyce Nashawati
Starring : Ziad Bakri

One word drew me to this one:  Greece.  Adding a premise which has a man dealing with the bureaucratic nightmares of waiting for his residency permit while suffering through oppressive heat, I thought how can it miss?  Sounds like a perfect set up for a screwball comedy!  Well, obviously it wasn't.  And, wow, did it miss.  Sure, Greece is hot.  And the bureaucracy is next level crazy (at the moment, the Consulate is refusing to grant me dual citizenship because as per their records my parents never married.  !!!).  But not every Greek is a swarthy imbecile.  Heat may drive us nuts, but we need a reason why it's driving this poor dude this completely nuts.  I totally got the feeling of hot here.  I also got the feeling of a complete hot mess.


The Secret Scripture

Directed by : Jim Sheridan
Starring: Vanessa Redgrave, Rooney Mara, Eric Bana

Set in a tumultuous time in Irish history, The Secret Scripture tells the story of the passionate and tortuous life a young woman (Rooney) confined to a mental institution for most of her adult life.  The whys of how she got there are laid out very well in this adaption of Sebastian Barry's award winning novel, but soon I was thinking to much about the hows and it took me too far out of this film.  We know that adaptions are tricky and you sometimes lose a context of richness that could make a film fuller, here however, I felt we lost vital plot points which left me asking too many questions.  That said, this was a great, often painful, story and it was extremely well acted by Rooney, Vanessa (playing the aged Rooney) and Eric (I miss this guy).   Wish I had read the book.


And with that, TIFF2016 is done!  It was quite the Festival - 23 films over 9 days, a truncated time frame this year and slightly fewer films in total but I'm largely overwhelmed by the terrific movies I saw.

Top picks:  Nocturnal Animals, Arrival, Manchester by the Sea, Free Fire, It's Only the End of the World, Moonlight. 
Honourable Mentions: Christine, Bleed for This, Their Finest, Trespass Against Us.
Biggest Disappointment:  Loving.

Random observations after spending 9 days in the craziness that is TIFF: 

Lazy Sponsors:  I've been TIFFing for years now.  When you watch 23-42 movies over the course of 10 days, you're watching sponsor ads 23-42 times over the course of 10 days.  I completely appreciate this will get repetitive and that's MY problem.  But try this over years.  I'm talking 5 years.  The same commercials from lead sponsors for 5 years!  I've had enough with the once clever Grolsch People's Choice advert.   I'm here to tell you that regardless of of what RBC wants us to believe, LIZ AND AMY WILL NEVER MAKE IT.  Come on, guys, you're top tier sponsors at a world class festival get it together.  It's not that hard to make a commercial these days - you've got the money, use it.

Oblivious Moviegoers:  This is nothing new, but the guy sitting beside me who decided to take his shoes off during my Midnight Madness screening of Free Fire was next level on all the wrong levels.  Pungent is too tame a word.  It was Midnight.  It was a hot & sweaty day.  There were no socks.  It was beyond any semblance of normalcy.  HOW COULD HE NOT KNOW?!

Obnoxious Moviegoers:  If I hear one more person in a TIFF line announce to no one that they are members of TIFF and receive special privileges I may punch them in the face.  I'M A MEMBER TOO.  NO ONE GIVES A SHIT.  SHUT UP.

Bad Snacks:  The Princess of Wales theatre is a rather majestic place to watch a film.  It's grand and adds an element of elegance to a screening - so much love.  The love stops at the concession stand though - when did scotch mints become movie snacks?  Where's the chocolate?  I can deal with stale popcorn when desperate, but throw me some liquorice guys.

Of course I have more positive memories and stories - the fantastic conversations I had with strangers while waiting in line;  sitting beside the editor of Moonlight and sob crying my thanks to him for being part of such an incredible film ; witnessing Tom Ford ask someone to tell the trucks on Victoria Street to stop beeping so he could concentrate during the Q&A ; breathing the same air as my Oscar date Aaron Eckhart ... the list goes on.  

As always, I have more films on my list from TIFF buzz:  LaLa Land, Burn Your Maps, Brain on Fire, Lion to name a few ... but for now, I sleep, re-introduce vegetables into my diet and re-engage in normal life, or at least my version of a normal life.  I promised I was back ... so stay tuned for more of this.  More of me.  :)

tiff2016 - it's what we do

Orphan

Directed by : Arnaud des Pallieres
Starring : Adele Exarchopoulos, Gemma Arterton

Orphan is a character study of a young women's life told over four time periods as she reconciles a harsh upbringing with making amends for past behaviour.  This could have been so much more but it wasn't,  It's interesting to me, as the themes and structure of Orphan are so similar to Moonlight yet this fell so flat.  Nothing drew me in, nothing made me care.  Meh.

Christine

Directed by: Antonio Campos
Starring : Rebecca Hall

VERY powerful account of the life of Christine Chubbuck, a television reporter who committed suicide live on air in 1974.  Christine is a tightly wound reporter in a male dominated industry.  She's highly competitive, a perfectionist and a depressive.  These factors culminate to a most explosive boiling point and this film humanizes the life of someone who has become a sensationalized footnote in television news history.  Rebecca Hall is absolutely incredible portraying the troubled Christine - a woman we can all relate to in some way.  No one works as hard as us.  no one has as much integrity as we do, why is no one listening?!  Christine's mental health won't allow her to find reasonable answers or ways to cope with these feelings of loneliness and failure, and it's so very sad.

Una

Directed by: Benedict Andrews
Starring : Rooney Mara, Ben Mendelsohn

Based on the play Blackbird by David Harrower, Una tells the story of a young woman who, a decade later, tracks down the man who sexually assaulted her in search of answers.  The film had moments of intensity, and was extremely well acted by both Rooney and Ben, but it somehow missed the mark on being the powerhouse film I felt it could be.  Perhaps it was the translation from stage to screen - as their world became bigger we lost the intense focus I felt necessary to really tell this story.  Perhaps I was just too damn cold in that bloody theatre.  Either way, Una was solid but ultimately a disappointment.

tiff2016 - it's what we do

Julieta

Directed by:  Pedro Almodovar
Starring: Emma Suarez, Adriana Ugarte

Love me some Almodovar.  Whether intensely dramatic or high camp, Pedro's view of the world is unique and rich.  He's also a champion film maker for women, and in Julieta he takes that one step further by adapting the work of Alice Munro.  Relaying a tale of a mother and her estranged daughter, Pedro tells their story in past and present as we come to understand the complex relationship between these two women.  It's a soft telling, where we want and expect much to happen but very little does.  At the hands of another director this would be an immense problem, but with Pedro's magic touch we are drawn into Mom's suffering sadness and hope she finds her something more.  Compelling score and very well acted.  This one also took me back to #spainsanity for a short while, so all good on all fronts.

Manchester by the Sea

Directed by: Kenneth Lonergan
Starring : Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler

I'm exhausted.  Over tired, really, and when I get over tired I get over emotional.  It's like my mind can't decide how it wants to feel, so it just default cries.  I spent much of this screening silently sob crying in my seat.  Was it because of my over tired state of mind?  Well, maybe 3%, yes.  The other 97% was due to a most beautiful, beautiful film which hits the notes of grief and guilt so softly they take you over unexpectedly yet continuously.  No one can (or should ever have to) imagine the grief and guilt felt by Lee (Casey Affleck) after he suffers an imaginable and horrific loss.  His life is turned upside down again by the death of his older brother (Kyle Chandler) so back home he must go to care for his teenaged nephew.  Casey's Lee suffers a quiet agony so painful it's hard to imagine anything enabling him to break free from it - he's lonely, angry and also kind and sensitive.  Casey's dialogue is sparse but we don't need words to tell us how he's feeling - we have his face and his nuanced mannerisms and sheer brilliance.  This script is not only beautifully written, it's real.  We understand, completely, that Casey can't break out of his suffering - he tells us this flat out - and while we're used to heroes overcoming odds and obstacles as they seek to achieve some sort of betterment, I can't help thinking Casey's Lee is a hero too.  The life he chooses of almost monastic penance is his self imposed punishment for what happened.  He's not being a martyr, he's doing this because it's what he feels he must do to survive.  He must live within his loss to overcome his loss.  Fucking heartbreaking.  It really was.  

tiff2016 - it's what we do

Nocturnal Animals

Directed by: Tom Ford

Starring: Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Aaaron Taylor-Johnson

Oh, la, la ... wasn't this a stylized masterpiece.  It's obvious every frame of this movie was shot with exacting detail, it looked gorgeous, sumptuous, sexy.  Can we expect anything less from Tom?  But lets not get caught up in style.  This movie also had substance - It's the unique story of a woman (Amy) who is sent a manuscript from her first husband (Jake), and the reading of this manuscript uncovers truths of her own past as she comes to terms with her present.  We see modern day Amy reading and unhappy, ruminating on her life.  Jake takes on two roles here - the protagonist in his manuscript and his younger self as Amy's husband.  Both shine bright.  Amy looks luminous (seriously, Tom Ford needs to light our lives as everyone in his movies looks so damn good) and is brilliant as she portrays a victim of her own insecurity who ultimately needs to let go of who she thinks she needs to be in order to be happy.  Jake is perfect.  Always.  CAN SOMEONE NOMINATE THIS GUY FOR SOMETHING FOR CHRIST'S SAKE.  That face is ridiculous, but his intensity and range in this film alone are cause for applause.  At its heart, Nocturnal Animals is about not ever letting go of that someone who truly understands you (oh, that old chestnut).  This was amazing.  

Their Finest

Directed by : Ione Scherig

Starring:  Sam Clafin, Bill Nighy, Gemma Etherton

I love period pieces.  I love all things Brit.  I love banter.  I love sly humour.  Guess what, Their Finest had it all and then some.  Telling the story of a group of Brits making a film to bolster British morale during WW2, the film was a meta marvel.  It was so charming, and well acted and well, so romantic.  My old man crush Bill Nighy was a bright light as usual, but Sam & Gemma were standouts too.  We have a bit of a surprise ending - reminding us that we must take our chances when we can as we never know what will happen (this again?!) - but it all works in spades.  Loved this.

Arrival

Directed by: Denis Villeneuve

Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner

Aliens land on Earth and linguist Amy (it's a two-fer Amy day!) works to translate their language.  Admittedly, I'm not 100% sure what exactly happened in this movie - it was kind of a mind fuck in a very good (Inception not Interstellar) way.  But if what I think the story was is what the story was:   Woah.  Oh, man.  YES.  If not, well, oh well?  Arrival's an amazing movie highlighting once again what an incredible actress Amy Adams is.  Her face is so expressive, which makes her acting so nuanced, so real.  So very good.  

Bleed For This

Directed by:  Ben Younger

Starring :  Miles Teller, Aaron Eckhart

Second boxing biopic at the Fest and this one takes top prize.  It was edgier, and adds the element of a comeback story, which are impossibly hard to resist.  At the hands of Ben Younger & crew, we're all in, 100%.  Vinnie Paz (Miles) is a boxing champ who suffers a car accident and is told he will never box again.  Undeterred, Vinnie perseveres, training, working, struggling to get back to his former life.  Miles transforms himself into Vinnie, much like he immersed himself in Whiplash.  Aaron is unrecognizable as his coach - can someone tell me why Aaron Eckhart isn't in more movies like this?  Enough playing the President with Gerard Butler, Aaron!  You are better than that!  We are all at the edge of our seats, right along with them as this comeback story comes to life.  Amazing film.

It was a four for four day today ... that almost never happens!  Praise be!  

tiff2016 - it's what we do

Moonlight

Directed by: Barry Jenkins
Starring: Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Trevante Rhodes, Andre Holland, Janelle Monae, Ashton Sanders, Jharrel Jerome, Alex Hibbert, Jaden Piner

If I never see another movie again it will be okay because I've seen this one. My mind wanders to scenes, and I start to cry.  I try describing the story, and I start to cry.  Great art transcends the artists initial meaning and speaks to the viewer in a personal way.  For me, Moonlight is simply about the importance of finding people - or that person - that gets you even when you don't get yourself.  Our path to this is often fraught with loneliness and self doubt.  Told in three tranches of a very troubled life, lead character Chiron's path was tortured from the get go. Growing up on the wrong side of everything in Miami, he's just searching for anything to hold onto, anything to make sense.  He thinks he finds it, then loses it, again and again.  He has no one.  My heart broke watching this 8 year old boil hot water for his own bath,  the 16 year old get pummelled by bullies and, finally, the adult express true emotion to his person.  Moonlight was intense, immersive, beautiful and real.  I thought perhaps my complete emotional breakdown here was due to the state my heart and head are in right now, but I know that's not it.  Moonlight got under my skin because we all have a story that we may not choose to expose, but when we do - to the right person, to our person - it's the most beautiful thing.  Jesus Christ, I'm crying right now.  Barry Jenkins is a genius.

Certain Women

Directed by:  Kelly Reichardt
Starring: Laura Dern, Michelle Williams, Kristen Stewart

Just.  No.  Boring and disconnected.  I don't care how good the performances were.  These actresses were not given much to do and I couldn't bring myself to care about any of them.  My mind kept drifting back to Moonlight.   I think the only thing that could have made it worse was if it was in Swedish.  Without subtitles.  Just.  No.

Loving

Directed by:  Jeff Nichols
Starring: Joel Edgerton, Ruth Negga

True story of Richard & Mildred Loving who led a legal battle which resulted in the Supreme Court overturning the prohibition of interracial marriage.  Big story.  Compelling story.  Relevant story.  What a disappointing film.  The "action" felt cold and detached.  Joel & Ruth lacked chemistry (my movie critic in training Mom thought so too) and this one just fell flat.  Disappointment of the festival thus far.

It's Only The End of the World

Directed by: Xavier Dolan
Starring: Gaspard Ulliel, Marion Cotillard, Vincent Cassel, Lea Seydoux

All hail King Dolan.  Holy crap this guy.   The Quebec wunderkind has done it again.  He takes us to to anywhere, anytime as a prodigal son returns home after 12 long years.  Why has he returned?  What news to tell his estranged family?  His secret is never revealed to them because they're all too busy yelling and talking to actually communicate with each other.  Think about that.  They're all too busy yelling and talking to actually communicate with each other.   It's a family drama on steroids, with (as per usual) an amazing soundtrack and top notch performances from the entire cast.  Can we all fall in love with Marion Cotillard again please?  And then let's stop yelling and talking and communicate with each other.  King Dolan says so.  *

*Really not sure what's happening with the formatting here, but I hope you'll forgive me.  Sugar & caffeine are running amok on my skin, my eyes are bloodshot from all my crying and I'm almost walking like an 80 year old pregnant lady.  God, I love this time of year. 

tiff2016 - it's what we do

American Pastoral

Directed by: Ewan McGregor
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Jennifer Connelly, Dakota Fanning

Based on the novel by Philip Roth, American Pastoral tells the story of a family torn apart by the choices of their daughter.  Ewan stars and makes his directorial debut here, in what I felt was a well paced think piece.  Acting was standout, especially from our two female leads - honestly, Jennifer Connelly really has the market cornered on playing tortured wives - and I really liked this (insofar as  you can 'like' a disturbing film).  Overall, the film was not well received and I'm unsure why.  A friend tells me critics are "often very hard on actors directing themselves on what could be perceived as overly self-serious semi-vanity projects especially when the source material has such a prestigious pedigree as it smacks of a too overt bid for artistic self-importance" (my friend is very smart) Well, okay - I don't think Ewan's that guy.  And this film wasn't that film.  I'll stand behind this one and only offer a mild critique that Jen & Ewan didn't really seem to age at all in the 20 year timeframe of the movie.  But, then again, neither have we in the real life, right?  So, never mind ...

Tramps

Directed by: Adam Leon
Starring: Callum Turner, Grace Van Patten, Mike Birbiglia

The problem with many "meet cute" rom-coms is they're just so .. dumb.  Full of cliches, tropes and predictability.  In simply genre terms, Tramps is a "meet cute" rom-com without all that.  Our unlikely couple are thrown together by their respective shady pals to pull off a classic "drop", what transpires in the action is rather fun and what transpires between them is quite charming.  I enjoyed this one for its dialogue and winsome duo.  It's not going to knock your socks off, but it won't make you poke your eyes out with a chopstick like most rom-coms do these days.  This is winning.

I am the Pretty Face That Lives in the House

Directed by: Osgood Perkins
Starring : Ruth Wilson

I've called his movie many things in the weeks leading up to the screening.  I've put this pretty face under the stairs, in the closet, sometimes there's more than one face, other times it's just a thing - holy crap, what a terrible title!  Was the movie any better?  I'm going to say, not much.  Based on the synopsis, it's the story of a hospice worker (Ruth) who comes to look after an aged former horror writer.  It soon becomes clear that things are not as they seem in this old, abandoned house.  I thought this was going to be a spookier  Misery.  Nope.  Aside from one scene it wasn't very spooky - and remember, I hate and never watch horror movies so don't have a baseline for spooky.  This was not at all spooky!   All around disappointing, aside from stellar work from Ruth who carried what was basically a one woman show. Incredible performance in a rather meh film.

The Bleeder

Directed by: Philippe Falardeau
Starring: Liev Schreiber, Elizabeth Moss, Naomi Watts

Full disclosure: I love sports movies.  The underdog fighting against the odds mythology is incredibly powerful especially if the payoff, in great sports movies, is rewarding and delivered without cliched predictability.   Boxing movies take this mythology to the next level - there's only one guy taking all the punches, and usually in these films the punches aren't only flying in the ring.  The Bleeder is indeed a boxing movie, and also the true story Chuck Wepner, a boxer not known for his talent or skill, but more so for his simple ability to take a punch. This tenacity made him the the inspiration for Stallone's Rocky.  Oh yeah, that little boxing movie.  Overall, this film is standard biopic fare - we move through Chuck's life as he takes on fight after fight, lives his life in Bayonne New Jersey, gets in trouble, loses and wins life's lotteries and tries to find a place for himself outside the ring.  It's not earth shattering stuff, but it's compelling as a character study (how many punches can you take before you just can't get up again) and an acting master class.  Liev was incredible.  Elizabeth astounding.  Naomi brilliant.  You need the best to deliver simple stories and we absolutely got the best here.  Capping off the night was probably one of the best Q&As I've ever been to at TIFF where, of course, Chuck regaled the crowd with his larger than life personality and true love for the people who brought his life to the big screen (again, but for real this time).  This one wasn't perfect, but I loved it all the same.

tiff2016 - it's what we do

Catfight

Directed by: Onur Tuket
Starring:  Anne Heche, Sandra Oh, Alicia Silverstone

Telling the story of a chance reunion between 2 former college friends that goes wrong, way wrong Catfight is a unique black comedy which delivers pointed commentary on the haves, have nots and what happens when the haves become the have nots and vice versa.  Playing the college friends - splintered by an unknown incident back in the day which fuels all their subsequent interactions - Anne & Sandra are bitter, cynical, angry and mean.  Their interactions are shocking and jarring, based on physical violence which becomes the cause of these transformations of class.  In a nutshell, they pummel the shit out of each other and lose it all.  The pummelling is completely over the top and cringe worthy.  I react to most violence on screen today with a bit of a shrug.  Okay, an explosion.  Yeah, that building collapsed.  Ah, machine guns.  But physical violence in its most base form - simply punching each other to almost death - is so cringeworthy.  Anne & Sandra were great in this and were completely girl crushing on each other at the Q&A.  Give this one a whirl if you can handle some punches.

Trespass Against Us

Directed by: Adam Smith
Starring: Brendan Gleason, Michael Fassbender

As a complex character study of a man trying to break free from the life he was born into, Trespass Against Us hits all the right notes for me.  Michael is the oldest son born to father Brendan, the head of an outlaw British crime family - they're thieves and thugs, living in a communal trailer park of sorts working jobs as directed by patriarch Brendan.  Michael is married, he has two kids.  He wants to be done.  He wants out.  But we all know this isn't easy.  The core of this film is Michael - his portrayal of the hardened criminal and soft hearted Dad who wants more for his family, but whose own family, and circumstances, will not make this possible is nuanced and real.  As every chance he takes to break free is thwarted he loses hope, gains frustration and our sympathy builds.  This one issn't perfect, it did drag at times, but if you keep your eyes on Michael you won't be disappointed.

tiff16 - it's what we do

Things to Come 

Directed by : Mia Hansen - Love

Starring : Isabelle Huppert

I hate it when this happens.  You start your festival full of hope and promise and end up on movie one with ... a dud.  Things to Come chronicles the life of a tightly wound philosophy teacher in Paris as she manages things life throws her way.  Well, all right.  Unfortunately, nothing much really happens by way of plot or narrative and I NEED NARRATIVE so this felt so flat to me.  I spent much of my time wondering when Isabelle Huppert was going to have some mad sex with her hot protege.  Sadly for both of us, this never happened.  Huppert was quite solid overall in this one, though and with 4 other films at the Festival let's hope this is the only dud for her too.

Free Fire

Directed by: Ben Wheatley

Starring:  Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy,  Armie Hammer, Sam Riley

Midnight Madness at TIFF is complete wild vibes.  The audience skews younger than your average TIFF audience, they are jacked and ready for the edgy fare coming their way.  Generally speaking, films programmed for MM are of the horror, supernatural or all together weird variety.  This is decidedly NOT my jam, but a few years ago I stepped out of my comfort zone with a MM film as I figured if I'm going to Festival I need to MM too and I've been selecting a film from this program ever since.  That said, my picks are generally the mildest on the roster as life is scary enough who needs to be scared at the movies?!  Ben Wheatley's Kill List popped by MM cherry that first year,  and I've been oddly following his films ever since.  He brought High Rise to the Festival last year, and has returned now with Free Fire.  Free Fire is manic, hilarious and 90 minutes of pure fun.  Set in one location and taking us through a weapons deal that goes awry this movie is tight, tight tight.  Crisp, crackerjack script.  Over the top action.  Nuanced acting.  Killer soundtrack.  Not much wrong with this one in my books.  I'm a fan for life Ben!

1 out of 2 ain't bad for Day 1, but let's work on those numbers, shall we?  Today's roster takes me to a reunion of old high school friends gone wrong and a tale of a family of outlaws (i.e the mob.  I love the mob.)

Look.  I don't want to talk about where I've been or what I've been doing or why I haven't been writing.  I have reasons - not excuses, REASONS - but I just don't want to get into them right now.  What I want to get into is I'm here now and that's all that should matter.  Okay?  Okay.  We can get to all that other stuff later, whether you want to or not.

tiff2016 - it's what we do

Oh, yeah it is.  It's the eve of what is undoubtedly the best time of year to be a resident of Toronto, and as usual my crew of monkeys is locked and loaded for what is shaping up to be a pretty fantastic festival.

Looking at my roster, 24 films deep,  I'm pretty certain that I'll be high level depressed for the next 10 days.  Why year after year I continue to pick engrossing tear jerkers is beyond me, but perhaps we can explore that a little more later too.  

So tomorrow it is.  Stay tuned - as they say - for reviews, observations, musings and hopefully not too much sleep deprived blather.   I'm excited, and happy to be back.  

Got Style? Get Style!

Got Style?  Get Style! *

Finally!  Spring is here and alongside warmer weather and patio season comes a mild panic as you try to navigate through the fashion establishment’s trends for what’s in this season.  It’s okay to admit it fellas - we’re all in the same boat here.  Rifling through fashion magazines often leaves me shaking my head as I try to figure out how to make outfits remotely suitable for Planet Earth, let alone my own closet.  

What’s more important than following the latest trend is feeling comfortable in your own skin and marking your own type of individuality onto the look of the moment.  This credo saves those who are both too lazy or too poor to reinvent their wardrobe every season - and, seriously, who isn’t?  It also helps you steer away from following trends that are just damn silly (recall the shorts suit trend of last year?).  

Aside from massaging the what’s in & what’s out for your own comfort zone, there are a few things you must do every season and all the time to make sure you’re in style and fashionable.  It has nothing to do with what you’re wearing, but everything to do with how you’re wearing it.  To wit:

Tailor Me, Tailor You!

There’s nothing worse in the world of style than sloppiness.  Sure, grunge was a thing, but thankfully it’s not anymore which means you have no excuse for wearing clothes that don’t fit properly.  Pants should be hemmed.  Suit sleeves too.  Please don’t buy your dress shirts too short - your wrists want to wear your shirt too!  Common sense stuff that isn’t too hard to do.  So do it.  

Sock ‘Em!

Pity the working stiff who goes to work in a suit and has only the sock as his outlet of fashion creativity.  I love socks.  Stripes, polka dots, splashes of fun colour - go wild!  Just make sure the socks you’re wearing are appropriate for what you’re wearing.  I’m talking white, short gym socks with your suit.  NO.  Just.  Don’t.

Shoe’s the Thing!

I could write a PhD dissertation on men’s footwear, but for the sake of brevity  and your own boredom I’ll keep it brief.  Fellas, your shoes tell your story.  I do not overstate.  Do you want your story to be ultra-casual-not-a-care-in-the-world-lets-grab-a-bud Teva’s or i’ve-sort-of-got-it-together scuffed Brogues?  Unless you’re auditioning for a part in Jesus Christ Superstar, trust me when I say no one wants to read your Birkenstock story.   Be deliberate.  Choose wisely.  I am available for consultations.

Ultimately, much of what many consider stylish or not does amount to personal preference.  Unless you’re Jake Gyllenhaal (and if you are, Hi!  Huge Fan!  Can’t wait for Southpaw!), I’m not much of a beard person.  I don’t really like guys in shorts.  I prefer solids to patterns.  The list goes on, but it goes without saying that I’ve seen many a fine fella rocking all of these looks and more.  What makes them stand out from the crowd is a touch of swagger and, of course, the essential fashion staple for any season:  a sexy smile.  

*Originally published April 17th, 2015 in Ego Magazine Online.

Be Normal

Be Normal*

Look I get it.  I really, really do.  Dating, for the most part, can be pretty terrible.  It’s hard enough meeting someone in the cold hard city, let alone having that someone be a someone that you want to date. But let's just say you did find this person, and you want to date them and maybe you sort of get the feeling that they kind of like you and want to date you.  So,  what do you do?   How do you not screw it up?   How do you make sure that you don’t assume they’re screwing it up as you both try to figure out what to do when and how to say it?

There is a way, I think, to navigate through these murky waters of dating whether it's online or set ups or a well meaning (yet meddlesome) Aunt:  let’s all just act normal.  And by this I mean real life human being normal, not the kind of normal we think is now normal because we’ve been dating in this cesspool for so long. Real life human being normal where we treat a person who we think we might like and think might like us as a normal human being, and we in turn act like a normal human being.  REVOLUTIONARY!

Is it normal, after meeting someone and having a grand ol’ time, to take their number and never use it?  No, no, it’s not.  Is it normal to never hear from someone again after you've gone on two or three kinda good dates? No, my friends, it isn’t.   What about waiting more than a day to reply to someone's message?  Nope, that’s not normal either.   How about dating someone for a while yet never meeting their friends?  That’s right, not normal!   Of course there may be reasonable explanations to all this behaviour, but death, amnesia or being whisked into a witness protection program, while unfortunate and certainly possible, aren’t really normal occurrences either.  

The basic credo of treating one another as human beings serves us well in all facets of life, so why can’t we extend this philosophy to the one activity where we should really be putting our best selves forward?  Not the super cool player (not normal) self or the I’m so hot and desirable I don’t need to call anyone back (not normal) self, but the normal human being self that you are on the regular.  Come on.  I know you’re in there.  Be normal.  Can you be normal?

*Originally published March 27, 2015 in Ego Magazine Online.

Birthday

Today would have been my Dad's 79th birthday.

While I can't be entirely sure what my Dad would have been like at 79, I'm pretty sure it would have been much like the guy he was a 39, 49, 59 and 69 : a tenacious straight shooter who had the remarkable ability to cut through life's crap, get the job done and give some damn good real talk advice and opinion, even when you sometimes didn't really want to hear it.

It's this real talk that 7 years later I've come to miss the most.  Well, aside from all the other things about him that I miss the most depending on what time of day it is and where the memory of my mind happens to take me.  His skill at talking my Mom off the ledge of worry, or bringing my brother and his big dreams back down to Planet Earth was nothing short of legendary.  A silent pause, hands folded in front of him, concentrated stare and a simple "Cool it, Pat" or "Gus, Slow Down" would snap the both of them back to reality.  Me?  I got "Calm Down" quite a bit.  ;)

I'm sure my Dad would have some (and by some I literally mean 5 or 6 well chosen words) sage advice for my current life situation - Homeless & Jobless 2014, Remember?!   He'd probably have told me to run for Mayor "You know you can do that job, Olga", and he'd have gotten tons of mileage out of his "Suitcase Olga" nickname for me (the best, right?), but I think he'd mostly have said something he told me years and years ago that I'll never, ever forget:  "You, I don't worry about."  When the most hard working, tough as nails dude tells  you something like that, you know you're going to be okay.  I'm going to be okay.

But today is his birthday.  And I miss him.  I miss the FamJam celebrations we used to have on this day as we celebrated his combo birthday and Name Day as a first step to the holidays.  I miss his smile.  His laugh.  And his little brushes of sentimentality which would slay me with their surprise and sweetness.  I'm tortured that my niece & nephews got short changed on having the most doting and fun Papou.  Christmastime now has a slight vibe of melancholy as these thoughts drift in and out of my mind, and I try to forget them but I don't want to because I don't want to forget him.  Tricky.

So I think of things he did that made me laugh and made me happy and after I cry about them, I smile and then cry some more.   He used to put together these ridiculous illustrative notes reminding us to do very simple, responsible stuff like lock the door at night, my favourite one is packed away in the boxes that are my life right now, so of course I'm sad that I can't exactly locate it.   But I did find something that made me happy, because it made him so happy.

When my Dad turned 70 my brother and I put together a little trip for him & my Mom to Halifax, Nova Scotia to see Pier 21 , Canada's Museum of Immigration.  This is where my Dad's ship had docked in 1951 when at the age of 16 he left Greece and embarked on a new life full of hope and tons of hard work.  We had commemorated his passage, as they say, with a brick on the Wall of Honour and we wanted him to see it himself.   The trip was perfect - full of memories, emotions and even a casino!  When they returned, my Dad couldn't stop talking about it - how amazing the museum was, how he found his name on the ship's manifest, his brick,  the videos of other immigrants telling their tales.  He went on and on.  He was so happy.  So appreciative.  So moved.

A few weeks after their return, I found an envelope with my name on it written in his handwriting on the kitchen table.  I remember smiling - I knew what it was, one of his infamous cards.  Painstakingly picked out, writing lined up with a ruler.

The writing's a bit askew on this one - my Mom said he was crying when he wrote it.  So much for the quintessential tough guy.  ;) - and I guess it's really nothing special.  But it is.  Because while we did make the trip possible, he made who we are possible.  Our work ethic, our attitudes, our characters, our everything.

So today, on what would have been his 79th birthday, I'll remember what was and try not to bog myself down on what could have been.  I know for sure that's exactly what my Dad would tell me to do.

Now What?

A little over three months ago, the company I toiled for for the past seventeen years kicked me to the curb.  Nothing scandalous, just a regular course of corporate contraction in which companies kick out the higher paid and bring in the lower paid.  It's a numbers game and I was caught on the wrong side of the ledger.  While I didn't see it coming, I wasn't entirely surprised - from a pragmatic point of view, it made no sense to keep me on when they could bring in someone to do fundamentally the same job for 50% less.  So much for loyalty.   While I'm annoyed at being turfed like that, I'm not altogether upset.  Would I have voluntarily left a job that was beginning to grate on my last nerve?  Due to loyalty and complacency and uncertainty, likely not.  I walked out the door with a pretty hefty package and tell people I was "fired" or "canned" because it sounds way more dramatic and fun than "laid off".

Big changes, indeed.  How's this for another:  a mere two days before I was turfed (also fun & dramatic!) I signed closing papers on my gorgeous downtown condo, a condo I put up for sale because I "wanted a change".

Why does the universe only listen to some of the things you say?

So, there I was and here I still am:  Jobless AND Homeless.

I had a ten minute "woe is me" meltdown where I contemplated how I went wrong in my life to find myself in such dire straights and what was I going to do and what a loser I was, wherein my brother (of course) told me to, and I quote "shut the fuck up.  you want me to feel bad for you?!  you have no obligations.  you have more money in the bank than most people.  you're getting paid to do nothing for a fucking long time.  no Olga.  no.  just shut up, shut the fuck up.  go do all those stupid things you do and stop feeling sorry for yourself.  no one's buying it." Because he's totally right, of course - all those things are completely true.  We are not dwellers or "woe is me" types in my family and I certainly subscribe to the family creed, but this was a huge big deal for me.  My everything was gone, I think ten minutes was an adequate time to wallow before having some sense whipped back into me.  

And with that, my summer of freedom started off remarkably well.  I was going to take this time, this "gift" as my previously severed (more dramatic than fun) co-horts referred to it, and just chill.  I was going to enjoy my first summer off since I was fourteen and just hang.  And hang I did.  I puttered.  I worked on a show with Second City.  I packed.  I had many coffees.  I did some pilates.  I ate.  I enjoyed the rascals. I started wearing my hair curly because I'm carefree now.  Summer came to an end, and in September I dove head first into TIFF.  And now it's October and I'm on a dream vacation in Asia where I had initially planned to sort of start thinking about what I'm going to do with my life.  Trouble is, I've spent more time contemplating Khao Soi Curry or Pad Thai for dinner.

It's just.  It's just so VAST.  The slate is clean.  I could move to Mumbai (likely not).  I could buy a little seaside cottage in Nova Scotia and work at a local craft store (this is the first time I thought of that one, and it sounds rather nice aside from the craft store part).  I could go back to school (for what I am completely unsure).  I could write a book (this is a dream of mine, and quite honesty I really really want to).   I could do all those things.  I could.  I could.  I could.  I could also get back on my corporate saddle and begin anew doing the same sort of thing I did before.  And therein lies the rub.  How wasted would this time, this "gift", be if I did that?  I would squander this chance to search inside myself, on someone else's dime, to find out what I truly want to do.  What I can truly be.  Who I truly am.  No freakin' pressure, none at all.   Which is why I feel somewhat paralysed.  I don't know what to do because I don't want to blow this.  Or, worse still, what if I find out that I really DO want to be a corporate in charge type who has all the answers and thanklessly gets the job done.  Quelle let down!  Now here's the best part:  I'm not totally worried about it.  I mean, I am generally concerned about where my life is headed - and we haven't even mentioned where I'm going to live! - just not overly so.  I have a belief that it will all work out, and not in some magical fairy dust kind of way but for real.  It will all work out for real because once committed I work damn hard.  And I'm not dumb (although, seriously, my computer skills are terrible so let's hope my new calling has none of that).  It's the unknown, the possibilities and the countless options I'm having trouble with.  Life's menu has far too many entrees on it right now.  And answering the million dollar question has me stumbling.

Now what?*

 

Someone who doesn't have it all figured out and doesn't seem to care, 
off  the coast of Koh Samui, Thailand.

* Any ideas on what I should do?  Where I should live?  TELL ME!  I'm all ears, and who knows ... I may just do it.  

TIFF2014 - Living The Dream - Part Two

And now, after some regular sleep & nourishment, Days 5 - 11.

This Is Where I Leave You - Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda

I'm always nervous when a favourite book is adapted to screen.  Will they get it right?  Will they get it at all?  Jonathan Tropper has quickly become one of my favourite authors and it all started with This Is Where I Leave You, a story, at its core, about a large family dealing with death and life and everything in between.  The tone is wry.  Sarcastic.  But underneath is a foundation of love and understanding - the kind you only get with your family.  The film gets it all so right.  "Real life" is the hardest of genres to master, but with a crisp script (penned by Tropper himself) and perfectly cast ensemble this one is pitch perfect.  I laughed just as hard as I cried.  That's life, right?

Cake - Jennifer Aniston

Aniston tried her hand once again (remember The Good Girl) at gritty realism.  She nails it.  While the film itself dragged a bit, there is no question that Jen can act and she's the best thing about this movie.  She's simply amazing sand I hope she keeps it going - regardless of her impeccable comedic timing, I don't want her to star in another dumb dumb romcom with *fill in the hunk of the moment*  ever EVER again.

Foxcatcher - Channing Tatum, Steve Carrell, Mark Ruffalo

This was the film coming into TIFF with the most buzz, and for good reason.  Telling the peculiar real life story of John E DuPont,  his relationship with US Wrestling, the Shultz brothers and, most importantly, his own mother, Foxcatcher is compelling.  Tatum & Ruffalo are excellent as the Olympic medal winning Shultz brothers but the real breakout here is Carrell as DuPont.  Known of course for comedic roles, Carrell shows some serious acting chops in this one and almost disappears in the role.  Overall, the film was good but it needed a few tie in scenes to fill some holes in the narrative.  A note also, after a week away from it, is that the direction itself felt a bit detached - like everyone knew they were making "an important movie" but forgot to put the ingredients in there to make us care.  

Rosewater - Gael Garcia Bernal

Talk about ambitious.  Jon Stewart, arguably America's greatest satirist, decides to direct his first movie and he chooses this?!  Rosewater tells the true story of journalist Maziar Bahari who was detained in Iran for more than 100 days and brutally interrogated while in prison.  Multiple locations, cast of thousands,  complex story - this is no first time out cake walk.  At times, we felt almost as overwhelmed as Stewart.  The film could have used a sharper edit and perhaps some contrasting point of view scenes, but overall a solid first time effort for a guy not willing to rest on his laurels and phone it in.  

License to Drive - Ben Kingsley, Patricia Clarkson

Simple stories are the best stories.  When they come to life by two powerhouse acting talents, they make for the best movies.  This was a charmer from start to finish.  Loved it.

Imitation Game - Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightly

This was the movie I was waiting for.   Story here focuses on English mathematician Alan Turing as he, along with his team, try to crack the Enigma code during World War 2.  The historical significance of this feat is enormous - our lives would not be the same had Turing not succeeded - and while, obviously, the filmmakers know that, they don't beat us down with it.  They outlay the story in a sort of thriller - lite format, simultaneously moving from the end AND beginning until we reach the thrill point together. Turing is widely considered the father of the modern day computer, a ridiculous genius persecuted years after the war because of his homosexuality.  This additional layer adds a sense of timeliness to the already grand magnitude of this story.  

Mommy - Anne Dorval, Suzanne Clement, Antoine Pilon

At the ripe old age of 25 (yes, 25!), Xavier Dolan has written & directed 6 films all of which have been critically acclaimed.  This, his latest, won the Jury Prize at Cannes.  GUYS, HE'S 25.  Regardless of whether or not you like his particular type of movie, you must applaud his confidence.  Every shot of Mommy had a purpose.  Every scene an emotional impact.  I'm not sure where a funny and charming kid (GUYS, HE'S 25!) comes up with these dark & delicious stories (oh, did I mention he writes his own screenplays too??!), but that's no matter.  I just want this boy wonder to keep making them.

A Second Chance - Nikolaj Coster - Waldeau

A tale of desperate decency which asks how far we will go to maintain the life we think we deserve.  At every point in this exceptional film we are asked to question our prejudices and seek, murkily, our own moral compass.  We appease our sense of 'right',  but is it right?  Are we right?  Can doing the wrong thing for the right reasons be okay?  What if those right reasons aren't what we thought they were?   At the core of this moral conundrum is Nikolaj Coster - Waldeau in a most brilliant performance full of strength, desperation and, yes, decency.

Maps to the Stars - Julianne Moore, John Cusack

I don't know.  I think this one was rather goofy.  I loved Julianne - how can you not always love Julianne - but the intertwined storyline, and main storyline, fell off the rails for me pretty quick in this one.  A supposed commentary on Hollywood, this fell flat & empty all around.

Elephant Song - Xavier Dolan, Bruce Greenwood, Catherine Keener

Oh, yeah, XAVIER CAN ACT TOO.  Quiet film with a simple story that's all about the acting.  Dolan is mesmerizing as a psychiatric patient with a secret, Greenwood solid as the Doc looking for answers.  The game of chess between them is tense and hypnotic.  

Still Alice - Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin

Telling the story of a brilliant woman's descent into early-onset Alzheimer's, this was the movie of the Festival for me.  Julianne Moore's nuanced portrayal is mainly why, but the tone of this film and it's harrowing - yes, harrowing - realism make it at once difficult to watch and completely mesmerizing.  This could happen to anyone.  It's happening right now.  Will it happen to you?  After I somewhat composed myself and made my way to the washroom after the film, I found myself spontaneously bursting into tears again.  I might just now.

50 Year Argument

A brilliant documentary detailing the history of the New York Review of Books.  Admittedly, knowing co-director Martin Scorsese was going to be in town for the screening was the main reason this film was on the docket.  A sweet love letter to discourse and a wonderful story about the sensuousness of ideas, and how they shaped our modern world.  Marty, of course, doesn't like "straight up documentaries", so this one unfolded in a unique way.  Also in town for the screening was founding and current editor Robert Silvers - still going strong at 84, he flew in specifically for the Q&A.

Pawn Sacrifice - Tobey Maguire, Liev Schreiber

American chess maestro Bobby Fischer squares off against his Russian counterpart Boris Spassky in the 1972 "Match of the Century".  Really solid biopic that weaved a very complex political landscape into the life story of one of America's most enigmatic figures.  Tobey's portrayal of Bobby - a complex jerk of a genius dealing with paranoid hallucinations and perhaps an undiagnosed mental illness - was excellent and while I wish Liev had more to do, this wasn't his story.

Before We Go - Chris Evans, Alice Eve

Let it be said here that no one should ever, ever, ever try to make another Before Sunrise.   The film, and its two continuations, were lightening in a bottle and any attempt to recreate that time, story, chemistry, everything, will undoubtedly fail.  Before We Go tries.  Very hard.  We replace Vienna with New York and conjure a stilted premise to get the ball rolling, but in the end we don't care enough about all too perfect Nick, who says and does ONLY the right things and thus is never real, and confused and sometimes bitchy Brooke.  Before We Go is Chris Evans directorial debut and it's a solid effort.  There are redeeming moments and I think Chris can put away his Captain America shield for work a bit more meaty, but maybe not with a magical premise that should never, ever, ever be tampered with.  Ever.

Hill of Freedom - Ryo Kase

Do you ever have a thing, where you watch a movie and you're laughing but you're not sure if you should be?  Like, is this absurd or high level cinematic achievement that I'm just too stupid to understand?  I laughed SO MUCH in Hill of Freedom.  How could you not with dialogue like this:  "I went to your place.  It is close to my place.  I like my place.  I waited for you.  You did not come.  I went back to my place."  I'm not joking.  At 66 minutes long, I'm not sure how this even qualified as a full length feature, but with dialogue like that, I guess I should be thankful it wasn't any longer.

Adult Beginners - Nick Kroll, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale

Super sweet, yet not too twee, story which asks the age old question of whether we can "go home again".  Great ensemble, sharp writing, and just as many laughs as tears.

Meet Me In Montenegro - Alex Holdridge, Linnea Saasen

First time director Holdridge films the story of how he and Linnea met.  It's so sweet.  And they are delightful and charming and oh so cute.  I loved the unique cutaways to Holdridge's doodle work and voiceovers, both which helped move along the story.  Ultimately, this is a really simple tale of a guy dealing with the reality of his life and principles when that fucker called love tries to get in the way.

A Little Chaos - Kate Winslet, Matthias Schoenarts, Alan Rickman

I love me a period piece and A Little Chaos hits all the necessary high notes - sumptuous scenery, luscious costumes, solid acting and an interesting story.  Kate's back to almost drowning in a corset, Alan's up to his misunderstood villainous self and Matthias smoulders.  Not perfect by any stretch but highly enjoyable.  Quite.

New Girlfriend - Romain Duris, Anais Demoustier

Remember the time when your bestie died and her husband started cross dressing to feel closer to her, and then you become attached to his cross dressing self because it reminded you of your bestie?  SO preposterous.  But often times preposterous premises make the most delightful movies, unfortunately, this isn't one of those times.  Frustrating in its failed potential, for some reason New Girlfriend felt sort of stale.  Maybe because they kept using the word 'tranny'?!

X + Y - Sally Hawkins, Asa Butterfield

I really wanted to love this, but it just fell flat.  And not because it's about math, or because it was number 30 of 31.  It was just hard to connect to young Nathan, diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum early in his life.  He has a hard time relating to people and finds his way in the world amidst numbers & formulas and maths (for the Brits, it's mathS).  All's well and good, and I get it but Nathan was written, and ultimately portrayed, with little redemption, care or feeling - he was just as detached to us as he was with the rest of the world.  I wanted to care about him, but that's not enough.  As they say in some think tanks - it just didn't add up.  ;)

1001 Grams - Ane Dahl Torp, Laurent Stocker

A recently divorced work obsessed lab technician goes off to Paris.  Hilarity ensues.  Well, not quite.  But, she has some fun and is shaken out of her routine obsessed life and finds she's not so bad at rolling with the punches.  I liked this one - it was slowly paced but visually beautiful.

And that's what they call .... A WRAP.

TIFF2014 - Living The Dream

Indeed, Indeed.

It's the most wonderful time of the year and this year of years is THE year.  

Without the daily grind to hold me back I'm diving head first into the deep end, saying yes to everything but sleep on my way to becoming a certified film & life lunatic by next Sunday.  But we'll deal with that me then.  For now, it's TIFF immersion as I volunteer (clap extra hard for me, please!)  for the first time AND see 31 movies over the course of ten days.  

Why not?  What the hell else do I have to do?!

Blogging will be fast & furious, as without the daily grind I eluded to earlier, the sense of "having to do" anything at all has eluded me for a couple months now.  It's glorious.  And freeing. And so anti-me it's rather scary.  Scarier still that I really, really like it.  I recommend  it to everyone - good for the heart, soul & mind.  So if you're looking for something a bit more consistent, why not follow me on Twitter, where I will be espousing extremely mini reviews on the regular.

https://twitter.com/olgieiscurious

For the more verbose, I give you Days 1 through 4: 

The Humbling - Al Pacino, Greta Gerwig

I didn't want to see this movie.  I'm done with the old guy / young girl love story.  Done with it in the real life and in the movie life.  DONE.  But.  I'm not all that stubborn when it comes to joining a party and I wanted to be with my girls.  I didn't hate this movie because hate is a word we must save for special occasions, but I sure didn't really like it very much.  It was so confused - pick a genre, any genre!   I love Greta Gerwig so much and now I love her just a tad less and I'm blaming this movie for that.  I'm blaming this movie for making me focus on Al Pacino's oddball hairdo for two hours (like I already haven't done that enough in the Phil Spector story?!).  This isn't the way I wanted to start off TIFF2014, but you can't win them all I guess ...

Mary Kom - Priyanka Chopra

I love sports movies.  Underdogs, cliches, last plays of the game - all of it, I'm all in.   It pains me to say that this was one of the worst sports movies I've ever seen.  It was overwrought, amateur,  terribly scored, long and repetitive.  Aside from the fact that the smoking hot (hey, even Cameron Bailey said so!) Priyanka Chopra played her, this film really let Mary Kom down.  

Clouds Of Sils Maria - Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart

Finally!  A good movie!  No.  A GREAT ONE.  I loved this movie so much.  Juliette Binoche was absolutely perfect portraying an actress coming to terms with ageing in this very meta piece co-starring Kristen Stewart.   Stewart finally moves beyond her one note scowl face and really delivers here.  The acting was so natural that at times I felt like I was watching a documentary.  Incredible scenery and perfectly paced.  I loved it.  Did I mention that I loved it?

Welcome to Me - Kristen Wiig

Wiig portrays a woman with borderline personality disorder who wins 80 million bucks and buys an Oprah-esque TV show for herself.  Cute premise, sure, but after awhile I felt like I was watching yet another way too long SNL sketch.  The film tried to tackle the severity of mental illness (as per the Q&A) but without a proper foundation backstory for Wiig's character, the film felt like it was playing for cheap laughs.  I was entertained, but I wasn't entirely connected.

The Drop - Tom Hardy, James Gandolfini

It's the script, stupid.  Thank you Dennis Lehane (Shutter Island, Mystic River and so many more) for adapting your book to screen.  This was a sly, clever crime drama that surprises you with its calm.  Stellar performances,  including of course the last one by the great James Gandolfini.  A really terrific film and I'm not even going to get into the marvel that is Tom Hardy.  Like, holy shit Tom Hardy.

Preggoland - Sonja Bennett, James Caan

Oh, what silly fun!  A late 30s loser is ostracized by her married with kids high school buds, so she pretends she's pregnant to fit in.  Really silly.  Really fun.  Really possible.  But maybe not the jello.  

St Vincent - Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy

I've always disliked movies that try too hard to get you to like them.  They're over emotional and a bit cloying and just push your buttons in such a way that you have no choice but to feel the way the director wants you to feel.  That's what I thought I was walking into with St Vincent.  And truthfully, I DID end up feeling exactly how I was 'supposed' to, but by some sheer point of magic I am totally okay with it.  This film was so touching and poignant and funny and dare I say charming that it rose well above the schmaltz factor.  Bill Murray returns to fine perfection and everyone else is pretty great too.  Did I cry?  Of course I cried.  You think I'm made of stone or something?

Guidance - Pat Mills

This is my second mini - budget Canadian Comedy at TIFF (Preggoland being the first) and can I say, YEAY Canada!  Guidance was ridiculous.  And silly.  And absurd.  And very, very good.   Pat Mills wrote, directed & starred in what was basically a one man show.  A host of Second City vets round out the cast.

Riot Club - Max Irons, Sam Clafin

Boys Behaving Badly?  ok!  Posh British Boys Behaving Badly?  hell, yes!  Brilliantly disturbing inside view of the world of secret university clubs, this one at Oxford and full of all the pomp and privilege you'd expect.  Great cast of British semi-knowns who soon will be very well knowns.

Miss Julie - Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton

Damn I wanted to love this.  I liked it, I guess.  Adapted from the August Strindberg play, the film remained very true to the text.  The action is slight and the premise tight but overall somewhat long and slow.  Maybe it should have stayed a play?  That said, Jessica, Colin & Samantha were all incredible - remarkable, really.

10 down, 21 to go .... Onwards!  

Z is for ..

... Zip.


Let's properly conclude my stream of consciousness alphabet word blog post idea generator game, okay?

Z is for zip and I want y'all to ZIP through this little post so you can get to the next post which is really the one you've been waiting for.  I know, I know.  I know you know.  I know you know I know.

Let's get on with it!

Z is for Zip.

Y is for ...

... Yule.

Gift Buyin'
Card Writing'
Cookie Bakin'
List Makin'
Premise Pitchin'
Party Plannin'
Hips Groovin'
Box Wrappin'
Wine Swillin'
Candy Eatin'
Fake Workin'
Too Much Laughin'
Candle Blowin'
Menu Settin'
House Cleanin'
Date Settin'
Movie Watchin'
Concert Goin'

I know.  I'm exhausted just thinking about all the fun I'm having this month.

I'm happily stressed out and we're not even halfway to Christmas!

Let's chill for a second though.  Okay?



Ah, yes, thank you.  I needed that.  I'm back.  Okay.  Ready? Yup.  Let's GO!

Tree Decoratin'
Wreath Makin'
Carol Singin'
Love, Actually Watchin'

Merry Merry Y'all!

Y is for Yule.

X is for ...

… Xylophone.

Right?!


X is for … Xylophone.

W is for …

… Wicked.

Wicked, of course, is a word whose meaning has evolved somewhat over the years.  Traditionalists like me poo-poo modern definition flip flops of our vocabulary, where bad now means good and, well, wicked can mean awesome.

Wicked is synonymous with awesome in only one specifically defined way:  when we're talking about the musical.  The musical Wicked is simply one of the most wicked awesome things you'll see on stage and if you don't know what I'm talking about, I suggest you fly yourself to New York City this instant and prove me right.

I've seen Wicked far too many times to mention.  I've fallen in love with Idina Menzel.  I often wonder if tiny powerhouse Kristin Chenoweth shops in the children's section for her clothes.  But mostly, I listen to the soundtrack, full of emotional gut wrenching songs that speak to the misfit in all of us.

So when I hear the word wicked.  I think of Wicked.  I think this is pretty wicked.





A song is truly great if it works outside the context it was written in.  Don't doubt Defying Gravity for a nanosecond.  Listen to Idina, singing at our own Koerner Hall, in November of 2011.  It's okay if you cry.  I always do.



I know, wicked.

W is for … Wicked.