I find it hard to believe, but the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival is now all wrapped up. It was a crazy 10 days of events, and even though I didn’t find my way into any of the hip special parties, I did have a great time.
TIFF 02
Let me be honest, I’ve never really liked Nick Nolte before. He’s a consummate actor, but there’s always just been something about his characters and performances that didn’t quite sit right with me. That’s why I have to admit that I’m pleasantly surprised by how much I loved him as Bob Montagnet in The Good Thief. That’s to say nothing of how much I liked the film itself and the wonderful cast that made it as good as it was.
Call it a sexy thriller, a heist flick, a character drama, or even a sort of experiential/experimental film noir, but no matter how you want to slice it up, Femme Fatale is one devilish good time that will give you a little bit of everything before you walk away, wondering what to think.
Kevin Kline has been wowing me for years with his work in a multitude of diverse film, like the romantic comedy, French Kiss, or more serious roles like the character George Monroe in Life as a House. Now, in The Emperor’s Club he seems to be borrowing a page from Robin Williams with a film that almost screams, “I want to be like Dead Poets Society“. The difference is, this is a film about morality and honesty, where Dead Poets was about being an individual.
Chatting with Bruce Campbell and Don Coscarelli during the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival prior to the screening of Bubba Ho-Tep.
While I work on getting more stuff up about the Festival, here’s some information and stats to keep you amused:
The 2002 Toronto International Film Festival is quickly becoming history as events begin to wind down and some of the guests start to depart. Today, one of the darker days in history and a tough time for many, marks the point in the festival when last year’s red carpets were removed and things took a much lower key in respect to the events in New York. With that in mind I went to see a film called 11’09″01 last night (which will be a Gala presentation tonight).
In a Germany without accents, with the air of a city that could just as easily be 50 years ago or yesterday, Max follows the life of Max Rothman (played by John Cusack), a former soldier who came back from WWI without one of his arms and as an artist with only one hand, Max finds himself unable to paint, which leads him to start selling art in a local warehouse. On the evening that the film opens, Max meets an inspired young artist named Adolf Hitler who approaches Max with the hope that he’ll consider showing his art in the gallery. Nothing is that simple though, and even as we see Hitler walking away, there is an urgency and terror that bleeds into every conversation from then on as we begin to see what Hitler’s youth might have been like.
If he’s not breaking hearts in Evelyn: The Cutest Evil Dead Girl at the Toronto International Film Festival, then he’s trying to save the day alongside Harrison Ford’s character in K-19: The Widowmaker, and from here, Joshua Close only has eyes for making the best of his already aspiring career.
Yesterday was yet another crazy day, but it worked out really well. Went to press conferences for The Four Feathers and The Wild Thornberrys Movie, so I now have photos of Heath Ledger, Kate Hudson, Lacy Chabert, and Tim Curry. Plus, I went off to the red carpet arrivals for The Four Feathers and got some nice shots of Heath and Kate walking down the carpet.