Click here to read Update #11 from the 2009 Toronto Film Festival.

Festival wrap-up.

why wouldn't you be at the festival next year?

I am surprised you didn't go an see 'Untouchable Girls' - a bit of anarchic New Zealand lunacy is good for what ails you - and it sounds like you might have needed it.

If for some reason I die between now and then, I wouldn't be at the festival, would I?

God forbid!

It was kinda worded that you wouldn't be coming back, it's not the case but someone could make that assumption.

I think this year's film festival was the best in recent years! I talked to a number of film goers and they also agreed.

Some of my favorite films include Triage, The Joneses, Solitary Man, Bad Lieutenant, and I Don Giovanni. Other films I heard were good but didn't get the chance to see: I am Love, Les Herbes Folles, A Good Heart, Cooking with Stella, Damned United, Get Low, Mao's Last Dancer, Glorious 39, Micmacs, and Vincere.

Even the most disappointing films I saw were not that bad per se. In fact, I've seen worse films in previous years.

It really depends on what movies you end up seeing. More than any other year, there are not a lot of buyers here, that means a lot of films won't be shown on time for Oscar season. I heard a lot of good things about Get Low and Mother and Child, but no one is buying.

There are gems in there, but chances of seeing them in the big screen is minimal.

James, what other film festivals would you like to attend providing that time and money weren't factors? Cannes?

James,
When TIFF started this year, you stated very explicitly what type of films you were going to see. It was based primarily on what you felt you owed to your fans. When you went and saw all of those kinds of films you could, you were quite disappointed. You talked about no Best Picture Oscar being shown. You talked of few films making critics Top 10 at the end of the year. You explained that there was no "cacophony" for one or two films that pleople "had to see." So, by the criteria you set out, TIFF was a disappointment. I, for one, would like you to change your crtieria. Next year, please just go and see what you think will be fine movies, and then tell us what you thought. I'd love it!
JIMBELL

Agreed!!

I have to say that agree with James on this one. I have attended the festival for the last five years, and this year's films were probably the weakest of those years. While I did love a number of films - A Serious Man, The Road, The White Ribbon, Life During Wartime, Mother, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans - I found that most of the films I attended this year were merely good, not great. I try to mix it up between mainstream fare, and some weird titles, but most of my lesser known titles were merely okay. While I would say that I enjoyed 20 of the 27 movies I saw this year (certainly a higher ratio than you would find at the multiplex), and only downright hated two of the films I saw, overall, I was underwhelmed by this year's festival.

So because there wasn't a singular stand out film this rates as one of, if not the, worst for you?

Interesting qualification.

I've been doing TIFF for 10 years now and I would wager this was one of the better years.

However I would say 2008 was really weak, and that's despite my having seen and also (as you) personally selecting The Wrestler and The Hurt Locker as the best of the festival, but all the other films were pretty weak. My opinion of Slumdog is not that of the general public.

This year, I only saw 18 (I just can't afford to take the week off anymore) but there are a number of standouts for me, a lot of solid movies and some which were just fine, but far from stinkers. That said, the wife and I made some really safe picks this year as we were really short on time to get our advanced order submitted. I will admit though that even my standouts didn't have me running around shouting to the rooftops.

That said:

- Antichrist inspired the most discussion, and I love a movie that is worth talking about. I'm not convinced of it's greatness yet, I would like to see it again but I am convinced of the jaw droppingly awesome performance by Gainsbourgh and the stunning cinematography and visual effects. A very intense and raw film.

- Bad Lieutenant was my kind of movie. I love absurdist humor and I love seeing Nick Cage not acting out of place, when he's acting. I haven't liked him this much since 8mm. What can I say, I like dark movies and this one wouldn't have succeeded without Cage in the lead.

- The Joneses was very formulaic and predictable, but at least it had a topical message and some good comedy in it.

- Whip It, also, was very entertaining.

- The Hugh Hefner documentary at well over 2 hours long and being the 16th of 18 films held my attention and I went away having learned something, sadly a documentary with much more flair and ultimately a more interesting subject (for me anyhow) was Colony, problem there for me is I like my documentaries to be on the level of damning investigative journalism and at the conclusion of Colony nothing is really resolved for me. The problem still exists, the future of the people involved in the business is still up in the air. Whee... should have been a documentary that was shelved until the smoking gun comes out.

- The Road was just good. Cinematography and Art Direction are great. As I keep saying it looked like a live action Fallout 3. But I think perhaps by virture of remaining too faithful to the page it's a little weak on the screen and it's emotional scenes did not reach me. Plus the product placement and unnecessary cameo performances were too distracting.

- I rather enjoyed Glorious 39, despite taking the so-obvious-I-had-decided-it-couldn't-be resolution. The lead actress is fantastic in it and I really did feel the film did a great job of making the viewer feel what it would have been like to be in England right before the war and in that vein I think it succeeded rather well.

- Perrier's Bounty was just one of the good ones, but it was entertaining. Same could be said for Jennifer's Body. I never expected it to be scary (or good)... it's a hollywood movie, when was the last time an original big studio-made movie was actually horrific? But in the end it was about as good as it could have been. I also actually feel the same way here about DayBreakers too. I know a lot of people are falling over themselves about it but I thought the balance was off. Still, entertaining.

- The worst thing I saw this year was "Cleanflix" which was as documentary on Mormon's editing hollywood films to meet their moral code. Still that said, it did at least present some of the arguments well enough despite derailing itself. Unfortunately a documentary that leads to more questions than answers has probably got to be a failure no?

- Second to that would probably be 'My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?'. Not because it's bad, but because it's rather pointless. It doesn't even have the value of some really boring experimental film, this is just the result of two good directors being rather bored and wanting to work together. Meh. Both their influences are present on the screen but I'm not sure they compliment each other. Interestingly enough though I find Lynch's brand of absurdist humor works rather well in Bad Lieutenant, but I'm not sure he was an influence on that movie.

- My favorite this year was probably "I Am Love". It's possible (my Italian cinema library is non-existant) that movie was a total Italian film cliche, but on the outside looking in, it's expertly directed. There's a scene in it that is unlike any other I've ever seen on film. It's also the only film this year that actually moved me to tears. Something I expected "The Road" should have been able to do but did not.

- Second to that would probably be "Up in the Air" which again is rather predictable but the performances are solid, the pacing is great and the story has value and one I can somewhat relate to. It also has the best straight comedy I saw this year.

- Oh and I'm forgetting Mr. Nobody. In my defense I was rather tired (17th of 18 and it's this film I discovered I was getting sick) but my departing impression of the film was...."Ugh.. who cares?" I just didn't care which of the 3 stories were real. And my problem isn't the concept of the film, I happily watched Mulholland Drive dumbfounded a couple times before I figured it out. I dunno maybe it was Leto's old-man voice, maybe I found it subconciously pretentious, I dunno. That said, I will give it another shot as it seems other people have seen something in it I haven't. Sometimes you're just not in the right mood for a certain film.

So yeah I dunno after all of that how it can be considered a bad year when really after 2008 all that sticks for me are 3 films. 15 of 18 for me. Best festival in years for me.

But with 270+ feature length films shown, it's easy to grab a handful of crap.

i mean you never know