It’s been a bit of a slow week for me. But I think pacing myself out for this week might have been for the best; I’m actually writing a script for a short film I’m aiming to make with some friends soon, and I’m also keeping myself busy with a whole lot of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth as of late. I might as well also take note of the fact that I decided to go ham on what would reasonably be my last TIFF Next Wave with the under-25 benefits, because a few friends of mine had their films shown within the Young Creators Showcase - and I was not going to miss that for the life of me.
Even with a bit of a slow week overall, I’ve still found time to appreciate some great cinema along the way - I think that’s what we all want to see more than anything around here, isn’t it?
Without further ado, these are Friday’s Five Films. If you like what you’re seeing here, remember to subscribe for a whole lot more.
#1: Dawn of the Dead (1978, George A. Romero)
I took a friend of mine with me to catch this classic in 3D, even though that just felt weird by proxy knowing that Dawn of the Dead was not a movie made for 3D. Did I really care in the end? Not really, all because of the fact that the gore was rather glorious in 3D. That the film itself is one of the best zombie movies ever made (only behind George A. Romero’s own Night of the Living Dead) is one thing, but the fact it’s one of the best movies ever made about the nature of consumerism is a whole other thing.
#2: Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959, Alain Resnais)
This is my favourite French New Wave film. What better way to see it than on the big screen at the TIFF Lightbox, where it was playing as part of their own ongoing series dedicated to Marguerite Duras. This also just happened to be my first exposure to anything that Duras had ever been involved with at that - but I think it’s without doubt one of the most beautifully haunting movies ever made too. The whole movie being built around how people remember traumatic historic events, ultimately to a point of personifying the aftermath only speaks towards how people feel upon carrying that burden. And ironically, it’s also one of the best films about the art that reflects the attempts to call for peace in a time of crisis - only feeling even more relevant now.
#3: I Am Curious (Yellow) (1967, Vilgot Sjöman)
Transgressive. I think that this movie sets out for something you may not be prepared for, just like Sweden certainly wasn’t back in its initial release. I also find that’s what makes I Am Curious (Yellow) so fascinating, because it’s a film that really captures the changing tides of Sweden’s own political scene and national identity, as it’s all experienced by a young girl. But this also might have been room for what Sjöman eventually turned into one of the most radical forms of cinema there ever was.
#4: Power Alley (2023, Lilah Halla)
This is one of the TIFF Next Wave films that I caught over last weekend. I imagine it must have been rather dicey in Brazil, especially fresh out of their years under the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, who had eventually turned the country towards far-right authoritarianism. But perhaps that’s also where the power of this film all lies, because it’s a movie all about how young girls all stand in solidarity for one of their own faces a life-changing crisis. That alone becomes a powerful political statement in and of itself, and it’s without doubt the best of this year’s curated Next Wave lineup. And I’m just happy to be able to be part of the wonder for one last time.
#5: Videodrome (1983, David Cronenberg)
April 17th was National Canadian Film Day. I figure I might as well celebrate with the obligatory rewatch of either an Atom Egoyan or a David Cronenberg movie. But I won’t lie, David Cronenberg is maybe the one filmmaker that I always come back to when people ask me who’s my favourite Canadian director. He’s my favourite because I always find that he’s the one Canadian filmmaker whose work I always find I have the most fun with upon revisiting. So knowing that he’s also from around Toronto is probably one of the best things any Toronto-based cinephile can ask for.
The Complete Day-by-Day Log
First time watched are denoted with bold text. Scores are on an out of five star basis.
Friday
A Cat in Paris (2010, Alain Gagnol, Jean-Loup Felicioli) - ✯✯½
Eggshells (1969, Tobe Hooper) - ✯✯✯✯½
Gamma Rays (2023, Henry Bernadet) - ✯✯✯½
Dawn of the Dead (1978, George A. Romero) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Saturday
Leptirica (1973, Đorđe Kadijević) - ✯✯✯
Power Alley (2023, Lilah Halla) - ✯✯✯✯½
She Sat There Like All Ordinary Ones (2023, Qu Youjia) - ✯✯✯
Sunday
Operation Condor (1991, Jackie Chan) - ✯✯✯✯
The Concierge (2023, Yoshimi Itazu) - ✯✯✯✯
Girls Will Be Girls (2023, Shuchi Talati) - ✯✯✯½
Monday
The Strange World of Coffin Joe (1968, José Mojica Marins) - ✯✯✯½
Singles (1992, Cameron Crowe) - ✯✯✯½
Lured (1947, Douglas Sirk) - ✯✯✯½
Argylle (2024, Matthew Vaughn) - ✯
The Omen (1976, Richard Donner) - ✯✯✯½
Tuesday
Navajeros (1980, Eloy de la Iglesia) - ✯✯✯½
The First Omen (2024, Arkasha Stevenson) - ✯✯✯
Nathalie Granger (1972, Marguerite Duras) - ✯✯✯½
F.I.S.T. (1978, Norman Jewison) - ✯✯✯✯½
Wednesday
Videodrome (1983, David Cronenberg) - ✯✯✯✯✯
The Left-Hand Side of the Fridge (2000, Philippe Farladeau) - ✯✯✯✯
Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959, Alain Resnais) - ✯✯✯✯✯
Machotaildrop (2009, Corey Adams, Alex Craig) - ✯✯✯✯½
Thursday
Tonka of the Gallows (1930, Karl Anton) - ✯✯✯✯
Stand by Me Doraemon (2014, Takashi Yamazaki, Ryuichi Yagi) - ✯✯✯½
Family Portrait (2023, Lucy Kerr) - ✯✯✯½
I Am Curious (Yellow) (1967, Vilgot Sjöman) - ✯✯✯✯✯
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