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Toronto – THE FILMS – Day #7 (+ sessions)

September 16, 2010 By Jonathan McNeal 1 Comment

Well I set out to see 4 films today…and I only saw 3.5.  One film had been rescheduled, and I had the incorrect time written on my itinerary for the day.  That said, I don’t like to comment on films which I didn’t screen in their entirety, so I’ll only mention the 3 films I did see.  However, I did manage to sit in & participate in a few sessions this afternoon – and they were very insightful.

First off this morning, I went and saw POTICHE – the new film from Francois Ozon…one of my favorite filmmakers of all time.  I was first introduced to Ozon by my friend and mentor Chuck Derry.  He showed me a short film called X2000 just before I scurried off to Toronto for the first time back in 2002.  At that festival, I saw 8 WOMEN…and my life was changed.  (I proceeded to screen dozens of films starring all of the 8 women from the film over the course of the next few months.)  But let’s get back to POTICHE.  Set in the 1970’s, this period piece is a comedy that’s saturated with important details (it’s like NORMA RAE meets 9 TO 5…with a dash of SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER).  It references other films (Catherine Deneuve plays a woman whose father founded an umbrella factory) and has hysterical, dated music cues.  All-in-all, I felt like most of the audience wasn’t “getting” the film…but there were a handful of us who simply adored it. This has been my favorite comedy of the festival!

I then attended the latter part of a discussion among three screenwriters which was very well attended.  The screenwriter/filmmakers were John Sayles, Dustin Lance Black and Massy Tadjedin (moderated by Franklin Leonard).  It was quite insightful to hear the three talk about their craft.

After that, I went to IndieWire’s daily broadcast during the fest.  In addition to a group of folks talking about the fest and making predictions to this year’s awards’ race, they had two special guests – Derek Cianfrance & Xavier Dolan.  Though I haven’t seen BLUE VALENTINE (the film Cianfance was talking about), I had of course seen HEARTBEATS – so I was able to participate in the Q&A.

Lastly (in regards to sessions), I attended the first hour of a moderated talk with Christine Vachon – a true trailblazer for indie cinema in the past 18+ years.  She’s funny, smart and kick-ass!

Next up, I went to see Dustin Lance Black’s feature – WHAT’S WRONG WITH VIRGINIA.  (Black is the Academy Award winning screenwriter for  MILK.)  This film, starring Jennifer Connelly & Ed Harris, has had a mixed response.  The performances are great, the set design is fabulous, and story is intriguing.  The movie is about a woman who at first seems a bit “off balance”…and eventually we realize she’s mentally unstable.   That said, as much as I truly cared about the lead character, I never really got into the film.  (I will revisit this film down the road…as I was quite tired upon arrival to the theatre and I feel as though I may have missed some details.)

Lastly tonight, I saw a film from Iceland called MAMA GOGO (dir. Fridrik Thor Fridriksson).  This film is somewhat autobiographical in regards to the director.  It’s about a filmmaker and his strong relationship with his mother…as they both start to realize that something is wrong.  That something is Alzheimer’s.  Though some scenes were a bit “off,” others were gorgeous and spot-on.  The lead actress is remarkable!!

OK. It’s 2:00. Time for bed.
One more full day tomorrow. I can’t believe my time is winding down so quickly.
More soon!!
Thanks for reading.

P.S.  I had Dustin Lance Black sign a DVD copy of MILK.  We will be using this as a prize during the LGBT Film Fest!

Filed Under: On Screen Dayton Tagged With: mama gogo, potiche, Toronto Film Fest, what's wrong with virginia

About Jonathan McNeal

Jonathan McNeal, a graduate of Wright State's Motion Picture Production program, has been managing THE NEON in downtown Dayton since the Fall of 2001. Having grown up in a small town in northeast Ohio, the idea of an independent movie theater that showed hard-to-find films seemed like something that could only be found in a major metropolis. Upon moving to Dayton in the early 1990's, finding THE NEON was a was like finding a new home.
McNeal's film work includes the documentary of Dayton's beloved drag troupe - THE RUBI GIRLS. The doc premiered in San Francisco in 2003 and played across the country and as far away as Australia. The film continues to be played at night clubs and on college campuses as an educational and outreach tool.
McNeal himself has been a part of the performance troupe since 1997.

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