By Shannonn Kelly
05:47AM, EST, September 10, 2013
I didn’t see as many films as I wished today. Sometimes that just happens. I had planned to sleep in a little but boom, 5:00AM, I was up and couldn’t go back to sleep even though dog-tired so here is this morning’s blog.
Yesterday (Monday) I saw:
- The Double
- Joe
- Rhymes For The Young Ghouls
“The Double” written and directed by Richard Ayoade (Submarine) is based on a Fyodor Dostoevsky novel about a man driven insane. Ayoade creates a dark and peculiar world somewhere between Erasurehead meets Dark City in which there seems to be no natural light and people work and function in a weird ‘industrialized’ way. Jesse Eisenberg plays milquetoast ‘Simon’ in an ill-fiting suit a’la David Byrne from ‘Talking Heads.
When his doppleganger ‘James’ shows up in the same suit but slightly better fitting, no one notices the resemblance because no one has ever really noticed Simon before because he’s doesn’t make any impact on people as is sort of a non- person. The subtle difference between James and Simon all have to do with projecting a positive image and standing your ground, which Simon has to learn the hard way. The film also stars Mia Wasikowska and Wallace Shawn.
“Joe” by the terrific David Gordon Green was basically “Mud” starring Nicholas Cage in the Matthew McConaughey role. Incidentally Tye Sheridan starred opposite Cage in much the same role as he did in ‘Mud’ as a coming of age teen living in a rural area who often fends for himself and forced to grow up way to quickly.
For Cage, the role of ‘Joe’ took him back to his pre-CGI days when we loved him for his character work, rather than just for being a character.
I hadn’t intended to see ‘Ghouls’ but I’m glad I did. Another big up for a strong ‘First Nations’ cast. It’ll be interesting to see what happens to this film along side it’s other ‘First People’s ‘companion piece’ “Empire of Dirt”, which I really liked.
My tweet: Peter Stebbings gracefully directs a superbly realistic cast in @EODthemovie, proving again #FirstNations talent is sadly underused in #film
What to see Today – Happy TIFF-ing 🙂
HIGHLIGHT: “Don Jon” – Gala Premiere – Princess of Wales 6:30 PM
‘Don Jon marks the directorial debut of Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“Inception”, “Looper”) who also wrote the screenplay and stars in the film opposite the the lovely Scarlett Johansson. Gordon-Levitt’s ‘Jon’ is a womanizing Jersey boy who has to face a secret of his when he’s challenged by two different women that come into his life (Johannson and Julianne Moore). Look for a surprising turn when Tony Danza, actor turned school teacher (in real life) plays Gordon-Levitt’s father. This is a *Must See*! Here’s a trailer!
Former United States Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, discusses his career in Washington D.C. from his days as a congressman to current. Errol Morris, Donald Rumsfeld, Kenn Medeiros.
Inspired by the remarkable real-life feats of Rick and Dick Hoyt, this tells the story of a father and son who forge and unbeatable bond t by sheer will and determination. Stars Alexandra Lamy and Jacques Gamblin.
A look at the lives of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose paths have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to rurl Oklahoma. Stars Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Juliette Lewis
Trapped in a dead-end industrial town in Maine, two teenage best friends during the fall potato harvest in their small northern Maine town, take drastically different paths to realize their dream of making it to the big city. Stars Emory Cohen, Callan McAuliffe (both ferom “The Place Beyond the Pines”) and Aidan Gillen.
Two brothers, on either side of the law, face off over organized crime in Brooklyn during the 1970s. Remake of French film, Rivals (2008). Stars Clive Owen, Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts.
