At WIFF: Amherstburg radio doc a standout

My fave movie so far at the Windsor International Film Festival is Gavin Michael Booth’s Radio Renaissance: Amherstburg’s New Wave, a documentary about the creation of CKBG FM 107.9 in little old Amherstburg.  The doc is a passion project by an A’burg native about the dream and sometimes arduous process of applying for a license for the small-town station, a rarity in this age of media cutbacks and station closings. It was the dream of local radio & TV personality Marty Adler (now sadly deceased) and hit the airwaves in July 2023. Booth’s doc is a comprehensive and well-edited film, interviewing the key radio station players and capturing the town’s ambience, depicted as a friendly closely knit historical place where a radio station can only help enhance community. It’s too bad the film is only being screened once…..Meanwhile I also liked Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother. I’ve long been a Jarmusch fan, one of the key innovators in the post-1970s American independent film movement. The film has three stories focusing in order on Father, Mother and two siblings. The first features a periodic visit by the estranged children to a grizzled rural recluse. The meeting is awkward if friendly but not everything is quite as it seems. The second has two daughters visiting their mum, again on an annual visit and again in a stilted yet stylized setting which evokes some guffaws. The third has a brother and sister ruminating in an empty apartment about their deceased parents. The cast is stellar: Tom Waits, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Charlotte Rampling and Cate Blanchett among others, and there are fine street scenes of Dublin and Paris. The first two stories are the most interesting if only to follow the self-conscious personal interactions but it’s questionable what the stories all add up to…..Next came Colin Farrell in Edward Berger’s (Conclave, 2024) Ballad of a Small Player. The setting is “the gambling capital of the world” Macau China and Farrell plays a Brit expat at the end of his gambling tether. Other than some spectacular scenes of the city’s forest of skyscrapers and gambling dens, and some great editing of our man on the run, the film is really an embarrassment. Every cliché in the book is thrown at the screen, from the disheveled expat (there are numerous sweaty closeups of Farrell’s face which likely will make many a femme swoon) to shambolic hotel rooms, well-groomed crowded baccarat tables and an obvious if distressed love interest. But it’s all formulaic, stylized even, and we can’t possibly care about the character…..Finally, Norwegian director Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value. Trier, like Jarmusch, is a director whose films I will always catch. The film could be up for some big Oscars. But while good, I found it slow and even plodding (half an hour could have been chopped off the 133 minutes) – just barely keeping my interest – and ultimately is a sappy story, surprising for Trier, about an estranged father and famed movie director (played by the great Stellan Skarsgård) and his actress daughter (Renate Reinsve). Elle Fanning has a star role as an actress both as a character in the film and obviously in the film’s cast.....The 11-day Windsor International Film Festival began Oct. 23 and runs until Nov. 2. Go to https://windsorfilmfestival.com/

Richard Linklater's masterpieces

Richard Linklater has come a long way from Slacker (1990) and Dazed and Confused (1993) – films admittedly that caught the zeitgeist of a certain youth subculture of a certain era but, direction-wise, unrecognizable from his latest two films, Blue Moon and Nouvelle Vague (the latter showing at this year’s WIFF). I caught both back-to-back last weekend at Montreal’s Festival du Nouveau Cinema, and they blew me away. Linklater has been “maturing” since those so-Nineties subculture entries in the Before trilogy (with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) and Waking Life (2001). But none of these can prepare someone for Blue Moon and Nouvelle Vague. First, Blue Moon. This “portrait” of American Songbook classic lyricist Lorenz Hart is astonishing, mostly due to Hawke himself, though you’d never know it was him. I kept asking myself throughout: who is this performer? The makeup is so astounding Hawke’s entire body structure, beginning with his (balding) head, has been transformed to replicate Hart. Moreover, this is ultimately a one man show, an almost continuing monologue (writer Robert Kaplow) of 100 minutes as the musical icon at turns philosophies, critiques,

ruminates, tells stories and jokes about the Broadway stage, after walking out of former co-songwriter Richard Rodger’s opening night Oklahoma! Lorenz lambastes it as a crass middlebrow production symbolized by an exclamation mark! Is he bitter? Yes, but also reflective and still high-spirited, as he regales bartender Eddie (Bobby Cannavale) at the famed showbiz bar Sardi’s in March 1943, just months before his death in an alcopholic stupor…..Next up was Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague. Hold on to your hats at this exquisite re-creation of Paris’s New Wave circa 1960. Seemingly a documentary and filmed in grainy black and white so reminiscent of the era, the movie depicts those seminal figures that transformed not just French cinema but world filmmaking – Francois Truffaut, Claude Chabrol, Eric Rohmer, Jacques Rivette, Agnès Varda, etc. – but most of all Jean-Luc Godard - and the making of his first and breakthrough film – a classic and one of the most transformative films in cinematic history, Breathless. Seldom do even the best filmmakers get historical accuracy completely right – there’s always something off about the clothes, hair styles, mannerisms or background street scenes – but Linklater seems to have perfected it…..Two glorious films that I’d say are masterpieces.

WIFF again aims "to top ourselves" with next month's fest

The Windsor International Film Festival is staging – literally – for the first time a reunion between Newfoundland families and Americans who they hosted on 9/11. It’s a nod to and celebration of the famed musical production Come From Away. The Gander families in the film are being flown in “and they will reunite on stage for the first time at WIFF,” fest director Vincent Georgie says. “That will be the night of nights.” The event, and literally countless others – highly innovative and some for the first time – symbolizes the groundbreaking role WIFF continues to play as a film festival, punching well above its weight for a Canadian midsize or almost any city. Other new events this year will see films from all Canadian provinces and territories in the Canada Coast to Coast category. This continues WIFF’s commitment to championing Canadian film and there will be 10 on tap including Windsor native Matt Gallagher’s Shame about Jason Nassr, the local man behind the video vigilante channel Creeper Hunter TV, which will “create a lot of discussion.” A $25,000 cash prize will be awarded for the best and a new trophy, fabricated by the same company that made the statues for the Emmys and Grammys, will be given. As Georgie said at a news conference today, “do it right!” WIFF also continues to show the largest number of francophone films – more than 60 this year. There will be a spotlight on architecture with four films. There will be book-inspired films, music films, LBGTQ+ films, sports – “so different flavours for all sorts of different folks.” Opening night will show Mile End Kicks from Montreal and closing night will have the new Julia Roberts picture After the Hunt which will “stir the pot,” Georgie predicts. Midway will see controversial Chinese artist Ai Weiwei’s Turandot. Other highlights include Sentimental Value “a sensation at Cannes”, A Private Life starring Jodie Foster performing entirely in French and who is ”incredible,” Kristin Scott Thomas’s autobiographical My Mother’s Wedding starring Scarlett Johansson and The History of Sound with Paul Mescal. Also look for acclaimed Christy starring Sydney Sweeney, Rental Family with Brendan Fraser and Ballad of a Small Player with Colin Farrell and Tilda Swinton. A rare Iraqi film, The President’s Cake, will be featured this year. There will be nods to the anniversaries of classic films like Home Alone, The Shining, Jaws and The Apartment. Other film festivals may leave the kids out but not WIFF, which is presenting family programming with Paw Patrol and The Little Mermaid including character appearances.

- Other familiar categories returning include Women of WIFF showcasing female filmmakers, and the Mark Boscariol 48-Hour FlickFest where local filmmakers create a film in, well, 48 hours, one of the most popular attractions. There will be another section of WIFF local of films vying for a new $3000 prize.

- For the first time the festival will go stateside with free screenings in downtown Detroit of two Canadian films – Oscar winning The Barbarian Invasions and a musical film Play It Loud, How Toronto Got Soul.

- Keeping on the building Canadian filmmaking theme there will be an industry conference October 24 and 25 “to develop our industry" and “build networks, build connections,” Georgie said.

- Globe and Mail critic Barry Hertz will talk about his new “tell all” book on the Fast and Furious franchise. 

- Meanwhile to boost downtown there will be new nighttime lights and a public “soundtrack” playing on the sidewalks around the venues.

- And screening continue to increase "to top ourselves,” Georgie says, year after year with 231 movies on tap with 300 screenings – 141 shown at other festivals – and 111 films will be premiered or haven’t been released previously. Fifty countries will be represented, making it a true international event.  

- The 11-day event runs Oct 23 - Nov 2.

Intriguing, incisive and exasperating, this movie is that absorbing

I'm glad I clicked on Philippe Lesage's 2024 Who By Fire on the almost 12 hour flight back from Athens the other day. This after a couple of other art house/international cinema picks on the same flight - Sunburn from Portugal's Vicente Alves (2018) and 2024'a The Room Next Door, Pedro Almodóvar's first English language film with Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore (is she in virtually everything these days?). Of the three Lesage's was head and shoulders above the others. When I saw it's length, two-and-a-half hours, it looked a bit daunting. But I took the plunge. And it's the best film I've seen in perhaps a couple of years. Who By Fire of course is a play on Leonard Cohen's song by the same name. But, no, the song is not on the soundtrack and for that, I'm thankful to the director - no need to ram the point home. How should I describe it? It's a meditation and dissection of friendships, coming of age rage, professional rivalry and people vs nature. The film opens with a very long shot of the back of a car driving in the Quebec wilderness, backed by a musical one note. It's eerie and ominous. Those in the car are a father, his two children and a friend. They arrive at a lake where another man, a long time colleague, flies them to his remote lodge. It turns out the two men, Albert (Paul Ahmarani) and Blake (Arieh Worthalter), are esteemed filmmakers. They're also intellectuals. Their initial meeting goes well. But over the course of several days competitive egos start to play havoc. Meanwhile one of the teens, Jeff (Noah Parker)  an aspiring filmmaker, is also sowing his wild oats. His attraction to Albert's daughter Aliocha (Aurelia Arandi-Longpré) is fraught with crude moves. And his despair leads him to a loss in more ways than one. Moreover nature in all its beauty and power is lurking in the background, inspiring and threatening. This is a very "talking" and character-driven movie and those who want "action" will tune it out. But those who like the study of human dynamics and the a slice of the best and worst of human nature will find it intriguing, incisive and exasperating. This movie is that absorbing.  

TIFF's film cancellation (now reversed) shows how wokeness can descend into immorality

It’s a case of woke going too far. This week the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) pulled a documentary about the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre of Israeli residents, in which some 1200 were slaughtered and another 250 kidnapped, as many as 50 still in Hamas captivity.  It was the worst pogrom since World War II. Canadian director Barry Avrich made a film about that day, The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue (poster to the left). It’s about a retired Israeli general, Noam Tibon, who hearing of the attack, raced in his car from Tel Aviv to the site of the attacks just outside the Gaza Strip, rescuing

his son’s family. The film was all set to go for this year’s TIFF Sept 4 – 14, which also just happens to be the fest’s 50th anniversary. The celebration will be tarnished. TIFF’s action follows the kind of spineless response to anything that is controversial in the wrong way. Sure, festivals and too many filmmakers think of themselves as courageous when they screen a film that challenges topics or politicians that are deemed politically incorrect, like the Catholic Church, big business, anti-abortion activists or right-wing politicians like Donald Trump. Filmmakers and festivals have long embraced the Palestinian cause. Even the avantgarde Media City fest here in Windsor-Detroit screened several pro-Palestinian films last year. But rare or more likely never will you see even one film that presents an Israeli viewpoint. In fact, in the case of The Road Between Us, this isn’t even political. “This film is not about politics, it’s about humanity, family and sacrifice,” director Avrich said. But because it’s told from an Israeli POV it is unacceptable and beyond the pale. The reason given by long time TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey for dropping it was “the risk of major, disruptive protest actions around the film’s presence at the Festival, including internal opposition, has become too great.” In other words, TIFF doesn’t have the courage of its convictions as few as they may have been. TIFF has also said it was because “general requirements for inclusion in the festival” were not met, such as clearing rights for the videos shot by Hamas and livestreamed during the attack. I couldn’t believe this when I first read it and had to read it several times. So, TIFF wouldn’t screen a film because the video hadn’t been approved by a terrorist organization? The decision unleashed massive outrage and for once not just by the Jewish community. And I was surprised yet gratified that as many as 1000 in the international film community signed a petition condemning TIFF. This includes such luminaries as Amy Schumer, Howie Mandel, Debra Messing and Jennifer Jason Leigh. But many other high profile actors and directors - including many Jews - have not signed it; I wonder why. Their open letter also said, “This follows the 2024 festival, which likewise didn’t platform a single Israeli documentary that didn’t disparage the country. In contrast, TIFF 2024 featured three anti-Israel documentaries, with four more slated for 2025.” My point above. TIFF has now reversed the decision, and the film will be included. I’m slightly surprised it did that. Perhaps it was facing a boycott by stars and powerful distributors.  We will now see how the film will be presented, how many times it will be screened, and how TIFF will protect filmgoers from what undoubtedly will be pro-Palestinian protests on the streets or even inside the theatre. But the lesson here? By its action TIFF has demonstrated how wokeness can descend into immorality. 

Finally, I'm watching Seinfeld - all nine seasons

With the exception of three or four episodes, I had never watched the enormously popular 1990s era sitcom Seinfeld. Chalk that up to not having a TV or cable. Now, with Netflix making available all nine seasons – and with a dearth of appealing movies both online and in cinemas – I’ve found refuge this summer in the comedy series “about nothing.” I’ve now binge watched, over more than a week, over a hundred episodes and am in the middle of season five. The few episodes I did catch during Seinfeld’s primetime I found enormously funny because they made fun of things no one had ever made fun of before. The show advertises itself as “about nothing.” But it is indeed about something. It’s just that the something’s are the nuances, crevices, margins and subtleties of everyday life. They are the things we think don’t matter but matter enormously. Yes, we’re looking forward to attending that ball game but freaked by the idiot in the parking lot or how long we have to wait in line for a hot dog. And we’re happy to celebrate a cousin’s wedding but concentrate on the tacky dress of the woman across from us or the tablemate with a piece of vegetable in his teeth. That’s what this show is about – the minor craziness of everyday life you think doesn’t matter but does. It’s hard to believe the series is 30 years old. And it’s surprising how much it shows. Take the fashions. Men with tucked-in overly large shirts look dorky. There is too much hair, including on men, on everybody! Interior décor from offices to restaurants to apartments have an overwrought formality or chintziness. And in the post-Covid era it’s hard to believe so many people once dressed so formally – dresses and hose on women and men in suits – on the job. But the humor remains intact. Because it’s universal. People from time immemorial have made judgments about others, often on the most superficial grounds like hairstyle, weight, clothes or matters of taste. Even how someone irritatingly speaks, walks or smells, bad or good. This is the 1990s and obviously some topics couldn’t be done today, like Jerry dating a Native American and catching himself before emitting phrases like “reservation” (for a restaurant) or “Indian giver” (for returning a gift). It’s hilarious but our overly sensitive environment wouldn’t permit it -  and to paraphrase Jerry, not that that’s a good thing. Even joking about gay people – “not that there’s anything wrong with that” – could draw a red flag. The characters are an oddball nexus of jerks – George (Jason Alexander) the fat perennial neurotic loser, Kramer (Michael Richards), the spaz hipster who thinks he knows everything and always has the inside track. The saner two are Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Jerry himself. But both elicit neuroses and from time to time odd fixations. With the show being so incredibly funny one is apt to forgive certain aspects, like the fact the men seem to have an endless stream of girlfriends, and who other than the equally neurotic or crazed would date George and Kramer? The show’s format opens and closes with Jerry, a stand-up comedian, doing his shows in a club. They’re the most boring elements and should have been axed. Otherwise, it’s on with the insanity of each “plot.”

This 'summer' film will haunt, and Arcand's prophetic 'Testament'

There are few films that have haunted me as much as Frank Perry’s 1968 The Swimmer with Burt Lancaster. It’s now been more than a month since I’ve watched it (on the Criterion Channel as part of its swimming pool-themed summer films; yes, it's a genre) and I still think about it almost daily. I’ve always admired Lancaster, a mid-century icon, but this film reinforced just how intense an actor he is. The story is admittedly bizarre. But that underlines its mystique. Lancaster as Ned, one fine hot summer day, shows up at the backyard swimming pool of his Connecticut neighbors. He’s clad only in swimming trunks. He surprises his well-off neighbors, who welcome him and say it has been so long since they’ve seen him. He regales them whimsical stories about life and how, on this very fine summer day, he has this zest to swim. He concocts a scenario on the spot: in fact, will now “swim” right across the valley to his own suburban house. He’ll accomplish this by visiting all the neighbors along the way and swimming across their pools, portaging if you will, by foot, between houses. As he “swims home” he of course inevitably visits other neighbors, lounging by their pools or having pool parties. As he travels – again, only in trunks and barefoot across wide swathes of field and woodland – he is a beacon of goodwill and friendliness. And virtually everywhere he goes his neighbors remark that while it’s great to see him, it has been a long time. The story or theme is in what occurs as he stops off at one neighbor’s house after another. I will not go any further because this is a film the plot of which one must not in any way give away. Janice Rule and even Joan Rivers have roles. The setting is an affluent suburb of Westport Ct. and Ned Merrill, appropriately enough for the era, is an advertising executive in Manhattan, part of the gray flannel suit brigade that took the New Haven RR from suburbia each day into the city. The film is based on a John Cheever short story, so that might give you an inkling into the territory we’re heading. Watch it and this surreal tale will have you thinking and thinking and thinking. 

The great Quebec filmmaker Denys Arcand’s Testament (in 2023) is prophetic given a decision by Quebec City last month to cancel an historic painting. In the film, a jab at political correctness, protesters successfully force an institution to paint over an historic mural of indigenous people welcoming gun-toting European settlers. "There's a painting in there that's an insult to First Nations," scolds one protester in the film, of course a contemporary stereotype. In Quebec City last month, a city hall painting (left) depicting the moment famous French explorer Samuel de Champlain meets a First Nations chief, was ordered removed by the city's mayor Bruno Marchand because it was "offensive."