Toronto Film Festival

'Eastern Promises,' 'Juno' win Toronto's top prizes

"Eastern Promises," an international thriller directed by David Cronenberg, won the Toronto International Film Festival's top prize on Saturday.

The festival's Cadillac People's Choice Award, voted by moviegoers, gave the hometown nod to fellow Canadian Cronenberg. The film stars Viggo Mortensen as a Russian mobster who tangles with a midwife, played by Naomi Watts.

Director Jason Reitman's "Juno," a festival darling about a pregnant teen, was the People's Choice first runner-up.

More here.

'Mister Lonely' and 'Diary of the Dead' -- sly surprises

The festival has brought two big surprises (to me at least) in "Mister Lonely," the unexpectedly moving and heartfelt return of onetime bad-boy director Harmony Korine (pictured, left), and "George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead," a smart, sharp and up-to-the-minute entry in the horror maestro's signature franchise.

Both are filmmakers about whom I have decidedly mixed feelings, so it was a relief to find myself swept up into their latest works.

Especially as the festival heads into its last few days, and one is prone to hit the wall, as it were, it is reassuring (and vital) that the films themselves make it all seem worthwhile. 

The most immediate thing about "Mister Lonely" is how formally conventional it is in relation to Korine's previous directing efforts, "Julien Donkey-Boy" and "Gummo," both of which exhibited a severe art-damaged sensibility.

"Mister Lonely" is downright elegant by comparison, and, working with cinematographer Marcel Zyskind, Korine creates a number of images that are breathtaking in their beauty.

'I'm Not There' digs deep

Do not attempt to operate heavy machinery directly after seeing "I'm Not There."

A head-spinning take on the many personas presented by the work of Bob Dylan, the latest film from director Todd Haynes is a dense, dizzying, multifaceted way of approaching the life and meaning of an artist, and pretty great whether you're a dedicated Dylanologist or not.

While his glam-rock gloss "Velvet Goldmine" was undone by a heavy-handed conceptual nod to "Citizen Kane," here Haynes is able to (almost) always keep all the plates spinning. At first, as scenes shift from one actor to another portraying Dylan in his various guises, it seems perhaps a little too on-the-nose. (A little too "Across the Universe" might be more like it, but that's another story.)

Slowly -- especially as it crosses between the domestic dramas of Heath Ledger (think "Blood on the Tracks"), the speed-freak op-art hep-cat jive of Cate Blanchett (shades of "Blonde on Blonde" and the film "Don't Look Back") and Richard Gere's outlaw in exile (a la "The Basement Tapes" and Sam Peckinpah's "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid," for which Dylan did the music and appeared as a character notably named Alias) -- the film accumulates a strange, galloping momentum, moving faster and faster and drawing the audience along.

And that's leaving out the rambling troubadour and the born-again preacher.

Believe the Blanchett hype on 'I'm Not There'

Woody Allen's "Cassandra's Dream" is clearly one of the worst films the auteur has made in years.

The dialog is atrocious. Scene after scene feels like a bad "Saturday Night Live" skit. Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor must have been wondering what they were getting into after signing on to this one. 

Luckily for the fortunes of the Weinstein Co., they screened a much better movie immediately after: Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There."

In this accomplished and fascinating look at the life of Bob Dylan -- as played by six different actors, including Christian Bale, Richard Gere, Cate Blanchett and Heath Ledger -- the best "Dylans," by far, are the two Aussies.

'Boy' buzz and the Wright man for 'Atonement'

While the upcoming December releases "The Orphanage," "Juno" and "Atonement" have been the recipients of good buzz as the festival has progressed, another film is starting to generate strong word of mouth.

Coming in completely under the radar, "Boy A" is the sort of startling independent surprise you would more likely discover more at Sundance than Toronto. 

Quickly picked up by the Weinstein Co., "Boy" follows a 24-year-old British man (a fantastic Andrew Garfield) who has just been released from prison after being convicted as a child, along with his best friend, of the brutal murder of a young girl.

Because of his tabloid notoriety, the government assists him in creating a new identity when he's released, but the shy and self-conscious new "Jack" struggles to adjust to his adopted identity. 

American ethnographies: 'Chop Shop,' 'Margot at the Wedding'

It is sort of astounding to think that two films as diverse as "Chop Shop" and "Margot at the Wedding" might somehow fall under the same rubric of "American Independent Filmmaking," and yet for most people (and at most cinemas), they likely do. Each is, in its own way, singular, a unique example of the writer-directors behind them.

"Margot at the Wedding" is the latest effort from Noah Baumbach (pictured right), who seems determined to chronicle with microscopic precision the peccadilloes of American intelligentsia, the literary set.

"Chop Shop" comes from director Ramin Bahrini, who co-wrote the screenplay with Bahareh Azimi. Bahrini's previous film, "Man Push Cart," chronicled an immigrant in New York City who operated a coffee cart and "Chop Shop," about a boy scrambling to survive amid the auto shops of Queens, continues in the same vein of telling stories rarely seen on screen.

TIFF Q&A: Cristian Mungiu, Palme d'Or winning director

When his film "4 Months, 3 weeks and 2 days" won the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, Cristian Mungiu went from being a relatively unknown Romanian filmmaker to a major name on the international arthouse film scene.

Set in 1987, the film follows closely along as one woman frantically tries to help her friend procure an illegal abortion. Made up mostly of very long single takes, the film is an exceptional achievement of conception, acting and execution, with an emotional acuity and perceptiveness that reel the viewer in.

Next week Mungiu will on his own undertake a commercial distribution of "4 Months" in Romania. He is releasing the film there on eight prints, which for a country that he says has only 35 cinemas is on par with a Hollywood blockbuster release.

Having chatted with Mungiu briefly at a dinner party thrown by his American distributor, IFC First Take, I sat down with him for a slightly longer talk a day or two later about what it is like to suddenly be a star of the festival circuit.

'Cleaner' and 'Girl in the Park' define festival's acquisition frustration

Want to know why Hollywood acquisition execs have been shrugging their shoulders and grumbling whenever they are quizzed about the quality of available films at this year's fest? 

Today provided two textbook examples: "Cleaner," starring Samuel L. Jackson, and "The Girl in the Park," headlined by Sigourney Weaver.

It's not a reach to describe the introductory 15 minutes of "Cleaner" as the most intriguing piece of cinema Renny Harlin has ever directed (although fans of "The Long Kiss Goodnight" may disagree).

However, the promise of the film's initial premise -- a former cop (Jackson) becomes a specialist in picking up after the deceased are carted away -- dissipates as the plot contrives into a stylishly shot conventional whodunit, in which the primary suspect is easily deduced before the character's second scene.

Harlin tries to bring an unconventional take to the material, but as the movie progresses he sadly returns to his now-cliche mid-'90s action techniques.

Even with commercial prospects including Eva Mendes and Ed Harris in tow alongside Jackson, this one might end up in the direct-to-DVD bin.

The Inter-Con: Bold-faced names mill around in the lobby

The Intercontinental Hotel on Toronto is always a bit of a funny scene during the annual film festival.

There are frequently at least a couple of dozen people, random civilians, waiting around out front for a glimpse of a celebrity, any celebrity, coming or going.

Numerous distributors and independent publicity firms use the hotel as a stomping/staging ground.The bar and patio -- just take a left after you enter -- become something of a celebrity day camp. Walking through can be a disorienting experience, as it actually can be difficult to find the person you are there to interview amid the sea of notable faces.

'Atonement' soars, 'Elizabeth' not so golden

Sunday was a significant day at the Toronto Film Festival as two prominent contenders in the 2007 Oscar race were shown to a majority of press for the first time.

One quick anecdote to put it all in perspective: A good friend was lucky enough to see Joe Wright's "Atonement" more than a month ago (when no one else had), and though he is not one to prognosticate, the first thing he said when we discussed it was a point blank,"It's going to get nominated for best picture." 

Boy, was he right. After "Juno," "Atonement" is only the second press screening to get applause here in Toronto. It is a wonderfully directed, expertly performed, heartbreaking jewel of a movie. And though it is way too early to crown it the front-runner, you can certainly put your money on it being one of the five finalists for February. 

The Focus Features release should also garner numerous nods, including acting for stars James McAvoy and Keira Knightley (possibly Vanessa Redgrave as well), Seamus McGarvey's cinematography, Dario Marianelli's haunting score, Paul Tothill's fine editing, Sarah Greenwood's impressive production design (a particular war scene might garner her the award on its own), Christopher Hampton in the adapted screenplay category and, most certainly, Joe Wright for best director. 

Now Focus just has to worry about the hype meter on a movie that doesn't open, in limited release mind you, until December.