In the eighth part of our TIFF 2012 preview, Brian McKechnie takes a look at Cloud Atlas, Frances Ha, and Aftershock. Follow all of our TIFF 2012 coverage at criticizethis.ca/tiff.
Cloud Atlas * Criticize This! TIFF Pick *
Gala
Directors: Lana Wachowski, Andy Wachowski, Tom Tykwer
After days of processing what exactly Cloud Atlas is about I’ve all but given up trying until I can watch it a few more times. That’s not a bad thing though, as Cloud Atlas is a unique film experience that needs to be seen, and seen on the biggest screen you can find, to be fully appreciated for what it is — a cinematic masterpiece. Based on the highly popular David Mitchell novel and directed by Lana and Andy Wachowski (the Matrix trilogy) and Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run), the film is visually stunning, features a stellar cast, including Tom Hanks, Hugh Grant, Halle Berry, and Jim Broadbent (who all take on multiple roles that span across time and universes), and is one of the boldest films at this year’s fest. Even with a near 3-hour running time you need to do yourself a favour and check this out.
Rating: **** (out of 5 stars)
Showing:
Saturday, September 15 at 11 a.m. at the Elgin (Visa Screening Room)
Frances Ha * Criticize This! TIFF Pick *
Special Presentation
Director: Noah Baumbach
Frances Ha is Noah Baumbach’s hat tip to the French New Wave films from the ‘60s with a little bit of Woody Allen’s Manhattan thrown in for good measure. Starring the lovely Greta Gerwig as the twentysomething free spirit Frances, and Mickey Sumner as her best friend Sophie, the film is a funny, yet sometimes depressing, look at their friendship as it crumbles when Sophie decides to move in with her boyfriend and Frances is left alone to fend for herself in the real world. Shot in beautiful black and white and featuring an amazing soundtrack, Frances Ha is the ultimate love story about friendship and being forced to grow up.
Rating: **** (out of 5 stars)
Showing:
Saturday, September 15 at 6:15 p.m. at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema
Aftershock
Midnight Madness
Director: Nicolás López
Aftershock follows the same formula of Eli Roth’s Hostel in that the first 30 minutes it’s a fun party movie with loud music, hot girls, and booze being consumed by the gallons. Then all hell breaks loose and people are soon being crushed to death, burned alive, and raped. Not much of a surprise as Roth co-wrote and stars in the film. And while it’s one of the weakest titles in the Midnight Madness lineup this year, it is still quite a fun ride that should please genre fans looking for something they might not otherwise get to see at a film festival.
Rating: *** (out of 5 stars)
Showing:
Thursday, September 13 at 6:15 p.m. at the Cineplex Yonge-Dundas
Sunday, September 16 at 3:30 p.m. at the Cineplex Yonge-Dundas
TIFF 2012 runs from September 6 – 16. For more information, visit tiff.net.
Top image: A scene from Cloud Atlas. Courtesy TIFF/Warner Bros.
