Toronto 2006
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..Thursday Films
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railers

..,.Gary Dretzka
..,.Leonard Klady
...David Poland
...Doug Pratt
...Ray Pride
...S.T. VanAirsdale

 

Days Two & Three:
Beware of False Prophets

In the immortal words of Madeline Kahn, "I'm tirrrrrrrred." That at least is a notch up from utter exhaustion that plagued my opening day experience.

With rare exception it seems there's a very convivial mood at this year's edition of the TIFF. It's certainly not a reflection of the weather and most colleagues I've encountered haven't been wowed by this year's selections. I should also add that no one (myself included) is decrying the films in the program, they simply haven't encountered a revelation or discovery or, for that matter, something to spew bile over and employ to vent about the event's programming gestalt.

Festival veterans know that as a rule the weakest program is invariably the main competition. In Toronto's case, the gala section at Roy Thompson Hall serves that end unofficially. The venue screens those movies that can support the red carpet treatment of celebrities from Hollywood and other movie capitols.

Sunday that included Sean Penn, James Gandolfini and a lot of other stars involved in the remake of All the King's Men. I wasn't convinced that Penn could pull off the character of Willy Stark but he's fine in the role of the politician tailored after Louisiana governor Huey Long, aka The Kingfisher.

Where the film goes awry is in its script. That requisite scene where we realize Stark has crossed over from a crusader to just another corrupt politician isn't there. Without it there isn't much point to the story and let's just add that the new version omits a requisite scene for another character whose absence provides an unintended meaning for the tale's conclusion that wasn't intended by author Robert Penn Warren or, one assumes, writer-director Steve Zallian.

I don't often use the word brilliant to describe just about anything and certainly not the work of people toiling in the film industry. Among those few in the distribution sector worthy of such elevation are former Warner Bros. president Barry Reardon and Alliance Atlantis's Victor Loewy.

So, it came as a bit of a shock when Loewy departed the company he co-founded a few months back. He was told to fire a couple of executives in his division by senior Alliance officers and refused. Instead, he quit. Loewy attempted a management buyout of the film distribution unit that failed and then made it crystal clear he would open up his own shop.

There was speculation that the Weinstein Co. would be his first customer but it elected to stay with Alliance at least until 2010. Alliance lawyers sent Loewy a letter reminding him there's was a non-compete clause in his contract that precluded a startup for the 18 months following his departure. However, he's fighting that and, historically, the courts have deemed such clauses unenforceable and antediluvian. It was rumored his new company, that has thus far gone under the name Project Godfather, was going to handle Borat as its first release but that makes no sense and there's now insufficient time for the company that does yet exist to promote, market and date the film.

There's no debating Loewy's next move is shaking up the normally sedate Canadian distribution scene, and if the courts move swiftly we can expect an announcement by the end of the festival.

I read with great interest that MGM was planning to release one to three tentpoles annually. I'm uncertain what summer camp the company went to but just to help them out, it takes four poles to prop up a tent.

Before I conk out, I don't think I'll get an argument when I say the best theater at the Toronto festival was the screening of Guy Maddin's new film Brand Upon the Brain. Maddin truly went the distance to make a contemporary silent movie and the festival extended itself by presenting it as the filmmaker decreed. All sound was generated off screen and included a live orchestral score played by 11-members of the Toronto Symphony, sound effects were created by three foley artists in lab coats, there was a narrator and a man sang in the style of a castrato.

I'm also pleased to say that the film itself was great fun; done in the style of one of French silent filmmaker Louis Feuillade's serials that included Fantomas and The Vampires.

People are calling it a once in a lifetime event but there's going to be a similar staging when it plays at the New York Film Festival next month. The AFI Fest Los Angeles also wants to show the film in similar fashion and one just knows that there are a lot of other prestige venues that are now dogging the filmmaker and his producers to bring a little bit of old movie magic back to the cinema.