Nuit Blanche 2010: Part 3 > Until The Night Is Over

Feeling re-energized by Daniel Lanois's performance, 3am seemed like a good time to visit the installations along Bloor Street in Zone A. One subway ride later, and we arrived at the Royal Conservatory of Music.

At the RCM and the lush lights of Aurora continues to draw audiences in (a5); calming
by the2scoops via iPhone at 10/3/2010 7:28:28 AM3:28 AM Sunday, October 03, 2010

The atrium of the Royal Conservatory of Music was filled with these remarkable creations, with calm waves of light and sound reacting to the crowds passing underneath. Aurora was created by Philip Beesley Architect Inc. as "a responsive forest of light". The mechanics of it looked fascinating, but what we found ourselves in was a technological Northern Lights as we were washed in strangely calming sounds.

We made our way to the auditorium of the Royal Conservatory of Music, hoping to find some live performance, but only to find a player piano on stage. It was the first of many disappointing installations that seemed to shut down before the sunrise. Some installations closed not by choice, such as Iskootāo, a performance in the heart of Yorkville that was reportedly ended after noise complaints from a neighbourhood condo. Some installations just seemed to pull up stakes early, such as KortuneFookie, which was nowhere to be found at 4:30am.

Finally got a look at Lower Bay Station. Sadly no Starbucks built yet
by the2scoops via iPhone at 10/3/2010 8:14:16 AM4:14 AM Sunday, October 03, 2010

One installation that was open and still drawing an audience was the Interactive landscape Dune set in Lower Bay Subway station. A relic of a 3-line subway plan that was never implemented (Wikipedia - Lower Bay Station), Lower Bay Station is seldom open to the general public. But for Nuit Blanche, it was opened up and turned into "an interactive landscape of light".

The lights resembled a wetland full of glowing bullrushes and flickered with each noise from the audience, but the real show was when the subway trains passed above through Bay Station.

Only our 2nd coffee of the night, the hopping the subway down to the TIFF Lightbox in Zone C
by the2scoops via iPhone at 4:46 AM Sunday, October 03, 2010

By 5am, the streets had taken on the air of post-apocalyptic zombie movie. Survivors staggered the streets, in search of the installations still open. Empty cans of energy drink piled into the gutters. As much as we wanted to check back in to some of the Zone C exhibits like Erik Satie’s Vexations (1893) and The Task, but we likely only had enough energy to take in one more stop. For us, our goal was to check out the brand new Bell Lightbox complex at King and John. By all reports, the new home to the Toronto International Film Festival was a stunning addition to Toronto, and I hadn't had a chance to see it yet.

The building was, as promised, a testament to film. We found ourselves in a beautiful, bright space, warmly greeted by the volunteers. We took a peek at the The Essential Cinema exhibit and grabbed a seat for some stunningly disturbed clips from their Grindbox! trailer screening (Make Them Die Slowly is a very messed up film that surely influenced the Saw series).

Nice to end the night with a singalong to Always Look On The Brightside of Life at c47 Singin' in the Dark, Sunday, October 03, 2010 6:02:24 AM via Twitter for iPhone

Shaking off the Grindbox, we sat down in the cinema that was home to Singin' in the Dark. Early in the night, a host was rowsing the crowd in a singalong to traditional movie musicals, and later more eclectic selections. By 6am, the audience was comfortable just taking in the clips, laughing and cheering the stranger selections. At the start, we had scenes from "Reservoir Dogs" and "Blue Velvet", charming clips from "500 Days of Summer" and "Almost Famous", and then just outright weird clips like "Clockwork Orange". To end the show, and the clip that finally got some singing from the crowd (or at least me), it was Always Look On The Bright Side of Life from "Life of Brian".

As we were leaving the Lightbox, a volunteer asked if we had seen the Atom Egoyan's 8 ½ Screens. It wasn't really on our radar, but was part of the exhibits marking the opening of the Lightbox. We told the volunteer no, and he in turn responded like we needed to catch the last helicopter out of Saigon. "It's your last chance, it closes tonight! Go, run to the elevator!!!!"

And you know, he was right, it was pretty spectacular. The cinema experience is inverted: from a projector mounted on the stage in front of the main screen, a key sequence from Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2 is shown. It flickers out into the cinema seats where various screens in all shapes and forms are hung.

It was something very unique to see, and we would have missed out on something cool if we hadn't listened to the volunteer. We made sure to thank him for his enthusiastic directions on the way out.

Thanks to all for a terrific Nuit Blanche. And with the last notes and the first glow of sunrise, adieu
by the2scoops via iPhone at 6:49 AM Sunday, October 03, 2010

As the sky glowed with the pre-dawn, we passed through Nathan Phillips Square where Daniel Lanois was overseeing the teardown of his installation. Within an hour or so, the city would be restored to its normal state, and bleary eyed, despite a mixed bag of an evening, I absolutely look forward to the next year.

The morning was creeping up on us, and I was looking forward to taking advantage of a late checkout time from the Metropolitan Hotel, and all-day breakfast at a favourite diner.

I'll post a little wrap-up tomorrow with some final thoughts on Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 2010.

the2scoops TIFF Review - "The Band's Visit"

"Once, not long ago, a small Egyptian Police band arrived in Israel. They came to play at an initiation ceremony but, due to bureaucracy, bad luck, or for whatever reason, they were left stranded at the airport. They tried to manage on their own, only to find themselves in a desolate, almost forgotten, small Israeli town, somewhere in the heart of the desert. A lost band in a lost town.

Not many people remember this.

It wasn’t that important.”

- opening of The Band's Visit

My favourite film of the festival so far has been The Band's Visit, directed by Eran Koliran from Israel. It was the only one of the four films I’ve seen so far that had the audience laughing and cheering together. An Egyptian police band enroute to a performance at an Arab cultural centre takes a wrong turn and is stranded overnight in a desolate rural Israeli settlement. The town takes in the band for the night, and the tension between the cultures gives way to a prevailing sense of awkwardness. But there are things that cross political boundaries, like the universality of loneliness, love, joy, and music. It takes some humour to navigate through the seriousness of life, and The Band's Visit finds its way with a deft comic touch, both whimsical and moving all at once.



The actors are brilliant, with the band’s conductor Tewfiq (Sasson Gabai) as the stoic leader trying to maintain a sense of dignity in an undignified situation. He plays well off of the other band members and especially with the sensual and self-assured Dina, the Israelli café owner who takes in the band, played by the stunning Ronit Elkabetz. The youngest member of the band, Haled, is played by Saleh Bakri with a handsome movie actor charm that wins you over quite easily.
The dialogue is quite clever and some scenes had me laughing hard – the scene where the dashing Haled tries to show one of the Israelis the finer points of dating at the local roller disco had me in tears. The whole cast seems to have taken an advance course in deadpan humour. Director Eran Kolirin has crafted a gentleman of a film - handsomely attired with impeccable timing and charm.

The movie, without being heavy handed about it, really builds to the final scene where the band finally performs together. We’ve gotten to know the individual burdens the band members carry, but to see them come together united in performance is so beautiful and powerful, that the audience cheered and whooped. It was really quite moving to see the band’s conductor Tewfiq, a man who carries himself so polite, so stoic and properly noble, expressing himself so beautifully through song. Even without knowing the language, you know what he is singing. A joy of a film, this is the type of discovery that makes me glad I go to the Toronto International Film Festival each year. 5/5

Official Site: The Band’s Visit


Variety Review: The Band's Visit

the2scoops TIFF Review - California Dreaming (Endless)

“California Dreaming (Endless)” was my first experience with Romanian film, and just a taste left me looking forward to a second serving.

The story is based on a real-life incident during the Kosovo war. It’s 1999, and a unit of American soldiers, led by Captain Doug Jones (Armand Assante) and Sergeant David McLaren (Jamie Elman) are escorting a piece of radar equipment to Kosovo, when their train is halted in a small Romanian village (based on a real event). Doiaru (Razvan Vasilescu), the station master and town troublemaker/fixer, seeks to teach the Americans and Romanian government a lesson and holds up the train in red tape. Meanwhile, the rest of the villagers embrace the Americans. They represent opportunity in the form of commerce, romance, or escape. For the pandering mayor, it may be a way to rid them of Doiaru. To Doiaru, they are soldiers who have arrived 50 years to late to do him any good.

A real life tragedy is that the director, Cristian Nemescu, was killed in a car accident along with his sound editor, Andrei Toncu, on August 24, 2006. I would have loved to see what he would have done next, as this film is an excellent first feature that showed more potential than flaws. I wonder what the film would ultimately look like if he had survived: the film was not completed when Cristian died, but was finished to a point that it can be shown. I imagine there would have been some subsequent tinkering as the story and editing could use some tightening, and the ending a little ambiguous (it's Romanian New Wave, so maybe that's to be expected). But the film serves as a beautifully shot and poignant testement to his life.

The story itself is interesting without being heavy handed and overly sentimental, with the Romanian’s viewing the American’s as both saviour and interloper, and the American soldiers just wanting to complete their mission and move on. Razvan Vasilescu as Doiaru and Maria Dinulescu as his daughter were excellent, and I was impressed by this turn by Jamie Elman, whose previous work included the lead in the old YTV high school sitcom Student Bodies (he was the cartoonist working with his friends on the school paper). The movie’s cast manages to convey the humour, the hope, and the inevitable disappointment, as the Americans can’t fulfill all the promises expected of them. 3.5/5

the2scoops TIFF review - Chansons d'amour

Chansons d'amour begins as a French bedroom musical that takes a dramatic turn. While the songs themselves are pleasant enough, the premise is a bit flimsy. Ismaël, his wife Julie and their friend Alice share a pleasant ménage a trois arrangement, and the opening scenes depicting that relationship are charming. Then things get heavy when suddenly Julie dies. Ismaël despairs the loss of his wife, the attentions of her grief-stricken family, and the attraction of the brother of the man now dating Julie. Ismaël then precedes to screw anything that moves. The cast look like they’re out of the pages of a Benetton catalogue. And they all sing what they’re feeling. It’s very French. And a bit too precious for my tastes.

On the plus side, the actors and Paris sure looked pretty. 2/5

the2scoops TIFF Review - Philippine Science

Philippine Science gets it right in depicting high school life, in that Degrassi Junior High type of way. There's even a moment when the school heartthrob puts on his hat ala Joey Jeremiah. Director Auraeus Solito depicts life at his real life alma matter, the elite Philippine Science High School, during a turbulent time in Philippine history. The film, based on his own experiences, follows 8 students from freshmen year through to graduation, during the early 80s. The format keeps the story moving well, as each of the four years focuses on 2 or 3 of the students in the group. And there could be parallels made to the Degrassi series: there’s a Joey, a Caitlin, a Mr. Raditch. But that’s not as much a case of deliberate imitation as it is recognizing the universal themes of high school life: dating, making grades, establishing identity.

What’s different is that they’re depicted against the backdrop of 1980s Philippines, a time of upheaval that builds to the People Power Revolution and the fall of dictator Ferdinand Marcos. The students contend with rebellion, class systems, and the high expectations carried by being chosen to attend Philippine Science High School. The kids are sweet, but the script is a little clunky: one well intended (based on an old schoolmate) but poorly executed plot doesn’t occur until the last act, as one student starts suffering a headache, and 3 scenes later he’s got cancer. The camera work was odd as it was excellent in the middle segments, but was dizzying as the opening theme of orbits is shown by keeping the camera constantly circling actors. But all in all, it was a sweet movie that I enjoyed. Like watching old Degrassi reruns. 3/5

My TIFF schedule

California Dreamin' (Endless) – Friday Sept 7 @ 3:00pm Scotiabank 14
Les Chansons d'amour – Friday Sept 7 @ 7:15pm Scotiabank 3
The Band's Visit – Sun Sept 9 @ 3:30pm Ryerson
Philippine Science – Wed Sept 12 @ 6:30pm Scotiabank 1
Smiley Face – Thurs Sept 13 @ 10:00pm Scotiabank 1
Here Is What Is – Fri Sept 14 @ 11:15pm Varsity 3
The Trap – Sat Sept 15 @ 1:00pm Cumberland 2
Joy Division – Sat Sept 15 @ 8:15pm Cumberland 3


So despite being processed around the halfway mark out of all the total advance orders, I got all but one of my first picks. Probably because the films I picked weren't "big screen" premieres or films with a huge amount of advance hype. The only pick I didn't get was Run, Fat Boy, Run.That's not bad at all, as it's out this month in regular distribution. I was mainly going as I hoped to see Simon Pegg and Hank Azaria there.


Movies I may still try to see with same day or rush lines:
Control, Jar City, Son of Rambow, The Tracey Fragments, and The Last Lear.

Movies I'm looking forward to, but I'll likely wait until they get their theatrical release during Oscar season:
Ang Lee's Lust, Caution, The Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men , Shekhar Kapur Elizabeth: The Golden Age, and Persepolis

I hope I can get at least a small review up for each film as I go. How about I do my best and we see how it goes, hmm?

Toronto International Film Festival picks

Here are the films I hope to see during the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival. Even though they are divided into First and Second Picks, I'd love to see them all, plus a few more at the bottom of this post. Pretty music heavy year with two Joy Division films, (Joy Division is a documentary, Control is the Ian Curtis biopic) and a documentary on Daniel Lanois (Here Is What Is). Seemed to be lots of Romanian and Australian contributions this year as well, with several films on world conflicts (Darfur, Iraq) and immigrant experience. Picks for the Advance Ticket Ordering are due at the College Park office by 1pm Friday.

My First Picks

California Dreamin' (Endless) (trying Romanian film this year)
Les Chansons d'amour (charming romantic musical farce from France)
The Band's Visit (from Israel - a small, uniformed Egyptian police band becomes lost in rural Israel on their way to performing at a concert. Cross cultural misunderstandings ensue)
Run, Fat Boy, Run (UK comedy - directed by David Schwimmer,with Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) as the lead)
Philippine Science (high school life by way of the Philippines)
Smiley Face (Gregg Araki's new movie)
Here Is What Is (documentary on Daniel Lanois)
The Trap (Serbian film about a man who can save his child's life if only he will kill a mystery benefactor’s business rival)
Joy Division (documentary about the legendary band)

Second Picks (Back-up)

Control (Ian Curtis bio-pic - I may still try to get rush tickets for this)
No Country for Old Men (The Coen Brothers adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel of a drug deal gone wrong, described as "taunt" and "ruthless")
The Tracey Fragments (Canadian, directed by Bruce McDonald (Highway 61 (91), Dance Me Outside (94), Hard Core Logo (96)), starring Ellen Page, and music by Broken Social Scene. Yep, that's pretty Canadian)
Jar City (Icelandic murder mystery)
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers (US - Wayne Wangs' new film about Chinese immigrants in America, centered around the conflict between a father and daughter)
A Gentle Breeze in the Village (sweet Japanese coming of age story)
It's a Free World... (UK - Two women form their own recruitment company and navigate the legally murky waters of hiring Eastern European migrant workers for wealthier European Union nations)

Stuff I would have liked to have seen:

Nocturna (Spanish animation), Roming (Romanian farce), The Savages (US - Laura Linney & Philip Seymour Hoffman as sister and brother0, Sukiyaki Western Django (Midnight Madness craziness), Continental, Un Film Sans Fusil (French Canadian), And Along Come Tourists (German), I Am From Titov Veles (Macedonian), Dainipponjin (more Midnight Madness craziness), A Stray Girlfriend (Argentina), Son Of Rambow (sweet looking UK movie about two young boys filming their own version of "Rambo), Persepolis (animated adaptation of the graphic novel about a girl growing up in Iran; well recieved at Cannes), Happiness (South Korea), Le Voyage Du Ballon Rouge (whimsical French movie starring Juliette Binoche)