September 2005 Archives (22 posts)
Ads of the World
Just came across a new site called Ads of the World that features international ads—print, video and online. This one is going into my web browser favourites.
Blaupunkt bunny and teddy is a great ad that will probably never play in North America unless it is on your computer screen. Check it out and have a laugh.
Posted in Web at 4:17 PM
Back from the road trip
This year’s road trip was a lot of fun—West Virginia, Pensylvania and New York. We golfed, ate a lot of food, watched a couple of football games and played a few practical jokes and had a big time.
I’ll be posting some photos of the trip on BOMBIPPY PHOTOS. Below are a few snapshots starting with the guys heading into Ralph Wilson stadium.
The Buffalo fans are getting worse. At least half of the stadium was completely drunk. A “young lady” sitting beside us punched a guy in the face. Fights were constantly breaking out in the stands and the drunks behind us were yelling for the entire game. A great place to take your kids for a sporting event!
Back in West Virginia, things were much more civilized at the Mountaneers football game. State trooper M. L. Vance kept things under control and had us in stitches every time he turned to the side. With that jaw line he was a dead ringer for Jim Carrey in the movie, Me, Myself and Irene.
Later on, Dave provided us with an imitation of state trooper Vance.
Posted in Travel at 4:26 PM
Road Trip
Time for a break! Tomorrow I’m going on a road trip for the next 4 days with a bunch of guys.
This year, 7 of us are heading down to West Virginia to golf and watch some college football. Go Mountaineers!
On Saturday night we’ll head up to Pittsburgh for a big time. Then it’s off to Buffalo for a Bills game. To end the weekend we’ll head over to Sammy’s in Niagara Falls for dinner.
This will be the fourth year in a row that we’ve done a road trip like this. In past years we’ve gone to a few Steelers games at Heinz Field, a Pirates game at PNC Park, a Penguins game and a college football game at Penn State. Should be a good time.
Posted in Travel at 6:18 PM
Thank You For Smoking (2005)
Thank You For Smoking is wickedly funny! Jason Reitman hit a home run in directing his first feature film.
I just got back from the Ryerson Theatre where Reitman introduced the film and did a Q&A afterward. I can’t believe that he’s still in town!
The film is an intelligent comedy about a tobacco industry lobbyist played by Aaron Eckhart. His character, Nick Naylor, is charming, ruthless and hilarious as he goes about defending the “big tobacco” companies.
In the Q&A following the film, Reitman said he wanted to make a film about industry lobbyists. He felt that the tobacco industry was by far the most interesting. Christopher Buckley’s novel, Thank You for Smoking was a perfect fit. Reitman adapted the screenplay from Buckley’s book which is supposed to be even funnier than the film.
The cast is terrific and includes Robert Duvall, William H. Macy, Sam Elliot, Todd Louiso, Katie Holmes and Maria Bello. This film is going to be a sure hit when it is released next year.
The opening title sequence is fabulous—the best I’ve seen all year. The credits are written on colourful cigarette boxes that playfully animate. Why can’t all movies be this creative with their titles?
Jeff Wigand’s name is listed in the credits. Russell Crowe played Wigand in the 1999 film, The Insider. Wigand was a whistle blower against big tobacco. During the Q&A it was revealed that Wigand was a consultant for the film.
When Jeff Wigand was shown the script he didn’t really say if he liked it, but he sent it back to Reitman with a lot of notes concerning inaccurate information. It’s rumoured that Wigand never consults for a film where the actors smoke on screen. In Reitman’s film, nobody is shown smoking.
The Toronto International Film Festival is now over and I’m happy that I was able to end it with this film—probably my favourite.
Posted in 2005 TIFF and Movies at 11:59 PM
View by category
I’ve updated BOMBIPPY PHOTOS so that you can view photos by categories instead of having to hit the previous photos button endlessly. If you want to view photos of Paris you can click on the pull down menu view them all at once.
Posted in Bombippy and Photography and Web at 4:22 PM
Why We Fight (2005)
Director Eugene Jarecki has a brilliant documentary film in Why We Fight. Intelligent. Thought-provoking. A knockout.
I left the theatre wanting to tell everyone I know, to go and see this film. Unfortunately we’ll have to wait until January 2006 when it gets a theatrical run.
The TIFF program guide describes Why We Fight as “simply the most elegant unravelling of American imperialism yet committed to film”. This film will easily win an Oscar nomination for best documentary film.
Why does the US government spend billions of dollars each year on the “military-industrial complex”? How did corporate interests take over military policy and lead to the “disastrous rise of misplaced power” that President Eisenhower warned about when leaving office in 1961?
Jarecki does a masterful job of answering these questions and more. His film is much more objective than Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 but it’s not an anti-Bush film by any means.
The prodcution value is excellent—similar to Errol Morris’ The Fog of War. There is a sequence where Jarecki uses the Johnny Cash cover of “Hurt” which literally gave me goosebumps.
Following the screening, Jarecki gave a Q&A that impressed the audience with his intellect and thorough answers to some tough questions. This was easily the best documentary film I’ve seen this year. This one is not to be missed!
Posted in 2005 TIFF and Movie Reviews at 9:50 PM
51 Birch Street (2005)
Last night I was at the world premiere for 51 Birch Street directed by Doug Block. I know that sounds a little pretentious but how often do you get to say that you went to a world premiere?
51 Birch Street is a documentary film about family secrets, relationships and marriage. Doug’s parents were married for 55 years until his mother died suddenly. A few months after her death, Doug’s father remarried, to his former secretary.
Adding to the drama is the discovery of the diaries that Doug’s mother kept. They paint a different picture from the mother most of the family knew while growing up.
I don’t want to give too much because there are several surprises and turns that make this a really interesting film. I found that I was able to relate to a lot of the material and learned a a few things about family relationships by the end of the film.
Doug Block was here in Toronto last night to introduce the film. His entire family and many of the people that worked on the film were sitting in front of me which seemed a little surreal. His father Mike and his wife (his former secretary), Kitty, did a Q&A following the film that was really touching.
What didn’t come out in the film was that Mike Block contemplated suicide after his wife Mina died. He had a difficult time dealing with lonlieness and decided he wasn’t going to be one of these old people that gives up and wastes away.
I felt like I was a part of something special by screening the film with Doug and his family. A great festival experience.
Posted in 2005 TIFF and Movie Reviews at 9:01 PM
Free shipping!
Criterion DVD.com is offering free shipping to Canada until September 18, 2005. If you were thinking about picking up some DVDs from The Criterion Collection then now is the time to do it.
Posted in Web at 2:31 PM
Thumbsucker (2005)
When I didn’t get tickets to Dave Chapelle’s Block Party film I chose Thumbsucker (2005) as an alternate. I was a little skeptical at first but a TIFF veteran felt it would be a good film so I added it to my list of picks. He was right. Thumbsucker didn’t suck.
Director Mike Mills, Lou Pucci (the thumbsucker), Tilda Swinton and Keanu Reeves were on hand to introduce the film. Keanu watched the film in the audience which just added to the excitement. I’ve never seen so many flash bulbs go off at a movie.
Thumbsucker is a great film that I think will strike a chord with younger audiences. Some of the older, crusty film critics won’t enjoy the film but don’t pay any attention to them. Thumbsucker is an enjoyable story about an awkward teen who is trying to discover himself, fit in with his peers, seeking the approval and love of his parents.
At times the lead character reminded me of Patrick Fugit in Almost Famous. Lou Pucci does an excellent job in the lead role creating a believable character.
Keanu Reeves provides some great laughs as a hippie, new-age orthodontist. Then there is a Vince Vaughan playing a teacher. I’m sure he was trying to restrain himself but he comes off as being hilarious in his scenes. Thank goodness he was used sparingly. Benjamin Bratt also has some funny moments that will make you laugh out loud, or maybe cringe.
Thumbsucker is beautifully shot and edited. There is interesting use of focus, lingering lens flare in long panning shots, and what I will call the “medication sequence”. The music is also quite effective throughout the film—Eliot Smith and The Polyphonic Spree.
If you aren’t attending the film festival in Toronto this year then you’re in luck. You can see Thumbsucker in theatres starting this Friday. After a dismal summer season of flops, Thumbsucker will kick off what looks to be a promising fall season for films.
Posted in 2005 TIFF and Movie Reviews at 11:05 AM
Directors Label Volumes 4-7
Directors Label is releasing four new discs containing the work of Anton Corbijn, Jonathan Glazer, Mark Romanek and Stéphane Sednaoui.
Mark Romank directed the Hurt video for Johnny Cash which will be on his Directors Label disc along with a lot of music, videos and documentaries. Should be really good.
Posted in DVD Reviews at 5:16 PM
Mary (2005)
Just saw another great film at TIFF. Mary (2005)is written and directed by Abel Ferrara (King of New York and Bad Lieutenant). It stars Forest Whitaker, Juliette Binoche, Matthew Modine and Heather Graham. Forrest Whitaker is outstanding in his role as a Charlie Rose-like talk show host.
One of the producers was on hand for a Q&A after the film which is always interesting and insightful. More about this in a minute.
Part of the film deals with the awakening of faith in two of the main characters. Juliette Binoche’s character is an actor playing Mary Magdalene in a film. She becomes affected by her role and experiences some kind of spiritual awakening. This causes her to abandon a successful film career and follow God.
Forrest Whitaker plays a national talk show host that does a week-long TV special on the true meaning of Christ. He is not a believer in any faith which makes you question why he is interviewing monks and theologians. By the end of the film his character also turns to God when tragedy hits his family.
The producer of the film mentioned that people forget about God when things are going well in their lives—people want to “go and have lap dances and buy Gucci shirts” is how he put it. When things go wrong in our lives we tend to blame God and turn to him for help as Forrest Whitaker’s character does.
Several real theologians are interviewed in the film which was interesting. It’s almost like a mini-documentary within a film. Questions surrounding the lost gospels of Thomas and Mary are raised but I think Ferrara is dismissing them along with the need for yet another film about the Passion (a shot at Mel Gibson and others who profit from exploiting religion).
There are a lot of layers to this film that are sure to generate some intelligent discussion and debate. It probably won’t appeal to a lot of people but I enjoyed it and would love to see it again.
Posted in 2005 TIFF and Movie Reviews at 4:14 PM
Revolver (2005)
Yesterday I saw director Guy Ritchie’s latest film—Revolver (2005). Ritchie was at the Ryerson Theatre to introduce the film and described it as a “chess game within a chess game within a chess game”. In other words, the film is quite confusing or “challenging for audiences” as he said in a recent press conference.
By the end of the film I was confused and still trying to figure out what really happened but I absolutely loved this film. It’s quirky, stylistic and violent. The sound is crisp. Visually, there is always something interesting in terms of sets, camera moves or character wardrobe. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the film in anticipation of what was coming next.
Like most Guy Ritchie films, the soundtrack is great. Instead of a lot well-know songs we get what sounds like U.N.K.L.E (used in Sexy Beast) and a lot of classical and opera music. Believe me it works really well.
Ray Liotta is great as a creepy gangster. Isn’t he always. It was nice to see Vincent Pastore in anything since his character was killed off in the Sopranos. Jason Statham has a nice role as the lead character is almost unrecognizable with all of that hair.
The film borrow from a lot of other films. The two most obvious examples are Fight Club and Kill Bill. There is a cartoon sequence which may be seen as a direct rip off from Kill Bill but Tarantino could have used the idea from American Splendor or a number of other films. I think the sequence is appropriate and works well.
It will be interesting to see how the final cut of this film turns out. In its present form I think most people will leave the theatre confused but it may develop a huge cult following as happened with Donnie Darko. It’s the type of film that you will want to discuss at length and try to figure out.
I’m glad I was able to see it at the Festival and so far this is my favourite film. It isn’t a great film but if you enjoyed Snatch or Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels then you’ll find some guilty pleasure in enjoying this film too.
Posted in 2005 TIFF and Movie Reviews at 10:06 AM
Bubble (2005)
Just got back from seeing Bubble (2005) directed by Steven Soderbergh. He sat a few rows behind me and did a Q&A after the film. Very cool. I couldn’t help myself and had to snap a few photos near the end.
Soderbergh is one of my favourite directors, so naturally I enjoyed the film. It’s experimental in that he doesn’t use any trained actors. Like reality TV this is what you might call a reality film with a scripted story. The actors are “acting” but must rely heavily on their everyday experiences for their performance in the film. Overall, I think the experiment works quite well and makes the film unique.
Another first for Soderbergh is that the film was shot in high-definition without any lighting set-ups. It was projected with a Christy 2K projector (DLP) at Cineplex Odeon Varsity 8. Soderbergh noted that it was the best he’s seen the film look to date.
I don’t expect Bubble to do very much at the box office but I respect Soderbergh for going back to his indie roots and experimenting with the medium.
Posted in 2005 TIFF and Movie Reviews at 10:30 PM
Capote (2005)
I met up with James and was introduced to David and his fiancé—a really nice couple from Philly, up for the film festival. All of us went to see Capote (2005). Great film!
Director Bennet Miller, Catherine Keener and Philip Seymour Hoffman were on hand to introduce the film which was really exciting. Even more exciting was watching Hoffman in a role that has Oscar buzz all over it. His performance in this film was awesome and should open some doors to a few more starring roles.
Posted in 2005 TIFF and Movie Reviews at 12:42 AM
Sketches of Frank Gehry (2005)
I know. HotDocs was back in June and this is the film festival—movie stars, red carpets, Oscar buzz. So why another documentary film? I really want to make my own doc and can’t see enough of them right now.
So this afternoon it was Sketches of Frank Gehry (2005). Frank Gehry and director Sydney Pollack introduced the film which was pretty cool. All of the architects in the audience (it felt like a convention) were gushing with praise and adoration for Gehry.
I learned a lot about Gehry’s creative process, his work and his personal life. Pollack and Gehry are good friends, pals. At times the film felt like a lifetime achievement video at an awards show. One buddy patting the other on the back and saying, “way to go!”
I’m not saying that I disliked the film but I was expecting a little more drama. A lot of things were touched upon and could have been explored further but they weren’t—anti-semitism, criticism of his work.
Much of the film was shot by Pollack, using a Canon GL-1 camera (which I have) so I was interested in seeing how the footage turned out on the big screen—not bad. This certainly gave it more of a documetnary feel.
A lot of famous people were interviewed but by far, the best interview was with artist and director, Julian Schnabel. He did his interview in a white bathrobe, with dark sunglasses, fruity drink while smoking a cigarette. Classic!
Posted in 2005 TIFF and Movie Reviews at 12:27 AM
The Well (2005)
On Friday afternoon I saw Brunnen (2005)—a documentary film from Sweden, directed by Kristian Petri. The English title of the film is The Well. This was my first festival film.
Petri’s film is about Orson Welles’ relationship with Spain. Welles loved the country, shot many of his films there (including all of those unfinished projects like Don Quixote), loved to watch bullfighting and is buried in a well, on the property of a famous Spanish bullfighter.
The film is carefully shot, almost like a travelogue as it retraces Welles’ life in Spain. You get a good sense of how beautiful the Spanish countryside is by visiting some of the locations used in Welles’ films. Who knew that he loved Spain so much and spent so much time here?
Various interviews with old friends and colleagues provide great insight into a film legend. My favourite interview was with a former boozing partner of Orson’s—William “Bill” Law. Great stuff.
If you’re a fan of Orson Welles then you’ll find this film to be quite fascinating.
Posted in 2005 TIFF and Movie Reviews at 11:04 PM
Barbara Bush Blows It
Quick! Somebody tell Barbara Bush that the year is 2005 and not 1955! After touring the Houston Astrodome a few days ago, Barbara Bush said,
What I’m hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them.
I had to read this quote a couple of times to believe it. Now a White House spokesman is saying that her comments were a “personal observation” as if that justifies anything. Next we’ll hear that she didn’t take her meds, that she was confused at the time. Unbelievable.
Posted in News at 1:04 PM
Film Reviews at Variety.com
Variety.com has some interesting reviews of films that are playing at the Venice Film Festival and at the Toronto International Film Festival this week. Some of the reviews include Bubble, Wah Wah, Capote, Brokeback Mountain and Elizabethtown.
I was surprised to read that Steven Soderbergh not only directed Bubble, but also shot the film under the name Peter Andrews and edited under the name Mary Ann Bernard. Can’t wait to see this film on Sunday night.
Posted in Movies at 1:56 AM
iTunes 5, iPod nano and my new 40 GB iPod
iTunes 5 is out today but you won’t be able to upgrade via Software Update under OS X. You’ll have to download iTunes 5 from Apple’s website. The new interface looks nice and improves on the usability. There are minor enhancements to the program which keep getting better and better.
iPod nano is also out today. Say goodbye to the iPod mini. These things look sexy, have great battery life and will sell bundles. I expect that a lot of people with 20 GB and 40 GB iPods, that are having a hard time filling them with music, will upgrade to iPod nano.
My father (the iPod fanatic) just upgraded to a 20 GB colour iPod (his 5th iPod to date) which means I’ve happily acquired his 4th generation 40 GB model. I already have a 2nd generation 20 GB iPod (also from him). I love it that he feels this need to upgrade his toys. I better tell him that iPod nano came out and is better than is new 20 GB colour model.
I’m not sure how I’m going to fill a 40 GB iPod with music. Who has that much time to catalog and burn their entire music collection? The best thing about this 40 GB iPod is that it was free! The second best thing about this iPod is that I can back up CompactFlash cards from my digital camera.
If the step-daughter does well in school and can figure out how to quit smoking then she may be able to graduate from her iPod Shuffle to a 20 GB iPod. Failing this, the 6 year-old will be the only kid on the block with an iPod listening to Foo Fighters.
Posted in Apple at 5:48 PM
CNE Air Show
On Sunday I went to the CNE Air Show in Toronto. I was supposed to meet up with a friend of mine but he was too hung-over and didn’t show up. That’s okay though, because his brother and his father were there and we had a good time without him.
Neal, I hope you had fun at your party because you missed a great air show. You can view a few pics on Bombippy Photos.
Oh, and I hope you made it to the bathroom this time. If not, then best of luck scrubbing down those walls and the floors. Skål!
Posted in Photography at 12:59 AM
Final TIFF Picks
On Labour Day I went down to pick up my Film Festival tickets. 8 out of the 10 films I picked were available. This meant I had to run over to the TIFF box office and line up for 3 hours and pick a couple of alternate choices.
Here are the ten films I’ll be viewing at the festival with show times. If you’re seeing any of the same films then look for me in line.
- The Well — documentary film directed by Kristian Petr
(Fri, Sep 9/05, 1:30 PM, Paramount 4) - Sketches of Frank Gehry — documentary directed by Sydney Pollack
(Sat, Sep 10/05, 12:00 PM, Elgin Theatre) - Capote — directed by Bennett Miller
(Sat, Sep 10/05, 3:00 PM, Elgin Theatre) - Bubble — directed by Steven Soderbergh
(Sun, Sep 11/05, 7:30 PM, Varsity 8) - Revolver — directed by Guy Ritchie
(Mon, Sep 12/05, 12:30 PM, Ryerson Theatre) - Mary — Abel Ferrara
(Tue, Sep 13/05, 11:30 AM, Cumberland 2) - Thumbsucker — directed by Mike Mills
(Tue, Sep 13/05, 9:00 PM, VISA Screening Room—Elgin) - 51 Birch Street — documentary directed by Doug Block
(Wed, Sep 14/05, 8:30 PM, Cumberland 3) - Why We Fight — documentary directed by Eugene Jarecki
(Thu, Sep 15/05, 4:00 PM, Cumberland 3) - Thank You For Smoking directed by Jason Reitman
(Sat, Sep 17/05, 9:15 PM, Ryerson Theatre)
Posted in Movies at 10:52 PM
Where Good Times Haven’t Rolled
Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post has an excellent article about the the race issues surrounding the disaster down in New Orleans. His article, Where Good Times Haven’t Rolled, addresses some of the issues that the most of the American media seem to be afraid to report on.
There is also some great audio on washingtonpost.com Mayor Ray Nagin, the mayor of New Orlean is “pissed” with the way the federal government has responded to the crisis in the south. He even goes as far as saying that “God is watching down on them” and that “they are going to have to pay the price if they’re not doing everything in their power”.
All of this reminds me of a powerful line from the film Hotel Rwanda. UN peacekeeper Colonel Oliver (Nick Nolte) is trying to explain to Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle) why the US won’t intervene while a million Rwandans are murdered — ” You’re black. You’re not even a nigger. You’re an African.”
Approximately two-thirds of New Orleans is black. How long do you think it would take for FEMA or the National Guard to provide aid to Beverly Hills or West Palm Beach if it were struck by Katrina?
Posted in News at 4:27 PM
