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Days 5 of TIFF - Trying to catch up, but failing miserably.

Aaron had class Monday morning (whatanerd!) so he gave me his ticket to "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" to review. I was sleepy, sleepy, sleepy. Which has been the state I've been in for the last two days, unfortunately (for me and for the movies). Running around two and a half hours, "TAOJJBTCRF" was a rough way to start my first day after hitting the wall (I blame going to every night's Midnight Madness screening this year). Just for length and pace though. It's a good film with a couple great lead performances by Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck as the two titular characters. A hilarious cameo by Michael Parks was a pleasant surprise, as was Sam Rockwell's supporting part as Affleck's older brother. That said, I didn't have strong feelings for the film like I expected to considering all of the advance press that I'd read about it, and don't think that it has the energy or great writing that a western needs to reach a large audience these days. Best case scenario is that Pitt and/or Affleck will get lots of attention come awards season, and it'll do swell on video or get a bit of a re-release.

Later on, I rushed to the theatre to see the new Werner Herzog film, "Encounters at the End of the World". Heading in, I noticed someone surrounded by people with cameras. I looked (celebrities are the new car crash, fyi), and saw that it was Herzog. I caught a few giddy glances of him over my shoulder as I went in, and then headed up the escalator.

"EATEOTW" is a documentary (what Herzog is best at) about Antartica, which was filmed (taped) over a 6 week stay in various camps by Herzog and a cameraman. Full of strange and beautiful images somewhat reminissant (though not equal to those) of "Lessons of Darkness" in their otherworldliness. Stunning footage of massive spikes of ice that shoot down into the water, and strange underwater creatures are offset with interviews with some of Antarctica's more interesting inhabitans. In classic Herzog style, we hear Herzog ask a question, watch subjects answer the question, then squirm for 5 seconds or so while Herzog remains silent, waiting to see how they'll react to the silence. Somehow it never gets old.

Herzog's narrations are some of my favourite things in the world, and though this film's doesn't stand among his best, it does feature him being perhaps his most out and out funny. He on a couple ocassions, decides to start narration over an interview clip, stating that they went on forever, and sumarizing their stories.

... (sleeping)

Three and a half hours of sleep later, and I have to run out to 3 movies now. I'm way behind, but will try to catch up later tonight, if not tomorrow. Check back then too see if I'm able to form a complete sentence, because I feel like I'm sort of losing it at this point. I'll try my best to avoid it, but don't be shocked if my next blog is in point form.

-Jeff.
whatsaninternet.blogspot.com (there's a couple new midnight madness reviews up there)

Posted on 09/12/07 by: Jeff. 11:27 AM