Hello Everyone.
I saw three films today, and that has my count up to 22 over the past 6 days.
I started my day with the biggest sob of the fest so far. ONE LIFE, dir James Hawes (UK). “Sir Anthony Hopkins stars as Sir Nicholas Winton, a British stockbroker who helped rescue hundreds of children from Europe on the verge of the Second World War, an act of compassion that was almost forgotten for 50 years.” (TIFF Catalog). Some might think this little film is too easy or on-the-nose…and I would understand where they’re coming from…but I don’t agree. This film works and achieves exactly what it set out to do. The narrative has parallel story lines – a more contemporary story about a man cleaning his office and remembering his past…and the memories come to life of the work he did just before WWII. It’s powerful…it’s inspiring…it speaks to current political and humanitarian issues. With handsome photography, score and production design, I know this would be a hit with our audience. I’m showing two pics from this film because Hopkins isn’t the only big star in this film.
My next film covered some similar territory as ONE LIFE – but this biopic is itching to get Kate Winslet another Oscar nomination. LEE, dir. Ellen Kuras (UK). “Oscar winner Kate Winslet stars in this fascinating portrait of the great American war correspondent Lee Miller, whose singular talent and ferocious tenacity gave us some of the 20th century’s most indelible images.” (TIFF catalog) Lee Miller was a model turned photographer, and she most famously worked as a war correspondent for British Vogue. The film is set up as Miller is being interviewed about her life and career – so the life story is told through flashbacks that are motivated by photos that she is showing her interviewer (played by Josh O’Connor from THE CROWN). I questioned some tonal “shifts” in the film, but ultimately thought it was a strong endeavor and spurred my interest to learn more about the subject. Some people might feel cheated by the last 15 minutes…I rather liked the ending (as well as the contextual photos and “update” at the end).
My final film today was a mini crowdpleaser – complete with audience applause in the middle of the movie…but sadly, it’s not the next JOJO RABBIT. NEXT GOAL WINS, dir. Taika Waititi (USA). “Michael Fassbender, Elisabeth Moss, and Oscar Kightley star in Taika Waititi’s comedy about the American Samoa soccer team’s attempt to make a World Cup — 12 years after their infamous 31-0 loss in a 2002 World Cup qualifying match.” (TIFF catalog) This film treads familiar territory. In fact, it’s so familiar that some of the jokes seem lifted directly from TED LASSO. It’s an underdog story, and you really start rooting for the losing team – and I did find myself on the edge of my seat a few times. Unfortunately, there were moments when Michael Fassbender’s disposition changed on a dime – and I questioned a few times if I had fallen asleep and missed something. Regardless, there’s still a lot to like about this rag-tag soccer team, and I think audiences will embrace the movie together on the big screen…but it’s not great. (And I kinda hate that Waititi put himself in the film…his intro is so unnecessary, and his caricature is cringe-worthy.)
No big parties or anything crazy tonight. I’m going to write THE NEON’s newsletter and hopefully get a good night’s slepp.
Thanks for reading!
Jonathan
