TIFF 2011 Twitter Re-cap

Rather than expand on the brief Twitter reviews I wrote of the films I saw at TIFF 2011, I'm just going to continue in the tradition of 2009 and 2010 and re-post those reviews. In most cases, I've also included a trailer or clip, which generally say far more than I could in 280 characters (2 tweets). The obvious exception is The Descendants, which has a bizarrely misleading trailer. Also, if I'm not mistaking, there isn't a single note of music anywhere in Outside Satan, so try to pretend that (somewhat effective) cue isn't there. -- JD

Into the Abyss - Less obviously mystical and poetic than other recent Herzog docs, but full of peculiar behaviour and anecdotes. A bit too conventional and clear about its moral perspective. Strange, appealing combination of pathos and humor. 7.8/10

Le Havre - One of Aki Kaurismäki's most visually accomplished films. Touching and uplifting, this is a far cry from the bleak, unforgiving comedies he made earlier in his career. Still, his unmistakable tone/pace/humor is in tact. 8.4/10

This is Not a Film - Surprisingly playful, entertaining record of Jafar Panahi's house arrest. More humanistic comedy than political protest. Ultimately plays like a tribute to the potential for great cinema everywhere, even in the face of crippling restrictions. 8.9/10

Wuthering Heights - Andrea Arnold's tedious, repetitive follow-up to Fish Tank lacks its predecessor's wit, personality, diversity of tone and sense of surprise. Many striking images, but this is a joyless, curiously distant exercise. 7.1/10

Outside Satan - Incredible, unsettling Bruno Dumont film, closer in style and spirit to Flanders than Hadewijch. Alternates between extreme calm and nightmarish horror. One of Dumont's most rich, suggestive and visually assured films. 9.3/10

Pearl Jam Twenty - The kind of movie Cameron Crowe was born to make. Full of entertaining archival material. Tells the band's story with insight, clarity, focus and inventive editorial flourishes. Not just for PJ fans. 8.6/10

Breathing - Disciplined, convincing film about a teenaged murderer's return to society. Lead's performance is dour and distant, but it pays off resonantly in the final third. Sensitive and restrained, if not especially groundbreaking. 7.7/10

Drive - Virtuoso, uber-stylized filmmaking from Nicolas Winding Refn. Just about everything in the film works, though the cartoonish, Eurotrash violence is a bit of a miscalculation. Probably Gosling's best work to date. Great soundtrack. 9.0/10

Twixt - Disappointing exercise in absurdist gothic horror comedy. Plays like an average episode of Masters of Horror. Lacks the artful visuals of Coppola's last 2 films. References the boating death of Coppola's son in a very strange way. 6.8/10

Shame - Extremely worthy follow-up to Hunger, though it's a bit less arty and a bit more accessible. In the tradition of 70s dramas like Fingers and Last Tango in Paris. Incredibly vulnerable performance by Michael Fassbender. 9.3/10

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory - Unfortunately, the recent developments in this case kind of take away this film's reason for existing. PL3 is campaigning hard for something that has already happened. Still, the usual assortment of injustice stirs engrossing outrage. 7.3/10

Footnote - Fascinating and very original script, performed with clarity and conviction. Some of director Joseph Cedar's visual and musical choices are a bit over-stated, but they bring urgency to the film's cerebral subject matter. 8.3/10

The Loneliest Planet - Julia Loktev's disappointing follow-up to Day Night Day Night is aimless and lacks strong sense of purpose. Frustratingly literal-minded emphasis on realism. Would benefit from a more formalized visual approach. 6.6/10

Martha Marcy May Marlene - Eerie, disturbing and very convincing look at life in and out of a cult. Mixes convincing drama with subtle horror. One of the most controlled and mature films to emerge from Sundance in a long time. 8.9/10

The Kid with a Bike - The Dardenne brothers back in their comfort zone. The manic title character is never sentimentalized, in spite of his age, which makes his struggles all the more heartbreaking. Brief passages of Beethoven used to powerful effect. 400 Blows-esque. 9.1/10

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia - A 157-minute art film that races by. It's hard to pin-down exactly what Nuri Bilge Ceylan is trying to get across much of the time, but it's executed with intriguing, enigmatic elegance. Stellar visual ideas and performances throughout. 8.9/10

I'm Carolyn Parker - Yet another lively and humane documentary by Jonathan Demme. Chronicles the post-Katrina life of an unforgettable New Orleanian. Emphasis on humor and community, not political bickering. One of the most appealing protagonists in recent memory. 8.7/10

Paul Williams Still Alive - Entertaining, self-aware profile of Hollywood-icon-turned-Vegas-mainstay. Director S. Kessler puts too much emphasis on humor, but his strategy yields revealing results. Nostalgic overload for anyone with strong ties to 70s pop culture. 8.2/10

Sleeping Beauty - Intriguing premise is damaged by episodic and wooden execution. Writer/director Julia Leigh's attempt to design/control every frame gives the film a precise yet airless feeling. Not very convincing as drama, but expertly captures sense of erie unease. 7.6/10

Take Shelter - Uses mental illness and fears of apocalypse to explore the challenges of marriage. Primarily a triumph of script and performance. Incredible work by Michael Shannon, who simultaneously radiates madness and terrified, prophetic sanity. 8.8/10

Michael - Mundane, minimal, occasionally irreverent film about an Austrian man who holds a young boy captive in his basement. Little urgency or surprise and not much cinematic imagination, but it's a unique look at an unpleasant topic. 7.5/10

The Descendants - A. Payne's most mature, accomplished film to date. Where he once employed mean-spirited humor, he now shows restraint and sensitivity. Hawaiian music used to great effect. Acting is exceptional, particularly Clooney. Unsentimental, yet very moving. 9.7/10

Melancholia - Major disappointment from LVT. In terms of filmmaking, he's on handheld cruise control. Dull, irritating characters aren't especially credible and the film lacks tension or suspense. Some powerful moments, but it's a big step-down from Antichrist. 7.3/10

House of Tolerance - Vivid period piece about French brothel circa 1900. Not much narrative, but the filmmaking is inventive, the characters are authentic and the depiction of prostitution is both respectful and unflinching. Many striking editorial flourishes. 8.4/10

That Summer - Typically dark but down-to-earth Philippe Garrel relationship drama subjects Garrel's son to the same fate as 2008's Frontier of Dawn. Credibly captures disorientation of betrayal and romantic ambivalence. Good performance by Monica Bellucci. 7.8/10

The Turin Horse - Incredibly grim, repetitive Bela Tarr film borders on self-parody, but its rhythms and aesthetics are transfixing. Vividly captures sense of human lives battling for survival. Potatoes repeatedly karate-chopped. 8.0/10

Goodbye First Love - Mia Hansen-Løve's third consecutive gem after All is Forgiven and Father of My Children shares its predecessors' emphasis on longing and loss. Closer to the former than the latter. Wisely avoids grand dramatic gestures. 8.6/10

Samsara - Ron Fricke's long overdue follow-up to Baraka is a spellbinding cinematic experience. Preoccupied with mutations to the human body and our species' shift toward self-simulation in the face of self-destruction. Astonishing visuals. 9.5/10