To The Wonder (2013, dir. Terrence Malick) ***.5/****

In a recent Cineaste article the question is posed "What the hell happened with Terrence Malick?" alluding to the fact that in his recent films ("To The Wonder", "Tree of Life) he has fallen off the track of the genius he displayed in earlier titles such as "Badlands", "Days of Heaven", and "The Thin Red Line".  I can't agree with this argument however and found much to be admired in "To The Wonder".  It is a mysterious, lyrical, hypnotic piece that further demonstrates that Malick is one of the greatest, most consistent directors of all time.
  The film stars Ben Affleck and Olga Kurylenko as Neil and Marina, two souls who meet and fall in love in Paris, Marina's home (Neil is visiting from the U.S.)  The scenes in Paris at the beginning of the film are understated, simple and evocative.  Marina's voice-over (in French) gives philosophical outlooks and statements on the theme of the initial wonderment and excitement of two people falling in love while we are shown images of the couple and Marina's young daughter wandering the streets of Paris and enjoying each other's company.  The three of them move to Oklahoma in the United States.  Their relationship starts to cool-off and Marina finds solace under the guidance of a local priest played by Javier Bardem.  Bardem's character and his own voice-over provides interesting comments on Catholicism and religion in general.  He is a conflicted, haunted soul who questions his own divinity.  He brings to mind the existential angst demonstrated in the main character in Robert Bresson's "Diary of a Country Priest".
   When Marina's Visa expires, she returns to France with her daughter.  During this estrangement, Neil starts a relationship with an old high-school flame named Jane (Rachel McAdams).  Their love for each other is passionate but also short-lived.  Marina returns to the U.S. and to Neil where they are soon married but things get complicated once again.
   I can see why many would be put-off or bored by this film.  Not a lot happens.  It requires patience and perseverance but it is a rewarding experience for fans of Malick and lovers of poetic, lyrical cinema with beautiful cinematography.  It is not Malick's best film but it continues with his major ideas and themes and adds a lot to his identification as a true cinematic auteur.

Rush (2013, dir. Ron Howard) ***/****

I should start off this review by iterating the fact that I am not and never have been a fan of Formula One or any other kind of car racing.  Cars zipping around a track at 200 miles per hour continuously for 80 laps could not be more boring to me.  That being said, I liked Ron Howard's "Rush" despite its subject matter.  The car races are filmed in such a way as to garner much excitement and adrenaline-pumping visual splendour to the effect that it doesn't matter if you're a fan or not:  "Rush" transcends its subject matter.  But, such is the machinations of all Hollywood fiction films in that they can turn even the most boring pro-filmic events into something beyond our imagination and expectation.
  "Rush" tells the tale of the 1976 Formula One, year-long competition between British racer James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Austrian Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl).  The two men's personalities could not be different:  Hunt is a cocky, womanizing, hedonistic, throw-caution-to-the-wind, charismatic, trash-talking speedster, while Lauda is a cautious, rat-faced, technically-inclined, well-behaved racer.  The clashing personas add an interesting dynamic to the picture.  The races are all about risking your life in the pursuit of personal honour and glory.  There is a 20 percent chance of losing your life in any given race.  In certain races in the film the percentage goes up because of dangerous weather and road conditions.  At one point Lauda wants to cancel a race because of the rain and the risks involved but those in favour of going ahead with the race outnumber the ones in favour of cancelling.  So the race goes on and Lauda, in a horrific accident, almost loses his life.  He was leading the year-long competition at that time in total points and for about a month, all he can do is watch the television from his hospital bed while the physicians vacuum his filthy lungs and he recovers.
   It all comes down to the final race of the year in Japan once again in the pouring rain.  Hunt must finish third to win the championship and the actions of both men in the race are compelling.    I won't give away the end result but if you were a fan of Formula One racing in the seventies perhaps you already know.
  Some have said this is the greatest of all Sports films.  It is definitely not that but it is a good film and worth seeing.  The performances are good and the cinematography of the races are excellent and exciting to watch.  I probably still won't watch any car racing in the near future but this film has opened my eyes to the wonder and risky drama of the world of Formula one racing.

Don Jon (2013, dir. Joseph Gordon-Levitt) ****/****

Internet pornography addiction, as presented in Joseph Gordon-Levitt's "Don Jon" is a hell of a thing:  like any addiction it consumes the user's entire life and acts as a substitute for reality, including real sex, forcing the addict to resort to it as an emotional balm for insecurities and spiritual emptiness. 

  Levitt directs, writes and stars in an electrifying directorial debut that probably speaks to millions of twentysomethings who look at porn on the internet for masturbational purposes frequently if not daily.  It is no mistake that "Don Jon" sounds and looks an awful like "Don Juan":  Levitt's character Jon is a slick, smooth-talking lady's man who frequents nightclubs every weekend with his buddies to score with susceptible female "10's" who are lured in by his sleazy, guido charms.  But, as we are soon made aware, the sex that he enjoys with these women he picks up at night clubs are no substitute for the satisfaction he garners from his constant internet porn vice.  But, "all guys look at porn", as Jon iterates at one point in the film and it wouldn't be surprising if many young viewers can identify with Jon's habit.  

   Eventually, Jon runs into Barbara (Scarlett Johansson) in a club and is immediately attracted.  But Barb is not like the other girls:  she is not that easy, is smart, sassy and she's even better looking than most of the other "10's" that he's used to.  Soon, the two are dating and in a relationship.  Things go awry when the nasty porn addiction is discovered despite the fact that Barbara has her own superficial quasi-addiction to romance movies.

   The movie is funny and has witty dialogue.  It is also explicitly frank about sexuality and insightful about modern day relationship dynamics.  There are funny moments at Jon's parent's house where Tony Danza, in a hilarious performance, plays Jon's hot-headed father.  Jon also frequents church every Sunday where he confesses to his previous week's sins.  There is critical commentary on modern Catholicism in the confessionals.  Julianne Moore has a welcome appearance as an older woman Jon meets at an adult education class who teaches him about the importance of "losing yourself" in your sexual partner, the importance of close emotional involvement with your lover, and the downside of porn in that it makes real sex somewhat one-sided and egocentric.

  This is one of the best comedies of the year and a clear-sighted, efficient directorial job by first time director Levitt.  I look forward to his future work and so should you.

Gravity (2013, dir. Alfonso Cuaron) ****/****

"Gravity" has jaw-dropping special effects and a suspenseful, engrossing story.  Sandra Bullock and George Clooney play astronauts on a space station 600 km above the Earth.  Things go horribly wrong when an explosion sends flying debris from a Russian missile towards their space station and does horrible damage and destruction.  The rest of the movie depicts how some of the astronauts must do what they can under extreme duress to find safety and return to Earth.  It is a simplistic plot but director Cuaron does a masterful job of creating a distressful, chaotic environment that is never quite free of impending doom and danger.   The 3D effects are amazing and will captivate the viewer.  At one point, Bullock's character sheds tears in zero-gravity and we are given a looming shot of a lone tear as it appears in 3D in the foreground hovering slowly and then vanishing off-screen.  The shots of Earth from above are a marvel and exquisitely beautiful.  At one hour and thirty minutes it is a short film and you are barely given time to breathe.  It is an action-packed sci-fi film that won't disappoint.

Blue Jasmine (2013, dir. Woody Allen) ****/****

I have seen the best film so far of 2013 and that film is "Blue Jasmine".  This is also one of Woody Allen's best which is saying a lot.  No film has entertained this reviewer this much so far this year.  Cate Blanchett will probably be nominated and possibly win best actress for a performance that is intricate, complex, funny, and captivating.  She plays Jasmine, a woman we learn about through flashbacks and present day events who comes from New York to San Francisco penniless, divorced and unhappy to live with and impose upon her sister, Ginger (Sally Hawkins).   The flashbacks tell a troubled tale in which she goes from a happy, rich, and fulfilled young woman married to Hal (Alec Baldwin) to a poor, destitute, now older woman who's husband is now dead from suicide after a Ponzi-scheme that was foiled.  The present day portions of the film tells how Jasmine is adjusting to her new life in menial work and a desire to better herself.
   The film is often funny in the vein of typical Woody Allen films but it is more dramatic than anything.  Jasmine is such a complex, troubled and eccentric character that it is impossible not to love her.  Cate Blanchett hits the nail on the head with a gutsy, bravado performance but all the other actors in this film are performing at the top of their game as well.  I especially liked Bobby Cannavale and Andrew Dice Clay as Ginger's former and current boyfriends.  This is the best Woody Allen film in years and deserves awards when the time comes.

Prisoners (2013, dir. Denis Villeneuve) ***/****

When I initally came out of Denis Villeneuve's thriller "Prisoners" I felt somewhat let-down and disappointed.  After some introspection and deliberation however, I came to appreciate the movie more for what it is.
   After seeing this film, you may initially figure that the "Prisoners" of the title are the two little girls who are kidnapped early in the movie.  But, some further thinking might lead you to speculate that the term "prisoner" can be used to encapsulate several more of the principle characters of the film.  The ensemble cast is lead by Hugh Jackman as Keller Dover, the patriarch of the Dover family and the man who's daughter Anna (Erin Gerasimovich) along with her playmate Joy (Kyla Drew Simmons) mysteriously vanish one overcast day in November.  The only thing that stands as any evidence is the remembrance of a camper being parked near where they disappeared.  The owner of the camper is discovered to be Alex Jones (Paul Dano) a weird young man with the IQ of a ten year old.  Jake Gyllenhaal plays Detective Loki who leads the investigation.  When the Dano character fails to admit any guilt in the disappearance he is let go.  Keller Dover (Jackman), still determined of the guilt of the Alex takes matters into his own hands and kidnaps him and holds him as a prisoner trying to find out the two girls location.
   Thus, not only are the two girls prisoners, so is Alex Jones and so is Jackman and Terrence Howard (the father of Joy) who are prisoners of their own obsessions.  Detective Loki is a prisoner of his own determination to solve the mystery.  We also learn later on that Jackman's character is a prisoner of addiction (alcoholism).
  "Prisoners" is a very well-made thriller with a lot of suspense and murky, down-trodden atmosphere.  I had trouble caring deeply for many of the characters which has prevented me from giving it a higher rating.  But the film has many admirable qualities.  The cinematography is gloomy and appropriate, the performances are top-notch, and the story will keep you guessing until the end and on the edge of your seat.  It is a difficult film to love but it stays with you afterwards and leaves a lasting impression.

Child of God (2013, dir. James Franco) ***/****

James Franco's "Child of Good" is an adaptation of a Cormac McCarthy novel of the same title.  It is an often disturbing, chilling adaptation with a fine performance from the lead, Scott Haze as Lester Ballard.

   Lester is the "Child of God" of the title and you won't come across a more vile creature at TIFF this year.  He has a penchant for shooting his rifle and necrophilia.  He is constantly on the prowl in the vast, wild woods of his hometown, squatting in various abandoned cabins for shelter.  The film is divided into three separate acts all depicting Lester as he tries to survive on his own.  

   In the first act, Lester goes to a carnival where he wins in a shooting gallery, three giant stuffed animals.  This provides comic relief and a scene later on where he expresses his rage and suspicion by shooting them to pieces.  This is a scene which Scott Haze, in a Q&A after the film revealed was improvised by him and director Franco.

   In the second act, Lester comes across a running car parked at the side of the road in which are two fresh corpses - a young man and woman.  Lester, after some deliberation, has intercourse with the female body and decides to carry her back to his cabin where he will treat he like a girlfriend for a while.  He goes into town and buys a red dress for her and pretties her up to his liking.  Scenes such as this are hard to watch but they are compelling at the same time.  Lester's dreams and his new "girlfriend" literally go up in smoke when the cabin has a fire that destroys everything inside that Lester isn't able to salvage including the corpse. 

  In the third and final act, there is murder and more mayhem.  Lester must deal with the moral choices that he makes as the a group of townspeople come to forcefully inquire what he has done with a couple of dead bodies.  

  There is a welcome supporting performance from Tim Blake Nelson as a local sheriff and James Franco also appears in a small role.  There is one disturbing image after another and we are made aware early on that this will be hard to watch when we see Lester defecating in the woods.  Actor Haze revealed in the Q&A that he was really shitting in the woods on camera.  This is no ordinary film.  It is shocking and disturbing - a unique cinematic experience.