Monday, August 30, 2010

Brief Emmy award recap...

Who cares?

Mad Men won best drama, as expected.

I'm sorry I kinda failed with weekly Mad Men analysis but I promise I will talk about season four at some point... a lot of shit has happened in season four and I think it's been my favorite season so far. Roger Sterling taking no shit from the Japs, Betty Draper taking no shit from her daughter, Don taking no shit from Betty... damn... and I haven't even seen last night's episode.

Modern Family won best comedy, haven't seen it but I've heard good things.

Sucks that Conan didn't win for best variety show. I think The Daily Show has won that enough times. Seriously, they've won it every year since 2003. C'mon...

Everything else... bleh... but good for the folks on Breaking Bad for their awards and John Lithgow's amazing performance on Dexter deserves to be mentioned and honored, glad he won an Emmy for that.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

A message to movie-goers this weekend

Warning: there may be some profanity in this blog post.

You were warned.


Now look, I don't care if you went to see the Expendables. I have yet to see the film, but I want to see it eventually. No bad feelings towards all of you, you guys are ok. But now you have to see Scott Pilgrim, especially if you belong in my generation.

First of all, get over the fact that Michael Cera stars in this film, ok? He actually does a pretty good job playing Scott Pilgrim and he's really not as annoying as a lot of you make him out to be. Besides, there are so many great performances and appearances by other great actors that it all balances it out. Everyone in this film is funny and has their moment to shine.

If you can't see the film because of Michael Cera, then for the love of God, see it for Edgar Wright's masterful camera work and visual effects. Everything that Wright does works almost 100% of the time for the film and he starts the energetic fun off right away before you even get the chance to sit down in the movie theater.

Edgar Wright is one of the most talented filmmakers to come around in a long time and he works primarily in the comedy genre. Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz are hilarious movies, but both are also very well-made. Technically, Scott Pilgrim trumps both films although they're all around the same level humor-wise. What I'm saying here is that Scott Pilgrim is the ideal cinema experience. A really funny film with awesome visuals. If you've ever played in a band before, if you've ever played video games before, if you ever been a fucking teenager before... you will like this film. Don't be an asshole and go see it before it loses its place in movie theaters around the country. The film is a gift for our generation and you're all unfairly ignoring it.

And you decide to see Vampires Suck this weekend instead. Really? Vampires Suck made $12.5 million this weekend. That's about $2 million more than what Scott Pilgrim made last weekend. So more of you saw Vampires Suck than you saw Scott Pilgrim last weekend? Both films are more-or-less aimed at our generation (or perhaps, in Vampires Suck's case, aimed at the lowest common denominator... which is our generation too) and you choose to see Vampires Suck.

Now please, enlighten me. Tell me what exactly is so appealing about Vampires Suck. Was it the name? Vampires Suck. That drew you in, didn't it? Cause you knew the movie would be about vampires but you also knew that the film would be really funny based on the extremely clever pun "vampires suck." You're a douchebag if you chose to see this film. This isn't a "hey man, that's my personal preference, you can't judge me based on my opinion, opinions can't be wrong..." No, they can be wrong when you choose to see this fucking movie over ANY other movie this weekend. What, in the world, gave you the idea that this movie would be any good? The jokes are absolutely awful, judging by the trailer. And this is from the people who made Meet the Spartans and Epic Movie. Have you not learned from those past mistakes? Do you not get that these movie's creators are the absolute worst in cinema? They don't even have any jokes in their films, they just reference something current in our pop culture and you're supposed to laugh because... it's there. Hey look, it's the people from Jersey Shore. Why is that funny? I don't know but... look it's them! Haha, I get it.... oh and there's Lady Gaga... and there's Alice from Alice in Wonderland... and maybe Miley Cyrus is in there too, I don't know.

You have to be a true retard to think any of that is funny. $12.5 million is way too much money for this film to make on its opening weekend. You all should know better. You have this other film at the same local multiplex called Scott Pilgrim that is funny, sharp, visually inventive and you choose Vampires Suck instead. Vampires Suck, a film that could've been made by 5th graders in their backyard.

Fuck you. Seriously, I hate you. You have absolutely no taste if you went to see Vampires Suck. If you're under the age of 12, then I hate the parents who let you see such a shit film. Parents, come on. I would've rather my kid see Pirahna 3D than Vampires Suck. At least Pirahna 3D isn't an absolute insult to anyone who has a real sense of humor.

Vampires Suck has absolutely zero star power, it's a "comedy" with absolutely zero jokes, and the creators of the film has made a handful of equally awful films in the past few years. How is it that it opened at 2nd place this weekend? Why are you doing this? Why are you giving these filmmakers an excuse to keep making these movies?

People complain about the state of movies of recent years and how the Academy Awards are "out of touch" with everyone's current taste. Well let me be the one who personally thanks the Academy for being that way. You want an award show that caters to your taste, go watch the fucking MTV Movie Awards, you mindless pieces of shit. And then when you're done with that, go watch Vampires Suck again. Just remember that you're the reason why we can't have nice things. You're the reason why everything sucks.

Thank you for your contributions to society, I hope you rot in hell.

Once again, this is only for those who saw Vampires Suck. Everyone else, we're cool.

Signed,
Kenneth G.

Friday, August 20, 2010

The Tree of Life actually might come out this year!

So word has it that The Tree of Life IS going to be released this year, it just won't come out in the festival circuit. Currently, Terrence Malick is already shooting another film and The Tree of Life is basically finished, but is being trimmed down from its original 180+ minute running time to around 150 minutes. Look for this film to come out in limited release late December, then most likely there'll be a wider release in early January.

Another Year official trailer

#6 on my most anticipated films list, now you can get a better glimpse of what this movie's all about.


Thursday, August 19, 2010

Fair Game trailer

And to add on to the interesting slate of movies this fall... Fair Game



dir: Doug Liman
cast: Naomi Watts, Sean Penn
release date: 11/5/2010, limited release

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Top 15 most anticipated movies for the rest of the year

So, you think that there won't be any movies worth seeing this fall, huh? So far the summer has disappointed you, why would the fall be any better? Well, douchebag, you're wrong! Ok, you're not a douchebag, you're probably a nice guy. You're not that nice though. Trust me, I've heard enough about you. But enough about you... let's talk about my top 15 most anticipated movies for the rest of the year! I'll never again use two exclamation points in one paragraph.

1. Black Swan


Cast: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Release date: 12/1/2010

Why is this the most anticipated movie for me? Well, you have Aronofsky, you have Clint Mansell composing the music, the film stars Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, there may or may not be some crazy sexual tension in this film, the style looks like a combination of old-Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream) and new-Aronofsky (Wrestler), and after watching the trailer, I still have no idea what we'll be in for. I was never even a fan of Aronofsky, not for the longest time. If you'd noticed, Requiem for a Dream wasn't on my 2000s list and that wasn't a mistake. I'm not a fan of the film. I think it has some great visuals and it proved that Aronofsky was a very stylish director... but I felt that the style overshadowed the substance and when you're making a movie about drugs, I just feel that's the wrong approach. While it was interesting and it wasn't a bad movie, it just kinda left me feeling empty.

The Wrestler was the complete opposite. Here, Aronofsky completely stripped his style and the result was brilliant. That being said, I welcome some of the old Aronofsky as long as it doesn't get too ahead of its content. From the looks of the trailer, I think everything will be just fine. I'm hoping with this film, Aronofsky will prove that people should be paying more serious attention to his work - if they haven't been already. With the Nolans, PTAs, and Tarantinos in the world - where does Aronofsky fit in this group? I think we'll find out with this film.

2. The Fighter
[No Poster Yet]
Cast: Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg
Director: David O. Russell
Release date: 12/10/2010

There's no poster, no trailer for this film yet but I'm really looking forward to this film regardless. I've heard a lot of great things about the on-set chemistry between actors and crew and when David O. Russell isn't making news for being a hot head, he's making great films. This happens to be his first film in six years. I'm interested in seeing how he approaches this material and the Wahlberg-Russell team has been solid (see Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees). I wasn't really a fan of Million Dollar Baby or Cinderella Man. Could this be the boxing movie I've been waiting for since Raging Bull? We'll see; we'll get a better idea once the trailer's released.

3. The Social Network


Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake
Director: David Fincher
Release date: 10/1/2010

I'm sorry if you're not feeling a movie about Facebook, but you know what? I am. The trailer has only made me ten times more interested than I was before. Why did Aaron Sorkin want to write the screenplay for this film and why did Fincher decide to direct it? Will Jesse Eisenberg be able to pull off this role? The film has got a very interesting, young cast and it's only supposed to be two hours long. Could this be the movie for the current times we live in? That's certainly possible.

4. True Grit
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon
Director: The Coen Brothers
Release date: 12/25/2010

I may be slightly burnt out on the Coen Brothers. They never made films this quickly. No Country For Old Men, Burn After Reading, and A Serious Man--three years in a row? But True Grit is a Coen Brothers western and that has automatically made me very interested in seeing this film. It's not based on the 1969 movie with John Wayne, but moreso the novel that came way before that. I'm definitely looking forward to a Coen Bros' western and seeing Jeff Bridges in a Coen Brothers movie again.

5. Somewhere

Cast: Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning
Director: Sofia Coppola
Release date: 12/22/2010

I was a huge fan of Lost in Translation when it came out and Somewhere looks like it may be in the same vain. I admit I was a little apprehensive of a film that seemed to be too close to familiar territory for Coppola. But I've watched the trailer a few times and have seen the photos that have been released on set and I really don't think this film will be that similar. This is a father-daughter story and Coppola is at her best when she gets personal. Also it would be great to see how Stephen Dorff acts in this movie. Can Sofia Coppola bring the serious, dramatic actor out of Stephen Dorff?

6. Another Year
Cast: Jim Broadbent, Leslie Manville
Director: Mike Leigh
Release date: 12/29/2010

Mike Leigh is one of the greatest directors you probably never heard of or cared about. He's responsible for "Naked," "Secrets & Lies," "Vera Drake," and "Happy-Go-Lucky." If you haven't seen any of those films, I suggest you rent them right now. All of them are great British dramas (the last one being more of a serio-comedy). The way Mike Leigh works is very interesting to me. He doesn't work from a script, but instead, a detailed outline. He makes his actors find their characters through improvisation and by doing that, he discovers things about the human psyche that other films simply don't cover. Leigh is a fascinating filmmaker and his latest effort is definitely on my list of films to see this year (although I probably won't actually be able to see it 'til early next year).

7. 127 Hours
Cast: James Franco
Director: Danny Boyle
Release date: 11/5/2010

Danny Boyle's follow up to "Slumdog Millionaire" definitely won't be the crowd pleaser that Slumdog was. In fact, he has stated that 127 Hours may be a bit of a challenge for the audience. First of all, it's been on the true story of a mountain climber that gets trapped under a boulder and must cut his own arm off to save his life. In this movie, we're mostly alone with James Franco as he's going through these very stressful moments of his life. The movie should be very intense and, at times, tough to watch. You know what, though? I'm accepting the challenge. You should too.

8. Biutiful

Cast: Javier Bardem
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Release date: 12/17/2010

Inarritu films are also tough to watch in their naked honesty, but they are all well-made even if "Babel" wasn't as strong as his other two movies. Here he's working with one of the most versatile actors working today, Javier Bardem. This is Javier's movie all the way. The movie came out in Cannes to mixed reviews but they all praised Bardem's performance. You can never really trust the reactions from Cannes and either way, I'm hoping this will be a return to greatness for Inarritu.

9. Never Let Me Go

Cast: Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan
Director: Mark Romanek
Release date: 9/15/2010

Of the top 10 films to come out this year, Mark Romanek is the wild card director. He made a film in the '80s hardly anyone saw, then made a string of visually striking music videos, then made "One Hour Photo" which was a decent thriller with a good performance from Robin Williams. That came out 8 years ago though. Romanek's been in the business for a while but this is only his third film. The trailer suggests this could be a great film and apparently the film made Spike Jonze cry. Will it make the rest of us cry too?
10. Hereafter
Cast: Matt Damon, Cecile de France
Director: Clint Eastwood
Release date: 10/22/2010

The next Clint Eastwood film comes out in just two months and there's no poster or trailer for it yet. That must mean it should be coming at any day now. There's no denying that Clint Eastwood is still in his prime as a filmmaker... even at age 80 and this film has been described as a supernatural drama. Although Eastwood has since downplayed the supernatural elements of the film. Anyway, it should be interesting to see Matt Damon work with Eastwood and whenever an Eastwood film comes out in the Fall, we're always paying attention. At least I am.

11. Blue Valentine
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams
Director: Derek Cianfrance
Release date: 12/31/2010

This film opened in Sundance and Cannes to rave reviews almost across the board. Blue Valentine is supposedly packed with great performances from Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling. Michelle Williams has been flirting in Oscar territory for awhile now as has Ryan Gosling. The film depicts a deteriorating marriage between the two leads and it should be great to see a romantic drama that doesn't try to be too sentimental. Definitely an interesting film to check out toward the end of the year.

12. Machete

Cast: Danny Trejo, Steven Seagal
Director: Robert Rodriguez, Ethan Maniquis
Release date: 9/3/2010


While this film certainly won't be a contender for any serious awards, it will be a contender for most kickass film of the year. Expendables eat your heart out. I've been looking forward to this film for way longer than Expendables. This film has been gestating for quite awhile and it'll be interesting to see just how far Robert Rodriguez goes with this film.

13. The American

Cast: George Clooney
Director: Anton Corbijn
Release date: 9/1/2010

Say what you will about George Clooney but the dude has consistently starred in great films for awhile now. He knows how to pick his projects. While I'm admittedly more interested in seeing his next film (The Descendants, directed by Alexander Payne), this film looks like a stylish, old-school type thriller. This will be esteemed photographer Anton Corbijn's first film so you know we'll be getting a visually delightful film, but will the rest of the film deliver as well?

14. Due Date

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis
Director: Todd Phillips
Release date: 11/5/2010

The first true comedy in this list is definitely still a movie I'm very excited to see. It'll be great to see Downey and Galifianakis work together, especially in a Todd Phillips film. The Hangover experienced quite a backlash toward the end of last year, but I still think it's a hilarious film. It'll be interesting to see how Phillips follows that up.

15. Tron: Legacy

Cast: Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Release date: 12/17/2010

I'm not much of a Tron fan, but I loved the visuals that I saw out of the trailer and this'll probably be the only other 3D film this year. Luckily, this was actually shot in 3D so maybe it won't look as bad as Alice in Wonderland. Let me correct myself, it DEFINITELY won't. Whether or not it'll actually be a good movie remains to be seen.


Honorable Mention:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part I
Release Date: 11/19/2010
I'm tired of the Harry Potter films, honestly. It's been going on for almost ten years now and I just can't wait for this series to be over. That being said, of course I want to see how it all ends.

It's Kind of a Funny Story
Release date: 10/8/2010
Not too excited for this film, but it could be pretty good. Another movie with Zach Galifianakis in it and the directors of this film also made Half Nelson and Sugar. So, who knows, maybe it'll be the runaway indie comedy-drama of the year.

The Tourist
Release date: 12/10/2010
I really only just heard of this film yesterday. Apparently, it's the next film by the director of the Lives of Others. It stars Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie and... yeah that's pretty much all I know so far. We'll see how this turns out.

The Tree of Life
Release date: Whenever Terrence Malick feels like it
Ok this would be an easy #1 if it actually had a release date. It doesn't. It may not even come out this year. Terrence Malick is a stubborn son of a gun but when the film finally comes out, I know I'll be blown away.

Top 5 2010 movies so far

Before I get into a fall movie preview, allow me to look back at my top five movies so far this year:

1. Inception
2. Toy Story 3
3. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
4. Shutter Island
5. Greenberg

There's tons of movies left in the year, but can any of those movies knock off my top 2 spots? I guess we'll have to wait and see. I'll keep you tuned in every month or so about what I feel are the best movies of the year, especially after having seen a whole slew of new releases.

The American and Never Let Me Go are two September movies I'm really keen on seeing, but will they wind up top 5 or even top 10 worthy? I won't even unveil an early top 10 list til November rolls around.

I like to see how the year shapes up, movie-wise. It's nice to get a perspective on the year as it continues to pass by.

Three films, three short reviews


The Other Guys - The Other Guys is a very silly, very well-made film from co-writer/director Adam McKay. McKay proves once again that he's the only one who can really get the best out of Will Ferrell as Will Ferrell delivers his funniest performance since Anchorman. He approaches his role as pretty straight-faced compared to Mark Wahlberg's hot-headed behavior and the two of them automatically strike a great chemistry (or lackthereof) from the get-go. The film delivers on the laughs and the action sequences although they were a little too self-aware of the ridiculousness of the action sequences. But, McKay continues his path towards complete absurdity as there are scenes in this film that make you laugh as much as they make you scratch your head. Overall, not quite as absurd as Step Brothers, but a lot smarter than Step Brothers. The plot never really gets too convoluted, but the running joke is that it is too convoluted for Mark Wahlberg's character who thinks it all, in some way, has to do with drugs. Anyway, a very funny outing from the McKay/Ferrell team. 8/10

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World -
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is such an insane, visually stimulating, off-the-wall hilarious type movie that all of it pretty much works. The humor, the action scenes, the attitude, the style - it all makes for a very fun movie to watch. I had more fun watching Scott Pilgrim than I had watching pretty much any other movie this summer*. It really is that good. The movie moves so fast that we may not be able to really get to know the characters as much as we'd like to, but the movie does a great job of portraying dumb, young adult puppy love. Michael Cera does a good job, but the real hero of this movie is Edgar Wright who is quickly proving to everyone that he's the most talented filmmaker of his generation. The movie may be a bit rough around the edges and it may occasionally get lost in its own cleverness, but there is so much about Scott Pilgrim to love that it really doesn't matter. 9/10

The Ghost Writer (DVD) - The Ghost Writer is a fairly intense, yet uneven effort from the great, controversial Roman Polanski. The film has a very intriguing and interesting story but it starts to run a little thin after about an hour or so. Also, the performances were a bit dry, excluding Pierce Brosnan. I really liked seeing Pierce Brosnan as the asshole former Prime Minister. I like Pierce as an asshole. I'm not saying it suits him, but it was just fun to watch. Other than that though, there were too many bits in the movie that was a bit too contrived, and overall, the plot simply goes a tad too long. I appreciated that Chinatown-esque mystery of it all, but Chinatown worked so well because of Jack Nicholson's highly charismatic performance. Ewan McGregor simply can't carry a movie by himself. A decent movie, but a movie that I can't quite recommend. 6.5/10


*while I like Inception and Toy Story 3 more, SP was definitely more fun to watch

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Uh... lol

It's been a busy time but after I see the Expendables and Scott Pilgrim, I'll give short reviews on those two movies as well as The Other Guys. I had other things i wanted to post but my laptop has been giving me problems and it's just not been a good time. So, hopefully by this upcoming week, I'll make some updates here and there.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

I'm not very consistent

I promise I will give a fairly detailed analysis of the last two episodes of Mad Men on Monday.

In the meantime, I do have something to post today. Check out my blog later.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Three films, three short reviews

I saw three (fairly) new films within the last week and I have things to say about all of them but not too much to say. Without further ado...

Iron Man 2 - Iron Man 2 is a mildly entertaining, yet completely soulless action movie. The movie never really raises the stakes like sequels are supposed to. Mickey Rourke's character is completely underused and he really isn't much of a villain even though the character had tons of potential to be a great villain. Sam Rockwell's character, Hammer, also had great potential but his transformation to become Tony Stark's nemesis felt completely one-dimensional. As far as Tony Stark is concerned, well, he was just sort of annoying. The love story between him and Pepper was practically non-existent and humorless whereas the relationship between him and the Black Widow was just... bland. Iron Man 2 did have some pretty cool action scenes but the ultimate showdown between Iron Man and Ivan just wasn't as grand as it could have been. A lot of missed opportunities with a movie everyone had such big hopes for, it's sad to see so much squandered talent on the screen. Barely passable action entertainment, nothing more. Rating: 5/10

Cyrus - I have been very intrigued by the work of The Duplass Brothers. They've made three movies now and though I only saw "The Puffy Chair" before I saw "Cyrus," I was still interested to see how their style translated into a more mainstream film. I was somewhat relieved to see that they hadn't really changed their aesthetic too much, but that herky-jerky style of camerawork that they have can be really off-putting and I feel that it even cheapens some scenes sometimes. Cyrus isn't exactly beautifully shot but it doesn't have to be. It makes good use of its cinema-verite style and The Duplass Brothers give their characters room to breathe with their organic way of filmmaking. This leads to some great performances from John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, and most surprisingly, Jonah Hill. There isn't really much to the plot other than the fact that it's about a recently divorced man named John (played by John C. Reilly) who strikes up a romance with Molly (Tomei) which appears to be going on very well until he comes across her fully-grown son Cyrus (Hill).

What's most surprising about this movie is just how unpredictable the movie feels even though it works with a premise that's been done before, albeit in various other ways. The Duplass Brothers have made great strides with this film when it comes to getting the best performances out of their actors. They made a fun film, a raw film, with some great talent. I still feel that they have to take it easy on the zooms and the handheld camerawork, but if they continue pumping out solid material like this, it can be easy thing to ignore. Rating: 8/10

The Kids Are All Right - The Kids Are All Right is a very solid, sometimes funny, portrayal of what is called an "unconventional" family. Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore) have been together for many years and have two kids (played by Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson) that are in their teens. The oldest, Joni (Wasikowska), is heading to college after the summer and her brother has been urging her that they should meet up with their sperm donor father (Mark Ruffalo). Little do they know how much this meeting will impact their family. Filmmaker Lisa Cholodenko does a great job with wonderful performances from all the main actors. Moore, Bening, and Ruffalo all show just what fine actors they really are, but Mia Wasikowska was the most surprising. If you may remember, she was Alice in Tim Burton's flat, yet slightly entertaining "Alice in Wonderland." She was interesting yet forgettable in that film, but here she shows just how capable she really is as an actress.

Cholodenko also does a good job of realistically portraying this family although I did feel that Mark Ruffalo's character Paul kinda gets a bad rap throughout the movie. Here's a guy who owns his own restaurant and may be a bit into himself, but through meeting his kids, he realizes just what he's been missing in his life. But things happen between him and Jules and he, ultimately, winds up looking like the bad guy when really what he did really wasn't as horrible as what Jules did. Some can say that he was taking advantage of Jules, but in many ways, Jules was taking advantage of him too. The fact that Paul comes off as the "bad guy" was sort of off-putting to me. Nevertheless, the movie is not about him, it's about the relationship between Jules and Nic and it's about their kids. It's about two people who have been together for a long time and have hit a rut in their relationship. It's about two kids who, after finally discovering who their father is, realize that keeping the family together is much more important than bonding with a man that they only started to get to know. The film has great performances and, as previously mentioned, the relationship between Jules and Nic and their kids is done very well. But, the relationship between Jules and Paul did not come across as strongly to me. There were just certain things about the film that kept it from being great, and instead, it was merely good. Rating: 7.5/10

Tree of Life absence




Unfortunately, it looks like Tree of Life will be missing from all of the festivals this year. Either it will get a very late Christmas release or we might not see it til next year. This is very disappointing for fans of Terrence Malick, but if you are a fan, you know how meticulous he is at his craft. Still, hoping for a late December release and that it becomes a major player during the awards season.

Venice Film Festival 2010 lineup

IN COMPETITION

  • Black Swan, (dir. Darren Aronofsky — U.S.) [Opening Night Film]
  • La Pecora Nera, (dir. Ascanio Celestini — Italy)
  • Somewhere, (dir. Sofia Coppola — U.S.)
  • Happy Few, (dir. Antony Cordier — France)
  • The Solitude of Prime Numbers, (dir. Saverio Costanzo — Italy, Germany, France)
  • Silent Souls, (dir. Aleksei Fedorchenko — Russia)
  • Promises Written in Water, (dir. Vincent Gallo — U.S.)
  • Road to Nowhere, (dir. Monte Hellman — U.S.)
  • Balada Triste de Trompeta, (dir. Alex de la Iglesia — Spain, France)
  • Venus Noir, (dir. Abdellatif Kechiche — France)
  • Post Mortem, (dir. Pablo Larrain — Chile, Mexico, Germany)
  • Barney's Version, (dir. Richard J. Lewis — Canada, Italy)
  • We Believed, (dir. Mario Martone — Italy, France)
  • La Passione, (dir. Carlo Mazzacurati — Italy)
  • 13 Assassins, (dir. Takashi Miike — Japan)
  • Potiche, (dir. Francois Ozon — France)
  • Meek's Cutoff, (dir. Kelly Reichardt — U.S.)
  • Miral, (dir. Julian Schnabel — U.S., France, Italy, Israel)
  • Norwegian Wood, (dir. Tran Anh Hung — Japan)
  • Attenberg, (dir. Athina Rachel Tsangari — Greece)
  • Detective Dee and the Mystery of Phantom Flame, (dir. Tsui Hark — China)
  • Three, (dir. Tom Tykwer — Germany)

OUT OF COMPETITION

Opening Night Midnight Movie

  • Machete, (dir. Robert Rodriguez — U.S.)

Closer

TIFF

2010 Toronto International Film Festival line up was announced last week. Here's a full list right here.

Some highlights:

Another Year, directed by Mike Leigh

Biutiful, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu

Black Swan, directed by Darren Aronofsky

Blue Valentine, directed by Derek Cianfrance

The Conspirator, directed by Robert Redford

It's Kind of a Funny Story, directed by Anna Boden

Miral, directed by Julian Schnabel

Never Let Me Go, directed by Mark Romanek

Rabbit Hole, directed by John Cameron Mitchell

Tamara Drewe, directed by Stephen Frears

The Town, directed by Ben Affleck

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, directed by Woody Allen