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September 06, 2008
TIFF - First Real Surprise
There have been some good films so far, but with the talent involved, good shouldn't be a surprise. But the first "wow, didn't see that coming" for me is Nik Fackler's Lovely, Still... a tiny movie about age and love and family, small in scope, but movie stylized, with two home run performances by Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn.
I don't have much time to write about it now, but all of those "Boynton Beach Club" movies that get distribution... this is going to be the king of them. Maybe it's just $10 million in theatrical, but given the Academy composition and the very real love of these two actors, don't be shocked to hear award buzz around this one all season.
Posted by dpoland at September 6, 2008 11:40 AM
Comments
Ah, awesome. Landau's one of those old school guys who just feels like he's always ready to give a career, Actors Studio performance every time out the gate. Can't wait to see it.
Posted by: SJRubinstein ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.mcnblogs.com/thehotblog/nav-commenters.gif)
at September 6, 2008 12:46 PM
Hmmm.
Thanks for the recommendation, Dave.
Now I've got a third (or is that a fourth?) movie to pick from in the post-Kevin Smith slot today.
Posted by: movieman at September 7, 2008 04:22 AM
Hate to disagree with you (again), Dave, but for me "Lovely, Still" played like some bizarrro gender-switched "Away from Her" reimagined as a 90-minute "Twilight Zone" ep. Though Burstyn manages to retain her dignity, I thought Landau overacted egregiously. My favorite scenes were actually the "Office"-y stuff with Adam Scott as the super market manager which felt like something out of a different movie entirely. And possibly a better one.
Completing my Elizabeth Banks double-feature (she's Burstyn's daughter in "Lovely") was Kevin Smith's "Zack and Miri Make a Porno." Except for a funny Steelers joke and a very amusing supporting performance by Craig Robinson (another "Office" shout-out!), this is positively dreadful: Smith's worst film to date (and yes, I'm including "Jersey Girl" which I actually thought was mildly underrated). The potty-mouthed, pop-culture-referencing dialogue (Smith's trademark) feels so 1990s that it's actually kind of sad...and definitely way "over" in the post-Apatow universe.
Not a very strong start to Day #4 for me here at TIFF.
Posted by: movieman at September 7, 2008 11:12 AM
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