Category Archives: TIFF Toronto International Film Festival

TIFF FILM REVIEW: David M. Rosenthal’s ‘Janie Jones’

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – An earnest tale about a faded rock star who discovers he has a teenaged daughter and takes her on the road, “Janie Jones” follows a predictable path and despite decent performances it does not catch … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Reviews, TIFF Toronto International Film Festival | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on TIFF FILM REVIEW: David M. Rosenthal’s ‘Janie Jones’

TIFF FILM REVIEW: John Sayles’s ‘Amigo’

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – John Sayles’s “Amigo” is set during the U.S. incursion in the Philippines in 1900 but the parallels with Afghanistan and Iraq today are clear. It’s an impressive film, but the indie filmmaker has little to … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Reviews, TIFF Toronto International Film Festival | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on TIFF FILM REVIEW: John Sayles’s ‘Amigo’

TIFF FILM REVIEW: Max Winkler’s ‘Ceremony’

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – Max Winkler’s humorless “Ceremony” falls into the category of would-be comedies in which a hapless young man scores with a gorgeous woman completely out of his league. As Sam Davis, the young man in question, … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Reviews, TIFF Toronto International Film Festival | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on TIFF FILM REVIEW: Max Winkler’s ‘Ceremony’

TIFF FILM REVIEW: Pierre Thorreton’s ‘L’amour fou’

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – When the late couturier Yves Saint Laurent’s longtime companion and business partner Pierre Bergé decided to sell their vast and unique collection of artwork, it was called the auction of the century. Pierre Thorreton’s painstaking … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Reviews, TIFF Toronto International Film Festival | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on TIFF FILM REVIEW: Pierre Thorreton’s ‘L’amour fou’

TIFF FILM REVIEW: Michael Winterbottom’s ‘The Trip’

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – Michael Winterbottom’s listless foody travelogue “The Trip” is made up of highlights from a six-part BBC-TV series that has yet to air but if these are the best bits then no one will mind waiting. … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Reviews, TIFF Toronto International Film Festival | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on TIFF FILM REVIEW: Michael Winterbottom’s ‘The Trip’

TIFF FILM REVIEW: Richard Ayoade’s ‘Submarine’

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – Joe Dunthorne’s delightfully idiosyncratic 2008 novel “Submarine,” in which a smart and eccentrically gifted 15-year-old muses about school, girls, movies, parents and life in general, is the kind of book that almost never is made … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Reviews, TIFF Toronto International Film Festival | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

TIFF FILM FESTIVAL: Justin Lerner’s ‘Girlfriend’

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – Justin Lerner’s “Girlfriend” claims to be the first U.S. feature film to star a person with Down syndrome, namely Evan Sneider who plays a young man with a major crush on a single mom he’s … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Reviews, TIFF Toronto International Film Festival | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on TIFF FILM FESTIVAL: Justin Lerner’s ‘Girlfriend’

TIFF FILM REVIEW: Rowan Joffe’s ‘Brighton Rock’

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – Rowan Joffe’s film of Graham Greene’s 1938 novel “Brighton Rock” takes a gothic approach to the story of a young thug obsessed with hell with little of the writer’s subtlety and too much reliance on … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Reviews, TIFF Toronto International Film Festival | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on TIFF FILM REVIEW: Rowan Joffe’s ‘Brighton Rock’

TIFF FILM REVIEW: Hilary Swank in ‘Conviction’

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – Tony Goldwyn’s “Conviction” is a soundly constructed tale of an individual fighting against a travesty of justice with Hilary Swank as a high school dropout who devotes her life to becoming a lawyer in order … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Reviews, TIFF Toronto International Film Festival | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on TIFF FILM REVIEW: Hilary Swank in ‘Conviction’

TIFF FILM REVIEW: Mickey Rourke in ‘Passion Play’

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – Screenwriter Mitch Glazer’s first directorial effort, “Passion Play” starring Mickey Rourke and Megan Fox is a sentimental noir fable aimed at movie buffs with a soft spot for tough guys with tender hearts. Rourke in … Continue reading

Posted in Film, Reviews, TIFF Toronto International Film Festival | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on TIFF FILM REVIEW: Mickey Rourke in ‘Passion Play’