By John H. Foote At the end of it all, I would be lying if I said I had the slightest enjoyment of TIFF this year. I missed the energy of the cavernous, crowded Scotiabank Theatre or the spacious, still new Lightbox, the many busy conversations in the audiences before each film, other critics picking…
By John H. Foote (*) Place your brain on pause for this one, put your suspension of disbelief on high, (for as long as you can), be willing to go along with every goofy plot device, especially the narrative, and just go along for the ride. Start picking at the plot, you might never stop,…
By John H. Foote (**) This gritty, tough love look at a relationship between a father and son who are strangers to each other has some strong acting within, but the truth is I screened it this morning and not given it a thought until I had to write this. Normally, if I have seen…
By John H. Foote (****) What is she like, this grave, serious, often stern 16-year old who was TIME Magazine’s Newsmaker of the Year in 2019, and brought piercing attention to climate change? Who was this girl, this Greta Thunberg? In this extraordinary documentary we are given remarkable access into her life, her home, see…
By John H. Foote (***) Based on the true stories of Jaden Bell and his father Joe, portrayed with infinite sadness by Mark Wahlberg, this deeply heartbreaking film, so aching with profound honesty and loss, is a powerful experience. Jaden Bell was a gay teenager who was bullied relentlessly by the students at his high…
By John H. Foote (**) Sold to Netflix on day three of TIFF, I found this a tough watch which begins with a visceral, uncompromising home birth with a midwife that goes horribly wrong which is a hyper realistic sequence. The film is acted with blistering power by the astonishing Vanessa Kirby and the ever…
By John H. Foote (?) Another film I have heard much about by reading the reviews from other festivals but again Elevation has bullied the festival into. No press and industry screenings, meaning the studio controls who sees the film, banning (yes, I said that) those they are withholding the film from. So I cannot…
By John H. Foote (?) I am told this is a masterful film. I WOULD NOT KNOW BECAUSE ELEVATION REFUSED TO HAVE PRESS AND INDUSTRY SCREENINGS. NOR WOULD THEY PROVIDE ME WITH LINKS OR SCREENERS TO SEE THE FILM. SO A STUDIO IS DICTATING TO THE FESTIVAL THAT THEY CANNOT SHOW THE FILM TO THE…
By John H. Foote (***) Three-time Academy Award nominated actor Viggo Mortensen both acts and directs in this strong film, his directorial debut. The actor is among the greatest of his generation, nominated for Academy Awards as Best Actor for Eastern Promises (2007), Captain Fantastic (2016) and most recently in Green Book (2018). Mortensen was deserving of further nominations…
By John H. Foote Sadly I will not be able to review either Ammonite or The Father, two of the most anticipated titles of TIFF this year. The studio, Elevation Pictures, has chosen NOT to hold press screenings for accredited media, incredibly shocking considering the festival is to celebrate film, and build awareness and buzz. I understand Elevation…