Reviews

I don't ask for total; simplicity of plotting in any modern film, but if there's anyone in the world who hasn't yet read Da Vinci Code he/she'd never be able to know what's happening until well into the . With the earlier scenes played out in murky settings it isn't until we get to Teabing's château that we are given a proper look at the two leading characters, both played with total lack of conviction . Teabing's and Langdon's reasoning of what must be happening is marred by some jerky flashbacks that look like clips from ancient epics.

Apart from miscasting of Hanks and Tatou the direction of their scenes up until the ending is lackadaisical.

The book for all its faults, is a great page-turner and the plot's unfolding in 105 chapters and epilogue moves smoothly inter-cutting scenes in a way that the film attempts but only jerks

Heaven preserve us from a further collaboration between Howard, Brown, Hanks and Tatou

I missed this one at last year's Toronto International Film Fesival, but have just seen a preview prior, presumably to its Toronto release.

For me live-in lovers Billy Crudup and Maggie Gyllenhall delivered sparkling performances far more sympatici than the other couple -- the married pair of Julianne Moore and David Duchovny who also did their job well, but it's the antics of the former two that keep this film alive and moving.

Without wising a spoiler on you, I was in a genuine state of suspense over whether or not this movie would have a feel good ending.

The behaviour of these four characters is not really rooted in reality -- who expects this of a comedy? -- but their quirks and good qualities are sufficiently close to it speak for the times.

There were several good laughs and a couple of good running jokes which didn't pall on me.

I found Trust the Man a likable effort which should prove popular in spite of what I know will be some critics' objections for occasional in-your-face crudities

Interesting from the viewpoint of seeing an early De Palma effort and also applauding his courage in making a film so critical of the Vietnam catastrophe, but the film lacks focus and ambles from one scene to another, lacking the incisiveness it needed to make its mark among the several really good anti-Vietnam War movies that came after.

There's a sense of improv about the whole effort but much of the intended black humor vaporizes

Worthwhile for students of film history and in particular the careers of De Palma and De Niro .One should be thankful that somehow they were encouraged to proceed with their careers.

I don't remember reading any reviews at the time, but feel it coiuld have developed a cult following.

Three copies of Callas Forever turned up recently at Toronto's Queen Viceo and as a long time opera buff, I rented a copy as soon as I spotted it on the shelves

Horrified to learn of it shaving been almost totally ignored, I found this film a joy, with splendid performances by Ardant and Irons and asked myself why. . The universal theme of learning to accept ageing with grace far transcends the background-- just in case you loathe opera -- and the principals, who take up the majority of screen time, express two sides of the same coin with great performances.

Franci Zeffirelli's loving direction of Callas Forever matches his imaginative concept and while we know that the incidents in the film never really took place the fact that they unfold so convincingly enable the director and his cast to drive home the theme of this fine film with such graceful impact. The final scene between Ardant and Irons is masterful and all the more moving because of its restraint

Lack of exposure certainly wasn't due to the fact that Iron s' portrayal of a gay impresario might have been considered inappropriate -- not in 2002!

The obtuse Philistines responsible for booking and distributing films are once again at fault for debasing public taste. I wonder how may young and middle-aged people who will eventually see the film will turn to Maria Callas' recordings which fortunately are still available The rendition of Puccini's Vissi d'arte from Tosca mimed by Ardant to Callas' voice said everything about her character:" I lived for my art --- I lived for love"

For my part, I've been able to locate Pasolinik's Medea, in which Callas makes her one and only appearance as an actress.

As I write, I recall another fine film about opera: Istvan Szabo's Meeting Venus which I must see again as indeed I will return to Callas Forever.

I attended the media screening at the 2003 Toronto International

Film Festival, and this usually deadpan group were really laughing

-- as I was.

I can't understand the criticism of the acting and accents by Paul

Sorvino, Ginette Reno and Mary Walsh which I found perfectly

suited to the roles they played.

Two things gleaned from the press conference attended by all the

principals and enlivened by Sorvino, who's great fun. He has

visited Canada many times, he says, and assured his audience

that Italian Canadians are quite different from Italian Americans

and the film was played accordingly.

The director and co-writer and the author of the play from which it

originated described how they threw away the original draft and

built the screenplay from the ground up. That's why it works so well

as a film: there's no hint of the staginess that so many adaptations

betray.

I told Sorvino he reminded me of my father whose insistence was

that I should not get married until I was thirty and the subject of

frequent lectures. I was actually thirty one when it happened!

I hope many people southof the border see this film, and other

recent Canadian efforts since our movies don't enjoy a great

distribution in the US.

Also watch out for The Barbarian Invasions (in French), The

Republic of Love, (in English) and The Seduction of Dr. Lewis

(French) I think you'll find them of interest.

For a more complete list of my takes on Toronto Festival films try

my web site at

http://members.rogers.com/canscene

"Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine" is a new feature length documentary from famed British film maker Vikram Jayanti. Seen at the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival , it documents the 1997 match between Garry Kasparov arguably the greatest chess player ever and IBM's Deep Blue. The computer won, but subtly the film slyly hints at the possibility that a human mind might have been behind Deep Blue, throwing Kasparov off balance. The Kasparov narrative is interspersed with clips from The Chess Player, although I did not notice any verbal credits in Game Over's narration to that 1927 film.This inclusion was particularly interestng to me, since I saw the original silent film as a boy and remembered vividly how Major Nicolaieff, invading von Kempelen's workshop is hacked to death by the inventor's "bodyguard" of sabre wielding automatons. The Milestone DVD is most certainly the longer version mentioned by a previous commentator on this site. THe DVD also carries a recent radio interview with the author of "The Turk" which deals with the real Wolfgang Von Kempelen and his remarkable chess playing automaton. URTL is <theTurkbook.com?> The movie is undeed slightly confusing, but to movie buffs well worth a viewing for the striking action cinematography wwith tinted footage ranging from black and white to blue of night.

I saw this film in 1931at a time when most British movies creaked

along. As I recall, this was a cut above most of its contemporaries,

with convincing performances b y Massey, Baddeley and Harding.

Most impressive was the opening: camera ranged through the

dark halls and passages of an old English manor in a sustained

dolly shot to the eerie sound of some kind of Indian wind

instrument. The sequence ended with a jump cut to the face of a

young woman, screaming in her death throes. Most alarming and

impressive. For me it ranks with one of he best shock openings

I've ever seen. Today, they'd probably play such a scene before the

main title.

An interesting footnote: In later life, Angela Baddeley, the heroine,

was to play Mrs. Hudson, the cook, in the unforgettable British

series, Upstairs, Downstairs.

I viewed this unjustly villainized film for the first time this week.

Available on DVD it comes packaged with a revealingdocumentary on Leo Marks who wrote "Peeping Tom."

Today, I marvel at the stuffy attitude of British film critics which caused the film to be withdrawn from distribution and destroyed the career and reputation of Michael Powell, one of Britain's great film makers.

Surprisingly enough the film is nowhere neart as grisly as some of its original detractors had us believe and amazingly it appeared in the same year as Hitchcock's "Psycho!" One never sees the actual killings, only the victim's faces as the killer's weapon approaches. There is no gore. This is a film that challenges the intellect and does not pander to our unconscious bloodlust. which makes it even more surprising that journalists would have vilified it

The print has been wonderfully re- mastered, and the accompanying doc "A Very British Psycho" not only biographizes Leo Marks, bookseller turned British code expert during the Second World War, it helps us understand just what happened at the time of "Peeping Tom's" release.

Seeing the DVD is a must for all students of film

I've just watched the DVD and find it recaptured my delight with seeing it in New York in 1956 (at a small art house in the 80's and on a double bill with Diabolique)

The print is excellent, sound good and at a rewatching, the dubbing into English even reasonably good.

Commentaries by Jules Dassin on both his life after blacklisting and making Rififi are illuminating, but the French version remains the most remakable heist movie ever -- and many have been almost as good.

I had not re-seen Rififi since the 60s on a dreadful print over late night TV interrupted by commercials and welcomed this opportunity but did not realize how great would be my delight at how beautifully this film would stand up to 21st century standards.

This is Dassin's masterpiece, with a splendid cast dominated by the presence of Jean Servais as le Stefanois.

For being able to rent this film, I pay tribute to Queen Video with only two branches in Toronto, but worth its weight in gold to cineastes both or its helpful, knowledgeable staff and reasonable borrowing rates.

Ben Viccari

I saw this film in England in 1934 at the age of 16 and was highly impressed with the special effects. Oddly enough Sydney Blackmer played the hero in this although in many other films he was cast in villainous roles. Remember him as the "kindly" neighbour in Rosemary's Baby?

I had read the book only a year or so before seeing the film and was absolutely flabbergasted with the disaster scenes. In view of our knowledge of global warming, a remake might well be highly topical and thought provoking.