TIFF 2013: Parkland (Fair)

Parkland is another look at the Kennedy assassination, but rather than focusing on the headline events, it shows us the perspectives of those behind the scenes:

• doctors and nurses at Parkland Hospital, where both Kennedy and Oswald were treated and died
• FBI and secret service agents
• Oswald's brother and mother

We're teased by the omission of a direct view of the key scene, seeing instead the reaction of Abraham Zapruder as he films it, and later seeing it only in the reflection of his glasses as he views the developed film. This emphasizes that this film is not directly about the event, but about how it affected those most directly touched by it. An interesting premise for a film, but for me that wasn't enough to sustain my interest very long. The characters were shallowly-drawn, and by the end I didn't really feel I had learned anything new of substance. And while I did not need to see the shot of the bullet's impact, or Jackie crawling over the trunk if the car to retrieve fragments, or even John Jr saluting the funeral procession, the omission of those canonical scenes turned out to be a distraction, because they are so deeply imprinted in my thoughts about this subject.

TIFF 2013: Prisoners (Really Excellent)

It was a soggy, rainy day, and I was feeling sad because I had broken my Kindle on my way to the subway. There was an enormous line-up, and I had to walk about 4 blocks to get to the end of it. By the time I got into the beautiful Princess of Wales theatre (normally a stage theatre, but like Roy Thompson Hall, it gets set up for TIFF), I was somewhat soggy (feet still dry though). I managed to find a decent seat close to the centre, near the back of the orchestra section, and settled in for film #2 of my series: Prisoners. Director Denis Villeneuve was introduced and said a few words, mainly about how it's a long film and you need to watch every minute, so there would be almost no chance to pop out to the bathroom without missing something important.

The film was much darker than Thursday's opener, telling the story of two young girls who go missing from their families' Thankgiving dinner, and the search for them by the police officer on the case and the father of one of the girls. There are suspects, twists, subplots and some violence, and the film kept me on the edge of seat throughout. Good performances, good story/plot, and overall a very good film.

Tomorrow things start to get busy, with 3 more movies!

TIFF 2013: Tim's Vermeer (Fabulous)

And we're off! Tonight was opening night at TIFF 2013 and my first film of the festival: Tim's Vermeer. The initial hook for me was that the film is directed by Teller of Penn and Teller; Penn also appears in the film, which is about his friend Tim Jenison's insane quest to paint a painting like those of Johannes Vermeer, a Dutch 17th-century painter whose realistic use of light was remarkable. Speculation that Vermeer "cheated" by using some sort of optical device led Jenison to try to figure out how he might do the same. The catch is that Jenison is not a painter.

I'm not a big art buff, but the film is as much about science and technology as art. Jenison turns out to be the guy behind Lightwave, a 3D animation system that traveled in some of the same circles as the Maya software I worked on for 14 years before my reincarnation.

The film was fabulous. It shows an obsessed man with incredible patience, and somehow manages to communicate the intense tedium of his project without the film ever becoming boring at all.

Penn and Teller came up from Vegas for the screening. Penn Jillette spoke briefly before the fim, with Teller by his side, silent as he always is. After the film, they returned to the stage, along with Tim Jenison himself, to discuss the film and answer questions, and remarkably, Teller spoke! It's always a treat to hear those who made a film talk about it at the screenings, but this one was really pretty special  for me. I've been a big fan of Penn & Teller since I first saw them perform in San Francisco over 20 years ago. This is a very different piece of work from anything else I've seen them do, more serious, but still quite remarkable.

I highly recommend the film. There is another TIFF screening tomorrow at 1:30, and as I write this Thursday at 10pm, there are still tickets available at tiff.net.