TIFF26 Dispatch 1

In my attempts to play catch up after TIFF, I’ve fallen a little behind on the dispatches that I planned for the festival, but fear not! They are now. I’ve already reviewed four of the movies I watched at TIFF including A Long Winter, Your Mother, Fjord, and Tender Loving Care for Pop Heist. I’ve linked to those reviews before so you can check them out. Anyways lets get right down to it with the first of these. 

TIFF Review: ‘A Long Winter’ Gets Lost in the Wilderness - Pop Heist

Unlike the short story it’s based upon, ‘A Long Winter’ is more like watching a diary unfold, day by day, in excruciating detail.

Pop HeistMax Covill

TIFF Review: Sebastian Stan Taps Into Romanian Roots in ‘Fjord’ - Pop Heist

Cristian Mungiu’s courtroom drama is a riveting conversation starter pitting conservative beliefs against the safety of children.

Pop HeistMax Covill

‘Tender Loving Care’ Review [TIFF]

Mike Leigh’s final film contains all the grace and spirit that has been prevalent in his films for the last fifty years.

Pop HeistMax Covill

‘Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother’ is a Brutal Action Feature

Rising from the ashes of a failed Marvel movie, ‘Your Mother’ is a brutal action feature with a lot on its mind.

Pop HeistMax Covill

One movie I didn’t expect to watch during TIFF was Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! The film, which opens in limited release tomorrow, stars Rinko Kikuchi as Haru, a woman who just loves ballroom dancing. She is always looking for ways to improve, often watching videos of past competitions with her husband Luis. When tragedy strikes, Haru isn’t sure she wants to pursue ballroom dancing anymore despite loving it. Thankfully, her friends force her back onto the dance floor where she becomes infatuated with the new dance instructor. Haru isn’t sure if she should pursue a relationship or if the loss of her beloved is too new. 

I stumbled upon Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty since I didn’t originally have it on my schedule, but I’m glad I found time for it. I mean any movie that references a Japanese rendition of Dirty Dancing instantly gets an extra point or two from me. One of the other big cultural points that the movie touches upon is this idea of an open marriage. While that might sound plausible to other people, for Ha-Chan that sounds almost alien to her. Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! is a delight, with a winning starring performance from Kikuchi and plenty of hilarious dance sequences. [C+]

Another movie I wasn’t so sure I’d find room for during my time at TIFF was Wild Horse Nine. The new film from director Martin McDonagh (The Banshees of Inisherin, Three Billboards) takes a lot of queues from those earlier movies, but easily justifies its trip to the Easter Islands. Set shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup, CIA agents Chris (John Malkovich) and Lee (Sam Rockwell) are going to take a little vacation to the island “of the big heads.” The men aren’t only there for R&R, but Chris makes friends with two young women who have rebellious plans of their own. There’s one more problem– Chris seems to be very forgetful about why exactly they are on this vacation. 

Half of the fun of the movie is discovering exactly why Chris and Lee are on Easter Island, but Wild Horse Nine plays very similar to McDonagh’s earlier film, In Bruges. And good news, Malkovich is incredible here. I don’t think I’ve really enjoyed his previous performances, something about his acting has always rubbed me the wrong way. But in Wild Horse Nine, he’s fantastic. Another thing I want to note is the script, which has all the right notes for me. I was scrambling to take notes of some of my favorite lines including a bit about dinosaurs which had me chuckling in the theater. I had high expectations for Wild Horse Nine coming into the fall festival season, and it met just about everyone of them. [A-]

A first full day at TIFF ended with Jordan Firstman’s Club Kid. I had expected Big Daddy by way of A24, and while I wasn’t too far off, I wasn’t prepared for just how far Club Kid was going to go. Peter (Firstman) likes to party. He likes to party so much that he’s co-owner of one of the hottest parties in New York. I assume this is what “parties” are like, as I’ve never felt older than watching the strobing lights, heavy drug use, and free flowing sex on display here. I’ll take Firstman’s word for it. Anyways, ten years go by and Peter is pretty much doing the same thing. He’s barely a functional adult, in fact, the only reason he can live in New York is a rent controlled flat left to him by his relatives. Then comes a knock on his door. 

When Peter is told that he has a kid, he laughs it off. While Club Kid doesn’t really identify anyone's sexuality with labels, it's fair to say Peter can’t remember ever having sex with a woman. Well even if he can’t remember it, his son is standing right in front of him. Now Peter has to get his life in order because he has a child to take care of. He just doesn't know any traditional ways to make money. The formula for Club Kid is something that’s been done quite a few times, but that doesn’t take away from this incredible debut from Firstman. [B+]