TIFF

TIFF Review: Seagrass (Meredith Hama-Brown, 2023)

Posted on by Paul in Movies, Reviews | Leave a comment

Judith and Steve go on a couples retreat, with their two young daughters along for the ride, in an effort to work on their relationship and save their rocky marriage. It doesn’t go all that well for them.

That is more or less the premise of Seagrass in a nutshell. Following the death of Judith’s mother, her relationship with Steve has been suffering, but then again, maybe the problems were already there to begin with and recent events have just brought everything to light.

Steve, of course, has his own issues and their daughters are also going through some stuff, with the eldest entering a semi-rebellious tween phase and their younger daughter convinced that she’s seeing the ghost of her late grandmother. Complicating matters further is the presence of Pat, the sensitive, Aussie-accented hunk who seems to have captured Judith’s attention.

As the unhappy couple take part in therapy sessions, any healing they may have hoped for does not seem to be in the cards. Steve is angry, but mostly unable (or unwilling) to articulate why. Judith is similarly disconnected and feels set adrift after the recent loss of her mother. There’s also clearly some guilt on her part over the fact that she doesn’t really know enough about her parents’ history or feel enough of a connection to her Japanese heritage. When Pat asks her about her father and mother’s experiences in the internment camps, she replies that they just never really talked about it. And all the while, the ghost of Judith’s mother hangs figuratively (or maybe literally?) over the proceedings.

While a bit of a slow burn at times, the film paints a compelling portrait of dysfunctional family drama with Ally Maki and Nyha Breitkreuz in particular putting on memorable performances as Judith and her daughter Stephanie, respectively.

TIFF Review: Bloom (Kasey Lum, 2023)

Posted on by Paul in Movies, Reviews | Leave a comment

Over the course of writer/director Kasey Lum’s Bloom, we are introduced to the film’s protagonist, a woman who is not dealing well with the sudden end of her relationship and who turns to a recently purchased houseplant to try and fill the void. The part is brilliantly acted by Jodi Balfour, the only human to appear onscreen (do we count the plant as her co-star?), as she spirals into her depression, obsessing over her ex, drinking too much and then … things take an odd turn.

Is there something sinister about this plant? Or is she the problem? And where will things go from here?

Though at first glance, this appears to be a simple story about a breakup, it becomes clear as the short film progresses that this is not so much a story about the end of a romantic relationship, but an examination of the relationship between humanity and nature itself.

Tiff Party Review! Deepwater Horizon After Party [Addison Residence]

Posted on by Ricky in Everything | Leave a comment

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Whenever there are festivals, there are parties. What makes TIFF Parties so special is that there are STARS AND CELEBRITIES. Imagine how much better your life will be if you only get that selfie with that person you see on the movie theatre or at home in your pajamas on Netflix.

We had the pleasure to be invited to the TIFF after party for Deepwater Horizon, a movie starring Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, Kate Hudson (Penny Lane) and a slew of other actors. It’s about the BP oil rig that exploded in the Gulf and ruined the Gulf of Mexico forever. Anyways, I wasn’t invited to the actual movie, but the after party. I had never been to a TIFF movie after party so it was a must go for me.

How does one even review a party? Let’s get to the essentials:

Bar: Open. It was sponsored by Johnnie Walker and they had Johnnie Walker available. That was a good moment. They didn’t pour too much at a time, so I had to make more trips to the bar than I wanted.

Food: Before the party, I was like .. do I go eat? But then I decided that these parties must have free food, and since a lot of people are from Hollywood, they probably don’t eat anyway so there’ll be plenty of free food. I was right! Food available included:

– beef empanadas (delicious)
– korean fried chicken (it was good, but pieces were too small)
– chicken tacos (chicken was nice, but nothing special)
– grilled cheese (was quite good)
– cheeseburger (the weakest of the bunch)

Overall, the beef empanadas were quite good. It was actually pleasant to see that no matter what party you are at, and how precious people are, when they see free food, its plain to see we are all vultures in the end.

People: Damn, people dressed up! I came from my soccer game so I was wearing shorts, and I was definitely the only person wearing shorts. Most men were dressed in dress shirts and suits while the women all had fancy dresses.

The party seemed to be broken down into three groups of people and they were located in this formation:

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Rich and Famous – These people are rich and famous, had booths and the really famous people had security guards outside the booths. Kate Hudson and Kurt Russell were there, but they were sitting in the booths and mostly mingled amongst themselves. What do really rich people talk about? Probably stocks. Anyways, they didn’t mingle with the peasants.

Industry types – These people were dressed real hard and lingered above just outside the booth, waiting for their golden ticket or trying to be noticed. They were in the industry, but weren’t quite important enough to make the booths. Half were probably waiters in LA but today, they are almost stars because they are at a TIFF after party.

Randos – I was a rando, and the randos were definitely in the middle. They were mostly people who worked for sponsors, won contests or general people who knew someone who knew someone. They also tried to sneak the most photos and the most ravenous for food and drinks. Some people were really happy they were there, but seemed oblivious to the fact that they will never be accepted among the elites.

Anyways, I think I am supposed to say that the party was hosted by Johnnie Walker and the cast was there, which are both true. You can’t really go wrong at a TIFF afterparty, so if you get the chance, definitely go.