Here's one final look at TORONTO'S Film Fest. The Art Snob sent this one in to Father Geek covering a double fistful of flicks and well there's sooooo much good stuff here I just had to post it up for all of you. This years fest had so many of our readers covering it for us that it was like we had a full staff of real live reporters there. That's great! I wish we had that problem at all the festivals. Any way here's Art with his packed to the gills report...

Art Snob, geekdom's hardest-to-please cineaste again. I'm back home in Rochester, NY following phase two of my Toronto Film Fest vacation, and ready to reflect on the films I saw (seven in total) following some much-needed REM sleep.

As usual, the movie fare was a mixed bag ("Forrest, life is like the Toronto Film Festival ... you REALLY never know what you're going to get."). However, it was definitely a quality bag, with plenty to commend, and only one film to write off completely. All movies were watched from my singular POV ("I'M here ... impress me"). What follows is the straight scoop on what I saw, spoiler-free and completely untainted by any need to stay on the good side of anyone in the movie industry.

THE PRINCESS AND THE WARRIOR

It was my good fortune to catch the premiere of RUN LOLA RUN at the 1998 fest, and I immediately sang the praises of it here on AICN, calling it "truly groundbreaking cinema." So naturally, this followup film from director Tom Tykwer and star Franka Potente was near the top of my request list this year.

I liked it a LOT. The pacing is less frenetic than with LOLA, and the story is told in a traditional linear beginning-to-end style that spans months, but there's still plenty of dazzling camerawork, strong performances, and meditations on fate/destiny/causality. This film should definitely placate the few whiners who complained about LOLA being an extended music video lacking in depth and solidly entrench Tykwer as the top name among German new wave directors.

In a nutshell, it's a postmodern "fairy tale" about the coming together of two people against incredible odds -- Sissi, a nurse in a psychiatric hospital, and Bodo a brooding, ex-soldier who's carrying some pretty heavy emotional baggage. One of the things I REALLY loved about this film is the way that their initial meeting (in the aftermath of the movie's only "running" scene) is as FAR from the traditional Hollywood "meet cute" as you can get. It's emotionally taut and then suddenly over, with Sissi never learning Bodo's identity.

Franka Potente as Sissi gives another grok-inducing performance as the female lead -- her ability to convey emotion through her eyes is incredible. (This performance can only increase anticipation for her upcoming American debut opposite Matt Damon in THE BOURNE IDENTITY.) Her character inspires sympathy early on by being Nurse Ratched's polar opposite -- the type of psychiatric nurse who's always willing to extend an extra helping hand to patients with specialized needs. One of her special patients is psychic, and a combination of his powers and Sissi's resourcefulness enables her to track down the man she encountered and feels inexorably drawn towards.

But there's still the obstacle of Bodo's resistance, and co-lead Benno Fürmann effectively creates an air of brooding pensiveness and self-hatred that makes it clear that he's going to have problems reaching out to ANYbody. And there are additional complications to deal with ... such as Bodo being in on a heist plan with his protective older brother (Jaochim Król, 100% unrecognizable from his turn as the bum in LOLA), and the fact that Sissi still has her day-to-day job duties to contend with (don't worry -- the "Cuckoo's Nest" angle is wisely not overplayed). There are definitely some speed bumps to go over before this joining of kindred spirits can occur, and the movie doesn't shy away from them or EVER opt for "cute" -- which makes the final conclusion all the more satisfying.

Tykwer -- the latest of only a handful of directors in film history who've had the musical ability to compose their own film scores -- is again very effective in setting mood with compositions. However, the slower pace means more piano and less techno. While the soundtrack won't be a hit in its own right it certainly does the job effectively and contributes significantly to this successful followup.

Overall, a solid recommendation to everyone who can approach this film with an open mind, not expecting to see LOLA II. It's already on the Sony Pictures Classic label, so distribution in North America is a lock. See it with somebody you especially enjoy discussing movies with ... you'll have a lot of fuel for discourse afterwards.

HARRY, HE'S HERE TO HELP

The "word" on this movie at Cannes was "primo French Hitchcock," and I'm pleased to confirm that this is certainly the case -- it's right up there with classics like PURPLE NOON and MONSIEUR HIRE, and boasts a bravura performance by Sergi López as the title character.

As with any legit "Hitchcock" film, you've got to be VERY careful not to give away too much -- there's too much pleasure in the details. Think of it as kind of a "worst nightmare" classmate reunion film, with generous helpings of classic Hitch-style black humor.

A very busy family man named Michel is on a summer trip with his wife and three young daughters. He displayed some creative writing talent when he was a high school student in the late 70's, and turned out a poem and part one of a promising sci-fi story for the school paper. But he never pursued this calling, becoming a French teacher instead. He's currently got a LOT of demands to meet in both his immediate and extended families, and hasn't written anything in years. Any return to writing seems extremely unlikely.

Suddenly, at a highway rest area, he runs into Harry -- a former classmate he can only barely remember, but who certainly seems to seems to remember HIM very well. Harry's well-heeled and ostensibly traveling to Switzerland with his sweet, insufferably gorgeous (albeit vacuous) girlfriend. Harry can still remember those pieces that Michel wrote, and thinks that it's a shame that he never pursued a writing career.

Michel's working on the restoration of a summer house as part of his vacation, and Harry, generous free spirit that he is, volunteers to help out for a few days. He's soon doing Michel and family all kinds of stess-relieving favors ... he even offers to pay Michel to write again, so that he can finally realize his talent. But Michel's life is simply too full of distractions for this to be feasible.

It's great fun learning what lurks beneath Harry's pleasing exterior, what his ulterior motives are, and how far he'll go to see his wishes come to fruition, but like I said -- the fun's in the details. The movie has the trademark Hitchcock "delicious irony" ending, and is superior in every way to even the master's THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY. So if you dig Hitch, this one's a not-to-miss. (It's also a lock for North American distribution, under the Miramax label.)

LONERS

If I could have attended the premiere of THE WIDOW OF SAINT-PIERRE gala on Thursday night, it would have been the first "three-for-three" day ever in my festival going experience. Unfortunately, this wasn't possible, and I wound up seeing the Czech comedy LONERS instead.

I'll keep this brief, because this film DEFINITELY is not going to "travel." It's a partially state-financed production, and as such, clearly displays the classic motivation behind such works: to keep as many people gainfully employed for as long a period as possible. It's a lumbering work with a large cast (one containing wide disparities in talent). One of the plot threads -- about a doctor who's been obsessed with a woman for years and just doesn't understand the meaning of the word "no" REALLY doesn't travel. (Don't they have *restraining orders* in the Czech Republic, fer cryin' out loud?) Add to this mix grossly oversized subtitles and amateurish scene transitions (indicative of outmoded editing equipment) and you've got a film that's definitely NOT ready for any niche in the North American market. (Know how to tell when a film at this festival is commercially doomed? It's when you hear one distributor film scout saying to another, "Well ... it was ... *interesting*..." This is one of those films.)

Two young bilingual women sitting beside me picked up a lot more chuckles than me along the way, but even THEY admitted afterwards that they wouldn't recommend this film to anybody. 'Nuff said.

MEN OF HONOR

This film -- based on the career of Carl Brashear, the U.S. Navy's first black deep-sea diver -- marked a welcome return to western production values following the experience of seeing LONERS. It also marks a welcome return to hellraisin' form for Robert DeNiro, much-needed following his misguided attempt at summer comedy in THE ADVENTURES OF ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE. Director George Tillman Jr. -- who had a surprise "little" hit with SOUL FOOD -- conclusively shows with this film that he can effectively helm a much larger and more demanding production. Unfortunately, I won't be encouraging any of my movie friends and contacts to catch this in first run.

The reason? A bit too high of a "been there/seen that" factor. That is, it has too many of the stock situations, timeworn plot points and cliche supporting characters that these "first black" type of films traditionally exhibit. The supporting characters could just introduce themselves to Brashear (solidly played by Cuba Gooding Jr., even if he breaks no new ground) as follows:

"Hi. I'm the standard issue bureaucratic flamer commanding officer, and I'll be devoting the rest of my career to holding yours back."

"Hi. I'm the standard issue redneck bigot who'll be regularly addressing you by the n-word and doing everything possible to make you feel like an unwelcome lower form of life on this base."

"Hi. I'm the base's standard issue bottom feeder misfit, and I'll be your only friend."

Get the picture? There's certainly a lot of quality here, and the film definitely has some "moments," but the "connect the dots" and oversimplification factors are undeniable. You can certainly do a lot worse at the cineplex these days, but this isn't a film to be anxiously anticipating if you put a premium on originality.

THE WIDOW OF SAINT-PIERRE

I certainly saw a lot of impressive cinematography at this year's fest, but the BEST had to have been Eduardo Serra's work in this most impressive period piece, a joint French-Canadian production. Serra was nominated for an Oscar three years ago for his work in WINGS OF THE DOVE, and this effort tops that impressive one by a quantum factor. I'd also rate it ahead of John Toll's Oscar-wining work in BRAVEHEART when it comes to creating a "you are there" period feel.

The movie also marks another great effort from director Patrice Leconte -- every bit Ang Lee's equal (if not superior) when it comes to being able to effectively jump between diverse genres. With an oeuvre that includes MONSIEUR HIRE, THE HAIRDRESSER'S HUSBAND, RIDICULE, GIRL ON THE BRIDGE, and now this, he's definitely in "master" territory with me.

For those unfamiliar with it (i.e., just about everyone in America), Saint-Pierre is a French island territory just off the south coast of Newfoundland at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. The movie is based on court records from the mid-1800's. Two drunken fisherman get into a crazy bet over whether another island resident is "fat" or "big," and in the course of finding out, one of them fatally stabs the subject. He's sentenced to be executed as per French law, but there's a problem ... the island doesn't have a guillotine or an executioner, and it's going to take months to round up both. (The title is actually a play on words -- in French, the word for "widow" is also slang for "guillotine.")

The Captain of the French island garrison -- played by the ever-reliable Daniel Auteuil -- is charged with custody of the doomed convict until arrangements can be made. But his wife (Juliet Binoche, whose timeless Mona Lisa smile makes her perfect for period pieces like this) has rehabilitation ideas on her mind. The convict is big and strong and cooped up in a cell all day doing nothing. There's plenty of useful work for him to be doing in this rugged environment, and she believes that all people have goodness at their core. So she convinces her husband to at least let him assist her in her conservatory.

As the months go by, the work performed by the prisoner (played very effectively by Yugoslavian director Emir Kusturica in his acting debut) keeps expanding, to the point where he's moving freely around the island. He even performs a service not on the work agenda for an island maiden, becoming a husband and father in the process. As still more months go by with no guillotine in sight and the convict's good deeds accruing, the islanders start accepting him as one of their own. But the local governing body will have none of this, seeing the prisoner's continuing and increasing freedom as an affront to their authority. They redouble their efforts to acquire the necessary equipment and personnel.

I won't spoil the ending. Suffice to say that it's VERY powerful, more tragic than you might suspect, and that this definitely isn't a movie for Dubyah. While most of the talent in this movie is French, this is hands-down the best French-Canadian movie of ANY kind that I've seen since JESUS OF MONTREAL. In a just world, it would garner at least a half-dozen Oscar nominations. No American distributor has been named yet, but the name talent involved should ensure domestic distribution. If you like films that can transport you to another time and place and tell a powerful story to boot, this is definitely one to check out.

THE DEBT

This film, based on real-life events in Poland, showcases a lot of promising talent. It's probably facing an uphill battle as far as North American distribution goes, but it's not for lack of story, acting, or production values. (It's light-years ahead of the aforementioned LONERS in these respects.)

It's set in the emerging capitalist Poland, and centers around two young men, Adam and Stefan, who have their lives pretty much in order and are all ready to graduate to full yuppiedom. They have a product, they have a customer, and they have a tight business plan. All they need is collateral for a business loan.

Obtaining such collateral proves difficult. And the less-businesslike of the two, Stefan, by pure chance gets in a conversation with a high-flying neighbor, Gerrard, who looks over the business plan and likes what he sees.

Big mistake. The neighbor is connected to the Russian mafia, and comes back to them with an offer that amounts to pure usury. When Adam rejects the offer, the two suddenly make an unpleasant discovery: that the Russian mafia expects to be reimbursed for even ARRANGING such a deal. Gerrard presents them with a list of expenses and makes it abundantly clear that he expects to be paid.

Adam and Stefan try to resist giving into extortion, but Gerrard has muscle and keeps upping the ante the longer the two resist. Their dreams start disappearing and their loved ones are suddenly in danger as they learn the hard way that Gerrard is tenacious, resourceful, ruthless and definitely the type who plays for keeps. They can't rely on the local police for adequate protection, because they don't have enough on him. Something has to break, and it does. The ending is not a happy one, but it definitely could have been worse.

It's been a deserved hit in its native land, but it may be just a bit too tied to the local culture to successfully translate to the U.S. market. There's also a problem with the stakes ... the initial debt is "6,000," which, according to www.oanda.com, is just a little over $1,300 in U.S. funds. Even at $6,000, it seems to be too small an amount to wreak such havoc. I suppose that the "point" is that such a small amount actually DID wreak such havoc, but I don't think that this is quite the kind of organized crime story that will play over here.

Even if it doesn't, I have a hunch that any talent scouts who check this film out are going to like a lot of what they see. Director Krzysztof Krauze has definitely demonstrated that he can bring a taut crime story to the screen, and it would certainly be interesting to see what he could do with a more western-oriented tale. Star Robert Gonera (Adam) definitely has looks and presence ... if he knows or can master English, he could be in line for a juicy supporting role in a Harrison Ford or Tom Cruise movie. And Andrzej Chyra (Gerrard) shows great promise as a really hissable baddie. If there are any big-budget movies in the pipeline dealing with the Russian mafia, I urge the casting directors to check out his performance in this film ASAP.

WHEN THE SKY FALLS

My last film was my fourth straight "based on real life events" movie, and the second straight dealing with organized crime. It's directed by John MacKenzie, best known for the seminal British gangster classic, THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY. He's done little of note since that landmark 1980 film, and word had it that this film was a return to form.

It's certainly a lot better than his best post-FRIDAY work, THE FOURTH PROTOCOL, but I wouldn't rate it as quite up to TLGF's standards. That film was seen completely from the inside of organized crime looking out, whereas this one centers around a crime reporter who's on the outside and looking in a bit too closely. It's certainly "good," but I wouldn't rate it "classic."

Joan Allen stars as Sinead Hamilton, based on real-life Dublin crime reporter Veronica Guerin, who wrote a series of revealing articles about the drug barons of the city's underworld before being rubbed out 1996 -- an event that led to some much-needed reform of the Irish justice system. Her Irish accent is near-flawless (Brad, please check this film out and see how it's done). She's also 100% credible as an effective professional crime journalist ... detached, objective, and resolute (albeit just a tad naive). You know that her character's crusade against rampant drug trafficking in Dublin is driven just as much by concern for the future of her own young son as by any quest for personal glory, and this is conveyed without any heavy-handedness.

Patrick Bergin, whose Hollywood career got off to a promising start in SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY and then went nowhere, is also very effective as a local detective so frustrated by a legal system that favors criminals at every turn that he begins taking on the drug gangsters using some unorthodox techniques. This could be the role that earns him a second chance at Tinseltown.

The film is well-paced, very well-cast (save for Allen's son, who triggered my "nepotism" radar), and punctuated with some pretty hard-hitting action. The Irish gangland violence here is a lot more brutish and less stylized than is the norm with the Italian variety. One informant's death might be a bit much, so be forewarned.

Allen can act rings around "Oscar-winning" talents like Marissa Tomei and Mira Sorvino, but she still has no statuette. She's drawing raves for her role in another festival film, THE CONTENDER, so this could be her year. The nomination would probably be for the other film (which has Dreamworks' marketing muscle behind it), but her strong performance in SKY could only increase her chances of winning.

* * *

Well, that wraps it up for this year. Thanks to my many online contacts who helped me to decide on my viewing choices from the huge number available. And thanks also to the many knowledgeable film enthusiasts I spoke with during the course of the festival who offered so many interesting insights ... I should mention that the best buzz I heard on films that I didn't see was for 101 REYKJAVIK (from three different sources) and YI-YI (from two). The WORST buzz? Disney's DUETS, hands-down.