Note: As many of the films screened at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival haven't yet opened in theatres, only capsule reviews are permitted for most titles.Black Swan *CityNews.ca Pick* - With each new film, Darren Aronofsky proves over and over again how brilliant a director he is and his work
on
Black Swan affirms it. In short, the film is about a ballerina (played by Natalie Portman) and her struggle to become the best. To say more would ruin it but if you’ve seen Aronosky’s previous films
Pi (1998),
Requiem for a Dream (2000), and
The Wrestler (2008), it’s as if he mashed them all together to create this dark and beautiful surreal experience. Oscar buzz is already floating for Portman and here’s hoping Aronosky is honoured with a nomination as well. **** out of 5 stars.
Schedule at TIFF.
Never Let Me Go - Based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel,
Never Let Me Go is a dreary drama about a group of kids born with the sole purpose of being organ donors when they get older. Although the film has roots in sci-fi, director Mark Romanek (
One Hour Photo) set it up like a period piece and let it play out as such. Stars Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightly also delivered performances as if they were channeling roles they’ve played before, and neither convinced me why I should be caring about their characters in this. It does have some great cinematography and lighting but that wasn’t enough to live up to my expectations (or make me forget the similarly themed 2005 movie,
The Island). ** out of 5 stars.
Schedule at TIFF.
Waiting for “Superman” *CityNews.ca Pick* - Davis Guggenheim’s
Waiting For “Superman” looks at what’s wrong with the educational system in the U.S. and what is needed to fix it. It’s a wake-up call to the problems children face from kindergarten to high school and is quite heart-wrenching and shocking to watch. **** out of 5 stars.
Schedule at TIFF.
TIFF 2010 runs from September 9 to the 19. Check out all of CityNews.ca’s coverage of the festival
here.
brian.mckechnie@citynews.rogers.comTop image: A scene from Black Swan. Courtesy Fox Searchlight Pictures.