FilmGrrl's Rants, Ravings, and Movie Ratings

wednesday.october14th.

2009-10-16T22:15:00.000-07:00

Hot liquids and blenders just don’t mix.

This was the important lesson I learned this past Wednesday. At the tail end of my thanksgiving weekend, in an attempt to recover from my turkey-induced zombie-like status, I decided to go apple picking with my friend and her beautiful 4 ½ month old daughter.

The place we went apple picking had your standard fall vegetable fare, including pumpkins and butternut squash (along with the abundance of freshly tree-picked Spy and Courtland apples). So I thought to myself, “mmm, I like squash soup, I should make some myself. How hard can it be?”

Well, let me tell you, it can be hard. At least if you’re me.

The two most important lessons I learned were:
1) You need SHARP knives if you’re expecting to peel and cut a squash without injury or loss of surface skin.
2) When you put hot liquids in a blender and try to hold the lid on, things get particularly difficult. The lid does NOT want to stay on. The hot newly pureed liquid wants to come out and decorate your kitchen a new colour of yellow suitable only for consumption in soup.

The recipe came courtesy of my favourite (and the most comprehensive recipe website I’ve found), www.allrecipes.com. While I do agree that this could very well have been the recipe for the Best Butternut Squash Soup Ever, I do feel it was slightly cruel to not include a disclaimer pertaining to the dangerous combination of hot liquid under pressure in an electrical device! Or maybe that’s just my own cooking naivety. Lesson learned.

I was so proud of my triumph over the blender that I then went on to make individual sized apple crisps and oatmeal apple cinnamon muffins. Yum.

tuesday.october6th.

2009-10-07T17:36:00.000-07:00

mmmm. sushi.
i love sushi.
anytime. anyday.
thusfar, without exception.
this wasn’t always the case.

Sushi, like wine, is an acquired taste.

You have to start with your gateway sushi – California and Cucumber Rolls.
Then you graduate to the spicy tuna or salmon, dynamite rolls, maybe some bbq eel.
Finally, you get to the straight up raw fish – sometimes on rice, sometimes not depending on how carb-friendly you’re feeling that day.

My biggest accomplishment of my weekday off this week was going with a friend for sushi at lunch.

Having now had many a visit of indulging in the raw fish and alleged miniscule amounts of mercury poisoning, I thought maybe I should read up a bit more about sushi. (Health Note: The mercury poisoning concerns relate primarily to the consumption of tuna (especially bluefin). As it happens, I don’t like tuna. So bring on the sushi!) Without further rambling…

My sushi of choice these days is from Kokoro Sushi on Marlee Avenue at Glencairn.
Inexpensive, yummy, and the friendliest employees you could ask for.

They even ran out the door after me one day when we almost forgot the miso soup that goes with our order. I may also perhaps love it because it’s walking distance from my house, and they give you 10% discount on take out orders that you pay for with cash money.

Technically speaking…

Sushi - vinegar rice, usually topped with other ingredients, such as fish.
Sashimi – sliced raw fish alone.
Nigirizushi – sashimi served with hand-formed clumps of rice
Makizushi – sushi served rolled inside or around nori (dried seaweed)
Futomaki – literally, large or fat rolls made with 2-3 fillings chosen for their complimentary tastes and colours
Hosomaki – smaller rolls containing only one filling.
Kappamaki – a type of Hosomaki filled with cucumber

As I’ve just learned, my favourite rolls are all the “Americanized” ones. What can I say, I’m a sucker for sesame seeds, spicy tuna and tempura bits.

California roll - consists of avocado, kani kama (imitation crab stick), and cucumber.
Caterpillar roll - avocado, unagi, kani kama, and cucumber.
Dynamite roll - yellowtail (hamachi), and fillings such as bean sprouts, carrots, chili and spicy mayonnaise (Dynamite roll and Crunchy roll are essentially reversed in some parts of Canada, especially western Canada.)
Rainbow roll - a California roll topped with several various sashimi.
Philadelphia roll - smoked salmon, cream cheese, cucumber, and/or onion.
Salmon roll - grilled salmon skin with sweet sauce and cucumber.
Crunchy roll - a California roll deep fried tempura-style, topped with sweet eel sauce or chili sauce.

File Under Sushi History

Sushi has been around since circa 3rd century B.C. when it was first described as smashed/pulped fish. The original type of sushi was called nare-sushi. Fish was salted and wrapped in fermented rice. Nare-sushi was made of this gutted fish stored in fermented rice for preservation. Nare-sushi was stored for fermentation for a few months then removed. The fermented rice was discarded and fish was the only part consumed. This early sushi was a great source of protein.

The Japanese preferred to eat the fish with the rice, called seisei-sushi. During the Muromachi period seisei-sushi was the most popular type of sushi. Seisei-sushi was partly raw fish wrapped in rice, consumed fresh, before it lost its flavor. This new way of consuming fish became a new dish in Japanese cuisine, escalating from just a form of preservation.

During the Edo era (the early modern period, 1603 to 1868 in Japan), haya-sushi was introduced. Haya-sushi was assembled so that both rice and fish could be consumed at the same time, and the dish became unique to the Japanese culture. It was the first time that rice was not used for fermentation. Rice was now mixed with vinegar. Fish, vegetables and dried preserved foods were added. Haya-sushi is thus the closest to the sushi we eat today, with each region localizing flavours (including Canada!)

Sushi Is Japanese Fast Food?

Today what we know internationally as "sushi", is a fast food invented by Hanaya Yohei at the end of Edo period in Tokyo. People in Tokyo were living in haste even a hundred years ago. The nigirizushi invented by Hanaya was not fermented and could be eaten using the fingers or chopsticks. It was an early form of fast food that could be eaten at a road side or in the theatre.

More Sushi…

Sushi Star at Spadina & College – I haven’t been here myself but have a friend who swears by their lunch combos
Sushi Island at College & Clinton – an All-You-Can-Eat Sushi Haven in an old Mexican Restaurant in Little Italy. Is that Toronto enough for you?
Rainbow Sushi on Bathurst at Lawrence – also close to home, but mainly because they’ve got a nicer dine-in experience. Best when you go with a few friends and share things around.

wednesday.september30th.

2009-10-07T17:27:00.000-07:00

An Afternoon on Queen Street West

While sitting in the Gladstone Café looking out the window, the weird weather phenomenon of rain while the sun is still shining, adds a surreal quality to my first weekday off in who knows how long.

First up for the afternoon was Index G on Gladstone Avenue to check out the still-running TIFF-curated Christopher Doyle exhibit ‘Picture Start’.

Index G itself is full of great stuff, a great mix of artistic styles and mixed medias. I plan to go back for some mini-prints the next time I’m doing some decorating or looking for something unique. The ceramic rocks and seashells were wicked. And the owner was nice, even though he probably thought I was insane after I came rushing in from the street, expecting that my friends were already waiting for me in a clearly empty space. Apparently I had it in my head that they were hiding in some mysterious invisible nook.

All in all, ‘Picture Start’ was a bit disappointing. The projector that was there for the exhibit during TIFF was gone, so we couldn’t watch the looped video that went with the images on display. The images, while aesthetically pleasing (I loved the technique - layered images and extreme colour saturation) were on the border between abstract and representational – however, I feel it would have been more effective if all were pushed to abstraction because those that were held the most visual interest.

Next stop was the Gladstone Café for some tea in the café…Bless their hearts, because they carry loose leaf tea from my favourite tea store in all the land – Tealish. Flavours sampled included Blueberry Lagoon, Chamomile Flowers, and Rooibos Provence Organic blend.

After our tea break we explored the exhibits on all three floors of the hotel, which were from a variety of artists in mixed media.

Finally we walked (and tried not to freeze) our way east on Queen to the holy tea grail itself (Tealish), where we stuffed our noses into some super-smelling loose leaf tea blends. New favourite flavour: Creamy Cranberry Honeybush. If every there could be a tea that could turn me into some semblance of a morning person, this is it.

After a nap and a break from the fun of Queen West, the evening was a compilation of homemade pad thai and 5-pin bowling with the boyfriend. I recently learned that if I bowl too much I get horizontal vertigo – weirdest feeling ever! The best part of 5-pin is always the ‘opposite handsies’ round where I pathetically tried to throw the ball straight down the lane with my right hand. This world doesn’t have enough lefties if you ask me! Hooray for Bowlerama on Bathurst and their $2 game Wednesday nights.

If every weekday off I have is as fun as this one was, it’s going to be a fantastic year.

wednesdayblog - an introduction

2009-10-07T17:23:00.000-07:00

One year. 52 Wednesdays. So much to do (when there’s no work to be done!)

I’ve been blessed with the situation of only having to work four days a week for the next year. And I’m determined to enjoy it! Each week I’ll report back on something different I’ve done with my time, even if that happens to be practicing my hermit skills while knitting and watching movies.

Enjoy. Comment. Write about what you do when there's no work to be done!

Top 5 of the First 5

2009-06-14T13:04:00.001-07:00

Well now that we're safely into June and I'm feeling like a big slacker for not keeping up with the blogging, I'm going to recap my favorite films from the first five months of the year...

Best Animated Film: Up - Pixar does it again. Can`t even state how impressed i was with the animation in this flick - the texturizing was incredible. It was a story with heart and a message, and an annoying little scout boy that everyone either was, or has encountered in their life.

Best Foreign Film: Hunger - mesmerizing from start to end, this film resonates with me still, despite watching it more than two months ago. A must have for the collection. Great study in visual and auditory storytelling with an incredible and sobering performance from Michael Fassbender.

Best Horror Film: Drag Me to Hell - campy, with perfectly timed editing and sound/music cues. Even though the kitty gets it, I can still get behind this flick. Bonus: watching it at Yorkdale Mall Silvercity with all the jumpy, screaming urban teens. I'll be fair - I had sweaty palms at least a few times!

Best Summer Blockbuster: Star Trek - everything you want in a summer blockbuster - action, great effects, comedy, and (related to comedy) Simon Pegg!

Special Mentions: Stone of Destiny, Sunshine Cleaning

Doing the Crazy Dance!

2009-01-16T16:14:00.000-08:00

I’m writing this as I lounge in my cozy condo in Park City, Utah. It’s the first official day of the 25th Annual Sundance Film Festival and my movie count is at three films. My first shift starts in four hours and I’m running on about four hours of sleep.

Last night we were treated to volunteer screenings of Prom Night in Mississippi and Lymelife, while this afternoon’s theatre adventure was to see HumpDay.

Given my tired/relaxed/overly hot-tubbed frame of mind, these will be short and sweet.

Prom Night in Mississippi is a documentary from Canadian filmmaker Paul Saltzman (yay Canada!). It follows the senior high school students of 2,100 population Charleston, Mississippi as they plan for their first integrated prom. Despite the fact that the US government abolished segregation in 1954, and the high schools became integrated in the early 1970’s, the non-progressive parents of Charleston still insisted on segregated proms – the “white” prom and the “black” prom. Given that the students interact and attend classes together on a daily basis, it’s almost absurd to think that such a situation could still be in existence. It all comes to a change when Morgan Freeman revamps his offer, originally made in 1998, to sponsor the first integrated prom.

The film takes an honest and sometimes heart wrenching look at racism, inter-generational relationships and parent/teen control issues while still capturing the fun of the teenagers and excitement leading up to their prom. It proves that issues such as racism can be overcome, and challenges both the film’s participants and viewers to try and make that change in our generation.

One of the most central interviews in the film is with the racist father of a teen who is in an inter-racial relationship. He admits to his point of view, shows no reason to change it while at the same time showing a level of remorse for this opinion being ingrained into him. But he loves his daughter and will stand by her even if he disagrees with her relationship choices. To me this shows the triumph of love and tolerance over hatred and self-righteousness. A heavy film to start the festival with perhaps - but an important film that everyone should see. The premiere of the film is Saturday January 17th at my theatre, and I look forward to hearing the Q&A if I have the chance!

Lymelife premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall, but was developed through the Sundance Institute. The film follows Scott Bartlett, a 15 year old growing up in 1970s Long Island, as he copes with the dysfunction of his parents’ marriage, his crush on next door neighbour Adrianna, all with the backdrop of a Lyme disease breakout that has already claimed the sanity of Adrianna’s father.

Featuring strong performances by Timothy Hutton, Alec Baldwin, Jill Hennessy and the Culkin brothers, the only weak point in the acting is from Cynthia Nixon. However, this set aside, the film is quirky and wonderful, as is the soundtrack provided by The Spaceship Martini (a band belonging to Steven Martini, the director’s brother and also the film’s editor, composer and co-writer). The audience of Sundance volunteers seemed to unanimously agree that this film deserves the award for best worst first sex experience. Here’s hoping the rest of the festival will enjoy the charm of this film, shot in only 22 days on a $1.5 million budget.

After trying (and failing) to get into a screening of The Killing Room, we made a last minute dash to the Eccles theatre to catch the premiere of HumpDay. And I must say, I was pleasantly surprised! Let’s start with the premise for this one – two recently reunited friends decide to make porn featuring the two of them having gay sex, despite the fact that they’re completely straight, and one of them is married.

At the core of HumpDay is a certain awkwardness and honesty that is rarely seen on the screen these days. Filmed largely with improvisation from actors Mark Duplass and Joshua Leonard, director Lynn Shelton tackles the male ego in a funny and unique way. While some scenes feel a bit long, the editing and drawn out scenes add to the audience’s reaction to what they are watching – the camera is a mere observer, lending a realism to the story that often isn’t found with flashy quick edits – you have the sense that you’re getting every painstaking second of the story, and it’s worth it.

So I guess that means so far I’m 3/3 for movies!

Prom Night in Mississippi - 4 stars
Lymelife - 3 ½ stars
HumpDay – 3 ½ stars

Revolutionary Road, The House Bunny, and Gran Turino

2009-01-16T15:45:00.000-08:00

Revolutionary Road

For several days after watching Revolutionary Road, the main thought running through my mind was “what did I learn from this film?”

Frank and April Wheeler are a couple who have fallen through the trap door into a suburban life that they never knew they wanted, don’t really want, but don’t know how to escape from. Frank takes comfort in other women to compensate for his suburban misery and inability to satisfy April. April on the other hand, has the courage to realize the need to break free from the mundane routine that their lives have become by convincing Frank they should up and move with their children to Paris, France.

So, for a brief time I felt inspired to see a couple who has the strength to realize that the life they’re leading isn’t the one they want, that they have the power to change it, and that all that matters is that they have each other.

The plan to move to France dissolves quickly when April becomes pregnant and Frank is lured into a promotion at work that more firmly entrenches them into American suburbia. It seems that both are on opposite sides of the fence here. Frank is willing to play along with the American dream, thinking there’s no reason they can’t be happy if they just work at it and try to force themselves into a social mould that just doesn’t fit. April, by contrast sees that the mould doesn’t fit and just wants to find a new one.

Of course, it all ends badly and you walk out of the theatre just feeling a hint of the “hopeless emptiness” that the film alludes to – ironically enough, stated by the sanest ‘insane’ man in the entire film.

What did I learn?
1. If you want to move to Paris, France with your husband, use birth control.
2. If you don’t like how your life is establishing itself, fight to change it into the life you want – don’t be complacent.
3. Sam Mendes either hates, or is obsessed with suburbia.

House Bunny

Well, I’m willing to admit that I watched this movie. And that I laughed – more than once. But that’s about as far as I’m willing to go! Maybe if I was a guy I’d appreciate it more – I’m sure looking at a scantily clad Anna Ferris doing a next generation Legally Blonde act is lots of fun to some out there. Definitely glad this was a rental.

Gran Turino

Having not seen many classic Clint Eastwood movies in the past, there may have been a certain Dirty Harry frame of reference missing for me when watching Gran Turino. And yet – I still loved it. Eastwood is spot on in his role as Walt Kowalski, a bigoted Vietnam War veteran living in a neighbourhood with rapidly changing demographics. His performance certainly compensates for that of his weaker-chopped counterparts. And yet, the fresh new faces on the screen make the subject matter and acting all the more realistic, so Eastwood is to be applauded for taking on a film with a truly independent spirit.

Marley and Me (and everyone else in the theatre)

2009-01-07T13:48:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows that beloved pets have a limited life span. So, going into the film Marley & Me, as a member of the audience you’re aware that on some level, tragedy is going to hit when Marley reaches the end of his life span. This doesn’t make the need for tissues any less. Being in the theatre at the end of Marley & Me was like being in a hospital walk-in clinic during cold season – everyone was sniffling. I’m quite sure that Kleenex or Royale could have made a killing doing a promotional give away to everyone going into the theatre.

But enough about being sad. That’s just how it all ends up. The journey from beginning to end of Marley & Me is a pretty funny one, with better-than-average performances from Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. I wonder what John Grogan though of having Owen Wilson play him – not sure I *quite* see the similarities – see google for a photo.

Based on the real-life articles and life of columnist/report John Grogan, Marley & Me follows the Grogans’ from their wedding day through the growth of their family, careers and other life changing events. Their family starts when they adopt Marley – a cute, twelve pound yellow Labrador, who in no time at all, grows into a 100-pound steamroller of unbridled energy that turns the Grogan home into a disaster area. Flunking obedience school, chewing dry-wall, pillows, flowers and pretty much anything in site, Marley quickly is dubbed "the world's worst dog." However, love being unconditional, in the end they realize how Marley brought out the best in them.

Anyone with a pet, who wants a pet, or has ever had a pet would probably enjoy this film even with all its emotional ups and downs.

The end of a life (and this film) is inevitable, but still heartwrenching. For me (and it’s rare that I’ll admit it) – I even had the full lower-lip tremble going on. One of my mom’s only film rules is that she refuses to watch something in public will make her cry. So mom, this one’s not for you – at least not until it comes out on DVD. But if a good communal laugh and cry is what you’re looking for, catch this one while it’s in theatres.

Shallow Grave Holds Up Over Time

2009-01-06T20:44:00.000-08:00

As part of my new year’s resolution to re-visit my dvd collection, I kicked things off by revisiting Danny Boyle’s Shallow Grave. I’m happy to report that in my mind, Boyle’s first film effort still holds up since it’s release in 1995.

With the atmospheric and eerie music from composer Simon Boswell, outstanding performances by a younger Ewan McGregor, Kerry Fox, and Christopher Eccleston, this film clearly shows the beginnings of what has become Boyle’s unique vision, humour and style. Recurring themes present in all of Boyle’s films – greed, friendship and trust – take root here.

My favourite scene visually is still the attic shots of recently-gone-psychotic roomie David (played with super-creepiness by Christopher Eccleston), spies on his other roommates through strategically drilled holes all over the floor of the loft/ceiling of the apartment. I’m not sure if this was the idea of Boyle himself or cinematographer Brian Tufano, but the result is both visually and metaphorically fantastic.

So, in summary: if you haven’t seen this film before, get thee to a video store. And if you have, it’s worth a second or third viewing.

Despereaux's Tale Falls Short

2009-01-06T20:25:00.000-08:00

What’s most disappointing about The Tale of Despereaux is that while it had the potential to be a fun, light-hearted, animated feature with a strong moral message, it sadly fell as short as Despereaux himself. Even the all-star talented voice cast – including Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Watson, Tracey Ullman, Kevin Kline, William H. Macy, Stanley Tucci, Robbie Coltrane Richard Jenkins, Christopher Lloyd and Sigourney Weaver as the narrator – couldn’t make up for this animated feature’s short comings.

In the faraway kingdom of Dor, a soup-related accident resulted in the banning of rats and soup from the kingdom, leaving the townsfolk in despair without sunlight or hope. Desperaux comes along as the brave mouse who doesn’t know how to cower, who quickly finds himself banned to the rat dungeon for speaking with a human. A vengeful rat named Roscuro (voiced by Dustin Hoffman) has the princess of the kingdom kidnapped and it’s up to Desperaux to save her.

It all sounds simple enough to work well as a children’s tale. And, on its own the film does work. It’s in the audience that the problem lies. I’m not quite sure who Universal Pictures was targeting when they signed up “visionary filmmaker Gary Ross”, who here animates his first feature, but there’s definitely an audience identity crisis of sorts going on here, and sadly I feel this film falls into an audience void.

For children, it’s simply not really all that fun to watch. The front railing of the theatre I was in was vibrating from a restless six year old banging their feet in restless boredom against it. It’s also not really all that funny, with the exception of a few cute moments involving Desperaux as he’s growing up. Content-wise it’s a little bit frightening – you have your hero about to be eaten by a cat while the rats cheer on, and later rats racing and chomping at the bit to devour the kidnapped princess. Light and fluffy - definitely not.

As far as the adult audience-goers are concerned, they’re not having fun either. Bored with the lack of action and the constant overly-expositional narration, there are also very few higher-level ‘adult’ jokes to chuckle at.

Really, in the end the shame is that the morality of the story, regarding strength of character, forgiveness and breaking down prejudice is at too high of a level for children to grasp, and completely, unoriginally obvious if you’re an adult.

I wish I’d gone to see Bolt instead.

Numbers, numbers, numbers...

2009-01-06T09:15:00.000-08:00

188 - Hours until I'm on a plane to Utah for the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.
95 - Films watched in theatres last year.
120 - Films I plan to watch in theatres THIS year.
6 - Days left at my current employer.
15 - New jobs applied for to-date.

Of interest to the general public? Not really. Merely a snapshot in time so I can remember where things were at the beginning of 2009. Oh, did you think this was about entertaining YOU?

And the 'Dance Countdown Begins!

2008-11-30T21:13:00.000-08:00

No, this is not a post about So You Think You Can Dance. I’ve carefully programmed my TV so it just doesn’t tune in to that show. Period. Today marks the 45 day countdown to the start of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Last year was my first year of dancing in the sun, and – surprise surprise – I’m now addicted and of course have to go back for another round of fun in the snow.

I watched a total of 27 movies/screenings at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. I’m told this is some sort of record among my rockin’ fellow Torontonian volunteers, as I did this while also volunteering eight hours a day, spending adequate amounts of time in the Stella Artois tent and Filmmaker’s lodge, and trying to figure out how to get around Utah liquor laws.

Since those 27 movies were among the first I watched in 2008, and I’m starting to compile a list of everything I watched this year (it’s getting very, very long, with at least 12 more to see before the clock strikes midnight on December 31st), I thought it a good way to start looking back on this year at the movies. Here’s what I watched – more detailed descriptions of #s 12-27 coming soon.

1) Young @ Heart – great doc about a senior’s choir that sings rock songs. Have seen it a few times since Sundance and still love it. The cover of Coldplay’s Fix You can be described as nothing other than heartwrenching.

2) Mermaid – Russia’s Oscar nomination film for Best Foreign Language film, this was a poetic moving story about a young girl in Moscow, with some groundbreaking cinematography to boot.

3) Adventures of Power – How could you not love a film about a world-class air drummer who’s idol is Neal Peart of Rush? I’m still surprised I haven’t seen this hit theatres in a widespread way, it felt very much like it could have been the Napoleon Dynamite of 2008.

4) Anvil! The Story of Anvil – Documentary about the most influential heavy metal band that no one’s ever heard of. And they’re Canadian to boot. Whether you love heavy metal music or not, this film was a hell of a lot of fun. The members of Anvil even made an appearance at this advance volunteer screening and were received with open arms and rowdy cheers.

5) The Guitar – The directorial debut from Robert Redford’s daughter Amy. I could have been a wee bit tired during this screening, however irregardless the story meandered too much, with parts of the plot receiving too much focus while others were downplayed. Actress Saffron Burrows made the film worth watching in her leading role as Melody.

6) Bottle Shock – Here we have a movie that contained several of my favourite sights – Alan Rickman, Freddy Rodriguez, and California. Oh, and of course lots of wine. This film is often compared with Sideways due to the similar subject matter, and while some will say it doesn’t live up to its predecessor, it is definitely worth spending the time on. I’ve still got to figure out if you can get the Barrett’s wine here at the LCBO.

7) The Last Word – When I heard there was a film with Wes Bentley and Winona Ryder, I had to check it out. While Bentley’s performance was stellar, Ryder’s fell a little flat, and the film overall might have been trying a little bit too hard to be lyrical. Not one of the most memorable screenings I attended, as compiling this list is the first reminder I’ve had that I even watched it – probably not a good sign.

8) TransSyberian – An unexpected edge-of-your-seat pleasure. A last minute decision led me into the press & industry screening of this film, and I was pleasantly surprised. With great performances from Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer, and an ending that I did not see coming, this was a film that went far too unnoticed when it had release earlier this year in theatres.

9) The Merry Gentleman – While this film had an interesting premise (Michael Keaton as a suicidal hit man who forms a relationship with a woman starting over in a new city), in the end it just didn’t hold my interest.

10) Meghane – this was the antithesis of almost every other film I’ve ever seen in terms of its tone and pace. Serene & calming, watching this film was a near-meditative experience. The film’s allegory for life of “just when you feel lost, go a little further and turn right” makes sense in a weird but truthful sort of way.

11) Alone in Four Walls – a documentary from Russia about juvenile delinquent boys sent to state reform schools for crimes ranging from petty theft to murder. This documentary was heartbreaking – boys who in many cases are better looked after in this cold, regimented environment – than they would be at home. At least at the school they are provided with schooling, three meals and a bed to sleep in. Many of the boys, upon release, end up committing further crimes so they can be sent back to the school.

12) Be Kind, Rewind
13) Smart People
14) Incendiary
15) Quid Pro Quo
16) Puujee
17) Be Like Others
18) The Escapist
19) Choke
20) New Frontier Shorts program
21) Animation Spotlight
22) Terra Nova
23) Anywhere, USA
24) Funny Games
25) The Visitor
26) Baghead
27) Towelhead