Indeed, when I decided to start a family I had a master plan: My children will only watch Public Television; My children will take music and art lessons; My children will have a love of reading, a love of theater and a love of the great outdoors; My children will like classical music; My children will like going to school. My children will like 100% fruit juice and choose it over drinks with florescent green color.
In short, my children will be smart, creative, loving and say thank-you for birthday presents without being prompted.
Right. Wake up and smell the wee wee.
You can’t control what your children put into their mouths; you can’t control what comes out of their mouths. And you certainly can’t control what comes out the other end--when, where, how often or the consistency; you can’t control how they dress, how, when or where they undress; you can’t control their actions, or inactions; you can’t control their thinking or the seeming lack of it. You can’t influence or control anything.
Zip. Zero. Zilch.
So then when I got me a blog and someone thanked me for sharing a link to Dikipedia, I was all like, what? I actually had some influence over someone else? That rocks!
Problem is…I want more.
And here’s come the rant: I can’t tell you how many blogs I’ve visited raving about The Dark Knight—not that there’s anything wrong with that. Hey, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, I get it.
But if I have one gripe about the blogosphere, it’s the American Idolization of it (yes, I know--I've mixed my metaphors). Ditto with music--don’t’ get me started on that.
There are so many films out there people please, get out of your media zone and check out something not produced by the Weinsteins. Otherwise it really is a dark night.
It’s only because I care, and I learn so much from all of you, that I’m giving you a list of possibilities. And, well, I might also be a bit of a control freak. But I can’t end my Toronto Film Festival Festival without sharing some of my favs.
Bet you’ll be glad when I go back to blogging about beer, won’t you?
PAST TORONTO FAVORITES
The Visitor
The Pope's Toilet
La Zona
WONDERFULLY UNDERSTATED
You Can Count on Me -- see Mark Ruffalo act
My Life Without Me – or anything w/Sarah Polley (have tissues ready)
Grace is Gone – a topic not touched upon in this current war
Lovely And Amazing – with a lovely Catherine Keener
COMEDY
The Big Lebowski – of course!
High Fidelity – JC at his best
Almost Famous – if you love classic rock, don’t miss it
The Savages – w/P.S. Hoffman & Laura Linney, need I say more?
ROMANTIC
Say Anything - Lloyd rules!
Truly, Madly, Deeply - dubbed as a thinking person's Ghost
Life is Beautiful - a slap-sticky story of sacrifice
Cinema Paradiso - about as sentimental as I go
ACTION & GRIT
Fight Club - sex, violence, comedy and Brad Pitt's bare chest
History of Violence - a great character study
Eastern Promises - Viggo with an accent
WAR
The Pianist - not the Piano
Casablanca - war or love story?
Hotel Rwanda - based on a (riveting) true story (of courage)
ARTSY?
The Science of Sleep –great stop action animation and Gael Garcia Bernal
New World – one beautiful, long poetic story
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – features Tom Waits on the soundtrack
Fur - features a hairy R. Downey Jr.
PERSONAL FAVORITES
Lost in Translation – worked in every way for me
Babel – don’t over think it
City of God – says a lot about sociology
The Lives of Others - another great character study (of a gestopo)
Y Tu Mama Tambien – I love how the director comments through the cinematography
PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON
Boogie Nights – Mark Walberg was robbed of the oscar
Magnolia – see it for the Tom Cruise’s cami
Punch Drunk Love – a serious Adam Sandler
OVER RATED
Sut
Citizen Kane
Flags of Our Father
Raising Arizona
Reservoir Dogs
I know I'm going to take a hit on those last two. Be gentle.
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If you liked any of these films, or if you didn't, how about smiley-ing me at Humor-Blogs.
