C.J. Prince
378 articles written by C.J. Prince
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TIFF 2014: Goodbye to Language 3D
Like the film’s 70 minute runtime, I’ll be brief. Jean-Luc Godard tackles three dimensions in his latest film, a complete sensory assault that, like his other recent works, can only be attributed to the legendary filmmaker. Narrative and characters...
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Tracks
In 1977, 27 year-old Robyn Davidson embarked on what would become a 9 month, 1,700 mile journey across the Australian deserts. She travelled from the town of Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean, with 4 camels and a dog...
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TIFF 2014: Gett, The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
In Gett, The Trial of Viviane Amsalem, the title character (played by co-director Ronit Elkabetz) spends 5 years trying to divorce her husband Elisha (Simon Abkarian). In Israel, divorce cases are only handled by the Rabbinical Court, and religious...
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TIFF 2014: The Look of Silence
After making The Act of Killing, Joshua Oppenheimer goes back to the same subject matter for his follow-up The Look of Silence. A brief background: In The Act of Killing, Joshua Oppenheimer followed several people responsible for slaughtering hundreds,...
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TIFF 2014: Cub
Jonas Govaerts’ Cub feels all too familiar, a significant problem given its promising concept and imagery. On a Cub Scout trip to the woods, young scout Sam (Maurice Luijten) sees a feral child with a bizarre mask running around...
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Still the Water (TIFF Review)
At one point during Still the Water, a character says one has to “keep a humble attitude towards nature; it’s impossible to resist it.” That line might be the most succinct summary of what writer/director Naomi Kawase shows throughout...
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TIFF 2014: Two Shots Fired
Two Shots Fired opens with teenager Mariano (Rafael Federman) dancing at a nightclub, going home, doing the chores and then, after discovering a gun in the garage, casually shooting himself twice. The first shot grazes his head, and the...
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TIFF 2014: Hill of Freedom
Hong Sang-soo has made yet another film (his 16th one, to be exact), and for those aware of the filmmaker it should come as no surprise Hill of Freedom shares similar qualities to his other works. Hong’s films, usually...
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TIFF 2014: Fires on the Plain
Shinya Tsukamoto tackles Shohei Ooka’s 1951 novel in Fires on the Plain, a graphic, borderline-exploitative take on the classic anti-war book. Tsukamoto, the extreme Japanese director responsible for Tetsuo: The Iron Man, casts himself as a soldier suffering from...
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Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait (TIFF Review)
As Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait opens, a title card claims “1,001 Syrians” helped make the film. The reason for such a bold and unconfirmed claim is because of co-director Ossama Mohammed’s reliance on footage from online sources. Mohammed, a...
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TIFF 2014: Backcountry
Opening with the camera tracking towards an unseen but, based on the sound design, grisly sight, Backcountry immediately foreshadows a nasty outcome for its characters. Corporate lawyer Jenn (Missy Peregrym) reluctantly tags along with boyfriend Alex (Jeff Roop) on a...
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TIFF 2014: Wild Tales
Wild Tales consists of six twisted short stories, all written by writer/director Damian Szifron. Most anthology films tend to use different directors for each story, but Szifron handles every single one here. Having one writer and director gives Wild Tales...
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TIFF 2014: The Duke of Burgundy
It’s hard to discuss what exactly goes on in The Duke of Burgundy because it might ruin writer/director Peter Strickland’s surprises. Following the relationship between two entomologists, Cynthia (Sidse Babett Knudsen) and the younger Evelyn (Chiara D’Anna), the film...
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Bird People (TIFF Review)
Bird People begins with a montage of people coming and going on subway trains throughout Paris. It’s a bit of an odd start until the perspective changes: suddenly everyone’s thoughts on the train can he heard, the camera profiling...
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TIFF 2014: Phoenix
Christian Petzold and Nina Hoss return for their sixth collaboration in Phoenix, a well-done post-WWII German drama. Hoss plays Nelly, a Holocaust survivor with severe damage to her face. The only survivor in her family, Nelly inherits a large...