Monthly Archives: September 2010

Elena Roger takes Sondheim’s Passion to brilliant heights

Posted on September 24, 2010 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – That love never fails is a simple concept made rich and complex in Stephen Sondheim’s ardent 1994 Tony Award-winning musical “Passion” in a memorable new production at the Donmar Warehouse.

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TIFF: Entertaining twists and turns in atmospheric charmer

Posted on September 22, 2010 by admin

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – A movie with the unprepossessing title “White Irish Drinkers’ about two brothers living in the Brooklyn docklands in 1975 could easily be filled with clichés but in the hands of filmmaker John Gray it’s a … Continue reading →

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TIFF: Mix of bank robbery and Chekhov becomes too silly

Posted on September 21, 2010 by admin

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – Combining a back-stage theatrical romance and a drama about a bank robbery into one spoof might have seemed a good idea at the time but while Malcolm Venville’s “Henry’s Crime” is billed as a comedy … Continue reading →

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TIFF: Rock star finds a daughter in low wattage number

Posted on September 20, 2010 by admin

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – An earnest tale about a faded rock star who discovers he has a teenaged daughter and takes her on the road, “Janie Jones” follows a predictable path and despite decent performances it does not catch … Continue reading →

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TIFF: Handsome historical drama about a familiar tragedy

Posted on September 20, 2010 by admin

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – John Sayles’ “Amigo” is set during the U.S. incursion in the Philippines in 1900 but the parallels with Afghanistan and Iraq today are clear. It’s an impressive film, but the indie filmmaker has little to … Continue reading →

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TIFF: An uneventful comedy without laughs about lost love

Posted on September 20, 2010 by admin

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – Max Winkler’s humorless “Ceremony” falls into the category of would-be comedies in which a hapless young man scores with a gorgeous woman completely out of his league.

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TIFF: Extraordinary life and times of Yves Saint Laurent

Posted on September 18, 2010 by admin

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – When the late couturier Yves Saint Laurent’s longtime companion and business partner Pierre Bergé decided to sell their vast and unique collection of artwork, it was called the auction of the century. Pierre Thorreton’s painstaking … Continue reading →

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TIFF: Dire, humourless travelogue with occasional food

Posted on September 17, 2010 by admin

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – Michael Winterbottom’s listless foody travelogue “The Trip” is made up of highlights from a six-part BBC-TV series that has yet to air but if these are the best bits then no one will mind waiting.

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TIFF: Idiosyncratic teenage comedy that’s smart and funny

Posted on September 16, 2010 by admin

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – Joe Dunthorne’s delightfully idiosyncratic 2008 novel “Submarine,” in which a smart and eccentrically gifted 15-year-old muses about school, girls, movies, parents and life in general, is the kind of book that almost never is made … Continue reading →

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TIFF: A boy with Down syndrome falls in love …

Posted on September 15, 2010 by admin

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – Justin Lerner’s “Girlfriend” claims to be the first U.S. feature film to star a person with Down syndrome, namely Evan Sneider who plays a young man with a major crush on a single mom he’s … Continue reading →

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