...trailers shown before all the film screenings. I missed out on VIFF this year but thankfully the trailers are online. All the 8 Trailers hilariously describe the possible audience members who attend a VIFF screening But these are my three favourites in order of preference 1) Overanalyzer 2) Die Hard -- I narrowly avoided being this...

It is a universal human trait to blame one's problems on someone else. But in Friday's Globe and Mail, Marcus Gee took the blame game to absurd heights in his column "China Should save less, spend more" . Gee agrees with U.S. Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson, that China should "encourage its citizens to be more like Americans and open their...

In these times of financial crisis, we need strong leadership! We need someone to tell us the word. Thankfully, we now know the word Family Guy BIRD IS THE WORD! - The most popular videos are a click away

The 2008 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded today to Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio . Unfortunately, I have never read anything by him because very few of his books have been translated into English . But hopefully this award addresses that and English translations of his work appear in the near future

Imagine a scene 6 years or so ago A meeting room packed with important men Man #1: War, War, War Man #2: Oil, Oil, Oil Man #3: Is this all really good for us Man #1: No doubt sir. We will win in one week. Everyone will love us Man #2: Who Cares if we are loved or not? We are who we are. We are #1. The rest can go to hell And so it was. A one...

By the numbers I saw 18 films over 9 days -- I skipped the opening night gala of Blindness and saw no films on Wed, Sept 24 I ended up seeing three films from Iceland as this year's Spotlight shone on that Northern European nation Saw single titles from the following countries -- Canada, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, France, Italy, Macedonia,...

The Globe and Mail have put up their 1972 film review of The Godfather . The review was published a day after the film was released and it certainly makes for an interesting read. I love the last few lines which describes the movie in a nutshell Yet the movie isn't just about this family. It's about secret horrors and false fronts. It's about...

Tired and jaded. I managed to take in 3 films on the closing day but I really should have only watched 1. The last two really tested any endurance I had whatsoever Day 10, Sept 28 Corridor #8 (2008, Bulgaria, Boris Despodov): 8/10 Jar City (2006, Iceland, Baltasar Kormákur): 6/10 The Pope's Toilet (2007, Uruguay, César Charlone/Enrique...

Day 8, Sept 26 Time to Die (2007, Poland, Dorota Kedzierzawska): 7/10 One Week (2008, Canada, Michael McGowan): 8.5/10 The Polish film Time to Die is mostly a soliloquy, beautifully shot in black and white. Credit goes to an excellent performance from Danuta Szaflarska for playing such a vibrant character. While the film is technically sound,...

Day 5, Sept 23 Paraiso Travel (2007, Colombia/USA, Simon Brand): 7/10 Gomorra (2008, Italy, Matteo Garrone): 10/10 Border hopping The Colombian co-production Paraiso Travel depicts the journey and struggles of a love struck couple (Marlon & Reina) who illegally cross the border into the USA. The film is divided into two portions starting off...