Once may be enough

OMG did you notice that Cory is writing posts again? Shocker I know. He just apparently had some sort of need to write and there you go. It was just in time too cuz I was so happy not to have to write last week. It is not that I don’t love doing stuff for the blog, It was just that I was busy and tired because I was a volunteer at TIFF.

I have told a few people and they were so excited for me. They thought it was amazing, asked if I saw any stars, and expressed the fact that maybe they should do it some year. And I have to admit before it started i was feeling exactly the same way. I felt privileged to have the opportunity and was really looking forward to it. I have to admit though it really isn’t that exciting.

I didn’t have a bad experience it just wasn’t anywhere near what I was expecting. There was just a lot of waiting around for something to happen. That gets boring and tiring really fast. I did meet a lot of great people. For the most part the volunteers were fun, energetic, and interesting people. There was a lot of discussions about film and television as we stood around waiting for the excitement to begin.

I did see a few stars. I got to hold a door open at the red carpet premier of the new movie by Bruce McDonald Trigger. There was Sarah Polly, who is smaller than I thought she would be. Molly Parker, she is really pretty but looked emaciated. She was wearing this low cut v-neck top and all that could be seen were ribs. It wasn’t flattering. Cullum Keith Rennie, who was about what you would expect. And Bruce McDonald who I wasn’t surprised about. I had seen him when I went to see Pontypool a couple of years ago. They were all really nice.

I also got to see Eva Mendez and Sam Worthington. They were at the premier of Last Night. I wasn’t anywhere near them, I was all the way up in the balcony at Roy Thompson Hall, but I got a good view. I liked Eva’s dress and they both seemed really nice.

I also bumped into a few people as I was on shift. There was character actor Will Patton. He seemed like you would expect just a little more unkempt. Documentarian (is that what you would call him?) Morgan Spurlock was at the opening party for the Bell Light Box. He got me all in a tizzy. Not because I was star struck but because I couldn’t remember who he was. It was driving me crazy. I recognized him as a person I should know and I got the notion that he was some kind of host in my head. It took me days to figure it out.

BTW the TIFF Bell Light Box is a beautiful building. It has this up to date  MOD feel that is very cool. There is a gift shop that I never visited, a film history gallery, a restaurant and a bar. There is this Red Box that gives the illusion that it is hanging in mid air. It has a glass front so you can see right into it. It is the control room for the theatres and security. There is a huge control panel and lots of screens and the people controlling everything. Peering in there it feels like voyeurism. Like you are watching the watchers. It is pretty cool. The cinemas themselves are a throw back to the classic theatre. The biggest screening room is filled with lush red seats, a velvet curtain and it has a balcony. It is a really beautiful space. They are going to be showing their Essential Cinema movies for free for the next little while. I would like to check quite a few of those movies out.

Amongst all this film festival stuff I only got to see 1 full movie.  When I was on shift i did get to stand in for an hour of a movie called Mysteries of Lisbon. It was a crazy long 4 and a half hour movie (272 mins to be exact that had to have an intermission and crap) about some people. That is what I got out of it. It was crazy boring and in that one hour it just seemed unending. I have no idea how the audience was putting up with it. Maybe I just missed all the good stuff. But that doesn’t count. I saw a Hong Kong movie called Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen.

The description on the TIFF site is:

In 1920s Shanghai, hero Chen Zhen single-handedly avenges his mentor’s death by killing all the Japanese at a dojo in Hongkou, only to be showered with bullets while making his legendary flying kick. Now, years later, Chen Zhen, who is believed dead, returns in disguise to infiltrate a criminal empire and to dismantle the evil collusion that plagues the country.

It sounds pretty cool. And that coupled with promotional images like this

and this

and this

I was expecting a whole lot of kung fu action. It turned out to be more of a period piece with a bit of randomly placed fist-to-cuffs action. I have to say I was a little disappointed.

The overall movie was ok i can’t say it was bad because it was still enjoyable to watch. The thing I find with a lot of movies like this is that they have a problem with making a connection with the characters. There are haphazardly placed sentimental moments that are supposed to make you feel for these people but they come off as lame and forced. It kind of stops the movie and points at itself almost yelling at you “FEEL SOMETHING FOR ME!” It just tries too hard.

The costuming, set design, and cinematography was really well done. Most of the film took place in a ritzy night club called Casablanca. The costume and set design captured the affluence the rich liked to flaunt at the time. There were lots of bright lights, colours, flowing gowns and tailored suits. It also showcased the break in social status. There was a drastic difference between the brightness of the rich and the sullen drabness of the poor.

The dialogue is good. It is in Mandarin, Japanese and some English is thrown in there. It is clear in some areas that something is lost in the translation. It could be cultural, contextual, or simply the language barrier but in areas I didn’t understand the reaction or the joke. There was a lot of talk hence a lot of reading so there is quite a bit to follow but it is all interesting.

When there was an action sequence it was great. The hand to hand combat was awesomely choreographed; there were flying kicks, weapons, and fists of fury. Some of the pain that Chen Zhen brought looked truly painful inciting a lot of cringing oohs and oh-my-gods from the audience.

Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen isn’t a must see but it is worth a shot. It is a beautiful movie to look at but the overall finished product is a bit lacking.

I don’t know if I will volunteer at TIFF again I think once was enough for me. It was an experience and I can say it was something that I did. But I will see what happens next year. I may be feeling generous with my time.

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