Day: September 8, 2013

TIFF13 REVIEW: Visitors [2014]

Jared Mobarak

I entered the Elgin Theatre excited at the prospect of this once in a lifetime opportunity. I was about to sit down and watch the world premiere of renowned experimental film director Godfrey Reggio’s newest introspective tome, Visitors. This would be completely new to me never having seen his Qatsi Trilogy or either of Koyaanisqatsi’s cinematographer/editor Ron Fricke’s features. I’ve witnessed my fair share of Avant Garde work before in a gallery setting, though, and knew to expect a meditative piece from its beautiful 4K black and white with Philip…

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TIFF13 REVIEW: Begin Again [Can a Song Save Your Life?] [2014]

Jared Mobarak

“Yeah. I just phased out my cassettes.” To answer the title’s question—Can a Song Save Your Life?—writer/director John Carney says, “Yes.” A song can save someone from jumping off a subway platform and someone else from the searing emotional pain of being scorned in love. Music in general is an art form that can move us to tears with one simple chord or touchingly real lyric. It alters us in a way that can’t be explained; the same song telling a person there is purpose while the guy standing a…

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TIFF13 REVIEW: The Double [2014]

Jared Mobarak

“It’s terrible to be alone too much” Comically dry like director Richard Ayoade‘s debut Submarine, his sophomore effort takes more than a few steps towards an even more arid realm of complete existentialist surrealism. Adapted by he and Avi Korine, The Double brings Fyodor Dostoyevsky‘s novella to the big screen with a surefire confidence in its visual form and an eccentric comedy that should go a long way towards securing “The IT Crowd” starrer as a permanent, unique voice in contemporary cinema. There is a definite stylistic kinship to his…

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TIFF13 REVIEW: The F Word [2014]

Jared Mobarak

“Love is stupid monkeys dancing in a slapstick hurricane” I’m officially a sucker for romantic comedies where guy meets girl by engaging in sarcastically cynical conversation consisting more of glib quips than substantive information. It’s more than likely because that’s exactly what my girlfriend and I do even to this day and most definitely because I’m a hopeless romantic just like the male leads generally are. There is something absolutely relatable to the awkwardly genuine smiles of two introverts connecting with an acquired humor made funnier by the fact everyone…

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