Seriously. Some British films should be required to have English subtitles. The accents are so thick here that I think I understood less than 20% of the dialogue. Most others said they had a lot of trouble too, so I don't feel too incompetent. Anyway, based on what I saw, it's a solid film. The SIFF description made me fear that it would be super-gritty and super-intense the whole way through. Turned out it's not that bad (not that gritty and intense is bad), though some scenes are definitely brutal. It's not my favorite type of story, but "Tyrannosaur" is a well-made film with an appropriate ending.
Page One: Inside the New York Times (USA) (Docu) - B
The topic of online vs. print media is a highly relevant one in today's society. (I mean, you are reading this review through online media right now...) This documentary offers a fun ride-along with the daily grind at the New York Times, one of the biggest tentpoles in the print world. (What a snazzy office building!) There are some great characters and highly amusing stories that should make this an enjoyable watch for everyone. I would have loved to see the film dive deeper into some of the subpoints, or organize the various stories in a more connected way. Additionally, as a documentary filmmaker myself, I was bothered by the lack of technical finesse and consistency. A lot of the camera movements seemed unnecessary, and sound quality was bad in many scenes. Come on, you are interviewing the New York Times. Invest in a good microphone.
panel discussion following "Page One"
Apart Together (China) - A-
This film is a wonderful illustration of how cinematic languages can differ from country to country. The pacing is slower; the camerawork is restrained and pulled-back; and the characters don't generally wear their feelings on their faces. All these can sometimes make a painfully boring or detached movie - as I have unfortunately experienced in previous SIFFs - but in this case they help build a beautiful story that is quietly moving. Starting with a premise that's both interesting and challenging, the film walks a somewhat unexpected path before reaching a richly meaningful conclusion. As someone who grew up in China, I can say that the characters and their interactions feel very authentic, full of subtleties that I hope will not be totally lost on an American audience. Some old Chinese songs appear as significant supporting players in the film, in a way that unfortunately cannot be conveyed through subtitles.
OK, so that was 19 films over 6 days... I am taking a day off from SIFF tomorrow, then coming back to dive into the ShortsFest over the long weekend. See you soon!
NY Times: Sound quality was probably the Neptune and not the documentary itself?
ReplyDeleteI stayed for Bibliotheque Pascal after NY Times and I'd say that one is really worth catching if it fits in your schedule. I saw Apart Together in Renton, and even as a Chinese-American, I think many of those subtleties didn't come through to me. However, it did leave me with a lot of content to think about, and I decided that I liked the film more afterwards than I did while watching.
Regarding "Page One": Sound quality issue was not from the venue, as it was only a problem for some scenes and not for others. Notably, the archival footage sounded better than many interview scenes.
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