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Film Friday: Al Gore invents internet, stop paying attention
First off, two thoughts.
One. Directly before writing this someone called us to let Torontoist know it was ‘National Break-Up Day’. We declined to break up largely because we hypothesised that it was a holiday invented because they’ve just released The Break-Up, the new film featuring a woman who Brad Pitt didn’t impregnate for whatever reason, and a man who looks like he never sleeps (that joke is stolen from Family Guy, but come on, he really does look like he never sleeps). Anyway, we were correct, as it’s a ‘holiday’ declared by our friends at Universal Pictures and Budweiser. And if it’s ‘national’ that probably only means America, anyway. So. Our fellow Canadians. Don’t break up just because a beer and a movie studio told you to. Also, don’t go and see The Break-Up, either, because regardless of quality all of our intelligences have been insulted.
Two. Al Gore has been in town for interviews, it seems, to chat about his new film, An Inconvenient Truth. Interesting to me, however, is a throwaway comment in NOW’s interview. “This personal commitment has made him an easy object for ridicule, notably in a recent South Park episode. Gore gives a rueful laugh. “I haven’t seen it. I plan to.” He turns to his publicist to figure out how to download it, then returns to our conversation.”
Wait, what? Someone who was nearly the President of the United States might be using Bittorrent to illegally download TV shows? Then again, the dude who invented the Internet doesn’t know how to use Bittorrent?
Well, you know, if Gore does get his lackeys to download TV shows, probably in the same sort of way we might do if we did it, you know, because we forgot to set the video, or we’re in a country where the program we want to see isn’t shown due to boneheaded TV schedulers (where’s Dr. Who, CBC, eh?) then Torontoist definitely likes him. Al Gore – Eco-terrorist and digital rights, uh, terrorist! Yeah! But just on the topic of his Eco-terrorism, apparently An Inconvenient Truth is quite good. So that’s that, then.
Other than An Inconvenient Truth, the most notable film released this week has to be District 13, the renamed North American version of Banlieue 13, which we really, really liked when we saw it at TIFF2005. Advertised as coming ‘from the people who brought you Ong Bak’ it’s nowhere near as good as the film namechecked, but it is still a wildly exciting, almost video game like action film with some nice social commentary tacked on. The cinematography is occasionally a bit wonky, though.
A better bet, perhaps, if you’re looking for some high flying action, is Cinematheque Ontario’s Heroic Grace series, then. Yes, we know we don’t seem to stop banging on about it but god damn it a blog is allowed to love Shaw Brothers films. Last night’s opener, One Armed Swordsman, was the revenge flick, making Kill Bill look like a film about flower arranging. And Kill Bill, actually, ripped off one of it’s most famous musical cues from King Boxer (which, ironically, it had originally ripped off from Ironside). King Boxer plays tonight and is awesome (see our review here). Plenty of good stuff later on in the week, too. (All showings at Jackman Hall, AGO, 317 Dundas W.)
This week’s most notable festival is Alucine Toronto [email protected] Media Festival, given an overview by Eye Weekly, with a nod given in particular to The Gospel of the Creole Pig. Full listings available at the website, showings at several locations. Also continuing this week is the European Union Film Festival, all showings at the Goethe-Institut Kinowelt Hall, 163 King W.