Torontoist Love/Hate 2006: Movies

By David Topping

Torontonians are, to say the least, an opinionated bunch. So instead of a simple “Best Of” list to cap 2006 off, the Torontoist staffers have racked their brains about everything (books, songs, restaurants, people, places, stores, newspapers, politicians, musicians, and a lot more) to bring you their choices for the very best and the very worst of our city this past year. It’s Torontoist Love/Hate 2006, and you can find a new one every day at noon from December 26th until January 1st.
Torontoist likes to watch. On our third day of Love/Hate, our staffers pick anything and everything they love and hate about movies – flicks, festivals, theatres, and places to rent or buy your favourites.

Movie

Little Miss Sunshine. I thought it was one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in a long time. I haven’t seen any Canadian movies this year. I considered trying to watch “Shortbus” but at the end of the day I think that on-screen sex should be left to porn stars, who really understand what viewers are looking for. – PATRICK METZGER
I loved Mutual Appreciation, enough that I saw it twice on the same weekend. Torontoist reviewed Andrew Bujalski’s latest B&W film about New York layabouts favourably and Metacritic concurred — the film has an 84 rating and is listed on their best films of 2006. – GARY CAMPBELL
Well, it’s not really Toronto related, but it did show at TIFF, so Reprise. Joachim Trier’s movie is so good I saw it twice — and that was during the Toronto International Film Festival. Check out my review for more gushing. Toronto film-makers: consider this your benchmark for next year. – MATHEW KUMAR
A generic, by-the-numbers thriller with mediocre box-office success, The Sentinel was a mainstream Hollywood movie shot in Toronto that actually was supposed to be taking place in Toronto. Nathan Phillips Square was the scene of the movie’s assassination attempt during a G8 summit — being held at City Hall, natch. The last time Toronto stood-in for itself was in the 2001 Stallone race-car flick Driven. – MARC LOSTRACCO
Shortbus. I think any film starring Sook-Yin is pretty Torontonian right off the bat, and this city has really claimed this beautiful film as its own. – JOHNNIE WALKER
Snakes on a Plane. I can honestly say that I have never had more fun at a movie, or left so physically exhausted. Highlights include snakes #1 and #3. (You know what I’m talking about…..or at least, you should.) The only flaw in this cinematic masterpiece was that snakes didn’t fall out of the bottom of the plane when the landing gear extended. Duh. Like, so obvi. – CHRIS TINDAL
Not terribly Toronto-ey, but Stranger Than Fiction is one of the most wonderful comedies to come along in quite some time. Will Ferrell shows off his actual acting chops and is still funny, Emma Thompson is what every modern actress should one day aspire to be and Dustin Hoffman is getting pleasantly weirder with every passing year. Tack all of that onto a brilliant script by Zach Helm that only really works in movie form and excellent direction by Marc Forster and you’ve got an instant classic. Destined to be used as an object lesson for screenwriting books for years to come. – CHRISTOPHER BIRD
United 93 is quite possibly the most difficult movie ever made… You find yourself having to suppress your own screams and the urge to run out of the theatre. My face went numb while watching it; not only has no other film triggered this reaction in me, but I believe that that was the only time in my whole life this has ever happened. Cinema at its most extreme, and probably tied with Rosemary’s Baby as the scariest and most intense of all films. – JONATHAN GOLDSBIE

Bon Cop/Bad Cop. Who made this a hit? I love Colm Feore too, but this was seriously one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen. It’s films like this that make people think all Canadian films suck. – JOHNNIE WALKER
Snakes on a Plane. Man that movie was awful. – CHRIS TINDAL

Movie Theatre

Obviously, The Bloor. Beautifully maintained, inexpensively priced and one of the only rep theatres left after the sad events of this summer. Plus, if you go up to the balcony, they have those extra-large seats for couples and the fat.– JOHNNIE WALKER
I live around Yonge and College, and for the longest time I’d walk right past the Carlton and head to the Varsity or Cumberland whenever I wanted to see a movie. What a mistake that was. The Carlton has a great selection of movies – leaning towards independent or smaller studio films – and you can bring a date for less than $20 bucks, which in Toronto counts as a good deal. – MARK MEDLEY
Obviously not normally used as a movie theatre, the Isabel Bader Theatre is nevertheless the best place in Toronto in which to see a movie. Used by many film festivals, including TIFF, the audience’s unmediated relationship with the perfectly-proportioned screen is unparalleled in this city. – JONATHAN GOLDSBIE
I’m horribly biased for a number of reasons, but I love the Isabel Bader Theatre. Absolutely gorgeous, new(ish), filled with natural light during the day, and versatile enough to host a movie one night, a dance group the next, and ideaCity the day after that. Plus, it only moonlights as a theatre – on weekdays while school’s in session, it’s the best lecture hall on the U of T campus. Grab a seat in the balcony if it’s open. – DAVID TOPPING
I know I’m supposed to extol the virtues of some indie rep theatre (or, at most, the Cumberland) if I want to maintain hipster cred, but the Paramount is just such a nice place to watch a movie. It’s the only theatre in Toronto where the stadium-style seating actually works as it should to make you comfortable, it’s got fourteen screens in the middle of downtown so in addition to the latest blockbuster there’s almost always at least one or two smaller pictures that are worth seeing, and before or afterwards you’ve got your pick of the Queen strip for the meal that should always precede or follow a good movie. Plus, riding that escalator is fucking awesome. – CHRISTOPHER BIRD
Oh, you know, we were all ecstatic to see the Royal reborn like a phoenix from the ashes this December, but frankly, this year my most treasured memories will be going to see Kung Fu Fridays at the Revue. I’m still holding out that it can be saved by the fine folks at the Revue Film Society. – MATHEW KUMAR
I was sad with the closure of the Royal Cinema on Friday, June 30th. I’d spent enough time there during the first half of the year that I’d even mathematically calculated out my ideal seat. It was great to be there for the final showing of Monty Python’s The Holy Grail and 2001: A Space Odyssey, but much more awesome that it’s managed to survive the Festival sell-off and return better than ever. – GARY CAMPBELL
Complain all you want about Cineplex’s ridiculous concession stand prices and monopolization of Toronto’s movie screens, but the Varsity consistently offers great-sounding and great-looking theatres without the obnoxious arcades, pseudo-futuristic decor and concert staging frills found in every suburban Silver City behemoth. The restrained design and usually unnecessary V.I.P. rooms confirm its appropriateness as the primary host of TIFF flicks. – MARC LOSTRACCO

The Al Green Theatre is probably a perfectly fine place to see a play or an onstage discussion but when used to show movies (as it has been by many film festivals, including TIFF for the first time this year), it is excruciating. The seats are uncomfortable, and the slightest movement causes a whole row to shake. The screen is on the wall at the back of the stage, making its position seem remote and distant relative to the audience, and causing unfortunate reflections down onto the stage. Worst of all, however, there are little blue lights at the ends of each row that will haunt your peripheral vision. Even if the Camera Bar’s theatre hadn’t closed, this would still be the worst place in the city in which to see a movie. – JONATHAN GOLDSBIE

Film Festival

Any of those cute little festivals at The Bloor, like The Jewish Film Festival or After Dark. Although the imagiNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival definitely had the best poster of the year. – JOHNNIE WALKER
I thoroughly enjoyed the Cinéfranco film festival at the Royal Cinema at the end of March. The well-chosen films covered a wide range, the event was well-organized, and everything I saw started on time (how often does that happen?) The films Emmenez-moi and Un petit jeu sans conséquence were particular favourites. – GARY CAMPBELL
Hot Docs kicks the ass of all the other film festivals in Toronto. You still get movies of great import, you still get big names (well, documentary big names), but you don’t get the stupidly boring hype that the TIFF always brings and you don’t get nearly as many boring wannabe hipster poser types hanging around trying to look cool and network because the only reason to be at Hot Docs is if you love documentary film. It is a film festival for passionate nerds, which is the best kind of film festival. – CHRISTOPHER BIRD
Hot Docs. There’s something about documentaries that just seems to reel people in (insert platitude like “in our complex lives, documentaries are increasingly important because they give us what we truly need — not fiction, but something real”), and Hot Docs has done a stellar job organizing the best of the genre. Reality is just, like, ya know, so much more real. – DAVID TOPPING
Yeah, it’s clichéd, but the Toronto International Film Festival is hard to beat. Ok, I had a media pass and skipped all the lines, but still, from art house to foreign, documentaries to the just plain weird, hello midnight madness, the selection is unsurpassed in the city. – MARK MEDLEY
Can it be anything but TIFF? Seriously guys, we can all complain about how the tickets cost major cash moneys and it takes over the city and the poster design is always STUPID but where else was I going to see Reprise, This is England and the astounding S&Man, eh? The smaller fellows are all fantastic (a particular nod goes to After Dark) but long live the King. – MATHEW KUMAR
Toronto has many film festivals, but I always have to go with the biggest of the bunch, TIFF. Sure, the media always latches onto celebrity gossip and stargazing, but for me the coolest experience of this year’s festival was an unexpected Q&A at the second screening of For Your Consideration at Elgin Theatre with Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, Harry Shearer, Michael McKean, Catherine O’Hara, Parker Posey, and several other stars of the film. – ADAM MILLER

Movie Rental Place/Store

Intimidatingly huge selection, knowledgeable staff, and the always awesome placard outside make Bay Street Video the best place to drop in to rent or buy. – DAVID TOPPING
Although 2006 was the year when I discovered that no, Bay Street Video does not have EVERY movie ever made, it remains the best DVD rental place I have ever seen in my life. And the staff, despite their relative snobiness, are kind of adorable. – ADAM MILLER
CD Exchange, on John just north of Queen, has the best deals in the city period when it comes to box sets. Do you want a brand new copy of a season of an HBO television show for sixty bucks or less – which is practically half price? Then this is where you go. A fantastic selection of box sets, and a chaotic but always very fruitful set of longboxes filled with both oddities and mainstream selections all for ten bucks a pop make this, bar none, the best value for DVD shoppers in Toronto. They might not have exactly what you’re looking for, but they’ll have something you like, and that ain’t bad. – CHRISTOPHER BIRD
Gone Hollywood Video. This gem at King and Niagara streets has the look and feel of a Blockbuster, but has a much wider selection of documentaries and foreign films, and it’s cheaper to rent here, too. Plus, the staff are super nice and knowledgeable. – AMANDA BUCKIEWICZ
I’m not much of a movie junkie but it’s hard to resist the 2-for-1 rental deal on Mondays at Marquee Video, at this College and Dufferin store. It’s a good thing they brew coffee to prevent the sleep-deprived from passing out before the opening credits. – SHARI KASMAN
Soundscapes‘s film selection is small, true, but if you need to get someone a birthday present in a pinch, I defy you to go in there and not find something amazing that someone will absolutely love. Criterion Collection abounds! – JOHNNIE WALKER
Canada’s answer to Netflix, Zip.ca has brought accessibility to indie film aficionados stuck in suburbia. While the local multiplex has Pirates Of The Caribbean playing on six of its eight screens, small towners can easily order up Shortbus, The Last King of Scotland, and An Inconvenient Truth with minimal effort. Finally. – MARC LOSTRACCO

There’s nothing better than living nearer to an independent movie store than to a Blockbuster. Then, and only then, do you realize how heartless the entire company is. While larger music stores like HMV and larger book stores like Indigo get that you have to love what you’re selling, the model’s entirely lost on Blockbuster. The films aren’t films, they’re products, and they’re presented and sold as such. – DAVID TOPPING