So i threw on clothes rapid and dashed out the door to try get in as early as possible. The roads are a bit busier later in the morning and the street car is too, from being stretched out on a double seat i was down to struggling to get a seat.
I arrived at Sutton Place at 8.30 and threw myself up the stairs and turned into the Press and Industry Screening Library (my home from home in these ten days) only to find i had been busted as my supervisor ladys at there. I told the truth though, i slept in and it was all good. these things happen and there is no point bullshitting it. after all, I am volunteering for this and why if i couldnt be arsed doing it would i turn up an hour late, surely i would just ditch it altogether? Well thats how i justify it and i assume Lauren (supervisor type lady) justifys it like that too.
A ton of posters in the library again today, some cool ones, some duff ones. I have never thought too much about posters if the truth be told, but one of my co workers does. She tells me that a lot of the time effort isnt put into the art of posters. Its more about star power. She says that psoters should tell you what the movie is about as well as who is in it, not just who is in it. Its an interesting point of view, and probably true. I like talking about this sort of stuff, its, its, well its interesting.
After compiling my schedule for the week yesterday I have decisions to make today. When my shift finished i would have 4 vouchers to be used to get me in to a film on the festival, i plan on using one today. My schedule had the Michael Caine film Harry Brown up against the Hong Kong film Accident at 2.30 in the afternoon. My preference was to go to the cinema straight after my shift and then go home so i wasnt going in and out the city all day and night. I did however look later to see what was on. The Gala Premier of Damned United perhaps at Roy Thomson Hall piqued my interest, I mean i did go on and on about it in Splice earlier this year then never went to see it so this could be an opportunity and i would get to watch it in the same audience as Michael Sheen (he must have been there!) but i decided against it, would have to stand in the Rush line for that and then i wouldnt be home till really late and my alarm woes of the morning were fresh in my mind so i ruled it out. Another film on my sched is Neil Young Trunk Show which is a free screening at Yonge Dundas Sq, this was a lock for me from the start because Young was scheduled to turn up and probably perform and i wanted to see that but in the last few days Young has pulled out his appearance and so my interest faded a bit, if i stayed in the city centre i would definitely scooted past for a look but ultimately i decide to blow it off.
I should also add that my volunteer status means my voucher can potentially get me into Press and Industry screenings around the city, we called them P&I's for short! On this the Monday night I pencilled in to give some thought a few films i might go see that were P&I's, The Most Dangerous Man In America was one, Videocracy was the other, both Documentarys the former is about the Pentagon papers and the latter is about Silvio Burlesconi's regine in Italy. Both sound fascinating topics but i didnt go see either. I just thought i would tell you that i gave it some consideration, hoping it made me seem intelligent or something.
Ok, so the point of me describing what i am not going to see is what? Probably should get on with telling what i did watch and it came down to the east v west, a battle between Caine and Kong.
Caine won. Mostly becuase i reckon i will get another chance to see Accident before the festival is over and also cos Caine doing bad ass appeals to me. 2.30 start time means i can motor down Yonge to Elgin Theatre pretty much arrive there dead on. Smashing.
Harry Brown had been elevator pitched to me as a british Gran Torino. Well i havent seen that movie yet so i cant really judge properly however i do like to surmise with limited knowledge and so will do so in this instance. From what i gather about the Eastwood movie, its about his relationships with his neighbours, he takes the young kid under his wing too. Harry Brown isnt really like that, its actually one fo the most intense thrillers i have seen in a long time.
It may be said that this is just another British crime movie but if its a British crime movie where Michael Caine rolls back the years and plays a bad ass then i say bring it on. Regardless of his age which some may see as offputting and unrealistic, the scene where Caines character visibly takes the turn to vigilante, basically passes the point of no return, it will elave no one watching it under any illusions that he is too old to pull it off.
Harry Brown is the story of a pensioner, the titular Harry, in a London suburb who refuses to take the abuse and intimidation of local youth gangs lying down any more. Harry is pretty mild mannered, his wife is in hospital and he visits her every morning, he goes for drinks and chess with an old friend in the afternoon in the pub, he seems not to even notice the casual drug dealing going on behind his back in the pub or the fact he intentional dodges using the underpass to make his passage to the hospital easier. Two things happen which seem to change Harry and set him on his course to take things into his own hands. first he loses his wife, then his chess playing friend Leonard. Leonard he loses when he is murdered trying to stand up to the gang who terrorise him. What follows is Harry attempting to exact some revenge.
Its a fantasy really, set in real life. A pensioner vigilante, i mean come on. Plus the troupe of gangsters and junkies Harry meets on his road to redemption (of sorts) are all colourful and replusive at the same time. But it is also a look at the elderly in Britain (the first half anyway) as well as a scathing look at urban Britain, gangs and crime on the street. Every corner a potential trap, the good people terrified to step out on the streets. I get the feeling that TV show The Wire has played a role in the creation of this world. The gritty realism for one thing but also the police incompetance and ability to cover up and doctor numbers. A sad indictment of Britain really.
Caines performance is sublime but the supporting cast also do a fine job. Emily Mortimer is good, so is Charlie Creed-Miles as the two police officers dealing with the case. Ben Drew is excellent as the evil Noel who leads the gang of youths, he really is poisonous in his role, really really horrible little man. I also enjoyed the brief performance of Sean Harris in a kind of pseudo Drexl from True Romance role, he always interests me in any film or TV show i see him in, his face and his mannerisms are fascinating to me, and this is no different.
Daniel Barber directs this well in his first full length film, the pace is good and the action is well handled. Sure there are poorly patched plot holes in it, the fact that Brown is an ex marine is just kind of squeezed in as a throwaway line, and it wont win awards but as a thriller and for its performances this is definately worth seeing. As big fan of Layer Cake it was reassuring for me to see Matthew Vaughn's name on the credits as a producer. But the main event is Caine and Caine is awesome.
If this is to be his final leading role (as he is implying) then what a way to go out as he is mesmerising, a role to be proud of and a film which will take its place in the upper level of his canon alongside the likes of Get Carter than down in the doledrums with guff like Jaws The Return.
Anyways, i left the cinema very impressed. I had made a good decision, i really liked the film. I should note that during the opening ten minutes or so a phone went off in the auditorium and the idiot answered it, telling the person on the line he couldnt speak. what a wally, why not click reject, or better than that put it off. Fud. Also there was no post movie Q&A, Caine had done this the previous day at something called In conversation With...Michael Caine which is aprt of the Mavericks section of the festival. Peter Berg yesterday was also part of this Maverick programme.
After that i wnet home and never came back out. Monday at TIFF for Ruud ended there.
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