Bob Turnbull

Day 11 of #TIFF24: RIFF RAFF; EMILIA PEREZ; LITTLE JAFFNA; perhaps a beverage at The Queen & Beaver

Despite a couple of intense moments (including that ending) and some tension, IT DOESN’T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS simply has too many looooong dead spaces and annoying characters. Cool concept and certainly makes you careful for what you wish, but just not enough going on #TIFF24

HARBIN: Some solid set pieces and a whole lot of yelling. #TIFF24

JANE AUSTEN WRECKED MY LIFE does little new with the genre, but still remains a charming entry within it. #TIFF24

I really hope SKETCH gets a really wide release. It’s tremendously fun, hits every mark, has gobs of creativity and the cast - kids and adults alike - are killing it. Tony Hale gets the additional call-out for being one of the best recent “Dad” characters seen on screen. #TIFF24

Not sure what to say about HOLD YOUR BREATH - its craft is excellent, its story rather dull. The budget for dust must’ve been massive though. #TIFF24

Day 10 of #TIFF24: HOLD YOUR BREATH; SKETCH; JANE AUSTEN WRECKED MY LIFE; HARBIN; IT DOESN’T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS

SUPERBOYS OF MALEGAON dips a bit in the middle to deal with plot and conflict, but its intoxicating early fun and music help pull it all together at the end in heartwarming fashion. #TIFF24

Soderbergh’s floating POV ghost story provides the grounding for a real family drama. You forget at some point the genre aspects until they help drive the story home. #TIFF25

SATURDAY NIGHT is fun, fast-paced and a fine recreation (though with an unrealistic amount of things happening in 90 minutes). It’s not more than that, but I enjoyed the crap out of it. So did the large late-fest audience (even without q&a). Feels like a People’s Choice. #TIFF24

THE LIFE OF CHUCK simply didn’t give me the sense of wonder I feel I should have had from its story. Good moments, but it just didn’t hit me the way I keep hoping it would. #TIFF24

Thoughts on QUEER: Grimy. Sensitive. Psychotropic. An exploration of self. In short: William S. Burroughs. #TIFF24

Day 9 of #TIFF24: QUEER; THE LIFE OF CHUCK; SATURDAY NIGHT; PRESENCE; SUPERBOYS OF MALEGAON

THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG is crafted with superb precision and builds its tension slowly, but very effectively. It’s never dull for a second of its 2:47 runtime. Deserving of all the praise it has received so far. #TIFF24

THE SWEDISH TORPEDO tries to tell the no doubt fascinating story of Sally Bauer (who swam the English Channel 5 days before WWII started amongst other feats), but sadly the film drags and doesn’t really provide much engagement with the characters. #TIFF24

I absolutely loved NIGHTBITCH. First thing I thought after it finished was that I can’t wait for my wife to see it as well. Along with the humour, the fantasy elements and Amy Adams’ wickedly great performance, it just resonated personally. #TIFF24

Though I love the core message of THE GESUIDOUZ (if you can make one life better through your creativity, isn’t that worth it?) and the music was ROCKIN’, there’s a lot of dead space between some of the better and funny spots. #TIFF24

Day 8 of #TIFF24: NIGHTBITCH; THE SWEDISH TORPEDO; THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG; DEAD MAIL

YOU ARE NOT ALONE has sci-fi elements, but is at its core a burgeoning romance between two lonely people - focusing primarily on a man with little to no agency. It’s quite wonderful and makes great use of lighting and sound to drive its atmosphere and emotion. #TIFF24

I’d sure be lying if I said I fully understood UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE, but boy oh boy did I enjoy the effort and every Roy Andersson-esque composed frame and every Quebecois joke (“Jean Suissur furniture!”) and deadpan moment and the tour of Winnipeg. Superb up and down. #TIFF24