What I saw at Tiff 23

 I saw more films than I did last year at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) 2023.

Not nearly as many as some of my friends saw but here is my list and what I thought of them.  In order of the dates I saw them.  

This year had a few celebrity Actor/Directors in attendance and lot's of International and Canadian Actors who may not get the same love when the Hollywood actors come to town.  It was a movie lovers festival with some sad, fun and thought provoking films.  The festival village was very subdued this year and the only real fan frenzy I saw was for the one film I couldn't get into because the rush line cut at me.  That was for the Brad Pitt of Hong Kong, actor Andy Lau who was there for the film The Movie Emperor.  I didn't know about him but my friend told me how much of a big deal he is.  I thought the film would be interesting but unfortunately will have to wait to see it another way.

The other big crowd turned up for the Live Nickelback show.  I saw the documentary but didn't have the energy to stick around for the show but being short I probably wouldn't have seen anything anyway because it was jam packed.

Here's a list of the films I did see and some brief thoughts on each one.

1. American Fiction- This was a volunteer preview film so the volunteers got to see it before the public and it was a surprise so it wasn't on my original list.  I liked it and got the point they were trying to make.  A few of my friends didn't love it.  It ended up winning People's Choice which I thought might have gone to the Holdovers.
2. Nickelback: Hate to Love - I love documentaries and this was a fun one because they poke fun at being called the most hated band.  They also revealed some of their personal challenges along the way.  It was a mix of their real life and show footage so if you are a fan you get the music if you know nothing about them you get a bit of their story.
3. One Life - This one was heart wrenching.  At the screening I attended the audience was filled with people that survived because of the one man that was the subject of this film.  Films that are based on real life always have more heft to them and with Anthony Hopkins empathetic performance the audience left balling at the end.  This was one of my favourites.
4. Ezra- This is an uncomfortable watch because of the tug of war between parents of an autistic child.  The actor playing the child was autistic in real life.  Bobby Cannavale gave a solid anxiety filled performance and the child gave a natural portrayal of the issues.  Robert DeNiro was as solid as he always is.  This was the last of a marathon day so it felt long to me.
5. Knox Goes Away-  I wouldn't say this is a great film but it was entertaining.  It's the Directorial debut of Michael Keaton.  Character wise it was interesting.  It couldn't use a little tightening up to make it flow a bit better.
6. Next Goal Wins- This is a Taika Watiti film.  He is in the intro and has a small bit in the film.  This one is based on a true story.  It was ok and very much like Ted Lasso but Ted Lasso has a lot more heart.  I didn't connect with this one as much as I did with Jo Jo Rabbit.  I guess having to stay true to the story might create restrictions to how far out there you can go.
7. Rustin- This one was about the organizing of the March on Washington and the Black Gay Man that was responsible for organizing it.  Directed by George C. Wolfe.  Starring Colman Domingo as Rustin and the centrepiece of this film.  It demonstrates the struggles of gay black men and the battle to move rights forward for all Black people.  It wasn't the type of film that makes you cheer at the end but it does make you reflect.
8. Flora and Son- This film stars Eve Hewson (daughter of Bono) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  Eve's character a single mom  Flora,  finds an old guitar in a dumpster thinking her son would like it for his birthday.  She gets it fixed and when her son isn't impressed she decides to take some online guitar lessons and connects with Gordon-Levitt and finds herself in the process and develops a better relationship with her son.
9. The Holdovers- This was my favourite film of the festival.  It was funny and original and had great characters.  It was directed by Alexander Payne.  He was the only one that was in attendance at the festival.  He told the story in the Q&A on how he found Dominic Sessa at one of the schools they filmed who was there taking theatre training and it was his first film.  Paul Giamatti who is one of the best character actors really demonstrates why he makes movies great.  Also a standout with a tough house mama staff member character was Da'Vine Joy Randolph.  You will love her while she melts Giamatti's tough heart.  It got the runner up for the People's Choice award so I would predict some Oscar buzz to come soon for this one.  All of my friends that saw this one loved it.
10. Memory- I really wanted to love this one because I love Jessica Chastain and she has delivered some excellent work over the years.  Not that her performance was bad but I just didn't love the film overall.  I didn't like the pace of the film and the interactions between all of the characters was just plain awkward.  Maybe that was the intent but I found it difficult to watch and I kept hoping something that made sense would happen.
11. Sly- One notable movie reviewer did not like this film but I enjoyed it but it did feel like it skipped through a lot of his history.  It was almost like a therapy session where he reveals that the whole reason of the things he did in his life was because of his tough father.  I would have liked to see more from his family and other people he worked with in the industry.  He was in attendance to intro the film at the screening I was at.  I was supposed to be volunteering at that screening but they cancelled that shift so I would have seen him up close instead of the balcony seats but at least I got to see the film.
12. Mother Couch- This was the last film I saw at the festival and unfortunately didn't leave feeling great about standing in a rush line at Scotiabank to see it.  Another case of I love Ewan McGregor but didn't love this film.   Too weird and the characters seemed clueless.  McGregor has very expressive facial expressions but it didn't help this film make sense.

                                Nickleback at Roy Thompson Hall with the director of the film

TIFF 2023 My 15 Top Film Picks

TIFF 2023 My Top 15 Picks

Toronto, Aug 19, 2023

TIFF 2023 is going to be another year of change.  For the past 3 years, the Pivot was in full effect with Tiff doing what it could to stay alive.  This year when it should have been a back to normal festival the whole Film and Television industry got hit with the Writers/Actors strikes.

But the Show Must Go On as they say and Tiff 2023 will go on.

I remember the year of 9/11 when the Festival was in full gear and then the terrorist attacks shut down half the festival because people couldn't come or go the festival went on but there was a black cloud hanging over the rest of the festival.

This year I see the festival as a return to the beginning with the knowledge of the past 46 years.

In the beginning, the festival was founded by serious film lovers and it was almost an underground festival of film buffs who attended.  As the festival grew so did the International attention and the celebrities who wanted to be here to show their work.  Then it exploded.  Then Covid made it crash to a halt.  It's supposed to be back but I would say halfway back this year.

The films this year are mostly international which is in line with Tiff's International Title.   

You would think it's all celebrity driven by the media coverage it gets but the Big Hollywood A-list films are actually a small percentage of the festival but get the most attention.

The first weekend of the festival is filled with International Media, larger Hollywood bigger budget films with even bigger celebrities, and all of the fans that flock to see them.

King Street literally shuts down for 4 days at the start of the festival to accommodate all the people and keep it safe.

This year I predict serious film lovers will return to the festival but the streets will be much quieter.  There won't be any Harry Styles, Taylor Swift-crazed fans so people around the festival village may get more sleep this year.

There are no press conferences this year but there are still Red Carpets.  They just may be a little quieter and faster this year.

What there will be are many films directed by Actors which will garner a lot of attention.  Taika Watiti, Kristen Scott Thomas, Finn Wolfhard, Chris Pine. Anna Kendrick and more.

Here are some of the films that I think will be some of the Top Picks of films that will get some attention and some of the ones I have on my list to see and why I chose them.

1.  SLY - because it's Sylvester Stallone's story.  He is incredibly intelligent and has a rags-to-riches story and with his dynamic personality it won't be a dull documentary but I am sure it will be an inspiring one.

2. Next Goal Wins - from the highly acclaimed Director/Actor Taika Watiti.  Known for his creative and satirical perspective.  It stars Michael Fassbender and Elizabeth Moss who are heavyweights in the drama department.  It's a sports film but I have a feeling it's probably more like a Ted Lasso Movie.

3.  One Life - What can I say but it stars Sir Anthony Hopkins.   really that's all you need to know.

4.  Pain Hustlers-  A story about working in a pharmacy and the shady things that go on.  It stars Emily Blunt, Chris Evans,  Catherine O'Hara and Andy Garcia.  They can all hold their own in a film.  I think this story will be very timely.

5. Reptile -  One of the Writers is Benicio Del Toro who also stars in the film.  It's about a New England Detective.   This also stars Justin Timberlake and if the strike ends and he comes there may be a frenzy.  Also starring Frances Fischer and Alicia Silverstone who have longevity in the film industry,

6.  The Burial - Inspired by true events about a funeral home owner, played by Tommy Lee Jones and also starring Jamie Foxx.  People will show up to support the film after Jamie's illness. It also stars Alan Ruck who is fresh off the success of Succession.

7.  Close to You -  Starring Elliot Page who since his transition has been busy writing his biography and this is a new film after the transition that he stars in about a family reunion.  You know those are always filled with drama.

8.  Knox Goes Away -  This one sounds interesting.   A contract killer who has dementia.  It's Directed by Michael Keaton who is also starring in the film with Al Pacino and James Marsden

9.  Memory - It's about a simple woman whose life changes after someone follows her home after a school reunion.  It stars Jessica Chastain who always picks interesting roles.  Also starring the skilled actor Peter Sarsgaard.

10.  North Star - Directed by Kristen Scott Thomas.  It's about 3 sisters,  Starring, Scarlett Johansson,  and Sienna Miller who return for their mother's third wedding.

11. Ezra -  Directed by Tony Goldwyn.  It's about a man who blows up his career to become a stand-up comic.  With another heavyweight cast consisting of:  Whoopi Goldberg,  Robert DeNiro, Rose Byrne, Vera Farmiga, Bobby Cannavale, and Rainn Wilson.

12.  Hit Man - Directed by Richard Linklater.  A staff investigator plays the role of a hit man trying to catch the people that put the hit on.   Starring Glen Powell.  This is listed as an action comedy.

13.  Flora and Son- Starring Joseph Gordon Levitt and Eve Hewson.  The story of a single mom who grabs a guitar out of a dumpster that becomes one person's junk into another family's treasure.

14.  Dumb Money -  This is one where you can put a hilarious spin on a based on real-life story.   The Game Stop trading story broke the stock market world apart.  Starring the hilarious Seth Rogan, Paul Dano, America Ferrera and Shailene Woodley.  

And Lastly another documentary

15.  Lil Nas X: Montero (Call me by your name) -  This is a film about Lil Nas X's meteoric rise in the music world.  He broke down so many barriers with his outrageous style and his openly gay lifestyle and his creative spin on his music.  Collaborating with unlikely people to bust myths.

  

........and I'm curious to see how the Hate to Love: Nickleback documentary does.  Will they hate to love the film? 

There are a few more that I am interested in but tried to limit to 15 films because who has the time?

Let's see how well I do after the festival ends and who get's chosen as People's Choice which usually goes on to win an Oscar.

Barbie Movie out of the Box

Sometimes I feel compelled to write a review of a film even if it's not a film festival film that I have been accredited to review.

This film was a ride from beginning to the end.  Talk about getting Barbie outside of the Box.  This film is not what you think it would be.  It's a spectacle as you would imagine,  think La La Land and Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory mixed with Hidden Figures and Erin Brocovitch.  

This is the case with the new BARBIE movie Directed by Greta Gerwig.  

There are dance sequences, loads of crazy sets, crazy fashion and oh so much diversity.

Starring Margo Robbie as stereotypical Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken.  After seeing them you can't really imagine anyone else performing those roles.  Margo is the perfect mix of vulnerability, intelligence and fun.   Ryan Gosling is clueless, over the top and extra.

The cast is rounded out with Simu Liu the other rival Ken to Ryan Gosling and the 3rd Canadian in the film is Michael Cera who is sensitive and neglected Allan.  His character was so funny.

The casting of this film was perfection with the following cast members and cameos with:

• Kate MacKinnon as Weird Barbie who tells Barbie to go to the real world.
• John Cena pops up in a spectacular ensemble as Ken.
• Dua Lipa pops up every now and then but I won't say as what.
• America Ferrera is the Mom who tries to save Barbie.
• Will Farrell is the CEO of Mattel.  As you can imagine his usual hilarious self.
• Rhea Perlman is the inventor of Barbie
• Helen Mirren isn't even seen and she adds so much to the film.

This film is spectacular, hilarious and thought provoking.

The sets were mostly real and it really looks like a Barbie world.

The thing I enjoyed the most was the dialogue.  Fast and smart with lines you will take away with you for a while.

America Ferrera's speech on what it's like to be a woman is epic and should be shown to every teen girl.

You can certainly tell that Greta Gerwig had something to say that was decades in the making and she really put everything into this film.   

It's most definitely a female director perspective and I don't think anyone else would have made it the same way.

I went with a group of friends and one Ken who didn't like how Ken was the bad guy in the film.

It takes a searing look at patriarchy and who male privilege has ruled the world.

The screening I went to was like nothing I have ever seen before.  There was pink everywhere and so many people wearing shoes they could barely walk in.   My friends and I all wore some pink and I wish we had a shot of all of us.  We weren't over the top but a nod to Barbie.   Someone asked to take a photo with us after the movie.  We should have asked them to take one for us... didn't think of it at the time.

We did take photos in the Box installation at the theatre.  There was a long lineup of people waiting to do selfies.  We split up into 2's to get our pics in so mine was with my friend Lisa.

This was the most popular Marketing I have ever seen at a theatre.   People came to be seen and experience this movie.

The fact that Barbie is over 60 years old now shows how many generations connected to Barbie.  Even if you never had a Barbie you know all about the legendary doll.

I haven't had that much fun at a movie in a very long time if ever.  I even had to sit by myself because I waited too long to get tickets and it was almost sold out by the time I did a week before.   The people on either side of me were also really enjoying it.

I really hope Greta Gerwig gets a bunch of Academy Award Nominations because this film was truly original, entertaining and filled with so many things to think about.

I want to see more films like this and less guns, and car chases and murders.   

I like to go to the movies to have fun and escape the stress of life.  This is the kind of film that suspends all other thoughts of anything but what's happening on the screen.

I don't do ratings but I would give it 9 Barbies.

 Watching the film is like going to an amusement park.  What a ride.

Why the Writers and Actors strike is important for everyone.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) have now joined the picket lines forming an Alliance against the people that hold their life's work in their hands and this is history making in progress.

Why you should care about this strike?

1. This kind of strike hasn't happened in 60 years.

2. This is a crossroad in time to change that might change the future of the entertainment industry and have a ripple effect on other industries.

3.  The majority of writers and actors do not make a proper living wage because they are essentially gig workers.  Not all of them are million dollar plus talent.  That is a small percent.

4. This could affect change in other industries besides the entertainment industry.

5.  Human rights and sustainability.

I have a Union permittee for Makeup although I do not work in film for my living I am trying to finish a documentary independently.  Although this doesn't stop me from making films it will still affect me in ways that don't connect to the actor/writer strike.   I am a part of a Union but in the Ontario Public Service so I know how important it is for Unions to fight for the rights of the workers.

In this case the fight is about more than just money, benefits or working hours.  It's about the right to make a living with your talents and likeness.  It's about the studios trying to save money by being able to use someone's likeness over and over without having to pay the actor and a crew to show up on location.  Sounds great for a studio but remember the ripple effect if an actor is "cloned" in a film or series.   There won't be the following jobs or industries that also make a living from film/tv productions.  

Here are some of them.

1. Camera crew
2. Lighting crew
3. Sound Crew
4. Makeup Artist
5. Hair stylists
6. Catering
7. Prop houses 
8. Local businesses for florals, food, clothing, greens, rentals
9. Post production
10. Administrative staff
11. Accountants 
12. Lawyers
13. Musicians

you get the picture... I could go on.

AI is not perfect and basically pulls from already recorded knowledge and is only as good as the information that it is given or the person operating it.  It can't make up original ideas and content would be affected.

How would you like it if you posted your image to social media and a studio lifted that image and put it into a film as a character and made a slight change and you were not notified or compensated.  That's what could happen to you and the actors.

In the writers case they will just put in some details and let Chat GPT or whatever create a script that might be a copy of something else and could be boring and at the least not very original.

This strike is important to get right because it's the future of the writers, actors and the industry as a whole.  Currently with the strike on production has come to a halt so all the people working on productions can't work.  Industries that supply the productions aren't making money.  Theatres and streaming and networks aren't going to get new content.

It will also affect me in September when the Actors usually come to the Toronto International Film Festival.   My job is to escort the films Entourage around the building at the festival.  No promotion allowed means no actors that will be there and no publicists, photographers, videographers, film festival staff and most likely a reduction of ticket sales for TIFF.   Although Tiff is International it's the big celebrities that attract patrons from all over the world to buy tickets to the festival.   They will still be able to have a festival because it's only SAG/AFTRA but it will be most likely reduced similar to the pandemic days of the festival.   My team did not do the lockdown years of the festival.

So that's just the tip of the iceberg.  Yes you won't have anything to watch and lots of people won't make money.   So what?  Well what is your job?  Your industry could be affected by the ripple effect of the economy or what's really important is the replacement of your jobs because the Corporations choose AI over hiring human beings.  

Look at the war in Ukraine which is being fought with sophisticated weapons which are AI driven.  Not that we want people to go back to the battlefields but that's where a lot of this started.

The automotive industry uses more and more AI each year.   I am not saying technology is bad as a whole but there are consequences to the use.  Think of what happens when the power goes out?  What about the time when Rogers Communications whole network went out for a day.  What happens when an autonomous Uber vehicle fails.

Technology fails just as much as human error.  How many times has your phone or computer failed?  

Yes technology can be used in dangerous situations or remote areas or to reduce repetitive injuries but in the wrong hands it can also have a huge negative affect.

I have been watching a lot of news stories and listening to podcasts and watching documentaries and when the people that were the ones to create some of these technologies start waving a cautionary flag you have to stop and take notice and think about future decisions before they are irreversible.

Some films to check out:

1. IRobot
2. Minority Report
3. Artifact Girl
4. Megan
5. Her
6. Ex Machina
7. AI Artificial Intelligence
8. The Social Dilemma
9. Unknown Killer Robots
10. Code Bias
11. Black Mirror
12. Replicas

I had a little fun with the image to show how the image can be created and just sub in anything.  How will you know if anything is real?  I just used emojis for fun but this could happen with anyone's likeness and made to say or do anything.

Does this not make you think about freedoms, privacy, human rights, power, going too far?

25 Favourite Documentaries 1977-2023

 25 of my Favourite Documentaries - Sorted by Year

While working on my You Know Harvey Documentary a lot of things have been coming up including style, structure, storyline and message.   I started compiling a list of documentaries that have stuck with me.  There are not a lot of war films or violent ones,  I stayed in my lane of Food, Film, Stuff and the things that I am interested in.

I am not going to give you the synopsis.  I want you to do a little digging to see if you can find any of these films and decide for yourself if you are interested in them.

They are not listed by preference but I sorted by the year they came out from oldest to recent.

These films reflect the themes of Food, Celebrity culture, Image, Health, Environment, Music, Illness, Corruption and Comedy.   Hopefully they will touch you and stay with you too.

TOP 25

1977 - Pumping Iron   2002 - BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE   2004 - SUPER SIZE ME (2004 2006 - AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH   2008 - ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL (2008) 2008 - FOOD, INC.   2010 - INSIDE JOB   2010 - Teenage Papparazzo   2010 - JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK  2011 - BULLY   2013 - 20 Feet from Stardom   2015 - AMY   2016 - STRIKE A POSE   2017 - Modified   2017 - WASTED! THE STORY OF FOOD WASTE    2018 - Believer   2018 - Game Changers   2018 - Larger than Life: The Kevyn Aucoin Story   2018 - Sharkwater Extinction   2019 - Mistify: Michael Hutchence   2021 - ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN   2021 - VAL   2023 - Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields   2023 - Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie   2023 - Wham

TTC: The Terrible Commute

 THE TERRIBLE COMMUTE: July 6, 2023

Days like today is why I still have a Blog.   I need a space to rant when everything seems to go wrong.

Today was a commute from Hell going home at the end of the day from downtown.

I got on the platform of the St. Patrick subway station just after 4:30pm  Thursday July 6, 2023.   As soon as I got on I heard an announcement of an incident at Eglinton Station.  I already knew there was going to be some inconvenience but I really underestimated the chaos that caused.

After waiting for about 5 min I got on a busy train and my coworker got off at Union.  It slowed and spurted up to Rosedale and then sat there for about 15 min or so.   Then at Summerhill I think we had to get out and go to the opposite side to get a shuttle train or take a shuttle bus.  I went to the other side of the train.   I waited for 3 trains to pass trying to get on one so I could get a seat.  I was carrying my laptop, my purse and a bag of stuff.  Standing for about another 20 min before I jumped on.  Still didn't get a seat.  Then got stuck between St. Clair and Davisville.   Finally got out at Davisville.. They said the same thing,  get a shuttle bus on yonge or go to the other platform to get a shuttle subway train.   I went outside and decided to wait it out for a bit.  I started walking up Yonge and decided to stop and get dinner at Khau Gully.  It's food from Goa I think.  I ordered the coconut chicken, naan breat and raita.   Thought maybe the subway would be clear by the time I finished.  As I ate my dinner,  only people picking up takeout and maybe one couple in the restaurant a half hour later.  I watched as people continued to walk up Yonge street.  After I finished my dinner I continued to walk up Yonge street.  Maybe to catch a shuttle, a Yonge bus,  who knows.   I got up to Eglinton and was able to get on a shuttle bus and got a seat.  Eglinton Station was completely shut down so it by passed.  Thought I was closer to getting home and then of course about 5 min after we left the street the driver announces that Lawrence is the last stop.  Originally the shuttle was only going to York Mills.   I get out at Lawrence thinking I have to take another shuttle to York Mills but luckily a girl told me the subway was back on.    I go down to the subway hauling all my crap and get on but don't get a seat right away.   Finally get a seat at York Mills and was praying that it wouldn't stop again before Sheppard subway.

With all that my journey started from my office at Dundas/University at 4:30 and walked in my door Yonge/Sheppard at 8pm.   9, 200 appox steps later.

Not to mention that I had a rough day with my computer.  After working late to clean up an excel database yesterday it didn't get saved properly to the Cloud and I had to try and do it over again today.

As we are told this past week that we have to go back to the office 3 days a week.   I rarely have much tech issues when I work from home so I was not too happy to be there today.   If this is what my 3 days a week is going to be like I may have to consider a life change.  I need to win a lottery so I can afford to retire.

So let's add a heat wave, rain and nowhere to sit along the way and anyone would get kinda grumpy.

All this was caused by 2 idiots arguing over who knows what at Yonge and Eglinton station.   They argue and one guy pulls out a knife apparently and stabs the other guy while everyone around runs away screaming.   I am not sure on the exact time this happened but it sounds like it affected the subway for many hours.  One guy is in the hospital now and the guy that stabbed him got away so they said on the news.

Here's the problem as I see it.   The City/TTC want more ridership on the TTC so they can get more money.  Employers are telling their workers to go back to work and they still complain that ridership is down but as I see it the subway is packed at peak hours of the day and scattered with homeless people taking up 3-5 seats sleeping with whatever stuff they have and nobody wanting to sit near them.  Then there are other homeless people who walk up and down the subway with a cup asking for money.  Some muttering,  some shoving the cup in your face and some kind of loud and scary.  Do you think they pay to get on the subway to do this?  I think not.  So space is taken up while people that are just trying to get to a fro are harassed, or fearful that at any minute someone will snap and then someone gets hurt or at the very least the commute is extended.

This is a multi-prong scenario that needs to be fixed and I am looking at new Mayor Olivia Chow to push to make some changes to solve these issues.

1.  Treatment facilities needed for mental health and addictions.

2.  Short term housing with support systems in place.

3. Rehabilitation or skilled trades training because we need people to fill jobs in this field and build more housing.

4.  More affordable city so that people don't have to beg or lose their homes and can still eat and buy necessities of life.

5.  Improve the TTC with more frequent service and finish the Eglinton crosstown because if you get north of Bloor and something goes wrong you are stranded because nothing moves any other way.

I am so tired of seeing this get worse every year.  I used to love Toronto and thought it was the best City but I am losing faith and apparantly Celebrities are starting to comment about the inconveniences of this City which will drive down tourism.   We also don't have enough housing for the Refugees that are flooding into this city.  This all makes for a powder keg ready to blow.

I am getting up in years and am not the fittest so it's days like today that make me wonder if living in Toronto is really worth it.

 

Letter to the next Toronto Mayor

 Letter to the next Toronto Mayor

at Yonge Dundas Square before the pandemic 2017

 I have lived in Toronto my whole life and always thought it was a great city with lots to do and safe.  In the past 5 years I no longer feel the same way about this city.

When I had a car I used to be able to choose between driving downtown and taking public transit depending on whether I had to go to multiple places or pick up goods or people or if I was going to go to one place and back during rush hour.  

I no longer can afford a car and pay rent so I have to rely on transit.  In the last 5 years the Yonge subway was closed on the northern portion of Yonge street because of the LRT construction forcing me to stay home more than I would have chosen to go downtown to enjoy events.  The TTC fares have gone up and the service has gone down.  Before the pandemic the volume of ttc riders was over capacity most of the day, especially during rush hour and delays which were frequent during peak hours.

Over the past year the riders have been returning to the TTC even though they say ridership is down.  It's down because people moved out of the city because it's impossible to afford to live here and people prefer to work from home now that it's been shown it is possible for many jobs.

I used to go out all the time and now I dread going downtown to my office because I have to think about other ttc riders instability and sometimes I can't get a seat so I have to adjust my travel times.  As a female I have to make choices to when I ride the TTC to lower my risk of harassment.   I have travelled on TTC for over 50 years and I never worried about attacks until recently.  

The TTC has become a shelter system and a toilet.  People sleep on the trains all day and walk up and down begging for money.  I have to be acutely aware of my surroundings at all time and there has rarely been trips that haven't had someone that has visible mental health challenges that I have to be aware of.

The travel times are getting longer.  I tried to go to the Distillery District and the wait for a bus/streetcar forced me to walk half of the way because of all the detours and short turns etc.

I would like to see fare evasion addressed and special Constables with Mental Health training available to high risk transit routes more often and let the regular police handle other issues.

Construction and congestion in the city.   Many business have closed down because people have a difficult time getting to them.  I myself chose to skip a second day at a film festival because of the difficulty and cost of getting there when the streetcar route was closed with no notice.

Congestion in the city.   All the new Condos are funneling ridership on public transit and in vehicles into a small mostly under construction area of downtown forcing everyone to be frustrated.  

People should be able to afford to live close to where they work or if there job is possible to work remotely that should be encouraged.   Support your local area and then make things easier to get around so that people can socialize throughout the city.  This is good for neighbourhoods and the environment.

Encampments in parks.  This didn't exist 10 years ago the way it does now.   One person tried to help by building structures but the city tore them down and then muscled their way to push people out of encampments with not enough places to go.   If you are going to move them they need to have a safe place to go for everyone.   Parks should be parks but people have lost jobs, homes and hope.  They have addiction and mental health or health problems that need special services to assist them.  

Help the vulnerable people get services they need so that they don't reach their limits and resort to violence and destruction.   I knew a person who was on disability who was evicted and didn't get social service support.  It took a go fund me campaign to get him housing.

The amount of people visiting food banks isn't sustainable anymore.  It has doubled/tripled since before the pandemic.  A lot of people getting food from food banks have jobs and making choices to skip meals and kids going without food sometimes.  This is shameful in a city with so much food.  More community gardens need to be accessible but with condos going up and less and less green space this isn't even possible.   Any new Condo build should require a green roof or space allotted for a community garden for it's residents so that if they have struggles at anytime making ends meet they will still have access to food.

The design of the Transit infrastructure needed to be sorted out years ago before all the condo development was approved.   A system along the lakeshore connecting things like the CNE and the Distillery district are a good idea to get cars off the road and make it easier to get to these large destinations but it must be properly consulted and working around other construction projects.

The Sheppard line 4 needs to be extended to the ZOO.   It also needs to extend west to Sheppard West Station and further so that it loops when there are delays there are options.   Or a FINCH or Steeles crosstown could also reduce a lot of cars on the road and make it easier and quicker to get around.

Renters in apartments.  I currently rent an apartment and because I was able to move into a rent controlled building I was able to stay here during the pandemic.  My rent is going up 2.5 percent but my income only goes up 1%.   Food has gone up 8% and more.  TTC went up.  The cost of entertainment has increased.   While income stays the same everything else goes up leaving less and less money to spend on other things.   I have been cutting and coloring my own hair for the past few years to save money.  I haven't been able to go to the dentist because my benefits don't cover enough of the costs.  I haven't had a vacation since 2011.

I am a few years away from retirement and haven't even saved a years worth of my salary forcing me to have to keep working until I won't be able to.  

The nursing homes are a disaster.  The cost and treatment are horrendous.

Injection sites.  I worked in the building beside the downtown injection site and in the 2 years I was there the number of people on each corner of Yonge and Dundas increased everyday.  Everytime I would leave the office I would have to dodge young people who were high and begging for money.

Last week I was trying to eat a hot doc on University Ave and someone came up to me and asked me for money for a hot dog and then stated can't you give me money for a hot dog.   I had half an hour for lunch and wanted to quickly eat a hot dog and get a coffee before going back to work without being harassed for money.  I do not feel comfortable taking my wallet out and giving people cash because it's not safe and that doesn't stop the practice of begging everyday.  

Back to housing.   People are moving further and further out of the city to afford a place to live and commuting longer and longer while the downtown has turned into a homeless person taking up a corner with their possessions and scaring people walking by.   There needs to be supportive housing that is segmented with social services for the issues that they need to get assistance for.   Mental health supports separated from drug addictions and health challenges and financial challenges.  They should not all be lumped into one large shelter where people are attacked, robbed and get bed bugs.   They don't need large spaces but temporary shelter small home spaces with social supports and washroom facilities and job supports.   Buying a house.  A small house in Toronto is over a Million dollars.  How many salaries are over a million dollars a year?   Housing should be a third to a quarter of your salary.  I pay 50 percent of my salary for rent and will have nothing invested in equity.   People can't afford to save money for a home between the low availability to the high land transfer and taxes.  People will get educated her and then leave to find a place to live that they can afford.

Back to downtown.   I used to go downtown a lot but now less and less because it's depressing.  I went to Bloor and Bathurst and someone has taken up space beside the box office at the Bloor Cinema.  That is not a space to live it's a space that should be for movie goers.   I walked by 3 cannabis shops and people openly smoking on the street. I know it's legal but should children be exposed to that? Queen Street has 3 Cannabis shops on every block and so many restaurants have closed.

There's nowhere to grab food and sit outside to have a meal on the go because of the issues with CAFE TO.  It's all large condos, no greenspace and nothing affordable to do.

I prefer to watch movies online to going to the theatres because I don't have to deal with the commute time, rude patrons and the high cost of theatre tickets, eating out and concessions.

The broken window story has turned into the broken City story.   A broken window that doesn't get fixed leads to more windows and things that get neglected and then turns into an un useable space.   Toronto is broken and needs a big fix.

The Gardiner Expressway is a disaster waiting to happen.  It won't change until some large disaster happens because of the crumbling infrastructure.

Accessibility in the City.  The older I get the more I see how the city is less and less accessible for people with disabilities and seniors.    My mother after having a heart attack years ago said it was too hard for her to take the stairs on the subway.   I am finding it more and more difficult as I get older because elevators don't work and there is nowhere for seniors to sit to rest if needed.  There isn't access for many people with wheelchairs or assisted devices to be able to access the subway as well.   

The construction on the streets isn't safe for pedestrians trying to walk down the streets.

Bike lanes.  While it is healthier to ride bikes not everyone is able to do that.   I live uptown and don't want to have to haul a bike on the subway to be able to ride downtown and it's impossible to ride all the way downtown.  I have friends that use bikes as their transportation and they have to organize their routes depending on construction and bike lanes.

We used to be able to drive a car, walk, ride a bike and take public transit downtown all at the same time.  Now it's transit or a bike and the fight from each of them.   I think the city needs to be designed better to accommodate all forms of transportation and for pedestrians to be safe.

I am not even getting into child care and education.  I will leave that to people that it affects more than it does for me.

Back to public safety.  Organized crime has gone up.  The increase of vehicle thefts is out of control.  I experienced the theft of my vehicle from my driveway way before this became a common thing.  Now there are neighbourhood groups that inform people of break ins and thefts online.

The court system.   People get arrested and then let out and re offend and keep going through the system.  Organized crime gets young people to do the crimes so that they don't get shut down and the young people get a slap on the rist which they don't think will affect their future because most are desperate to get money and don't have a vision or hope for their future.

I was also affected by phone scammers posing as Government officers and the Government office said they were aware there was a problem but couldn't do anything about it.  There are no protections for these scams and innocent people are losing their savings on top of everything else.   I spent 3 years of staying home to save money to have it be lost on a scam that I was manipulated into.

Police.  I do not agree to defund the police.  There are many great officers that bust organized crimes and other issues.  Police need to be able to police crime and not mental health issues.   More Police in high risk areas and more specially trained Mental health teams to address those issues and including safety on the TTC.

As you can see I can go on and on about the current issues of Broken Toronto.  A city that used to be vibrant, moving and exciting is now dark, depressing and scary.

I want my Toronto the Good to come back.   Please make smart choices to make it happen and keep people in homes living a decent life.

ICFF - Italian Contemporary Film Fest returns to the Distillery District bigger and better

 

The Italian Contemporary Film Festival (ICFF) Press Conference was held today at the Distillery District to unveil the plans for this years festival.  This festival really goes big and innovates when they try to do more every year.  This year has a huge logistic component with all kinds of things going on day and night.

The ICFF/Lavazza IncluCity as it's called Film Festival takes place from June 27 to July 21, 2023 at the Distillery District in Toronto for their second year.  They managed to find a way around the pandemic a couple of years ago when they held a Drive In Festival at Ontario Place.   Always ready to innovate and experiment to make it all come together.   This year the Distillery will be taken over for roughly a month of full programming with a stage being built for Music during the day and then the evening will take over with mostly Italian films but also other films from around the world such as India, France, Germany, Canada and more.

After the regular programming for the first time they are adding late night screenings of Horror films with their The Dark Side program which is handled by Horror expert Chris Alexander.  One of the films that will be shown is by David Cronenberg's son Brandon with his Infinity Pool (CAN).

The Opening Night film is called Freaks Out by Gabriele Mainetti.

The film I am looking forward to is Sugar and Stars/A La Belle Etoile Directed by Sebastien Tulard. Which will also coincide with chocolate at the festival.

Another noteable film is Perrugino a Documentary Directed by Giovanni Piscaglia about an influential Renaissance painter.

Another familiar musician will be in The Journey: A Music Special from Andrea Bocelli, Directed by Gaetano Morbioli, Paolo Sodi.

There is a really wide variety of programming with 50 films in this 12th edition with more activations such as Bastille Day events,  Sake Tasting event,  A Ghost tour of the Distillery, and a 60 minute Cinematic tour of all the films that were made at the Distillery.  I look forward to these events.

And also returning is 6ix Art Outdoor with a focus on local artists that will display in the galleries and around the Distillery district.

There's an AWA Music Showcase and there will also be a couple of Opera singers that will sing along with one of the films.  Music artists are from all over the GTA.

on July 22nd there is also a special "In Conversation with" ANNA FENDI at the Bell Lightbox at 6pm and the tickets are $32 and at 7:30 at the Ritz Carlton there is the Closing Gala for $275 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel.

Also featured at the festival will be Architecture and Design with special panels and screenings.

This festival is too huge for me to list all the highlights so I would suggest that you check out their website and book your tickets and make plans to sit in the sun and lounge on couches while watching a film and grabbing some food and drink.   Did I mention that Pizza Nova and Lavazza were their returning sponsors.

I haven't be able to attend the festival for the past couple of years but really hope I can spend as much time there this year as possible.  The festival is run by a terrific team of people who have an enormous amount of passion for all things film, culture and community.

Tickets are available for purchase now at https://icff.ca/.

Social Media
Instagram: @icffcanada & @distilleryto
Twitter/Facebook: @ICFFCanada & @DistilleryTO
#ICFF23 #LavazzaIncluCity23 #DistilleryIncluCity

Visit the Distillery District for more information:  www.thedistillerydistrict.com

Artifice Girl- What is real?

The Artiface Girl

Written and Directed by Franklin Ritch

Running Time: 1hr 33 min.  (USA) Sci-Fi

Starring: Tatum Matthews, Lance Henriksen, Sinda Nichols and Franklin Ritch

This film is a peak into the near future of Artificial Intelligence and very relevant to where the world is now and deciding what choices to make for the future.

The film was shot in Jacksonville, Florida.  It seems to be a low budget film only based on the fact that there were only 3 dimly lit sets used as locations.  The first location was a small interrogation room and then another small office.  Finally in a home.

The script is expertly crafted with questions asked throughout the film on what is real and what choices have been made.  It depicts an AI character of a 9 year old girl that is used to try and capture child predators and build human capabilities to obtain the objective of keeping children safe.  Why was this specific girl AI created and when it can interact with super human intelligence when does it become real and not just an image?

The acting was very intelligent and nuanced with Tatum Matthews playing the AI and Franklin Ritch the creator and then years later played by veteran actor Lance Henriksen.

This is the kind of film you take with you long after you finish watching the movie because you see reflections of it in real life and it makes you ask yourself questions of what do you want the future to look and act like.  How far is too far?  

When we design machines to do everything humans do then what do the humans do then?

It's a very smart film that I highly recommend seeing.   

I was told about it by the Executive Producer who is also a programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival so he has seen a whole lot of films over the years.  

It's a subject that I have been learning about recently with my day job and the changes as technology takes on repetitive and complex tasks and in my personal life as things like Chat GPT are starting to dominate the landscape.  Will we lose all originality because it will just become computers learning from programs and scouring what's already on the internet.  Will it be used to help humanity or taken over by nefarious people for their own greed and evil deeds.

This is our future.  You better keep up or get passed by if you aren't on board.

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie at Hot Docs

 

Michael J. Fox

STILL: A MICHAEL J. FOX MOVIE

Running Time: 95 Min.  (USA)

Directed by Davis Guggenheim

Most people know who Michael J. Fox is if you have watched popular American Movies and Television Shows but they know less about him personally and what he has gone through behind the scenes.

This documentary is an entertaining and emotional look at Michael J. Fox's life through his battle with Parkinson's Disease and he relentless fight to not get in the way of his life.

Davis Guggenheim creates a masterful weaving of images from Fox's past work on screen, archival and scripted images.  Fox tells his story in his own words while trying to balance his meds to be able to speak clearly. Born in Canada and taking the leap of faith to pursue his acting dreams in Hollywood he never gave up even though he didn't fit the mold of a Hollywood leading man.  His youthful and expressive face and his passion got him through those doors and onto screens.

Michael J. Fox met his wife Tracey on the set of Family Ties and her dedication to support him through sickness and health that is so strong for the family bond.  Fox has a strong belief that family is the most important thing and all of the rest is mostly BS.  That strength has seen him through many challenges such as almost instant fame after almost having to give up because of lack of money and then to the realization that there might be something wrong and trying to cope with alcohol to beating that and coming to terms with the fact that he was no longer able to hide his Parkinson struggles.

Because he could no longer hide the tremors he set up a foundation that could help other people and himself to have better futures with more research on the disease.   Fox and Mohammed Ali both became the faces of Parkinson's disease.  A disease that causes uncontrollable actions and complications from falling and other injuries that occur because of instability and on top of that the difficulty of speaking which is probably the hardest part for Fox since he makes his living speaking and in many of his films in constant movement with many running scenes.  

Everyone goes through a Paradigm shift at some point in their life and in this case Guggenheim and Fox let you see what it's like to go through a profound shift like this.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film.  It had all the emotions with laughter and sadness.  Michael J. Fox's self deprecating humour is endearing and ironic.

He is not giving up and will do whatever it takes to push through and live his life on his terms.

The film will be streaming on Apple Tv + starting May 12th, 2023.

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (2023) - IMDb 

Invisible Beauty at Hot Docs

INVISIBLE BEAUTY

Written and Directed by Bethann Hardison & Frédéric Tcheng 

Produced by Lisa Cortés Co-Produced by Paul Dallas (Runtime: 115 Minutes)

This was the last film I watched at this years Hot Docs Festival and it was a great film to walk away and think about.

I didn't know the story of  trailblazing Fashion model, agent and activist Bethann Hardison but I did know the people she elevated in the Fashion world.  Pretty much the who's who in the world of diverse models.  She guided Naomi Campbell, Tyson Beckford, Iman, and a host of the Top models in the 80's and then witnessed it all change back like going back to Black and White television from Color but in reverse.  She worked to hard to make change and was determined to elevate and educate the industry.

She is a force of nature who talks in sound bite quotes a lot.   She put her whole being into her career at the sacrifice of her son and her personal life.

She pushes people outside of their little boxes to achieve greatness.   

There were many brutal and cutting comments made in the film but it seems to me that she intends to provoke conversation to affect change.

She is a very interesting character and I found it very informative how it connected segregation, racism, and what happened after the George Floyd death and the people pushing for change.

I was aware that black models were not paid as much as white models but the shameful dismissal of models just because they were black was inexcusable. 

She is very much in control though and even co-directed her own documentary.  She was in the process of writing a book when some of the filming was done so I am sure it will be a page turner when it comes out.

She has done a lot in her lifetime.  Too many things to list here so if you want to know more about what she has achieved check out her website:  About — BETHANN HARDISON

Raizing Liberty Square- at Hot Docs

 RAZING LIBERTY SQUARE

Running Time: 86 min.  (USA)

World Premiere at Hot Docs Festival

Florida seems like a paradise when you see it advertised but in the Centre of Florida is a community of people living in Liberty Square who were pushed away from the gorgeous sandy beaches into a world of hell.   Politicians and developers will say and do anything to push their agenda to their benefit while lying to the people who their agendas will hurt.

A community of mostly black, low income families struggles to survive in the ever gentrification of the cities outside of downtown Florida.  You can see the skyline of Condos on the edge of the water that are getting flooded after every major storm while the developers are pushing for the takeover of the dry land in the middle of Florida to exploit the land for their financial gains.   They promise the residents the world and that they will be building better housing for them but what is the reality?  The housing changes to Private corporations who are able to raise the cost to live in these homes forcing the long time residents to find alternative housing.   For the world to see they say that no residents have been displaced but in reality the majority of them have.   

Where do these people go when you push them out for bigger and better and more expensive housing?  The irony of this build is that from the outside it looks pretty but it's still failing from the inside.

The women of this community try and do what's right for their families but how do you know if it's the right thing if the people in control don't tell you the truth?

This is a look at one city but also spreading like a virus throughout the world.  Climate Change migration as well as war, and economic struggles have been displacing people at a rapid pace.

Eventually you run out of places to go and then what?

To find out more check out the films website:  RAZING LIBERTY SQUARE

Someone lives here- Toronto's homeless failure

 SOMEONE LIVES HERE

Directed by Zach Russell

75 min.

In 2020 in the middle of a Global pandemic a Toronto carpenter named Khaleel Seivwright saw a problem in the City and thought he had the skills to help make a difference.   He started building tiny wood boxes that homeless people could use to get shelter from the elements when they were unable to find other options for shelter and Tents just didn't provide the necessary protection and safety to live in the brutally cold winter months.

Khaleel quit his job and set up a go fund me account to raise money to build these boxes on wheels to move to encampments in City parks for people to use as they needed without cost to them.  What some people thought was a solution to the over burdened shelter system the City and the first responder services apposed them.

This film is heartbreaking to watch because it was an utter failure the way the City handled clearing out the people in the encampments in City parks.

While I agree that they shouldn't be living in City parks, the in humane way the Police and the City handled the evictions was just embarrassing.  

They spent almost 2 million dollars dealing with enforcement of the encampment clearing when they could have used those same dollars to set up City property to move the tiny structures to and build a community with supports for the people to get mental and physical health care and help them to find employment and permanent housing.

With a pandemic going on at the time and the unhealthy living conditions at the over crowded shelters and not enough spaces to go to the people that had never been homeless before who lost their jobs because of the closure of businesses due to Covid or for other reasons and the renovictions and rent increases in the City, plus the increased cost of living gave most of these people no other option but to live in a Tent in a park until they could get back on their feet.   Instead of the City providing support they forced them out and destroyed their belongings.  The brutality that the was used to move these vulnerable people was something you might see in a third world Country and not in North America.

The City fought Khallel all the way saying the structures were unsafe.   Living in Tents is unsafe, living in Shelters with people with Covid and mental health issues is unsafe too.   The people that were able to stay in the tiny houses had protection from the elements, Covid and violence and crime against them.  They felt safe and warm until 1 fire from the inside made the whole option of the tiny shelters crumble like a house of cards.

I worked at Yonge and Dundas for 2 years and at that time I saw the visible increase of the homeless situation with people sleeping on mattresses on the corner of the street and begging for money from students, tourists and workers from every street corner.  Trying to find any kind of assistance or shelter they could.

Instead of amending the by laws to find a compromise the City just enforced everyone out and elsewhere.   I was in a friends car driving across Carlton and still see tents in the park but not the tiny houses.  The problem didn't go away it just moved somewhere else.

What I would really like to see being set up is a space where these tiny homes or better yet, converted shipping containers which are bigger set up similar to the Stackt Market in Toronto where they could be protected by the elements and not disturbing public parks and away from residents who complain and get them shut down.   Maybe a space in the Portlands where they could put a few Trailers that can have facilities with running water, showers, toilets and somewhere to do laundry that is maintained by the City and Social workers working with the residents to provide the services needed to move to permanent housing.    

Build a community for them instead of pushing them out.  A lot of people are one paycheck away from becoming homeless and the government services should be helping and not hurting these situations.

I would like to see what the next Mayor does to change this situation.  It's already way past the point of being a Crisis in the City that is spreading like the Pandemic that spread the problem in the first place.

The film had narration that was heartbreaking from a refugee woman who isn't seen but only heard telling her story of how the tiny box helped her gain hope to live.

I wish everyone in the Municipal government would watch this film and come up with a better plan to fix this issue.

This issue is only growing the more and more they try to move it out of sight it just moves somewhere else and becomes a bigger problem.

Does anyone really think people want to live in a tent in a park freezing with no food or money?  Would you?

This is not the City I grew up living in.  It's a waste of human potential.

Please vote for the people that will work to fix this problem.

Screening at the Hot Docs film festival  

Thursday May 4, 2023

4:15pm  Tiff Bell Lightbox in Toronto

Tickets:   Ticket | Hot Docs

also streaming online May 5-9th

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