|
Hello Reader, The Toronto International Film Festival has begun...and so has my coverage (bookmark this page for everything), in writing and podcast form. On the podcast, I'm putting groups of related films in conversation with each other to discover new insights and current preoccupations in the film industry. I want to offer you a spoiler-free discussion that's more than just "is this film any good?" This is for you if:
The season will be spoiler-free and designed to be listened to even if you haven't seen or will not see the films (either ever or for some time). ​TIFF #2: Palestinian Films​In my first dispatch from the festival, I discuss the four Palestinian feature films at the festival, which address different aspects of Palestinian life:
​Listen to the episode​ ​TIFF #3: Sports movies for people who don't like sports movies​In my second dispatch, I discuss three movies set in the world of sports that are thoughtful character dramas from early career filmmakers. Two of these films have some of the best blocking I've seen in cinema all year. The films address a variety of issues and milieus from multiple countries
​Listen to the episode​ Don't want to listen to my TIFF coverage?You can read my reviews! Reviews are now live for several of the films listed here (No Other Land, Julie Keeps Quiet, To a Land Unknown), plus the best shorts at the festival. ​Find all my TIFF coverage here.​ Coming soon:
Happy listening (and watching, if you're at the fest)! Alex
|
Seventh Row is a nonprofit Canadian film criticism publication and publishing house. We're dedicated to helping you expand your horizons by curating the best socially progressive films from around the world and helping you think deeply about them. This newsletter is run by Seventh Row (http://seventh-row.com) but features exclusive content not found on the website.
Quick question for you, Reader — Have you ever walked away from an episode of TV knowing something about a character without being entirely sure how you learned it? Most of us can tell when a character feels lost, comfortable, trapped, hopeful, uncertain, or in love. We don't usually stop to ask how the show taught us that. And even if we did, where would we start? Because it's usually not any one thing. It's how the dialogue, performances, costumes, shot choices, directing, and editing all...
I've spent the last couple of weeks talking about Looking, the show I've programmed for the inaugural season of The Long Arc this summer. But I haven't really answered a pretty basic question yet... What does it actually feel like to be inside The Long Arc? Over the first eight weeks, we'll watch one episode a week. Before each episode, you'll get the question we'll be exploring. Then, we'll gather online to investigate it together. Not by debating interpretations. But by getting curious...
There's a moment in the first episode of Looking that still lives rent-free in my head: Patrick meets Richie — his love interest for the season — on Muni (San Francisco's public transit). I lived in the Bay Area when it aired in 2014. So I spent the next three years riding Muni hoping my Richie would find me there, too. Which is a lot of influence for a scene that lasts only a few minutes. Of course, that was partly about what happens later in the show — when we find out just how great Richie...