Teenage Paparazzo and Takers

No doubt that the city is starting to make all sorts of preparations for the Toronto Film Festival which happens in a couple of weeks and so are the hundreds of photographers who make a pretty penny from capturing that right picture of the right celebrity. A new documentary directed by Entourage Star Adrian Grenier opens in this weekend which turns the spotlight on paparazzi culture and another film brings the Heist movie back to the big screen with a stylish twist.

The movie ‘Teenage Paparazzo’ is directed by Adrian Grenier who most people know as ‘Vinny Chase’ from Entourage. It’s opening in select theatres in Toronto this weekend .
The premise is simple enough, one night while being hounded by photographers outside of a restaurant a young lad approaches Adrian and asks if he can take his picture innocently Adrian agrees expecting this fan to use a phone or something and Austin, our lead in the film pulls out a professional camera the size of a mini machine gun and take almost 30 pictures in one shot. Intrigued by who this kid is and what his motives are , He decides to go behind the camera to follow out of all things a person who makes money following him, a celebrity photographer – hoping to understand the motives, the mayhem and the madness that is paparazzi culture.

Does the film try to play the celebrity as the victim or portray more how the paparazzi business works?

At first the doc unfolds with the images we are use to seeing a la your nightly entertainment shows showcasing the uncanny ability for these photographers to capture personal moments and their excessive need to invade privacy. I was a little worried at the beginning of the film when I heard that Adrian was narrating the story that we’d get stuck in this ‘oh poor us’ mood of a story where the hunted becomes a hunter to understand the madness. Instead what happens effectively through the eyes of this 13 year old Austin who is the focus of the documentary is we see a mini anthropological study of how it is in the trenches of the paparazzi world, why they do what they do and just how wide the demand is for the right shot.

I had a chance to attend a Q and A with the director after the screening this week, what were some of the things you were able to gather after the film?

Well, 1 – you get so caught up in watching this life of the paparazzi and seeing what must be over a 100 sources of images on screen that I had to wonder how hard it is to make a film like this. Sure it was probably easy to gather the likes of Eva Longoria, Paris Hilton and the cast of his hit show Entourage to interview them but as someone who has made doc style content before I know it’s not easy guide a story like this and get the rights you need to make it work. Adrian went on to remark that it took him longer to edit and clear the film this last 10 months then it did to shoot everything and what you will appreciate is that the movie touches on so many elements of pop culture that we almost take for granted and their is something in it for everyone who has ever been interested in this world.

the movie is not just about this 13 year old kid Austin?
No, in fact he sort of uses Austin as the hook to get people interested in the premise and takes quite a few tangents to keep the viewer interested, which works well because any more of Austin screen time would be like watching Justin Beiber on Inside teh Actors studio – in other words the substance starts to fizzle after you except the novelty of his work. And to that point Adrian starts to develop a strong relationship with Austin the film in this father figure type role and you can see even as the director he feels he needs to back off of his subject in order for the movie to find a reasonable ending.

The Heist movie is such an interesting genre because we mostly always know what’s coming. There is always the anti-hero or in this case anti hero’s who capture our intrigue and sympathy early enough for us to forgive their criminal acts so we can witness their fresh attempt at getting away with the big score. In the Takers we have a crew who live like kings: flashy suits, fast cars and penthouse apartments. These Takers aren’t loose cannons.

So do we see a re-invention of this genre or is it the same old recycled stuff we are use to seeing?
I like to call this movie Oceans 11 meets Reservoir Dogs with dialogues written by Steven Seagal and action directed by Jean Claude Van Dame. It’s a modern day mash up of so many great films but fails to get past some bad acting (including by famous rapper T.I.) and chooses style over substance. I recommend Takers only to those who are looking to turn their minds off for a couple of hours and watch a bunch of money being blown both on screen and making the movie itself.

Takers opens across the city in wide release while the film Teenage Paparazzo opens at the Royal Cinema and the AMC Yonge and Dundas. You can hear this and other film reviews from the past weeks at cbc.ca/metromorning.

Eat Pray Love – Scott Pilgram – Peepli Live

Eat Pray Love
Julia Roberts, love her or hater her is a one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, her latest venture is Eat, Pray, Love.
Eat, Pray, Love is the real life story of Elizabeth Gilbert who after a failed marriage and other social failures decided to see the world outside of her New York confines and documented her experiences along the way. Rather then be a wondering backpacking soul she had specific places that she wanted to visit which in the movie include Italy for the Eat, India for the Pray and at this risk of ruining most of the movie the love is in Bali.
You would think that the danger with adapting any best selling book to the big screen would be that the main topic of discussion will always be does it measure up
I did the right thing with this movie and I watched it with a fan of the book. I on the other hand had limited knowledge of the story which may have helped along the way. The reason I say that is simple. You have to commit to going on this journey with Julia’s character early in the film in order for the film to remain entertaining. There are not a lot of twists in the plot nor are there paralel characters you are routing for, instead what you have with Eat Pray Love is a Julia Roberts film that has almost no scene without her in it and a few like able characters who support her along the way.
In fact, it’s so much about Julia in this film that at times I wondered if the book may have made a good dramatic weekly series instead of a movie.
Look out for wonderful performances by the always dynamic Richard Jenkins playing a former drunk Texan now an Ashram dweller and her best friend played by the charismatic Viola Davis. I should also point out that the film was directed Ryan Murphy who is credited as the creator of ‘Glee’ and although there is very little song and dance there is a Glee like energy he captures with interesting choices in framing and shooting style.
Turning to homegrown Hollywood tale, there seems to be a lot of buzz on the film Scott Pilgram vs the World.
And rightfully so. The homegrown part of what you are referring to of course is 2 fold. 1)Scott Pilgram the character was created by Toronto’s own , by way of London Ontario Brian Lee O’Mailey who craeted the character within a graphic novel and 2) the movie is set in this wonderful city. The story on the surface is fairly simple; Michael Cera plays a Toronto bass player who must battle his new girlfriend’s seven evil exes before he can finally win her heart. Along the way you’ll see some well known faces such as Anne Kendrick from Up in the Air to Jason Swartzman in an attempt to solidify the cred of this rock opera.

It’s interesting to see Brampton boy, Micheal Cera grow up over the last few years after the success of Juno and Super Bad, has he found his stride with this film
I think Micheal Cera has carved a niche for himself in the love able geek genre of movies and this film gives him a little more flexibility especially with his action chops. I think the crowd that the film is aimed for loves him and will enjoy how much Scott Pilgram as a character is developed into this unique pseudo action star with all the thrills of a video game and all the heart of a basic romantic comedy.

Finally, one of the guests expected at this year’s Toronto Film Festival is one of Bollywood’s most prolific stars, Aamir Khan who has another film releasing this weekend which he has produced. The movie is called Peepli Live and for those who don’t know Aamir Khan he was the star and producer of the Oscar nominated Lagaan 3 years ago and also starred in Deepa Mehta’s Earth. Aamir’s contribution to Bollywood can be paralled to the likes of Johnny Depp or George Clooney as he attaches himself to passion projects both behind and infront of the camera. The story centers around 2 brothers who in an effort to pay an unpaid government loan consider suicide so that their families can receive government compensation to pay the debt. After a reporter over hears the plot the village of ‘Peepli’ becomes a media circus where the country is gripped by ‘will they or won’t they’. Not your typical Bollywood movie however an entertaining one with memroable characters and an excellent comment on the state of media in India today.
the movie opens in select theatres across the city.

Summer Movie Reads – BT Toronto – Aug 4, 2010

Thanks to Chapters.ca for providing the books for this segment.

Dinner For Schmucks

Let’s start with Charlie St Cloud
Its hard for an actor with such a strong presence in the teen crowd to grow up in Hollywood. More often then not we end up hearing actors like him via tabloids later in their career with the idea of scandal over substance. So here we have him in
“Charlie St. Cloud”, a romantic drama where he stars as a young man who survives an accident that lets him see the world in a unique way. In this emotionally charged story, he begins a romantic journey in which he embraces the dark realities of the past while discovering the power of love.
A tween tear jerker…. Let’s face it the movie rides entirely on how much Zac’s fans like to watch Zac. These fans don’t care much about character development, flaws in scripts or even what the entire story is about. This was the best move for Zac career wise to show that he is not stuck singing songs in highschool and that he can carry a film without having cheerleaders fawning over him. I can’t help but feel sorry for the thousands of parents who will have to sit through this surface level emotional ride highlighted by teenage melancholy while holding in their laughter.

Moving on to a real comedy then, Dinner for Schmucks with Steve Carell and Paul Rudd hits movie theatres today.
Directed by Jay Roach who brought you films such as Austin Powers and Meet the Parents,the film unites 2 of the biggest comedic stars today Paul Rudd and Steve Carrell in an unconventional buddy comedy that is less about dinner and more about the Schmucks.
The trailer and title also elude to this dinner party where people are invited to be the butt of other people’s jokes. How far can they carry the joke?
The irony is that the movie has very little to do with the dinner itself and plays out like a classic comedy with shades of movies like Arthur and What’s New Pussycat mixed in. In fact Steve Carell completely channels Peter Sellers in the film playing the not so bright guest being courted by Paul Rudds Character. Throw into the mix a corporate career chase and a predictable love story and you’ve a ripe comedy recipe
Here is what works about the film. The acting carries a rather lack luster script to make it watchable. The stand out performances really come from the stellar supporting cast from Jemaine Clement of Flight of the Choncords fame to David Walliams of Little Brittan Fame to Zack Galaflankis it really is a 2010 Comedy Nascar rally that I could have watched for hours. Where the film will have some detractors is in the fact that you have all this talent and you don’t push any boundaries with the comedy or create anything original, it almost becomes a tribute movie, which I think will cause a younger audience to find the movie a tad mundane.

Are you ready for SALT or a Little Grease or Some Comedy??

This summer is shaping up to be a very busy one at the box office and there does not seem to be any shortage of action.

Let’s talk first about SALT and Mrs Brad Pitt
She is the one suffering in this one. Jolie plays Evelyn Salt, a CIA officer who has been accused of being a Russian Spy, Her efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her
motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues and the question remains: “Who Is Salt? Which is why you are seeing those cryptic movie posters around town.
So we ask ‘Who is Salt’? But the question is do we care?
On one hand the film defies all action convention and she is a little super hero like and in another she is a sleuth trained to do every trick in the book. The problem is that you have to suspend your
belief a little too much in this action flick to stay interested in it. Director Phillip Noyce made films like t”Patriot Games” and “Clear and Present Danger.” and so this movie follows in that tradition of some great action but does not really have the Tom Clancy inspired script to keep you hanging on. I did feel at a few points that with all this talk about Tom Cruise being cast in this film originally that Jolie was over compensating to prove she could hold her own and she does in a big way. 2 of the best things about the film are it’s not a film that drags on and SALT ends up being a strong female action star based on skill not just looks.

Speaking of keeping us entertained, The movie Grease seems like a film that just won’t go away, why in 2010 are we talking about a film made almost 30 years ago.

Its true opening this weekend at Scotia Theatre is a cult classic. Paramount Pictures has gone into the vault, added some karoke like lyrics onto the screen and now invites you to belt out your favourite tunes with Good girl Sandy and greaser Danny in what is being billed as ‘Sing A Long Grease’. I’ve been to a couple of these. The first one I went to was an outdoor Bollywood one which was fun to
witness but not exactly functional. My biggest warning is this isn’t the best way to see the film for the first time.

I think films like this and more specifically gatherings like this are better when they are arranged by AV Monitors and Glee clubs where I think the real cult status of these films are
incubated. I don’t fault Paramount for trying to create a social event out of the love of the movie but I don’t really have an interest singing with other people as if we were at a rock concert.

Oh and I will be hosting the 9th Annual MyBindi Comedy Night, a showcase for some North America’s biggest South Asian Comics. It takes place this Sunday at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre at Exhibition Place more info at mybindi.com