Pontypool

A zombie film unlike any other zombie film.

Pontypool mainly takes place at a small town AM radio station following shock jock Grant Mazzy and his crew as they receive reports of strange acts of violence occurring throughout their small town. Even stranger is the growing realization that the virus spreading through town may not be spread through physical means, but through the English language itself.

Slumdog Millionaire

I caught this film through rush lining for the Press and Industry screening, in my two hour break between seeing The Wrestler and Pontypool.

It's a film about an Indian "slumdog" (one of the many orphaned children who live outside the system) who makes his way into becoming a guest on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire.. and wins. He is then arrested on suspicion of fraud and the story is told through his interrogation by police which reveals his past and how he was able to answer each question correctly. Overall it's a pretty good film with great visuals and an interesting and energetic soundtrack.

The Wrestler

This film should not be missed.

It's a bit different than Darren Aronofsky's earlier films, but it's just as good. The film itself is very character driven. Many scenes are shot documentary style with long takes following Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) through his routine. The supporting actors do well in their roles (Marisa Tomei as Randy's stripper - not quite girlfriend, and Even Rachel Wood as his distant daughter) but the they really only exist to fill out Randy's world.

It's hard to tell whether the film is telling the story of Randy's tragic decline or triumphant comeback. The abrupt end to the film doesn't make it any easier to decide, but it doesn't really matter because his story is compelling no matter how you see it.

Harvard Beats Yale 29-29

This is mostly a film about a 1968 football game that ended unexpectedly. And as a film about a football game, I found it to be pretty entertaining (much more so than actually watching a game). What makes the film are the interviews, with the players who were there, that are interesting and often funny. There's also added entertainment through their descriptions of ivy league life in the 1960's.

JCVD

JCVD at Midnight Madness. I can't think of a better way to have started my film festival experience this year.

Despite any reservations that people may have about seeing a Jean-Claude Van Damme film, this one is completely worth both the time and money spent. The audience (myself included) was laughing, cheering and completely captivated throughout the film. It was just a good film watching experience.

TIFF Tickets

My ticket request has been processed and I got all the tickets I wanted! Yay!

No scrambling to the box office for me.

TIFF '08!

The Toronto International Film Festival is fast approaching!

I have been attending the film fest regularly for the past couple years and this will be my second year volunteering for the festival as well. I have just completed and handed in my ticket requests last night, so here's hoping they all come through.

My Choices:

JCVD (The return of Jean-Claude Van Damme!)
Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 (Documentary about a football game from 1968, featuring many celebrities and politicians who were students at the time.)
The Wrestler (Mickey Rourke as an aged, former professional wrestler)
Pontypool (Canadian, small town, zombies!)
Che: Parts 1 & 2 (Four hours of biopic fun.)
Good (A story about how a regular, good, German citizen could become a Nazi)
El Greco (Biopic about the famous painter.)
At The Edge of the World (Real life environmentalist pirates!)

Volunteering for the festival pays in ticket vouchers, so expect more films to be added to my list in the days to come.

Acting Professional Like

My online CV and demo reel is finally up and running.
It will probably go through a million changes in the next little while, but it's up!

Check it out here.

Summer Birthday Season and the Art of Gift Wrap

It's summer. In my family that means one thing; a never ending stream of birthdays. Aside from one cousin with an October birthday, and myself being a winter baby, everyone in my family was born in the summer. The birthdays start in May and just keep on truckin' til the end of August.

So with it being birthday season for me, I feel like I need to get something off my chest.

Here it goes.

I love giving gifts. Every part of it. I love searching out that perfect something that the giftee didn't even know they wanted til they got it. I love packaging gifts and making them a site to behold before being opened. And just love giving the gift.

As for wrapping gifts, I really do consider it a bit of an art. Nothing makes a gift more enticing and curiosity inducing than good gift wrap.

I usually base my gift wrapping decisions around a theme. I pick a starting point and design around it. Maybe the theme is just about what would suit the personality of the giftee, or it could be based on the event, or give hints to what's inside. I've even gone so far as to base my wrapping choice on the design of the card going with the gift. I know.. I'm insane... but I just like it that much.

I go all out in my gift wrapping and don't just get awesome paper or a bag, but also ribbon, bows and tissue paper. I feel the gift should look good and the best way I know to dress it up is in the accessories.

One example of awesome gift wrapping technique.
The card was equally obnoxious.

deviantART

Check out my new deviantART page!

http://constancecreations.deviantart.com