271 films at the Toronto International Film Festival Keep Movie Moguls in high spirits.

It's a fact; in times of economic depression, cinema attendance goes up. Be it to obtain a sense of escapism from gloomy realities or a need for genuine culture detached from the monotony of the everyday, people of all ages are turning up to movie theatres more than they ever have in the last 30 years. Recently, at the Toronto Film Festival, a festival of movies were on show and the town was brimming with celebrities such as Drew Barrymore and Natalie Portman, whom the crowds were dying to see. Having read a few articles from journalists on site who had the opportunity to watch and review the films, here´s a selection I made of the year´s movies to watch, and most likely contenders for the 2010 Oscars.

I´ll start with the least obvious choice, The Bad Lieutenant, directed by Werner Herzog, which has had some first-class reviews. A sequel to Abel Ferrara's 1992 Bad Lieutenant, Time Magazine calls it a “dark, daft, vagrantly intoxicating melodrama”. It stars Nicolas Cage in what is said to be a brilliant comeback performance. He plays the role of Lieutenant Terence McDonagh, a drug-dealing cop filled with nervosas whose benevolent services in Hurricane Katrina lead him to addiction and severe back pains. The movie recounts his confrontations in the aftermath of the catastrophic event with a world full of crime, injustice and corruption. McDonagh´s prostitute girlfriend, with whom the relationship is more than dysfunctional, is played by Eva Mendes. The Guardian calls it “a mesmerising thriller”.




Next up, The Joneses, directed by Derrick Borte, sparked my interest. It´s been called a satire on modern day consumerism, and many have dismissed it as ill timed given the current economical climate. Demi Moore and David Duchovny play the parents of a seemingly perfect family, freshly occupying a new home in the suburbs. The affluent family that appear exemplary from the outside are actually a team of salespeople hired by a company to flaunt their belongings. The aim is to convince their neighbours to buy the same things as them so that they can be equally happy. This tale of a peculiarly manoeuvered business scheme strikes me as quite unique in its theme and plot. I sense it could either be a gem or a catastrophe.




A Single Man, based on the Christopher Isherwood novel and directed by Tom Ford has had flawless reviews. It seems the ex-Gucci fashion designer has ticked all the right boxes in his directorial debut which he financed totally independently. According to reviews in the New York Times, it is impeccably filmed with aesthetically sublime takes and artistically poignant shots. George (Colin Firth), a gay professor, tragically loses his lover and after 16 years of mourning, can only think of one thing, suicide. Information suggests Firth delivers an extraordinary performance in what the International Herald Tribune call “a celebration of the male form with a sensual reverence.” It´s a new path for the actor who breaks from his usual soft hearted Englishman to a melancholic and heartbroken man touched by the solitude of heartbreak. The part earned him the Best Actor prize at the Venice Film Festival, and most critics guarantee an Oscar Nomination.

The Top Award, the Gold Lion, at TIFF was obtained by Samuel Maoz, the Israeli director, for his film Lebanon. Aside from the usual boycotts that were ever so present with regards to Israel, the film obtained some raving reviews. Lebanon has already been described by the leading US entertainment magazine Variety as "the boldest and best" of recent films from Israel about the country's wars in Lebanon. It takes place during the 1982 Israel-Lebanon war, which Maoz himself was a part of. Apart from the opening and closing shot, the entire movie takes place in a tank containing four nervous soldiers, and this claustrophobic setting is ideal in showing the nightmare and tension of war. As a member of the audience, you must want them to stay in there and be safe yet beg to see them escape as well. It is this resulting apprehension that seems to have created the movie´s strong reactions. The film is a survivor's haunted memory of a conflict, one which is still relevant today, and was undoubtedly one of the festivals biggest hits.

Life During Wartime, directed by Todd Solondz is another film that critics worldwide were highly anticipating and overall were not disappointed by. It handles the tough subject of domestic crime with strength as it centres on a few troubled families who all have secrets. From what I gather, they have all committed some disturbing acts yet have to learn to forgive as, inevitably, family ties remain. One such act is pedophilia, to give you an idea of the scale of atrocity we are dealing with. The controversial movie is supposedly a sequel to his film Happiness, directed in 1998, but many critics fail to see it as this. I found the director’s take on it, as described by him at a press conference, most compelling: “Life During Wartime is a film about the ghosts you literally carry around with you, and about the idea of forgiveness in the face of the impossible to forgive.” The film was equally loved and loathed.

The Cadillac People’s choice award this year went to the film Precious directed by Lee Daniel and co-produced by Oprah Winfrey. The Sundance hit about an abused Harlem teenager's road to redemption through literacy has been popular amongst many critics who hail the movie as the next Slumdog Millionaire. The latter won the same prize last year and went on to win eight academy awards. The film is directed at “people with insecurities”, says Daniel, who explains he made the film “for anyone who’s ever looked in the mirror and felt unsure about the person looking back”. Based on the novel Push by Sapphire and with a major role for singer Mariah Carey, this could be set to be one of the biggest successes of the movie world.

Soul Kitchen by Fatih Akin is one I definitely will not want to be missing as I have always been such a fan of his work namely the film Head On. The film tells the story of young man's frenetic struggle to keep his offbeat restaurant in Germany going. Entertainment Weekly calls the film “brisk paced with sharp ideas and eclectic music” which is a compliment coming from a US newspaper to a Turkish filmmaker. The film also won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival and was amongst the favorites for many of the movie goers this year in Canada.

Another darling was Up in the Air by Jason Reitman, the Oscar nominated director of Juno. Here, the centre of attention is given to Ryan Bingham, played by George Clooney, a corporate downsizing expert whose cherished life on the road is threatened just as he is on the cusp of reaching ten million frequent flyer miles, and just after he’s met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams. It supposedly addresses the fears and anxieties of our time and manages to connect to a large audience because, according to The Guardian, “it taps, in a rich and bold and immediate way”. George Clooney plays the part of a pure product of the new America, an addict for an existence in which everything has become systematized. Allegedly brilliant and with Clooney delivering a fine performance, it seems we have yet another Oscar Contender.

Lastly, a film festival wouldn’t be complete without some Coen Brothers action who are back with a vengeance with A serious man. Of all the movie sites and newspaper culture sections I may have studied, this came out as the best film by the majority. It appears they´ve made their most Jewish film to date, a film about physics professor Larry Gopnik and the Jewish subculture of a late-60s Minnesota town. Larry's life begins to fall apart when his wife says she wants a divorce, and in the great unraveling that follows. Working with few recognizable stars, the Coens have made a funny but what one blogger called an “odd and inquisitive" film about guilt. Paste Magazine journalist called A Serious Man “one of the most fascinating, maybe even heartfelt, renderings of a Kafkaesque sensibility that I've seen” coming up with a range of analogies in which the movie may be an Ode to Kafka, and subsequently, their best work to date. Other critics agreed and enjoyed the fact that contrary to its title, it wasn’t that serious at all.

At the Toronto International Film Festival, director Sam Mendes claimed the recession had finally hit the cinema industry. He alludes to the fading monopoly of the industry, meaning earnings have to be vastly distributed leaving small amounts for production, but the actual sales remain higher than ever. Take a look at the US Box office where companies such a media monster Viacom had a record summer selling $4.3bn worth of movie tickets. And judging from the immense selection of movies on offer for the new year, it´s clear industry players want to keep this trend going. Be it with artistic motives, or for the sake of capitalist opportunity, it seems we aren’t short of brilliant movies just yet. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Why Fluctuating Temperatures and a Boisterous Economy are Optimum Conditions for Style.

This week sees most of the world’s universities get back into functional mode. As young adults get ready for the upcoming year of frivolity and academic endeavour, it’s been on my mind what they will choose to wear in the current climates.
Peter Som- the Season´s Comeback Kid

So, I could predict some of the likely wardrobes and tell you about the year’s noteworthy items. I could tell you about the biker leather jackets by Balmain, sequined corsets by Fendi, or shoulder-padded shirts by Max Azria that were noticed on this season’s catwalks . I could update you that green is the colour according to Vogue, and silver according to recent red carpet apparitions by Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. I could also speculate that if the costumes on Gossip Girl are anything to go by, university students du jour should be wearing Gucci asymmetric minidresses, oversized Swarovski jewellery and Louboutin high heels to class.

Instead I’m going to keep it real and tell you that if there’s anything that’s fashionable at the moment it’s the Credit Crunch. The likelihood of any student owning a £1,610 Ungaro jacquard puffball skirt seems rather miniscule at this moment in time. Even stores considered budget friendly such as Zara have felt the pain of the recession, with net profit for the year down by 8%. Furthermore, sales of luxury goods have fallen by 25 % worldwide and high street sales in the UK have deteriorated by 2% in this past month alone. Some economists have speculated this is also due to irregular climate change; People fear spending money on clothes which won’t be in season just a few days later. They are at loss for what to buy; it’s too expensive, too hot, or too cold.

Balmain- jacket £6,360

So what’s the solution? I encourage using the falling economy and erratic weather conditions as an excuse to get creative with trends, and flirt with bargains. Invest in fabulous 40´s vintage and mix it up with something you already own. Revive the 80´s by cutting a skirt from your mother’s wardrobe, and nip it at the waist with a leather belt. Indulge in the tough chic trend by getting your boyfriend’s shirt and slipping it on top of some lace tights. If vintage isn’t your thing, take a peek at Christopher Kane’s latest collection for Topshop, or Alexander Wang’s T Range available on net-a-porter. Both include clothes available for a tenth of the designer’s main lines, guaranteed to keep your credit card sober.

Agness exploits her Personal Style like no one else.

At last week’s NY Fashion Week, it was all about thwarting the unhappy mood set by current climates with brighter colours and tighter shapes. Marc Jacobs’s collection, for example, was bursting with frills, sparkling lamé and harlequin diamonds. It’s as though the designers are telling us we should see the badly behaved weather/economy as an excuse to play dress up in these unsteady times. Seek incentive from this liberating approach and remember to make the outfit unique by shopping with imagination, then reason. Patricia Field sets the perfect example on the set of the SATC sequel with Carrie Bradshaw wearing an array of vintage outfits and wallet friendly brands like Halston Heritage.

Proenza Shouler, S/S 10. Bright, Bold, and in with BANG.

The global downturn is the best environment in which to remove the university uniform. It´s time to let yourself be inspired by trends, but seek to find them in unlikely and more affordable places. Counteract both weather and economy with a daring wardrobe and make a purely individual statement.

University is back and so are You.

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Precious Gems Discovered in Madrid.

If any of you have ever been to Madrid, you have no doubt visited what some call the Golden Triangle of Art. There is, however, much more than what guidebooks recommend as far as dives into the artistic realm are concerned. From varied exhibitions, galleries and national museums, Spain is lucky to have assembled some of the best works of in the history of art, and altogether provides us curious visitors with a most gratifying variety of cultural abundance.

The Spanish Capital is an enchanting place to discover the best of the Spanish masters such as some unforgettable Velazquez’s (Las Meninas) and El Greco (The Adoration of the Sheperds), located in the Prado , Madrid´s answer to the Louvre. For some exceptional canvases by the likes of Holbein (Portrait of Henry III), to Rembrandt (Self Portrait), to Degas (Swaying Dancer) and finally to Lichtenstein (Girl in the Bath), it’s the Thyssen Collection which you should rush to. For the contemporary art lovers, the Reina Sofia is the best in Spain, but French and English nationals accustomed to the likes of the Pompidou or the Tate Modern should beware, this is by far inferior. It contains some pertinent Miró’s (Portrait II) and Dalí’s (The Great Masturbator), but the rest of the collection remains to be desired. By far the most audacious and powerful masterpiece there is Guernica, one of Picasso’s most famous works painted in the midst of the Civil War as a fierce commentary on the horror of war.

Guernica- Pablo Picasso

Las Meninas- Diego Velazquez

Apart from this wonderful array of prestigious art in Madrid, I’d like to draw your attention to a few other finds that I made whilst strolling through the city’s delightful streets (many of which are undergoing renovation at the moment as an effort to boost the city’s appeal for the 2012 Olympic bid). Firstly, The Royal Palace is outstanding in its grandeur. I would go as far as saying it is on par with some of the magnificent palaces in Europe such as le Chateaux de Versailles and the Winter Palace in St Petersburg. Even though it looks smaller than both of them, it still contains an impressive 2800 rooms, only 20 of which were once occupied by the Royal Family in the late 18th Century. The other rooms were for servants, kitchen, pharmacies, bakeries and much more. It exudes luxury and refined elements, with crystal chandeliers covering the Italian decorated walls, splendid satin furniture and marble clocks gracing every corner. The mirrors add to the opulence of the palace, reflecting the light emitted by the chandeliers making the rooms look endless. The most extravagant room is the Throne Room which contains the two gold thrones surrounded by four huge lions. These thrones are now just symbols of the monarchy and are not in use, as the King of Spain, with whom I’ve had the pleasure to shake hands, no longer has absolute power. On the ceiling of this room, covered in red velvet tapestries and all the gold one could make in a generation, is the stupendous fresco by Giovanni Batista Tiepolo, which he made at the age of 68, an age where most people at the time would have been long gone. It took him seven years to complete and was most probably executed with him on a ladder, bent over backwards, reaching to provide the walls with as much detail as he could. The result is exquisite and recalls Michelangelo’s work in the Sistine Chapel.

Palacio Real- Madrid

Another place I thoroughly enjoyed whilst in Madrid was the Fine Arts Museum. Situated in the spectacular Goyeneche Palace, a finely restored and remodelled Baroque building from the 17th Century, it hosts a small but most exquisite collection by some of the world’s most renowned artists. My favourite pieces were works by Van Dycks and Rubens, and of course there are some disturbing Goyas from his black paintings, one of which, The Madhouse, still haunts me now. In fact, it was Goya’s tomb that surprised me the most, located in a tiny and beautiful church called the Hermitage of San Antonio de la Florida, twenty minutes walk from the centre. This church, displays some of Goya’s best technique of his entire career. Similarly to Tiepolo, he decorated the domed ceiling of the church with frescoes, although he succeeded in doing it in less than four months. It’s such a small church, it’s very hard to photograph the frescoes and the details are so miniscule it would be hard to do it justice with a camera, but it’s really very special. The church was painted just after Goya became deaf in 1798 and his subsequent depression and alienation from the injustice of war comes through in the art, seemingly morbid in the tone, colour scheme, and hostile interactions between the figures. In contrast to Tiepolo’s ceilings though, the paint is much more loosely applied, with silver flickers and a loss of lines. It shows a leap in his work, one that would later categorise the Romantic Movement.

Frescoes by Francisco Goya at the Hermitage of San Antonio de la Florida

Lastly, I’d like to mention the Fundacion Lazario Galdiano. I was recommended this collection by a Spanish Woman who assured me it would be well worth the journey. I went with small expectations, unsure what I would be seeing exactly. I entered a magnificient house complete with the most extensive private collections I had laid my eyes on in a while. The man in question, Mr Galdiano (1862-1947), was a very wealthy society man with a penchant for aesthetics and art who decided to invest in important works ranging from the 14th Century Spanish Art to 19th Century English art. The collection, hosted in his discerning neo-classical home, contains some truly splendid pieces such as grotesque witches by Goya (once again belonging to the Black Paintings), some delicate and very detailed Velazquez work and a miniscule and gloriously ethereal Leonardo da Vinci, El Salvador, which was my favourite. I was also treated to some striking Flemish Art from the 16th Century including one Brueghel , The Animals Embark Noah’s Ark, which caught my attention depicting Noah about to embark on a journey with all the animals surrounding him, just perfection. In addition to the paintings are pieces of jewellery which the man kindly brought his wife, with some extravagant diamond tiaras, ruby brooches and pearl hair pins included. The collection also boasts one of Europe’s finest miniature painting collections, which Mr Galdiano loved to purchase. They are extraordinarily fragile and ornate given their size and are a joy to look at. I also had the chance of being alone in the gallery on a Sunday, making my visit all the more magical.

If this hasn’t convinced you that Madrid has a wealth of treasure chests, I don’t know what will. Enjoy this sensational capital and share your discoveries with the sparkling locals who will adore hearing about your enthusiasm for their town. The buoyant ambience in the calles, welcoming atmosphere of the Tapas places, and ambitious hours of the nightlife all concord to provide an insouciant Madrilanean lifestyle, which is unique in its kind. I can only hope that when I next visit a town, I’ll be graced with equally sweet encounters.

Peace Concert in Cuba- A call for tolerance?

Columbian rocker Juanes's peace concert in Cuba "Peace without borders" is taking place as I write this. Fifteen Top Latin American, Spanish and Cuban performers are there right now in what is the most prevalent open air concert since the 1959 revolution. Half a million people have turned up under the broiling Havana sun to partake in the largest celebration they may have ever seen. The singer, best known for his hits La Camisa Negra, calls it "an apolitical expression of peace and a desire to bring nations together through music."

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A group of twenty high profile jailed political dissidents announced their support for the concert last week, causing many to believe this is a concert in favour of the current Communist regime more than about alleged "peace". Cuban Exiles in Miami such as Gloria Estefan and Willy Chirino, who were invited to play in their native country for the concert, actively refused, saying it would bring positive press for the Cuban government. They both agreed it would encourage the removal of the US Embargo on Cuba, something they passionately contest. Others have even gone as far as labelling the singer a "traitor" when he himself leads the high life in Miami. Juanes replied to this by saying the aim of the concert is only to ease political tensions. Unfortunately for Miami based critics of the Cuban Regime, Juanes's plight did not convince them and it is even rumoured that he has received multiple death threats in the last few days on his Twitter account.
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Whatever Juanes says, we cannot avoid the fact that the concert is taking place in Cuba in Revolution Square where the Communist Headquarters are located, right next to a giant sculpture of Che Guevara's head. It is also the same square in which President Fidel Castro gave his famous five hour speeches, leaving many to doubt the intent of this concert. Two of the most pro-revolutionary artists in Cuba, Silvio Rodrigez and Amaury Perez, are also taking part in the concert, making some more than sceptic.
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In a recent interview, Juanes claimed the event was meant to set aside ideological differences and "knock down our mental walls". It seems if this was really the case he should be talking more about the freedom in the country. It seems contradictory to encourage political entente, when the Cuban authorities restrict so many of its occupants to express themselves. Cuba is still a country that suffers from grave censorship issues and is still very much under the reigns of Communism with thousands of prisoners unjustly in jail due to dictatorship. Perhaps these are more pressing issues that should be addressed rather than naively calling for peace through music. It seems imminent democracy is what the country really needs. It will be interesting to see what comes of the concert, if anything.

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At least there will be beautiful music, but peace or freedom? I'm not convinced.