Robin D. Laws's Blog, page 39
September 11, 2015
TIFF '15 Begins on a Vertiginous Note
When the fest includes a documentary about film, it typically programs it so you can catch it as the very first of one's public screenings. I've learned to always do this when possible. The doc itself may or may not be a hard act to follow, but it reminds you of films that are. It's hard to think of a more perfect cinematic appetizer than this starter for the 40th anniversary festival. Release the films!
Hitchcock / Truffaut [US, Kent Jones, 4] Audio from the original interviews, clips galore, and observations from today's top directors provide a documentary extension of what is arguably the most influential film book of all time, Francois Truffaut's collection of conversations with Alfred Hitchcock. If you don't want Hitchcock and Scorsese and Fincher and Linklater et al to illuminate more to you about storytelling in than you can absorb in a single sitting, I'm not sure we really know each other after all.
I found this not just informative and absorbing but incredibly moving. Probably this tells you more about where I'm at at this moment in my life especially regarding, art and mortality and what we leave behind, than it does about the film. Or maybe everyone who's genuflected for a lifetime in the cathedral of cinema will feel the same. In which case maybe it's not a 4 but a 5.
And man I need to rewatch Vertigo again soon. And Psycho. And The Birds, and...
I Promise You Anarchy [Mexico, Julio Hernández Cordón, 3] Gay skatepunks in careless love ramp up their black market blood donor network for Mexico City narcos. Social realist crime story with slice-of-life pacing. Have a question about my TIFF capsule reviews? It may be frequently asked. If so, I have already answered it.
September 10, 2015
It’s That Time of Year Again: The TIFF 15 Capsule Review FAQ
Once again it’s time for me to decamp from my game designerly duties and immerse myself full time in cinema at the Toronto International Film Festival. As I’ve done for many years, I’ll be writing capsule reviews of the movies I see and sharing them here. This is the 40th anniversary of TIFF, which started out as the humble Festival of Festivals and has become the most important fest for prestige and international film in North America. An unprecedented number of flicks from my must-see directors unspool this year, making the always-complicated multi-level challenge of picking titles paradoxically easier and more vexing at the same time.
For those of you not crazy enough to take a vacation in which you see 45 films over eleven days, some questions may crop up. This post is here to answer them!
When will I get to see these films? A few titles appear in wide or limited theatrical release not long after their festival debuts. I mostly avoid these, since I’ll get another chance to see them soon. Most will continue to roll out to other film festivals, from London to Chicago and perhaps to a fest near you, over the next half a year or so. Those that get commercial releases will show up in movie houses over the next year, give or take. As little as ninety days after that, they’ll begin to filter onto disc, VOD, and finally streaming services like Netflix. Today’s distribution landscape makes it easier than ever for people to see obscure and niche titles, even when they live far from cities able to support thriving art house cinemas. Many of the films I saw and loved last year have by now appeared on Netflix, for example. This year a couple of the titles are from Netflix itself, like Cary Fukanaga’s much-anticipated Beasts of No Nation.
But you make me want to watch great films now! More a comment than a question, but I’ll allow it. To see something cool right away and program your own fest at home, consult my capsule review round up from last year.
Will you be seeing [major release making its debut in Toronto]? Almost undoubtedly not. Not at TIFF, anyway. When choosing titles I heavily weight the one that has yet to secure distribution. Although more films come our way eventually than ever, a few never surface again.
Will you be collecting these reviews into one post? Yes, at the fest’s end. To make my task harder, I’ll be ranking them in order of preference.
Will you be talking about it on Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff? As always. My capsule reviews will appear in the episode that drops on Oct 2nd.
What rating system do you use? I rank films from 1-5, with half points just to make you wonder why I don’t use a ten point scale. When compiling these into the long list, I translate these into verbal categories, sometimes adjusting up or down from my immediate impression.
1 – The Worst
2 – Not Recommended
3 – Okay
3.5 – Good
4 - Recommended
4.5 - Just Shy of a Masterpiece
5 - The Best
Isn’t this hard on the eyes? Yes. But it’s the legs that go first.
Reviews of tonight’s films drop tomorrow morning.
September 3, 2015
September 2, 2015
Finding Me at FanExpo Canada 2015
Once more this year I’ll be doing the guest thing amid the crazy hugeness of Toronto’s FanExpo. I won’t be at a booth, so if you’d like to chat a bit catch me in the hall before or after a panel. As ever, if you have books you’d like signed, I am more than happy to comply. Attendees can find me at the following panels, all on the weekend:
The Robin Laws Panel
Time: Saturday, 2:15 PM
Location: 703
Description: RPG Industry godfather & Fan Expo Stalwart Robin D. Laws talks about the industry, publishing, podcasting and crowdsourcing.
Game Master Master Class
Time: Saturday, 3:30 PM
Location: 713
Description: The Game Master's craft is a tricky one. What are the tips and tricks you find most useful when it comes to making your games come alive. And how do you handle... That guy? The answer may surprise you!
Fellow panelists: Ed Greenwood, Malcolm Sheppard, Andrew Valkauskas
Getting Started with Tabletop Roleplaying Games
Time: Sunday, 12:15 PM
Location: 703
Description: Wait, do we all need to buy a player's guide? Do I need miniatures? What's the deal with these dice? You've wanted to try tabletop RPGs but don't know where to start! Our panel of experts will give you the guidance you need.
Fellow panelists: Andrew Hackard, Jonathan Lavallee, Sara McMillen
Advanced Kickstarting and Crowdfunding
Time: Sunday, 2:15 PM
Location: 717A
Description: Have you run a crowdfunding pitch? Did you just run out of stretch goals halfway through? Did you have to scrap it all and start from sceratch? Come share your experiences with the panel and your fellow attendees.
Fellow panelists: Peter Chiykowski, Andrew Hackard
State of the Game Industry
Time: Sunday, 3:45 PM
Location: 705
Description: Another year has passed, and the industry remains. What
new releases wowed the market? Are stores & distributors still
relevant in the age of Print on Demand and PDF sales?
Fellow panelists: Kate Bullock, Jonathan Lavallee, Phil Reed
August 28, 2015
Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff: Semi-Facing Into the Abyss
In the latest episode of our ENnie-winning podcast, Ken and I talk Mutant City Spies, vegetables, the Pelgrane pipeline, and Trotsky gone Hollywood.
