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TIFF: Easy’s Waltz & Eleanor the Great

EASY’S WALTZ had its world premiere at TIFF: it’s a story steeped in moral ambiguity, and old-school Vegas charm. Las Vegas is the perfect backdrop – glitzy on the surface, but full of desperation and secrets underneath.

Photo courtesy of Toronto International Film Festival.

Nic Pizzolatto, the creator of True Detective, made his directorial debut with this feature film; a character-driven story with a touch of film noir because of its flawed characters and gritty atmosphere where glamour and decay coexist. While not shot in black-and-white, the film uses moody lighting and stylized framing to evoke that noir sensibility.

The Vegas-set drama is wrought with grit, nostalgia, and powerhouse performances. Vaughn actually sings and surprisingly, he’s not bad at all.

The film dives into the life of Easy (played by Vince Vaughn), a struggling Las Vegas crooner whose shot at stardom comes via a mysterious offer from a legendary club owner, Mickey Albano (Al Pacino). The movie blends the glitz of Vegas with a melancholic undercurrent, echoing classics like Leaving Las Vegas and Bugsy. Easy juggles self-sabotage, a chaotic younger brother (Simon Rex), a failing restaurant, and his mother’s care (Mary Steenburgen); making his rise to fame anything but smooth.

Vaughn with his wife, Kyla Weber. Photo: d. king.

Vaughn and Pacino share a compelling dynamic, with Pacino delivering a subdued but menacing performance reminiscent of his iconic mob roles. The Supporting Cast: Includes Kate Mara, Mary Steenburgen, Shania Twain, and Cobie Smulders. While some roles felt underdeveloped, the emotional core between Easy and his brother Sam adds weight.

Overall, I was mixed on this one – it was good but didn’t quite hit the high notes I was hoping for.

Vaughn’s performance as lounge singer Lew Easy earns praise for charm and vulnerability. However, the rest of the film didn’t quite match his energy. The supporting characters lacked depth, and the story didn’t give Vaughn enough to work with.

As of now, there’s no official wide theatrical release date announced beyond its TIFF debut.

Here’s another one I watched at TIFF: ELEANOR THE GREAT

Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut, ELEANOR THE GREAT, is a heartfelt drama about a 94-year-old woman named Eleanor Morgenstein who’s witty, stubborn, and not ready to fade quietly into old age. After losing her best friend, Eleanor moves from Florida to New York to live with her daughter and grandson – but they’re too busy to give her much attention.

Feeling lonely and out of place, Eleanor stumbles into a group of *Holocaust survivors and, through a mix of grief and mischief, starts telling her late friend’s story as if it were her own. This little lie snowballs, especially when a young journalism student named Nina takes interest and wants to share Eleanor’s “story” with the world. What follows is a mix of emotional bonding, uncomfortable truths, and a deeper look at how we deal with loss, identity, and the need to be seen.

*With the help of the Shoah Foundation and others, Johansson was able to cast
Holocaust survivors, all around Eleanor’s age, to portray the support group.

June Squibb plays Eleanor with charm and fire, and the cast includes Erin Kellyman, Jessica Hecht, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Fun fact: Johansson is the highest-grossing actor ever, after leading Jurassic World: Rebirth.

This is a poignant and character-driven drama worth watching. Expected to be released in theaters on September 26, 2025. Release in Canada by Mongrel Media.

THINKAboutit

Trains, Planes and Subways.

Today’s post is more like journaling rather than journalism

TIFF 2024 was a fabulous experience.

Having only been to two other film festivals before, this one is incomparable. This is a top-tier festival. The choices were varied and outstanding. The public turnout was staggering, including the A-list stars who attended. King Street W (where my late hubby and I used to own a condo) in the heart of the Entertainment District, was all about “TIFF” From September 5th to the 15^th with streets blocked off and lots going on. Elizabeth and I saw some amazing selections. We also missed some amazing selections. We both navigated the subway system which was easy enough. Now we’re pros.

I stayed with my brother-in-law who lives mid-town in a really nice high rise. Coincidentally, an old friend of mine lives in the building right across the street. I went over for a pitcher of her delicious homemade margaritas one evening and sat on her balcony looking over to where I was staying. How strange is that in such a big city? Elizabeth stayed with her brother (my other cousin Frankie) who lives in trendy High Park area.

I ended up going back to Montreal with Liz for a little side trip while the festival was still on. I wasn’t intending to at first, but we decided to bury our Uncle Chuck (who was living in Florida) and whose ashes were in Elizabeth’s closet for one year. I can explain. Last year, when we all met up for a wedding in Montreal, Chuck’s wife brought his ashes to be buried with his parents (our grandparents) on Mount Royal – the mountain in the heart of the city. As luck would have it, workers were on strike at that time, so we were unable to carry out his wishes. Now he’s out of the closet and back with his parents in a beautiful last resting place.

I was also able to get together with a long-time friend one evening for dinner and another evening with my childhood bestie Linda, and her parents. Her mom is exactly the same, only with white hair. Her dad is partially paralyzed in a wheelchair now, but his face lit up when he saw me. We had dinner at their home. It was like going back in time but very familiar. These people I saw were all at my wedding and we have history. While a lot of the movie themes were suggesting “out with the old, in with the new” – I like to keep the old around for old times sake.

Elizabeth and I travelled Via Rail “Business Class” which is really the ~~only~~ best way to take the train from TO to MTL. The seats are more comfortable and they feed you. But a word of advice: try not to miss your train. If you do; you might have to wait a few hours and pay more $. You shouldn’t have to pay more, but they justify the reason as just a different train with a higher fare. Yeah; happened to me. Won’t happen again!

As promised, here are some other movies and docs that were on my list that I really wanted to see, but didn’t get around to. LOOK FOR:

Will & Harper (a documentary with SNL alumni and close friends, Will Ferrell & Harper Steele, as they take a road trip following Steele’s announcement of her transition – I imagine with lots of questions along the way). Steele was a writer for Saturday Night Live TV show; four years as head writer. In theatres now – available on Netflix end of September.

We Live in Time (Florence Pugh, Andrew Garfield) A romance about how to make the most of our time in this world. I wonder what they have to say about that.

The Room Next Door (Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton) – about re-connecting an old friendship when one of the friends is sick. This one got a long standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival and it’s Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar’s first English-language feature. I’ve always liked his films.

Conclave (Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini). I didn’t even know Rossellini was at TIFF until I saw her interviewed – I worked for her when she was dating David Lynch while filming a movie in Vancouver. Again; history. I’ll see it at VIFF -Vancouver Int’l Film Festival.

Road Diary: A documentary about Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

Without Blood (Salma Hayek Pinault; directed by Angelina Jolie). That’s enough.

Disclaimer (a mystery starring Cate Blanchett – anything with her in it).

Mistress Dispeller (a true story about the work of Chinese women who practice unorthodox techniques to repair marital infidelity – sounds fascinating).

The Apprentice (I watched the first season of this popular series featuring you know who).

The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos (my late husband spent some time in Lagos – not in a prison; his company set up telecommunications there – but don’t blame him for all the scams).

The Shrouds (because…well; it’s David Cronenberg). It will be sombre.

Can I Get a Witness? (Sandra Oh; written/directed by Ann Marie Fleming – someone I know from Vancouver. This is getting a lot of buzz and I’m excited to see it at VIFF).

Taking Care of Business (a documentary about another iconic Canadian band – Bachman Turner Overdrive; BTO for short. I have friends in common with Randy Bachman and my brother is good friends with his drummer).

A Movie Short called “SoleMates” starring Richard Jutras, a friend of mine from Montreal. We went to Actors Studio a million years ago. Takes place in a shoe store.

The Life of Chuck – It’s not about my Uncle. It just won a People’s Choice Award at the close of TIFF. Synopsis: The world feels like it’s ending and everybody’s saying goodbye to Chuck. Wherever Marty (Chiwetel Ejiofor) goes, he can’t get away from Charles Krantz (Tom Hiddleston). His face is showing up on billboards, window signs — even TV commercials. What’s so special about this seemingly ordinary accountant and why does he warrant such a sendoff? Guess we’ll have to watch it to find out.

Lots to look forward to. Coming up:

Film Reviews

FAB FILMS – Vancouver International Film Festival

VIFF may have come to an end, however the last four movies I’ve seen have resonated with me. They’ll be released to theatres Nationwide November/December. Here are the reviews:

La Belle Époque

This French movie (with English subtitles) was chosen for the closing gala. I had no idea what to expect and ended up loving it! I had just come from watching the fast-paced Ford vs Ferrari at the Playouse and was not sure whether I wanted to stay or not as I was leaning towards the later second viewing and the first showing ended late. As patrons made their way out of the theatre (Centre for the Performing Arts) I could not help but notice everyone’s big smiles. I asked the question before entering – “Is the movie worth staying for?” A resounding “Yes you must stay, it’s excellent.” So stay I did.

The movie centers around Victor (a cartoonist played by Daniel Auteuil) and his marriage to vivacious Marianne (Fanny Ardant) which is turning into a disaster. His son has a friend who has embarked on a new venture “Time Travellers” – a troupe offering clients the chance to go back in time to any moment they wish complete with a team of actors and technicians to guarantee a completely realistic version of whatever era is chosen. Victor decides to go back to 1974 – the day he first met Marianne to relive the moment and the woman he first fell in love with. What follows is very entertaining. The film is witty and original. Highly recommended.

Ford vs Ferrari

James Mangold (3:10 to Yuma) directs Matt Damon and Christian Bale in this high-speed biographical drama that pits an underdog team of American automotive engineers against Ferrari in the 1966 “24 Hours of Le Mans” endurance race. He tells the tale of real-life superheroes Carroll Shelby (Damon) who wins France’s prestigious Le Mans race in 1959, a rare feat for an American, and Ken Miles (Bale), a brilliant driver who runs an auto shop.

This is a gripping true story that will keep you on the edge of your seat even if like me, you’re not really a fan of racing. Excellent. Coming to theatres in December.

Pain and Glory

This film is in Spanish with English subtitles. Pedro Almodóvar is the Director and that alone made my decision. Julieta, Volver, All About my Mother, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown…….no further explanation needed. Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz star in this complicated, bittersweet movie within a movie which is apparently autobiographical.

This film also marks a 35 year reunion between Almodóvar and Banderas who started his career in an Almodóvar film called “Laberinto de pasiones” (1982; Labyrinth of Passion).

I think this paragraph written by Peter Bradshaw (Guardian) sums it up best:

“As ever, Almodóvar has made a film about pleasure, which is itself a pleasure, witty, intelligent and sensous. It is about love, memory, art, mothers, lovers and most of all it is about itself…the film within a film, the story within a story, the dream within a dream.”

The Two Popes

The following review was written by my friend Paul H. LeMay who accompanied me to the screening. I too was pleasantly surprised by this film. His summary may appear in other publications.

Despite such an unassuming title, “The Two Popes” is anything but bland. Rather, it is a penetrating biopic about German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (excellently played by Anthony Hopkins), and Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, (equally well played by Jonathan Pryce), at a momentous turning point in the Catholic church’s history.

The film’s opening is filled with the sumptuous visual grandeur of the Vatican and Sistine Chapel during a conclave of the Cardinals after the death of Pope John-Paul II.

In real life, the event represented a veritable historical showdown between the church’s more conservative traditionalist Catholic viewpoints – as were championed by Pope John Paul II – and more reform-minded liberal ones, as had been previously championed in the early 1960s by Pope John XXIII. In this more contemporary story however, this same struggle is personified in these two aforementioned figures, who were each prominent papal candidates in their own right. Each effectively represents one of the two prominent psychological poles that continue to define our political divides today.

Yet despite the great philosophical gulf that separates their respective views about Christ’s teachings, we get to see how each man was able to bridge that gulf. What works so beautifully is how we penetrate beneath the outer appearances of their respective white and black cassocks to get a rather intimate glimpse of these two mortal men who are both intent on resigning from the burdens of their respective high status clerical roles, for as we discover, neither wants the onerous responsibility or power that comes with their offices. In this desire for self-surrender, we see their humanity shine through. The fact these two men were able to bridge their own huge philosophical orientation gaps and actually become good friends in real life, demonstrates we can attain no less. In effect, each really did come to love his enemy. The enduring feel good message that comes through in the end is that we are here to help one another, not to control or take from one another. On this score, this substantive film scores 10 out of 10 in my books.

AND in between all the above, I managed to see

Judy

starring Renee Zellweger who was absolutely superb as Judy Garland and deserves to win the Oscar.

Many people have no idea about the star’s struggles surrounding the last few years of her life. And then again, many younger people today have no idea who she is period. This movie is a must for those who know and especially for those who do not. It’s a close-up look into the life and loves of one of the most talented women in showbiz who was sadly and unfairly taken advantage of.

OK now back to regular movie going….

Seen any good movies lately?