I thought about calling this final update from the 1998 Toronto International Film Festival, "What I Did on My Summer Vacation," but decided not to. Too trite...

Anyway, as I sit at the keyboard, the festival has officially been over for about six hours. Now, critics, programmers, and partiers can get some sleep (a much needed commodity for everyone, as was evident from the number of people snoozing through various screenings, especially in the last few days). Ten days of events came to a conclusion with a Midnight Madness screening of the 1977 Hong Kong "classic," Mighty Peking Man, but the climax occurred a few hours earlier, when this year's Closing Night film, Antz was unwrapped for its world premiere. (I won't say anything about the movie here, since the review will be posted at this site in less than 72 hours.)

Several people have already asked whether or not this was a "good" festival. Frankly, it's hard for any one person to make that determination, because even the most ambitious movie-goer could only see about 20% of what Toronto had to offer. For my part, I thought this year's fare was a little weaker than last year's, but not appreciably so. That's probably more a reflection of the current state of the film industry than anything else. Before I make any more "summary" comments, however, let me do justice to those films I saw but have not yet mentioned. Briefly, they are (in no particular order):

• Without Limits: Robert Towne's version of the Steve Prefontaine Story. Better than last year's Prefontaine, this film gives us a good sense of the man and his stormy relationship with his coach and mentor, Bill Bowerman (played by Donald Sutherland in his best performance in a long time). Worthwhile, although not overpowering.

• Dog Park: A light, formulaic romantic comedy with an interesting cast that features Natasha Henstridge and Janeane Garofalo. The film is enjoyable not so much because of the love story, which is generic and predictable (big surprise), but because much of the comedy is actually funny. Not a landmark film, to be sure, but worth a look given the opportunity, especially if you like fluff.

• At Sachem Farm: A quirky, extremely well-acted piece that was produced by two of its stars, Nigel Hawthorne and Minnie Driver. The film is about one young man's (played by Rufus Sewell) attempt to find his place in life, and the advice he gets from a crusty uncle (Hawthorne) and a pragmatic girlfriend (Driver). The film has its share of minor twists and turns, and I left the theater pleasantly satisfied.

• Living Out Loud: The directorial debut of writer Richard LaGravenese (The Bridges of Madison County), this low-key dramatic comedy stars Holly Hunter and Danny DeVito as two friends whose platonic relationship begins to stray into the romantic arena. There's nothing stunningly original about the plot, but the characters are well-developed and likable, and the acting is top notch (especially Hunter, who plays against type as an emotionally-frail, uncertain woman). There's also a nice twist at the end, which makes everything more believable.

• L'ecole de la chair: The newest from French director Benoit Jacquot (A Single Girl, Seventh Heaven), L'ecole de la chair deals with an older woman/younger man relationship from the European perspective. Although these two characters are wildly attracted to each other, there is trouble in paradise. While How Stella Got Her Groove Back concentrates on the social problems encountered in America by such a relationship, this movie takes place in France, where such affairs are perfectly acceptable. Jacquot shows, however, that regardless of the cultural climate, the difference in the participants' maturity level creates difficulties. This is not one of the director's strongest efforts, but it's still an interesting, if somewhat cold, experience.

• A Soldier's Sweetheart: Another look at how war steals innocence. In this case, one soldier in Vietnam manages to smuggle his girlfriend across combat lines, where she becomes unhealthily enamored with the violence and danger. Georgina Cates gives a tremendous performance as the title character. Solid, but not spectacular.

• Judas Kiss: A post-Tarantino crime caper that has its moments of high energy, but ultimately seems derivative and pointless. The twists aren't especially credible and the action seems recycled. The movie is almost saved by Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman, who give hilarious performances as the two cops on the crooks' trail, but they don't have enough screen time to keep Judas Kiss off the "do not recommend" list.

• Pleasantville: In the same vein as, but better than, The Truman Show, Pleasantville is a pleasant surprise. The story, about a couple of '90s teenagers falling into a "Father Knows Best" '50s sitcom, is fairly unique, and the screenplay sparkles. The visual effects, which feature a lot of mixing of black-and-white with color, are top-notch, and director Gary Ross pays careful attention to every little detail. I'll be reviewing the film shortly, so I won't say much else here except that this movie is well worth seeing.

If there was a "must see" film at this year's festival, it was Todd Solondz's Happiness, a disturbing black comedy about people's secret lives and fetishes. Depending on who I talked to, the movie reactions varied from disgust to near-ecstasy. Regardless of your opinion, this is the kind of movie that will stay with you. It's a safe bet that the traditional movie-goer, who likes to munch happily on popcorn while turning off his/her brain, will be offended (and perhaps horrified) by Solondz's view of American life, but those who enjoy a cinematic challenge should check out this film when it becomes available.

There were also a few films that generated some strong buzz. Even though I didn't see these movies, I'll dutifully report what I heard about them. Thursday provoked some very negative talk. Roger Ebert in particular hated this film because of its dubious moral foundation. Bernardo Bertolucci's latest, Beseiged was received more with boredom than anything else. (One overheard comment: "Bertolucci rewards us for sitting through two hours by showing Thandie Newton's breasts.) A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries was almost universally praised. Ebert called it one of the festival's best. I never heard a bad word about the Opening Night Gala, The Red Violin. Larry Clark's followup to Kids was roundly blasted. John Waters' Pecker received mixed reviews. And John Turturro's Illuminata was described to me as "a lot of fun" by one well-respected critic.

For those who are interested in what I thought the best films of the festival were, here's what my Metro Media ballot looked like:

1. La vie revee des anges (The Dream Life of Angels)
   
2. Hilary and Jackie
   
3. The Impostors

And, while I haven't yet broken all the ratings down into "star" categories, here's an overview of what I do and don't recommend:

Highly Recommended: Autumn Tale, Christmas in August, The Dream Life of Angels, Happiness, Hilary and Jackie, The Impostors, The Mighty, My Name is Joe, Pleasantville, A Simple Plan.
Recommended: A Vendre, At Sachem Farm, Dog Park, L'ecole de la chair, Life is Beautiful, Living out Loud, Permanent Midnight, Praise, A Soldier's Sweetheart, The Theory of Flight, West Beirut, Without Limits.
Not Recommended: Apt Pupil, Clay Pigeons, Desert Blue, Divine, Hair Shirt, I'm Losing You, Judas Kiss, L.A. without a Map, Sweet Degeneration, Voleur de vie.

So that pretty much does it for Toronto 1998. Now I'm going to get a few winks then start working on my backlog of reviews. Festival coverage resumes in January with Sundance...

Addendum: Winners of the three major festival awards:

Air Canada People's Choice: Life is Beautiful (Runner up: Waking Ned Devine)
Metro Media Award: Happiness
Best First Feature: Praise, West Beirut (Tie)

© 1998 James Berardinelli