TIFF Long Take

This week on TIFF Long Take, Rob and Geoff sit down with Gaylene Gould, Head of Cinemas and Events at the British Film Institute Southbank. She recently provided consultation on TIFF’s Black Star, a programme celebrating Black excellence on the big screen, which was lifted from the original BFI run and reimagined for Toronto audiences.

In this episode, Gould discusses the fine line between programming challenging films and meeting financial expectations, the questions she asks herself when selecting films, and how she tests her audience's unconscious bias.

She also speaks to the importance of reexamining revered films through a different lens, and why it is crucial for young, diverse audiences to see the themselves on the big screen.

This week on TIFF Long Take, Rob and Geoff sit down with Steph Guthrie and Christine Kleckner, the producers of the new documentary A Better Man.

In the film, co-director Attiya Khan confronts her former partner about the violence that he inflicted on her during their relationship. The film, now airing on TVO, has been hailed, not only as a brave and exceptional work of art, but also as a vehicle to better understand how systemic abuse is endemic to our culture — and our industry.

On this week’s episode, Guthrie and Kleckner speak to Khan’s decision to confront her abuser on camera, what can be learned from the therapeutic concept of “restorative justice,” and where the conversation around abuse will now go after #MeToo.

So far this year, nine out of the 10 top-grossing domestic films have either been a sequel, remake or spin-off, and with the box office down 14% from the year before, many are citing “franchise fatigue” as one of main contributors to this downturn. While it’s fair to feel disappointed by the lack of originality at the movies, films like Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman, James Mangold’s Logan, and Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049 have shown us that, sometimes, sequels and reboots are capable of great things. To figure out the recipe for a good franchise film, Rob and Geoff sat down with Creed writer Aaron Covington.

Covington talks about teaming up with Ryan Coogler, why making Creed wasn’t his primary goal as a writer, and what pressures come with adapting a beloved film franchise.

He also discusses whether inserting people of colour into an established narrative is the most plausible, and powerful, way of driving diversity on screen, and his dream of writing the next great basketball movie.

In 2000, David Gordon Green received universal acclaim for his feature debut, George Washington, and it wasn’t long before people in the industry started referring to Green — then 26 years old — as “the next Terrence Malick.” However, after a string of well-received, but financially unsuccessful indie films, Green decided to pivot with the 2009 stoner smash hit Pineapple Express. Since then, Green’s filmography has become as varied as you’ll see from a modern Hollywood director, from low-brow fantasy epics (Your Highness) to emotional biographical dramas (Stronger) to horror reboots (the upcoming Halloween).

Geoff sat down with Green to discuss how he became so comfortable changing styles and genres, why it pays off to stay close to your college buddies (especially when they include Danny McBride), and why, despite the understated tone of his early films, he’s always been drawn to projects that are “big and outrageous.”

He also considers the added responsibility of telling true stories, why it was important for him to inject humour and levity into a film as emotional as Stronger, and why he wouldn’t say no to the next Star Wars movie.

On the first anniversary of Donald Trump's election victory, Rob sits down with documentarian Greg Barker to discuss how documentaries fit into a "post-truth" world. Greg’s new film, 'The Final Year', looks back on the last year of Barack Obama's administration. The two talk about why the Obama years already feel like ancient history (3:15), why Greg wanted humanize the foreign policy process (5:20), and how he ended up with a film that even Trump supporters will enjoy (7:00). Greg also talks about the experience of filming the reaction on election night (15:15), how documentaries are a response to the shortcomings of modern journalism (17:00), and why the form has a greater role to play than ever before (19:10).

We’re not even halfway through our stashed Halloween candy, and it’s already official: 2017 has become the biggest box office year ever for horror. While the domestic box office has been down 11 percent since 2016, horror films managed to pick up $733 million in ticket sales, fueled by monster smashes like 'Get Out' and 'It'. In this episode of TIFF Long Take, host Geoff Macnaughton puts together his own Scooby Gang — 'Faculty of Horror' podcast co-host, Alexandra West; and Midnight Madness programmer, Peter Kuplowsky — to investigate our renewed bloodlust for genre films. The three discuss the mainstream appeal of horror (4:10), why some Stephen King adaptations thrived ('It') while others failed to stay alive ('The Dark Tower') (7:40), and how Jordan Peele’s Get Out became a cultural phenomenon (10:45). In the episode’s second half, Geoff, Alexandra, and Peter get into why A-listers aren’t necessary in horror (18:00), what major studios can learn from Blumhouse (22:55), and why movie theatres are still the perfect setting for jump scares (28:05).

Over the last decade, ratings aggregators like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB have surpassed individual critics as the most influential arbiters of taste in the film world. And while many of us trust these sites to curate our moviegoing experience, most don’t fully understand how these hugely persuasive scores are calculated, or where the data informing them is coming from. To get the full picture, Rob and Geoff sat down with Walt Hickey, Chief Culture Critic at FiveThirtyEight.com. Hickey discusses the influence of ratings aggregators on the 2017 box office, why the scores of controversial films and mediocre films end up being so similar, and why these sites need to adjust their scores to better reflect their audiences. He also talks about the implications of displaying data that’s predominantly collected from male users, how trolls can sink a film with poor ratings before it’s even released, and why, despite the rise of ratings sites, he still finds himself looking to Peter Travers.

If you watched the 2017 Emmys, you may have noticed that the category of “Music Supervisor” was added to the awards slate. The acknowledgement represents a growing appreciation for television soundtracks, and the idea that a well placed song can have as much impact on a show’s style and tone as the cinematography or the costume design. Beyond that, thanks to incredible soundtracks on shows like Issa Rae’s 'Insecure', Aziz Ansari’s 'Master of None', and Donald Glover’s 'Atlanta', television has become one of the best places to discover new music. Rob sat down with Zach Cowie, one of the best music supervisors in the business, to learn more about this evolving field. Cowie talks about his path from record store clerk to soundtrack designer on 'Master of None', why his job is less glamorous than people think, and why easier access to music through streaming services isn’t necessarily a good thing. He also talks about his favourite music moments in film and television history, and tells us what song he’d want played at his funeral.

This week, Rob and Geoff sit down with Judy Greer, one of Hollywood’s best and most prolific character actors. With over 120 acting credits in the last 20 years, Greer has built a portfolio of incredible characters with roles in 'The Descendants', 'Arrested Development', and 'Married'. She recently directed her first film 'A Happening of Monumental Proportions'. Greer talks about what attracts her most to a project, what she’s learned working with great filmmakers like Spike Jonze, Alexander Payne, and the Duplass brothers, and her method of getting into character. She also discusses how she got involved in the Canadian indie-comedy 'Public Schooled', why she decided to step behind the camera, and the most annoying thing a director can say to an actor.

If you’re a cinephile, chances are you’ve seen John Carroll Lynch's face on a screen recently. The renowned character actor, most recognized for roles like Arthur Leigh Allen in 'Zodiac' or Norm Gunderson in 'Fargo', recently directed his first feature film, 'Lucky', starring the late Harry Dean Stanton. Lynch sits down with Rob and Geoff to talk about his workmanlike approach to his craft, why being an actor is a lot like being a salesman, and what the great directors he’s worked with — like Martin Scorsese, the Coens, and David Fincher — all have in common. He also explains how he developed his directing style, walks us through the how he got involved with 'Lucky', and shares his fondest memory of working with the legendary Harry Dean Stanton.